Seeing a city in turmoil was never a pleasant thing. You could literally see all the lives being uprooted, routines being disrupted. People were running everywhere, some were panicking and in hysterics. From Cubellios's back, I could see some people in uniforms were directing traffic.
They are being directed to Legion stables on the other side of town in order for them to be evacuated to safety.
But I also saw some people who weren't running with the intent to escape...
Even as I watched, one of the men broke through a window and ducked into the store beneath.
Looters.
There were always some scumbags who would try and take advantage of a situation like this if given the opportunity. Things would devolve to anarchy, hurting a lot of innocent civilians if the incident sparked something.
I looked towards the destruction where I knew my guildmates were...then back down at the looters.
I refuse to experience spectator apathy.
:Wait, we stop the carrion before we go on:
Cubellios pumped her wings once, arching her back up, then tucking her wings in to slice through the air at incredible speed. She only snapped her wings open at the last second with a loud crack that definitely drew a lot of attention. I sprang from her back, my foot planting itself securely in the skull of the perp who had broken into the store front.
With all the momentum from Cubellios' dive and my own leap behind the attack, he went down like a dropped curtain.
The second man about to follow his buddy inside froze in place, too stunned to do anything but gape at me.
Some weird kid dropping out of the sky and taking down a grown man with one blow. Yeah, that would surprise anyone.
I gave him a not very friendly smile.
"You weren't planning on taking anything that wasn't yours, were you? Cause that would be rude. And stupid."
"It's none of your business, kid!"
"Since it isn't your shop, it isn't yours either." My gaze slid behind him. "It would be very stupid to rob a store in front of witnesses. Especially the one right behind you."
Cubellios, with her uncanny sense of timing, grew to a larger form and let the tip of her tongue flick the back of the man's neck. He jumped and whirled, hands coming up defensively-Then he froze upon seeing what was actually behind him.
The violet snake reared up, her muscles shifting slightly as she produced a cobra's hood around her head and neck. It made a menacing picture, especially since she was already about three times as large as the man. She hissed a threat in Parseltongue that involved swallowing the man after crushing his bones into jelly and liquifying his muscles with venom. (The language of serpents was such that all that could be described in one exquisite continuous sound, and they could still have enough breath leftover to add another two like it. Parseltongue actually had a lot of ways to threaten someone. Maybe even a bit more than it should.)
I grinned privately, whispering under my breath.
"Cubellios, use Glare...!"
The man simply seized up, going rigid and unmoving. Perfect paralysis without the threat of death like a basilisk. Methinks I will have to do some thinking about how to work magic through Cubellios even more. It's already been extremely effective.
:hatchling, shall we dispose of the carrion?: Cubellios inquired.
:Let the peacekeepers handle him. We must find Iron Wyrm: I knew where they were now, but I needed someone in authority who would be a good enough person to handle the would-be thieves.
We got airborne again, but stayed low, searching for someone, anyone in a uniform.
In the discord below, one spot stood out sharply. Where others were reacting with fear, uncertainty and borderline panic, these people were organized. Their movements were efficient and the voice barking orders-
No way...
-was uncannily familiar.
Tall, broad shoulders, but rawboned, too lean for his height, a heavy glare from a dark eye and a sightless blind one marred by a relatively recent scar tearing through the right side of his face, Simon, or Edo-Simon, was directing a small band of guards.
Simon is an army conscript.
That was what I had heard in the double echo upon first arriving in Edolas. Just by looking at him, I got the feeling he wasn't here of his own volition. Not in a uniform at least.
He is a low ranking but well respected officer. He will see to the looters.
This matter of fact certainty was all I needed to decide that this perfect stranger was trustworthy.
"Hey! Tall, dark and in charge, up here!" I waved both my hands as if I wasn't on a bright purple flying snake, hovering in a seemingly impossible act over the street. The single dark eye looked up at me with surprise that quickly changed to... resignation?
"Kid, what are you doing? Getta outta here." Several men around him whipped around and levelled their spears up at me. Cubellios let her jaws open slightly, just in case a quick acid bath was necessary. I merely sat back curiously.
