DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail as it's owned by Hiro Mashima. Also, Hatsune Angelbeat (OC) is owned by Shiranai Atsune.
Chapter 3:
Surprises
It was utterly nerve-wracking.
She and Juvia moved quickly through the dilapidated town; smoke billowing from still burning houses that Juvia quickly doused, debris and wood scattered all over, and dust and the stench of death hung in the air. There were occasional tremors as they neared the western edge of the town, and Hatsune forcefully calmed herself down while she tried to find any signs of life. They'd sometimes stop to check out a building or two, but it turned up empty.
She wasn't sure if she could call that a good thing or a bad thing.
The plan was generally the same: fan out in pairs and destroy the targets, with the added 'if innocent sighted, direct to evacuation site. Protect if monsters are near'. If anything happened, regroup at the street the mayor's house was at. Hatsune patted her pocket, where she hid the signal flare the mayor handed out earlier.
This was to be used in extremely dangerous circumstances, he said, worst case scenario was if they were cornered or if an unknown showed up. This would mean that all of them would gather around the source for possible rescue, if not, they were forced to ask for backup via the communication lacrima Jellal was given by the Master.
The sound mage prayed it wouldn't come to that.
"—tsu?"
The ponytailed woman nearly stumbled once she blinked back to reality. She really had to stop thinking too much right now. "Yes?"
"Juvia spots two to the right, three to the left and six on our front. They're gathered around a building. Do you hear more?"
Hatsune closed her eyes for a moment, focusing on the many disturbances in the wind and earth within a five kilometer radius. "… There's about four more on our left, three on the right and two behind us. And… three civilians inside the building they're surrounding."
The bluenette's expression tightened.
They entered another street, and they finally saw the monsters in all their glory.
It all clicked.
Fury, four-legged lion-like creatures with bat-like wings sprouting behind their backs and wicked sharp horns; the chimeras were growling in what she assumed to be anger and hunger. Most of them were congregating in front of a two-storey house, pawing continuously in hopes of getting their next meal.
'Why in the hell are these things here?!' A small part of her quivered in fear, she wanted to run and never look back.
Hatsune's sharp ears then picked up on the fearful cries of the children inside, and she squashed the feeling down immediately.
"North and West are mine. Don't let them get close to you, if you do, dish out damage quick. They have sharp claws and their wings are not only sharp, it can grant them limited flight so they're flexible than any average beast," she gruffly said, backing into Juvia who digested the information.
"Have you ever encountered these things before?" She simply nodded, not trusting her voice to not waver.
Hatsune raised her hand, and with a burst of magic, she snapped her fingers. A loud crack and a light shockwave had drawn the attention of the creatures.
"Must you use that move?" she heard the water mage grumble, a touch of nostalgic amusement in her tone. "Juvia's ears are ringing…"
"Shut up and focus—"
Before she could say anything else, Hatsune leapt out of the way.
Five chimeras were waiting for her on the ground, and before she could properly re-orient herself, one of them lunged for her. Gritting her teeth, she arched backwards midair and the creature sailed past her. Once she landed, she swiveled and kicked, knocking away one that was trying to sneak up on her. A roar to the side, and Hatsune spoke instantly.
"Amplify: Five Hundred Decibels!"
Her voice drowned out the chimera, and its own fire-charged attack blasted it to ashes from the intensity despite its tolerance to the element. She had no time to dwell on her small victory when two more took its place, eyeing her like roadkill. She frowned, ducking under a swipe and thrusting her hand out. With one swift, familiar motion, she broke its neck. Holding tightly, Hatsune threw it to the two she turned her back to. One of them avoided it and pounced, and Hatsune hastily sidestepped and slashed her hand.
"Sound Cutter: Adagio!"
The chimera flew by in two pieces. 'Nine more...'
The sound mage danced back as each of them seemed more aggravated by the loss, and for a second, Hatsu allowed herself a glance at her partner.
