Hi. We are back, still with that summer heat which is beginning hardly bearable, if it's not already the case for some of you. I hope that you can find a nice place to read this chapter without dying from the heat, all while taking advantage of that great weather. Now, I remind you that I am not the owner of Fairy Tail, and now let's go !
Chapter 11: Wings of liberation
The mages were all gathered in the center of the hall of Fairy Tail, their eyes aimed at this young blond man, standing several meters above the ground, the strong gusts of wind swirling around him. The mages looked at him suspiciously, the Strizer of the sky also observing them, a teasing smile on his lips.
- " You really plan to face us in here ? You are all becoming more and more daring or you are the only one to be like that ? " Asked for Makarov, frowning, while squeezing his fists tightly, strangely nervous.
- " In fact, no." Daniel let himself fall on his cloud, sitting with his feet dangling below him. " I was taking a stroll while trying to find a way to find some of you when I met two of the mages we had spoken about during our meetings. They were heading to the train station and I said to myself: ' Hey ! Here's a good way to reach Magnolia and its mages ! '. Yes, I'm talking about you, lovebirds. " He rested his words by tilting his body to look and point at Juvia and Gray.
- " It was you, the thing which pushed Juvia aside. " Realized Gray, remembering himself of this strange moment at Aonami.
- " Yeah, boi. I was literally glued to your ass ever since the train station. "
- " And if you have been there all this time, what did you do to mask your presence to the point where even us Dragon Slayers couldn't smell you ? " Wondered Gajeel, standing side by side with Levy.
- " I am the wind, the air. I have the same smell as the air around us for people like you who have a super sensitive nose. It's not your noise whose broken. I just don't have any odor. "
- " I've listen to you more than I should have. Come and fight ! " Roared Natsu, becoming once again the hothead that he had always been, even for a moment, jumping on the Strizer, igniting his fist.
FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!
Daniel, by no means impressed, now squatted on his cloud, holding out a hand towards Natsu.
GALE BLOW !
A sudden gust of wind wrapped itself around Natsu's fist, putting out the flames, Daniel then receiving a simple fist in the palm of his hand before closing his fist on the dragon's and throwing him to the ground, making him go through several tables.
- "Gah! But, this technique … It was like …"
- "Erigor of Eisenwald, right ?"
Natsu, who was getting up, froze all at once and, at the same time as the other Fairy Tail mages, raised their head towards the Strizer which had a satisfied smile on his face.
- "H... How you know that name ?" Asked Erza, suddenly feeling uneasiness filling her. They knew that those Strizers had gathered information about them, but not to the point of knowing about their former opponents.
- "We made our small investigation. The boss wanted us to know as much as possible about you and your stories. I think Vincenzo made that clear when he met the first group."
- "The boss ?", asked Makarov, eyes opening slightly wider.
- "Well, yeah of course. What did you thought ? That we were send to this world without being guided by someone ? We worked like madmen for this mission, even if I slept during half of the meetings, AHAHAHAHAH …"
The mages looked at this young man, a big sweat drop behind their head, not knowing what to think of this easygoing teenager laughing his ass off on something so simple.
- "Well, that's enough laughing." He finally jumped off his cloud, landing in front of the mages, all taking a step back. "I heard that you had a lot of financial problem when you had to rebuild the guild each time it was damaged or destroy, whether it was by foes or friend. I don't really want you to have more problem of this kind so let's fight outside, I'll be at ease like that."
- "Yeah, right. As if we are going to let you have a familiar ground to fight on." Answered Romeo. "You already have caused us enough problem when you were fighting 'at home'. Now, it's time for us to take the advantage by being the local and you the visitor. So we'll fight you in there."
- " Hey, you aren't the one paying the bill, kid. Could you at least by a little concerned for the guild hall. " Answered Makarov, hitting lightly Romeo on the head with the side of his hand, concerned about the well-being of the building and the guild finance.