"Seargent, Terrance Faerun is to be arrested on sight."
I did not expect this. Just what has my doppelganger been up to to warrant an arrest at our age? Oh, I hope I get to meet her!
On the other hand, Terrance? That's a guy's name! Am I genderbent here? I'm too young to have one identity crisis, let alone two within a few weeks!
Terra Faerun is female.
Oh good...that confusion would have been too much to handle in one day.
"Fine. Kid, report for official arrest once the city has been razed to the ground and sown with salt." Edo-Simon's tone was sharp, directed at me with a certain sarcasm that told me he not only didn't expect me to obey him, but he also had zero motivation to actually arrest me. Or Edo-me rather. I hadn't actually done anything...other than vandalize most of the palace, assault two higher ranking members of the army and not just lie down and ask to be sucked into a lacrima...Scratch that, by this country's standards, I had totally committed a bunch of heinous crimes.
I laughed a little at Edo-Simon's tone.
"Oh sorry, you must be looking for my alternate dimension self. I'm not Terrance. Actually, I'll probably be among the people razing the city, once the people are out of it at least. Anyway! You've got a bad case of looters about two streets thataway." I pointed in the appropriate direction, hand turned slightly to be ready to activate a shield spell to deflect any smart ideas in the form of magi-blasts from the soldiers below us. I cocked my head. "And another three brewing right now targeting the Common Bank, the guard house and the market."
There was a short timer going from when the first guard would open fire. I wanted to save magic, so I ran my other hand down Cubellios's neck, letting her know we had to keep moving and fast.
She pumped her wings in preparation for the ascent.
A guard just to the right of Edo-Simon charged his weapon.
Edo-Simon almost carelessly reached out and smacked the head of the weapon aside, making the blast go wide.
"Zuchen..." The single word, the guard's name, held a volume of meaning.
Do you not have something better to do than to open fire on a kid? Did this kid not just tell you that anarchy is starting to set in among the general populace? Is it not your job to maintain order? What are you doing?
"Sir?"
"Market." Now.
"Yes, sir."
The guard put up his weapon and signalled to two others in the ranks that had formed up protectively around Edo-Simon. The three of them hurried away. Are they going in step?
They were. They were running almost in perfect sync.
Edo-Simon's Battalion Pin allows a low level empathic field to connect those under his command to each other and to himself.
So...Mind control?
Mind connecting. All the ties of loyalty and respect between him and his men are natural and well earned.
With a connection like that, he could not only spur them along, but also help them move more and more as one unit instead of a group of individuals. An incredibly effective ability for a battlefield commander.
Edo-Simon was also addressing another small group, sending them to the bank. The guard house, I noted, didn't receive a protective detail.
His scorn for his own uniform and what he represents as long as he wears it makes him not care about it. His priorities are securing supplies and funds for the rebuilding once this is over.
Which...was actually quite admirable.
Cubellios, sensing the shift in the air, was rising slowly into the air as opposed to quickly like I had originally thought would be necessary. We were still within easy ear-shot when Edo-Simon looked back at me.
His blind eye made my vision blur as the story of how he had lost it tried to hijack my present attention span. I saw a glimpse of an angry Knightwalker, a flash of pain from a clawed spear, a demotion from a higher position-
"The lacrima's on an island behind Extalia."
The location flared to life on my mental map of the area. Direction and distance as well as a calculation of how long it would take to get there. But I wasn't paying attention to that. I was focusing on what G2 was saying...
Get it out of my world before I have to watch more of my men die trying to keep it. Get rid of it. I don't want magic. Not at this cost.
Everything Edo-Simon meant behind the words poured through to me via G2's soft translation, even cast in his voice. And his inner voice sounded jaded, weary and sick of fighting.
You never wanted any of this in the first place, did you?
I saw a draft, pulling him from his home when he was barely into manhood. I saw combats, hard won promotions, the bonds of love and trust that he forged with his men through shared hardships and effort. The command he slowly earned for himself...
All taken away when he voiced the same thought a young prince had some years ago:
Just stop the fighting. Let the war end.
Knightwalker had taken his eye and rank for questioning his orders, and for voicing that particular stance.
