Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 55: Luz y Oscuridad

Happy Belated Birthday gift from me to you. I would've gotten these out yesterday on the day but damn it takes a long time to revise this stuff.

Edens Zero and Fairy Tail 100-Year Quest.

I am giddy. I am so happy I can one of my favorite series back again.

########Hunter########

A quiet lull hung over everything as darkness was all around them. The explosion had rained down on them and had obliterated everything in the area.

There was no sound. There was no light. But there was ache and pain. Was this – it couldn't be. Was this-

"Everyone okay?"

Flames suddenly sprouted out of Natsu's hand and illuminated the darkness. Lucy blinked in surprise and sat up before immediately hissing and laying back down. The blonde Mage looked at the numerous cuts and bruises over her body, as well as the lash marks she had received from her Gemini doppelgänger which stung like hell. She settled back and moaned, "Are we all okay?"

"Define okay?" Gray groaned and lifted himself up, a few drops of blood dripping from his chin and into the dirt. The Maker Mage lifted himself up on his knees, "My bones creak and my muscles ache and my pride has pretty much been shot to shit."

"But you can gripe about it so you're still alive, as surprising as that is." Lyon's voice echoed as he lifted himself up as well, Sherry moaned and pushed herself up on her knees. The Lamia Mage looked around at the divot in the ground they had fallen into and the roof of rock that had covered them from the explosion. He sighed in relief, "We were saved before the blast from the ship could land on us."

"How?"

The layer of rock that shielded them creaked and broke before slowly peeling backwards. Light bled through the cracks and nearly blinded them. The ground that had sunken in to protect them slowly started to rise and bring them back up to the clearing they had battled in. They were raised into the thicket of smoke and dust that lingered over the bombed area. Trees and greenery had been burnt to a crisp, the rock and stone cracked and even melted by the intensity of the blast that shot down upon them.

They had avoided a finishing blow, but it was clear to all of them that they had lost the first battle.

"I am glad we were able to reach you in time."

"Jura-San!" Sherry and Lyon exclaimed as they picked themselves up and ran over to their comrade's side. They stopped and looked shocked to see the bandages around his waist that failed to stop the intense bleeding from his injury, but he seemed to power through the pain to find them, "That woman had lied and said that she had killed you!"

"She almost did. The pain, injury, and blood loss were quite debilitating." Jura admitted, "I would have been in dire straits if Ichiya-dono hadn't regained consciousness and treated my injuries."

"As humiliating as it was to be left behind to die, it was fortunate that that Angel woman left us to lick our wounds. Oh, I never thought the day would come where I would appreciate being underestimated and looked down upon." Ichiya stepped up to Jura's side, his face bruised and beaten and his once pristine suit now marred with dirt and blood. The short Mage just took it in stride and focused on more pressing matters, "How is everyone fairing?"

"Erza and Naruto are down!" Gray called over, "They got hit pretty hard!"

"Wendy." Carla quietly muttered as she fell back on her butt and stared aimlessly ahead, "Wendy no."

"B-Big bro," Hibiki groaned alongside his teammates, "We're sorry we couldn't live up to your example."

"The example of getting dropped in a bathroom?" Lyon snarked as he and Sherry made their way over to the severed head of their golem friend. The blue-haired man knelt down by its side, "He was really trying to protect us during that fight."

"We charged in so recklessly, but he sacrificed himself to ensure that we didn't pay for our mistakes." Sherry regretfully whispered. She gently placed a hand on the smooth stone of the helmet and whispered with a tear in her eye, "His love for the guild and everyone in it was truly admirable. I'm sorry, Kichiyo-San."

"AWWW, IT'S OKAY SHERRY!" The pink-haired girl screamed and Lyon jumped back in shock as the helmet started speaking again, "I'M JUST GLAD YOU BOTH ARE OKAY AND EVEN JURA IS STILL ALIVE! MAN, I WAS WORRIED ABOUT THAT!"

They blinked, "C-Can you die?"

"NOT SURE! BUT NARUTO DID THIS TO ME A FEW YEARS BACK AND I WAS OKAY AFTER THAT! AND JURA-SAN IS STILL KICKING SO THAT MAKES THE WHOLE PROCESS EASIER! YAY!" The large helmet cheered and shivered in place, "MAN, WE GOT OUR ASSES HANDED TO US!"

"Shut up!" Natsu yelled from a few yards away, "They just got the drop on us!"

"That doesn't mean we weren't beaten, Natsu-kun." The Dragon Slayer flinched from Ichiya's blatant words before the Pegasus Mage reached into his suit pocket, "We ran into this mission rather haphazardly, not expecting our foes to be prepared for us so soon and as capable in a fight as they were. We are alive after our ordeal, and that should be reason enough to celebrate."

"You call this celebratory?"

"Considering we all could be dead? Yes." The Pegasus Mage responded quickly to Lyon's sarcasm and made the Lamia Mage frown. He fished out a vial and stepped forward until he was roughly in the middle of where all his allies were recovering. He popped the top and allowed the perfume to waft out, "This is a special parfum for your injuries. It won't heal you, but it will ease your pain and make it easier to move. I wish I could offer a more sound method of recovery but sadly this is all I have."

"No problem." Gray noted as he stood up a little straighter and moved his arms with wider range, "It's actually working like a charm so far."

Lucy sniffed, "It smells so nice."

The Trimens lifted themselves up and nodded with tears in their eyes, "That's our bro! So gallant!"

"I WISH I WOULD FEEL RELIEVED BY THE PLEASANT AROMA BUT I DON'T HAVE A NOSE!BUT I'M GLAD TO SEE THE REST OF YOU ARE RECOVERING!" Kichiyo yelled despite the sincerity in his words being quite honest.

Natsu felt the sluggishness that plagued his body lightend up just a little as he moved his limbs, "Dammit! I'm gonna make those asshats pay! They may have gotten lucky this time but they'll pay for it now! Think they can beat us and take Happy away just like that?! No goddamn way!" Fire raged off his body, "C'mon everyone, let's go find those pricks and-" The fiery Dragon Slayer paused as he spotted one of his friends struggle on her feet, "Erza? Hey, what's wrong?"

"M-My arm." The redhead tried to lift herself up but stumbled on her feet as she tightly gripped the arm hanging at her side. She clenched her teeth and tried to power through the pain but was unable to handle such terrible agony. The snake bite on her arm had started to cause discoloring in her skin and the proud S-Class Mage looked fevered as her eyes clouded over, "T-The snake bite. It stings."

"Oh god," Lucy gasped, "Poison?"

"My remedy cannot cure poison or other afflictions such as that." Ichiya shook his head in regret, "I am so sorry Erza-San for my inability to ease your pain. MEEEEENNNNN~!"