Juvia was, for lack of a better word, destroying them. Whirling water spheres and waves at the beasts, the liquid isolated in a five meter radius to avoid more collateral damage, the bluenette was the picture of a tornado; calm in the inside but deadly to everything around her. The illusion broke however, when she saw the frustrated gleam in her dark blue eyes.
She instinctively struck its skull with her palm, watching the chimera's eyes widen as it fell lifelessly. Hatsune spun, grabbing a horn and tearing the head off another one.
'Seven left... wait.' The sound mage clicked her tongue when she felt more approaching. "Juvia, five incoming all around and one's larger than the rest!" she hollered whilst battering an elbow against the monster's back.
Water bullets were fired. "Grab the children! Juvia's not sure we can keep this up."
They had to make this quick then. Hatsune flipped backwards, landing on the head of one—making sure to rattle its skull with the vibrations of her foot—before launching herself upwards.
Extending her hands, she calmly intoned: "Soundwave Clap."
A thunderous boom resounded in the air, and the wind smashed her remaining targets into the ground enough to make a crater and fine paste out of them. She nullified it the instant it traveled past her intended area and the pony-tailed woman touched down gracefully, kicking off towards the brick structure. She broke through the window, seeing as the front door was welded shut and disfigured from the beasts, and clambered up to the one of the rooms on the second floor where the sobs were loudest.
Catching her breath for a split second, Hatsune knocked on the door. "Hey there, we're here to rescue you."
There was silence… and then the frantic clattering of wood, the swish of cloth and scurrying feet. "How a-are we s-s-sure you're not a b-bandit?!" a young, female voice yelled.
"I'm not here to hurt you and your friends. I'm a mage from Fairy Tail," Hatsune replied as reassuringly as she could.
There was some more noise from inside, and the sound mage fretfully waited, ignoring the urge to barge in and just grab them. Outside, Juvia was going to be boxed in—
"P-P-Prove it!" a male voice demanded, noticeably older and more terrified than the other kid.
She sighed internally. "Kids, I'm here on the mayor's orders to get you out to the evacuation site, somewhere safe. The creatures are coming, and we need to go. I'll show you my guild mark as proof."
"Is m-mommy where she says she'll t-take us?" a child, perhaps around four or five years old, asked her companions in a hopeful tone.
"Shush, Aila!" the female sharply said.
"But—"
"Not now please."
Hatsune felt for the kid. Being this young and not knowing where her parents were… on top of that, she was in the middle of a warzone. She'd understandably be horrified. "My friend and I can take you to the evacuation site fast. We have to hurry though."
There was the muffled sound of crying, and the sound mage breathed in deeply. She didn't want to leave them here, and she was hella worried for her partner. Juvia was now fighting off fifty of them and one was… that was an Alpha Chimera! Those things could melt your skin with their unusual acid breath if you weren't careful, Mavis, she saw it once, and the nightmares that followed that particular day weren't nice.
Ah, why did she only remember that now?!
Hatsune forced down a breath. No… she had to believe Juvia will be fine.
Another noise; light footsteps then the sound of the doorknob being turned slowly. "Do anything funny and I will end you," the older kid snarled.
"I won't, trust me."
The door creaked open, revealing a narrowed bright green eye, auburn hair, and the sharp end of a stick pointed at her. "The mark," he ordered, raising his weapon menacingly.
She quietly complied, showing off the gray mark on her chest. The boy froze, unbelieving, until something shoved him away. She cocked her head at the little girl by her feet.
"Aila!"
The little girl named Aila peered up at her through her messy bangs. "You have a weird aura."
"Thank you?" she responded slowly, observing the way the brunette's pupils seemed to glow.
"Aila, don't just go off on your own like that!" the other girl with messily braided violet hair hissed, dragging the smaller child by the collar, before turning to her. "I'm so sorry Miss. And thank you for saving us as well."
