The attack raged on as Fairy Tail was part of the so-called "testing". Everyone, as hopeless as it may perceive, had no idea that their magic would have any effect on prehistoric beasts that came before the dawn of dragons. It basically meant one thing: they were lunch.
The raptors snapped their jaws and went to attack the few people that were there. When a Velociraptor lunged at Macao and Wakaba, Elfman intercepted in his Beast Soul Take-Over. "Manly!" He slugged a raptor to the side, sending it flying elsewhere.
"Thanks for the save, good buddy." Macao thanked as he turned his back and saw another raptor slowly creeping up from behind.
"So magic doesn't effect these guys? How is that fair?" Wakaba wondered.
"Oui, this is most troubling." Reedus saw incoming raptors, three at a number. Grabbing his paintbrush, he began drawing a hole on his canvas. In front appeared a hole engraved into the ground, deep enough in which the raptors fell in with sinister shrieks. Reedus sighed in relief as he was safe…for now.
Erza had a sword requipped and she swung at a raptor. Unfortunately, she did nothing more than leave a glimmer on it as she only brushed dirt off. Her brown eyes widened in shock. "Even my own sword can't break through their scales?!"
Natsu yelled out viciously as he charged at raptors. With a strong shout, he passed many with flaming whirlwinds from his arms.
"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"
The raptors were all engulfed in flames and shrieked. The flames around Natsu began to diminish and he looked over his shoulder, seeing his flames reveal toe claws tapping against the ground. Through the toned flames emerged the two raptors that were his targets. They walked through the fire like it was but rain.
"You've gotta be kidding! How the heck are we supposed to beat these guys if we can't use magic?!" The Dragon Slayer yelled.
"Hell if I should know!" Gajeel shouted. "Iron Dragon's Club!" He pivoted and his arm became an elongated column of iron at a raptor. The attack met the lunging creature's abdomen, stopping it in place, but the impact was like hitting a brick wall, as the scaled on the dinosaur weren't remotely dented. "Damnit." Gajeel grunted.
The raptor shrieked out at him again, many sharp teeth evident as it jumped onto the column and began long and quick strides across the iron column. It closed in, pouncing onto him from above.
"Sky Dragon's Roar!"
A small tornado-like whirlwind exhaled, making the raptor go off course as the whirlwinds blew it away. The beast fell on its side against concrete, screeching as it was hard-pressed to stand.
Gajeel turned towards his savior. "You!"
Wendy nodded. "Don't worry, we can take them!" The Sky Dragon Slayer turned around, a raptor coming after her. She had winds whip around her arms, circulating currents as she whipped her arms, engulfing the raptor in a maelstrom that sent it flying backwards. "We just have to find a weak point."
"Yeah! Let's be real men and take this task head on!" Elfman roared.
Erza slashed her sword, this time managing to bat away a raptor with the back of the blade. "Long-range magic will only push them back! We need to use physical attacks to inflict any real means of damage possible!"
Natsu's fist clutched tighter than before, his anxiousness on the rise as his flaming fists were targeting a raptor that was charging at him. "Oh yeah?!" He sidestepped to avoid the faster beast's lunge, and socked it across the face. The raptor faltered a few feet towards the side. Natsu smirked. "These things are as hard as steel. This is gonna be good."
Inside the observatory, Glenda was watching every monitor carefully with a decisive eye. She was aware of the circumstances that are going to unfold by having the number one guild in Fiore victim of live testing, but it was a sacrifice she was willing to make if it meant making a future where science would pave the way.
"Are you recording all this?" She asked.
A scientist nodded. "Yes ma'am. Live feed."
"Good." She said. "The council would be pleased to see my experiments are fruitful."
In Era, the Magic Council and all of its nine seats were gathered, all of them inspecting the live feed that was from a lacrima in the hands of a frog servant. The nine members were watching with mixed reactions, but otherwise they said absolutely nothing as they saw live dinosaurs being used as subjects, and attacking Fairy Tail. Data was perceived, and they were all staring at some members trying long-range magic, but bounced off the scales of the prehistoric monsters.
Many at that instant questioned what was happening, but the chairman had his cold gaze underneath his hat. He glared darkly at the scene that was unfolding, and he saw many members fend for themselves and barely hold out. The chairman, while he did hold reservations for the likes of Fairy Tail, had other concerns…like why Glenda would deliberately do this in front of Magnolia, let alone a live broadcast.
"That woman has gone senile." He muttered.
"What is happening?" A councilman asked.
"Was this part of the agreement?" Another asked.
A councilman leered. "There'll be blood on our hands." He turned towards the chairman. "What do we do?"
The chairman growled beneath his breath. On another lacrima-vision, there was a camera of the observatory and Glenda showing no emotion as she watched the raptors attack. She looked absolute, prominent in her goals of science, no matter what the cost. The chairman lowered his head, closing his eyes.
"This incident cannot be ignored. Glenda of the Research and Development team has questionable methods." He looked sourly down at the table. "This is most concerning."
The doors busted open, revealing a frog servant. "Sir!"
The chairman looked at him incoming. "What is it now? Can't you see we're having a council meeting here?" He reprimanded.
The assistance swallowed. "S-sorry! My humblest apologies."
"The chairman sighed, allowing a moment to pass. "What is it?" He groaned.
The frog assistant passed over a transcript of documents that were attached by paperclips to the chairman. "You have to see this. It's urgent."
The chairman received the papers, looking quizzically as they had a picture of Glenda on the front. "Alright, let's see here…" He looked at the info, scrolling through the words and paragraphs that seemed vital. His eyes slowly widened, reading the article, his shock growing. "What…"
"Sir, we've managed to finally recover Glenda's records." The frog servant said.
He looked up at the scene again, his eyes now of a mix of shock and anger as he glared at Glenda and her distilled body, legs crossed and acting all high and mighty. "That woman has done this?"
Cana slammed a card on the ground. "How's about a taste of this! Prayer's Fountain!" From her card, geysers of pressurized water poured out in random directions. The raptors that were in range got struck by the attack, the water dampening their bodies as they clawed and snapped their jaws at the geysers spraying them.
The brunette stepped. "Not good!"
With her back turned, raptors in pairs of two went to get her. However, they fell short a victory as Craig reappeared out of the blue, slashing both his swords in opposite arcs, spilling their blood and making them fall backwards.
"Cranky!" Cana exclaimed in shock.
"Quit being stupid! Did I not say magic has no effect on these guys?!" He berated her. A raptor closed in from in front, but Craig swiftly turned his head, his many sharp teeth jutting out and roared. His roar made the ground vibrate, deep and blood-curdling. The raptors around stepped back, humming weakly in fright. He glanced over at the few raptors to the side, nudging his head.
"We gotta move." He said.
Cana agreed, and so she followed Craig slowly. As they walked, Craig growled low, his head sunk somewhat as he narrowed his sharp eyes at the many velociraptors gathered all around. With his superiority set on the food chain apparently, he and a weary Cana made it slowly out of the skirmish, the raptors leering back with bird-like movements and looking anxiously from behind.
With themselves away from the action, but still within the perimeter, Craig looked back at Cana. "You got any ideas, Brownie?"
