Yes. I know. This is a pathetically tiny chapter compared to my usual ones. But the chapter wanted to end where it wanted to end and I couldn't extend it without sound horribly awkward. To make up for the tiny chapter, I am also posting a companion chapter for this in Detours, so make sure to go read that after you read this. AFTER you read this one NOT BEFORE, otherwise the one-shot will make no sense. Also note that I'm going to put the Review Response and the Author's Note at the bottom so you can just hurry up and read the chapter without feeling like I tricked you via the word counter or anything. Hope you guys enjoy!

Chapter Thirty: Retribution

(Six months, three weeks, two days since joining guild).

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Rihanna felt the tension and terror in her body unwind at the sound of a single word, a single realization, and felt tears rise up instead. Fairy Tail had arrived. All of them. Just in time. Beside her, Bickslow gave a quiet hiccuping noise, just as overwrought with relief as she was that it was finally going to be over.

It had just been a simple errand. Wakaba had infiltrated the kitchens again and ruined some of their cake supplies, so Master Makarov had sent the two of them out to buy some more from the local shop. It was an easy task, harmless and simple and probably assigned to them more to get Bickslow and his antsy tikis out of the building than anything else.

But then as they had passed by a narrow street on the way back to the guild, a magic lasso had whipped out of nowhere and pinned them together. They had been dragged across the empty street before Rihanna had had sufficient time to process the situation. By the time she had registered the full scope of the threat and called for her shadows, two other men had already dragged Rihanna's and Bickslow's arms behind their backs and bound them with handcuffs that cut off her connection to the shadows with a sickening jolt.

It had been Ivan. He had come back for the worst revenge he could think of, with several thugs as backup and a plan in place to sell them off to the highest bidder for their eye magic. All because Rihanna and Bickslow had stopped him from abusing Laxus the last time he'd been in town.

It had been like the storage shed back in Aternum all over again only worse because while Rihanna had magic, she hadn't been able to use it and Bickslow was there with her. Just as helpless but equally defiant and stupid enough to get himself hurt by insulting the men and fighting back.

Then Freed of all people had come to their rescue and they'd run away blindly, getting caught only for Mest to arrive and fight to protect them with a ferocity he rarely showed. But Ivan was cunning for all he was scum and Mest had been caught and she'd been sure he was about to die. And now Fairy Tail was here, all of them, and there was a magical pressure in the air that was simultaneously protective and murderous.

Master Makarov strode forward, his form still small but power shaking the air and cratering cobblestones with every step he took. Glowing eyes swept over the entire scene, then narrowed dangerously and turned to Ivan, "How dare you," his voice echoed and vibrated through the walls of the houses, "betray this family."

Ivan's face twisted through a myriad of expressions, "Now Makarov, I can explain-"

Master Makarov cut him off, the fury of his voice rattling Rihanna's teeth. "EXPLAIN? You have an EXPLANATION for why you have harmed my children? Made them cry? SPILLED THEIR BLOOD ON THE GROUND OF THEIR HOME? You think there is any excuse you can give to me for WHY YOU HAVE BETRAYED YOUR FAMILY?"

Ivan recoiled from the living thunder that was the Master's voice, eyes widening with a flash of terror. Rihanna barely noticed that someone had undone her handcuffs. She was caught up in the tension that seared the air and filled every crack of pavement and breath she took. Ivan's face twisted into one of rage, "Betrayed? I am doing what is necessary! They are a plague on this guild! A plague to my son! I will not let your soft-heartedness for strays ruin Laxus's future! You would not remove them, so I had t-" Master Makarov had Benn bristling through Ivan's rant, but even he looked startled when an inhuman shriek split the air and lightning lanced out from among the crowd of infuriated guild members to slam into Ivan.

In the back of her mind, Rihanna remembered the anime. Remembered Laxus raging at Master Makarov for banishing Ivan from the guild. Remembered how that Laxus had respected his father, perhaps even idolized him, to the point where he would not listen to Master Makarov's reasons. There had been no excuse to that Laxus for banishing blood family, no forgiveness for banishing a father that in Rihanna's eyes was worth nothing but contempt.

But that was not Laxus now.