"It's okay. Also, don't thank me yet," she said, adopting a serious look once more. She detected two at the back of the building. Tsk, they needed to run. She surveyed the three kids, taking in their appearances. "You—"
"Devon," the boy huffed, his crafted weapon strapped to his belt.
"—and Aila, was it?" The girl in question looked at her curiously. "You two stick together. Devon will carry you on his back while we run, is that alright?" They both nodded. "I'll be carrying…"
"Yvon," she supplied.
"After we get out the building, I'll carry you. My partner is outside fighting them off right now, so we'll be heading towards the back. I want you three to stick close. Devon, I trust you to keep a close eye out. We might need that makeshift spear of yours." The kid gave her a strange look which she paid no attention to thanks to the audible struggle ensuing between Juvia and the Alpha. "Let's go kids. Stay close."
Hatsune ignored the thrumming of her heartbeat against her ears. She couldn't afford any distractions and worrying on the others behalf was not an option. 'They will be fine,' she reminded herself.
Straining her senses, she moved towards the fire exit. Judging from the chimeras' positions she could take them out quickly at just the right angle.
"Kids," she called out quietly. "Wait here a bit. When I whistle this tune—"
A three note melody resonated in the desolate hall, and she knew that nearest beast had turned its attention their way.
"And then you guys can come out, okay?" She didn't wait for a response since she jumped out the broken window.
"Sound Cutter: Moderato!"
The attack sliced through the two chimeras, and her eyes darted to and fro from her perch atop a bent streetlight. No signs of other stragglers. She whistled, waiting for the kids to shuffle down the ladder. For some reason, all three were gazing at her like she had grown another head. Hatsune would've asked if there was something on her face, but she had other priorities in mind.
"Wait over by that house over there. I just need to help out my friend. When we get back, get ready to run. Don't come out until I whistle."
Hatsune shooed them despite their protests, making sure they were settled inside, and dashed off.
The temperature was insufferable when she got close; finding humid winds clashing, accompanied by the sound of sizzling flesh. Juvia was in the midst of trying to overpower the Alpha with a huge wave, a water barrier around them to prevent any sneak attacks from the remaining dozen of enemies. To anyone else, it'd appear as if she was going to win but the sweat rolling down the sides of her face, the pained grimace and the bright red burns on her now visible arms were red flags.
Hatsune rushed towards the nearest chimera, dead set on getting her out. "Juvia! Keep at it for thirty more seconds and I'll make us a path. When I signal you, get out of the barrier!" the sound mage roared with a touch of her magic.
Given a stiff nod affirming she was heard, Hatsune shifted her stance, slammed one annoying beast into the ground and snapped her fingers.
"Sonic Breaker!"
Her desperate move cost her ears to pop, as she neglected to nullify sound around her in favor of propelling the targets away in a dazed state. She exhaled sharply, forcing herself to forget the pain and the buzz in her head, barely dodging a chimera horn that nicked her cheek. She rammed her knee into the creature and followed it up with an axe kick.
Hatsune staggered backwards, whistling a shaky two note tune.
Juvia broke out of their stalemate with a hastily made Water Slicer and dove out of the bubble, instantly collapsing it. The duo frantically ran, Hatsune leading by a step, and she whistled again—hoping that her mistake didn't affect her ability.
A head poked out of the house and she waved at them. Devon was briefly confused before realization flitted in his eyes, and all three children were out. The group didn't have enough time, so Hatsune shouldered her charge like a sack of potatoes and continued running. She distantly registered Yvon's complaints, but she focused on running instead on the many enemies trailing behind them.
'We're halfway from the evac point where Ivan's waiting. We have a dozen behind us and the Alpha's calling out for more.' Hatsune wracked her mind for the many routes Jellal had drilled into them to take if need be, and only one was possible right now. With Juvia injured and two children being ushered along by the bluenette, to say she was nervous was an understatement.
"Juvia, take Yvon and go for Route F. I'll meet you by the mayor's house," she let her voice carry to her partner, the hitch of her breath indicating an immediate retort.