"Do you? You're the dinosaur expert." Cana asked.
Craig looked around with a serious gaze. He was beginning to see a little too much nostalgia for his liking, especially with the raptors on the frenzy. Natsu and Erza were barely fending against them as they just kept coming back, no matter what. Gray froze one solid, but the ice cracked apart in a matter of seconds. Gajeel's iron was hardly scraping scales off as well. This was starting to look excessively sour. Craig, however, knew one trick that he hadn't tried in a long time. If there was a time and a place for such a thing to happen, now would be the time.
Craig hunched over a little, glaring at the various raptors that were either attacking or leering. "I do have one idea, but it's not pretty."
"I'm okay with that." Cana answered.
Craig glanced at her. "I mean it's prettier than you, that's something worthwhile."
Cana's face twitched and she glared ahead, grinning as her eye kept twitching. "Well you're perhaps the ugliest reptile here."
Craig smirked. "Why thank you."
"You suck at times like these, you know that?" Cana smirked as she looked out.
Craig shared a similar smirk. "Not as much as you." He stepped forward towards the raptors. "Now…" He faced the raptors gathering around, and his throat began to emit a low, malicious growl. His steps her hefty, which made the ground vibrate to a degree as he stepped off towards the side slowly, the velociraptors following his gaze. As Craig slowly strode towards the side, he opened his mouth, exerting another malicious shout, a roar that bellowed all throughout the street.
At that instant, the raptors that were attacking everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their attention towards Craig, whose roar caught their ears and entities. The dinosaurs looked with wide, reptilian eyes at Craig, his dilating roar ending as he strode towards the center of the perimeter, the ground still vibrating as he turned his head slowly side to side, growling low and darkly at each raptor. As he reached the center, he raised his head, roaring up at the sky this time. The soundwaves he exerted screeched into everyone's ears; Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy covering their ears and trying to not go deaf from the near-10 second bellowing of Craig.
He lowered his head, the raptors gathering around.
"What the heck?" Alzack wondered, lowering his pistols.
"What's going on? What is Craig up to now?" Bisca wondered.
The raptors all craned their heads and bodies around, looking at Craig as he showed a sign of dominance. As a raptor hissed, Craig craned his head up and gruffly coughed. The raptors around hissed and some coughed, and Craig growled and coughed, which echoed like their own.
Glenda, watching from inside the observatory, was starting to lose her breath. She stared in uneasiness as the raptors all around were hissing, and Craig's jaw moved as he also hissed. Her senses were starting to go a-wall. She stood up in her seat, her heart rate escalating.
"Somebody tell me what is happening right now." She demanded, her tone anxious and rushed.
"Ma'am, the velociraptors…they seem to be communicating." A scientist stated.
Glenda's surprise continued to surmount her own expectations. "They're what?"
Back outside, Craig snarled and hissed one more time, getting the raptors all to go silent and sway their tails around. He turned his attention towards the scientists that were making the barrier all around. Slowly, the raptors turned their heads and hissed ta the scientists as well, their individual heart rates escalating.
Makarov's eyes were wide with shock. "My word."
Cana's eyes narrowed. "Wait…" Her shock made her gasp in realization. "Craig is also part Velociraptor!"
Erza stared at the raptors surrounding Craig having new targets, and by Craig's insistence. "Craig made himself the alpha?"
"No way." Natsu muttered.
Lucy felt a chill run up her spine. "Uh…what's gonna happen to us?"
The many raptors stared at the barrier that the scientists made, and they all were looking at them individually. Craig growled low. "What they like to see…is usually what they like to eat."
"No!" Glenda shouted from inside.
Craig gave a loud roar, a quick one, like that of a start of a race. The raptors all hunched forward and lunged after their intended targets. They all sped so fast that they were almost impossible to stop. Many took swift lunges when close and the many scientists with shields and lacrima-infused tasers got on the defensive. However, with magic having no effect, their physicality meant little as raptors pounced on them, many of their shields barely cushioning the attempts of the large dinosaurs assaulting them.
"He made them turn on them?!" Happy shrieked.
"Definitely didn't see this coming." Carla sweat dropped.
The raptors assaulted, some of which managed to bite into the legs of scientists. They clawed at them, tearing into their shields while other scientists tried to taser them, with absolute no effect. That only provoked the raptors as they turned towards them instead.
Glenda's heart was racing. "No. No…" She was losing patience, her anxiousness at a peak.
"You brought this on yourself." Craig said as he looked at the observatory. He pressed a foot forward, glaring at Glenda and the red camera. "This is just what happened last time, right?"
Glenda leaned down at the scientists safe inside the observatory. "Abort the test! Abort! We are pulling out of here! Gather up the data and let's head out!" She ordered.
The scientists did as told and began to do the same as before. The Archive Magic maneuvered any residual power into the engines and wheels of the observatory and the large piece mobile workshop began to make humming noises.
Craig and everyone turned their attention towards the large structure humming, the magic beginning to work as the wheels were starting to move back slowly like a tank. This had also captured the attention of the raptors, who stopped their attacking briefly.
Natsu pointed ahead. "Hey, those council jerks are getting away!"
"They won't get far! Not after what they tried to test us with!" Lucy declared.
"They've gone too far this time! Time for some payback, Fairy Tail style!" Gray slammed his fist into his palm.
Cana looked ready. "They've messed with the wrong guild now."
Craig lurched forward and let out a loud roar, ushering all the raptors in the area to follow him. As he hollered out, the raptors repeated his call. They all turned and went darting ahead after the mobile device. Craig followed in pursuit, his strides opposite of slow and hefty like large dinosaurs. These ones were fast and furious, exactly like a Velociraptor. Behind, all of Fairy Tail ganged up on the chase, though some weren't nearly as fast as the raptors; some chose to even stay on the far back. Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel all got special cases as they ended up flying thanks to their Exceeds carrying them.
As they all ran down the street towards the scurrying observatory, leaving the hurt scientists abandoned, the group made sure to make vengeance and justice their top priority for being guinea pigs to the likes of the she-devil.
Cana tried to pick up her pace, but was still several meters away from Craig. "Cranky!"
Craig ran ahead, huffing as he heard Cana's voice. "What now?!" He shouted.
"What's the plan?!" She yelled.
"You remember what Glenda said earlier?! We gotta knock out that eye! Either we shut it down inside or we smash it head on! It's so obvious that a squirrel could do that!"
Cana growled. "Well then you're nuts!" She retorted.
"You're a bigger vermin than they could be!"
"Fossil dud!"
"Mug-breaking weasel!" After that last insult, Craig yelled out, similar to the Velociraptor call as his speed picked up. He moved faster, heading into the heart of the pack. They were all closing in on Glenda, the woman's worries on the rise as inside, she was panicking. Her breathing was erratic, and her heart rate and anxiety was making a storm swell.
