Ch. 8 A Reaper's Welcome
In a land far, far away, lies the kingdom of Fiore. A small, peaceful nation of seventeen million and a place filled with magic. Found in every home, bought and sold in every market place, for most magic is merely a tool among being part of everyday life. For some, however, magic is an art and they've devoted their lives to its practice. These are the wizards. Banded together into magical guilds, they climb their skills in search of fame and fortune. Many such guilds dot the landscape of Fiore, but there is a certain guild in a certain town that soars high above the rest. One from which countless legends have been born. A guild that would, no doubt, continue to create legends well into the future. Its name…is Fairy Tail.
The bright light dispersed as the portal had now reached the end. As they exited, the bright sun and blue skies overlooked the massive view of the town below. Behind the town was a lake that stretched beyond the horizon. At the top left was a waterway that allowed the water to seep in. The water would then split into three channels that created a thin island to the right and a large island of small buildings in the center. The rest of the northern and eastern land was still connected to the landmass, so it served more of a divider. Small grey bridges linked the islands to one another as well as the rest of the territory. The vast amount of buildings covered every island, including the terrestrial landscape. But, the rocky mountains covered both the east and the west side of town with their small forests that extended outward. At the very north of town stood a tall red and grey building that overlooked the area. It looked more like a castle if anything else. In the south, a large cathedral stood as the tallest building on the center island.
"This is it Jolt!" Rai announced, "Our search starts here!"
"Pikachu!" Jolt agreed. Rai began to run after their new adventure, but didn't move from where they were.
"Huh?" Rai noticed this and looked down {Empty}. He was floating about twenty feet off the ground. Behind him, the portal had now vanished. Gravity took its effect and started pulling Rai and Jolt towards earth. "AHHHHHH!" They both screamed as they began to fall. After a few seconds, they landed in a group of tall trees patched together. Jolt fell past the branches and bounced into a bush below. Rai's shirt snagged onto a tree branch and was stuck dangling over his jolly mouse friend. Jolt looked up to Rai, and then began to giggle; seeing him in his state. "Yeah, yeah, keep laughing sparky." Rai dug into his tool belt and pulled out a pair of yellow metal cutters. This device is used to help cut most of the steel bars that hang the opener. "Hope it works on wood as good as steel." Rai gripped the cutters onto the end where the tree caught his shirt and squeezed as hard as he could. The branch snapped in two and Rai was back to falling. He landed on his rear end and felt the impact on his behind. "That's gonna leave a mark." Jolt jumped back onto Rai as he tried to rub off the pain. After walking a short distance, they came across an open area of land with a pair of train tracks running down from their left and right. "Not bad, it looks like the tracks lead to the town we saw." From Rai's point of view, the hills to his right blocked off the view of the town when they were in the air. Rai stopped and pondered their situation. "We could keep going forward till we reach the town, but I don't think we'll make it before its nighttime." Rai turned to the opposite direction as he faced the tracks. "Not to mention there's no telling how far the next station is from here." Rai started to think for an answer. Jolt's ears suddenly perked up.
"Pika?" It looked beyond the tracks behind them and started to nudge at Rai's collar.
"Not now, Jolt; I'm thinking."
*chooooooooooooooo*
The sound of chugging started to rise.
"Hey Jolt, did you hear that?"
"Pika! Pika! Pika!"
*Chooooooooooooooo*
"Jolt, you know I don't speak Pokémon." Jolt grabbed Rai's head and faced at the oncoming train.
*CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*
"HOLY!" {Deaf} Rai quickly ran off the tracks. The train was still a few yards away from where they were, but better to be safe than sorry. It was well built like an old fashion locomotive with a steam engine and black compartments to hold the passengers. Jolt jumped off Rai and rushed over by the tracks. "Jolt, get away from there! It's coming."
"Pika! Pikachu!" Rai noticed Jolt pointing to the train and then pointing toward the direction of the town.
"That's crazy! ...Let's do it!" Rai moved closer to the tracks as the train began to approach. The speed it was moving made his clothes slap in the wind. Rai pulled out his scythe as he started to time himself. "Wait for it…" The engine passed by. "Wait for it…" The next three cabins past. Jolt jumped on his shoulder. "Almost…" The caboose was about to pass. "NOW!" Rai jumped toward the train and latched his scythe onto the rail of the last cabin. Rai lifted his legs to avoid having his feet dragged along the tracks. He planted them on the bottom rail and held on as if he was water skiing. He started climbing on the shaft of the scythe until he reached the bar and jumped over. "What do you know, just in time." Rai swung open the door and quickly took a vacant seat nearby. Rai and Jolt sighed in relief as their traveling challenge was complete. They both noticed they were sharing a cabin with others. While Rai and Jolt sat at the back, five others sat near the front. One of them had pink spiky hair with a blue vest, a white checkered scarf, baggy pants underneath a blue and yellow style kilt that showed his shins, and blue sandals. Strange as he was, he looked more to be car sick from the train. Next to him was a teenager about his age with blue spiky hair, a white buttoned shirt, green pants, and black shoes. Across from them were two women, except one was much younger than the other. The blonde girl looked to be the same age as the boys with short blonde hair and a ponytail that popped out to the right of her head with a blue handkerchief tying it. Her outfit was a sleeveless white and light-blue collared blouse with a zipper running down her front. Her blue skirt matched it with her brown belt and holster for her whip and wore a pair of black high-top boots. The older woman next to her had long red hair, a white buttoned blouse, and a long blue skirt. For some reason, she had bandages around her arm and around her torso underneath her shirt. She also had some applied to her face. What really caught his attention was the blue cat that sat next to the blonde. They looked to be having a conversation over something, but Rai was too far to hear. Instead, he looked out the window to make out what kind of place they were in.