"What do we do?" Lucy asked as she tried to help her friend up to her feet, "She shouldn't be moving, right? But we need to get her to a hospital or a medic or – EYAH!" Lucy caught her skirt before it could fall down after her belt was suddenly yanked out of it, "Erza?!"

"W-We don't have time. We can't make our way back through the Woodsea without transportation, and the closest town is at least a day's away." Erza groaned as she tied the belt around her bicep tight enough to cause her pain. Her eyesight was starting to wane and she faltered on her feet before sitting down in the dirt. She held poisoned arm up, "We have to stop the Oración Seis, and make sure they don't find the Nirvana. And if this arm is going to kill me from its poison-"

"No." Lucy shook her head, "Erza don't even think about it."

"I won't," Erza panted, "I won't let this kill me." She raised her shaking arm, "Just do what you must so we can continue fighting."

"Are you insane?!"

"We can't do that?!"

Lyon stared at the redhead woman as she bit down on a portion of her armor to bear with the pain she was awaiting. The Maker Mage's eyes narrowed before he slammed his hands together and formed a sharp blade from his ice, "Very well. I'll make it quick. You won't suffer Titania."

"What the fuck do you think you're doing Lyon?!" Gray roared in anger as he glared his fellow Ice Mage down sharply. He stood in front of the Lamia Mage and shielded his fellow Fairy, "There's no fucking way I'm going to stand aside and let you just maim my teammate like that!"

His former senior scoffed, "So you'd rather let the poison spread through her system, cripple her, and kill her slowly instead of just cutting off the limb? Even when there are alternatives and prosthetics for her to have afterwards?" Lyon forced Gray aside, "Seems your childishness continues to persist no matter what the occasion."

Lucy shook her head, "There has to be a better way!"

"Unless you know how to handle her poison then there isn't." Sherry frowned at the blonde, "If you're squeamish then I suggest you turn around."

"No!" The Celestial Spirit Mage yelled and shook her head, "There has to be some better way for us to handle this!"

Ichiya fished around in his suit, "Hold on. I know there has to be one of my wonderful parfums that can work as an anesthetic before this starts."

"Big bro you can't actually be sanctifying this!" Ren looked in shock before turning to Jura. He stepped up to the Wizard Saint, "You need to tell your guy to stop now before he makes a mistake!"

"It was Erza-dono's wish." Jura nodded his head, "If she wished it done, then I believe that Lyon is doing the right thing."

"Are you kidding?!"

Lyon held his ice sword over the point where Erza's arm started to discolor and where the belt tied off her bloodstream. He raised it over his head and brought it down in a sharp swing that made the others scream in shock. A wave of intense heat over his head came and went in an instant and caused the blade to melt before it could cut.

"GET AWAY!" Natsu roared as he stood in front of the injured redhead and snarled, "YOU AREN'T HURTING HER!"

Another sword was raised up behind Erza and glinted from the sunlight.

"Wait!"

The sword came down on her arm and caused the redhead Mage to gasp.

A hiss came out from the blade as it pressed against the poison in her arm.

Erza's eyes nearly rolled back as she finally lost her balance and toppled over. She was only stopped from landing flat on the ground as an arm grasped her shoulder and held her up gently. She forced one eye open and looked up in a fevered pain at the one that was holding the blade.

"I'm going to chalk this dumb idea up to you being poisoned, and leave it at that." The whiskered blond smiled softly down at her, "Just rest, okay? We'll have this fixed when you wake up."

Erza's eyes lidded over before she drifted to sleep. Naruto lowered her to the ground and kept his Sky sword pressed against her poisoned bite. There was some steam coming off where his blade met and her injury did, but he didn't spot any changes to the discoloration or any ease on her face.

"Oh thank god." Lucy breathed a sigh of relief and stepped up, "Will she-"

"This isn't healing her." He answered her question before she could make it, "This thing's healing properties only work on physical injuries. Believe me I've tried." A sad look filled his eyes as he gently moved some hair out of her face and saw the pained expression only slightly lighten with his help, "I think if this thing isn't at least stopping the poison from moving then at most it lessens her pain."

"So if that's not going to help her," Gray stepped up, "What will?"

Naruto looked over to Carla as the white cat stared back. She nodded, wings extending from her back and lifting herself up to stay level with those around her, "Wendy's healing abilities far outdo the cheap imitation of pain-relieving odors and that sword. If you want someone to help that woman recover, then you will need her."

"Wendy-chan can heal poisons like this?" Eve asked, "That's astounding."

"She did it for me once when I was cut by a Wyvern's poison scales. Healed it in seconds. If we want to heal Erza, we need her magic."

Lyon quirked an eyebrow, "So you want to leave her writhing in pain and risk her death until we can get the girl back from the Oración Seis?"

"We were going to get her back in the first place. They took her, and Happy, and we aren't just going to let them get away with that." The blond said before turning his glare on the stoic blue-haired Lamia Mage, "And don't think for a second I was ever going to let your blade touch her. Be glad it was Natsu that stopped you and not me."

"Is that supposed to be a threat?"

"Enough!" Carla shouted and floated in front of everyone, "We are running on borrowed time here, and we can't waste it arguing and being petty about what happened."

"Carla-dono is right." Jura stepped forward, "Our mission is still the top priority, and we have added incentive to complete it now with Wendy-dono, Happy-dono, and Erza-dono's safety on the line."

"We can't all just stay in a group." Lyon noted, "It'll take too long to search this entire forest for the Oración Seis and the girl."

"Then we can split up." Gray said, "Only problem is if we all go in separate directions and find what we need-"

"I can be of assistance on that part." Hibiki stepped forward as his Archive appeared around him, "I can monitor each of your movements and locations in relation to each other and keep you all updated on how you are faring. If one of you finds Wendy-chan, I can inform everyone about it. And if you run into a member of the Oración Seis, then I can give your location to everyone else for backup."

"That is really handy."

Jura stepped forward, "So then we have our objectives. Locate Wendy-dono and Happy-dono and return here to heal Erza-dono. If we run into a member of the Oracion Seis then it will be troublesome, so we should split up into groups of two each; to better search this expansive area and to assist each other in case a fight does occur."

Hibiki summoned his Archive screens, "I'll be staying here to monitor each of you."

"I'm staying here too." Naruto announced as he bent down by Erza's side with his Sky sword still in hand, "I need to be here to ease her pain-"

"No." Lucy firmly said as she stepped up and knelt on Erza's other side to look Naruto in the eye, "You are one of our strongest fighting forces on this team, and we need you out there looking for Wendy and Happy and stopping the Oración Seis. I know you want to stay by Erza's side, but you know if she was awake right now she'd tell you to stop worrying at her side and go out there to help." The whiskered blond frowned as he realized she was right, and looked down at Erza in worry. He spotted Lucy offering her hand, "I need to give the sword my magic so it can work, right? No different from any other Holder magic I've used."