As she sat in her chair, she was starting to think of the consequences that were gonna befall her. She could see the council taking away her status, and perhaps her renewed reputation would be sullied to where she'd be confined to prison. She shook her head, trying not to think about any of that. 'No, science is more important than lives. It'll preserve a future. That's gotta be key to evolving! We humans are better than dinosaurs!' Looking at the monitor, she could see Craig hissing as he charged through the pack. The look on his face, those sharp eyes, and those sinister teeth; Glenda couldn't even describe in words how much she hated that. Not only was she proven wrong by him when he killed off her experiment, but to have made it so far in life and survive was uncanny.
Her grip on the arm rests intensified. "I…will not…accept this." She growled. "I can be better than that lowlife dinosaur."
"Targets incoming, 20 feet and escalating!" A scientist warned.
Outside, the dinosaurs all charged, some closing in on the doorway of the observatory. The closer they got, the less safety there was for science in the future. Craig and everyone was catching up fast.
"We're coming for ya!" Natsu shouted.
"Aye!"
Gajeel and Lily's speed also increased. "I call dibs first, Salamander!"
"You'll try!" Natsu retorted.
"They won't get away from us!" Carla shouted, making her speed accelerate.
All three Dragon Slayers were in sight of the lens, Glenda looking at them and zooming in on the camera. She was hoping for some miracle, but when she thought she wouldn't get one, she sprung up a plan. "Wait…" She leaned forward. "Analyze magic and origin of those three in the sky!" She ordered. "Analyze Natsu Dragneel, Gajeel Redfox, and Wendy Marvell!"
The red lens on the observatory did just that. Everyone converted some power and looked at the three Dragon Slayers. At that instant, the analyzing of data and diagrams began to initiate. DNA strands emerged onscreen, but the strands made Glenda raise a brow.
"…oh." Realizing the strands may prove to be valuable data, she leaned down again. "Synthesize the DNA! Do it!"
A scientist turned to look at her. "Ma'am, I don't think that's a good idea."
Glenda was looking fairly mad. "Are you defying my direct priority?"
The scientist grew nervous around her presence. Her authority was excessive, so much that it was making him swallow a lump. "N-no, ma'am." He said.
"Then do it! Synthesize now!"
Reluctantly, the scientist and his peers did exactly as told. They began to push buttons, diagrams and charts steadily increasing their overall numbers. As seconds passed, the synthesized power that was escalating erupted to unbelievable levels on charts and diagrams.
Outside, the raptors and Craig were closing in for their attack. Just as Craig gave the loud hiss to do so, the raptors began to glow red.
"What?" Craig looked towards his sides and all around, seeing them all flash away, back to being ethernano in the atmosphere. Just like that, the 20 or so raptors were gone, literally to thin air.
"You're kidding! They all disappeared?!" Cana exclaimed from behind.
"They must have reverted it like they did with that last dinosaur!" Lisanna figured.
Craig's teeth gritted, but he persevered. He dared no give up, even with his temporary allies gone. He hissed out at the observatory in anger, pitching high volumes. Sadly, and coincidentally, the ground beneath was shuddering to a point where the rumbling was blocking out everything. The red lens on the device shuddered, and thus began to brighten up. Its speed began to grow to a halt.
"What now?!" Gray exclaimed.
"It stopped." Erza figured.
"Awesome! That means we're closer to kicking their butts!" Natsu went forward thanks to Happy, but man and Exceed charging right in from the air.
As the round quaked, Craig began to slow to a stop. He knew that the bright lens and the shuddering ground could only spell bad news. 'Something isn't right.' He thought. He looked up, seeing Natsu heading right in, making his eyes widen. "Don't charge you idiot!"
"What?!" Natsu shouted. "Why-?!"
His answer came in the form of very large fragments of ethernano as bright red lights. They all solidified, becoming a wall that he had hit. Natsu and Happy were borderline flattened like pancakes, both groaning as their bodies fell backwards.
"Natsu!" Erza shouted.
"Happy!" Lucy exclaimed.
Cana flashed a card. "I got this! Hang on!" She held the card up. "Card Dimension!" Using her magic, a bright flash engulfed Natsu and Happy, instantly transforming them into cards that instantly flew back to Cana's hand. She caught them, undoing her magic and releasing them back into reality, both groaning as they sat up in a dazed state.
Natsu rubbed his head. "Ugh…what happened?" He asked.
"I could use a fish after that blow." Happy groaned.
The red wall began to manifest itself, but rather than multiple as before nor one, the whole structure became three giant entities. The manifestations slowly arose, shaping themselves into familiar figures that had Wendy and Gajeel on the fritz in midair. Both Dragon Slayers were looking paralyzed in shock and horror as the manifestations were starting to make skins of certain creatures that reminded them too much of their teachers.
Wendy's eyes began to mist. "Is that…?"
Gajeel's teeth were gritting. "You've gotta be kidding me…" He watched the one on the far right manifest. "They can make those from reading our magic?"
Natsu was dizzy, but shook his head and was back on track. "Uh…" He looked behind, seeing everyone with wide eyes and directed upwards. "Huh?" He stood up. "Hey, what are you guys staring at? Hello?"
Happy's eyes were brimming with horror. "Uh, Natsu?"
"Yeah?"
"Turn around."
Natsu did as his buddy suggested. Natsu did, and his eyes shrunk. His pupils were small and shuddering out of disbelief. His skin nearly paled. The manifestations were all made, and what they were left Natsu bewildered and horrified.
"It…it can't be." He muttered.
Craig raised a brow, his pupils also shrunken somewhat. "Oh great. Just what we needed."
Cana's mouth was gaping, her pupils dilating. "Those can't be…"
"By the gods." Makarov muttered.
In front of everyone, there were three massive structures. All had the same size, and one was white and feathers with large tails, one was of metallic armor, and one looked precisely of a dragon of red scales. These dragons, no question about it, were that of…
"Gran…deeney?" Wendy muttered.
"Metalicana?" Gajeel said.
Natsu was barely comprehending himself. "Ig…neel?"
All three dragons with pupil-less eyes roared out, all having open mouths and expelling massive energy reserves. The shockwaves from their roars made all of Magnolia shudder; nearby buildings breaking apart and shattering to bits. Citizens in the vicinity or remnants of Magnolia fled for their lives as the dragons bellowed out, their energy scaring them to oblivion.
"Run! Dragons!"
"Where did they come from?!"
"I don't know, just run!"
They all fled, making sure to abandon Magnolia as the dragons towered over the Fairy Tail mages.
Gray was stiff as a board. "You've gotta be kidding me."
"Are those really…dragons?" Juvia asked.
Makarov's eyes narrowed. He looked up, seeing the dragons and with no pupils. There was a disturbing possibility they might be, but he knew better than to think that. "…no. They're not the real ones."
"Grandeeney!" Wendy shouted. It was a mix of shock and joy.
The Sky Dragon roared at Wendy, bellowing in her face. The winds from her shout made the young lady falter back, even with Carla backing her up. Both shot back in the air, far away.
"Wendy!" Erza shouted.
Wendy uncovered, her joy gone. Her eyes were tearing up. "Grandeeney, it's me! Don't you recognize me?!" She shouted.
The Sky Dragon said nothing.
"Grandeeney! Please!"
Craig looked back up at Wendy. "Grow up you stupid kid!" He berated the Dragon Slayer. "Get glasses or something, because those things clearly aren't the real things!"