The girl noticed Rai sitting at the other end of the cart. She looked him over with his red and white shirt, black jeans, white shoes, and his tool belt. What drew her attention was the scythe that appeared to look like something she had seen before. The cat looked over to see the mouse sitting next to the man. It waved hello to Jolt. Jolt simply waved back as it sweat dropped.
The train had come to a complete stop. The whistle blew from the front of the train as the passengers began to exit the cabins. Rai and Jolt were the last to leave since they just hitched a ride on public transportation. They walked down the grey pavement past a crowd of people until they finally reached the exit of the station. Once they were in the clear, Rai and Jolt were overwhelmed with the site of a lively city. The houses seemed more retro like back in the renaissance days with brick housings mixed in with medieval architecture. As they walked deeper within the city, Rai noticed the channel of water that cut through the city was much larger in person. It looked to take about 3 Wal-Mart trucks just to measure the width…long ways! "Man, feels like someone threw in Legend of Zelda and Venice, Italy in one place," Rai considered. Jolt looked in awe as the new world showered around it. Jolt sniffed the air and jumped off of Rai's shoulder. It scurried off into town. "Jolt, wait! Where are you going?" Rai hurriedly chased after it. As he rushed onward, he noticed people were staring at him. Not surprising since Rai pretty much stood out of the crowd with his won out clothes. He could hear the whispers of people he passed by.
"Who is that guy?"
"Mommy, is he in Fairy Tail?"
"Don't stare, honey."
Rai's attention changed after he noticed people whispering near a cake shop. As his hunch was right, he saw Jolt looking at the front of the shop. Its mouth was drooling from the sight of glorious sweets just past the shop entrance. Rai grinned as he picked up Jolt and walked inside. "Uh, excuse us," he called out. From the front desk that displayed some smaller cakes was a tall, chubby man with dark skin, blue eyes, and large eyelashes. His hair was black and puffy with a rather large nose on his face. With his large tan lips and his baker outfit, he looked more like a clown cook than a class chef.
"Hello, sir," he answered, "What can I help you with today?"
"I'd like to buy one of your cakes, please."
"Very well," the baker pulled out what looked to be a delicious, vanilla coated, three tiered masterpiece with a chocolate spritzing fountain that covered the top layer of the cake. Rai's and Jolt's stomachs growled from the exquisite sight of a dessert-like masterpiece.
"I'LL TAKE IT!" Rai jumped with joy. Jolt did the same as well.
"I'm sorry," the baker apologized, "but this one is for a client who is scheduled for an anniversary next week." Rai and Jolt kneeled in despair as their hopes and dreams were crushed in an instant {Misfortune}. "Oh no, don't worry! We do have other cakes for sale!" Rai searched the other cakes on display and found a small, simple cake with two tiers with vanilla icing. Around the top of the cake were small strawberries arranged in a circle.
"Alright then, I'll take this one," Rai pointed to the cake.
"Splendid! That will be 2,000 Jewels!" the baker replied. Rai paused for a moment, and then pulled out his twenty-dollar bill.
"Will this cover it?" he asked. The baker looked the bill over and sadly shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but I haven't seen money like this before. Unless I assume it's only 20 Jewels, then you'll need to pay the rest of the 1,980 Jewels for the cake." Rai and Jolt dropped their jaws at the expensiveness of the cake before them. The wind blew away their bodies into ashes. After regaining their form, they thanked him for his help and walked out.
"The one time I need food and I end up in a world where my money is no good," Rai sulked to himself. As he and Jolt started back on the road, Rai crashed into someone head on. Both of them fell to the ground and were now dazed and seeing stars. Once Rai sat up, he noticed the person sitting across from him. His pink, spiky hair made a dead giveaway.
"Hey! Why don't you watch where you're going!" he shouted furiously. His head had a bump with a bandage applied.
"Dude, you should have seen him coming. Not that your head is anything to worry about," the blue haired boy said.
"What did you say? You wanna start something!" Both the boys started to glare at each other; about to go at it. The blonde girl rushed over to help Rai back to his feet.
"I'm really sorry about that," she said, "Don't worry about Natsu; he can be a bit overdramatic."
"Thanks, I've noticed," Rai replied.
"I'm ready to throw down!" Natsu yelled out. "You ready, Ice boy?"
"Sure, but don't say I didn't warn you, Lizard breath," he replied. Suddenly, a fist came pummeling down knocking them both out in one swing.
"Natsu, Gray, we are not here to cause a riot," the red haired woman explained.
"Wow, Erza recovered pretty quickly," the blonde sweat dropped. Rai did the same.
"Lucy, let's continue on to the guild. We shouldn't keep everyone waiting," Erza said as she carried Natsu and Gray on each shoulder.
"That's Erza for you," the blue cat said, "strong and tough as always."
"You have a point there, Happy," Lucy whispered. Rai was in a state of shock.
The hell!? Rai thought, that woman was beaten up and she still knocked those guys out cold like it was nothing! And that cat can talk! Then again, Meowth was a talking cat. So, I'm okay with that. The blue cat fluttered its white, fluffy wings. But it can fly! Well, there was the case with the flying shark. So, I'm okay with that too...I'm somewhat startled by this situation. Lucy turned to see the scythe in the back of his tool belt.
"Hey, what do you have there?" Lucy asked.
"What?" Rai looked over his back. "Well, it's just something I do for a living."
"So, what exactly do you do?" Lucy began to stare in deep thought at Rai. He started to think that if he said anything, they might get involved.
I don't think ever seen these guys before, Rai thought; I think it's best if I keep this whole hero identity to a minimum. Rai grabbed Jolt and bowed its head as he did the same. "Well sorry for the sudden leaving but we have to go now bye see ya later!" In a quick haste, Rai ran at full speed; leaving a dust cloud behind in his tracks {they're off!}.
"Well that was odd," Erza pointed out. "We should be going then."
"Uh, sure, I guess," Lucy followed.