"Hatsune, let Juvia do—"
"These children need to get to safety. Out of the two of us, you can get there faster even with your injuries," she reasoned.
They wove through more streets and the beasts were getting closer. A breath attack dangerously whizzed by their heads, and it pressed them into taking another road.
"… Fine. See you later, Hatsu," the water mage muttered softly, and for that she allowed a break in her mask.
"Don't worry Juvi, I won't be long." Hatsune adjusted her hold on the girl holding her jacket's hoodie in a death grip, whispering to her ear: "Sorry for this."
The purple-haired child shot her a confused stare before she was flung sky-high, a terrified scream erupting from her lips, to Juvia who had turned half of herself into a mini-tsunami. She caught the girl with a small burst of water and dragged the kids off into another direction. The pack of chimeras were about to separate and chase after them, but she would not have that.
Not on her watch.
"Amplify: Two Thousand Decibels!"
Half of the targets slammed into the buildings and left large dents in their wake, which she cared less about at this point, and the rest—eight, no, ten now—including the Alpha enclosed her. A snap of her fingers and constant stream of spells left her mouth, mindful of her magic reserves.
A sudden prickle at the back of her neck clued her in a second too late.
She spun, feeling the searing hot pain travel down her hip to her leg, and without thinking she spoke: "Sound Cutter: Allegro!"
The chimera's head was cleanly cut off, and the small hut just near it buckled at the attack. Run now, her subconscious screeched.
Run she did.
It felt like forever before she got the pack off her back, moving in and out of alleyways and scooting through passageways made available by the wreckage. Her left leg slowed her down, blood staining her pants and leaving trails, so out of necessity she ripped off the bottom half to create a makeshift bandage. Hatsune thought she could have done better earlier so as to avoid this outcome, but she was just grateful that she could sense that Juvia and rest were safe.
She limped her way back to the mayor's house, slightly annoyed but thankful that it was far away from the mess, and arrived at the street. Her shuffling on the road gained the attention of a guard.
"Miss! Mage, right?"
"Yes."
The tall guard called out to someone, and Hatsu just wanted to sit down for a moment. The blood loss was making her woozy, the headache and the constant buzzing of her ears because of her own attack was growing and it was blistering hot.
She flinched when someone touched her hand, and the sound mage looked to see a petite, brunette woman with honey-colored eyes. "It's okay, I'm the doctor. May I check your wounds, Miss..?"
"Hatsune," she answered, resisting the urge to drop.
"Ok, Hatsune," she parroted with a kind smile. The doctor led her to the steps of a nearby house, and let her sit down. The world stopped spinning for a bit. "I'm Mica by the way. Hm… I'll be removing the bandages now."
The ponytailed woman didn't move, though she did hear the shaky intake of breath the doctor took. While morbidly curious, the desire to rest and instead focus on at least fixing her nearly shattered eardrums won. Hatsune closed her eyes, feeling for the Ethernano in the air. Ethernano was present everywhere, it was the lifeblood of magic in Earthland. As such the air was rich with it, pulsating in ways that made her core tingle whenever she let it consciously wash over her.
She had learned this when mastering her magic, since Sound worked as vibrations and distortions in the air. With a small pull, she started gathering more of it into her body.
Hatsune recoiled when she felt coldness around her leg. "Ah, sorry! Uhm, bear with me please," the doctor squeaked as she applied a healing salve. With no other distractions (her reserves filling up and ear mending in turn), she watched the woman in mute fascination, her burns sizzling into pink marks. They still felt raw, but it was doable.
"That medicine is quite powerful," she blurted out.
The brunette threw her a lopsided smile. "Ah, this was a gift to me."
There was a long story to it, that much was obvious, so Hatsune backed off in respect. "Oh."
The doctor fished out a clean set of bandages from her fanny pack and wrapped her leg swiftly, face scrunched up in concentration. "What's the situation?" she questioned.
