Fairy Tail Origins Parva Alliance AU Rewritten
Chapter Six: Divinus Magia's First Group Mission
It had been one year since the incident on Lucas's first day of school. Lucas had been filled in on the Rosevale girls and tried to keep an eye out for when they were up to some sort of trouble. Has was the norm. Has a matter of fact from what the Divinus Magia students had learned because of the girls getting more volent to the point the headmaster was considering expelling them. Though like David and Mario had told him only Cyanean and Mayola's parents were trying to address their behavior along with a number of the other parents of students that were on their side.
As for the three students from Divinus Magia that were currently attending the academy they had done well for themselves so far. They were achieving decent grades and the teachers had very few if any genuine complaints about them. In fact if anything they had nothing but good things to say about them. From helping keep the amount of bullying down to helping with school events their transcripts were filled to brim with good things that they had done.
In the meantime the Divinus Magia guild continued to live in harmony with one another and the rest of the guilds in the kingdom of Atlantide. Life hadn't changed much for the guild except for having more disposable income to use amongst its members.
Today the guild was packing up to head to a village that was under the kingdom's control called Valmora. They had received two group quest to that village that both talked about a dark guild that was abducting children of various ages. One of the quest was from parents that daughter and niece was taken by the guild and the other was from the mayor requesting that the dark guild be delt with. The name of the guild was unknown, but Mario suspected that this dark guild was connected to his old one somehow.
His reasoning for this was mostly circumstantial in nature but had some logic behind it. Mario's old guild was known for taking in wandering orphans that were kicked out of their orphanages improperly and kidnapping powerful children from their families has well. This dark guild was known to do the same. Furthermore the guild mark that some witnesses saw on the members of this guild bore similarities to the Reaper's hand's guild mark.
The thing about joining Divinus Magia was that you had more access to information about dark guilds. That being said that it was a little-known fact that many people didn't know was that Dark guild tended to go by multiple names in different locations. This was so it was harder to locate them and their members with the multitude of false identities that they had. The Reaper's Hand was especially known to do this along with all of its affiliates.
Of course this wasn't enough to prove that it was them or one of their affiliates alone. But Mario did have one piece of evidence that made this theory likely. The fact that Mario had seen the guild mark of the guild attacking that village before at the Reaper's Hand Base when the leader was having a meeting with the leader of that guild. Of course that was a few years ago so it wasn't exactly a good primary source.
Ritchie had taken Mario's assessment into consideration and agreed to take the former dark mage's assessment into account. He believed that it wasn't unlikely that The Reaper's Hand could be involved given the village's locations in relation to Everston academy.
It wasn't unlikely that they heard that Mario was attending the school. Afterall with the spotlight that Divinus Magia had been given due to being one of the few rehabilitation guilds to send their minors to such a school it wasn't uncommon knowledge that they were attending the school for the next few years.
It also was a widely known fact that anyone who joined and left a dark guild no matter how they joined, and left were always hunted by their old guild. This was especially true in the case of those who had powerful and rare magic like Mario had.
When you considered these factors through the lens of Mario's past with the Reaper's Hand and their history of going to extremes to get back members that escaped and quit their guild, it wasn't unlikely that they were in that village to try and find Mario and some more powerful children to force into their services.
When one looked into the history of The Reaper's Hand there had been many times that they used a fake dark guild to trick their former guild member into thinking that they had nothing to worry about then kidnap them when they least expect it and gather any other more powerful children that they could find.
When Ritchie looked at the pattern that had been noticed by the villagers and peacekeeper guards he noticed he saw many similarities to times when the reaper's hand had done this in the past. Therefore despite most of this evidence appearing to be circumstantial, it was still a feasible argument. Of course they couldn't say if it was The Reaper's Hand or not until they had more solid evidence. But they still couldn't ignore the possibility. At least it was a new dark guild that admired The Reaper's Hand or at the worst it is a fake dark guild that they had made to gather more children.
With this information in mind, the guild set out to the village of Celeri which neighbored the village of Helmscott that had been destroyed a few years ago and was in the process of being rebuilt as a memorial. So far things had gone well with the quest, and they had arrived at the city.
"Alright everyone, we're here. Remember that we need to be extremely careful in the handling of these quest. I want everyone to stay together while we meet with the clients and make sure to keep an eye out for any dark guild members." Ritchie ordered his guildmates calmly as he looked over the area with a keen eye.