"Lucy," The blonde girl smiled confidently and nodded. Naruto returned the expression and offered her the handle, "I'll leave her to you. Make sure to focus your magic carefully, or that thing will leave you drained." She nodded and the S-Class Fairy stood up, facing the other members of the group, "I guess that just leaves one person extra."

"And that shall be me." Everyone looked at Ichiya in surprise as the short Mage proudly stepped forward, winking and posing as he flipped his hair back. A shiver went up their backs before he continued, "I was the one first ambushed by our enemies, and they procured Christina because of it. I solemnly swear that I shall take this mission upon myself and capture our foes singlehandedly."

The others were skeptical, but the Trimens seemed on the verge of tears from their leader's manly and honorable decree. With their mission set the Mages all looked up with determination in their eyes.

It was time to save that little girl.

########Hunter########

"She's younger than I thought she'd be. Who'd expect a kid this small to be such a powerful healer." Cobra said, eyeing the frightened girl over as she and Happy huddled together in the corner. The young Mage looked on the verge of crying as the burgundy-haired Dark Mage showed doubt, "Uh, Brain, you sure this kid is up to the task? Because her inner thoughts sound like they're gonna wet themselves."

"It's because you're forcing the girl to look at you, Cobra." Angel teased from the side, laughing joyously at his annoyed expression as she leaned back in her seat, "Maybe she wouldn't be so frightened if you weren't leering over her like that."

"Have faith, Cobra." Brain interposed between his two subordinates before an argument could escalate. The old man had a content, nonplussed smile on his face as he turned to the blue-haired girl. He spoke in a confident, calm manner, belying the cold and ruthless man she had seen order the strike down on her comrades not too long ago, "This girl will be the solution to our predicament. With her magic he will wake up from his unfortunate state, guide us to Nirvana, and then we shall have control over everything."

"Hey!" Happy pulled out from Wendy's grasp and glared up at the Dark Mages holding them hostage, "What are you guys gonna do with Wendy, huh? If you plan to hurt her then – uh – I guess I have to stop you? I mean I'm here and I'm part of Fairy Tail but I'm only now realizing just how big most of you are."

"Some rare breeds of cats can go up to thousands of Jewels on the market. This one has blue fur, as well as being anthropomorphic and having sapience." Hoteye beamed with joy, "That would fetch a high price if we sold to the right bidder!"

"Might wanna lower your expectations just a smidge, Hoteye." Cobra shook his head, "Listening in on what the little guy's got going on in that skull of his and it ain't much. You might have to ditch the intelligent part of your selling point."

"And all these big guys are being mean to me!"

"I'm a girl, you annoying little fleabag!" Angel snapped.

"You are?!"

"Enough." Brain raised his skull cane before Angel could attack the blue cat. The white-clad woman frowned and seethed in anger before turning on her heels to march away. The wise old leader then looked down at the blue cat before a wry smile came to his face, "This little animal may have been picked up on a whim, but it can still help us test out our new associate."

Happy blinked, "What do you - OOF!" The skull cane came swinging up into his body and slammed him up into the top of the cave before the blue cat dropped back to the ground in a bodily heap. The blue cat laid on the ground, "O-Ow."

"Happy!" Wendy cried out and quickly crawled over to his side to see his bruises. She looked up with teary eyes at the horrid Dark Mage that had beaten the poor creature down, "Why? H-How could you do something so awful?"

"The feline is beaten and injured. And it's your friend, no?" Brain questioned, "Why not heal it?" Wendy balked and shivered in shock, "Show the extent of your healing ability?"

"Y-You-"

"Don't." Wendy looked down as the little blue cat lifted himself up on his paws. One of his eyes was swollen shut after getting smacked into the rock but he continued to look to Wendy, "You don't have to listen to anything these guys tell you to do, Wendy. We just have to wait for everyone to come and kick their butts."

"Everyone?" Angel scoffed, "Are you talking about the nobodies and losers we bodied in the forest before we blew them up with that cannon? Because in case you didn't notice they're dead now."

"No they aren't." Happy denied, "You think you beat them but you didn't. People like you never do." A grin came to the cat's face, "You think you've won, but then Natsu and the others come and beat you down. That's always what happens to people who think they can beat Fairy Tail. And you're no different."

The members of the Dark Guild and Wendy all listened to the blue cat intently, "You're gonna lose."

"Young lady, I won't repeat myself. Heal this creature," He aimed the end of the cane at the cat as a green and black swirl formed at the end of it, "Or I'll just continue hurting it until you do. Or perhaps you've realized the futility in keeping a creature like this as a companion?"

"No!" Wendy shielded the beaten feline from the Dark Mage's threat. She was frightened by the powerful magic she had aimed at her before she shook her head, "I-I'll heal him." She turned around and faced Happy, holding her hands out as a faint warm light emanated out and covered him. She hung her head in guilt, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." The Fairy Mage whispered as his bruises and swollen eye started to disappear. After a few moments he was fully healed of everything. He looked over himself and then up at the disappointed blue-haired girl. He reached up and pressed his paw to her cheek, "Just trust in Natsu and the others. They'll come to help us. I promise."

The strength in Naruto's eyes even while that magic attack dropped down on them. The feeling of hope that she wouldn't be here for long."

"Little cat's inspiring hope in her again." Cobra chuckled, "That's cute."

"Hey!"

A loud indignant yell echoed through the chamber and caused Cobra to cover his ears in pain. Everyone looked back to see Racer standing at the mouth of the entrance with a massive cross hoisted over his shoulder. He stepped in and dropped the heavy object on the ground. The speedy Dark Mage let out a long exhale before clapping his hand against it, "Next time we need something really fucking heavy brought over here, how about we ask one of the countless nameless grunts we have under our employ to do the bitch work?"

Angel tilted her head, "I thought that was exactly what we were doing?"

"I could pull out every tooth in your mouth before you even realized how much of a dumb bitch you are."

"Silence." Brain sternly said and shook his head, "My god why is there so much animosity between you lot?"

"Maybe they just need to have sex and get it all out of their systems?" All eyes turned to Happy, "What? Apparently that's what Erza does with Naruto sometimes when they have an argument."

Wendy blushed, "T-They're in a relationship?"

"Ew! Ew! Ew! I don't want the picture or even the insinuation that I would sleep with these bozos!" Angel gagged and shuddered in disgust before covering her head and humming, "Getting it out of my head! Getting it out of my head!"

Brain rolled his eyes before looking to Hoteye and motioning towards the cross-shaped figure. The large man gave a quick nod and grabbed it before pulling it further into the cave. He turned it towards Wendy and Happy before letting go. Brain stepped up to its side and looked down at the child and cat, "Now that we've established how strong your healing magic is, it's time that we get to the point. I want you to use your magic to heal the man inside of this."

