Author's Note: Wow, after a few hours of daydreaming, I already have a whole bunch of ideas for the climax and fights of this fanfic! But it's always how to get to that point that really forces me to think... Well anyway, I'm really excited with how this will turn out. Hopefully, you all like it so far!

Here's Chapter 2~ :D

Chapter 2: The Hunters

"Aw man, that job was too easy!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Be quite, Natsu," said Lucy, "Just be happy we were able to get an easy job in the first place. The pay was really good, though! 400,000 Jewels just to catch those thieves?" It's common knowledge that the higher the reward of the job, the more dangerous and difficult it is. This particular job that they took was to catch some thieves causing some trouble in Hargeon. It seemed good, especially to Natsu since they had to make only two train trips: one to Hargeon and one back. As tortuous as it seemed to the Salamander, it is clearly better than riding many slow horse-drawn carriages. Moving on, the reason for the high pay was that the thieves have been around for some time; they were thought to be mages, but alas, they were frauds. Thus, the mission was rather quick. It was no job for mere knights, but it was evident the thieves were clever to have deceived them this whole time.

Lucy let out a happy sigh. "Now I'll be able to pay rent! And perhaps buy some new furniture..." It had been two days since Erza and the others moved in to her apartment, and the fire and ice mages had gotten into more fights than Lucy can handle. Erza, of course, did her best to reprimand them, though in the process she actually helped in the destruction of the apartment. Erza apologized to her friend again as she remembered how much more she'd have to buy again.

"Don't say it was 'too easy' Natsu, especially since you were the one who fell into their trap and nearly blew our cover! Idiot!" said Gray.

"What'd you say?" Natsu growled, standing from his seat.

"You heard me. Your impatience nearly costed us!"

"I took care of 'em anyway! I don't see any reason for you to get mad!"

"I have plenty of reasons to be mad!" They were about to get into one of their many and daily brawls once more, but as Natsu threw the first blow, his fist held back with the slightest hesitation... or rather, a sort of distraction kept him from finishing his attack.

"What the-" His comment was interrupted by Gray's hard fist against his jaw.

"Tch, you're even slower than usual..." he insulted, smirking and ready for another move. However, Natsu's expression turned serious as he noticed something that no one else was able to notice. He sniffed the air and glanced left to right, catching Gray's attention and therefore stopping his violent intentions. "What is it?" Gray asked.

"Something's... different..." he mumbled, staring. His eyes fell upon Cana, Macao, and Wakaba's usual drinking spot, where the three friends were chugging down barrels and barrels of alcohol. He took a step towards them until...

"KYAAAAAAAA!"

Some screams from the distance made all of Fairy Tail turn their heads in question. There were also some crashing noises as well, and some merchandise and other objects were thrown into the air to clear the way. Clearly, something was coming. The citizens of Magnolia ran in a confused fray, scared and oblivious to anything else other than what was coming for them. Some of them ran past the guild, while others ran into the alleys for safety. No one seemed to be hurt, unless they were hit by anything that was thrown out of the way. The main thing that caught their attention, though, was the fact that the source was headed towards the guild.

Lucy shivered, scared, as she came to a fearful theory. "It can't be that Dark Guild... Can it?" she thought. Quickly, she brought her hands to her keys, ready to fight. Even some of the guild members waited nervously at the entrance, wondering what was coming. There was a rhythmic vibration in the ground, like large footsteps, and each time was stronger than the last. Erza's eyes grew more stern while Gray walked out in pursuit of the running Natsu, who was already investigating at the front. Lucy gulped as the source of the chaos came into view.

It was... like a huge metal golem. In fact, it looked similar to the Rock Doll that Sherry made in Galuna Island. The only difference was that it was made of multiple metal plates. Since it was not really a living thing, it was clear that it was made through Maker Magic. Its arms and hands were much larger than its torso and legs, so the creature relied on those to carry its body. Its dark eyes looked at the people staring at it in fear or anxiety. Natsu, Gray, and Erza were probably the only ones who looked at it with courage and determination. A sharp, creaking noise was heard as it turned its head; it seemed to be looking for something. Two men stood on top of its back, and jumped down to speak to everyone in front of them.