The village was quiet, far too quiet for a village of this size. Not surprising considering that a dark guild was nearby. Divinus Magia made their way through the village to find someone that Ritchie and Brandon knew well.
At the meeting point, which was a homeless shelter, they found two people waiting for them. However while they were strangers to the majority of the guild, too their leader's they were anything but. The duo consisted of a man and a woman who appeared to be married. The woman had white hair like that of Brandon's and had brown eyes. Her dress was made of dull, worn fabric and had holes in some places. Has for the man he had blond hair with blue eyes.
Like Brandon and Ritchie they instantly recognized the strangers recognized the two of them. "Ritchie, Brandon! I didn't expect to see the two of you here?!" The woman smiled at the two of them warmly.
"Aunt Veronica and Uncle Edvard! What are you two doing here in this town? Haven't you heard what's been going on around here? Wait how did you even get into this world? Last we saw you guys you were still at the resistance base." Ritchie asked happy to see them but worried for their safety.
"We found a portal after your father attacked our new base in order to escape we went through the portal with your sister and cousin. After coming here we didn't have much money, so we haven't been able to get out of this place. One day your cousin was out looking for a job but didn't come home. A few days later a dark guild attacked our shelter and took your sister. We sent a quest to the royal guilds to inform them of the problem but we they have been busy lately due to an increase in criminal activity. They sent a guild called Divinus Magia there supposed to be here any minute now." The man now known has Edvard explained calmly. Ritchie looked to his brother.
"Yeah about that… That would be us and our friends here." Brandon explained calmly to his aunt and uncle. which made them pause has Ritchie showed them the quest from that they signed and their guild mark which denoted which guild they belonged to.
"I see… The people at the grand master's office refused to tell them about your guild beyond its name and the fact that you were equipped to handle matters like this." Veronica smiled at them with a frown.
"While the grand master is supposed to tell you this information beforehand I assure you aunt that me and my brother's guild is more than capable of handling this kind of quest." Ritchie smiled at his aunt and uncle kindly.
"If you say so my boy. Now then we should probably tell you about the quest but first why don't you introduce your friends here to us?" Edvard asked kindly has he looked at the guild members before him. After they were introduced Veronica began to explain what she knew about what happened in the village and how it pertained to their quest.
"It started about two weeks after we settled here. The locals were talking about how some dark mages were about and that they seemed to be part of a dark guild. Me your uncle, cousin and sister were staying here until me and your uncle, cousin and I could find some jobs so that we could afford a house for us to live in and all the other necessities that come with it. Then the dark guild started to attack the village and taking children and some of the adults including your cousin and sister!" Veronica explained to the guild with a concerned frown. "We'd try to fight them, but their magic is very different than ours. We'd likely not stand a chance against them. That's why we called for the royal guilds!"
"Then they directed you to us… I see, understand the situation better now though something is bothering me. Since when did we have a sister?" Brandon asked his aunt having no recollection of having any other siblings other than Ritchie.
"Oh right you wouldn't know because once they kidnapped you they threw you two in the dungeon to "teach you a lesson." Well you see, you two might not know this but after we got custody of the two of you for the second time your parents wanted to have another child in hopes that they could mold them into being a perfect pawn for their plan. The emperor and his wife got word of this and had us take custody of her since your parents hadn't served their time and took the parental classes that the court wanted them to take, and we accepted. In other words your both big brothers now." Veronica explained happily to her nephews.
Brandon and Ritchie looked at each other for a moment. Before they made their escape from Solode castle their parents had scolded them for not setting an example for their family. This struck them as odd as normally they would be told to set an example for the kingdom. They also remembered their mother holding her stomach from time to time.
Elated at the news of a new family member they both smiled at the news of a new family members. "Really?! Can we meet her?" Ritchie asked happily at the thought of having another younger sibling and a sister at that, to look after.
"And cousin Karoline is here too? It's been so long since we've seen her. It'd be nice to see her before we go." Brandon smiles at the thought of seeing his cousin that he and his brother had been raised besides like that of siblings after so long.
Edvard and Veronica looked sad when they asked. "I'm sorry my boys but afraid that that's not possible at the moment. The dark guild took them about two weeks ago…" Edvard sighed sadly has the two brothers frowned.
"Don't worry uncle, we'll just go and find them. That's what we were supposed to do here anyway. Right brother?" Ritchie asked with a clam tone. Brandon nodded knowing what this meant. "Don't worry about the cost of the quest either we'll handle it okay?"