- " Yeah well, you know, about where the fight is going to be … " Daniel stretched his 2 hands towards the mages, the swirling winds gathering in its palms. " ...It wasn't a question nor or proposition. It's a fact. "
TWISTER BURST !
A swirling mass of winds, like a tornado, rushed out all of a sudden on the mages who end up being sent outside the guild, the door breaking under the pressure, followed closely by Daniel who got out of the guild by gliding through the air. And the action began immediately after, all the mages, or almost all of them, throwing themselves at the same time on the Strizer who, not liking being ganged up on, took a deep breath, his rib cage inflating before their eyes. Some slow down seeing that, but Wendy and Cherrya, feeling that something bad was coming, shouted over the noise to be heard by the most people possible.
- " COVER YOUR EARS ! "
Cherrya, Romeo and herself did that, just like the Exceeds and the Dragons Slayers, since their ear were more sensible they could hear the girls, but not everyone could.
SONIC SHOUT !
Daniel raised his head towards the sky and let a shrill roaring come out which propagated through all the city, breaking all the windows on its way and destroying the eardrums of all the present mages who didn't have time to protect themselves. Those who were the closest to Daniel had lost consciousness, some even had some blood coming out of their ears.
- " I don't like being caught in a pincer movement like that. And if you find that having sound waves destroy your eardrums is painful, let me say that be impaled by a tornado is far worse than that. "
Following those words, he formed two spear made of swirling tornado-like winds in his hands.
TORNADO SPEARS !
He threw his two spears at Elfman and Evergreen, the two of them on the ground near him, twitching with agony, unable to evade it, but they didn't need to. Wendy and Cherrya intervened and sucked the 2 spears in front of a surprised Daniel who had forgotten that there were 2 air 'eaters' among the mages.
- " Oh! I have never eaten an air as good as that one ! " Exclaimed Cherrya, who was as surprised by this unexpected taste as Wendy, but the ecstasy disappeared quickly, both mages returning their attention to Daniel who stood in the middle of the street, both friends inspiring deeply, filling their lungs.
- " You did learn that we aren't immunized to our own element. But regrettably for you, " Daniel began, the air swirling around him. " … Air is very easy to manipulate, even if it's one of my opponents who made it. "
PURPLE FLARE : SHACKLES JACKET !
Purple flames suddenly appeared around him, immobilizing his arms by attaching them to his body. Daniel turned his head to the right, just the time for him to see Romeo smirking, before earing 2 different shouts.
DRAGON'S SKY ROAR !
GOD'S SKY BELLOW !
Daniel barely had time to turn his head to see two kind of cyclones, one made of white air, the other one of black air, the two mass of air rushing at them before being struck by both tornados at the same time which dealt a lot of damages while sending him farther in the street facing the guild. When the dust raised by the 2 attacks fell down, Daniel was stretched out in the middle of the main street of Magnolia, the winds which were swirling over the guild stopping at the same time. Everybody had their eyes locked on the young Strizer who, much to everyone surprise, began laughing his heart out.
- " HAHAHAHAHAHA ! Ah, this is too good ! " He exclaimed by sitting up. " You know, I am a reckless guy, but not to the point of facing everybody at the same time. This is why we try to face you in small groups. And there, I have finally decided my opponents who will be ! "
He got up suddenly and his expression changed, a spark of sadism shining in his eyes. By seeing it, and by doing the math with his last words, Charla rushed to Wendy.
- "Wendy ! Watch out !"
- "Too late, little cat !"
MIST OF CLOUDS !
A thick mist made of clouds covered all the street, even including the neighboring houses and the guild hall, generating a mist so thick that nobody could see anything because of it.
- "WHAT ? WHERE ARE YOU, GUYS ? LUCY !?" Natsu Roared, who couldn't use his other senses to spot his friends since the clouds who surrounded him had a smell of ozone which covered the other smells. But the only answer he obtained was from Daniel.
CLEAR CYCLONE JAIL !
Winds of a rare violence began to swirl inside the mist, quickly speeding with each passing second, blowing the clouds away and revealing to everyone that nothing seemed to have changed.