Natsu blinked. "They're…not?"
"That is correct." An additional voice pitched in. Everyone went stiff for a moment before they turned all their attention towards the large observatory, their surprise surmounting and never stopping.
Craig's eyes narrowed despondently. "Glenda." He growled.
"What he says is correct. These are not your so-called foster-parents. These are in fact synthesized entities of the DNA in your magic. In other words, they're physical manifestations with no conscience nor ideals. You can say they're mock copies with no bite."
Wendy looked back at the mock Grandeeney, her eyes beginning to water. "You mean…?"
Gajeel's fists clutched. "Knew it was too good to be true."
Natsu looked at the mock Igneel, beings over his forehead. "I should've known." He growled. "You don't smell anything like Igneel."
"Craig's dinosaur DNA was interesting, but now to find that we can reanimate dragons is another story entirely. Even if it may as well be temporary." Glenda announced. "This is the power that the Council has now. You have been warned, all of you."
Igneel and the other dragons roared once again, shuddering the ground. Once again, buildings shuddered and everyone was on their toes, unnerved as the city of Magnolia was caught in a huge quake.
When it stopped, Jet turned towards Droy. "What do we do?!"
"Beats me!"
"Three dragons?!" Levy exclaimed.
Cana stared up with more bewilderment. Her eyes shuddered to no end. "Dragons…" Flashes of the Tahungadon emerged from her mind. It's giant bulk and size made it all too invincible, and not even the likes of Natsu and Gajeel would be effective. "Damnit, what now?!"
Craig growled, his sharp teeth gritting bitterly against the other like sandpaper. "That witch." He sneered. "Brownie!"
"Yeah?"
"Don't focus on the dragons! We gotta get inside and shut down that machine! It's the only way to stop the DNA synthesizing!"
Cana was uneasy of Craig's suggestion, but she didn't stop. She actually complied and nodded, seeing how it was logical. "I hear ya!"
Craig turned towards everyone else. "Hey, you all get that?"
Erza requipped a second sword. "Understood. We'll make an opening and destroy that eye."
"That means we need to hold these guys off while you guys go in for it." Lucy figured. She grinned as she pulled out a Zodiac key. "Just leave it to us!"
Grandeeney raised her head, roaring up towards the heavens and brought one of her claws down against the earth. A linear shockwave went blitzing across the ground, large enough that windows shattering and wires snapped. Debris picked up some as the attack went for Craig. Craig, however, maintained his ground and raised his dark red sword. He slammed it against the shockwave, bisecting the attack and making it go past the Fairy Tail mages. Everyone covered up and remained close together so as to not get blown away. They all managed as the shockwaves dialed down, and Craig growled again.
Inside the observatory, Glenda was beholding her own creation. She stood up from her seat, looking perplexed and shocked as she looked at all the immensely high levels of magic and data the diagrams and monitors were holding up. Her breathing was ecstatic, and she had no idea that her research would come to these lengths.
"H-how is the data coming along?" She asked. "Is it processing?"
"Managing the best we can, ma'am." One scientist said.
A beep was coming from one of the monitors up front, catching Glenda's attention. "What is it this time?" She groaned.
"Incoming transmission." One scientist said.
Glenda blinked. "A transmission?"
"It's from the Magic Council."
Glenda raised a brow. "…what could it be?" She pondered. "Very well. Answer."
The monitor in front instantly turned from diagrams to an image of the chairman. The man gave Glenda a very prominent glare, one that showed superiority and of fearlessness. He saw Glenda, her shocked gaze making him displeased.
"Chairman, sir." She greeted. "I see that you've been doing well."
"Hmmm…" He hummed.
Glenda brushed a strand of her straight hair back, trying to make a noble impression. "So, what is it that you want to speak to me about?"
The chairman was quiet. He leered at her, making the woman unnerved in front of her superior. She the best she could to remain composed, and in all honesty, her patience was about to die out soon if she didn't get an answer. Eventually he spoke up.
"Glenda. I see that you are hard at work gathering data and DNA samples I see." He said. "That is very productive of you."
Glenda nodded. "Thank you, sir. Just doing my job at preserving our human ra-"
"I was not finished." He intervened.
Glenda blinked. "O-oh. Sorry. Continue."
The chairman's eyes. "As I was saying, Glenda, you've been holding promise with this program that you have been chaperoned with. These DNA samples and these videos you've sent show that you're result are sprouting fruits…" His tone suddenly dropped. "At the cost of your own humanity and reputation."
Glenda raised a brow, her lips parting. "E-excuse me, sir, what was that?"
"These videos that you've sent, Take-Over Mages and live animals perishing by this DNA synthesizing experiment. We gave you permission to do these experiments, but did you not get consent by them first. If not consent, this is an act of arbitrary experimental abuse, and an added folly to your background check."
Glenda's eyes widened.
"Yes, Glenda, we've figured it out. You were responsible for animal and fossil experimentation and reanimation of genetic hybrid beasts nearly two years prior. According to the records we've read, thousands of lives were lost in less than a week, and you were the director of the failed project. You've lied to us."
Glenda was having beads of sweat run down the sides of her face. "Sir, I can explain-"
"You will explain to us on trial. By order as head chairman of the Magic Council, I summon you back to Era immediately to shut down your program and place you under arrest for negligence of reason and obstruction of justice!"
Glenda was in a panic. Her mouth was nearly gaping, and she wasn't sure what to say. She's made a name for herself, and she was doing her best to prove humans are superior. She swallowed another lump, wanting to find a valid reason.
"C-chairman…"
"That is an order!"
"I am trying to preserve and prove humans are better! I am not going to be treated, as some dumb animal in a cage!" She snapped. "Okay? I cannot give up on humanity's survival!"
The lights in the observatory suddenly began to flash haphazardly. They were all beeping loudly and flashing sirens. Glenda and everyone looked up, seeing red everywhere. The screen that was the chairman's image blinked constantly with an exclamation mark, with a WARNING label underneath.
Glenda looked with shock. "What's happening?!" She yelled.
Associates were pressing buttons like crazy. "Ma'am, we're having a malfunction!"
Again. Stress appeared. "What?" She gasped.
"There is an overload on the data and the magic that we have exerted and have stored as feedback. The reserves on the synthesizer have overloaded. We-!" The scientist was cut off as static enveloped his Archive Magic, the keyboard sparking and he jerked back as his screen went static.
All around the lab, things were starting to overload. Everyone was barely hanging onto their own findings. The data they were collecting couldn't fit in with the dinosaur nor the past works of DNA. The synthesizer's eye outside was sparking as the overload was beginning to affect it as well.
Glenda was looking annoyed. "Get it under control! Now!"
"We can't!"
"The synthesized dragons have lost their connections with us!"
"What?!" She gasped.
"We lost control!" A worker back away as the archive keyboard in front nearly turned to static. "The systems are wearing down!"
A worker rushed to Glenda's side. "Ma'am. we have to evacuate. It's not safe here." He moved to reach for her arm, but she swatted him away.
"I am not done here!" She protested.
"Ma'am! Please!" Two more men came around, leaving her with little room. "We have to leave, now!"
