A/N: Okay, Day 5 of the 7 Day challenge begins now! Chapter 19 is here for your reading pleasure!
Okay, as you all might have noticed, I closed the OC Submissions a few days ago, so I'd like to thank GhostOfOnyx, Ice92, Rinnto, ManhattanTheory, Maebara18, The Baz, and Paperman0 for sending in the new OCs! I'll begin introducing them after the X790 GMG's in two Story Arcs. Which reminds me, a while back I asked about events for the GMG's, so if anyone as any ideas for any events, feel free to send them into me via PM!
I'd like to thank SaiyaStyles, Master of Anime224, GhostOfOnyx, Hikari903278, WaterDragonMaverick, potentialauthor18, MyDearWatson, Stormhawk99, and FrozenBlast13 for their reviews last chapter!
SaiyaStyles- Yeah, live experimentations can be pretty sickening, as for what all is in the facility, you'll have to wait to find out. But yeah, Varic's Living Ice Magic was pretty original as far as I know. I was actually living in an apartment for a month or two before the move, so it's good to be out of that stuffy little apartment, stuff kept breaking and falling apart on their own.
Master of Anime224- Honestly, you could go back and figure out who it is by process of elimination, but yeah, there are quite a few characters running about. And yeah, Chapter 17 was posted literally a few minutes before midnight where I live, just in time for me to still be... well on time, so Chapter 17 and 18 were posted really close together. And yeah, the last chapter was more or less the standard set up chapter, but as the rest were, it was necessary, but there were a few interesting conversations going on. And I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the fights of Chapter 17! As well as the bit of mystery shown in it as well!
GhostOfOnyx- Yeah, Rakki just kind of snuck off with Haru to take what she wanted to from the reward, even left Light behind to boot. And yeah, at this point Kimi is really the only person that can keep Styles calm. And I really want to write a whole fight between Ajax and Rayner right now, but it unfortunately has to wait and yeah, Salina's up to something of the not quite legal variety with this mission to rescue Mr. Voodoo.
Hikari903278- Like I said, I had posted the chapter just a bit before midnight, although I didn't get an email telling me that I did until 7 the next morning, so yeah, Fanfiction's just acting downright buggy lately. But yeah, Light seems to have personality traits of all three of them. And yeah, Horace and Caleb's mission more or less ended well since they managed to convince Styles to come to the guild, but now Mr. Voodoo needs to be rescued.
WaterDragonMaverick- Yep! Sean and Jean are off to save Mr. Voodoo, the allegedly weakest members of the guild who only take the easiest of missions, but more on that later. And yeah, Varic is a living chunk of ice right now, so he has a very special form of Ice Magic. And yeah... more on why not even the male Exceeds aren't allowed in the girl's dorm in the future. But yeah, that impression is what I was aiming for, with Salina being Erza and Ajax and Rayner taking the places of Gray and Natsu. And I'll give you a hint on who all Arashi is going to see: One of their members was introduced while a member was eating ice cream.
potentialauthor18- Yep, you guessed it, Agni isn't human in the slightest in this story, he's exactly what the Bandaged Man said he was, a Nightmare. And as such, he's a completely different being than the Agni of Kobold Mine. And yeah, although Varic and Light both brought up good points in their argument, Haru's the one taking the initiative by going ahead without them. And yep, Arashi's heading off on what would be considered an S-Class Mission, although it's more of a task than a mission since he's not getting paid for this. And yeah, even though Euclid will work with the Bandaged Man, he's still wary of him since not even he knows what that man is planning. And MyDearWatson and I literally introduced the same character, on the same day, in very similar manners, without even planning to. I had already written that scene before the latest Thunder Stone chapter was posted, and we apparently both introduced him on a whim too, so we didn't even plan that or anything. And given the nature of the character who is going on the mission, no one in the guild would really have much of a clue since most of his missions involve cooking over at 8-Island.
