Chapter 5: Freed's Promise to Ariella

It was nightfall in Magnolia, and thanks to help from the other Fairy Tail Wizards, Laxus and the Thunder Legion had finally returned to their guild safe and sound. Unfortunately, they were in a crisis due to Ariella being poisoned and Makarov contacted Porlyusica via a lacrima crystal ball.

The Fairy Tail Mages were voicing their concerns about Ari, and Makarov could hear their murmurs throughout his frantic call to her.

"Do you think Ari will be okay?" Wakaba asked Macao.

"I hope so. She looks like she's inching closer to death…," Macao replied.

"And in pain," Romeo added. "Did you see the way she was breathing? It's weaker than she normally would."

"And her face was purple!" Droy exclaimed, munching on a chicken leg.

"That's because she's been poisoned, dolt," Jet reminded him.

Ari…, Cana thought of her, gripping the handle of a mug containing her favorite beer.

"Please, Porlyusica! Get to the guild hall right away! We have an injured mage on hand and she's in critical condition!" Makarov cried.

"Don't worry, Makarov. I'll be there as soon as I can," Porlyusica said, just before she disappeared from the crystal ball.

Once the call had come to a close, the elderly guild master turned to his grandson and his teammates as he held up some paperwork, containing the evidence he had written down.

"I would like to thank you for your hard work," he said to them. "Thanks to you, we now have enough evidence to bring Medusa's Gorgon to justice."

"Yeah, but they retreated during our battle," Bickslow explained to him. "And we found this necklace when we discovered Ari's body."

The Human Possession Mage handed the necklace over to Makarov, and he took a close look at it. All of a sudden, his eyes lit up in surprise, raising curiosity from Laxus and the Thunder Legion.

"Hmm… it seems familiar."

"You know the guy?" Laxus asked him.

"Yes. This necklace belongs to Fang, the son of the dark guild's master Viper," Makarov answered him with a nod. "We are aware that he has a notorious reputation for slaughtering women, according to the Magic Council. That necklace has a sabertooth's actual fang, referring to his name, and it is said to be a special gift from his father when he first became a member of Medusa's Gorgon."

"Then that must be the man who poisoned Ari!" Evergreen concluded.

"We're going to go to Shirotsume and infiltrate the Medusa's Gorgon guild hall for the stolen goods, as well as seek vengeance for Ari," Laxus stated, as he slammed his fist onto the bar counter with a look of rage in his eyes. "That dark guild will be punished for bringing harm to Fairy Tail!"

Fang…, Freed thought, clenching his left fist tightly. You will pay for what you had done to my love!

Just then, the doors to the guild hall swung open and in came Porlyusica. The Fairy Tail mages were surprised to see her, and murmurs could be heard throughout from some of them.

"It's Porlyusica," Bisca said to her husband.

"I hope she can do something to save Ari," Alzack assumed.

"Well, that was fast," Gray said. "There are no crowds tonight anyway, as most people are usually at their homes, getting ready for bed."

"Exactly," Erza replied with a nod of concord.

Just then, Gray felt two arms wrapping around him and he was shocked to see Juvia, who had been watching him from behind a pillar the whole time.

"Ariella may be in pain and my heart breaks for her, but I can sense yours breaking too!" she cooed to him lovingly, nuzzling him. "Perhaps I can ease your pain for you, my darling Gray."

"Why don't you ease up off me!?" the Ice-Make Mage snapped, trying to push her away. However, Juvia's grip was too strong for him and the blue-haired Water Mage continued to cling onto him.

"Porlyusica, you've made it just in time," Makarov said to her, sighing in relief. "Thank you for coming."

"I'm here to see Ariella," the healer replied to him. "Where is she?"

"Upstairs in the infirmary," Levy answered for Makarov.

"I was going to answer that!" the elderly guild master snapped, a red vein popping up on his head.

"Well, you should thank her for that, Gramps," Laxus said to him bluntly, with a low sigh.