After a while, Gray and Natsu were awake and fully energized to walk the rest of the way to the guild hall. They stopped in their tracks to witness the completion of the new meeting place.
"Wow!" Lucy awed.
"Well, this is a surprise," Erza added.
"They finished building it!?" Happy and Natsu cried. It was definitely an amazing structure. From the ground up was a tall stone tower; much like medieval castles with the second upper floor having pillars to support the floor above along with a row of flames securing the wall. At the very top of the structure was a small tower roofing that held a bell; ready to ring any given time At the corners of the tower were two weather spinners and a large triangle banner hanging near the top of the tower. Both the spinners and the banner had the same shape and logo; a small bird diving to the bottom left. On the sides of the tower were extensions of what looks to be of a mansion with tall glass windows and a balcony on the second floor. The front gate was made of thick, grey, square stones with a steel gate lifted to allow entry. The wall was designed specifically as the gate, but large spikes were adjusted at the top of the wall, extending outward from the gate. At the top of the entryway was a large gold plaque with words inscribed:
FAIRY TAIL
"There it is," Gray explained, "Fairy Tail's new guild hall." As they made their way past the gates, they saw an abundance of tables and four legged chairs underneath orange and red umbrellas. People were sitting and enjoying light conversations while they drank. "Are you kidding me? We have a café now?" Natsu looked dumbfounded {dumbfounded, seriously}.
"Do we really need a Gift Shop, too?" Lucy was not amused by the small shop that sold off merchandise with the guild's logo on products. The man running the shop wore a rolled up blue sleeved shirt and had a somewhat brown, bowl haircut. He stood underneath the sign reading: FAIRY TAIL GOODS SHOP. He noticed Lucy and the team and called them over.
"Hey there!" he shouted. "You guys made it back okay! What's new?" Happy soared over to the stand and started eyeing everything in the shop.
"They got you working the gift shop, Max? It's been a while since we've seen you around the guild!"
"Master made me go back to school because he wanted me to take business classes," he smiled. Lucy jumped in at the sudden surprise of noticing the famous man.
"You're Max Alors! I've heard about you from Sorcerer Weekly!" Lucy cried with glee. He turned his attention to her and smiled that showed his white, shiny teeth.
"Yes ma'am, that'd be me. You know I've heard a lot about you, Lucy." She began to sink away from the scene as she clasped her face in embarrassment.
"I don't wanna hear the crazy things they probably told ya!" she whimpered.
"So what kinds of things are ya selling here?" Happy asked curiously. Max started to list off all the objects that were stocked in his shop.
"Well, we've got T-shirts, wristbands, mugs, towels, and of course there's our most popular item…" Max handed Happy a small figurine of a blonde girl.
"Wow!" Happy cried. Erza, Natsu and Gray all stared blankly at the small doll. "A Lucy Action Figure!"
"Nobody ever asked me if I was cool with that!" Lucy whined.
"She's pose able…" Max advertised. The outfit popped away and revealed its underwear. "…and her clothes come off!" Lucy shrieked at her sudden revelation of white unmentionables.
Once they were done idolizing (or groveling) the outside, the group made their way to the inside of the building. At the front of the room was a stage complete with green curtains and a white backdrop. In the center of the room were more tables and chairs for people to sit and chat. There was an open aisle with a green carpet to walk straight through the room. Lucy and Happy leaned on the new marble railing as they took in the new scenery. "Pretty," they both awed.
"I could get used to this," Erza spoke impressed. Gray noticed Natsu nuzzled deep in his scarf.
"Hey man, what's wrong?" he asked.
"I'm not good with change," he uttered.
"It's so good to have you back, Lu!" a woman with an orange sleeveless sweater and blue short hair waved to Lucy. She wore the sleeves around her upper arm and had along brown boots with black leggings. On her head she wore a yellow band that helped her hair back.
"Oh! Hi Levy!" Lucy called back.
"Isn't this awesome!" Levy was ecstatic. She began to show off all the new remodeling done for the guild. "Guess what, now we have a swimming pool behind the bar!"
"Welcome back!" a small boy in his swimming trunks cried.
"That's kinda weird," {Grimaced} Lucy mentioned.
"It's just not the same," Natsu grimaced. Moving downstairs, they met up with others who were playing on what seemed to be a magical pool table and dart boards on the back wall.
"We even made a game room down in the basement," Levy continued. One man with a white jacket with rolled sleeves, a black shirt, and brown pants waved over at the others. He had a growing beard and moustache combo and a silver 'S' on his shirt. He was playing pool with another man whose body was big and round with a black and yellow wizard hat and poofy, orange hair. In the back, a man had a cooled cut hair, a green long sleeve shirt, and red jeans. He smoked a cigarette and held a dart ready to throw.
"You're back!" the shaved man announced.
"Took you long enough," the slick man added.
"Does it need to be this big," Lucy complained again.
"I don't like it," Natsu grimaced again. At their final stop of the tour, they noticed the second floor now extended to the entire rim of the guild inside.
"But the biggest change is upstairs, because now everyone is allowed to go up to the second floor."
"Yo!" A man with white spiky hair and a collared, blue long sleeve shirt shouted to the team below.
"Oh wow!" Lucy was surprised.
"Master actually lets more of us go on S-class quests, but only if an S-class wizard agrees to go along," Levy concluded.
"Well, I'm glad you dunderheads made it back safely," an old voiced called out. He was a very short, old man with an orange jacket, shorts, and a white T-shirt that had Fairy Tail's symbol on the front. His facial features looked like someone old and wise with his bushy white moustache and his white hair. His hat was striped blue and orange that split into two ends. The hat was just as pointy as his brown shoes.
"Master," Erza noted. Gray looked next to him as he scanned the woman with her white boots, her white and blue skirt that binned with a blue laced tank top. Underneath she had a white blouse and a pendant on her neck that bore the Fairy Tail symbol. Her sleeves started on her upper arm like Levi, but were long enough to cover her hands like long elegant gloves. Her hair was spiked down as she wore her blue and white cap with an insignia of water.