"Not… exactly good," she replied reluctantly. "There were a lot more than what we expected."
Mica sighed. "I suspected as much. With Ryu out of commission… the townspeople are nervous. It had been much easier to manage when those things didn't just come out of the woodwork."
"If you don't mind me asking, what is Ryu's magic?"
"Oh, he didn't tell, huh? Haha, figures." There was a certain fondness in her tone, one reserved for close companions. "He's a Wind Mage, he mostly uses it defensively. Since the initial attack a month ago, he's been actively fending the beasts off with a few of the volunteers."
There it was again. 'Something isn't adding up,' her mind whispered, and Hatsune put it off for deliberation later. "That explains a lot."
She snorted. "You tell me girl. That man can be too stubborn for his own good." Mica put some tape over the end of the gauze and critically looked over her work. "I don't recommend you start running any time soon, but desperate times call for desperate measures. You're gonna feel a bit stiff and some pain here and there thanks to the still healing muscles and nerves. Oh and—"
Cotton dabbed at her cheek, and she didn't even have time to register the pain when the doctor slapped a strip of bandage on her. And like a wisp, she felt a touch of magic tingle by her ear, and she blinked at her now normal hearing.
"There, you're good to go."
Hatsune held back on a question of this woman's scarily astute speed before slowly standing up, a bit wobbly. A small spike of pain ran up her leg when she put her weight on it, but she could take it. "Thank you, Mica."
"It's no problem, really. Just doing my job," she waved off with that good-natured voice, airy and light. "I should—"
"Hatsu!"
That was all the warning she got when a blue blur grabbed her by the shoulders and she got a face full of worried deep blue eyes. "Are you okay? Juvia rushed back here as fast as she could, the kids are with one of Ivan's men, Juvia was so scared of—"
"Juvi," she called out, and the blue haired mage clammed up. "I am fine."
Her eyes drifted to her bandaged leg, and Juvia searched her face. Are you sure?
At her lessened grip, Hatsune flicked the water mage's forehead. She spluttered dramatically, stepping away to rub it. "You worry too much. You should get your arms checked by the doctor."
"Hey, don't—"
"You should sit down for a bit first, Miss Juvia. You look pale," Mica offered, hiding the beginnings of a smile on her face.
Juvia shot Hatsune a begrudging look before she plopped down on the steps, the doctor fussing over her arms. Up close, her burns were not as bad as Hatsune's, which was relieving.
"Nothing from the others yet?" the water mage asked, face twitching once in a while at the cool touch of the medicine.
"No." Hatsune leaned back on the railing of the house. "Do you think something happened to them?"
"It can't be worse than us." At the raised eyebrow, Juvia chuckled. "Maybe it could be. Natsu can be quite the handful."
"Do you think Lucy's got him under control?"
"And when does Rival doesn't have him under control?"
She smirked, catching the mischievous undertone. "What are you thinking?"
"Oh, Juvia thinks of nothing in particular, really. Why?" The bluenette gave her an innocent look, tilting her head to the side for full effect.
"I don't know… maybe you could tell me?" she challenged. Hatsune knew she was insinuating that Lucy had the salmon-haired teen wrapped around her finger, and she had to agree, it was kind of adorable seeing how dense they were. It almost echoed how Gray was with Juvia… should she bring it up? Maybe she could find out how she felt about him.
"Hmm… Juvia isn't sure what you want to know."
She gave Juvia a dull look that said 'Seriously?'
"Well I think that you… you…" she trailed off, knowing that Juvia can and will make the conversation go around in circles if she wanted to. She straightened her face, not willing to show her bitterness. "Whatever. Let's rest for a few more minutes before heading out again."
She decided to put off her line of questioning, pouting all the while. She ought to get her head back in the game. The light-hearted banter and pseudo-interrogation can wait until they can glean the overall status of the mission.