"Thank you dears. We only have so much money at the moment. We can barely cover the fee has been. We don't even have enough money to hold a bank account. At best we only have enough money to afford a place here in the shelter and the basic essentials." Veronica explained softly and kindly.
"It's clear that there were some errors in the paperwork. Don't worry about that though, we can handle that has well. For now Divinus Magia let's get more information on them. Bjorn take the north side of town, Rosea you're in charge of the south side me and Brandon will take the east and west sides respectively." Richie ordered his guild with a clam tone that held barely concealed anger within.
It wasn't long until the guild found their target. It was on the east side of the town. Ritchie went in to fight the dark guild without any hesitation. So far it was going well, the dark guild had a few A to B class wizards with their leader being S class.
Ritchie was easily able to hold his own against the wizards with little effort having been an SS class for a few years at this point. That was until they brought out a weapon that they had recently acquired. One that shook Ritchie to his core.
It was another Demon Slayer, one that was new and completely uncustomed to the lacriama within them. But that wasn't what shocked Ritchie it was who the lacriama was in. It was a blond-haired girl with green eyes. Her name was Karoline Lingberg, daughter of Veronica and Edvard Lingberg and cousin of Ritchie and Brandon Diabolus.
"Karo… you're a devil slayer now too?" Ritchie muttered in shock as he stared at his sibling figure. While he and Brandon had become Demon Slayers they never thought that one of their family members would become one as well.
"Your Karo isn't home right now. I'm Aqule the demon in the water and your destruction." The demon in control of his sibling like cousin stated with a deadly clam. Ritchie knew that he was at a disadvantage in his current situation. Part of his training was to learn about his element and its weakness and water was one of them when the user was someone he didn't want to hurt.
Using the guild mark magic that all guilds had he sent a distress signal to the rest of his active guildmembers. Making sure that it was emphasized on his brother's end. Brandon was the first to arrive, and he just saw what had his brother worried about.
"Bother is that..?" Brandon trailed off worriedly, not wanting to believe what he was seeing in front of him. Ritchie could only nod has Aqule shot some water beams causing Ritchie to dodge closer to his brother.
"Yeah that's her, I don't know why or how but it looks like the dark guild which calls themselves Strombones decided to force a demon slayer lacrima into her like that man did to us. She seems to be trying to get control but isn't able to completely succeed. At most she's able to interfere with some of the attacks by lowering their strength and misdirecting them." Ritchie confirmed his brother's fear.
"Then we need to seal her demon, quickly. I can tell that this one is a powerful demon by slayer standards. Maybe even more powerful than ours. We also need to move this fight somewhere else. The civilians in this village could get hurt in this fight. Thankfully this is a small village and where already on the boarder so it shouldn't be too hard to do this." Brandon tells his brother telepathically.
"Your right brother, Karo wouldn't be able to live with herself if someone got hurt by her in this state. Even if it wasn't her fault she'd still blame herself, so we need to minimize the possibility of that happening. I'll stay here and direct the rest of the guild to you and the fight. Your power is better suited to fighting her. Mine on the other hand can easily be turned against me in this scenario so it's up to you to handle her." Ritchie replied via the same method.
"Okay, have them head to the east of the village. I recall from a previous mission that we had here that there was an empty valley low that would keep the village safe. As far as I know that should still be the case." Brandon told his brother calmly.
"Got it, be careful brother." Ritchie calmly replied before watching Brandon use his sky vectors to lure the demon away from the village. Rosea and Bjorn met up with Ritchie shortly after and were informed about the matter.
Brandon fought the demon possessing his cousin's body. "Ritchie wasn't kidding when he said that this demon is strong. She might even be stronger than my own demon. I know that I can harm them too much if I use too much of my power. But that doesn't matter in this scenario has my goal is to wear her down instead of actually attempting kill her. So far I've worn her down to about half her normal strength while I've only used 1/4 of my strength and mana. For the sealing spell that I'm going to use I need that same amount. Though there in lays the problem of the matter.
This demon is about twice as powerful. Are demons are only half contained by our current seals. There's no way that the same one will work on Karo. At best it might be enough to contain it long enough to come up with another one to use instead and at worse only enough to knock the body out for a long enough period of time for us to place a sleeping spell on her so we can find a better sealing spell." Brandon weighed his options carefully. He hoped that there was such a sealing spell out there and that the rest of his guild would make his way to make his location soon has he wouldn't be able to hold her back much longer.
