Author's Note: Special thanks again to Zack32 for being my new (un)official beta reader! I originally had a lot planned for this chapter, trying to find a stopping point that flowed well was difficult. The length of this chapter is a bit longer than the last at 2974 words. Also, if you weren't aware, I rewrote last chapter the day after it was posted, be sure to reread it! Not too much has changed, but I do feel it's better than it originally was.
"Okay, Natsu, you're up. I'm all done with my bath." Lucy announced, now in sleepwear as she stepped out of the bathroom. Natsu didn't respond, having fallen asleep with his head on the table while Happy chewed noisily on a fish. At the lack of response she turned to Gray. "Wanna take his spot, Gray?"
Gray wasn't paying attention, sitting at Lucy's desk and reading from a stack of papers he found there. "Hmm." Was his non-committed reply.
"You should, it was so relaxing." Erza encouraged from where she was sitting on Lucy's bed, still only in a towel.
"Aye, be grateful for warm running water when you have it. Not everyone has such luxuries." Folkvar added from where he was still sitting on the floor and finishing up cleaning his weapons and armor. He had already taken a bath, his now clean hair a lighter shade of gold than it was before. It was apparently a long time since he had a good bath.
"Geez, I'm glad you're all feeling so comfortable here." Lucy sarcastically drawled from where she stood in the doorway.
"I suppose I should get dressed." Erza stood up, then a bright light covered her form. When the light faded away, she was now in pajamas. "Is this a bit more appropriate?"
Lucy gawked at Erza, "Is that really how you change your clothes?!"
Folkvar was surprised as well. This was magic that he'd never seen before, and seemed very useful. "What magic did you just use?" He asked, putting down a gauntlet he had been wiping free of dragon blood and dirt.
Erza smiled and turned to Folkvar. "It's called Requip. I store my armor in a pocket dimension then summon it when I need it. It's very handy."
"Hmm, I wonder if I could learn such a spell…" Folkvar mused out loud, scratching his chin.
"Perhaps I could teach you sometime. You look like you could put it to good use." Erza replied with a small smile.
"I may take you up on that. Would definitely be better than taking off and putting on armor the slow way." Folkvar agreed.
Lucy came over to the table and sat down at it. "Do you have any idea why Phantom attacked us out of the blue like that?" She asked of Erza.
"I'm afraid not. We have had our fair share of scuffles with them in the past, but never anything on this sort of magnitude before." Erza scowled.
"If gramps wasn't so scared of them, we could wipe out those punks once and for all." Natsu suddenly spoke up, his head still resting on the table.
"Since when are you awake?" Lucy commented.
"Come on, you know Master isn't afraid of them, Natsu. You seem to be forgetting, he's one of the Ten Wizard Saints." Gray finally looked up from the stack of papers he's been reading.
"I never gave you permission to read that!" Lucy squealed, quickly pulling it from his grasp.
"You can't snatch it out of my hands without at least telling me what happens next." Gray complained.
Lucy was quick to counter. "Yes, I can. I promised Levy she'd be the first to read it. So you're just gonna have to wait."
Erza held out her hand for the stack of papers expectantly.
"You're not getting it, either!" Lucy balked.
"So, what's with these Ten Wizard Saints?" Folkvar asked, trying to put the subject back on track. He would need all the information he could get if he was to get back to Skyrim.
Erza was the one to answer. "It's an honor bestowed upon by the Magic Council. An extremely coveted title shared by the ten most powerful wizards on the continent."
Lucy gasped, "Really?"
"Phantom Lord's Master, Jose, is one of them, too." Happy added in.
Then suddenly, Natsu was on his feet and slammed his hand into the table. "He is afraid! He's scared that Phantom has too many members for us to handle!"
Gray was quick to counter. "That is not true and you know it. It's just like Master and Mira said before. The consequences of us going to war with Phantom are nowhere near worth the fight. The order of the magical world is at stake here."
