A/N: Day 6 starting now! Whew... nearly... there... just... one... more... day...
This chapter... I felt like I had to force my way through so much... I think I'm reaching my limit of how many days I can go in a row...
Okay! I'd like to thank ManhattanTheory, SaiyaStyles, WaterDragonMaverick, MyDearWatson, QueenKazza, GhostOfOnyx, Hikari903278, LightandDarkHeart, Reitzel-chan, and potentialauthor18 for their reviews last chapter!
ManhattanTheory- Yeah, Arc of Embodiment is one of the most OP magics in Fairy Tail, but when you're Mashima, you can give anyone magic like that.
SaiyaStyles- Heh, now that I think about it, yeah, Dr. Pherl does sound like Dr. Phil. And yeah, even though humanity claims to know a whole lot, there's still even more to learn. But hey, at least Jean is motivated to do his best, so you gotta give the little pervert that much credit. And yeah, Salina's picked up some shrewd political skills from someone in her past, but more on that in the future, or should I say past?
WaterDragonMaverick- Yeah, Jayne has been friends with Roseala's summons pretty much as soon as she met them and yeah, VariKari would be a ship that Jayne would try to sail as soon as she learned about it. And there's quite a bit to learn about Sean and Jean, and like I said, at least the little pervert is motivated. Yeah, there's a lot to learn about Arashi's past, but I'll let the story speak for itself and yeah, Rustyrose is very symbolic and poetic in his speech, so I figured that "puppeteer" was a very fitting way for him to refer to Euclid. Now how exactly will Arashi escape from the Tower of Dingir? Hmm... Anyways, you'll just have to wait for the full rundown of Caleb's history.
MyDearWatson- Maybe... possibly... there is hope that it might happen. And who knows, maybe something will happen in the ruins. As for those last two pairings that Solvieg saw... you'll just have to wait. Kain Hikaru was the character that was eating ice cream if you still don't remember, but yeah, Arashi has a pretty interesting past and he's in a downright pickle since he's caught in the Tower of Dingir. And yep! As Yune is a romantic at heart, she's the first character to have a noticeable crush on somebody, being Ladon. And yeah, I explored another side of Caleb's personality last chapter and that whole scene was honestly on a complete whim if I'm honest (it was either that or more Euclid, but I decided to give the poor broker a break for once).
QueenKazza- I'm happy to hear that you're pleased with how Jayne was portrayed last chapter! Hopefully I'll continue to do as well, if not better, this chapter. And what could possibly go wrong with a seemingly harmless treasure hunt?
GhostOfOnyx- Yep, Sean and Jean are making their way to the research facility. And it should definitely be an interesting fight against Grimoire Heart. And I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed Solvieg and the moment between Caleb and Yune. I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Hikari903278- Yep, just one more chapter after this one. And honestly, I'm glad that the end of the challenge is just right over the horizon, things have been so hectic for me this past week, so I'm pretty exhausted. And well, you've still got some time to figure out how to get your idea to me, the GMG's are still a ways off since there's another Story Arc before them.
LightandDarkHeart- Yeah, Jayne has a lot of different ships and the YuuDon was strong last chapter. And yes! Rustyrose and Kain Hikaru are back and causing trouble for Arashi. As for your hunch: no comment.
Reitzel-chan- I'm just happy to get a review, so it's alright if you can't review for a while. But have fun on your trip! I wouldn't be able to since I get seasick on large boats (I'm perfectly fine on things like rowboats though). And I do wish that I could've made Caleb's and Horace's mission longer, but time restraints and all that, plus with Caleb's magic as it is, he could make Gin's magic pretty useless. And it was actually smarter of Ajax and Rayner to fight at that moment, especially since Caleb wasn't there since he would've knocked them both out... again, where Salina will actually let them fight for a little bit. And I'd say that Euclid is "helping" the bandaged man at this point since he's trying to figure out how he works, since like he said, you sometimes have to go along with someone's scheme to figure out what it is. And Sean is more skilled than most people give him credit for, he just doesn't like attracting attention to himself, so we'll see how his mission goes soon. And I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed that scene between Caleb and Yune.
