Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
The Legion was turning out to be a useless endeavor. Mavis had spent nearly a month, studying it and its magic. As tame as the creature was, no matter what situation it was put into, it never seemed to open a portal to another world like the rumors had claimed. The Twelve were growing impatient without results, and Mavis was inclined to join in their impatience and abandon the project. So, she set herself back to research, attempting to determine a way to move forward with the plan.
Taking a hint from what the Earthland wizards had done, Mavis settled on attempting to research more on Legions, and what they could accomplish. Yet, that study kept becoming broader and broader with each book she read. She found basic information on their habitat and physical traits. She found more on mating patterns, and training books on how to tame the creatures. Yet, nothing mentioned their magic…making her realize that Edolas believed them to not have any. So, she had expanded, attempting to research how the magic of the Exceed had once functioned. She needed information on innate magical abilities in animals, and that was the closest she had.
Such research did at least bring her closer to an answer, yet it wasn't one she wanted. Creatures born with magic absorbed that power from their surroundings, unlike the limited-use magical objects she was used to. The rate of absorption varied depending on the creature….and the amount of magical energy in the air. Given the state of Edolas' magic, it wasn't surprising that the Legion had yet to utilize magic to escape from them. It simply couldn't…recharge its energy fast enough to do so.
Irritated with her discovery, Mavis left the library and took a seat at the dining table with some of the others. Brandish was cleaning dishes, with Jacob helping her cook in the kitchen. Wall had still vanished to work on his latest inventions. However, Sting and Kagura were at the table, seeing her return. "Taking a break from research?" Sting smiled at Mavis. "I figured you'd get bored of all those books eventually."
"Reading isn't boring." Mavis huffed, glaring at the table. "But…I am getting rather irritated with what I keep finding."
"Another issue with the plan?" Kagura raised her eyebrows at Mavis. "If that is the case, I'd recommend returning to our previous concept. The war was a viable option to force King Jellal to provide us with the information you require."
"And it let you fight Jellal face-to-face." Kagura frowned, but didn't reply to Sting's comment. "Face it, that's the only reason you are so insistent on returning to that goal."
"I am simply speaking out of the best interests of Alvarez."
Sting rolled his eyes, but didn't reply this time. Looking towards them, Mavis sighed. "I've been trying to find more information…with help from Dimaria, Ajeel and Simon, that is. Ajeel's been out trying to find them in their natural habitat, but he hasn't seen anything unusual. Dimaria is listening in town, looking for rumors about the royal army vanishing in battle when using Legions as mounts. And Simon is just helping me study old notes on the creatures…but nothing seems to move us forward."
"With the way you came bursting out of that room, I assumed you'd found something." Sting raised his eyebrows at her.
With a sigh, Mavis nodded. "I did." She paused, glancing at the table. "Creatures of magic need time and…an atmosphere filled with magic, to use their power. Edolas…doesn't support that anymore."
"So, basically we've got nothing still?" Mavis nodded slowly.
"I told you, my advice was sound. Returning to our former plans of war will allow us to continue bringing magic to this world, even if it does not have the same efficiency as the reverse anima had."
Maybe Kagura had a valid point. Yet…Mavis wouldn't have easy access to knowledge of resurrection, without following Zeref to Earthland. She knew that those wizards planned to kill her Zeref again…he'd be gone, and she would be able to do nothing to stop it once more. Yet, with that Zeref's assistance, she could bring them both back. Still, if it wasn't possible to get there, what point was there in this research? Those wizards may have determined a method to get back, but Mavis was starting to realize that she was looking at the wrong place for the answer they had found. Where the true answer was, she still had no idea.
Looking towards her general, Mavis frowned. "It is sound. Logically, I likely should return to such a plan." She paused, staring at the table. "But…the knowledge of resurrection…it exists in Earthland. Part of the reason for the change in plans was…to obtain that knowledge for myself."
"So you could bring back Zeref and Zera…and keep your promise to me." She nodded, meeting Sting's gaze. "Damn." The boy ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes. "Is…is there any chance of finding some extra magic lying around here? I mean, you preserved that lacrima, so that means it is possible someone else saved something, right?"
"I've saved some old magic tools…but without magic in the atmosphere, they do not function." Mavis glanced around. "Unlike lacrimas, they weren't designed to store energy, but the device to power them was limited on the amount it could absorb for use."
"There is the possibility that a dark guild managed to accomplish something similar," Kagura said. Mavis frowned, slowly nodding. There was no telling what any of the remaining guilds had tried. To her knowledge, most had been gone by the time magic left Edolas…but any that had managed to hide well enough likely had the knowledge necessary to preserve some form of magic. Finding it would be challenging as a result, given their desire to hide.
"Do you have an idea of where such a guild would hide?" Mavis paused, realizing that they wouldn't have an answer. "A map…we need a map, to get an idea of unexplored areas of Edolas that the Fairy Hunts may have missed. Sting—"
"Already on it." The boy got up, leaving towards the library to gather one for use. As he left, the entrance opened, and Mavis turned to see Dimaria standing there, her eyes wide.
"Miss Spriggan…rumors have confirmed strange disappearances of soldiers, recently." She stared, her brow furrowing. "The Royal Army was sent to where Extalia had once been, to examine the ruins for useful resources or information. It was meant to be a routine patrol, but they never returned. So, another group was sent out. This one also vanished, in the same region, also on Legions to gain the altitude needed to examine what once was the floating island."