"Y-You want me to heal him?"

"Yes." Brain nodded, "The man inside of this is privy to information and magic that very few people in Fiore even know about. One of those secrets is the location and activation code we need to reach Nirvana. We have been searching this Woodsea for a very long time now without anything to prove for it. Of course we know it is here, the strange and ancient magic traces seeped into the very soil of this land and the fact that parts of the forest have started to become affected by its lingering magic show that it is still here. But with his help we'll be able to locate it."

Happy gulped, "A-And you want Wendy to heal him?"

"Indeed. He is very sick. And he is in desperate need of her healing touch." He flipped a switch in the back of the coffin as it let out a mechanical hiss and opened up to reveal what was inside. The cross coffin pulled away and revealed the half-naked, magically sickened body of the man inside. His skin was marred with an odd pattern indicative of a magical illness, and he wasn't responsive even as his coffin opened.

But Wendy's eyes widened and breath hitched as she spotted the familiar blue hair and eye tattoo of the person that had saved her life, "Jellal."

"Jellal?!" Happy balked, "This guy is Jellal! You guys want her to heal and fix Jellal!" The blue cat quickly turned to the frightened, speechless girl and shook her arm, "Wendy, you can't heal this guy no matter what! He's a monster! He hurt Erza and Naruto! He tortured their friends for years! He tried to kill all of my friends!"

"Yes, he attempted not too long ago to use a very dangerous and powerful system to resurrect the great Dark Mage, Zeref. His use of that magical system was actually to the chagrin of many of my own subordinates." Brain looked back at the faces of his fellow Oración Seis and their displeasure at being made examples of. He smiled, "But he failed, and instead found himself at the center of an unstable and uncontrollable sea of magic, Etherion. Luckily he was pulled out of it by some associates of ours, but unfortunately we haven't be able to awaken him since then. He's too sick. Stuck in a coma because of his magical poisoning." The dark-skinned man smiled slyly, "But now we have your advanced healing ability. And we might just have a chance to reawaken him from his deep slumber."

"You can't help them, Wendy! He is an evil man! He might tell them where Nirvana is! O-Or use it for himself if he can!"

"I know. I know who he is." Wendy whimpered, her head hung low as she gripped the dirt. The girl's voice shuddered, "I read about all the awful things he did. How he nearly destroyed the Magic Council. How he used a forbidden magic that could have destroyed the country. A-And if he nearly killed Erza-San and Naruto-San, then I can't help him. I won't. Not matter-"

"Her heart is racing." All eyes shot to Cobra as the burgundy-haired Dark Mage interrupted. A smirk stretched his lips, "And not out of fear. All your memories and feelings are welling up so loudly in your heart little girl that I can hear them." Wendy gasped and tears fell down her cheek as he stepped forward, "What was that word you used early, Brain? Serendipitous? Well maybe destiny does want us to find Nirvana and reach our goal. It turns out this little lady knows Jellal."

"Oh does she?"

"And not just knows - she's smitten." Wendy's cheeks burned while sad tears came down her cheeks. Cobra sneered, "She has all these little fantasies and dream scenarios about meeting him again. She loves this man. But more importantly...she feels indebted."

Happy blinked and looked to the young girl stifling her sobs, "Wendy?"

"W-When I was younger, m-my dragon, Grandeeny disappeared without a trace." She wiped her eyes to little avail, "I-I was so scared while I wandered and I didn't know what to do. Until a boy came and kept me company. He protected me. He helped me. H-He was the first friend I ever made. A-And then one day he left too, but left me at Cait Shelter where I've been ever since." She sniffled, "I promised myself one day I would meet him and see him again. A-And thank him for what he did for me."

"Wendy." Happy held the girl's arm sympathetically, "I'm sorry, but if you wake him up-"

"I-I know. I know who he is and what he's done. And if he tells them where Nirvana is, then it's all over." Wendy rubbed the tears away and looked up at the Dark Mages, childish defiance in her red-rimmed eyes, "I won't help him."

Brain stared down at the girl. He then turned to look at his subordinates. He finally looked to Cobra, who gave a short nod in assurance. The old man sighed and nodded his head.

He drew out a knife, stabbed Jellal in the arm, and yanked it out as blood spilled freely from his cut artery.

"No!" Wendy gasped as the tears started again.

"W-What did you do that for?!" Happy gasped.

"Brain!" Angel stomped her foot as the others besides Midnight and Cobra looked on in shock, "Don't kill him! We need him to find Nirvana!"

"The girl will not help us, so there is no need for Jellal anymore." Brain casually said as he turned to the comatose man, blood steadily spilling out of the wound on his arm and dripping to the floor. The white-haired man shook his head, "Some years back, this boy came to me hoping that I might teach him my vast wealth of magical techniques and knowledge. He picked up on so many different styles and magic so quickly that I believed I had stumbled upon a once-in-a-lifetime prodigy. And when he told me he would apply for a seat on the Magic Council, I knew I had a chance to gain all the knowledge and information I had been aiming for since joining the Rune Knights. But he acted on his plans first, and now I appear to be losing my chance to find Nirvana." Brain spoke callously as he started to flay some of the skin from Jellal's chest, earning a horrified cry from Wendy as she saw it happen. Blood dripped from the knife before he turned it to the unconscious man's throat, "All that effort and no result. I suppose if he really won't wake up then there's no point-"

"Stop! Stop it!"

Wendy's desperate shriek echoed through the cave and stopped the knife from making its decisive blow. Brain looked back and saw Wendy on her knees, head hung low as tears dropped into the dirt. The composed old man stepped aside, cleaning his bloody knife as he looked down at the little girl, "The injuries I've left on him will kill him in a matter of moments. If you really have the resolve of letting the man who saved your life die, then you can just sit back and let him bleed out. You don't even have to make the choice. Just sit down and do nothing."

Wendy hiccuped and looked up at Jellal's unconscious form. A part of his chest was dripping with fresh blood after his pectoral had been flayed. His arm continued to leak blood like a steady faucet. If she allowed it like this, then they would never find Nirvana and their mission would be for naught.

But...

Cobra smirked, and that caused a satisfied smile to form on Brain's face.

Wendy sniffed and wiped her eyes. She stood up and clenched her tiny fists, "I-I'm sorry, Happy."

"Wendy."

"I can't. I-I can't just let him die." The little blue-haired Mage stepped up to the comatose man and raised her hands. Her magic formed and light started to cover Jellal's body as his bleeding came to a steady stop. His skin slowly started to heal, and the magical patterns that formed from his illness steadily, slowly receded.

Cobra stepped around the coffin, "I hate to ruin this moment of basking in victory, but we have a slight problem." The others looked towards the man as he gently caressed the purple snake around his shoulder, "I can hear the faint sounds of fighting and screaming from here. It's pretty damn far away, but it's those kids we bodied early. They aren't dead."