potentialauthor18- Well... I'm glad that you looked forward to the chapter so much! Yeah, I definitely got a BK201 feel from Sean when I first got his profile. What with him being a Lightning Mage that wears a black coat and a white mask when goes on important missions (I've even been listening to the soundtrack of Darker Than Black when writing his scenes). And yeah, Team Jez's mission is so far so good. What could possibly go wrong? And I'm happy to hear that you liked the interactions in that part and you may be on to something for one of them. And the last scene with Caleb and Yune was all done on a whim, but I'm glad to hear that you liked it so much and yeah, Caleb actually implied something a few chapters back after the run in with Twilight Ogre.
Credits:
Wymond Bishop- dreadburner94
I don't own Fairy Tail!
I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 20
Three figures stood on a cliff, overlooking the base of the remnants of Grimoire Heart with grim looks on their faces.
"So you know the man that went in there?" a blue-haired man with a tattoo on his face asked.
The dark purple-haired woman simply nodded as she watched the confrontation with her crystal ball, "Yes, he left the guild shortly before we took in Meredy. She was actually his replacement in the Seven Kin. I heard that he joined a guild two or so years ago."
"If he's a friend of yours, then we should go and help him, Ul," the pinkette nearby suggested.
The blue-haired man continued to stare down at the structure below the cliff, the remnants of an airship that bore the symbol of the Dark Guild that it housed, Grimoire Heart, "This will be one of our most difficult battles yet, but... for the sake of Ultear's friend, we must prevail," he stated as they watched the Tower of Dingir rise from the ruined airship as the sun dipped beneath the horizon.
. : + : .
"See?" Jezabelle whispered as she snuck into the ruins as the sky began to darken, Jayne, Roseala, and Dante following her, "Most of the monsters are leaving the ruins."
"I can still smell some of them lurking about inside," Dante grumbled.
"Really Dante?" Roseala asked, "What else can you smell?"
"Hmm..." the lion man hummed as he concentrated, "Humans... three of them."
"Do you think that they might be treasure hunters?" Jayne asked.
"It's possible," Jezabelle admitted, "Any sensible treasure hunter would enter a desert ruin at night, most desert predators take shelter in them during the day to stay out of the sun."
"In that case we should hurry!" Jayne announced as she took off.
"Jayne! Wait!" Roseala called out as she chased after her friend, Dante following her.
"Hey! You guys!" Jezabelle yelled as she tried to follow them.
"EEK!" she heard Jayne shriek, closely followed by another shriek that sounded like Roseala.
"Dammit!" she cursed as she saw a trap door close, "I was just about to explain that there might be traps too," Jezabelle huffed, "Guess I better try and find them," she added as she began running through the ruins.
. : + : .
"Owowowow," Roseala moaned as Dante reappeared next to her."
"Are you alright Roseala?" the man asked.
"Yes, but where's Jayne?" she asked as began frantically looking around her.
"D-down here~," she heard her friend groan from beneath her.
"Sorry!" Roseala apologized as she quickly hopped off of Jayne, allowing her to stand up.
"Where are we?" she asked as she stood up and straightened her back.
"You both fell down a trap door," Dante answered, "I believe that Jezabelle wished to warn you of possible traps."
"Ahehehehe," Jayne laughed as she scratched her cheek in embarrassment, "Well I guess we'll have to try and find her then."
"But where do we even start?" Roseala asked nervously as she looked around, "There are a bunch of different passages around us.
"Hmm... Eenie-Meenie-Miney-MOE!" Jayne shouted as she pointed to a random passage.
"We should go this way, I smell humans," Dante said suddenly as he pointed towards the opposite passage way.
"Oh! Then those treasure hunters might help us!" Roseala exclaimed, "Good job Dante!"
"Yeah... good job Dante..." Jayne muttered.
"Please, you flatter me," he smirked proudly.
. : + : .
"Drop me on that catwalk," Sean ordered as Jean flew in towards the facility, dropping him off on the catwalk on the outside of the building near a door, "Now I just have to pick this lock, keep a lookout."