Glenda wanted to protest, but she found little succession. She wanted to stay. She needed to get control back. She needed control. She must. To prove humanity would surpass anything of any generation that was of past design, including dinosaurs and dragons, she had to fic it, but the equipment malfunctioning and the red sirens going off were another story entirely. Ultimately, she had little to no say as she turned away and fled the scene, along with the team.
The vault began to open up outside as the dragons roared and towered over everyone. They all were unaware as the door to the inside of the downgraded observatory began to drop down slowly. As it did, however, Craig's eyes went towards it, his surprise continuing to rise.
"Brownie, look!" He referred to ahead, in which Cana saw what he was looking at.
The brunette watched the latch come down at last, employees vacating the premises. Behind was Glenda, who looked back inside, reluctant, but huffed and turned to run back out. "They've vacated!"
"Come on!" Craig was followed by Cana, who followed his lead and the two went charging right for the dragons. They all went beaming towards the three dragoons, much to everyone's surprise.
"What are you doing?!" Erza shouted.
"Don't charge towards them!" Gray yelled.
"Be a man and stay put!" Elfman exclaimed.
Craig darted ahead with normal strides like a man, and thankfully because of that, Cana could follow behind. Metalicana raised one of his iron draconic claws, bringing it up and down onto Craig in order to crush him.
In one go, Craig kicked his sheaths from behind, pivoting and catching not only the mouth blade, but the dark and blood red swords in one spin. As he landed, he leaped and spiraled into the hand.
"Spiral Dragon Slice!"
He passed Metalicana's hand, slashing into it with swift effort. The iron was heavily grazed, and the Iron Dragon recoiled from the attack, allowing Craig and Cana to run right by him. However, Igneel's tail came swinging from behind.
"Jump!" Cana shouted. They did and got over Igneel's swinging tail. They landed on their feet in crouched positions, the winds from the tail swing making them nearly fall over. The two darted ahead and made it to the entrance.
"Alright, we made it!" Cana shouted.
Craig panted a little, catching his breath from that run. He looked back and went wide-eyed. "Look out!"
Cana looked back, seeing all three dragons' backs facing them, their tails swaying in various orders. They all spread their wings, severe tempests on the rise and roaring bellowing in all directions. The shockwaves from the wings expanding and tails swaying made Craig shove Cana inside to avoid the tempest. As they fell inside, the latch's gears clicked and fell apart, the door slamming shut and the tail swing of Metalicana struck the side of the observatory.
The entire structure that was perhaps a ton, if not two, went spiraling out of control. The observatory's wheels began to spiral out of control, making Craig and Cana inside, spiral and scream out as it was like going through a tornado all over again.
Everyone watching saw the observatory get blown away, and they all were shocked as it fell over, the side of it denting and blowing through several buildings and businesses.
"Cana!" Macao shouted.
"Craig!" Natsu shouted. He turned his attention towards the synthesized dragons. Even if they looked like them, Natsu knew they weren't them. His anger fumed, and his fists were engulfed in flames. "Grrr! You're gonna pay for that!" He yelled.
The dragons all glared down at the group, unfazed by their rampage. Their wings that had spread left buildings in the area ravaged and nothing but tarnished trash. Dust arose in a mile radius, especially with the observatory crash several blocks away.
Natsu's teeth gritted. "Answer me!" He went charging ahead after them without any regards.
Lucy reached out. "Natsu!"
"You reckless idiot!" Gray shouted.
Natsu jumped into the air, reaching Igneel's chest. "Even if you look like Igneel, you don't smell nor even have the same senses as he has! Time for a little Fire Dragon Slayer action!" He brought his fist forward. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
His fist met the mock Igneel's chest, but it was like hitting plates of steel. The fire dissipated, and not even a single scratch was made. "What?!"
"Nothing?!" Gajeel exclaimed.
Igneel brushed Natsu with one swipe of the hand. The Dragon Slayer went tumbling through the air towards the nearest building, hitting its higher levels.
Wendy clutched her little fists. She was more than hesitant, but even with the dragon looking like Grandeeney, the eyes and the smell were nothing like her. Wendy was shuddering, but she tried. A lump went down her throat. "I…I'm sorry. Forgive me, Grandeeney." Taking in a quick breath, she fired her attack. "Sky Dragon's Roar!"
The whirlwind attacked Grandeeney, the tempest engulfing the Sky Dragon. As the winds hit her square in the chest, the mock dragon gave one flap of the left wing, making a powerful gust that dissipated the tempest. Wendy gasped in disbelief.
Gajeel lunged after the mock Metalicana. "Then how's about a little iron to iron action?!" His fist turned to pure iron. "Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!"
Metalicana roared at Gajeel, unleashing a claw that met Gajeel's fist. The claw vs fist battle was undisputed as the hard fist was overpowered. Gajeel went flying in the air in agony.
"Gajeel!" Levy screamed in worry.
Makarov stepped forward, standing in fornt of everyone. "Stand back!"
"Master!" Erza exclaimed.
Makarov's eyes glowed gold, the old master growling as his magic began to take effect. His body and size began to rise, his body size rivaling that of a titan. He stood as tall as the three dragons, fists clutched and ready to throw down with them.
"Everyone prepare yourselves! We shall deal with this problem ourselves!"
"You heard the man." Laxus stood with his Thunder God Tribe at his back. His body crackles in lightning. "We haven't got a choice. Either we stop that machine, or we stop these guys."
Natsu emerged from the debris pile on top of the building. He threw a brick to the side and looked at the dragons with hostility. "Now we're talking!" He stood back up on the debris pile, facing the threats from the side. "With all of us against them, there's no way we ain't busting up their scales!"
Erza's sword pointed forward. "Everyone, forward!" She and Fairy Tail went springing after the dragons, all of them ready to give it everything they have to stop them. "After we stop them, let us proceed to the observatory!"
Cana groaned as her head throbbed. "Mmm…" Her violet eyes opened. "What happened?" She tried to take a moment to recall Craig shoving her inside before the shockwaves struck the structure. "Oh, right, I forgot. Damn my head hurts. This is worse than a hangover."
Another growl – much more muffled – came from nearby in the darkness of the lab. "Brownie, you good?" Craig's voice was so close that it was like he was right underneath her.
Cana raised her head. "Cranky?" She felt something odd, and not just her headache.
As her vision came to, she came to realize that the structure was completely toppled over. Equipment was scattered all over, the stationary monitors still upright but barely on the "wall". She looked around with her head up, seeing how she was supposedly on the bared railing on the upper section, which was now horizontal and held her.
She looked around, but saw no sign of Craig. "Craig? Cranky?"
"Mmmf!" An annoyed muffle came from below. What was odd was that it was surprisingly warm underneath. She expected railing to be cold. Looking down at last, her eyes widened when she saw that her body was on top of Craig, her humungous bust burying his face.
"Craig?" She sounded slightly surprised.
Craig adjusted his head in a tight squeeze, Cana's huge mounds restraining his movement. "Get your oversized mounds off me, woman!" He lowly yelled. Cana gave a disgruntled pout, but she complied and gave Craig some relief. He found footing on the railing and his face was a weak shade of red.
