The houses along the main road were shattered and there were fires breaking out in the whole village. The settlers ran around in chaos, the bravest ones tried to turn over the tanks with rain water on the roofs, but many did not suceed because of the fire barriers that fastly consumed all the wooden buildings.
In the middle of all this, two mage, that came to the lonely village the evening before, ran out of the hostel to vitness the horrors of the fire.
„Iron Dragon´s ROAR!"
sounded as a thunder through the night´s darkness Gajeels voice, as the dragon slayer unleashed a powerful tornado into the air, to sweet the fires away.
But as an attack, that is originally made to shatter the oponent, the tornado had not enough power to blow all the fires out, though it helped a bit in the fight against it.
„Let Juvia handle it!"
called out the rain to the iron mage, as he was getting ready to let out another roar out of his mouth. And so the male mage turned over, to finally vitness the powers of a water mage.
The pale, skinny body of the girl that stood beside him broke down in a strong water stream, that was shot out into the sky. The water creature overlooked the village and the flames that harrased it and as an angel from above the sky, the creature stretched out it´s hands and a heavy rain covered the area in a matter of seconds.
Gajeel stepped under a little roof, to move out of the rains way and looked over the shattered place, as the villagers thanked got for sending them the rain in such an urging moment.
The fire was put out in less than a minute, and the rain stopped with it.
„It was no ordinary fire…"
remarked the water creature, forming it´s body in front of the Iron mage after the threat was dealt with.
„Figured as much." Came the quick answer from the iron mage, that was watching the rain woman assembeling her body. „These were no ordinary explosions as well…"
he looked at the shattered, and halfly burned, front wall of the hostel they´ve been sleeping in. This was by mages. Now it truly seemed, that there has truly been formed a dark guild at the two peaks to the north. But none of the duo knew, why they would want to drive out the people of this maybe. Off course they could have been doing this for fun…but it just didn´t seem that way.
The sun was rising above the little hills and fnally showed the full destruction of the village. The rain, that has so miracolously appeared the last night, has saved many houses and even more lives, but it was still horrific how many places were destroyed.
Many men decidec to abandon the place and had just began to pack their things, as the others came out of to see if the buildings they lived in could be repaired. And there were two more people, who were interrested to see the whole place at daylight, hoping to find something, they might have missed by their investigation right after the fire outbrake.
Gajeelstood tall behind one of the houses and stared grim into a hole in the grassy land. The two mages have found this unusual crater in the night, but wanted to také a second look at it now, that they could see much better. The water woman was kneeling down in the hole and looking into the dark-brown soil.
„Juvia can not find any clues here"
she stated and began to clib her way back up. They suspected something, or someone, that has caused this whole mess, must have landed right here, making this hole and then proceeding to making the fire.
„There ain´t nothing left here then, up to the twins."
annouced the iron mage, not wanting to waste time on helping the villagers. The rain woman has saved them yesterday, but they have no idea and keep thanking a „god" or whatever. They should at least give her some money…that was Gajeel´s view anyway. But it seemed she had no problem with their ignorance.
„Juvia thinks there might be some more things to investigate around here."
„Ai n´t no good…the best thing is to get them face to face, not fuck around here."
he looked up to the mountains
„other places might get burned by them."
The woman did not say anything, only a nod showed that she would follow the iron mage up if he decided to part immediately. After all, there was nothing to hold them in place anymore. They could not také the supplies of these people in need and too many investigations could cost them the element of suprise, as they planned to storm the twins and get whatever was hidden there. But they could get into imense trouble if they unintencionaly stormed a whole fully fledged guild up there. But off cource they had to get there first.
And with all that in their heads, the mages left theburned village behind their backs.
It took the Fairy Tail members a few more days before they reached the first mountain border. It seemed the fire attacks did not end, as they have seen some burning lights on the horizon by their travels, but they were too far away and even the water mage could not summon rain to such a distant location. As for now, they did not see anything even if it was day. The storm that the locals spoke of has covered the lower part of the mountains into a mixture of foggy ocen with ocassional dust swirls. It would be enough to keep away the settlers, but it was not such a big obstacle for the two mages to overcome.
As far as Gajeel was concerned, his iron skin had no problem with the sharp and hard particles that the wind threw in his way, but the fog made him feel uncomfortable, as his clothes were getting more and more moist. Juvia had nothing against the fog, being skilled with water in the amout of making it go away for a bit so they could look around, and the other things could not harm her in her water state at all.