The keyword being 'seemed'.
When Natsu tried to join Wendy, he was suddenly thrown to the side, as if he was pushed away by an invisible force. The dragon got up, holding with his right hand his now bloody left arm.
- "NATSU !"
Lucy threw herself on her best friend, who got up quite easily but without understanding what just happened.
- "What was that ?"
- "That ? It's my jail."
Daniel ended his 'explanation' by throwing a handful of sand towards the mages, but the sand met with an invisible wall. But the sand didn't fall to the ground. He was like absorbed by the 'wall' which wasn't really a 'wall' in fact and the sand was stuck in a whirlwind, revealing that it was in fact a huge invisible tornado, Wendy, Romeo, Cherrya and Charla now prisoners of it.
- "The wind is invisible after all. It's the clouds, dust and other things it is blowing around who made it visible. What you have in front of you is a tornado made of an air so pure that it is basically invisible."
- " Tornado or not, leaving you alone with them is out of the question ! " Roared Panther by taking off, decided in going inside this tornado by going through the top.
- " You are wasting your time. " Daniel's words stopped the black Exceed. " I am the sky. The only vertical limit I have is the atmosphere. Thus there's the point in looking for an exit up there. There is not. "
- " If we can't pass above it, " Lucy followed, putting a hand on her keyring. " We will pass underneath it. "
OPEN, GATE OF THE VIRGIN : VIRGO !
- " You need something, princess ? " Asked the maid. "Is it time for punishment ?"
- " NO ! Stop asking that. Just dig us a tunnel so that we can reach Wendy and the others. "
- " Yes, princess. "
THUNDER CLOUD SPEAR !
Virgo was suddenly pierced by a spear made black thunder clouds, the spirit ending up being charred up without having the time to do anything, disappearing in a shower of light sparks. All eyes turned towards Daniel, still in his 'cage', a black cloud filled with lightning bolt in his hand. And he wasn't looking happy at all.
- " Intervention are forbidden if you're not part of the fight. Is it because you aren't trusting their abilities to fight ? You better not underestimate the youth power. "
- " Yeah, right. As if we … "
- " STOP ! "
Gray was stopped suddenly by Natsu of all people who had just shouted a resounding 'STOP' which had certainly been heard all over the city.
- " Let us trust them. They can do it. "
Nobody questioned the sudden wisdom of the fire dragon, knowing very well where it came from : it was his lack of trust in Happy who had been one of the reason why the Exceed fled a few days ago, something Natsu couldn't forgive himself for.
- " Good. Given that we agree on the matter, let's go back to the main subject. " Declared Daniel turning his attention back on the 3 young mages and Exceed, from now on in human shape, he had in front of him. He turned his hands, palms towards the sky, a white mass appearing inside his pain.
HAIL CLOUD WHIP !
Daniel swung his two hands in front of him, clouds spreading in 2 long whip of some sort which went to struck the mages who dodge but still noticing that those clouds were particularly cold. By having a look at the buildings touched by the whips, they noticed wide frost trace.
- " What ? This guy also controls ice ? I thought he was the sky ? " Wondered Romeo, clearly surprised, in the same way as Cherrya and Charla, but Wendy had the answer.
- " He certainly also has control over the weather. The ice comes from hail and that explains the lightning used on Virgo. "
- " Exactly. I don't have a lot of control over ice, water and lightning, but those clouds allows me to have more than trick up my sleeve. "
RED FLARE : BURNING BOMB !
Without warning, a ball of red flames struck Daniel, which caught fire at the time, roaring with pain while the flames ate away his skin.
- " AAAAHHH! IT BURNS ! Why are those lousy flames so powerful ?! Shit ! "
- " RED FLARE is a fire which has nothing particular, except that it is particularly hot. " Explained Romeo, covering his fists with flames of the same color. " I heard you talk enough, now come on and fight. "
- " Tsk, not surprising that Natsu is your role-model. But your fire is not going to be very useful against me. "
PINPOINT CLIMATE : HEAVY RAIN !