MyDearWatson- Okay, Chapter 17 response first. Yeah I really wish that I could've shown what Gunther's fight was like in the Marble, but in the end I decided that since he's a side character in this that he would take too much away from the characters that are more important in this story, so the complete workings of his magic will be revealed in Kobold Mine. And hmm... if I had to choose one of those names, I'd go with KaiEda, since it does sound like Kiyeda and it's actually how you pronounce her name, Kai-Ee-Duh. But yeah, like Team Hughes, Kiyeda and Kaiyo have some of the best teamwork in the guild and even though Kaiyo isn't S-Class like Kiyeda, he's still one of the strongest A-Class Mages in the guild, given the fact that he and Kiyeda often go on S-Rank missions together. And yeah, that man has to have some sort of hold on his human subordinates in case of emergency, so he drove him insane with his magic (the term I originally used before I made it more cryptic was that he broke Kieron's psyche). Also, I'm glad that you liked Team Light's fight scene and as you noticed, I did indeed address Varic's body of ice if only a bit, so I didn't keep you waiting that long since he did say that he would explain what happened to Light and Haru. And yep, Horace's magic is rather fitting for him and if you ask me, it's up in the air between him and Jezabelle who the strongest S-Class Mage is. And yeah, earlier the same day you posted the last Thunder Stone chapter, I had written the first scene and then on a whim I skipped to the last scene and introduced the Bandaged Man and Agni and then I had to do move a whole bunch of stuff for a large portion of the day and then I went about writing the chapter as usual, and then when I sat down to eat at a restaurant and I got the email that the latest chapter was up, so of course I read it and then when I got to that scene I realized that it was very similar to the scene that I had written earlier that day, but I knew that no one had seen it since I hadn't posted the chapter yet. So yeah, we were definitely on the same wave-length. But hey, if anyone has any complaints they should know that we're in cahoots and all that. Okay! Now for Chapter 18's response. Yeah, Gunther got hurt pretty badly in his fight with the Nightmares, I'm honestly thinking of doing a small omake that shows how Gunther's fight went inside of the Marble. And yep, you're going to have to wait for Varic's eventual Historical Omake for the full story on how he came to be made of ice. Yep, I figured that it's been a while since we've seen Ajax, so I decided to have him duke it out with Rayner since they could take advantage of Caleb's absence (although he arrived at the guild not long after the fight ended), but yeah there were two references in that scene. The first being Rayner, Ajax, and Salina imitating Natsu, Gray, and Erza and the second reference is actually about Salina and her mother Ume, with Jewul being a young Salina of sorts in the scene and Salina being her mother, so it slightly resembles a scene in Salina's Historical Omake. And I'll give you the same hint, when one of the people that Arashi is going to go see was introduced in Fairy Tail, he was eating ice cream, so if you know your Fairy Tail villains, you should have an idea. And I'm happy to hear that you enjoy seeing Euclid talk, he does seem to do that a lot, I think he may actually be the character that's talked the most so far, if not him then it's Salina. And yep, the process of elimination was key in figuring out who was taking the mission, Sean and Jean are heading out to save Mr. Voodoo. PHEW! Long response...
Stormhawk99- Yep, a lot of things in the future, distant, very distant, and near, are being set up right now, so scream "COOL!" all you want!
FrozenBlast13- Yup, the original profile of Agni has him as evil, but there's a backstory there as there is with any character. And as a vague answer to the second thing: Very.
Credits:
Solvieg the Fox- Falling Lanterns
I don't own Fairy Tail!
I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 19
"I really don't get how that skinny human is going to get back Mr. Voodoo with no one but that cat," Styles grumbled as he watched the rain outside, he and Kimi had spent over a day waiting at the guildhall and his patience was running thin.
"Who? Sean and Jean?" Salina asked from behind the bar, "They'll be fine," she said as she continued to polish the glass in her hands.
"I doubt it," the Blood Mage muttered as Nina stood up and put her paws on the bar, grabbing one of the pieces of meat brought from 8-Island with her mouth.
"Don't you think we should at least have a little faith in them?" Kimi asked, "They did promise to help and they had no reason to."
"Tch... Fine, we'll let that human try his luck," Styles growled as he pet Nina, "But I don't expect him to succeed."
"That's fine then," Salina stated as she put the glass up, "Now, I have to head to the Fiore Branch of the Magic Council," she said as she picked up her light blue umbrella.
"What for?" Kimi asked.
"To get Styles' bounty cleared up," Salina answered as she left the bar area, shocking the Kaizu's, "I'll be back in a day or so if all goes well, so don't leave the cove."
. : + : .
"So what's the treasure we're looking for out here?" a giddy Jayne asked as they drove through the desert in a magic vehicle.
"Oh you know, the usual things," Jezabelle answered as she drove the vehicle over a sand dune, "Piles of gold, jewels, magic relics, etcetera. We can take up to twenty-five percent of what we find as well, so it's well worth the trip out into the desert."
"Will there be any monsters?" Roseala asked nervously, Dante the Lion sitting next to her, as Jezabelle began driving up a particularly large sand dune.
"If there are any, not one will reach you!" Dante declared as the magic vehicle flew off of the sand dune, using it as a ramp.
"Eek!" the Fable Summoner shrieked as Jezabelle and Jayne laughed.
"Sorry," Jezabelle sighed as she continued to drive through the desert, "But we won't encounter any monsters as long as we're above ground in the daytime. So we're going into the ruins at night."
"Wait. Wouldn't that mean that the monsters are awake when we go in?" a confused Jayne asked.