But even then it was not easy to find the way out of the neverending ocean. After a halfday of wasted time, they both agreed (Juvia suggesting and Gajeel frowning) that it would be best to settle in a cave slot.
The Iron mage was angry, squeezing the water out of hair, he frowned and his anger filled the little dry place with a rather depressing atmosphere.
Not only did the water in the air do him no good, but there, just a few meters from him, sat the water itself in a person and he had to drag it along. Fucking watery weather was making him crazy. Two things, two things he hated, lightnings and water, and Laxus was not around…
„Can´t ya sweep it away?"
the mage asked angrily, sitting finally down on the rocky floor.
„Juvia could try it, and maybe the dragon´s roar could work as well, but Juvia did not want to cause a commotion." She explained, sounding a bit dissapointed, that she could not help her fellow guildmate.
Now that she mentioned it, Gajeel had to agree that they should not use too powerful magic as that could either be heard or sensed by whoever has settled down up above them.
The Iron dragon pulled once again the old paper out of his pocket and looked at it.
„only a guardian in the night"
was it supposed to mean they could enter the peeks only when it was night? Or was there someguardian that would sleep at night so they could not enter during the day? If there was such a creature, Gajeel would defeat it anyway.
He shook his head. A single paper would not get them anywhere anyway. But the COULD really use his dragon roar to get of the foggy area down here. Maybe if they wouldn´t get out of here for one more day…he wanted to challenge these guyes anyway, so why not do it right away?
But the water age would not like that, she insisted on a secret assault, not wanting to take too many risks.
„We might not be able to get out of the fog anyway, ya know?"
said the iron mage, hoping to defend his future loud attack at that damned watery substance in the air. „Juvia will do all she can for us to get out of here."
the water woman jumped up, showing her fighting spirit.
That was rght, she did become quite cheerful since they were in the Fairie´s guild, and it didn´t rain around her that much as in their phantom days.
„Juvia will find a way out, Redfox, you stay where it´s dry"
She walked over to the exit of the slot, changed into water again, and vanished in thin air. Gajeel could take it as mockery, that she left him there, but he grinned instead. That woman really had some fighting spirit. It was a pretty good change from her cold expession.
And so he decided he would at least take a nap, as he was finally out of that fucking fog, and even finally alone after all that damned time.
It was already dark when the iron mage woke up. Luckily for him, his eyes could kepp up with any darkness, as long as it wasn ´t magic. But it was a thing thing that he smelled, that made him open his eyes. The smell of a rainy day…the rain woman was back.
He shook his head and ruffeled his hair. The watery figure was entering the cave right when he sat back up.
„Juvia has found a way." Came the report, but she didn´t sound like it was the only thing she found.
„Juvia has found the night guardian as well." She remarked and Gajeel lifted his non-existing eyebrows.
„And what does he guard?"
„The entrance into the mountain it seems." Juvia looked at the iron mage. They both thought that there would be single little cave inside one of the twinse´s peaks, but if what Juvia was telling was the truth, then the whole mountain was a cave itself.
„We gotta go then." Began the iron mage to get up.
Now it made sense. Only the guardian could get them into the cave compley IN the mountain, that was what the map said.
Good he had that rain woman with him, or he would have been climbing those damn twins for nothing.
They both got on their way into the fog again. Gajeel with his raincoat on, as he was tired of wiping the water of his iron skin everytime they stopped. The water eoman was on the first position this time, holding onto the side of the mountain while walking.
„Juvia has seen the guardian from afar, but it truly seems as a creature f the night."
she whispered, probably not really sure as how near they were to the guardian´s position after all these minutes of walking.
The fog has cleared a bit and Gajeel could see that they are walking over a thin walkway, around 10cm wide, and that they are climbing up guite sharply.
The question why has answered itself once the fog has cleared completely. Had they have been following the wider path down belov, they would walk rigt into the creature of the night.
It was a rocky structure in the mountine´s wall, covered with some engravings, that truly did look like a door. In front of it stood a big, mechanic night bird. An owl. That explained the „in the night" part.
The animal had a pair of red glowing exes and turned it´s hear right and left every few seconds.
„Maybe it is only there to question Juvia and Redfox."
the rain woman whispered while watching the mechanic animal turn it´s head.
„It ain´t no animal…"
Gajeel smelled it in the air. It was the scent of a human, and a sweaty one for that. Inside that mechanic construction was someone who operated it.