Folkvar looked up from where he had continued his cleaning. This was getting interesting. "Are they that strong?" He asked. A part of him hoped they went to war with these thugs, the prospect of a good fight thrilled him.
"They ain't got nothing on us. We could take those clowns." Natsu replied with a confident smirk.
Erza stood from where she had been sitting on Lucy's bed. "No, if we were to engage them in battle, neither guild would survive. Their strength equals ours. Phantom's Master, Jose, is also one of the Ten Wizard Saints. Which means he's on par with Makarov. They also have an elite group of wizards similar to our S Class known as the Element Four. However, their biggest threat may be 'Black Steel' Gajeel. I believe that he's most likely the one behind the guild hall's destruction. He's known as the Iron Dragonslayer."
Lucy had a look of grim shock planted firmly on her face. "He's a Dragon Slayer, too?! Just how many of them are there?!" Natsu scoffed at that. "So, if he's the Iron Dragon Slayer, does that mean he eats iron?"
Lucy's question went unanswered. Instead, Happy changed the subject slightly. "Hey, Folkvar's also a Dragon Slayer, isn't he? What does he eat?" Everyone's attention turned to the blue cat and the Nord.
"Food, like everyone else." Folkvar responded flatly.
"No, Dragon Slayers are supposed to be able to eat their element to regain strength. Natsu's a Fire Dragon Slayer, so he can eat fire!"
Folkvar hummed in thought. "I suppose the closest thing to what you're talking about would be the souls of dragons. After I kill a dragon, I absorb its soul. In a way that gives me more strength."
"Souls?! That's scary!" Happy exclaimed, backing away from Folkvar.
"Don't worry, I can only do that with dragon souls. You're safe." Folkvar rolled his eyes.
The Next Day, Magnolia Southgate Park
There was a crowd of onlookers gathered around a large tree in the park, all with horrified expressions on their faces. Something had happened, and it had to do with the Fairy Tail guild. Folkvar had stuck with Erza, Lucy, Gray, Natsu and Happy, following them as Erza parted through the crowd to try and get to the center of the commotion.
"Excuse us. We're from their guild. Please let us through." Erza's tone didn't leave room for argument.
When they got to the center, right at the giant tree, they all gasped in shock. Hung up by their arms to the tree was Levy, Jet, and Droy. On Levy's stomach was the Phantom Lord guild's emblem in black paint. Folkvar seethed with rage, who could do such a thing? Obviously they wanted to send a message, but to do so to innocent people… That was horrendous in his mind. Levy had been nothing but kind and welcoming to him, even after he revealed his alien origin and Dragonborn nature, which didn't settle too smoothly with everyone. She was one of the few who saw him as a human primarily.
Folkvar's soul started whispering violently, "Nahkriin! Claim vengeance on the ones who did this to your friends! Show them your wrath, Dovahkiin!"
He did his best to push down the words that had appeared in his head. Going into a rage now would not be beneficial to anyone.
"Remember Paarthurnax's teachings. Only use the Voice in times of True Need." He had to remind himself. Folkvar wasn't the only one that was angry, however. It looked like Natsu was about to burst into flames.
"Phantom Lord did this!" He growled with barely contained anger.
It wasn't much longer before Makarov approached silently. "Master…" Erza breathed, still in devastated shock.
"I can take our headquarters being reduced to rubble. But I will not let harm come to my children without taking revenge!" Makarov's grip on his staff tightened, snapping it into pieces. A glowing aura appeared around him, giving him a menacing look. "We have no choice but to go to war!"
It looked like Folkvar was getting his wish of fighting Phantom Lord. He was ready for a good fight. However, he hoped this wouldn't destroy his new guild, his new family. He wouldn't let that happen, not if he could help it.
Oak Town, Branch of the Phantom Lord Guild
The near entirety of the Fairy Tail guild approached the massive branch of Phantom Lord. Natsu and Folkvar were at the front, and as soon as they made it to the doors Folkvar stepped forward and took a large breath.