"I'd like you to meet Fairy Tail's newest member, Juvia!" Master Makarov introduced. "Isn't she a cutie?"
"I can't wait to work with you!" Juvia bowed in appreciation. Gray chuckled at the new member aboard.
"So you actually made it in, huh?" he congratulated.
"Thank you so much for helping us in Akane," Erza thanked Juvia for before.
"No, I should be thanking you!" Juvia smiled. "Because now I found a new guild!"
"Hey girl!" Lucy waved to Juvia. She was immediately given a dark and menacing stare as dark clouds fumed from Juvia.
"We will fight for Gray!" she declared.
"That won't be necessary," Lucy replied. The fumes brushed back Lucy's hair as Juvia continued to stare her down.
"We've also added another new member to the guild," Makarov smiled. "Someone you might recognize."
"I wonder who it is," Happy pondered. Everyone turned around and froze at the person they have just seen.
"What!" Lucy cried.
"No way!" Gray shouted. "Him! Are you kidding me?" Sitting at a table as a black haired man with a silver and black vest. He had on brown gloves and white pants with a white belt. On his right shoulder he had a black wing. Bolts popped out of his skin; mostly on his arms and face. On his left bicep he had on a black logo of Fairy Tail. His red eyes were piercing at his rivals from before.
"GAJEEL!" Natsu and Gray shouted.
"Why did you let him in here, gramps?" Gray asked.
"Calm down," Juvia tried to hold back the fight, "I asked him to come along with me." Erza began to stare daggers at the man in front of her.
"I don't mind Juvia," she announced, "but he's the one responsible for destroying our guild hall!" Gajeel simply sighed and looked away.
"Now, now," Makarov insisted, "Remember what I've taught you. Yesterday's enemy can be today's friend, right?" Levy came out from behind the table.
"Yeah," she uttered. "If I'm okay with him here, then you should be too." Two other men looked across the hall. One had a small pony tail sticking up while the other had a large bent purple top hat.
"There ain't no way!" Natsu demanded, "I can't work with somebody I can't trust!" Gajeel looked to Natsu in an unimpressive expression.
"What's the big deal?" he spoke to Natsu's face, "It's not like I wanna be your buddy."
"Man that's cold!" {Offended}
"I hate this stupid guild and everyone in it," Gajeel pointed out, "but times are tough and I had no choice but to join."
"Shut up loser!" Natsu fired back.
"I'm sorry!" Juvia began to sweat and nervously explain what happened, "But Gajeel was having a hard time finding work and I couldn't just turn my back on him. BUT I DON'T WANT YOU TO THINK THAT I HAVE A CRUSH ON HIM OR ANYTHING!"
"I know you kids don't like it," Makarov stated with a twinkle of composure, "but as the master of this guild, it's my duty to help those who've gone astray and find the right path. Give him a shot, you might find he's a nice guy!" He whispered to himself, "Or at least I hope so."
"Well, I may not agree with you," said Erza, "but I will respect your decision. But I warn you, I'm going to be keeping a very close eye on him."
"Fine," he answered. Natsu and Gajeel continued to share angry glances at one another.
"They act more like dogs than dragons, don't you think?" Macao asked. Happy was happily chewing on a fish on top the table.
"Aye sir!" Happy approved, "You might want to break out the muzzles to be safe." Natsu and Gajeel parted ways to be rid of their anger towards each other. Natsu dragged his feet as he disapproved of the new changes to the guild.
"This new guild hall just doesn't feel right," Natsu groaned to himself. The lights completely shut off while Natsu blinked his eyes in the darkness. From the front of the hall, a spotlight appeared on the stage. A woman with white hair and a yellow dress was holding an orange guitar while sitting on a barstool. Everyone was interested at the sudden performance at the front. "Hey, we made it back, Mira!" he shouted over the crowd.
"Good to see you!" Mirajane addressed over a flying microphone with the body of a blue bird. "I'd like to dedicate this song to Fairy Tail's strongest team and congratulate them on their safe return." As she strummed the strings, the vibrations carried off to a slow rhythm. The guild members all shouted and cheered for her to sing and play for them. Her voice gently passed onto the microphone as her voice seeped through the halls of Fairy Tail.
Musical Moment
Song for the Road
By: Mirajane Strauss (English translated)
As I walk past…your room,
my shadow falls through your door.
One more day you're not here,
When will my time…pass by?
Gazing up at the stars above,
I pray that they guide…your way.
Just look up and follow the starlight that follows each moon…
So when you're voice begins to fill with tears
Look up and when
The light begins to shine from above,
I'll be waiting here…under the starry sky,
To light your pathway just count on the stars
Follow them to your door…
…Follow them home…
The crowd cheered from the wonderful performance. She rose and gave a grateful bow.
"AWESOME!" Macao cheered. "Who's up next?" The lights were cut and the room blacked out. When the spotlight came back on, Gajeel was on stage. Instead of his thug attire, he had on a white tuxedo with a red tie, white pants, white shoes, a white fedora, and a red tie. He held on to a guitar with a chain attached to the end along with a floating harmonica by his head. His…intriguing attire was pulled off with a pair of black shades. Everyone froze in shock while Macao's jaw dropped to the floor. Natsu rose from his seat in disgust, Gray just sat with a grimaced look, and Lucy's hair was frizzed and completely freaked.
"Wrote a tune I call: Best Friend, would you like to hear it?" Gajeel offered in a cool and layback way. "Well here it goes."
"I ain't listening to you!" The crowd roared and threw all their food and drinks at him to try and throw him off the stage. "Get off the stage you bonehead!" He strummed his guitar in a jazz tempo as he began to sing.
¿Musical Moment?
Shoobidobop
By: Gajeel Redfox
Shining and colorful…Shoobidobop!