Before the water mage could say anything, Gajeel jumped over the cliff right down into the niche with the mechanical guardian.
Even if the thing was out of metal, it had no chance against the power of the iron mage´s body.
As soon as the iron mage hit the ground, the mechanic owl turned around and one of it´s wings went in his way. But the mechanic animal wasn´t the only fast thing around. Gajeel jumped over it and got up tall in front of the 5 meter big guardian.
„Knock knock…" grinned the mage at the bird, standing now right between him and the door. The owl´s exes burned. „Turn away villager."
sounded a metal voice out of the insides of the structure. Now the iron mage was sure that there was a human inside.
„Ain´t no villager, ya should open up that fucking door, ya know."
grinned the mage with his hands crossed on his chest.
And there came the second blow. Gajeel got down and dodged it. But the other wing came right behind it. He blocked it with the side of his hand, being happy for his iron skin under the raincoat, as the wing´s sides were as sharp as swords.
„Iron dragon´s club"
came Gajeel´s other hand forward, pushing the guardian away and knocking him over to the ground.
„A mage…" came a quick realization out of the metalizet creature and it seemed the guardian was no longer interested in the fight, as he turned around to something on the wall.
„The fight ain´t over…" laugh the iron mage, pursuing the owl as it was getting closer to the door.
As the owl got closer, there came another mechanic thing out of the door, looking like a lock of some king. „Fuck he´s wanna get away…"
Got the iron mage his seriousness back and got faster.
„water lock!"
came another voice into the fight between the two and before the animal could turn it´s head, it was all covered in water, soon swimming in a water prison made by Juvia.
„Juvia didn´t want to interrupt, but Juvia saw he wanted to call for help…"
came an apology for the interference from the rain woman, still standing above the place where Gajeel and the ball of water was.
The iron mage did not say anything, rater than that, he continued to walk towards the mechanic lock, ignorig the gigantinc water lock, as that was now the rain woman´s business.
Juvia jumped down, ending up next to the part of her water prison, where the owl´s head was.
She moved her heand to the side and the enormous mechanic body began to fall apart inside the her both the Fairy Tail mages could see the actuall guardian.
he was about the size of Makarov, tough twise as wide and with a red beard, struggeling to survive inside the watery ball.
Gajeel looked at the actuall threat and decided it was a waste of time. Instead, he looked at the lock.
„We gonna need a key for this." He commented it´s shape.
Juvia looked at the lock and made another gesture in the air, that took apart even the last part of the mechanic owl, looking around her own prison to find it.
„Juvia has it."
she announced seconds later, throwing the key with the help of her water right into the iron mage´s hands. „Juvia desn´t think this one is a mage" she said, while Gajeel was intercepting the key itself.
„Throw him down the mountain then…" came his comment, and the man in her water lock began to toss around.
„oh, no, Juvia will just leave him drown…" stepped the rain woman forward to her guildmate, as he was right about to stivk the key into the lock.
It fit in perfectly. His turning then began a slow movement of the whole door structure. Both mages watched the engravings as it opened.
It looked like there truly was a giant owl guarding this place, and it allowed the sick to enter to be healed. But it did not look at all like the mechanic one.
„Our friend here must have taken it´s place after it dissapeared…"
Juvia wondered as the door opened and turnd back to her water creation, to see how her prisoner was slowly loosing consciousness.
„or after they have killed them…" came another theory from the iron mage, as the water woman released the prison and all the mechanic parts fell to the ground, even the little man.
And it was then that the two mages noticed the tatoo on the man´s forearm.
„The man…it is a guild´s tatoo…"
„Not right, that guy ain´t no mage…" sounded the iron dragon´s voice, but he saw it too, and it was more then clear. This comfirmed everything.
There was really a new guild up here. But they have really never seen an ordinary human in one. And other questions rose with it.
„Juvia sensed magic in the armour, but the man is no mage."
They both looked puzzeled down on the man on the ground. Was this maybe a guild of mechanic creatures ruled by a single mage that designed and made them? Or was this just an exception? But why would he have a tatoo then?
„Seems like it ain´t gonna be just easy…"
grinned the iron mage finally. It was a mystery, a challenging mystery he has truly been waiting for.
And as the door of the mountain stopped, fully opened and in the waiting for someone to pass through it, the two mages pulled out the key of the lock, so the bearded man would not comm after them when he woke up. And the engraved door began to close behind the two, as they went into the halls of the mountain and into an enemy guild´s territory at the same time.