"Surprising, but not overall disheartening." Brain stated, "We have the girl, and she is healing Jellal. All we need is time. I shall keep a watch over her and the cat, so they don't attempt to sneak away. Cobra. Hoteye. Angel. Racer. Go out there and greet our dear foes with their reckoning."

Hoteye closed his book. Racer fixed his glasses. Angel licked her lips. Cobra smirked as Cubellios flicked its tongue.

"Oh, this'll be fun."

########Hunter########

"I never thought in a million years that you would decide to follow me through the forest."

"I was weighing my options and out of all the undesirable choices, you were the least irritating."

Naruto let out a chuckle and he leapt through the air to strike a Dark Mage across the face as he ran through the forest. Countless more subordinate Dark Mages covered the ground and blocked the way he and Carla were running through. Fortunately they were so busy bragging and postulating about how they were going to beat him that Naruto just knocked everyone out in the blink of an eye with a swift strike to the chin. He made quick work out of every enemy that stood in his way as he talked over his shoulder to the white cat, "But you hate me, don't you? How am I the least irritating option for you?"

"Well I couldn't stay around with the injured woman, making small chat with the womanizer and the scantily-dressed lady." Carla commented, "Which left me with either your other teammates-"

########Hunter########

"I'm gonna find Wendy, heal Erza, save Happy, and kick Oración Seis' ass all by myself!"

"Well I can do that all of that but faster, and without leaving a burn track through the forest while I do it!"

"I'd like to see you try!"

"Then sit back and watch!"

Natsu and Gray continued to feud, running off to continue their search while they left a field of unconscious Dark Mages on the ground either burned by fire or frozen by ice.

########Hunter########

"-or the unpleasant man from Lamia Scale that threatened to cut off Titania's arm and his lovestruck cohort. Or the duo from the womanizing team that nearly traumatized us."

"Wendy seemed to take their flirting fairly well."

"Fine then. Traumatized me. Are you happy?"

"Sorry. I see your point."

########Hunter########

Lyon frowned in annoyance as he charged through the Woodsea with his target in sight. His sharp eyes shifted upwards and spotted the massive flying battleship in the form of a winged horse that floated over their heads. The experienced young Mage knew that as long as that battleship continued to hover in the air, an aerial attack like the one they had been hit with before could come at any moment, and unlike last time Jura wouldn't swoop in at the last second to save them from it.

This meant they needed to neutralize that threat before it could blindside them again.

"Lyon-sama, are you sure this is the best use of our time!" Sherry called out to him as she followed his brisk pace. She looked up at the magnificent ship flying overhead, "There's no guarantee that we can even reach that ship!"

"It's not guaranteed, but we can do it." Lyon said firmly, "We were planning to fight and kill the mighty demon of Zeref, Deliora. That was said to be an impossible task, but we powered through it anyway." A confident look crossed his face, "I refuse to believe something like this is beyond us."

Sherry gave a small smile and with renewed spirit chased after her comrade.

"Of course this won't be easy. Especially when we're being followed by two unwanted tagalongs." Lyon and Sherry both looked back displeased to see the suited forms of Eve and Ren keeping pace with them. Lyon frowned, "Do you have to follow us so closely?"

"We aren't following you because we want to." Ren retorted, "But we overheard you taking about getting to the Christina and destroying it before they could use the cannon to attack us again. But that ship is the pride and joy of Blue Pegasus, and we can't just allow you to destroy it so casually."

"So you'd rather it remain in the hands of our enemies and attack us whenever they wish?"

"Not at all." Eve smiled brightly, "We just thought it would be a better use of our time if we reclaim the Christina instead of destroying it. It still requires us to get up to the ship and defeat the interlopers that commandeered it, but instead of blasting it out of the sky we use it for its original purpose. An aerial view over the Woodsea for us to observe our enemies and locate Wendy-chan faster."

"And you think you can do that?"

"I was part of the Rune Knights for some time. I have some experience with tactical raids like this. However we can't do it alone-"

"We could, but Eve seems to be adamant on wanting to make friends with all the cool kids." The young blond blushed and aimed a glare at his tan friend as Ren continued to dash through the forest, "We just came to warn you that we are going to take back our ship, and if you aren't with us on this then you're against us. Which in that case, it would be better if you just stay out of our way."

Sherry gave a frustrated glare towards the suit-clad man, "Surprisingly aggressive for a tsundere."

"Not like I care what you think."

"There it is."

"Enough." Lyon looked back at the Pegasus Mages before looking back at his teammate. He then turned to stared up at their objective before clicking his tongue, "Fine. We get up to the ship together. Whether we repossess it or blow it out of the sky will be a choice we make when we get there."

"Fair enough."

########Hunter########

"It wouldn't have been that bad to stick around with Jura."

"You're right, the Wizard Saint is the most collected and centered individual on this team, and most likely would have been the easiest to get along with." Carla grimaced, "His compatriot however-"

########Hunter########

"SMASH! SMASH! SMASH! SMASH! IT IS SO MUCH BETTER TO HAVE A BODY! I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAD TO GO TEN MINUTES WITHOUT HAVING ONE AGAIN! TALK ABOUT DÉJÀ VU!" The golem said, admiring his new bulky body as he swung his arms around in a wide arc and knocked the Dark Mages off their feet, "YOU REMEMBER WHEN WE MET LIKE THAT, JURA?!"

"I remember very well, Kichiyo." Jura easily knocked out the group of criminals that tried to jump him with a single punch. He continued to beat his foes with minimal, short strikes before looking at the unconscious men at the golem's feet, "You remembered to hold back against these men, right?"

"OH DON'T WORRY, JURA, I ALWAYS REMEMBER EVERYTHING YOU TAUGHT ME ABOUT RESTRAINT! IF I DIDN'T THIS WOULD BE A WHOLE LOT MESSIER! I REMEMBER THE OLD DAYS IN THAT UNDERGROUND TEMPLE WHERE EVERY TIME I MET SOMEONE NEW IT IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED WITH ME SMUSHING THEM TO PASTE! IT WAS SO CRAZY EASY TOO! A KNOCK TO THE HEAD OR A SWIPE TO THE SIDE OR A GENTLE KICK AND THEY'D PRETTY MUCH EXPLODE INTO MIST! IT WAS SO EASY-"

"Kichiyo."

"RIGHT! OFF TOPIC! LIL' TINY MAGE GIRL, WHERE ARE YOU?! WE'RE HERE TO SAVE YOU AND BE TOTALLY NICE AND GENTLE WHILE WE DO IT!"

Jura palmed his face as his guild's golem charged through the trees.

########Hunter########

"Then you could've just gone with Ichiya-San."