You caught my eye like a shiny piece of metal!
"Whoa!" Levy cried.
"He's not half bad!" Elfman agreed. Everyone cheered on at the spectacular performance that Gajeel was putting on. But, they still threw food at him.
SHOOBIDOBOP!
SHA, LA LA
ONE BITE IS NEVER ENOUGH!
"That's got to be the worst song that I've ever heard!" Natsu screamed as he covered his ears. The guitar crashed into Natsu's face. Gajeel blew a furry of censored words through the harmonica. "You want a piece of me!" The two warriors flew in the air as their legs crossed from an intense kick.
"Shoobidobop!" Gajeel replied. The two of them fought in a cloud of smoke as their tempers drew them into a fist fight.
"Let's see you beat that!"
"Shoobidobop, you moron!"
"Please, stop!" Makarov begged. As they continued their fight, a beer jug slammed into Natsu's face, leaving a red mark.
"Which one of you wise guys threw that, huh!?" he shouted. Gray rose from his seat and accidentally bumped into Erza.
"Natsu," Gray called out, "Will you quit screwing around already!" Erza looked in horror as her cake was now ruined on the wooden floor.
"He made me drop…my strawberry cake," she sniffled. Erza shrieked as Elfman stepped on top of it and cried out, "Now listen up! If you were real men, you'd take this outside!" Erza launched a furious kick and sent Elfman flying. She was back in her armor suit much like a knight. However, only the top half of her body was covered with a meatl chest plate and guantlets while the other half was a somewhat short, blue skirt and long black boots that ran up to her thighs. "Watch it you oaf!" she yelled.
Fireballs started flying, Iron bars began to drop down, and a massive brawl was starting to take place. "Will somebody stop them?" Macao shouted, "This is getting crazy!" It didn't help that Erza began to throw the furniture around the hall or that more than half the guild got in on the action. Lucy and Happy were lucky to take shelter from the ruckus. Master Makarov began to cry a river of tears as the fighting escalated throughout the guild. Natsu looked around as he noticed a group of men biting at one another's head. He smiled at this tremendous fighting.
"Now it's starting to feel like home!" he said. The guild jumped and swayed as the noise spread cross the town.
And then...
Rai and Jolt took a rest on a flight of steps after walking around for hours. They sighed under their breath after the many failed attempts to search for the treasure. "Ugh, I'm beat." Rai groaned. "How about you?" Jolt waved a small flag of surrender as its body laid on the ground face-down. "What I've noticed so far is that this place has a somewhat magical charm going on around here." Rai began to ponder something else {…}. "Not to mention these weird quotes that pop up when something happens." Rai pulled out his scythe and laid it flat in front of him. We pretty much have no idea what we're doing. "Now what?" Rai looked forward as he noticed a group of people walking over near a tall tree. He hadn't realized that they were in a public park set up in a dome fashion. "Hey Jolt, check it out." Jolt looked up and noticed the strangers as well. They rose from their seat and began to follow the group without being seen.
Fairy Tail
Everyone started cleaning up the mess they made in the guild hall. Gray and Natsu carried in the new furniture into the center room (more like struggling who was doing it right). Lucy and Mirajane were simply sweeping up the broken shards that rested on the carpet. Everyone else was either trying to repair the flooring or pick up any destroyed rubble lying around.
"I hope this reminds you of the damages you have caused in this guild," Makarov stated.
"You do realize this is gonna happen again later on, right?" Elfman pointed out. Makarov only went back to weeping. Lucy picked up a small shard from the glass broken off from the chandelier above. She noticed the shape of the glass looked to be a curved triangle she had seen before.
"Wait," Lucy examined, "that guy."
"Hmm, what's wrong Lucy?" Erza walked over to her while carrying a large barrel of alcohol.
"It's that guy I saw on the train earlier. He had a scythe with him." Natsu and Gray overheard Lucy and dropped the chairs on the floor to rush over.
"A guy with a scythe?" Natsu asked. He then remembered the man he had ran into back in town.
"Yeah," Lucy replied, "It was almost like the one Erigor had back at the Lullaby fiasco."
"You're saying that man was a member of the Eisenwald Guild?" Gray concluded.
"I'm not sure," Lucy thought out loud, "But when I asked him about it, he said it's something he does for a living." Natsu pounded his fist together as his face grew serious.
"We better go find this guy before he tries anything fishy," Natsu announced. "I'm gonna stop him from whatever he's planning.
"Fish!" {Fish} Happy cheered. Natsu charged out of the guild into the courtyard. He took off into town.
"Natsu!' Gray called out. "Man, this guy is just gonna go barging into trouble without thinking."
"Lucy," Erza interrupted, "Did he have any members with him?"
"Well, no," she answered, "On the train, he was by himself. The only one with him was a yellow mouse." Erza thought for a moment, and then nodded her head.
"Go with Gray and see what you can find."
"Right," Lucy and Gray agreed.
"Aye!" Happy added. They ran after Natsu, leaving everyone else to finish up the mess. Makarov had listened in on their conversation and started heading into the back room. Mirajane noticed the master leaving.
"Master?" she asked.
"I'll be back in a bit," he replied, "just need to check up on something."
"So what's the deal?" Gajeel asked, "Why'd you ask me to meet you here?" Droy, Jet, and Levy were standing a few feet away from Gajeel in the center of the park. Around them were large trees that scattered around the area. "Make it fast, I gotta get to work."
"We got a bone to pick with you!" Jet stated.
"After what you did to us," Droy shouted furiously, "There's no way your joining our guild!"
"Come on guys, Can't you guys forgive and forget?" Gajeel asked. Both men stared at him with vengeance in their eyes. Levy stood behind the tall tree.
"Maybe he's right," she pleaded, "I mean…now that he's in the guild, he's not gonna do it again."
"We gotta let him know," said Jet.