Several guild members moved forward only to be driven back by the wild sparks and bolts of lightning that poured off of Laxus's body as he physically mauled the man who called himself his father. Another shriek —inhuman and wild and livid— threatened to split Rihanna's eardrums as Master Makarov shook off his shock and reached out with an enlarged hand to drag Laxus away. Laxus struggled, his limbs pinned by Master Makarov's giant fingers. Electricity jolted and snarled through Master Makarov's hand with enough force to make the man wince faintly. But the attempt to get free was futile, Master Makarov continued to restrain his seemingly insane grandson.

Laxus's aura seethed off of his body and his teeth looked far more like fangs than any human's had a right to be as he suddenly screamed, "Thief! Traitor! Traitor! Stay away from what's mine! I'll kill you for trying to steal them do you hear me? I'LL KILL YOU!" Another shriek spilled from Laxus's lungs, transforming halfway through into something far more recognizable. The draconic roar had Rihanna covering her ears and only Master Makarov jerking the hand holding Laxus captive upward saved everyone in the alley from the ray of lightning. It filled the strip of sky she could see between the roofs of the buildings, shattering brick and sending the guild members perched above scrambling back.

The roar trailed off into a deep, throaty snarl as Laxus writhed in his grandfather's grasp. Master Makarov's rage briefly gave way to concern as he tried to talk Laxus down. After his attempts were only met with more snarls and spurts of lightning in Ivan's direction, Master Makarov whispered a magic spell that Rihanna couldn't catch. The effect swept over Laxus in an instant, the boy sagging in his grandfather's grasp as all of his energy seemed to slip away. Mest stumbled forward and Master Makarov passed the now limp Laxus to him before all gazes swung back to Ivan.

Rihanna barely noticed Bickslow shuffling her and Freed to rest against Mest's side, next to the groggy Laxus. Her primary focus, like the rest of the guild, rested on Ivan as the man staggered to his feet. Despite the hate Rihanna felt for him, she felt her breath hitch a bit as his hands slowly lowered from his face to look up at Master Makarov. He definitely didn't have those in the anime.

Through the blood, Rihanna could see at least twelve deep gouges running crisscross down Ivan's face, weeping rivulets of red. The gouges had missed Ivan's eyes, but with the way he had one eye screwed shut and his hand still hovering near it in clear pain, he had just barely avoided losing it. Rihanna breathed out slowly and tried to decide if she felt sick or vindictively satisfied. Laxus did that … he did that with his bare hands.

If Master Makarov felt anything about seeing the damage his grandson had inflicted upon his son, he didn't show it. Instead, Master Makarov's voice deepened to a more melancholy but firm state of his previous rage, "Ivan. You have broken the laws of Fairy Tail. You have conspired with Magic Hunters to sell innocent lives. You have premeditated the harm of a fellow guild member … and you have attempted to murder one who you should have called family."

Ivan's open eye widened, "Makarov, no-"

Master Makarov raised a hand, "For your sins against this family,"

Ivan recoiled from the hand, even though Rihanna couldn't see any spell forming, "Don't do this to me, Makarov!"

The Master's outstretched fingers curled, leaving only the middle and index fingers pointed at Ivan, "For the betrayal of Fairy Tail,"

"Don't!"

"I, Third Master of the Fairy Tail Guild,"

"Makarov!"

"Banish you from Fairy Tail. From our lives, from our records, and from our family. From this moment forth, you are no longer one of us."

Ivan's face twisted and, for the briefest second, Rihanna wondered if he had truly thought his actions were for Fairy Tail's benefit. If he had truly cared, "Father!"

Master Makarov stared at Ivan for a long second and Rihanna could feel how everyone held their breath in the silence that followed Ivan's cry. Master Makarov's face didn't change, it seemed to be carved of glowing stone, "You are no longer my son." His fingers swiped the air and Rihanna sensed a wave of magic pass from the Master to Ivan and back. A look of devastation flashed across Ivan's face, the deep scratches on his face pulling even farther open as his expression warped and crumbled and suddenly Rihanna realized what Master Makarov had done.

He had erased Ivan's guild mark.

Even though she was just a rookie member of Fairy Tail, Rihanna knew the importance of guild marks. Master Makarov had personally sat her and Bickslow down and given them a long and fervent lecture about marks and what they meant to the mage community. The lecture had put so many little things in the anime into perspective. Yukino's devastation over erasing her own guild mark, Future-Lucy's last wish being to see the hand she had lost, Laxus crying at the end of the Fantasia Arc. It all made even more sense after the lecture.