The sound mage ignored the triumphant gleam in the blue-haired woman's eyes and cracked her knuckles. She'll get her revenge another time. Her senses scoured the perimeter for any hints of the chimeras, just a little over four kilometers as an extra precaution.
'There's none in this area, so if my hunches are correct, the source of these things must be somewhere farther east.'
"Alright, I'm done," the doctor declared, and she stuffed her supplies into her pack. Juvia experimentally flexed her muscles, nodding at the tightness of the wrappings. "Well, I'll leave you two to it. I'm going back to the evacuation site."
"Alone?" Juvia stared at her in confusion.
Mica grinned. "Yeah, don't worry about me. I have more tricks up my sleeve. Who do you think kept that reckless idiot of a mayor in line?"
"I heard that!" A familiar voice yelled from the building adjacent to them.
"Oops, gotta go. Be careful you two, and hopefully your other friends stay safe as well!" The doctor then scampered off, the end of her beige coat flapping wildly. There was some stomping down the side of the road, and a flustered Ryu came into view.
"Mica!"
The guards around them looked confused.
"Heya Ryu!" she crowed, leaving a dust cloud in her haste to change direction. "See ya, Ryu!"
"Wha—hey wait!"
The duo would've sweat-dropped at the spectacle when Hatsune's head snapped to the sky. "… Jellal and Gray are on their way back here."
"What?" Juvia hurriedly stood up, eyebrows drawn together "Any ideas why?"
"They aren't being chased and they're not injured either." How odd. Those two were extremely strong, they wouldn't have too much trouble against the chimeras or rescue efforts, so what could have caused them to head back?
"Do we wait then?"
"… Let me check." There was some interference due to the distance, but she could hear snippets of their hushed conversation. Jellal was saying something about a confrontation? Mysterious people… in search for someone… signal… retreat. The ponytailed woman relayed the information and pushed herself off the rails. "Can you boost me to the roof, Juvia?"
Simply heaving a sigh, the water mage summoned a puddle and motioned for her to hurry up. Rolling her eyes, she stepped in and felt herself being lifted up. She was carefully placed on top of the shingles, but she nearly slipped when she unconsciously used her left leg as balance. Correcting herself, Hatsune shot her partner a grateful look, especially when she noticed a sliver of water still hanging on.
Emerald green eyes swept over the area, senses extended beyond what she could see. The distant roar of another Alpha Chimera to the north, the clatter of debris from unbalanced houses, the heavy footsteps from her teammates from a little ways northwest, and Mica heading over to the evacuation site to the southeast. She'd have probably spent more time being impressed at the way the woman weaved seamlessly through the streets without pause, but she had things to do.
… She'd been spending a lot of time reminding herself that. Was it because of nerves? Worry? She wasn't normally one for those.
Or was it the feeling of foreboding in the background she was trying so hard to steer clear of?
'Tch, focus Angelbeat.'
After a long drawn breath, Hatsune placed two fingers by her lips and whistled loudly than before, controlling the waves so that it carried over to the right people. Messing with her bangs, the sound mage minded the way the air shifted slightly.
'Probability of rain… moderate.'
As much as she wasn't a fan of rain, the weather would be helpful in fighting against the monsters' fire attacks, not to mention the plethora of sounds to come about with it. Of course, the rain would cause some of the flimsier houses to finally cave in and it'd be harder to distinguish noise but better to think of the pros than the cons.
She briefly wondered about these 'mysterious figures' in the vicinity, unable to see any signs of them yet. Jellal would fill them in on the rest, but it was mind-boggling to think that a simple extermination mission was becoming more complicated by the minute.
"Catch me," she finally sighed out, dropping down the ledge without preamble. Water once again enveloped her by the waist, and she was met by a half-amused, half-annoyed Juvia. Thankfully, she did not launch into her usual tirade of 'heart-attack inducing actions' and instead shifted in place. Hatsune sat back down on the cobblestone steps, not wanting to accidentally pull a muscle.