"…he can't mess with us," finished Droy. Gajeel grinned at their witty show of bravery.
"That's it, go ahead and act tough," in a single jump, Jet shot off at high speed straight at Gajeel. He launched a frontal kick and sent him flying back. "…while you still can!" He made a quick jump for the air. Behind him, Droy threw a couple of small brown seeds onto the grass.
"Secret Seeds!" he called out. A large ring of yellow light appeared as long green vines extended out and turned into green fists. They all launched and pummeled Gajeel over his entire body. "Knuckle Plant!" Jet came back around and readied himself into a kick. A large green circle appeared on his right leg.
"Falcon Heavenward!" Gajeel was sent even further back as the kick made contact. He managed to plant his feet and skid halfway across the park. Levy watched in fear as Gajeel tried his best to stay balanced.
"You had enough yet?" Jet asked.
"What happened to the tough guy act?" Droy wondered. Levy suddenly heard footsteps coming from behind her.
"You're not giving the new guy a hard time, are ya?" the voice spoke out. Jet and Droy turned around to see none other than the strongest member of Fairy Tail.
"Laxus," Jet uttered. He had on blue jeans, a purple, long sleeved buttoned shirt with a large coat that covered his shoulders down to his knees. Laxus wore what looked like a pair of large circular headphones with spikes jutting out. He had yellow spiky hair and a scar that went over his right eye. Gajeel only stared at the man from his weakened state.
"But," Laxus added, "seeing as this is the punk that took down our guild hall, I understand how you feel." He started to walk over to Gajeel. "I bet the only reason the old geezer let you join the guild is cuz he was scared of you wrecking the place again." His face grew angry the closer he became. "We've become the laughing stock of the magic community because of you!" Everyone stood frozen and watched Laxus share his beliefs. "On my way back from my last job, I stopped off at a few pubs and I heard some things that really pissed me off! Everyone was talking about how weak the Fairy Tail guild is now. NO ONE DARED TO SAY THAT ABOUT US BEFORE YOU CAME ALONG!" Lightning escaped from his headphones and bolted down on Gajeel.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" He screamed in agony as the electricity zapped through his iron body.
"NOW YOU'RE GONNA PAY!" Laxus fisted the ground and released a static wave directly at him. The sparks spun and turned into a rolling wheel of lightning. It rammed into Gajeel and dragged him into a nearby tree until it exploded on impact. As the dirt cleared, he looked to be unconscious as he sat with his head hanging down.
"You're taking this too far!" Jet yelled, "Calm down, man!"
"I know Laxus is strong and all," Droy confirmed, "but something's not right. It seems like Gajeel is going down too easily." Jet's attention snapped as he realized what Droy meant. Gajeel was much stronger before when he went on the same level as Natsu.
"I didn't realize it till now. He's not fighting back."
"He's letting them get their anger out on them!" Levy understood the situation now. "I think he's trying to gain our acceptance." Gajeel began to raise himself from the rubble, but Laxus pounded his electric foot on his body. He continued to stomp on him as he shouted.
"You shouldn't have messed with Fairy Tail, punk! CUZ NOW YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO DEAL WITH ME!"
"Give him a rest Laxus!" Jet ordered, "Leave him alone!" Laxus changed his attention towards the three.
"I'M NOT TAKING ORDERS FROM YOU!" Laxus raised his arm and fired off a lightning bolt directly at the group. However, it aimed at Levy.
"JOLT, USE THUNDERBOLT!"
Another lightning bolt intersected with the first bolt and redirected both up into the tree. The electricity flailed past the leaves and into the sky.
"The hell?" Laxus was frozen, shocked to see his attack countered in an instant. Everyone else stopped to look up and wonder where the electricity went. A man jumped in front of Levy and the gang along with a small yellow rodent. As the man held out his scythe, the mouse released electric sparks from its cheeks.
"Dude, you seriously have some anger management issues," Rai said to Laxus.
"Hey, who are you?" Levy asked.
"Me? Just a bystander passing through," he answered.
"So, you wanna mess with me, punk?" Laxus's anger started to fuel up again.
"Look, I don't know what the fuck you guys are fighting about," Rai yelled, "but if you guys really say you're in a team or whatever, then why are you guys fighting each other? You're adults, act like one!"
"I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" Laxus fired off a second bolt of lightning at Rai. He readied himself for impact, but the bolt jumped away and curved to his right. Once the smoke cleared, he noticed an iron cylinder right next to him. Gajeel's arm was now a metal beam that took the hit. A small area glowed from the extreme heat.
"Whoa, talk about having iron in your diet," Rai was amazed at the ability this guy had. The whole time the fight started, he and Jolt were spying on them from a nearby tree to see what was going on. He didn't count on this world actually involving things like magic or superpowers. Everyone else was frozen as they were stunned by the heroic act Gajeel had performed.
"You through with me now," Gajeel spoke weakly. "Cuz I got other things to do." He walked away from everyone.
"Hey man, wait," Rai shouted to him.
"Leave me alone," he replied. Laxus turned around and left the park as well. He swore under his breath at the events that occurred.
Tsk, I can't take much more of this, he thought, Fairy Tail has become totally pathetic! It's nothing but a joke now! The stupid old geezer is running it into the ground! When I take over the guild, things are gonna change! He clenched his fist as he stormed off.
"Thanks for saving us earlier," Levy thanked.
"Eh, no big deal," Rai answered. "Just thought I stepped up before things got out of hand."
"How did you stop that lightning bolt just now?" Droy asked.
"Well," Rai looked down, "That one was all Jolt." Everyone looked down at the yellow mouse waving up at them.
"Pikachu!" Levy's eyes grew wide as it couldn't stand its cuteness.
"It's…so adorable!" She picked up Jolt and squeezed it in her arms. Jolt desperately tried to escape, but Levy's love was too much. It eventually gave up.
"So, you got a name?" Jet asked.