"Fus!" The word exploded from Folkvar's mouth, a powerful shockwave blasting down the doors and sending Phantom Lord's guild members flying. The rest of Fairy Tail began to enter, ready for a fight.
"Fairy Tail has come calling!" Makarov shouted, eliciting war cries amongst his guild.
Natsu jumped into the fray, flaming fists flying. "Alright, who wants to play with fire?!" He challenged.
The guild hall soon became destructive chaos. Magic was being cast everywhere, but something odd Folkvar noted was that there was very little death. In fact, it looked like they were only knocking each other out. He didn't know the laws of this world, perhaps this was one of them? To be on the safe side, he simply dealt blows that would quickly knock out his opponents. He mostly just attacked with his sword, after all, Paarthurnax taught him to only use the Voice when in True Need. Folkvar methodically struck down his opponents, strategically cutting tendons or slamming the pommel of his Dragonbone sword into the heads of the Phantom Lord members.
It wasn't long before he found himself surrounded, however.
"Look at this guy! Looks like Fairy Tail brought a newbie!"
"Didn't anyone tell you, Fairy Tail is just a bunch of weaklings?!"
Folkvar smirked at the taunts laid before him. Too easy. "Yol!" An inferno sprang forth from his mouth, setting his enemies ablaze. Natsu was quick to arrive on the scene, slurping up the fire.
"Oh yeah, now I've got a fire in my belly!"
There were several fearful murmurs and whimpers coming from the Phantom Lord guild.
"That can't be good!"
"No way, that guy just breathed fire and the other ate it!"
"You don't think that they're one of those do you?!"
Natsu grinned ferally before exclaiming, "I'm gonna blow you away! Roar of the Fire Dragon!"
Folkvar was surprised to see Natsu breathe such an intense flame like he could, and without training in the Way of the Voice. This Dragon Slayer magic of this world was definitely interesting, and devastating. However, something suddenly felt off. Just, not right. This was too easy. Then cackling could be heard, drawing His attention upwards where a man with a ton of piercings jumped down from the rafters.
"It's the Iron Dragon Slayer. Black Steel Gajeel." He could hear Erza say from not to far away.
So this was the one who hurt Levy. Folkvar's anger resurfaced. He was going to teach him a lesson. Before he could make a move, though, someone else beat him to attacking Gajeel.
"You attacked Levy!" He was quickly taken down with one iron-fisted punch from Gajeel, the metal extending and pushing him away with great force, even taking out some of Gajeel's own guild members in the process. Everyone was shocked. Gajeel laughed as his arm went back to normal.
"Show me what you got. Unless you scum are too scared to face the great Iron Dragon Slayer." He challenged.
Elfman was the first to accept the challenge. He did well, blocking Gajeel's attacks with his Take Over magic. But he was soon kicked away and used by Natsu as a platform to jump off of and charge Gajeel, sending him flying. Folkvar wanted to join in, but something told him not to. This was a fight between Dragon Slayers, no, between dragons. His honor dictated he let this play out, after all, Natsu had been in Fairy Tail longer. He had more of a right to get revenge on Gajeel.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayer." Natsu growled, fists on fire. "Elfman, leave this guy to me."
Elfman stood, complaining. "Aw, come on. First you use me as a springboard, and now you want to steal my man-to-man fight?"
They were interrupted by Gajeel sending another metallic punch at Natsu. "Iron Dragon Club!"
Natsu caught the attack, grunting and skidding back several feet from the force. Waves of heat radiated off him, warming up the metal quickly.
"You destroyed our guildhall… And you attacked Levy and her team." His hands ignited once more, using his strength to throw Gajeel. "I'll make you pay!"
Gajeel flipped in the air, using one of the rafters to push off of and launch himself at Natsu. The Fire Dragon Slayer blocked Gajeel's punch, and returned it with a flaming fist of his own. Gajeel was once again thrown back, skidding across the ground and crashing into a wall.
"Whoo, the kid's fired up now!" One of Fairy Tail's members commented.