They didn't have to wait long when two figures emerged from the shadows of the houses. Both of them stared incredulously at an irate Jellal and a stoic Gray, although the latter's clenched jaw and tensed shoulder's betrayed the image of nonchalance.
The guards behind them rightfully backed away, just as their Oberon marched to them, face flushed and eyes hardened.
"What happened?" Juvia asked.
Jellal stopped in front of Hatsune, ignoring her partner's concerned stare. "Did the message reach them?"
"I believe so," she curtly said, noting the singed edges of his cloak and the rips he discreetly hid beneath, clearly not made by claws. "Who are we dealing with?"
"We encountered three cloaked figures and briefly fought, but they fled before we had a chance to stop them. They didn't say what their exact agenda was either," he released an exhausted sigh before eyeing the two of them. "How many did you encounter?"
"Roughly a hundred, maybe more," Juvia replied snippily. "Don't change the subject Jellal. Who are they after?"
The tattooed mage's expression soured. "You heard that, huh?"
The sound mage shrugged while Juvia was giving him an expectant look.
"They didn't elaborate, only let slip that they were female," Gray announced from behind Juvia, earning him a choked sound of surprise from her. Hatsune swore he gained a smirk at that but it quickly disappeared as he began ruffling his hair in an aggravated manner. "We do think that they may be the source of the beasts though."
"How?" she and Juvia simultaneously demanded, making him reflexively back away.
"One of the figures had a magic circle drawn on the back of their hand, and it glowed when the creatures started surrounding us all of a sudden. We figure it could be a Lost Magic," Jellal supplied, and the pony-tailed woman's mind was sent into overdrive.
Chimeras were one of the most uncommon beasts, and their origins were debatable—few claimed they crawled from the depths of hell, others say they're twisted animals that could be resurrected and controlled at a cost. All who knew of existence stayed clear of them, not only for their fire-based attacks, but also because of their uncanny intellect. From others accounts, they could communicate with one another and had an established hierarchy, as exhibited by the Alphas, and a chimera can adjust itself against its opponent if battle is drawn out. Dark mages had once utilized them in the war against the dragons centuries ago, but any other information regarding them was scarce. The Magic Council had sought out and destroyed any data on it, as per the law and continental security.
It was only thanks to a mission long ago that involved a dark mage that she had this much knowledge in the first place. To think that someone had actively used them here for suspicious agendas, Mavis, this could be considered an S-class mission right now.
"They're most likely part of a dark guild… I doubt any normal mage would have access to such dangerous magic," Jellal thought out loud.
"Well, not many people know chimeras are real, and most information on whatever rituals must be done to summon them was wiped by the Magic Council. They must have obtained it through illegal means," Hatsune stated. "So you might be right in assuming they're from a dark guild."
The two males openly gaped at her in disbelief, while Juvia appeared curious.
"You called those things chimeras. You know of them?" The ice mage's eyes narrowed down to small slits. "How come you didn't you say anything if you knew what they were?"
"I only remembered when we fought them earlier," she said, affronted at the suspicion in his voice. "Besides, it's been years since I encountered these things."
"Yes, Juvia can confirm that. No need to be suspicious of Hatsu." Her partner sidled over to her protectively. She felt touched at the act.
"Chimeras…" the tattooed mage looked as if he swallowed a lemon. "This is the first I've heard of them."
"There's little to no information on them since it is carefully hidden from the general public."
Gray gave her a thoughtful look. "They're editing history, aren't they?"
She shot him a long, meaningful stare, and then answered. "Understandable, I suppose. If it were given a rating, it would rank up to an SS-class secret. It's that dangerous."
The blue-haired teen's shoulders sagged. "So I suppose that it is a Lost Magic… we need to keep an even closer eye out for those three, if that's the case. Anything else you can tell us about these chimeras?"