Thankfully Ritchie and his two comrades arrived at the battle just after he finished this thought. Ritchie quickly came to the same realization as his brother after giving the battle glace. He immediately sent a plan that he had come up with to his brother. After making sure he got it, he turned to the guild and told the plan.
Bjorn moved in to help Brandon move the demon possessed girl to a lower part of the plateau and continued the fight while Rosea joined him in some bushes nearby. As for Ritchie he stood on the side lines waiting for the right moment. Soon enough vines came up from the ground and wrapped themselves around the young girl's wrist and ankles. They quickly brought her down to the ground so that she lay flat on her back.
"Alright I got her. Brandon, Ritchie, you need to hurry and seal the demon in this girl. I don't know if I will be able to keep her down long enough for the seal to take affect!" Rosea shouts to her guild leaders has she focused on keeping the spell she use sacred demon art: Called of Natures Vines.
"Alright just try to keep her down for about thirty minutes. That's all we need to create and secure the seal. Bjorn! Keep guard around Rosea and make sure no one tries to break her focus. Me and Brandon will focus on the seal!" Ritchie nodded to her calmly.
For the next half hour Ritchie and Brandon would work on the seal that they needed to place on their cousin. Thankfully with the aid of Bjorn it went by without any incident. Ritchie quickly took the girl into his arms and carried her back to the village. Leaving the two brothers and guild leaders to worry about their cousin's fight with the demon that they now share their body with.
Arriving at the shelter that their aunt and uncle were staying at they placed her on the coat that they had found for her. When asked what happened they explained everything with full honesty. Of course being not of this world meant that they wouldn't know what a demon slayer was. But that was solved with an explanation from Brandon has he was better suited to explaining things of this nature.
"And that is what a demon slayer is and how it will affect Karoline. Now with this in mind brother and I have spoken, and we feel that it'd be best to have both of you and Karoline come with us back to our island. Not only are we the only demon slayers in this kingdom, making us the most qualified to teach her how to control her powers. Plus the seal we used is too weak to hold the demon forever let alone a lifetime and it's too dangerous to remove the lacriama. Attempting to do so could result in her death. Back on the island we have access to people who know more about seals than us. The same person that gave us ours." Brandon concluded calmly.
"I see, well we were planning on asking if we could go with you anyways since I hear that the capital has more job opportunities and the dark guild that has Amira isn't around here anymore." Veronica smiled at her nephews and their friends happily. Just then Ritchie's communication lacriama went off. Ritchie checked and saw that it was his grandmother.
"Hello Grandma P is something wrong?" Ritchie asked with a frown. One of the rules that Richie and Bardon had when they were away was that they weren't to be contacted unless there was an emergency or a check-in. The next check in was at 9:00am tomorrow.
"Yes but nothing too bad David and Mario got into a fight at school. Thankfully since it was in self-defense they aren't in trouble. But the girls that attacked them are." Miss P informed them calmly. "The school will need you to come in to discuss the punishment of the girls that attacked them. When can you get back?"
"We can get back tomorrow morning at the earliest. We were already preparing to return to the capital when you called. Since there's been some complications. Which reminds me. Could you call Michael or Reaper and have them come by the guild hall in the coming days?" Ritchie asked his grandmother calmly.
"Of course I can. Why do you need them to dearie?" Miss P asked her grandson with a frown. Normally Ritchie and Brandon wouldn't ask her if they could come by seeing as they were the owners of the guild hall but if they were asking now then something must have happened. Ritchie then went on to explain the situation to his grandmother with Brandon, Veronica and Edvard chiming in when necessary. Needless to say this made the grandmother worry for her grandchildren.
"Good heavens, I wasn't expecting that at all. I'll contact Reaper right away; his guild is the less swamped between the two of them right now." Miss P breathed has she immediately hung up and got to work on calling the Wondering Coins Guild leader.
Ritchie turned to his guild with a clam expression on his face, but you could tell that he and his brother were anything but. "Alright Rosea and Bjorn, I need you two to stay here and wrap things up. Me, brother, aunt, and uncle will be taking Karoline back to the capital to fix the seal we put on her. Make sure to investigate the remains of the dark guild's base for any clues especially ones about the whereabouts of our younger sister Amira. Return to the guild has soon has you finish your investigation."
After getting the affirmative from their comrades they make their way from the village to the island with their cousin, aunt, and uncle in toe. While happy to be reunited with them their fear for their cousin's well-being as well has their unknown sister sat firmly at the forefront of their mind.