Dark clouds appeared over the mages locked into the tornado, blocking the eye of the storm. Of these clouds then fell a particularly intense rain, a real flood which dipped up to bones the mages and the Exceed, putting out the Romeo's flames at the same time.
- " You know what I like about this tornado jail ? There is nowhere to hide in case of heavy storm and bad weather. "
Clouds darkened even more and an ice-cold wind began blowing harder and harder.
PINPOINT CLIMATE : SNOWY HAIL STORM !
A real thunderstorm of hail and snow burst out inside the tornado, the hailstones, sized like tennis ball, falling off the sky in a waterfall of ice which bombarded the zone, the mages unable to do anything to avoid the monstrous quantity of cold missiles thrown by the clouds. When the shower calmed down, the 3 young mages and the Exceed were covered with bruises but were still ready to fight, as Cherrya and Charla showed it, rushing at Daniel, not without a little bit of help.
ILE ARMS !
Wendy enchanted his 2 friends, multiplying tenfold the power of their blows and Cherrya and Charla then began to struck the Strizer which was clearly not a big fan of hand to hand combat. Most of the blows hit bull's eye and while Daniel began to had problem dealing with those powered-up, it's when Cherrya went away to join Wendy that he understood that it was only the beginning. Still busy with Charla, he didn't saw what Romeo had in stock for him.
PURPLE FLARE : SHACKLES JACKET !
- "Tsk, you really think that this thing is going to work again !" said Daniel, stuck in the purple flames camisole once again.
- "No, this is why I am going to add something."
GREEN FLARE : VERTIGO BURST !
A stream of green flames struck Daniel face, the flames sticking to his face. But if these flames didn't particularly burned him, it's the effect of those flames that was the real problem for him. His vision became blurry and everything seemed to oscillate before him, as if he was on the bridge of a boat during a heavy storm.
- "What … What is that ? What's happening to me ?"
- "GREEN FLARE does not burn. But it blurs the senses of what it came in contact with. Seeing the actual intensity of the fire, it is blurring your balance and view. Try to counter-attack now." Explained Romeo by throwing a pike to Daniel who struggled but did not manage to correctly call his wind to put out the flames who blurred his brain. And meanwhile, Wendy and Cherrya could finish their preparation.
SKY DRAGON GOD'S GIANT CYCLONE !
Merging their two magics, both celestial mages unleashed the power of an enormous whirlwind combining Wendy's white winds and Cherrya's dark ones on Daniel who was unable to dodge and was struck quite hard, being thrown in his own tornado, the power of its winds crushed a part of his back. Laying out on the ground, the flames disappeared from his body, Daniel seemed out cold but he got up with difficulty, his look suddenly darker.
- " You are seriously starting to get on my nerves really, really hard. " Seethed the Strizer between his teeth, his hands getting covered by a purple aura. " I think it is maybe the time for me to step up my game. "
- " Sorry, but we are going to finish this now. SKY GOD'S BEL… *wheeze* ! "
Suddenly, Cherrya fell on her knees, having a hard time breathing.
- " Cherrya ! What's going on? " wondered Wendy, worried for her friend.
- " Can't breathe … "
- " Well, breathing when there is no air around you is quite hard. It's kind of obvious."
This last sentence, said by Daniel, made every heads turn in to look at him and in his right hand they could see a beach ball sphere.
- " Did you just stole her air ?! " Romeo asked, not believing his eyes.
- " Yeah I did, but the air obeys me so it is not a problem for me. That means I could also made you all choke to death with the air you have in your lungs. " The mages had a backlash, a spark of fear in their eyes, clearly not enjoying the idea of being killed by their own organs. " But there is nothing fun in that, I prefer another method. "
On these words, the size of the sphere was reduced until it had the size of a ping-pong ball and he stretched out the sphere towards the mages.
PRESSURIZED AIR GUN !