"Name's Raimundo Ortega," he answered, "but I'll settle for just Rai. And you guys are…"
"I'm Droy!"
"Jet's the name!"
"And I'm Levy, it's nice to meet you!" Rai and Levy both extended their arms to shake.
"THERE HE IS! GET HIM!" Natsu shouted. Natsu jumped onto Rai and pushed him to the grass. They both started up a dust cloud as they started to fight.
"Get back here!"
"What are doing?"
"Hold still!"
"Cut it out!" Levy, Droy, Jet, and Jolt all watched dumbfounded at what was happening.
"You could've at least waited," Gray called out.
"Hey Levy, are you okay?" Lucy ran up to her.
"Yeah, I'm fine, but…" Levy looked over at the ongoing fight, "What's going on?" Lucy sweat dropped.
"We'll explain back at the guild."
"AHA! I got him!" Natsu proclaimed. He held onto a rope over his shoulder as Rai was completely wrapped up, leaving only his head exposed. In his other hand, Natsu held onto Rai's scythe. Rai's mouth was stuffed with a fish so he couldn't speak.
"MMPMMMPPMFMFM!" {Wiggle, wiggle} he muffled.
"Are you gonna finish that!" Happy asked curiously. Rai shot him a glare.
Fairy Tail
"Ah, looks like that's taken care of," Makarov said to himself as he exited the library. When the time is right, I'll make sure he gets it. When he opened his eyes, he saw the scene in front of him. The guild members were lying around either burnt crispy or soaking wet. A giant ice cage had a man trapped inside while a mouse, wearing a green bandana, slept on a broken table. Natsu was holding a scythe, Gray was in his underwear, and the roof above them had a large hole with wood falling. The stage was destroyed while all the beer and water mixed together like a tsunami had crashed inside the guild. Everything had been demolished. "WHAT DID YOU KIDS DO THIS TIME!?"
"Sorry master," Mirajane apologized, "but it looks like there may have been a misunderstanding."
Master, Rai thought, the guy's three feet tall!
10 minutes earlier…
After the hall was cleaned and repaired, everyone went back to doing what they did best; nothing. "Well, it should be fine for the time being," Erza announced.
"It does look much better now," Mirajane announced.
Boom!
A large body was chucked inside the guild hall and broke a few row of chairs instantly. Natsu, Gray, Happy, and Lucy started walking into the guild.
"We're back!" Natsu shouted.
"Idiot!" Erza punched Natsu square in the gut and sent his head crashing into the ceiling. Everyone sweat dropped from the sudden, warm welcome. "We just cleaned this place and you had to mess it up again!" she shouted at the ceiling.
"Aye, but we did manage to get the bad guy!" Happy pointed out. Everyone stared at the body that tried to sit up. Erza walked over and raised the body. With her left hand, she summoned a long sword and cut the rope. The sword vanished. She grabbed the object in his mouth and pulled it out. The man gasped for air for he almost suffocated.
"Great, my mouth taste like fish," Rai muttered. Happy swooped in and grabbed the fish.
"Alright, start talking," Erza demanded, "who are you and who are you working for?" Rai looked cautious seeing that she just summoned a weapon into thin air.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, time out," Rai asked, "Look, I don't want any trouble." Erza looked him over and noticed the tool belt he had on.
"What kind of wizard are you?" she asked.
"If you're asking if I can turn into metal or cast magic spells, then no…I'm not a wizard." Rai answered. Natsu escaped from the roof and landed back on the ground.
"You liar! Why do you have this then?" Natsu held up Rai's scythe.
"Hey! Give that back!" Rai walked over to Natsu. Suddenly, a large ice cage landed on top of him. "What the…?" Rai touched the bars and felt the chilling sensation it gave off. "That's cold!" Gray held out his hands as a blue ring surrounded his fists clenching together.
"Hold on, we're not done talking yet," said Gray. Rai suddenly took a second and noticed.
"How the hell did you get in your underwear?" he asked.
"Ah Crap!" Gray cried.
"Wait!" Levy rushed in with Droy, Jet, and Jolt. "Don't hurt him! He's actually a good guy!" Everyone was now confused over what was going on {?}.
"Is that true?" Erza asked Rai. He nodded his head. Knowing that the guys before were probably part of this group of people, he didn't want to get them in trouble over some stupid fight. Jolt jumped to a nearby table and explained to everyone what happened before. It grabbed a nearby mug to use as Laxus to represent the fight they had.
"Pika, Pika Pikachu! Pikachu Chupika! Pika Pika! Pika Pikachu! Chu!"
Everyone in the guild just stood there clueless. "Did anyone else catch that," Macao asked.
"It probably wants a drink," A woman with a blue tank top and long brown hair spoke out. She grabbed the mouse and chugged the beer down its throat. Once fully consumed, Jolt hiccupped and stared at everyone in the guild. Its face became red as it began to release static from its cheeks.
"Pi *hic* ka…" Rai knew what was happening and shouted out.
"Get down!" Lightning blasted all over the guild. The first to be electrocuted was Droy and Jet. Levy ducked to avoid being hit.
"That was…" Droy started.
"…pretty shocking," Jet finished. They both fell to the ground.
"What's going on?" Lucy shouted.
"Jolt's drunk off its ass!" Rai shouted. "It sees everyone as an enemy and now it's blasting anything that moves!" Elfman stood across from Jolt and readied to tackle it.
"It's time to take this mouse on like a man!" Jolt saw Elfman coming in. It surrounded its body in a cloak of electricity. Jolt then charged in with a Wild Charge and sent Elfman crashing into the stage.
"I take it back," he groaned, "that mouse is manly enough." He fainted.
"Don't worry Gray," Juvia shouted, "I'll take care of this!" Juvia summoned a rage of water from the ground and splashed it onto Jolt. The water started to turn into a huge cyclone. The spinning force began to pull all the furniture and beer barrels into the center as everyone in the guild held on from being swallowed in.