Freed's eyes fixated on Porlyusica walking past by them, and heading up the stairs to the infirmary, and all he could do for now was wait until the time would be right for him to see his beloved…

In the infirmary, Ariella was lying in a hospital bed, her clothes having been changed into hospital attire. She was still breathing weakly, her body continuing to drip with sweat as she could feel the effects of Fang's poison within her body. Natsu, Lucy, and Happy were standing on one side, worried about their friend as Porlyusica was examining her closely.

On the other side of the bed, Juno was on her knees, her face buried in her arms as she was sobbing. Lisanna was standing beside her, her hands placed on her shoulders.

"My sister's dying. We have to do something," she wept, her tears moistening the blanket.

Lisanna's older siblings, Mirajane and Elfman, were watching from the open doors, feeling sympathetic for Juno as they understood how she cared about her sister. They would be just as heartbroken as Juno if Lisanna were in a similar condition, and all they could do is hope and pray that Ariella would be well again.

"So… what's the deal, Gran?" Natsu asked Porlyusica, when she was done examining Ari.

"It appears that Ariella has indeed been poisoned," the healer said. "She must have inhaled some type of Poison Magic, rather than a toxic fume in the environment."

"Poison Magic?" Lucy wondered aloud.

"T-That's the greatest weakness of a Nature Mage…," Juno sobbed, her face still buried in her arms. She then lifted her head up, raising her voice crossly with tears continuing to stream down her face:

"And whoever did it is gonna be sorry for poisoning my sister!"

Everyone was left startled by Juno's shouting, and they could hardly believe she would yell that loudly. They understood that she was simply devastated and aggravated at Medusa's Gorgon, and when Juno buried her face into Lisanna's chest and continued crying, Natsu decided that he couldn't handle the agony any longer.

"Jun…," the Fire Dragon Slayer said, as he approached her. "What they had did to your sister is wrong, and I am infuriated at them like you are. Ari's been my friend since she first met me and Lucy seven years ago, and that was way before you joined the guild."

His right fist then clenched tightly, a vengeful glare forming on his face as he then declared:

"And as one of her friends, I'm gonna exact revenge for her. How so? I'm gonna hunt down Medusa's Gorgon myself and roast them to the point of them begging me for mercy! I'M COMING FOR YOU, MEDUSA'S GORGON!"

Just as he was about to run out with a furious battle cry, Natsu felt himself being yanked by his scarf and he was dragged back to the bed. It was no other than Lucy who grabbed him by the scarf.

"No, Natsu!" the celestial wizard protested. "Laxus and his team took that request, and Ari and Juno tagged along with them to gain information on the murdered female mages! We want to avenge Ari too, but because it is Laxus's job request, he and his team should do the avenging. Not you."

"It's a shame we can't get involved in this…," Happy said lowly. "All we can do is trust Laxus and the Thunder Legion and hope that they will defeat Medusa's Gorgon."

"And save Ari, too," Lisanna added.

"Speaking of that… I read that the poison mist Ariella inhaled is from Poison God Slayer Magic: a Lost Magic," Levy said, reading through a book on Lost Magic. She had obtained it from the guild's library after obtaining some information on Fang from Makarov.

"Levy," Lucy said to her best friend. "What are you doing here?"

"The master told me some crucial information about Fang: he is a Poison God Slayer."

"A God Slayer?!" Lucy, Happy and Lisanna exclaimed, their eyes widening in shock.

"Just like that Fire God guy I fought on Tenrou Island," Natsu pointed out, as he recalled his battle with Fire God Slayer Zancrow on Tenrou Island, during the S-Class trials seven years ago.

"Poison God Slayer Magic may be a Lost Magic as Levy said, but the good news is that its effects are treatable," Porlyusica said. "I can make an antidote for her since it works on any type of Poison Magic, but it requires some ingredients and I am sorely lacking them."

"But what about Wendy?" Natsu suggested. "Her Sky Magic can heal anyone of poisoning, and she did that to save Erza during our fight with Oracion Seis."

"Sorry, Natsu, but I'm afraid that Wendy's out on a job with Carla," Happy said to him. "She can't come back right now."