Cana smirked. "Huh, thought for sure you'd like these pillows." She gestured to her monstrous mounds, which jiggled in her bra.
"Very funny." Craig sarcastically said. He looked away, seeing the location turned over. "Well, at least we made it inside."
"Yeah, but it looks like everything's a wreck." Cana said, taking note of many equipment having small embers flickering, and some were static on their archive screens. Barely anything was on, and the black screen was off.
"Looks like the place done itself in. Let's hope we find a way to shut down that mechanism." Craig said. "Otherwise I ain't gonna be pleased to know if the system is malfunction like some vacuum that ain't shutting off."
The two carefully maneuvered their way through the carnage, making sure to watch their steps of any fallen lacrima or residual debris that may have fallen apart in the carnage. Together, they looked all around, climbing and trying to make sense of what to do. However, luck wasn't on their sides.
"Anything?" Craig asked as he was on the railing.
Cana shook her head as she tried another archive. "Damnit, nothing."
Craig groaned. With the whole system down, he could only shake his head in annoyance. "This is gonna be tougher than I thou-!" He didn't watch his step and his foot slipped. Through the railing he went, yelping aloud as he fell atop of a computer and thudded loudly.
Cana looked surprised. "Cranky?!"
Craig groaned and his hand gripped the computer's desk. His iron grip made the piece depress, and he looked pissed as he slowly arose. "I really hate technology." He growled.
Suddenly, the one computer he had hit went from a WARNING sign and exclamation point to being a standard screen. For some reason, that extra hit did the trick.
Craig blinked. "Huh…hallelujah." He said.
"It working over their?" Cana asked, hopping down from a slight distance from above.
"Yeah. Guess this guy needed a good kick or two is all." Craig used his fingers and looked at the archive screen. He and Cana looked at the monitor, seeing various files with red X beside them. Craig tried clicking them, but alas did not help as they weren't responding.
Craig growled, his annoyance met with hostility. "Damnit."
"Why? What's wrong?" Cana asked.
"This system is what's wrong. Everything is offline, and that DNA Synthesizer is jammed. It's locked somehow…" Craig continued to scroll through the files, seeing all of the files down. As unfortunate as it had appeared, luck fell on his shoulders when he saw one file that was circled in purple. He looked ecstatic.
"Hang on, I'm getting something." He said.
Cana leaned over, seeing the file as well. "That file is the only one open?" She raised a brow. "Looks too good to be true."
"You're telling me, but I guess it must be a manual system, or some weird thing that's separated from the system altogether." He clicked on it. "Either way, we haven't got a choice. For all we know, this may be the one way to undo it."
Cana nodded.
The file opened up, revealing all the diagrams and files that were stored into said variant system. The files were somewhat bleak, but DN strands and a lot of dates were set. It was odd, especially the title and the overall summary.
"Geez, what's all this about? 'Date Modification Reanimation System'? That's a stretch." Cana figured.
"Yeah. I can vouch for you there." Craig said. "It says it's supposed to reanimate one's body and state of mind to a certain day of whatever the modifier is set to. If that isn't rigged, I don't know what is."
Cana put hands to her hips. "So basically we just have to set the date and anything that is targeted will be in that state that day? That's like reliving a broken leg or feeling a cold."
"Yeah…" Craig was terribly unsure, but the shuddering of outside and dragons roaring caught his attention. He could hear all that roaring like a bell. It was a lot to take in. As Craig was homing in on the roar, he narrowed his eyes and looked back at the file. "Date modifier…?"
Cana looked quizzically at the file. "Well I guess we can try and set the date to make those dragons vanish, but don't we need the exact date for that to work?" Her head ached again. "Ugh, this stress is killing me. Cranky, think of something, would you?"
Craig said nothing.
"Cranky?"
Craig was zoning out, his impending thoughts on the horizon.
"Cranky?" Cana was looking irritated as Craig wasn't answering. "Craig?"
Craig was beginning to recall the circumstances of yet another time, more specifically later that day when that hybrid carnivore escaped and began to flee the peninsula towards mainland. As dragons now roamed over Magnolia, and with a date modifier barely functional, nostalgia and terror filled Craig's mind.
Within the lab, several machines were busted down, and many others were either offline or busted by dinosaurs that ran loose. It had long since been abandoned due to the chaos that ensued with Glenda's hybrid theory, and the scientists were afraid. Much of the evidence had been destroyed, though some was still valid.
Within the chaos, monitors that were unattended showed cameras of the dinosaurs that were unlocked from their paddocks. The tourists had fled, and the only ones in the lab at the time were Craig, Jerry, and Monkey.
"So, care to explain why we're here?" Jerry asked. "This isn't really the best place to solve our problems you know?"
"True, but it's our only place to find answers that we need." Craig pointed out.
Monkey looked around, baffled with the DNA codes and seeing a spinal cord inside a vase. "Look at all this…" He stared at the residual archives onscreen that flickered constantly, showing variations of dinosaurs; one daring to show the dinosaur that Glenda created. "This is all the research that's left?"
"Seems about it." Craig answered.
"So, Mr. Dino Leg, got any clues as to how to solve this dilemma?" Jerry asked.
Craig looked around, his eyes narrowing out of wonder. If he was honest with himself, he had no real plan. He was well aware that to defeat something, answers lie within its origin, so heading to the lab was his only solution; managing answers within the research, however, was another story. He looked around, eyes narrowing as he was managing to recollect some of his own passive memories. His head was down and he slowly traced between desk after desk.
"Buddy?" Jerry questioned.
Craig didn't answer, instead he looked at the DNA screen with the dinosaur Glenda made. Its picture was red scaled and hazardous to look at. When Craig slowly turned his head towards the monitor, he saw the dinosaur was no longer there, and other dinosaurs and people were lying either crushed or ripped up.
He then glared down at his own palm, which faced up. He could remember that come back on Enca, when he had to fight that sinister Zeldoron beast with a cliché tactic of fighting fire with fire. He looked at his dirty nails, remembering them once being claws as he became a mutation with an enormous amount of power. He mutated once, and he survived. Now it was time for him to see this problem through.
He turned back towards Jerry and Monkey, his eyes brimming with seriousness. At that point in time, Craig has more normal human teeth, aside from a few strays that were horrendous canines. "Jerry, Monkey…I know what has to be done."
"You do?" Both asked in unison.
Craig nodded. "It's time that we fight fire with fire."
In about fifteen minutes, Craig was strapped down, fully embracing the lights overhead. The table he was on was slanted, and he was looking serious, but inside he was getting serious anxiety.
Jerry was pressing buttons on a remote. "Craig, I really don't think this is such a good idea." He argued.
"It's not, but we're out of options. If it's to protect the world and those who I treasure, I'll throw my humanity away once more." He replied.
Monkey looked pale. "So you're saying that because you've mutated once, you think you'll live through this one?"
Craig couldn't shake his head due to the straps that were on him. "I'm saying…no, there's a chance I may in fact die."
"Then why are you doing this?" Jerry asked, his tone harsher than before. "Live human testing has never been done!"
"There's always a first time for everything."