He was only supposed to be a rank and file grunt. But there weren't many soldiers in the army who didn't know that trusting Captain Simon Mikas would get you through something alive.
I wanted to hug him. Hug him because I could see everything and understand all the pain that he had lived through because of other people's greed and power lust...
But I didn't have time.
...Did I?
He has a city to evacuate, thousands of people he cares about to get to safety. And he had enough time to tell me where to go. Where the people are who are important to me.
I have enough time for this. And I always will.
:Wait for me: I told Cubellios before jumping off her back and landing easily inspite of the thirty foot drop. To their credit, the soldiers didn't even twitch in shock.
"Please move." I asked them softly. I felt eyes on me, weighing, cautious, careful...
"Do it." Their commander's voice made them step aside smartly, leaving me a clear path to where the tall man stood.
I didn't waste any more time.
Faster than they could have reacted, I was up by Edo-Simon and giving him the biggest hug my smaller form could manage, squeezing with all the fervent desperation I had in me.
All the hope I had for saving everyone.
All the love I had for my friends who were still here.
And all the gratitude I felt for him giving me what I needed to save my family.
"Thank you."
He seemed shocked. Understandably so. He might know Edo-Fae, but I was a complete stranger hugging another rather threatening looking stranger. I didn't let the embrace go on for very long. Just long enough to convey what I wanted. Then I stepped back and jumped about ten feet straight into the air, letting Cubellios slide beneath me.
Natsu and Happy have split from the others and are searching for the lacrima to free Fairy Tail. Searching. That meant they didn't have the first clue of where they were actually going.
Idiots. But you're my idiots.
Taking the fierce joy I felt at being able to help, of knowing exactly where to go and what to do, I cast a spell that seemed to come easier and easier every time I used it.
"Expecto Patronum!" My silver-white owl Patronus soared alongside Cubellios, easily keeping pace with her blistering speed. I then gave it it's message.
"Natsu, follow me. Let's go save our guild!"
-vVv-
Moving through the palace had been a study in painful deja vu. And the city was just as agonizing if for an entirely different reason.
Mystogan had taken to the rooftops to avoid the press of the crowd beneath, but everyone who saw him was recognizing him. This is why I wanted to wear my mask.
Pantherlily had shredded it.
"If you are here, you are here as yourself. Not a masked stranger. Let the people know who fights for them."
The issue was it wasn't the people of Edolas he was fighting for. It was his Fairy Tail guildmates. But they didn't seem to care about that. The cries of panic transitioned quickly to joy when he was spotted. A hopeful chant starting up in his wake.
But unlike what he had feared, he wasn't being called to protect Edolas.
"Go save those people, Prince Jellal!"
"Down with the warmonger!"
"Down with Faust!"
"End the war!"
"Set us free!"
"Liberty! Liberty!"
They were viewing him as a savior from Faust's regime. Anything would have been an improvement, after all. That and coupled with what Pantherlily had told him, about a news article explaining about the relationship between Earthland and Edolas, and what had actually been powering all their magical tools and weapons, Faust's reign was over. Even if they didn't manage to free their guild and defeat the army that stood against them, the people would not tolerate Faust any longer. And without the means to curb the revolt, down three-fourth of his army, on short magic supply and with his palace-fortress breached and in shambles, the mad king would be unseated from his throne within the week, if not sooner.
Mystogan only prayed that the people of Edolas wouldn't take his not staying with them too hard.
"Prince Jellal, you are leaving us behind." Pantherlily said in a chastising tone.
"I told you to see to the people's evacuation from the city. I'll be fine!" His sole focus was on regrouping with his guildmates, seeing how they fared and how to progress. Getting civilians out of their way, while a priority, was not as important to him as his guild. And once they got rolling, the evacuation would be needed on multiple levels. Natsu alone was good for leveling a half a town in a brawl. And that was when he was mostly having fun! Adding Erza, Gajeel and Gray to the mix would only multiply the damage.
Pantherlily was the only guard managing to maintain the grueling pace over the tricky terrain and be right beside Mystogan. The other men were strung out behind him, relying on their packs to make some jumps that Mystogan took with reckless abandon and long practice.