Extalia? Mavis frowned, thinking about the area. It…it could hide a dark guild, but the Exceed would have noticed. While they were not the gods she had once thought them to be, they were clever and intelligent beings to come up with such a plan for their own survival. That meant that…a dark guild would have to be just as clever, to exist near Extalia and remain hidden. It would be an area that even Fairy Hunts would not touch, due to the proximity to the Exceed at the time. Overall…even without the map, Mavis was confident that magic could be hidden there.
"Do we have a base near Extalia?" Sting returned with the map then, and Mavis nodded towards him. She unrolled it, laying it flat on the table and gazing down.
"Closer than here, yes, though unfortunately it is still approximately a two hour journey away from the former home of the Exceed," Dimaria pointed to a spot on the map, which Mavis recognized. It was a base that had been abandoned a while ago, due to its location that was basically in the middle of no where. There were no cities to obtain information from nearby, and there weren't even dark guilds to spy on in the vicinity. It was likely originally the home of a guild whose sole goal was survival through hiding, since they likely couldn't find much work from that location.
Staring at it, she frowned. "Is there enough wildlife around to sustain an extended stay there? This region…" She paused, her finger tracing the surrounding lands. "If I recall, it is practically a desert here, quite mountainous with the base on top of a plateau."
"It is." Kagura frowned. "I did not think you'd consider returning, given the difficulty to remain hidden at such a location as a result." Forests were better for cover, since there were far more natural explanations for foraged plants and hunted animals around. Deserts were difficult to hide such actions in…but if it could bring her to Earthland, she'd be willing to take the risk.
"We'll be careful." She looked up, glancing at Dimaria. "Is it possible?"
"I would have to check with Jacob and Ajeel to be certain…but I believe it is." Jacob and Ajeel typically put themselves in charge of hunting and providing for them. Ajeel was skilled when it came to recognizing and gathering edible plant-life, while Jacob focused on hunting. Occasionally, Serena would join them, though he was typically lacking in confidence when it came to his ability to succeed on such trips.
"Then we leave for the new base tonight. Gather whatever supplies you want to keep from here." She stood up, heading towards her room with the map in hand. There, she had a bag that she placed it inside of. Glancing around, she wondered if there was anything she really needed to have with her. Really…there were no personal touches to the room. She wasn't one for holding on to sentimentality, not when she had to move around so frequently to remain hidden.
The others gathered more, and eventually, they were all prepared to leave. Wall finally emerged from his lab, carrying multiple bags. He'd likely be handing them off to others to carry soon enough; he had a bad habit of attempting to take everything with him when they changed bases. Mavis had learned not to argue with him about taking only necessities; he'd find a way to logically claim every object he had with him was necessary, and while she could argue with him about it, it only wasted time in the end.
"Wall…I'd like you, Jacob, Serena, Ajeel, and Invel to work on relocating Zera and Zeref to the base as well." The man looked startled, staring at her.
"That huge lacrima? You do realize what it'll take to move that thing, right?"
She nodded. They'd discussed the logistics of moving it in the past, and she'd demanded he make it possible to accomplish with his inventions. Without a set idea on how long it'd take to reach Earthland…Mavis wasn't comfortable with the idea of leaving them so far away. "Are you sure you want me working on this? I mean…Sting is usually stronger than I am, you know."
Glancing at Serena, Mavis nodded. "I need to balance out the strengths of our groups, Serena. Strong fighters on both teams are required, and as such, I can't send Sting away. For all we know, we might get attacked by the Royal Army. I am still an escaped criminal, after all."
The man nodded, slowly moving to walk away. "Then we'll split up…and see you back at the base," Jacob said, joining them. Their group began to turn to leave, with Wall delaying himself. He used the Legion to plop some of his belongings down, sorting through his bags and likely gathering what was necessary for the move. Eventually, he had only one bag on him, the rest abandoned on the creature. He nodded towards Mavis, and set off with a wave.
The rest of them turned and left as well, walking through the forest towards where Extalia had once been. The Legion followed her, and the further along they went, the more they began to pile their belongings on the creature. It seemed to make the trip easier for everyone, and the animal did not mind. Mavis found herself petting it occasionally, rubbing its side as she walked. She had grown used to having it as a companion, even if it was quite useless in terms of her goals at the moment.
As expected, they reached the base before the others. Sting was quiet, seeming to be waiting for Invel to return. Yet, Mavis didn't comment. He hadn't complained about the separation, and they both knew not to argue with her when jobs pulled them apart. While she knew that they were both more content to remain together, there were just times when she couldn't allow for distractions. With the risk of breaking the lacrima…she couldn't risk Sting and Invel distracting each other on such an important task.
Wall and the others arrived about a week after them. Their progress was slow, when it came to moving something of such a large size. However, the weight was not an issue. Because of its purpose, the lacrima was mostly hollow inside, to allow for enough room to store Zeref and Zera. Glancing at the lacrima, she wondered which Zeref was inside; was it her Zeref once more, or the one from Earthland still waiting for his friends to decipher his message? Either way, she needed him for her goals. He'd be coming back to life, where he was the Zeref that wanted to be alive or not. With a smile, she sat down to rest, looking forward to seeing what the next day would bring. The Legion was outside, and tomorrow, she'd bring it to Extalia to see what magic was going on in the area. Then…then, she'd have the ability to use its magic to go to the world where resurrection was possible.
This is a little bit of a shorter chapter, but it is still a progression of what is going on in Edolas. Eventually, this will link all together again...it just might take a while for that to actually happen. Either way, I do hope you are enjoying thus far. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!