The blond man and white cat silently stared at each other as they continued to make their way through the forest at their brisk speed. Nothing was said between the two for nearly a minute as Naruto's statement hung in the air.

He shook his head, "Sorry, that didn't even count as a joke."

########Hunter########

"I am conflicted." Ichiya gracefully said, slowly opening his eyes, "On the one hand this situation can be not be considered anything other than unfavorable. On the other hand, to deny these people a meeting with me is far to cruel and callous for a gentleman such as myself." A manly tear ran down his bruised and rough face, "Oh, whatever is a man like me to do?"

The Dark Mages looked at the suited creature they had tied up on a stick, "Hey, are we sure this thing is human?"

"That ain't our problem to deal with. Just bring him to the bosses and let them figure it out."

Ichiya nodded, "Oh, whatever am I to do?"

########Hunter########

"So in the end that left me with following you in order to find Wendy, and I'm doing that with gritted teeth mind you." Carla finally answered with a crossed frown and twitch in her eye. She looked back and saw the endless path of unconscious Dark Mages that had tried to jump them for the Oración Seis. Her eyes turned down to the blond man she had so quickly derided before she hummed, "I'm surprised how strong you've grown since we last saw you."

"Of course." Naruto chuckled, "I was just a kid back then. Making silly mistakes and stupid decisions that were just too much for me to handle. But now I'm a man!"

"And so does that mean you don't make stupid decisions or mistakes anymore?"

"Oh no, I still do! I just have the ability to fix them a lot easier now."

Carla rolled her eyes and looked at the young man skeptically, before she noticed his eyes and expression harden as he continued to charge forward. She remained stoically silent, "How did you get your strength exactly?"

"Lots of fights. The right people training me. Things I needed to protect giving me a reason. And things I couldn't that I should have, pushing me forward."

"Wendy has been trying to grow stronger, like you and that man Jellal." The blond's face flashed with a moment of doubt before he focused back on the task at hand. The cat continued, "She has grown stronger since we met you years ago, but still she has doubts and fears."

"What's wrong with that? I have doubts and fears all the time."

"Yes, but yours obviously don't cause you to freeze." Carla said with firm eyes, "Wendy always wants to do whatever she can to become stronger and a better Mage, but sometimes her fear and doubts about herself cause her to falter. I want her to become the Mage she says she wants to be, but right now that's not who she is. And I needed to protect her from anything that would hurt her until she was. I don't know what to do anymore."

"She has the strength and will. It was obvious when she came running out from behind that rock and faced the Oración Seis even while the rest of us were on the ground that she wants to help us however she can. She froze in fear, but I know that won't keep her forever." Naruto said, "The time will come when she controls her fear, and makes a stand. And when she does she'll be on her way to becoming a great Mage. You'll see."

Carla let the blond fairy's words sink in as they continued to charge forward. The image of her young charge standing in front of her, her shoulders still and firm despite the fear that might grip her flashed through her mind for just a moment. It seemed so hard to believe, but she thought she could imagine the great and powerful Mage Wendy could become so clearly it was almost like a memory.

She came out of her thoughts and looked around as she only saw more forest pass around them, "Do you know where you're going?"

"I'm trying to follow the number of assholes until I reach the big prolapsed anuses themselves."

"What?! Y-You don't know where you're going?!"

"I can't track them! They didn't exactly leave a lot of clues for me to follow!"

"I can't believe this!" Carla halted in her flight and floated in front of the blond man with annoyance, "I followed you because you seemed capable in finding Wendy, but you're just running around like a headless chicken!"

"Well you're the one who can fly! Maybe you can give me an aerial view instead of chewing me out!"

"Can't you question some of the men you defeated back there?!"

"There's no way people as ruthless as the Oración Seis actually told those weaklings their hiding spot!"

"You don't know that!"

"I know that better than you!"

"Oh, and here I thought you'd do whatever you could to save the woman you love!"

"Hey!" Naruto barked as Carla matched his glare, "Watch what you say!"

"You want me to watch what I say? Then watch this!" Carla yelled, "You-"

Attack. Attack. So fast. So soon. Coming now!

"Racer!"

Naruto eyes widened at her sudden exclamation before he grabbed the white cat and leapt in the air. A speedy blur passed just underneath them and left a smoking trail in its wake before they landed on the ground. Carla took a sharp breath of surprise as Naruto stood up and looked at his attacker.

"Didn't think you'd see me coming." The long-nosed Mage said as he tightened the glove on his hand and turned to face the whiskered Mage directly. The spiky-haired man rolled his neck and tapped his foot on the ground, "I can honestly say I'm surprised any of you survived getting bombed like that by that gaudy airship. I thought at least one or two of you would have died." Racer coldly said before he laced his fingers together and cracked them, "Well Cobra did get his snake to bite that redhead, so she's probably on her way out."

Carla felt Naruto's grip on her tighten for a moment before he released her. She floated in the air as the whiskered Mage stood back up and eyed the Oración Seis member, "You must be pretty stupid if you think anything you or your people could do can kill her."

"Not kill her. Just make her suffer before she finally kicks the bucket." Racer chuckled, "I'm guessing the rest of your loser club made it out too, right? No worries. The others are making their way out and will find them no problem. They'll all be dead soon."

"Look, I'm gonna kick your ass one way or another." Naruto cracked his neck, "So how about you just tell me where you took Wendy and Happy and I'll promise not to leave you broken?"

"Broken? Hahaha!"

Naruto raised his arms and just barely caught the leg of the fast Dark Mage before his foot could dig any deeper into his sternum. Racer kicked off with his other foot and sent Naruto flying through the air, "Bitch you ain't got the speed to even touch me."

The blond flipped and landed in a crouch on the ground, but Racer was already on him in an instant. The Dark Mage smirked as he dug his fist into the blond's cheek and forced blood out in a single hit. Racer smirked and continued to land hit after hit on the whiskered man's cheek at blinding speeds. A little harder and his teeth would break. A few more hits and his neck would snap from the whiplash. He may be an S-Class Mage, but everyone was so weak when they looked as still as a statue. This was-

"You done?"

Racer's eyes widened behind his glasses as he saw Nartuo's mismatched eyes glare into him despite the punches to the face.

"WRAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Racer was blown back by a gale force wind that exploded off of Naruto's body. The Dark Mage bounced off the ground and dirt like a stone before finally catching his footing and coming to a stop. He looked up and saw the wind around the Fairy Mage's body pick up before finally settling. The blond looked directly at him, smiling and wiping his face before spitting a pinch of blood off to the side, "I already told you I have taken a lot harder hits than anything you could dish out."

"And I told you I'd crack your skull like an egg." Racer hissed as he looked over himself. He saw little cuts and blood seeping out from where the sharp winds had actually sliced him. He ran his finger over his nose and cleaned it of the blood coming out before his killing intent increased, "I'm going to break you like a twig."