"Yeah, I'd hate to be that other guy." Another added.
"Alright, fine, you're manlier than I thought. I'll let you have this one but you gotta promise me that you're gonna-" Elfman begrudgingly admitted, but was cut off by Natsu who grinned at him.
"You bet! I'll beat him to a pulp!"
Folkvar grinned at the exchange, for people who called themselves wizards, they had a spirit more akin to a warrior's. "And if he doesn't, I will." He promised, his soul itching for a worthy opponent.
Gajeel then stood up from the rubble with a grunt. "Nice try, but I'm still standing."
Natsu only smirked. "True. You won't be for much longer, though."
"Oh, yeah?" The Iron Dragon Slayer charged forwards, and their battle started in earnest.
They were fairly equally matched, and their fight took up a lot of ground. It even expanded into the rafters. Folkvar and the other members of both guilds resumed fighting each other. He continued to quickly incapacitate the wizards of Phantom Lord easily, vaguely paying attention to the fight between the Dragon Slayers. He yearned to join them, to at least have a challenge if not get revenge for Levy, but he restrained himself once more. It would not be a fair fight, it would be dishonorable. He would have to be content with the Phantom Lord grunts for now.
Then suddenly something fell from the rafters with a loud thud! It drew everyone's attention to it, and several people let out a gasp as they recognized what it was.
"It's Gramps!"
"Is he okay?!"
"Master!"
Erza, Natsu, Gray, and Cana went to Makarov, kneeling down beside him. "My- My magic power is-"
"Master, calm down." Erza held onto him with concern.
"What happened to him?" Cana fretted.
"I don't know, but I don't sense any magic energy from him at all." Gray replied, dismayed. Folkvar and Elfman then approached, worried for their Master as well.
"Gray, are you saying he's just an ordinary old man now?" The Take Over wizard asked in astonishment.
Happy had tears in his eyes, "No! That just can't be!"
"Come on, Gramps! You can pull through this!"
The Phantom Lord guild members were quick to take notice of this. "Their Master's been defeated!"
"For real?!"
"You guys, we can beat 'em!"
"They're not half as strong without their master."
"And we've got Gajeel and the Element Four on our side!"
The wizards of Phantom Lord rallied together, letting out a war cry. They were fighting harder than ever, and Fairy Tail was starting to lose. Folkvar noticed three wizards charging up an attack directed towards Cana, who noticed it too late to do anything about it.
"Wuld!" Folkvar shouted as he sprinted in the way of the attack, taking the hit for her. "You should be more careful, Cana." He grunted in pain, although he hadn't been hurt too badly.
"Folkvar! You shouldn't have done that." She frowned, feeling guilty that he got hurt because of her.
Erza's voice was then heard above all the commotion. "We must retreat! Everyone, back to the guild at once!"
She was met with sounds of disagreement. Folkvar didn't want to retreat, either, he could take them. He wanted the challenge.
"We don't stand a chance against Jose. Now retreat! That's an order!" Erza's tone left no argument, and even Folkvar had to admit she sounded scary. He hesitated on leaving as the rest of Fairy Tail began to.
"Everybody out! Let's go! You, too, Folkvar!"
"I think I'll stay, I can take them." Folkvar shook his head. Nords rarely retreated, Victory or Sovngarde as the saying goes.
Erza approached him, grasping his shoulder. "Please." She looked like she was about to cry. "It's our only option. We need him. We're completely helpless without the master."
Folkvar's resolve faltered at that. He hadn't thought of it that way until now. They needed Master Makarov, and if they didn't get him help soon, things could take a grim turn. The best option would be to turn back, regain their strength, then strike again harder than before.
"... Alright. I'll retreat." He relented with a sigh. "For Master Makarov. But we'll make them pay for this, one way or another."
Fairy Tail evacuated the scene, Phantom Lord chasing them out as they headed back for their guild. They were hurt, and needed to regain their strength. Folkvar swore they'd atone for this, somehow.
