Chapter 14
"We can't thank you enough!" one of the town's women repeated.
"We simply performed our civic duty." Erza replied.
The group has returned from their short mission to defeat the monster plaguing the town. They return with a man named Hayne, who confesses to all the crimes he is accused of by using the Celestial Spirit, Taurus. Anna has confiscated his key, and the town's people have already sent a messenger out to have the man taken into custody by the kingdom.
"We really must be going." Mard Geer says.
"Oh, yes!" The woman says with a bow, "Please, visit anytime!"
The group bids their farewell to the town's people and continue on their journey to Mount Zonia. Unfortunately for Natsu though, it seems that Gajeel has made the decision to accompany the group on their journey.
"So, you will be accompanying us then?" Mard Geer asks for confirmation.
"Yeah, you guys look like you could use my help."
"Th-thank you Gajeel!" Wendy says.
Gajeel chuckles to himself and pats Wendy on the head.
In the back of the travelling party, Natsu stews as they follow the dirt trail through a forest towards Mount Zonia. He made it quite clear back in the Dark Woods that he did not want to travel with Gajeel. Yet, here they are now, travelling with the very man he doesn't want to travel with. He stares dagger at him as he as tells Anna, Wendy, and Mard Geer about how he found out about the "Demon of the Forest" and decided the investigate it.
Erza stays back with Natsu. She doesn't quite understand what the big problem is, but she understands that Natsu isn't that fond of Gajeel.
"If it's any consolation, we're almost at Mount Zonia." she whispers to him, "We won't have to travel with him for long."
"It's not a big deal." Natsu says, raising his arms above his head, "He just annoys me sometimes."
"Yeah, well you annoy me too, Salamander!" Gajeel yells back at them.
"Shut it, Kurogane!" Natsu shouts back.
Gajeel twists around and cracks his knuckles, "Oh, you want another beat down?"
Natsu ignites his fist on fire and slams it into his open palm, "Last I checked, I won our last fight."
"Please stop fighting!" Wendy pleads.
"Once I put Salamander in his place."
Just as the two boys are about to rush each other, they suddenly stop and turn their attention directly behind them.
"We're being followed." They say in unison.
Natsu jumps in to action and charges into the forest. The foliage provides enough cover that the group quickly loses track of him. Gajeel is about to chase after him when an explosion sounds off and Natsu is sent sailing back at them. Fortunately, Gajeel is there to break his fall.
"Ow!" Natsu says as he picks himself up off of Gajeel.
"Watch it, Salamander!"
A cackling laugh sounds off in the direction Natsu was thrown, "That's the dragon slayer you were afraid of?"
"One hit isn't going to take him down." Came the familiar voice of Seilah.
The Kingdom General step out into the open revealing herself to the group along with a new person. Everyone, minus Gajeel, recognizes Seilah. The other person is a completely new face to everyone. Standing before them is a young blonde man with shoulder-length hair. He's wearing a sleeveless green shirt and has a bandana around his neck.
"Good, I've been waiting to get a good punching bag!" The newcomer says.
Seilah shakes her head in disagreement, "Stick to the plan."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah."
Seilah's partner charges at the group and Natsu moves to intercept him, expect he can't. He feels control of his body disappear as he stands idly by as the newcomer punches Mard Geer across the face.
Gajeel stifles a laugh as Mard Geer is sent flying back from the explosive fist the newcomer threw at him.
"I wouldn't get too comfortable!" The newcomer throws his hand in Gajeel's direction and causes an explosion that knocks him away.
Natsu, against his will, jumps in and follows up with a fiery punch of his own.
"Natsu!" Erza screams at him.
"Don't blame him, he's under Seilah's control!" Mard Geer shouts as he sends vines at Erza.
The vines form a shield for the young girl as the newcomer lights it ablaze and burns through it with ease. Fortunately, it gave Erza more than enough time to get out of the way and into a defensive position.
"Open Gate of the Paired Fish, Pisces!" Anna calls out from the side, summoning her signature Celestial Spirits, "Pisces, go back up Erza!"
The Mother and Son duo nod to their master and jump into action, using their water techniques to try and shut down the newcomer.
"Jackal, look out!" Seilah calls to her partner, "Pisces utilizes water magic."