"Yep, but most of them will have gone above ground to hunt," the S-Class Mage explained, "So there'll be less monsters in the ruins at night."
"I see," a more enlightened Jayne said, "I guess you have to be smart to be an S-Class Mage after all."
"Yeah! You're really smart Jez!" Roseala added in happily as Dante sat and nodded next to her.
"Aw please, there are smarter people in the guild than me," Jezabelle said bashfully as an embarrassed blush came onto her face.
"Hm... Maybe Caleb, Horace, and Master Velvet?" Roseala pondered, "And Ieda and Camille are pretty smart too."
"Yeah! And when you compare her to the other S-Class Mages you've got dark and quiet Arashi, and I guess he might be smart. But then you've got the playboy Alistar," Jayne added in a deadpan tone.
"Did someone say Alistar?" a busty and curvy girl with a red fox tail and fox ears asked as she materialized into the seat next to Jayne, "I think he's rather charming actually," the fox woman said in a seductive tone.
The fox woman, named Solvieg the Fox, was one of Roseala's summons. In addition to her red fox tail and fox ears, she also had red hair, tiny fangs, and bright blue eyes. She wore a skimpy, red faux fur top and miniskirt and she also wore high heeled boots that were lined with red fur.
"Of course you find him attractive, Solvieg," Dante stated, "He's male and that's as picky as your standards go. You don't even care if they're underage."
"Ah, the sounds of jealousy. Of course they'd come from a romantically dense person such as yourself," the fox woman said in a playful tone.
"Speak for yourself!" the lion man countered.
"Please, that's enough fighting you two," Roseala pleaded.
"Of course," Dante said quickly.
"Okay, I'll stop teasing the poor man," Solvieg conceded before looking over at Jayne, who was now writing something down on a piece of paper, "Oh? More smutty fanfics?" she asked in an excited tone upon seeing Jayne's work.
"Mm-hmm! Although it's just a list right now," Jayne said happily as she showed the fox woman the paper, having always gotten along with her due to their similar interests.
"Oh? A list of pairings for your guild mates!?" Solvieg cheered happily as she began to read through them, "Hm... RayMille, RayMiri your OTP as you've told me before, KaiEda, YuuDon, and..."
"Hm? Something wrong?" Jayne asked as she saw Solvieg get a scary look on her face as she started laughing.
"Solvieg?" Roseala mumbled in a scared tone.
"Smrk... N-nothing, I've just gotta tell Venus about these two... she'll go nuts!" the fox woman snickered as she vanished.
'I'm not sure that I want to know,' Jezabelle thought to herself as she continued driving through the desert.
. : + : .
Sean stood behind a bar in Era, dressed in the typical bartender outfit as he passed the time with the small job, 'I wonder how much intel Jean has gathered,' the Lightning Mage thought to himself as two figures entered the bar, "Welcome," he greeted as he looked over at the two people, watching them find their seat at the bar before taking their orders, serving them in a silent manner as the two men began to talk.
"Did you see that thing they brought in today?" the middle-aged man asked.
"You mean that doll?" the man's younger compatriot said, "Yeah, apparently it has some sort of magic on it but it hasn't really done anything so far."
"Yeah. Who even sent that thing in anyways?"
"Dunno... All the note said was that it was from a friend, but Head Researcher Wymond seemed to react to it anyways. I think it might be one his rumored contacts from before he was hired as Head Researcher."
"Oh? Did he say anything?"
"Nah, he just smiled and then told us where to put it for now. It's sitting back in a secure storage area under the facility."
'Loose lips sink ships as they say,' Sean thought to himself as the bartender for the next shift came in, "All yours," Sean sighed as he left the bar through the back entrance, seeing Jean waiting for him in the alley, "Learn anything?"
"Nope. No one would talk so I mapped out the facility from above instead," the Exceed said happily as he handed Sean his hand-drawn map after he had put on his long, black hooded coat and fastened his dual swords to his belt, "Did you learn anything?"
"They're keeping the doll in a secure storage facility beneath the compound," Sean responded as he pulled a white mask out of his coat pocket, "And from what I've heard they haven't done anything to the doll yet."
"Well then we should hurry and retrieve the doll unharmed!" Jean announced, "And maybe I'll get a big, tight hug from that girl as a reward," the Exceed added with a perverted look and laugh.
"Just hurry up and take me there," Sean muttered while giving his partner a flat stare before he put on the white mask, which completely covered his face.
"Roger!" Jean chirped happily as he flew behind Sean, picking him up before taking off into the sky.
. : + : .
Arashi was completely surrounded. Everywhere he looked a Dark Mage was ready to attack him at a moments notice. The S-Class Mage had succeeded in his task of finding the Dark Guild, the remnants of Grimoire Heart, but as he expected, the newer members of the crumbling branch of the Balam Alliance were less than happy to see him, a legal mage.