"I offered to let you off easy." Naruto said as he matched the intent coming towards him, "You'd better remember that."

Carla hovered over the two fighting Mages with a worried expression on her face. She looked around and tried to spot where her friend would be, but couldn't leave Naruto only to fight.

"Wendy. Everyone."

########Hunter########

"So? You smell anything?"

"Besides the blood and tears of all the guys we've beaten down so far?" Natsu snarked back irritably as he raised his nose and sniffed the air. He hissed in annoyance and slammed his foot, "Dammit, I can't catch Happy's scent at all! What the crap?!"

"Okay, calm down." Gray harshly smacked the back of the Dragon Slayer's head to stop his freak out and grab his attention again. The Maker Mage sighed and turned to his teammate, "Maybe you're just too used to Happy's scent? That's probably the reason you can't pick it up from so far away with so much else going on around you."

"But I need to smell him to find him!" Natsu complained and gripped his hair as he groaned angrily. He suddenly stopped and poked his nose a few times, "Can I reset my nose?"

Gray shrugged, "Maybe if we broke it, which I am totally up for by the way. But I feel like that would be a step back from what we're aiming for." The two Fairy males stood together and wracked their heads about what they needed to do. Gray opened his eyes again before asking, "What about if you focus on the girl's scent?"

"I don't know Wendy's that well."

"But you said she smelled like a dragon, right? So she still has that dragon smell that you and Gajeel have lingering on you, right?" Gray said as he remembered the multiple loud, petty arguments their local Dragon Slayers had when it came to being around each other and having their smell linger around. The Maker Mage nodded, "Shouldn't the smell of a dragon be more prominent than anything else around here? So if you focus on that then maybe you'll get what we need."

Natsu seemed to mull the idea over before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath through his nose. His senses were overloaded with all types of scents and smells that lingered and wafted from the forest and into him. The smell of a dragon. The smell of his cat as well. He took a deep breath and what he felt most was...

"Mud."

Their eyes widened and they leapt back as the ground by their feet bubbled and exploded in a geyser of Liquid Ground. They felt a rush of pain cover their bodies and slammed into the ground as a massive man stepped out into their line of sight.

"We are so close to reaching our goal, and cashing in on the biggest cash flow in history, and now you and your cohorts are disrupting us right at the climax. Oh well." Hoteye raised a tendril of earth with a wave of his hand before shrugging, "I'd offer you relief for an acceptable payment, but the price has gone up considerably since before. And if you couldn't pay it before...then farewell."

Hoteye sent the spiraling tendril out to attack the floored men, but looked in mild surprise when the spear of Liquid Ground was frozen on the spot. Gray had lifted himself into a kneeling position and used Freeze to flash-freeze the Liquid Ground before it could reach them. Natsu and Gray lifted themselves up and stepped around the tendril of frozen ground.

"Guess we got lucky that one of them came to us." Gray commented as he pulled his shirt off, leaving him topless, "You don't have to feel ashamed about your nose not working for you."

"Like you know anything about shame. Don't make me laugh. But I'm glad we got someone to ask directions for now." Natsu clenched his fists so tightly it started to shake, "Even better, it's someone we've been looking for too. Lucky us."

Natsu swung his fist back and shattered the rock tendril as his and Gray's eyes narrowed harshly on the Dark Mage, "Round 2 you sonuva bitch!"

Hoteye's eyes glittered, "I'm going to make you pay for wasting our time."

########Hunter########

"Are we all ready? Because this is a long way to go and we need to do it in tandem."

"We're ready. Just waiting on you to pony up."

Ren and Sherry shared a look and nodded. The pink-haired woman stepped forward and started to summon her magic as the ground rumbled. Stone and rock began to lift into the air and collect together into a large bulky figure. Her Doll magic formed a rough rock golem that lorded over its targets. It picked up both Lyon and Eve in its hands before lifting them up.

Ren stepped forward and concentrated his Air magic towards the base of the golem. The air and wind around its feet started to twist and distort before expanding, "Aerial Levitation!"

The rock golem was sent flying up through the air with the explosion at its base. Lyon and Eve felt a powerful rush of wind around them as they flew up over the trees. After a few moments the puppet's massive mass reached the apex of its lift and was about to fall back down. Before it could, it reeled back and threw the two men in its grasp as hard as it could towards the flying airship.

"Ice Make: Falcon!"

Lyon formed a bird from his magic and landed on its back as it glided towards the Christina. Eve grabbed onto the ice construct's talon and casted his Snow magic under the creature's wings to give it some lift. They sailed through the air and came up on the occupied airship before dispelling the falcon and falling towards the carriage of the ship. Lyon slammed his hands against the wood and used Freeze to make a handhold for himself and Eve to latch onto. The light blue-haired man frowned, "Did you ever have missions like this in the Rune Knights?"

"This? Specifically? No." The young blond commented as he grunted and climbed his way up the ice sheet on the edge of Christina's body. Lyon focused and stretched the ice out for them to continue up, "But definitely an experience I will remember for the rest of my days."

Lyon and Eve scaled the side of the ship until they reached the edge of it and peeked over the edge. They spotted dozens of rough-looking men and women moving around the ship's exterior. They seemed to be examining the metal and lining of the Christina and figuring out how they could scrap it for money after all the fighting was done.

Eve whispered, "More than I thought."

"Pfft," Lyon scoffed, "They all look weak."

"Their quantity makes up for quality."

"I have quality in spades if you're concerned."

"That's quite arrogant of you, Lyon-San." The young Pegasus Mage teased, "I think I can more than beat my fair share of the enemies."

"You both sound kind of cocky for fellas dangling off the side of a ship."

Lyon and Eve looked back in surprise and prepared to attack before a sudden blast of wind lifted them up and threw them onto the deck of the ship with the Dark Mages that had occupied it. The two quickly clamored back up to their feet and looked around as they were surrounded by their foes.

"We were put in charge of taking this bad girl out for a ride and taking care of any nosy brats that showed their ugly faces. I take it you two are part of that description." The two Mages looked up and saw a grey-haired man wearing a long black coat with yellow highlights. He had tattoos around his eyes and he was floating several feet off the ground with a diabolical smirk, "Well that's why the Oración Seis decided to trust us."

"I am Erigor," The man announced with raised arms as his subordinates pulled out their weapons, "And you are in the care of the New Eisenwald guild. Unfortunate for you."

########Hunter########

Ren squinted his eyes as he looked up into the sky and towards the bomber, "I think they made it."

"Lyon-sama definitely made it. He said he would, and he always follows his word." Sherry said confidently as the pink-haired woman fawned, "The drive that pushes him to fight for his comrades and complete his mission despite the odds must be for love!"