Guild marks were more than just a way to tell who came from which guild, they were a badge of honor, of identity, of self. One's guild mark was nigh-on sacred to a mage and to erase a member's guild mark was to erase their place from the history of the guild, to render all of their prior deeds null, and any reputation gained while bearing the mark completely void. It was why even retired guild members still bore the mark of their guild to the day they died and why memberships were treated as lifetime commitments barring extenuating circumstances.

To willingly erase one's own mark was to show complete contempt for not only the guild, but also to yourself and everything you had been while in the guild. To have it erased by the guild Master meant you were not only an outcast, you would be forgotten, you would be shunned, you would become nothing.

Master Makarov turned away from Ivan, not acknowledging the look on his son's —former son's— face. Master Makarov nodded to some of the guild members, his voice reverting to normal as his magical aura faded away, "Gather them up and take them to the Rune Knights. Make sure the Knights know to search this district for their stash and inform them that these are the men who have been working with the local dealer they've been tailing."

Ivan recoiled from the grim-faced Fairy Tail members, struggling against their hands as four of them grabbed his arms tightly and forced his hands into one of the anti-magic handcuffs Ivan had brought along. Through the blood still weeping from his wounds, Rihanna could see devastation warp into something far darker, "Don't you do this, Makarov! Don't turn your back on me!" Master Makarov gave no acknowledgement, he merely continued to give quiet orders to the stoic guild members as they tied up Ivan's thugs or approached the Raijinshū with bandages.

Ivan lunged against the hands holding him, "Don't turn your back on me, Makarov! I will ruin you! I will ruin you and your precious guild for this, do you hear me? I will burn your guild to the ground for this and take the Lum-"

All of the magical pressure that had begun to fade after Master Makarov's judgement slammed back down a hundred-fold. Master Makarov didn't turn around, but when he spoke, Rihanna heard the threat of death in his voice, "Do not say that name, Ivan." Ivan opened his mouth again, but the Master of Fairy Tail cut him off, "If you ever dare to breathe those words to anyone ever again, the Rune Knights will not find enough of you left to bury. So says the Third Master of Fairy Tail."

Guild members froze in confusion, but Ivan had gone pale beneath the blood on his face. His mouth clicked shut with an expression of shocked terror that told Rihanna that Master Makarov was absolutely, deadly serious.

Ivan let himself be dragged away with his unconscious thugs without another word. But Rihanna could see the darkness in his one open eye, and wondered if anything like this had happened in the anime to breed Ivan's hatred. If this was why he had created Raven Tail.

"Wren-sama?" Rihanna looked up at the sound of Freed's quavering voice. The rest of the Raijinshū were already standing, with Mest supporting a quiet, woozy-eyed Laxus on one side while Bickslow supported him from the other. Evergreen had joined the group at some point, her skin pale and her gaze frightened behind her glasses. Rihanna couldn't find it in herself to muster up a smile, so instead she just signed tiredly, "It's over. Let's go home."

As the others nodded and obediently began to shuffle Laxus home to the lighthouse under the worried gaze of the rest of Fairy Tail, Rihanna wondered if anyone else had caught her lie. She'd seen the look in Ivan's eyes, it wasn't over. Men like that didn't just let go of a grudge. Then she shook her head and told herself it didn't matter right now.

Ivan might not be done with Fairy Tail, but now that he was no longer a member, if he came back …

Well. None of them had any reasons to hold back anymore.

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Review Response: Dear Dragon Lord Draco, greetings! I hope that lived up to your expectations! Ivan didn't get as hard a smackdown as I would have liked, but emotionally he had a big one and those gouges are definitely going to scar, so, yeah. Mest alerted the guild by sending Evergreen back to get help (they rendezvoused at Kardia Cathedral remember?) and I'm glad you think he and Freed did such a good job. Mest did hurt Ivan actually, split his lip and knocked out a tooth. Not much in the grand scheme of injuries, but still impressive against an S-Class. Really! Cool! If you like, I'll PM you some basic information about it, though please note the title is still a test title, I plan on changing if before publishing.

Dear Lightsbane1905, hello there! Yes. Yes he did.