As his skill in free running had improved, he had needed to rely on his Air staff less and less. Now he hardly needed it at all save for the most arduous of obstacles. It was part of why he had been so amused at hearing what Fae had done with one of her first enchantments.
"No! That is not what I mean." A large, flat metal blade appeared before him. Pantherlily's sword. Which apparently shared a trait with Master Makarov in that it could grow to suit any need. In this case, to try and deter him from moving forward.
The loop on the end of one of his staves caught the sides of the guard as it grew and he flung himself forward, using the extra height to cross a difficult chasm between two buildings. He heard his old friend behind him activate his wings and cut the distance to catch him. His gaze was hard and unamused.
"You are going to be leaving Edolas again after dethroning your father. You will leave us in shambles!" Yes...That.
Part of him did feel guilty that he was doing that. In spite of the years and his attachments to Earthland, Edolas was his homeland. It was hardly their fault that Faust had driven them to their present extremes.
"I will unmake the monarchy. But what happens to this city afterward ought to be the decision of those who live in it." He had thought that if they didn't have to run right away, he could organize a governing council to maintain order in place of a king.
"Jellal, what have you been doing? What changed you so much that you would simply abandon these people to fend for themselves?" The name sounded wrong. He hadn't been Jellal in so long...
"Lily. I can't explain it right now. Not how you deserve to hear it. But I have not been Prince Jellal in years. I don't think of myself as him either." He removed the Exceed's hand from his cloak. "I go by Mystogan now...And that name, who he is...is who I want to be. Who I never could be here." Someone who could actually do something when someone was in trouble or needed help. Someone who commanded respect for their skill, not because of a monopoly of magic power. He had only adopted the name 'Mystogan' after accepting Makarov's invitation to join the guild. Mystogan had been born when he accepted a Fairy Tail mark. That was his identity, who he was since being 'Prince Jellal' was no longer an option. He had been content to be the outlier, the ghost on the edge of their family, but part of it nonetheless.
Until a little girl point blank refused to fall asleep when he entered the guild hall. When she hadn't even bated an eye at his mask or mysterious reputation. Her unthinking trust and acceptance of him had subtly opened the rest of the guild to him. It had made him feel more attached to Fairy Tail as a whole than he had intended. To the point where he wanted selfishly to return to Earthland with them rather than stay in Edolas.
"I don't deny that this will cause havoc. It would have no matter how it was done. But this has to be finished. Now, before still more people die for no reason. Once my guild and the people of Magnolia are safe, I will do whatever I can to help. But only then."
Mystogan found his running rhythm again and took off running for the broken wall. Because of course they've already broken down the outer wall that had survived decades of war and siege. Another minor source of guilt...the property damage they would leave behind. He made a mental note to doubly and triply warn people off of trying to reuse the palace until Fae's traps had been found and unmade.
-vVv-
Pantherlily had chosen exile over duty when it meant he could save a young boy's life. His sense of what was right had overcome his loyalty to his home country. He knew what it was like to feel something so deeply that past ties became secondary and vastly less important than upholding that one right thing.
Seeing the boy he had rescued falling prey to that same terrible sense of morality gave him an odd sensation of both pride and grief.
Prince Jellal would have wanted to help, but would have his sense of duty overpower that desire. He would have bitten back the instinctive action of solving the problem, worrying about the aftereffects and repercussions.
'Mystogan' had the same idealistic desire to help. But he had the impulse to act in spite of high consequences and the drive to overcome the challenges that followed.
It seems that all the tutors and teachers you had here were useless. You had to die and be reborn to become the man I saw you could be. Believing his prince had died had left Pantherlily in a daze for months. The boy he had saved and grown so fond of had died at the hands of assassins, penetrating even their innermost sanctuaries.
And now that he saw him again, back from the dead and grown into the man he had always known he could become. Skilled, compassionate and utterly dedicated to doing the right thing and damn the consequences. A true king who could lead the people of Edolas into an age of peace and prosperity. You could see that just by looking at him. He heard and saw the hope in the people's face as they watched their returned prince race to battle.