"I'm not sure if he's the kind of man that expresses love in a manner like that." She frowned and gave the tan gentleman a dirty glare as he turned to her, "You certainly seem to think a lot about love. Sounds like you try to make everything about it."

Sherry flushed as she scowled at the man, "And what about you, Ren-San? What's with the constant cold attitude and distant affection? Girls don't like guys that keep switching between nice and mean."

"What about your boyfriend up there? He certainly seems to be the cold and distant type."

"He's at least honest about his feelings. And besides, please don't act like you can know Lyon-sama just from looking at him." Sherry said with a pout as she crossed her arms and huffed, "I can trust him with finishing his goal to completion. He can follow through better than anyone else."

Ren hummed, "Well then I'm surprised you have so much faith in him. I apologize if I offended you." The Pegasus Mage apologized before holding a finger to his temple, "Hibiki? Are you there?"

("I'm here Ren. I see you've stopped in an area along with Eve, Lyon-kun, and Sherry-San. How is apprehending the Christina going?")

"We got them up there. Now all we can do is wait." Ren said, "How are the others handling things? Have they found anything on Wendy-chan yet?"

("Not yet. I'm surveying them with Archive but all of the teams seemed to have suddenly stopped or become preoccupied. I believe they're in the middle of fighting. I can only hope they're holding out.")

"And what about Titania?"

("She's okay.") Lucy's voice carried over the link, ("The poison isn't receding but this healing sword is making it easier on her. I just don't know how much longer I can use it.")

("Soon enough Lucy-San's magic will run out and I'll be left to handle her treatment. And if I run out of magic too then I won't be able to keep Archive up.")

"We really are on a clock." Ren hissed, "We need to hurry."

"I agree."

Sherry and Ren turned around to see Jura emerging from the trees. Sherry beamed with relief, "Jura-San! You found us!"

"I saw you trying to reach up to the airship and thought you could use my assistance." The Wizard Saint smiled, "It would be best if we collected the weapon so it won't be used against us. Perhaps I can use my Earth magic to-"

"Aerial Shot!"

Jura was pelted with stone and earth after they were uprooted and fired by blasts of Air magic. Sherry watched her superior get knocked to the ground before turning around in shock, "R-Ren-San!"

"Hibiki, you have our locations. Is Jura-San by our side right now?" The tan man casually said with one stretched out hand and the other to his temple, "Because he just appeared in front of us."

("No, he isn't.")

"Thought so." The Pegasus man stepped forward with a furrowed glare, "Jura-San didn't strike me as the type of fellow to abandon his partner and deviate from the path. If that man is really as trustworthy as she said, then I see no reason for the real Jura-San to fret and come here to help."

"Ugh, you people and your cheesy faith and belief in one another. Are you trying to induce vomiting?"

A snide, condescending voice spoke out from the forest as a white-clad woman sashayed out into the open. Sherry and Ren raised their guard as they spotted the Oración Seis member while Jura separated into Gemi and Mini.

Angel smiled devilishly, "Now are you kids trying to take that ship back for yourselves? After all I did to steal it?"

########Hunter########

"JURA, I HAD NO IDEA STRING WAS SO STURDY!" Kichiyo commented as he picked up his severed limb and looked at where it was so cleanly cut. He placed it back on the stump and watched the stone seal itself again until it was completely recovered. The golem opened and closed his stone fist before looking at his attackers, "I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A CONVERSATION! IT WAS VERY RUDE OF YOU TO INTERRUPT!"

"Apologies, but I thought I thought I'd break the ice and throw the initial attack." The man above them apologized as he hung upside down with his foot hanging precariously off a nearly invisible garrote wire between two trees. The shaggy-haired man smiled lackadaisically, "I thought of the two of you, the shorter bald man seemed far more dangerous to try and ambush. I didn't sense any life from you when I attacked, but I didn't expect you to be a non-human."

"HEY, IF THAT'S DISCRIMINATION I AIN'T HAVIN' NONE OF IT!"

"I didn't mean to offend. Whether you were human or not, I was planning to execute you as swiftly as possible."

"OH!" Kichiyo bashfully scratched his helmet while Jura watched blankly, "WELL SHUCKS NOW I FEEL BAD ACCUSING YOU LIKE THAT!"

"Your skill is that of an assassin." Jura started as he stepped forward and looked up as the shaggy assassin over their head, "May I inquire why someone like you is here of all places at a time like this?"

"The members of the Oración Seis are prior clients of my guild, so when they requested that I survey this area as best I can and eliminate any anomalies that popped up, I decided to take the job." The spry man spun on the wire and landed atop it easily before pulling out some throwing knives, "I didn't think it was a good idea to come here by myself but unfortunately some of my subordinates are still off their game since the last job we had for them, so here I am. Unexpectedly facing both an inhuman opponent and a Wizard Saint." He gave a wry smile as he spun his weapon in his hand, "I'm not certain if luck is on my side today."

"I had hoped I could simply inquire of you where your cohorts are currently located so that I may recover our comrades." Jura stood tall and stared up at the assassin, "But if a fight must be had first, then so be it."

Danzo chuckled nervously, "Usually it's the assassin that has more of that scary certainty in their voice. You are quite the terrifying man."

"YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN!"

########Hunter########

Even that loud ass golem was apparently still kicking. Who'd a thought?

"Sounds like everyone is entertaining themselves." Cobra's sharp ears twitched as he heard the myriad of battle sounds emanating from all through the Woodsea. Cubellios was safely perched over his shoulder and allowed him to run his hand over her head as they walked, "I just know they'd get all pissy and annoyed if I butted in and tried to have fun too. That sucks. Not like I'd get to have fun for very long, but at least I could solve the boredom problem a little."

The Dark Mage reached into his coat and pulled out a silver flask. He smirked at the intricate serpent design that ran along the body of it before stopping at the snake's head that made up the top. He flicked it and allowed its contents to slosh around inside, "I wonder if I could have gotten the chance to use this junk if I fought any of them. Meh, they weren't worth the trouble."

He pocketed his secret weapon before closing his eyes and focusing, "Now speak to me forest. Tell me what's different. Where can I find it?"

The subtle changes in the sounds of the forest. The animals running around and avoiding certain areas. All of these things were pointing towards their goal.

"We'll find you, Nirvana. Sooner or later."

########Hunter#########

Happy gulped with fright as he watched what happened knowing he couldn't stop it.

Brain could barely contain his smile as he watched the young Mage at work.

Wendy tried to keep her frantic mind and heart from betraying her as she focused her healing abilities on the wounds of the unconscious man. The blood had long since stopped spilling and the muscle that had been exposed had been covered with skin again.

And the magical patterns from the poisoning had slowly started to fade away.

She looked up with baited breath and apprehension under the glow of her magic.

She swore she saw his eyes peel open for an instant.

########Hunter########

Done

I'm glad to have more Fairy Tail again.

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