Dear Keiolsha, hi! I'm going to assume that the chapter adequately answered your question on Laxus's point of view. If it didn't, then yes, Laxus is going to have a different mindset from now on. Or at least, he'll work on it.

Dear Maxiforce, greetings! Not quite dead yet, but he's in a lot of pain and is going to rot in jail for a while. Hell will have to wait a bit longer for him.

Dear BlackDove WhiteDove, hello! So happy you think so! Good, that was my goal. Freed is an adorable little hero of the hour, isn't he? Well, even if Laxus-sama says she isn't actually a demon here to devour the souls of the unworthy/disrespectful, Freed doesn't feel like taking any chances ;3.

Dear Wicken25, hey there! Hmm, interesting theory, but I must respectfully disagree with it. Ivan chose his magic (in my head canon), and he IS shown to have massive potential. In GMG, he cast an illusion so powerful and subtle that not even two Ten Wizard Saints, the entirety of Fairy Tail, a retired council member, or the Rune Knight commentator had any idea it was an illusion. That takes both skill and power which was frustratingly nerfed when it came to the actual fight against Laxus. But oh well.

Dear Guest123, greetings! Glad you liked it! As I believe is covered in both the previous chapter and this one, all of Fairy Tail currently in Magnolia is present and very, very unhappy. Aw, thank you, I'll put up a notice in my profile when I get it published!

Dear Some Random Dude, hi! Thrilled to hear it! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well and don't forget to check on the companion one-shot in Detours that goes with this!

Dear EmberFlame03, hello there! Well, technically he did. You know, for character development. But I'll try to give him a break in upcoming chapters. He is new to Fairy Tail after all. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Dear Naliyu, hey there! He is. Not permanently (yet) but for a very long time. Really? Cool, mean's I'm doing my job write! (yes, that was a terrible pun, no, I feel no shame.)

Dear Gingerfury, hello! Wish granted! Laxus is the one who clawed up Ivan's already ugly mug. I've been meaning to give Mest some spotlight, because I think he's cool. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Dear Draconicflare, hi! Congrats on finishing your last test! hmm, I'm having a bit of trouble answering your review since most of your questions/reactions are answered either in the previous chapter or this one... but here goes. Oh, there will be Christmas craziness later. LOTS of Christmas craziness (laughs and anime sweat-drops at the same time). Well, even street rats can be caught off guard if you do it right. Normally it would have been a ways away, but Wren being here upset the timeline for it. I'll explain more in the Author's Note below. I hope you enjoyed Ivan getting mauled and dragged off to jail, because that's the last we'll see of him for a while!

Dear WolfGirl1, greetings! You really think Wren could plausibly become a Wizard Saint? Cool. Yep, Ivan's gonna be in jail for a while. Magic Hunters are NOT approved of by the council and there are serious penalties for being involved in that business.

Dear YumiKnowsBest, hello! I actually own both volumes of Ice Trail and I do intend to incorporate it into this story soon. I just have to wrap up this arc and have a Christmas chapter (that will hopefully be on time) and then we'll be time skipping to Gray's arrival. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Dear snowleopard314, hey there! Both are perfectly reasonable emotions with perfectly good reasons behind them. Ivan is very hatable. I'll explain Ivan's actions and motivations in the Author's Note below, but Wren's black hole was entirely the reason for his dive into the deeper levels of depravity. You'll have to wait and see how Wren's presence affects that area of the timeline, I can't say anything else for fear of spoilers.

Dear Arthanos, greetings! Glad you enjoyed it! He's going to be away for a while. Good riddance right?

Dear Sweets and Tarts, hello! So, just a quick thing, but can you not make such a long 'aah' like that again, please? It was amusing, but you quite literally broke the review page that it is on. Now whenever I try to read reviews on that page, the reviews are all stretched out like crazy and my web-page tries to freeze. Makes answering these reviews tricky. Moving on, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! Really? Cool. If you like, I'll PM you a basic summary of the story along with the other requested information. Maybe even a teeny sample of the book. Only if you want me to, of course.

Dear Ghostunderasheet, hi there! Not a bad theory, but our head-canons differ on those points. I don't think Ivan is weak, just underutilized by the author. As for Laxus's Dragon Slayer Lacrima, it works differently in this story. But still, you have some valid points on Ivan. There is something wrong with that guy. Well, in my defense, I didn't force you to read this instead of working on your paper (hope that went okay, by the way). I am very flattered you did though.