The sphere burst and a ray-like jet of air no wider than a garden hose spurted out towards the mages, passing through the tornado and going as far as digging a hole in the wall of the guild, about twenty meters farther.
- " Pressurized air is a real marvel. Put as most air as possible in the smallest possible volume. That guaranteed an unprecedented penetration force. And that thing was nothing. Look at that. "
He raised his hands toward the sky, the two taking on a purple aura and a sphere sized like a 3-story building appeared over him. Little by little, the sphere decreased in volume under the stunned eyes of the present mages until it reach the size of a soccer ball.
- " And now, what is going to happen if I release all that air in a space as small as this one ? I am going to tell you. All four of you are going to get fucked up really bad. "
PRESSURIZED AIR : HEAVY PRESSURE BOMB !
He threw his sphere to the ground and all the air accumulated inside immediately spread out all over the prison, and even outside, the shockwave sent some people flying even outside the tornado. Some were lucky, landing without any pain, whereas others, less fortunate, were thrown into walls or through windows. The breath was so powerful that it crushed several nearby building but what was the hardest was to see the 4 prisoner of the tornado. Not only the shockwave had struck them with the strength of a truck launched at full speed, but they had all landed in the dangerous whirlwind the tornado was which had served its purposed by making them stay inside, slashing their bodies at the same time. They were now spread out on the ground, suffering like never before, their clothes torn, trying to recover as best as they could. As for Daniel, he was still standing in the center of the tornado, arms crossed, looking satisfied, licking a trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth due to the blow he received earlier.
- " It was fun ! So, do you still have the strength to go against me ?"
- " That's enough bullshit ! You may be a kid, you are going to pay if you hurt them more than that ! " Erza, a few centimeters away from the prison, her gaze hard as steel looking at the Strizer exclaimed.
- " Kid ? I'm 16 years old, old hag ! "
A silence. An angel passed. The horrified looks in the mages eyes all turning to Erza, who had her head lowered, a malefic aura growing in intensity at each passing seconds. Daniel had just touch a sensible point, clearly something that wasn't a good idea knowing the redhead.
- " What did you just say, little shit ? " Asked the scarlet haired warrior, a sword appearing in her hand.
CRESCENT SLICER STORM !
A multitude of air blades shaped like crescent moon suddenly appeared around Erza, who defended herself, countering them with her sword, something more than easy for her. But Daniel knew that and had prepared something else, a ring of air swirling in the air over the knight-mage, nobody noticing it.
CRUSHING CYCLONE !
Too occupied by the blades of air which surrounded her, Erza noticed the tornado which had appears from the ring above her. The tornado came down and finally reached the ground, the impact creating a big crater of more than 2 meters in diameter in the paved ground, crushing the stone on almost 1 meter deep but to the surprise of everyone, even the Strizer, Erza wasn't in the crater.
- " I came just in time, it would seem. "
Following this new voice up to its source, mages and Strizer saw Jellal, standing on the roof of a nearby building, holding Erza in his arms, the latter's face as red as her own hair by realizing where she was.
- " J...J... Jellal ! What you make there ? "
- " I was on my way to the city when I saw strange clouds over the city. When I felt a strange strength coming from the city, I understood that we had to deal with one of these Strizers. "
- " Wait, how do you know about the Strizers ? You left before we discover their existence. "
- " Someone told me about it. "
- " Who told you about it ? "
Jellal didn't answer this last question, just sending a mysterious smile to her friend before coming down from his perch, followed by Erza who got over her surprise. Jellal approached the prison tornado, looking at it under Daniel's suspicious look.
- " I wasn't expected you, to be honest. But let me remind you that the fights are done in small group and I have already chosen my opponents. "
- " I understood that well. I won't be the one who will stop you, but I know very well the one who will. " Jellal answered mysteriously, which intrigued the mages, not knowing who he could be speaking about, but Daniel was by no mean impressed.
- " Oh yeah ? I don't see anyone right now. Where is your partner ? " Taunted Daniel.