The Fire Dragon Slayer groaned in dismay, hanging his head low. So much for Wendy's healing ability…

"That's why it's up to me to heal her. Poison Magics can be healed in more ways than one," Porlyusica pointed out. "Now, I need someone to fetch me the ingredients I'm missing. They can be found in the East Forest, where my home is."

"Hey, Juno," Lisanna said to her best friend. "You and Ari used to make herbal remedies, right? Well, collecting ingredients for potions should be your specialty, so why don't you do it for Porlyusica?"

Juno's eyes lit up in surprise, as she recalled the times that the sisters would help their mother make herbal remedies back at their home village. Those were the good old days; now this would be the perfect opportunity for her to apply her skills by doing her favorite part: gathering ingredients.

"Okay. I'll do it," the raspberry-haired mage said, nodding to her best friend.

"Way to go, Juno!" Happy cheered, hopping up and down on the bed.

"I'm glad you're finally up and at 'em," Natsu said to her with a grin, patting her back. "That's the Juno I know."

"I thank you for volunteering," Porlyusica said to her. She handed a handwritten list over to her and Juno examined it carefully. The missing ingredients Porlyusica wrote down were: mushrooms; lavender flowers; juniper berries; and ginger root.

"Now, it is important that you find these ingredients and bring them back to me right away! The poison's effects will kill your sister faster if you don't return in time."

"So how long will it take for the poison to completely spread in Ari's body?" Happy asked her.

"In less than twelve hours," Porlyusica answered in a grim voice, horrifying everyone in the room.

"Less than twelve hours?!" Lisanna exclaimed.

"That seems like plenty of time, but I'll make sure to bring them back as soon as I collect them all," Juno said to her confidently.

"Well, you've got some conviction for a troublemaker," Porlyusica commented with a sigh.

"I'll keep an eye on Ari," Lucy said. "I'll monitor her closely with Porlyusica while you go to the East Forest."

"I'm going with you!" Lisanna said to Juno. "Besides, it may be dangerous to go in the East Forest alone since there are some Vulcans lurking around."

"Are you sure, Lisanna?" Natsu asked her. "I think Juno'll be just fine on her own, since Vulcans can't come out at night."

"No, she won't, you dolt!" Lucy snapped, smacking him across the head. "There's a chance a Vulcan may pop out at night. You know what happens when it attacks her!"

"It possesses her body using a Take-Over Magic," Happy answered.

"Just like the one we fought on Mount Hakobe to save Macao," Natsu said, recalling his battle with the Vulcan that took over Macao in Mount Hakobe.

"You're right about that," Lucy said, nodding to the Fire Dragon Slayer before glancing over at Lisanna.

"Anyway, Lisanna, go on ahead with Juno to East Forest, and be cautious if you any Vulcans!"

"We will. Don't worry about us!" the Animal Soul Mage said.

"Good luck to you both, and no dilly-dallying!" Porlyusica reminded them.

Juno and Lisanna raced down the stairs and passed by their guildmates, making them wonder what they were up to. Even Makarov, Laxus and the Thunder Legion were just as curious as everyone else.

"Oi, Lissy!" Bickslow called out to his girlfriend. "Where are ya going?"

"Juno and I are going to gather ingredients in the East Forest," Lisanna answered him. "Porlyusica needs them to make an antidote for Ari and she's running short on them."

"Well, you better be careful out there. Vulcans can strike this forest, especially at night."

"Ah, don't worry, Bicks. Lissy and I got this!" Juno said to him, swinging her fists in the air with a confident smile.

"Good luck, Lisanna, and be safe!" Mirajane cheered, earning a smile from her younger sister.

"Juno, you better keep my sister safe for me!" Elfman called out to Juno.

"Apparently, collecting things is Juno's forte," Evergreen assumed. "I guess she is somewhat useful, albeit her attitude needs a major adjustment."

"From what I was told by Ari, she and Juno used to make herbal remedies. Now they leave the healing to Wendy and Gran," Laxus said to her.