One of them landed more gracefully. He had dark, ebony hair tied into a small ponytail in the back, and had bangs that were long enough to cover his left eye. The main clothing that could be seen was his dark blue cloak, and strangely, some belts wrapped around the upper torso over the cloak. The sound of his footsteps made it evident that he was wearing combat boots, and a hilt could be seen sticking out from his cloak; with a closer inspection, it can be concluded that it is a katana. His gaze was calm and composed as he continued in the strange search. His companion, on the other hand, landed heavily. The sound of his landing as well as his huge size made it obvious he was rather muscular. He had short, dirty blonde hair, neatly cut along with his short beard. His blue eyes actually seemed to challenge people rather than search. He bore a large sheathed sword upon his back, one that might have matched his height. His clothing consisted of a simple brown overcoat, tucked in white shirt, and black pants which had its ends tucked into his own boots. His gloved hand reached out to the hilt of his weapon as though he already knew a battle was coming up.

Natsu didn't back down. He held his gaze at the two strangers. "Who are you?"

For about a minute, there was silence. The calmer one of the two glanced at his partner, as though he was asking whether it would be alright to answer or not. His partner gave no sign, however, for he apparently did not care what would happen next. His companion answered, "My name is Lance and my friend here is Morann. We have been looking for a female thief who has been on the run for some time." Everyone who once questioned their motives began to relax slightly.

"We wish to search your guild peacefully. It is rumored that the girl has run off to Magnolia, and the job requested to our guild will not be complete until we bring her to justice." Everything began to make sense. They were just regular mages working for money, and at the same time helping the authorities maintain peace and justice. Lucy thought to herself, "Was it really necessary to ruin most of the Market, though?" It seemed peculiar that they would take such drastic measures. Was it a method to scare the girl from hiding?

Suddenly, Natsu charged at the two men and threw a punch. They both dodged it quickly and landed on opposite sides of him. "NATSU!" Lucy yelled in disbelief, along with other members who wondered at what the Salamander was trying to pull. What was he doing? He lifted his fist from the cracked cement, and looked at them with enlarged, angry eyes.

"You lie! You both reek of blood!" Gray, Erza, Lucy, and Happy's eyes widened in shock. As a Dragonslayer, his senses are much sharper than the average human's. To doubt his sense of smell would be very foolish; these men may not be who they say they are. He straightened up and looked at both of them. "What guild are you from?"

Lance did not bat an eye at the furious boy, though showed some interest as to how his sense of smell was so keen. Morann's grip tightened on his weapon as a malicious and excited grin creeped across his face. Lucy took note of the man's apparent love for battle, as well as the fact that neither quickly tried to correct Natsu. Were they really who they say they are? Lance merely brushed off some dust that settled itself upon his left shoulder. The only eye that could be seen closed in thought. Once he opened them again, he made no attempt to hide anything. He held out his right arm, removing the gauntlet that wrapped itself around it. As the long glove slowly revealed his skin, a guild stamp could be seen.

It was a purple snake curving as though it were the letter "S." Its mouth was open, revealing its sharp, poisonous fangs. Lucy prepared for the worst.

"We are from the Dark Guild known as Serpent's Tongue. We don't wish to fight with you, unless of course, you want to be the fourth guild to fall..." Lucy, sadly, was really not ready to hear that, nor did she want to. To take down three guilds was enough proof that they should not be underestimated; finding out that it took only those two to take down all of them would be even worse! As Natsu's suspicions were proved to be true, he set his fists on fire, glaring at Lance.

"You bastards...!"

Meanwhile, inside the Fairy Tail building where no one was looking, an empty and disposed barrel of beer in the corner of the room made a small but quiet shuffle...

It's really better to imagine this with Hiro Mashima's style of drawing... Okay, I forgot the disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. The only ones that belong to me are Lance, Morann, and the upcoming OCs that you basically don't find in the manga itself. I hope that so far they're not cliche... And if you think they are, stick around and you'll find out just why they act the way the do! Seriously, I'm not making Lance all calm to make him look cool...

Um... Review please!