- " On the way. I have the feeling that he wants to make quite the entrance. "
Daniel was also rather intrigued by the words of the mage, but his impatience got the upper hand over the rest. So, he grabbed Charla by her hair and lifted her above the ground, his other hand surrounding itself with air which then took the shape of some kind of blade.
- " I don't have the patience to wait for him. I'll be honest, I'm quite interested in fighting you. But if you don't want to, I'll have to find a way to make you fight. " Daniel put the edge of his blade against the Exceed throat.
- " CHARLA ! " Cried Wendy, with tears in her eyes because of her inability to move and go protect her friend. Jellal however was tensed, but tried to stay calm, eyes closed, trying to locate his partner.
- " It would be a good time to make an entrance. Where are you ? "
- " So, What are you going to do ? Keep your neutrality and let her die or come and fight ? I'm giving you 3 seconds ! " Pushed Daniel.
- " I have to wait. "
- " 2 ! "
- " Jellal ! Do something! " Begged Panther Lily.
- "He get closer. Quick ! "
- " 1 ! "
- " JELLAL ! Stop waiting for your guy, go on ! " roared Natsu, reflecting the state of stress in which everyone was at the moment.
- " Almost ! "
- " 0 ! IT'S GAME OVER ! "
- " NOOOOOOOOOO ! " Shouted the mages, Wendy's face covered with tears, by seeing the blade getting closer Charla's neck, when sudden Jellal gave a shout of his own.
- " HE IS THERE ! "
A peak of magic power was felt and stopped Daniel suddenly, the Strizer turning his head to look behind him, a silhouette appearing in the sky, approaching quickly.
- "What the fuck is that ? " Wondered Daniel, receiving an answer in a way he would have never imagined. The shape dived towards the street, changing brutally of direction when he reached the ground and rush towards the tornado. Daniel thought that whatever it was, it would be stopped by the tornado, but the shape suddenly accelerated and something nobody would have dare to consider possible up to now happened. The silhouette pierced the tornado, destroying the prison. Daniel remained motionless, stuck on his spot, taking a few seconds before turning the look at his right hand, now empty, while 3 scratches covered his arm, his blood spattering all at once as the winged silhouette stopped in a cloud of dust.
- " GAAAAAH ! What is that ? Who is there ? " Roared Daniel, a hand on his bloody arm.
The silhouette remained half hidden by the dust, putting Charla, still in human shape on the ground, using his bag as a pillow for her.
- " Wait a second. " Interrupted Natsu. " This bag, it's … "
The eyes of the mages landed on the bag, which was in fact a green backpack which they recognized immediately, but without wanting to believe it. The silhouette visible through the dust let it know that it was a young man who was a head taller than Charla and whose muscle could be near the level of those of the Dragon Slayer. He just wore a blue pants and white and blue sneaker. He was bare-chested with bandages wrapped up around his front arm. When the dust fell a little more, they distinguished that this guy also had a long tail on his lower back going out of a hole in his jeans and he also didn't have human ears, but 2 pointy triangular ears on his head, in the middle of his shoulder-length hair combed in spikes with locks falling on his face. But when the dust had completely fallen, revealing the colors, everybody, mages and Strizer, thought they were all stuck in an hallucination. It was a man-cat, the same kind of human shape as Charla, but with claws and in some place, particularly on his arms, a blue furry coat with some touches of white, with a human face with dark eyes and a broad smile easily recognizable. And as if it wasn't enough, all could see on his back a green Fairy Tail mark. The first one to break the silence was Natsu, shared between joy, surprise and incomprehension, pronouncing the name everybody had in their mouth but didn't dare to pronounce.
- " Happy ? "
The newcomer flashed a huge toothy smile, turning his head to his friends, waving at them.
- " Aye ! "
HAPPY IS BACK! I hope that you will appreciate this 'new' Happy, that you will discover even more in the next chapter. Anyway, I hope that you'll like this chapter and that the next chapter will please you just as much. See you ! Bye !
Next time: Happy, the unexpected hero. Clawing the clouds away. The burn of the sound barrier.