"Got it!" Jean whispered as his partner began his work, quickly finishing.
"Okay, you wait out here for me to call you like we planned," Sean whispered as he slowly opened the door, "I'll call you via communication lachrima if I get into trouble," he added as he quickly and quietly entered the facility, not waiting for a response from Jean.
As Sean quietly ran through the facility, he saw all sorts of experimental magic tools and weapons. Most were still being developed, but he saw quite a few that were being tested and most of those were weapons of war.
'Just what is this facility?' the Lightning Mage asked himself, 'Shouldn't the Magic Council have learned by now that developing super weapons always ends badly? Or do they really think that they can keep things secret forever?'
Sean quickly shook himself of his thoughts and pressed on, finding a ventilation shaft that led downwards, quickly descending down a few floors before he exited the shaft and conveniently finding a map of the inside posted on the wall that had a big red arrow with the words 'You are hear!' next to it, marking Sean's location in the facility.
'I guess people get lost in here,' he thought as he examined the map, finding that the storage facilities were a few floors lower and a that a staircase leading down was not far from his location, 'This is too easy,' Sean smirked as he saw an unaware researcher open the doors to the storage area.
"Who-mmpf!?" the researcher yelped as Sean covered the man's mouth with his hand.
"Where is the doll that was brought in earlier?" he asked, his voice muffled by the mask he was wearing, "Uh-uh," he chastised as the man tried to speak, punishing him with a small electric shock, "Write it on the wall," Sean ordered as he placed a piece of chalk in the man's hand as he guided him over to a wall, seeing the man write down 'Storage Crate 673'.
"Mmm?" the man hummed, as if asking if he could go.
"Approximately where in the facility?" Sean asked, seeing the man write, 'Near the back right corner' on the wall, "Thank you," Sean whispered as he placed his hand on the back of the man's head, knocking him unconscious with an electric shock, 'Better clean up,' he thought to himself as he wiped away the chalk on the wall before finding a spot to hide the researcher in.
"Crate 673," Sean repeated as he made his way to the back right corner, finding the crate as it was being picked up by a crane, "No!" he shouted a bit louder than he meant to as he jumped up and grabbed the crate's latch, getting pulled up into the air along with it before being carried over to what seemed to be an office that overlooked the storage area.
"Welcome, dear guest!" a middle-aged man greeted from the catwalks above the storage area.
The man stood at about 5'7" with a stout build and grayish skin. He had droopy, tired looking brown eyes and his graying blond hair was cut in a short crop hair-cut with a bald spot forming on the top of his head, and he had a neatly trimmed goatee, beard, and sideburns. The man was wearing a brown, leather duster over a green vest and a white dress shirt. He also wore a pair of black slacks and brown leather shoes. He also had a brown, leather bag slung over his shoulder.
"My name is Wymond Bishop, Head Researcher of this facility! Our mutual... friend told me that someone might come for this doll." the man snickered.
. : + : .
It was a horrible situation, Arashi was being pulled up into the air by the Tower of Dingir, one of Rustyrose's most powerful spells, and he knew that it was only a matter of time before the tower exploded.
"Shit!" the S-Class Mage cursed as he tried to pull himself free to no avail. He could barely see Rusty down below him, laughing maniacally as he prepared to detonate the tower before he saw what looked like an orb of crystal strike the man in the face.
"Meteor!" he heard someone call out as he saw a man in a blue cloak fly through the air towards him, surrounded by a brilliant light as he pulled Arashi from the tower, moments before it's detonation.
"The hell are..." Arashi started to ask as the blue-haired man set Arashi down on the ground, "Ultear!" he shouted as he saw his one-time comrade and friend, "Why are you here?"
"Arashi..." the woman said quietly as she turned to look at the Aether Mage, before looking back at her two former guild mates with a serious look on her face, "We'll have time to explain later."
"Ah... It seems as though we're having a reunion of demons and cast-offs," Rustyrose said as he rubbed his cheek, "The eldest and the youngest members of our kin have returned with their tool it seems."