"Craig! This is a stupid idea! Infusing yourself with the same DNA as that dinosaur?! That's not even a humane concept! Not to mention the pain you'll feel!" Monkey persuaded, but Craig was hearing none of it.
Craig stared at both Jerry and Monkey, giving them both eyes that had severe resolve. They weren't of anger, nor of hostility…but instead, they were of condolences.
"Jerry…Monkey…I'm truly sorry that I dragged you both into this. I can't be responsible for myself, but I'm more than responsible for my friends' lives."
Monkey stared with silence. He seemed perplexed, but otherwise remained silent. Jerry was no different.
"I don't blame you guys if you don't ever forgive me for throwing away my humanity, but whether or not I will be called a monster is up to you. I couldn't care less; I just want to help others live, no matter how long they may have." He paused to allow his eyes to shut, keeping the view of his friends obscured. "I know this is beyond selfish of me, but I dare not hold regrets in this time of need. I…I want to say that I'm sorry so much more, and yet I'm not." His eyes opened back up, a fore burning. "Don't think that because I may be part-dinosaur doesn't mean that I'm not the same Craig you guys knew of. I'll fight teeth and claws with teeth and claws…so let's do this thing!"
Jerry and Monkey stared in awe. They knew Craig could very well be reckless, borderline insane even. As much as they wanted to argue, Craig could see that he was willing to make sacrifices for everyone, even if it meant he was going to undergo a freakish change that will be beyond painful.
Ultimately, Jerry nodded. "Alright buddy, guess you got us."
"What?"
"You heard the man. Let's make us Earth Land's most powerful predator!" Monkey shouted. "Jerry, get those DNA in those needles!"
Jerry smiled as he pressed buttons on a remote. "No probs. And since raptor man over here has dinosaur DNA due to that bone, this should be a synch. Right?"
Craig's shock soon turned into a smile. "You guys…"
Another minute passed, and in front of Craig, there were nearly a dozen, long sharp needles. All of them had DNA in liquid form for the various carnivores that were used for the dinosaur from before. Only this time, instead of a genetic hybrid, it was going to be on a living hybrid. Craig stared at the serum inside every needle around.
"Alright Craig…" Jerry rolled through the script and calculations he set on the archive in front of him. "According to these readings, you are ago. I should warn you, this is going to be a severely painful test. It's likely that the total DNA transfusion will take 3 days until you reach 100%. That good enough?"
Craig's eyes squinted. "Do your worst." He growled.
"Alright, you're the boss." Jerry pressed buttons again. "Get earplugs ready. Time to get crazy."
Monkey and Jerry both had headphones on, closing their eyes briefly as Jerry pressed the last button. All the DNA needles struck Craig in one go in various places.
Craig's screams were so loud that they penetrated the steel walls, yelling like a dinosaur.
Craig knew what had to be done. He faced Cana, a deep resolve within his own eyes. "Cranky?" After so many tries, Cana finally got his attention, only she was found flabbergasted by the stern look he gave.
"I know what I gotta do." He said.
"You do?" Cana asked. She watched as Craig turned and began to walk off somewhere. "Hey!"
"Get that device set up! Set it to March 3rd, X782!" Craig yelled.
"Wait, what?!"
"Just do it!"
Cana didn't find time to argue. She just grunted and looked back at the controls. Granted, she had no idea how to operate such tactical equipment, but there was a first time for everything. She pressed on the file, thankfully that did the trick. Due to pressing a few random buttons, the outside red camera suddenly flipped, revealing a purple lens rather than red.
Craig reached the closed latch to the outside, where he balled his fist and reeled it back. "Smash!" He roared as he punched the latch with all his might. The door fell over, clanging against the streets and debris of Magnolia. Craig hopped down and out, landing on concrete and fragments of rock and debris.
He adjusted his footing and looked back towards the observatory, seeing how the whole thing was damaged and turned on its side. He ignored the damage and looked straight at the purple lens.
"Is it on in there?" Craig asked.
"Uh…" Cana pressed a few more buttons, but the order was so arbitrary. "Let's see now." She pressed a camera button, and a picture of outside showed up, more specifically Craig. "Alright, I got it!" She yelled.
"Alright good. Now, set the date as I told you. And when you do, make sure you target solemnly me."
Cana gasped.
"Brownie, you heard me? Don't say any of that 'say what' or 'you can't be serious' crap. I've already heard it." Craig added. "Now just fire the stupid thing already."
Cana blinked, her mind momentarily going blank. She regained herself, finally processing what Craig told her. "Hold up just a second!" She slammed her palms onto the board, leaning on it. "What are you saying?! You're telling me to blast you with an unstable device?!"
"Yeah, basically." Craig shrugged at the intercom.
"That's crazy! Do you even remember that day?! Because I'm pretty sure it's the day you lost your mind!"
Craig, despite the circumstances, smirked. "It's precisely because of that day that we're gonna storm those dragons."
Again, Cana found herself in shock. "What?"
"Out of all the days, I could've picked Slicerax and me meeting, or maybe last week, or yesterday; but I have a reason for choosing March 3rd, so you better buckle up and fire that thing, or else Magnolia and your guild is going down in flames."
Cana was still more than a little hesitant. She looked back down at the controls. Everything was set and the targeting system had already aligned with Craig. All she needed was to press the big key and then it was all from there. She wasn't sure of that date, but whatever Craig had in mind, there was no telling what was to be expected.
"Are you sure about this?" She asked.
"The hit the goddamn button, woman!" Craig roared.
Cana, though annoyed, finally pushed the button. The purple lens outside began to glow, and a small concentration of energy began to swell. A laser was fired towards Craig, and he stood his ground and was engulfed in it. With one bright flash, he was hit and ended up yelling in pain. He felt the course of the date modifier enter his body, his gaping out wide as he could feel his body swell and palpitate according to the time-space sequence. Such a magic was exceedingly rare, yet it was happening.
The bright flash exploded, nearly blinding Cana as well. Any window that wasn't broken from before was shattered upon the shockwaves of the blinding light. The glass shattered, but Cana was safe when she covered up. Once the blinding light faded, she opened her eyes and saw that nothing changed around her.
"What happened?" She questioned. She looked at the monitor, but the strangest thing was that it was all smoky and hazy. There was barely any coherence from the other side. She even squinted, but still didn't get a clear view. "Cranky?"
She made way towards the entrance. "Cranky? Craig? Anyone?" She peeked out, seeing the dust and smoke faded around a large obstacle. She looked deeper, seeing a large, spiny shadow that growled.
As the figure pressed a clawed tow on the ground, Cana's eyes shot wide with terror and shock. Her violet eyes were shrunken, dilating dots that accommodated her pale skin.
"What…the hell?"
On the other side of Magnolia, several blocks down, buildings were ravaged, and everything was tarnished. Homes were devastated within the wide street, and debris and smoke laid waste everywhere. Natsu and Erza were lying on the ground, both of them in serious bruises and wounds. But it wasn't just them, it was all of Fairy Tail. Gray, Gajeel, Juvia, everyone else; they were all incapacitated by rubble or serious marks. There were of many possibilities, some that were of Grandeeney's tempests by her wings, or attacks bouncing off of Metalicana's body, or defenses burning away by Igneel. The northern end of Magnolis was nothing more than leveled destruction by the likes of the three dragons, and no one was safe so long as they towered over everyone.