"I've got this!" he calls back to her, "You deal with the Dragon Slayers!"
The Son Pisces thrusts forward his spear. Water envelopes it and threatens to cut into Jackal. Fortunately for him, he is fast enough to dodge out of the way. The offense isn't over yet though for him. Erza follows up with a slash of her own, only for Jackal to jump back, right into Mother Pisces trap. Blasting through the ground, in a torrent of water, is the great white shark that is Mother Pisces. She threatens to bite into Jackal's torso, forcing him to rocket himself into the air with his magic. In doing so, he harms Mother Pisces.
Mother Pisces cries on in pain as her son shouts in concern, "Mom!"
Erza wastes no time though a requips into another armor. This one is a black armor with leather wings. She grips her sword and soars up to Jackal and swings at him. Once more, the newcomer blasts Erza away from him, but not before she also swings her sword at him. The resulting impact launches the two combatants away from each other and down to the ground.
The two pick themselves up off the ground as Seilah cries out in pain. While Erza and the Mother and Son Pisces have been dealing with Jackal, Mard Geer has successfully bound Seilah with his thorns.
"Shush, go to sleep now." He says as he tries to suffocate Seilah into unconsciousness.
Jackal prevents him from doing so though and easily blasts apart his thorns. He quickly grabs Seilah and throws her roughly against a tree. She hits the tree with a thud and gasps out in pain.
"Was that really necessary?" Seilah asks as she gasps for breath.
"I think you mean, thank you."
Seilah narrows her eyes at Jackal.
Seeing a lull in the battle, Erza takes this chance to try and talk Jackal and Seilah down, "Why are you still pursuing me?"
Seilah looks to Erza in surprise, "You're father has ordered for your return."
"He was pretty pissed that she didn't bring you back." Jackal adds.
Mard Geer sends his thorns at Seilah once more, but Jackal easily blows them away with his explosion magic.
"Keep doing that and I'll blow your head off!" He shouts at Mard Geer.
"Please, just come with us peacefully." Seilah pleads, "I don't want to fight you anymore than you want to fight us."
"Hold on, if you met with King Rung, then that means you got the chance to explain what our mission is, right?" Anna asks.
Jackal bursts out into laughter. Seilah shots him a dirty look, but being behind him, he doesn't even notice.
"He doesn't care about that!" He shouts at her.
Seilah's eyes widen and she quickly shouts, "Jackal!"
Jackal ignores Seilah's plight and continues, "He wants you back because he doesn't want Zeref getting in his way!"
"That's enough Jackal." Seilah warns him. She's just about ready to break her hold on Natsu to get him to shut up. Speaking of the Fire Dragon Slayer, Gajeel is doing a good job of keeping him at bay.
"She deserves to know right?" He says with a wicked smile, "That King Rung as sentenced Queen Irene to death!"
Jackal begins cackling like his namesake as Erza falls to her knees.
"No," She mutters.
"Erza, don't listen to him, he's just trying to get to you!" Anna reminds the red head.
"Why would she even be on death row?" Gajeel asks as Natsu sucker punches him across the face, much to his annoyance, "Knock it off, Salamander!"
"I'm trying!"
"She's transforming into a dragon. There's been unrest in the kingdom ever since word got out." Seilah explains, "I can only imagine that King Rung has no other choice. We can't afford to have another Achnologia."
Erza doesn't want to believe it, but even she isn't blind to the facts. With reports of Achnologia going crazy, attacking his own allies, and transforming into a dragon, it comes as no surprise that people would fear the same of her mother.
"I had heard anti-dragon sentiment was growing in the Kingdom, but for this…" Mard Geer muses.
Erza begins to pick herself back up, "Mom wouldn't become like that."
"I wish that we could be certain of that." Seilah says.
"But this all the more reason to find Zeref." Erza continues, "If anyone can save her, it's him!"
Erza faces the two agents of the Kingdom with a new resolve. Her returning to the castle will do nothing to solve this problem. She has already decided that she would see this mission to its end, and that she is going to save her mother.
Thank you for reading!
What will happen now that Irene is on death's row? Will Erza be able to save her, or is Irene's fate already sealed?
Please review!