"M-M-M-M-M-Meredy!" Kain shouted nervously, "Wh-w-w-w-why..."
"We're hear to stop you and to save Ul's friend!" Meredy answered as she quickly translated what the large man had to say, causing the large man to take on a serious expression.
"Then as a member of the Seven Kin of Purgatory... I will crush you!" the large man said darkly as he pulled out a small doll and plucking a hair from his head as he placed onto the doll.
"Shall the demons and cast-offs commence their festival of blood?" Rustyrose asked as his arm transformed into his Jet Black Sword.
"Jellal, be careful," Ultear warned as they took their stances, each side waiting for the other to make a move.
. : + : .
Camille walked through the moonlit streets of Hargeon and in her hands was an old and beat up oil-paper umbrella that couldn't open without falling apart. She felt a bit guilty for stealing it out of Salina's room while she was gone, but she, Rayner, and Miriam all decided to pitch in and get it repaired for their Guild Master's birthday in a few days.
Camille was wearing a far more casual outfit due to the rain, consisting of a burgundy jacket that was lined with dark gray stripes and a hood, a black t-shirt, black jeans, and burgundy tennis shoes that had dark gray diagonal lines on the sides of them. Camille's hair was also let down, allowing her blond hair to fall down to her shoulder blades and even though she wasn't too fond of wearing hats, she was wearing a black beanie that her master, Zander, had given her.
"Alistar~!" she heard a few girls whine, "C'mon, please stay for a little while longer," they begged as Camille watched the S-Class Mage leave a restaurant.
"S-sorry!" he apologized, "But I can't stay all night. The Guild Master's out of town so we S-Class Mages are responsible for the guild."
"Wow! So she put you in charge while she's away?" a girl asked.
"Well, not just me..." he started to say as the girls' fantasies started to grow in their minds, 'Here we go again," he moaned inwardly.
"Master Velvet has much more sense than to leave the well-being of the guild in the hands of this man," Camille interjected as she approached the small group, quickly earning her the ire of the small crowd.
"Who's this creep?" one of the girl's asked.
"Yeah, tell him to get out of here Alistar!"
"Him?" Alistar repeated with a confused expression.
"Yeah! You aren't going to let him get away with insulting you right?"
"Nah, she's never liked me," Alistar grinned as he realized that they thought Camille was a boy.
"That's a girl?"
"Yeah, Camille's also one of the guild's founders too," he added as the girls' complexion paled as they realized that they had just tried to gang up on one of Undine's Cove's founding members.
"Please continue with what you girls were saying," Camille said calmly, "If you have any complaints about Undine's Cove, it is my duty to address them as one of the guild's founding members," she added as the girls quickly left, bidding farewell to Alistar.
"You came at just the right time, those girls were getting annoying," the S-Class Mage sighed.
"It's your fault for leading them all on in the first place!" the Gunblader snapped, "It's as if you try and pick up every girl you meet!"
"Yeah, I don't really try to either," he admitted.
"How is that any better!?" Camille asked, "In fact it's worse!"
"Well yeah, but at least I don't go around trying to pick up every girl in town. It just happens," the red head shrugged.
"Have you ever tried turning them away?"
"Of course I've tried telling them that I'm not interested, but have you ever tried to reason with fangirls? It's like trying to tell a brick wall to get up and stand somewhere else," Alistar explained, "What are you doing out here anyways?" he asked in an effort to change the subject.
"Oh... Rayner, Miriam, and myself decided to get this restored for Master's birthday," Camille answered as she held out the old umbrella.
"Her birthday?" Alistar repeated, placing his hand on his chin in thought, "Well why stop at a single present? Let's just throw one big party for her," he suggested, shocking Camille.
"That's actually a wonderful suggestion coming from a man like you," Camille said in a slight tone of awe.
"What do you mean 'from a man like me'?" he asked.
A/N: This chapter gave me all sorts of trouble, so the scenes were a bit shorter than I'd like them to be... but I managed to get it done before midnight.
Well, the final day of the challenge is tomorrow!
Please remember to leave a review!
Your Host,
dreadburner94.