Natsu struggled to stand, but he could barely get up from his side. "Damnit." He grunted.
Erza looked at Natsu, her tired eyes looking with uncertainty as to the fate that awaited them. "Natsu." She wanted to reach out to him, hold his cheek or even hand, but she was too tired. All the strength she had before was knocked right out of her.
Makarov was downsized back to his original size. His magic of size had gone to zero, his body taking a hefty toll as Igneel and the other two dragons were overpowering beyond comprehension. Nothing worked; magic, trump cards, not even the likes of Dragon Slayers was enough, as Wendy and Gajeel were down.
Far within the distance, Glenda was with her team. They were using lacrima to record the footage. She was stressing and breathing restlessly. "Are you getting all of this?"
Another scientist with a lacrima nodded. "Of course."
Glenda swallowed another lump. "Like I said, science will pave the future."
All of Fairy Tail looked up, their eyes wide as the entities that looked like Igneel, Grandeeney, and Metalicana closed in.
"Damnit! Igneel!" Natsu cried out.
The dragons all opened their mouths, but then everything went blank when a blood-curdling roar was heard. It was more of a loud growl, but it came from so far ahead in Magnolia. Everyone, including the instinctive beasts that were dragons, went wide-eyed as their ears rang from the disturbing roar.
Everything then backed off. They all remained wide-eyed as their spines tingled, but the fact was that the dragons were the only ones who turned around towards the disrupting growl.
"What…was that?" Macao mumbled.
"I…I don't know." Wakaba muttered. "But it doesn't sound friendly."
"Another animated dragon?" Elfman wheezed. He coughed, making dirt beneath picked up from his breath.
"God I hope not." Laki prayed with what conscience she had in her.
Glenda remained shocked as her lacrima camera turned towards the opposite direction. She and her associates were left baffled at the roar. To some, it was a familiar growl they couldn't place into perspective. To Glenda, however, that roar brought wheels back from stationary.
"No." She shook her head. "That can't be."
"What?" Another associate asked.
She shook her head vigorously, hoping it was far from true. "That can't possibly be that same roar that I think it is. Not after…!" She trailed off, memories of the incident nearly 2 years ago pouring back into her mentality. It only served to make her heart rate excel.
As surprising as it was, from far ahead, everyone could see Cana making a sharp turn from the corner of where the observatory had fallen into. She looked frantic and running as fast as she possibly could. In fact, she was making a beeline straight for the dragons.
"Cana?!" Makarov shouted.
"What are you doing?!" Natsu exclaimed. "Get out of here!"
Cana didn't listen. She looked like she was running away from something as well. "Everyone, out of the way! Get cover!" She yelled.
Gajeel opened an eye, trying to get to a knee. "What did she say?" He turned towards Wendy, but she too looked confused.
Natsu's nose twitched. It wrinkled as a very unpleasant smell invaded his nostrils. "That smell…" His eyes began to slowly widen, the shock on his face startling the likes of Erza.
"Natsu?"
"He's coming!"
"What?" Gray grunted, several feet away. "Who's coming?"
The ground thundered, quickly like a giant's step. Vibrations were intense, as was the faint sound of more insidious growling. The combination of both followed behind the direction Cana came from. The brunette looked back over her shoulder, hearing him come closer. "This way! Come on, slowpoke!" She yelled behind as she went ahead.
Following behind at a walking pace, the culprit appeared. When everyone laid eyes on it, they all felt a small shriek of terror crawl up and down their spines. Emerging from behind the block of buildings was a creature equally as tall as the dragons. It had an elongated snout; not long like an alligator's, but perhaps thicker. The nostrils were far up on the snout's top, where underneath, there were rows upon rows of thick, huge, sharp teeth with tank-crushing force. The eyes were a sea-blue with feral slits, with a layer of an eyelid sliding from the side. The head looked like a cross between a Spinosaurus and a Mosasaur. It had long arms, rather than short stubby ones. The three claws and thumb claw were long, thick, and so sharp that it looked like they could rip through Metalicana. The hind legs were lean as steel, and long. The tow claws were three long ones, a long curved big toe like a Velociraptor, and a back claw. Like a Spinosaurus, there were spines all along the back, but the significant different was there were two sets of them, and there was no membrane, so they looked like 16 long, spiked horns. The tail was insidiously long, almost covering twice the length of the creature. The head had a dark horn curved back, while smaller dark spikes ran in nearly hundreds along the back, all the wat to the tail's end; spikes were even on the elbows.
The beast turned the corner, catching sight of the dragons. His head raised in surprise, but then lowered and growled low. His stomping was engraved into the ground, his long body slowly arching around the corner.
The dragons leered in anxiety as the beast traveled around the corner, his dominance petrifying.
"Whoa…" Evergreen was paled, lips quivering.
"What…is that?" Freed muttered.
"I…I can't believe it." Laxus muttered. "First dragons, now that thing?"
Cana kept running, her breathing heavy and panting. "Come on, Cranky! This way!"
Erza's eyes widened slowly. "Cranky…?" It was too good to be true. "That's…"
"Craig?!" Natsu screamed. "You mean…!"
"He's a-!" Gray was cut off as Craig roared again, screeching high and bellowing exasperating levels of adrenaline-inducing pitches. Apparently his roar backed up his terrifying look.
Glenda looked perplexed. Her terror swelled as Cana ran through the streets past her, with the monstrous Craig following slowly behind. The scientist was feeling her own heart stop as she watched the dinosaur that was once human pass her, heading straight into the fray with the dragons. Her head followed, her shock exaggerating beyond comprehension. "It…it can't possibly be. There's no way that he could've reverted back, right?" Her gaze went down. "Unless…" She whipped her head around towards the damaged observatory. "The date modification system worked?!"
Cana smirked as she ran. "Now let's see some ass getting kicked! Listen up, dragons!" She yelled, getting the sentients' attention. "We got our own ancient weapon, and he's got a lot of bite to give you!" She suddenly turned the corner, clearing way into another alley. "Alright Craig, show them why you have teeth!"
The dinosaur that was Craig again roared, increasing his pacing to where he was punning through the quaking streets of Magnolia. His stomping engraved the ground, and his long tail swung around haphazardly, knocking over building tops. Debris feel on the sides as Craig charged at full speed, lunging with slow but mighty strides towards the dragons.
The battle of dinosaur and dragon had finally begun its own era.
4 days to write this chapter, so not as bad as I had intended. Longer than what I wanted it to be, but I hope it sufficed. At any rate, I know this isn't much to say, but I wanna thank you guys for sticking around for Craig and Cana. I understand he isn't the best OC and his background seems obvious, but rather than keep his past simple, I prefer to go complex, so that's why he has so much adventures and never stayed in one place.
I'll be wrapping up the arc next chapter, then it's back to A Contender's Bonds and the start of the Tartaros Arc! Review, comment, and hope you continue to love my story! Thanks!