"That's not good!" Rai shouted.
"Why not!" Natsu yelled back.
"WATER CONDUCTS ELECTRICITY!" Sparks started to fly from the center of the vortex. The water blended in with the purple alcohol. Jolt unleashed a devastating Thunder creating a yellow light throughout the guild hall. The cyclone dispersed and completely zapped everyone. Once the havoc ended, the cyclone subsided and Jolt fell on its back over a crushed table. The back door to the guild opened as a small man made his way to the bar. His eyes shot open at the mess he saw.
"WHAT DID YOU KIDS DO THIS TIME!?" he cried.
Next...
Gray released the spell as the ice began to dissipate. Makarov walked over to approach the man with the tool belt.
"Hmmm, and who might you be?" he asked. "Probably the culprit behind this havoc."
"I'm Raimundo Ortega…sir," Rai looked down at the man, "Sorry about the mess." Makarov looked him over, from the front, back, side; he even fiddled through his tools; his screwdrivers, measuring tape, and his metal cutters.
"Quite an assortment of items you have here," Makarov pointed out.
"Yeah, well," said Rai, "I tend to have different hobbies."
"I see, so where are you from boy?"
"Not from here to be honest."
"What do mean 'not here'?" Elfman asked as he regained consciousness. "Be a man and tell us!"
"It's obvious isn't it?" Makarov pointed out. "He's not a wizard, he says he not from here, nor does he appear to belong to any guilds." He turned his attention to Lucy. "Lucy, can you bring out one of your Celestial Spirits."
"Uh, sure," Lucy agreed. She brought out a silver key with a green cross on the thick end. "Will this work?"
"Yes, that will do," Makarov approved. With a flick of her wrist, Lucy launched her key in the air. She grabbed the spinning silver key as she cried out.
"Open! Gate of the Southern Cross: Crux!" A large blue spirit circle appeared in front of Lucy. The sound of a doorbell echoed as a smokescreen appeared in the guild. When the smoke cleared, a figure was floating just next to Lucy. Its head was a giant iron cross with golden patterns running at the edges. From its nose, white hair branched out in the shape of smaller crosses. It had on a medieval outfit with pointed brown shoes and green pants. It had skinny arms and legs that were tanned orange. On its arms, it had blue knots as well as on his wrists. The old crux kept its eyes closed as it coughed once or twice.
"Wow," Rai said amazed, "That's a pretty big cross."
"Now Lucy," Makarov asked, "Have it to do a search on Celestial Reapers." Everyone, including Rai, didn't understand what Makarov was trying to do. Lucy decided to continue, even if she was curious herself.
"Alright," said Lucy. "Grandpa Crux, what can you tell me about Celestial Reapers?" The crux remained silent. A large snot bubble came out of its nose. Rai went up to it and tapped his knuckle on its forehead.
"Looks like this guy's snoozing instead of thinking," Rai deduced.
"YAHOOOHAAAA!" The crux shouted as his eyes grew wide and his hair pointed out. He revealed his teeth to have one tooth missing on the top left of his mouth. This threw Rai back a few feet and rammed into Natsu.
"Hey, watch it!" Natsu yelled.
"That thing scared the hell out of me!" Rai clasped his chest and settled his breathing.
"Knock it off, both of you!" Makarov ordered. Everyone turned back to the cross as it gave its explanation in a western accent.
"Ahem," it cleared its throat, "A Celestial Reaper is a powerful being that exists outside of the Human World and the Spirit World. Unlike a Celestial Spirit, they are not entitled to be given contracts to Celestial Spirit Mages or be summoned by them. The Celestial Reaper is also not binned by the rules of the Celestial Spirit King and can pass through the gate as much as it desires. The reason being is that they are not from this universe." Everyone looked to Rai. He picked up Jolt who was still sleeping. "The duty of a Celestial Reaper is to ensure the order of not only our world, but other worlds by maintaining the balance of the Six Souls that make up the galaxy. Although, it is classified to state how the process is initiated in choosing a reaper, I can say that they are selected from a dimension that is parallel to ours. They are the ones who bare the weapon that dignifies their source of power; the Sentinel Scythe." Natsu looked at the scythe he held. "There is the fact that there tend to be more than one Celestial Reaper to ensure the balance of power, but no records have been kept on how many there have been."
"I knew that," Rai scratched his head, "except for the whole Celestial Spirit thing."
"So, what do these souls do?" Lucy asked.
"I'm sorry, but that is all the information I am allowed to release," the Crux stated.
"Come on, you can't leave us hanging!" Rai shouted. The Crux quickly went back to snoring {ZZZZZZ}. "Please tell me he's going to finish."
"No, he went to sleep." Lucy muttered.
"…Oh."
"Wait, so what exactly are trying to tell us, Gramps?" Gray asked without his shirt on.
"It means," Makarov pointed to Rai, "this man will determine the fate of our very existence." Everyone gasped at the sudden realization that they had just heard.
"So much for keeping quiet," Rai uttered.
-To Be Continued-
Aw man, well that could have gone better.
Natsu: Come on, it wasn't that bad!
You shoved a fish down his throat!
Natsu: Now that that's out of the way, Fairy Tail can start off its fighting tournament! Man, I can't wait to kick everyone's butt!
You guys go ahead; I'll be commentating from the sidelines.
Happy: Don't forget about Erza and Laxus! You're not gonna be able to beat them Natsu!
The cat's got a point, you know.
Natsu: You guys just watch! When I'm through with them, they'll be begging for mercy!
Next Time: Battle of Fairy Tail
Happy: I can guarantee that Laxus takes down Natsu in the first round.
I'm putting my money on the red head.
Natsu: Shut up you two!
All rights reserved to the characters and material belonging to their respective owners.
Happy: Aye! Be sure to comment and leave a review!
Natsu: See you guys next time!