Losing him after regaining him for a short time would be devastating to the citizens.
Worry about the fallout later. Pantherlily put aside the future ramifications and focused on following the cloaked young man as he charged straight for the thick of the fighting. The conflict has to be settled. That means picking a side. And I choose his side.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw three different figures, all flying, heading directly for Extalia. He recognized one shape as Mystogan's apprentice and her flying serpent, the strange girl who had seemingly dissolved into thin air with a wave and a laugh. It had been unsettling to see someone so nonchalant about the prospect of their existence ending. The other was vaguely humanoid, but with the distinctive wings of an Exceed's Aria bearing him.
And the third wasn't distinct at this distance. It was just glowing brightly and soaring with unnatural grace.
Whether they were making for Extalia or the lacrima just behind it, Pantherlily didn't really have the time to care.
"Commander, this is Sergeant Mikas. I've just been informed Byro is unleashing his Changelings." After Erza had dismissed Simon Mikas from her unit, Pantherlily had taken him on. He was in charge of all his men in the city right now. And if he was reporting that...That was news alright...Terrible news.
Byro's fascination with alchemy, the one art that remained unaffected even in the dearth of magic energy around them, had led to him forming a personal squad. The Changelings were handpicked by him, and all were practiced in taking inhuman forms for combat. They had to be replaced frequently, far too often for Pantherlily to ever consent to letting any of his men go to Byro for even a single day. After a handful of short transformations, or even a single lengthy one, the men either were left drained and bereft of any strength or sanity, or dead. They would not stop until their enemy was dead. And if there wasn't anyone left, they would turn their attention on the civilians.
"Have the people been withdrawn from the combat zone?"
"In progress."
"Move on doubletime. More Earthland wizards will be entering combat shortly and the damage will only spread. Spread word to the rest about the situation." He had told his officers about his change in allegiance, but not the men. But now, they would need to give some explanation as to why they were fighting their own should the Changelings go out of control.
"Understood."
Pantherlily put on still more speed, trying to catch up with Mystogan before it was too late. He had only had the Ten Commandments in his hands for half an hour and he was already handling the weapon with the same ease that Knightwalker had. He would reach the wall in minutes.
And he would not arrive alone.
-vVv-
The owl that talked like Fae was a fast flier. Almost faster than Happy. Natsu could hear his partner straining to move as quickly as they could. He had caught Fae's scent on the wind, fast approaching and when the flying snake crossed into his vision ahead of him. Fae was on her back, waving at him with a cheerful grin. Then her own partner pumped her wings and flew even faster.
"Aw no she isn't. Happy she's trying to race us! Give it all you got, buddy!"
"Aye sir!" And with that, Happy opened up, flying faster still. Fae clearly knew what he was up to since she laughed and said something in her odd hissing language to Cubellios. The snake slimmed down, moving faster than ever. But the gosh dang glowing bird was still faster than both of them!
He didn't try to call to her or say anything. They were moving too fast for her to be able to hear him. Not without some kind of magical enhancement. But Natsu did check Fae over as they flew. He didn't smell any blood, and she didn't smell tired either. She had been messing around with a lot of really strong smelling stuff though, it made his nose itch.
Probably that stink bomb recipe she came up with with Droy.
But all in all, the girl seemed fine. He'd have to wait until he had time to really get a good look at her.
The floating city smelled very strongly of cats. Were there not a fight waiting for him, Natsu would have loved to stay awhile and poke around. An entire city full of cats like Happy and Carla! How cool was that? The silver owl was clearly intent on leading them straight through the city, the most direct route to the lacrima.
"Hope you got some fancy flying in you, pal, cause we're about to have some fun!"
"Got it!"
Natsu trusted Happy completely. He didn't pay much attention to where they were flying, leaving that to his friend. He was usually focused instead on whatever fight they were involved in. He settled instead for keeping an eye on Fae and Cubellios. She wasn't standing the way Cobra had in their fight, she was crouched close to her partner's body, almost stretched out along her neck in a streamlined position to reduce drag and give them even more speed.