Dear Captain343Spark, hey there! (offers tissues) Good. It means I'm doing my job correctly.

Author's Note: So! Explanations and announcements and stuff. First off, I know this chapter is small (only thirteen pages actually), but there is a one-shot in Amongst Untrodden Ways: Detours that might help tide you over some more. It's the events of this chapter from Laxus's perspective to explain what was going through his head when he tried to gouge Ivan's eyeballs out (not that we all don't agree with said course of action). On a random announcement, if anyone want's to look up what Wren looks like as an adult, google Taylor Swift with curly hair. It's not exact (Wren has hazel eyes and is shorter for one thing) but since my drawing skills are terrible, that's the closest I could find as an example. At the very least, that's what I mean when I say Wren has curly hair. None of that Shirley Temple/anime pile driver curls that I see sometimes in anime.

On to explanations: First up, Ivan's motives. So, the reason Ivan came back and stooped to trying to sell of Wren and Bickslow to Magic Hunters is not solely because of Wren's Black Hole eye magic. The main reason is because they are influences that Laxus was clearly attached to who could not be cowed into obeying Ivan. That means they are dangerous to his plans for Laxus. Not only could they influence Laxus into no longer obeying Ivan, but if they went and told the guild (or convinced Laxus to tell) then all of Ivan's hard work would be ruined and he would be kicked out of Fairy Tail. He saw them as dangerous to his ideal of a strong son and a strong guild, so he tried to have them discreetly removed. We all saw how badly that backfired, but there you go. Also, yes, Ivan cared about the guild in a twisted sort of way. In my head, he is a major driving reason behind Laxus's attitude/obsession with strength in the original Fantasia Arc. He does not agree/understand Makarov's ideals of Fairy Tail, all he sees is that the guild is his (his father is the Master after all and Ivan was an S-Class mage) and so he needs to keep it 'strong'. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, Ivan's idea of "strong" is very, very warped, which is why he abused Laxus and why he felt no qualms in trying to kidnap/kill the Raijinshū.

Also on Ivan. I didn't get to cover this in the story, but Ivan's cooperation with Magic Hunters is not a new thing. In my head-canon, he's been making/using underworld connections such as Magic Hunters for YEARS. How do you think he managed to get his hands on an ultra-rare lacrima that probably should have been in a vault some where for the sole purpose of saving/strengthening his sickly son? Makarov made if very clear in the anime that he didn't approve of Laxus using the Dragon Slayer magic inside the Lacrima, so I can't really imagine him approving/helping to acquire that lacrima in the first place. It was all on Ivan. In exchange for the Lacrima and other dealings, Ivan has been covering for the local Magic Hunter dealer in the Magnolia area for years. He is even in charge of a major drop-off/pick-up point for Magic Hunters in that area. Being a high-ranking member in Fairy Tail allowed him to throw Fairy Tail and the law enforcement off of the trail for years. Which is what Makarov was talking about when he ordered the guild to take them away. The Rune Knights had finally been tracking down one of the Magic Hunter hub dealers and there was already evidence that someone from a legal guild in the area (they didn't know which one) was involved and covering the tracks. Makarov saw what was going on in the alley and put two and two together.

Random Timeline Note: Just in case you guys are wondering, Makarov never found out about Ivan's connection to the Magic Hunters in the original timeline. Ivan was originally banished when Laxus was 15 because he was caught trying to steal Lumen Histoire, then escaped before Makarov could catch him, hurting guild members during his escape. It would explain why Makarov was so set on finding Ivan again and why his banishment is never explained to Laxus or anyone else. Makarov can't tell the rest of Fairy Tail about Lumen Histoire, it's bad enough that Ivan knows. Of course, because of Wren, Ivan has been banished two years early and is also going to jail for a long time because of his exposed underworld connection, so there you go.

Also, yes, Makarov would legitimately kill Ivan if Ivan tried to tell anyone about Lumen Histoire. It's already been stated in the manga that it is a potential weapon of world-ending proportions and Makarov, as guild master, is sworn to keep it safe at all costs. Ivan knows that, so he is definitely going to be keeping his mouth shut about it (at least for now).

I think that's everything. Don't forget to go check out the one-shot companion piece to this and have a lovely day!