"Where are they?" Arashi demanded, "Where's Rustyrose and Kain?"
"We ain't got anything to say to a damned traitor like you!" a Dark Mage shouted as he and several others charged at Arashi.
"Tsk... Aether Magic: Crimson Laceration!" he announced as red blades of energy appeared on his forearms as he began fending off the attacks, side-stepping, dodging, weaving, and cutting through the crowd with a flurry of punches, "Where are they!?" he demanded again until he heard a noise from above.
"Wwwooooooo! Weeeeee!" a large man with chalk colored skin roared as he fell from above, nearly crushing Arashi as he landed face-first on the hard ground, leaving an impression of the man in the ground.
"Please Kain, have some grace when appearing before the Undine in this pit of hell," a man in glasses sighed as he descended a flight of nearby stairs.
"S-SorryRusty!" the large man stuttered out quickly as he got back up, completely uninjured from his fall.
"Kain... Rusty," Arashi muttered as he stared down the two men.
"A-Arashi!?" Kain exclaimed, "W-w-w-w-WhatAreYouDoingHere!"
"I want information," he answered.
"Ah, so the Undine has decided to fall back into his darkness to understand it then?" Rustyrose asked, a certain elegance to his posture and gestures.
"No," Arashi growled, "I won't ever fall back into it again, but if I can learn what I need to by staring into it..."
"A dangerous game," the silver-haired man smirked, "What is it you hope to scry by staring into this pit of hell?"
"Euclid," Arashi answered quickly, "I want to know everything there is to know about him."
"Th-That Information Broker?" Kain asked, having calmed down a bit from his initial shock.
"So the Undines wage war with that puppeteer then?" Rustyrose added, only to receive a nod in response from Arashi, "Then I'm afraid that we know just as little about him than you do."
"Then you don't have any information for me then?" Arashi frowned.
"Exactly so," the Dark Mage smirked as he raised his arms, "But the puppeteer said he would pay well for your capture when he told us of your impending arrival. Arc of Embodiment! Tower of Dingir!" he shouted with a sinister smile as a tall, demonic tower erupted around Arashi, carrying him up into the air and bursting through the ceiling.
. : + : .
"And that should do it," Caleb said as he finished healing Yune's arm after she finally made her way to the infirmary after waking up.
"Thank you, Dr. Pherl," the young girl said quietly, still thinking about the last conversation she had with Ladon.
"Is there something else wrong?" Caleb asked, seeing the troubled look on the girl's face.
"Yes! Er... No! It's nothing really!," Yune shouted, a heavy blush on her face.
"Ah, I see," the healer said quietly as a soft smile crossed his face, "You have a crush on someone don't you?"
"Eh!? Wh-wh-what makes you think that?" Yune asked as she played with her hair and looked away from the older man, the blush on her face growing redder.
"Nothing in particular," Caleb smiled again as he placed his hand on Yune's shoulder, "But if I'm right then I think that you should try and pursue the relationship and if he returns your feelings, then you should make sure to cherish them."
"B-but I don't think he would," the girl said quietly, quickly growing depressed at the thought of things going bad, "He's really strong and he doesn't like to deal with people all that much and-" she added as Caleb cut her off.
"But don't you think that you would regret it if you didn't try at all?"
"Y-yes," she replied quietly, "Thank you."
"Anytime. And if things don't work out, just come get me and I'll take care of the guy for you," he added as he pushed up his glasses, catching a glare of light across them.
"Y-yes," Yune repeated as a thought crossed her mind, "If you don't mind me saying so, but you reminded me of a father just now."
"A... A father?" Caleb whispered, a sad and weary look crossing his face that Yune had never seen on him before.
"Oh! Did I offend you? My apologies!" Yune said quickly as she stood up from the hospital bed and bowed deeply.
"N-no... You didn't offend me," Caleb said quietly, "You made me rather happy actually," he added as he forced a smile.
"But you seem rather sad as well," Yuuna muttered.
"Sorry," Caleb apologized, "But I am happy."
"Well... I won't ask about why. I know that there are some things that I wouldn't want people asking about as well," Yune said quietly, "Good day, Doctor," she added with a curtsy before she turned to leave the infirmary.
A/N: And there it is! Day 5 of the 7 Day Challenge is complete! I hope you enjoyed it!
Lots of things starting up this chapter it seems. Salina leaving to see the Magic Council, Team Jez is on their way to begin the treasure hunt (what could go wrong?), Sean and Jean are about to begin their infiltration, Arashi is facing off with the remnants of Grimoire Heart (and things ain't looking good so far for him), and is there something romantic starting as well? :3 Well, we'll see how all of this goes tomorrow!
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