Watching her face as he was, he saw her zone out as her magic told her something. Saw her face shift with horror and fear.
Then there came a grinding crunch and a roar from the city as a massive beam of light tore through the city and impacted the huge lacrima Natsu could see ahead. It was tucked behind the city, just a little smaller than it. But he could see it through the buildings. When the light faded, he could see it had left a massive chain in its wake.
With a groan, the chain started to tighten, towing the lacrima towards the city.
Lacrima was a stable way of storing magic. Normally. Once it had settled down. But this lacrima, like the material that had encased the Tower of Heaven, was practically brand new. Jostling it could easily cause a massive fiery explosion.
An explosion that would be powered by his friends.
Master. Mira. Cana. Elfman, Macao, Romeo, Wakaba.
They and everyone else would all die if that lacrima exploded without being triggered by a Dragon Slayer.
No.
The girl that had looked, sounded and even smelled exactly like Lisanna. Only his friend had never smelt so sad and terrified all at the same time and looked at him like she was seeing a ghost.
They're mine. They don't get to die! Not on my watch!
Fire spurted from his feet as he growled wordlessly, the extra thrust forcing Happy to spend all his time keeping them from crashing into a building. Natsu personally wouldn't have cared if they did. Nor would his forward thrust have let up. The cries of alarm from the cats who witnessed their rapid passing didn't even register in his mind. He was reaching within himself and stoking his inner fire as high and hot as it could go.
As soon as his friends were safe and free, he was following the chain that was already starting to tow them towards their deaths. The others could handle the army. Being a Dragon Slayer meant fighting what others couldn't. That was his job. What he was good at. The big fish of any fight was what he aimed for because that was the kind of enemy he excelled at facing. That was his strength. His guildmates had other advantages. And if there was something that could tow an entire island through the air, that counted as a really freaking big fish.
-vVv-
The old geezer with the vials had his back turned to the combat. His mistake. Gray was on him like a hailstorm coming out of the sky.
His plan for making it through the footsoldiers had been simple.
Make a long road of ice.
Stand on said ice.
Have Jellal give him a boost.
Growing up learning how to manipulate ice into any form he desired had also resulted in an uncanny sense of balance when fighting on it. A sense that others did not always share.
So while Gray shot through the crowd like a human missile, a locomotive engine going before him to smash down anyone standing in his way, everyone who had the misfortune of being in his path was thrown to the ground. A combination of the massive force and the lack of firm footing made it so Gray had a clear path to the hunch figure trying to retreat from the fight.
"Ice Make Impact!" Instead of a hammer, a massive battering ram with all the force of Gray's momentum behind it sent him flying through the air until he impacted the far wall with a dull crunch.
He slumped, motionless. A large number of vials had shattered on impact and were letting off some peculiar smells, pooling in his robes and on the stone around him.
He's not dead, is he?
Gray formed a massive pickaxe from his ice to slam into the ground and kill his forward movement. He checked on him, keeping a sharp eye on the alarmed men he had blasted through to get here.
The man still had a pulse, but he wouldn't be moving any time soon with an impact like that.
Ok. That ought to take care of that. Now to get back.
He was at risk of being surrounded the longer he stayed isolated out here.
But before Gray could move more than a few steps, a gnarled, swiftly bruising hand seized his arm and he had a glimpse of manic eyes and a mouth full of broken teeth.
One of which didn't look very much like a tooth. It actually looked hollow-
The man pulsed.
Gray barely managed to form a sleeve of ice over his arm as the man lunged up to try and bite him. It stopped him, but when his reflexive punch to the face threw him off, Gray saw instead of human teeth marks, two distinctive puncture marks in the ice and the ice was actually melting away, steaming and turning a nasty shade of grey-
Gray produced a mace out of ice and smashed it into the man even further away before he could try for another bite. Even as he impacted the side of a building, he began to chance in ways no human ever should...
He grew larger, but not immense. He actually stayed somewhat human...from the waist up. Everything else had turned into a spider with legs that were taller than Gray was. The human head, arms and torso had torn skin as muscle seemed to form out of nowhere and eight claw tipped feet scrabbled on the ground as the man righted himself from his previously insensate position.