Hatsune folded her arms, wracking her mind for more information. "Well… the one with the magic circle on their hand's definitely controlling them all. However, to achieve this level of control and to have that many chimeras at their beck and call? They must have paid a heavy price. Most stories that I've come across usually involved the summoner losing a part or parts of their body, their lifespan cut in half, or they have a very weak constitution thanks to a blood ritual."
"So if we find which one they did…" Juvia mumbled, but Hatsune quickly held up a hand for her to stop.
"Even if we do find that out, that isn't the key factor in getting rid of the chimeras. The circle is simply a medium," the ponytailed girl paused, swallowing thickly. No, she couldn't hesitate. "What we need to do is sever their bond."
"Bond?" the ice mage repeated, only to stiffen. "Wait, you mean…"
"This thing is permanently tied to the mage's magical core. That is what makes it so potent. If we don't destroy the core and just let the mage be..." Her expression became hooded. "… Things go to hell. A quick blow is a mercy for them."
Juvia's eyes went as wide as dinner plates and while Jellal didn't outwardly show it, she saw him tense and he let out a low sigh that conveyed his perturbed mood. Gray looked away, jaw clenched so tight she heard his teeth grinding.
She only smiled sadly. They needed to understand the magnitude of the situation, and as much as she prayed to the gods, she too had to face reality.
Assassination missions were unusual but not unheard of in mercenary guilds, since they were the in-between of the 'dark' and 'light' guilds, apart from the unofficial ones. Sure, the practice was frowned upon in the magical community, but the Council tolerated them since they commissioned the mages to deal with their shady business.
She didn't mind it before, and it only mildly bothered her now, but for her guildmates… Gray seemed like he had experience with this due to his reaction, but the others?
"I'm sorry. There's no other way."
I tried before, went unsaid.
She understood if they felt disgusted by the mere thought of killing. Fairy Tail was a light guild after all, mages who had taken a vow to use magic for good, whose very auras were filled with nothing distorted. If they left the dirty work to her then so be it.
Hatsune blinked a few times when she felt an arm wrap around her, warmth nuzzling into the crook of her neck.
"It'll be okay, Hatsu. We… we understand," Juvia whispered in her ear. "I don't like this but, we'll figure something out."
Hatsu finally released the tension she didn't know was harboring, and she awkwardly returned the hug. The girl didn't need to do this…
But it felt nice.
"Hatsune…" Jellal sounded unsure, but the pain and sheer vulnerability that flashed in his eyes told her that he also understood. It came as a mild shock, but then she reminded herself that he too, had skeletons in the closet. "This… won't be easy, but we'll get through this together."
There was a weight on her head, and to her surprise, Gray was ruffling her hair. "You… you've got us."
She would've sent him an appreciative smile but the teen was pointedly looking in every direction apart from hers, awkwardness evident at the way his hand sat too softly on her head, as if he was afraid to establish contact. Instead she grunted out a thank you, extremely grateful for… for her family's understanding.
Jellal's heavy sigh grabbed their attention. "I should go talk to the mayor about this. You guys should rest up while you can and wait for Lucy and Natsu to get back."
"Should I talk to Master?" Gray removed his hand, and the sound mage felt a bit sad at that. His hand was strangely warm for a person so cold.
The tattooed mage bit his lip. "… Here." He produced a lacrima from his cloak and threw it at Gray, who easily caught it. "Tell him our suspicions and that we'll need more people here if we don't get back past the allotted week. Oh, and Gray? Your clothes."
The ice mage squawked indignantly, searching for his discarded coat. The others laughed at his mortified expression—Hatsune still a bit annoyed at less-than-desirable stripper habits—and Jellal shook his head with a chuckle before jogging off.
Well, he would have.
The whoosh in the air rang the alarm bells in her head, and before she could warn anyone, an explosion rang out. The abandoned house next to them burst into flames, sending billows of dust around them.
"No!" she heard Juvia yell out, and her running into the haze.
There were hurried barks of orders, and—
"I was looking for someone else, but you…yes, you're also valuable."
A sharp pain hit her, and then all she knew was darkness.