As soon as Juno and Lisanna departed the guild hall, Freed started to walk away from the group, with his concerns about Ari in mind. He had a promise for her, and he will fulfill it for her!

"Freed?" Bickslow asked, raising an eyebrow. "Where are ya going at a time like this?"

"We have to go to Shirotsume," Evergreen reminded him.

"I will be back momentarily," the Runes Mage answered his friends, before heading upstairs.

I think I know what he's going to do, Laxus thought.

Lucy was seated on a stool placed next to Ariella's bed, and she was keeping a close watch on her wounded friend when she heard the door open. She glanced up to see Freed entering the infirmary, as he had one thing to do before he would leave.

"Freed?" she asked of him. "Why is he here?"

"Your allies are waiting for you. If you're here to see Ariella, make it quick!" Porlyusica insisted.

The Runes Mage didn't say a word to them, as he approached the bed and stared down at Ariella. Seeing her suffer from Fang's poison only fueled his determination to fight for her, as well as his fury towards the Poison God Slayer.

"Ariella… I'll avenge you by taking down Fang. I promise!" he said to her.

With that, he headed for the door when he heard his name being called by Porlyusica. She had one additional thing to say to him, regarding Fang.

"Fang's Poison God Slayer Magic can be fatal, so you may need this your protection," she said to him, handing him a face mask made out of gold metal. It had a Fairy Tail emblem on the left side and holes for filtering, along with red straps for securing onto his face.

"A face mask?" Freed asked, examining it carefully.

"It's no ordinary face mask. This mask will prevent you from inhaling any Poison Magic that is in the air, and that mist he used on Ariella is among them."

"Thank you, Porlyusica. I will use it when I take on Fang."

Freed bowed to Porlyusica and he walked out of the infirmary, and the two women were watching him in silence as the door shut quietly.

"He really does care about Ari," Lucy said of him. "But Freed won't worry about her too much, since I'm looking over her."

"And I'm waiting for my ingredients to be delivered," Porlyusica said. "I'm counting on Juno and Lisanna to fetch them, and they will not let the entire guild down!"

Juno and Lisanna were racing through town, the wind blowing through their hair and their faces full of determination. Their destination: East Forest, with their goal to collect the ingredients and return them to Porlyusica.

"Don't worry, Ari," Juno said of her sister. "We're going to save you from death!"

Outside the guild hall, Laxus and the Thunder Legion were gathered at the open doors, and the other guild members were providing their support to them with their cheering. They were grateful to have what they would call family by their side, especially when going out on jobs.

"You better win, Sparky," Gajeel said, his arms folded across his chest. His partner, Panther Lily, was in the same pose as his master, confident that Laxus and the Thunder Legion would be victorious over the dark guild.

"Good luck, Laxus," Makarov said proudly to his grandson. "We're counting on you and your team to bring Medusa's Gorgon to justice."

Laxus nodded to him, and the four mages triumphantly walked through the open doors and paused at the gates.

"Alright, Thunder Legion…," he said to his team. "Let's move!"

With valiant cries and determined facial expressions, Laxus and the Thunder Legion dashed through the gates, preparing themselves to carry out their vengeance on Medusa's Gorgon. However, they were unaware that Natsu and Happy were watching them from above, standing on the rooftop of the guild hall. Natsu had defied Lucy's warning not to follow Laxus and his team, since his obstinance and determination to exact revenge for Ari were too strong for him to comply. He also ignored protests from the others, primarily Gray, Erza and Makarov.

"Are you sure about this, Natsu?" Happy asked him. "Lucy will be mad at us if she finds out."

"I'm sure," Natsu answered with a nod. He spread his arms outward and dove down from the roof, as he called out to him: "Happy, take me to Shirotsume and step on it with your Max Speed!"

"Aye, sir!"

Happy caught Natsu in the nick of time, grabbing hold of him by the back of his vest and activating his white wings. The two soon soared into the night sky, accelerating through the clouds as fast as a jet.


The Fairies are ready to raid Medusa's Gorgon, not aware of Natsu pursuing them. And will Freed carry out his promise to Ariella? Find out in the next chapter!

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