I really should have known he'd be able to do it too.
Gray eyed the man's mouth, his hands, his claws, everything could be dangerous. Since he had tried to bite him, and there was a clear viscous liquid running from his mouth that didn't look froth enough to be drool, he would bet the man now had a poisonous bite.
"Impressive, boy!" The man cackled. "I never believed that a Total Transformation would be necessary!"
"Liar." Gray stated, eyes scanning the dark glossy body armor his abdomen and legs now sported for weaknesses. "You wouldn't have made it if you didn't want to use it."
"Eh, true enough! But some things are just too good to share!"
And then he lunged, legs scrabbled, webbing flying from his feet and venom hissing in the air.
Just great.
Gray thought, bringing his hands together to form a pair of ice swords.
Natsu gets to go play hero and bust everyone out, while I get to be pest control.
-vVv-
Gray has engaged in combat with a drider.
That...was unexpected but not as important as what I read from the chain that had impacted the lacrima that contained the rest of the guild.
Code ETD is about to be activated.
The Exceed were about to be turned into fuel for something even worse than the chain.
Dragon Chain Cannon, a harpoon like structure with enough force to tow an island.
How long? How long do we have?
I had to warn the Exceed before they got turned into living batteries. They had to get out of the line of fire, they had to get out of the way!
ETD activates in t-minus, 15 minutes.
I read from G2 that they needed to consolidate all their magic reserves to get the thing working. They didn't have as much access to any of us or our magic for a live harvest.
:Cubellios, fly over the city of cats:
She flew into a graceful loop to reverse her direction, which I only survived because of magic channeled into my hands to stick to her back like a burr.
I need someone in charge among the Exceed. Someone they will listen to!
The background research I had looked at told me that the Exceed put on a great deal of airs because they were the only race in the world that had access to their own reserve of magic power. They were arrogant enough, they wouldn't listen to a human girl, not even if she had magic and not even to save their own lives.
Queen Shagotte.
I didn't look if she would listen to me. I didn't check the probabilities or even the best way to persuade her. I just gave Cubellios the direction we were going and held on. I hadn't even gotten within three hundred feet of the Exceed Palace when I saw several larger Exceed take off, clearly to try and escort me away from their airspace. Not very successfully. I was a head and a half taller than even the largest one.
We were noticeably faster in the air than the cats. I got the feeling they weren't as practiced as Happy when it came to zipping around quickly. G2 verified that with a glimpse as to how the smaller race had survived Faust's bloodthirsty and power hungry reign up until now.
By trickery, deceit and one seer with enough power to see death.
The royal line of the Exceed possessed the innate talent to see the future. Some more strongly than others. Thus, the charade had gone on for years that the Exceed were gods, with their ruler smiting humans with death at a whim. It had kept the race safe, and given them all god complexes.
They moved gracefully, but they were straining to close the distance between us.
My instructions to Cubellios were followed to the letter, she battered her way into the Exceed sized palace, which thankfully had vaulted ceilings that let me stand up to my full height.
"Intruder!" A orangish cat with-
...What?
Not even the imminent danger could stop me from gawping at the cat in a parade ground hat that was currently yowling up a storm.
That pudgy face, the ginger hair...Ichiya's Edo counterpart is a frigging Exceed!
That's kinda funny. Not gonna lie. But my attention was focused instead on the very royal looking feline seated on a throne that was just above my head. To an Exceed, she would tower over them. The robe she wore looked impressive and ornate, with white frills on the back resembling large feathered wings. It also made her look several times larger than she actually was.
What struck me next about her was her expression.
Normally, when a large snake and a crazy girl literally break through a wall into your life, you are somewhat taken aback. Maybe even a little scared, depending on whether the snake is large enough to swallow you like a pill. But this cat looked resigned and grim.
And uncannily familiar, though for a different reason entirely that I didn't have time to mull over. But G2's soft words made me change my explanation and hurried rant to a short, simple statement.
She knows.
"Faust is initiating Code ETD against Extalia. Your people have to evacuate, now. You've only got ten minutes."