Aftermath Pt. III

It became an extremely busy week once the announcement that Fiore will be conducting a rescue operation in the Special Region had been made public. As predicted, there were those who had unease in their hearts at the idea of sending lives to a different world although it was quickly shadowed by the prospect of bringing some good news after all the death that had happened. The knowledge about the Special Region being a separate world was passed along by rumors, but speculation turned to inference as those of higher positions slowly gave bits of information on anything they knew concerning the Gate. Though it didn't sway the public in any way once people began working together to prepare for the assault on the Gate.

When news came out that Fairy Tail's top mages had volunteered to join the Fiorean Army, experienced mages soon began to pour in their support as well. Independent mages, recognized guild mages and citizens with combat experienced also volunteered into Fiore's forces for this endeavor. It wasn't long before a name for this force popped up, the Fiorean Expeditionary Forces, but the person who coined the name was never really discovered. Although it stuck like glue with everyone.

Though good in bolstering the numbers of the Expeditionary Forces, the problem lied in the fact that the influx of people meant that training had to be done to make the citizens into competent soldiers. As for the mages, a number of officials had come to the idea of using the Magic Power Finder to assign temporary rankings to them as Arcadios had done with Yukino Aguria.

A few generals had announced their complaints about doing such a thing as it would throw off the chain of command because of the temporary rankings, but Jura had stepped in as a representative for the Wizard Saint run Magic Council with the suggestion of using the Rune Knight rankings in order to avoid any confusion. The bald councilman had also included the fact that they would still be under command of the Firoean military and not the Rune Knights, his suggestion merely being a means to an end when it came to rankings. As opposed as some of the generals were, they had reluctantly agreed to it and immediately started the rankings.

Many of the mages had managed to earn a ranking of Regular by the Rune Knight Ranking Standard, but there were those who were much talented and managed to receive a position as high as Field Commander. Of course, the majority of people knew that Erza and the dragon slayers were going to be excluded from the ranking system, their combat prowess very much understood so it was of no surprise when none of them had been seen during the rankings although some Fairy Tail mages were still among them. Lucy being one of the more recognized Fairy Tail mages that received a position of Division Commander with a few points shy of falling into colonel. She was grateful for the Leo Star Dress and her famous Lucy Kick for getting her that high.

As for the majority that weren't seen, the Fairy Tail mages were working around the clock to prepare for what's to come at the end of week. Gray had went back to Magnolia for a personal reason he hadn't explained before he left, Natsu was being instructed by Arcadios on how to follow his commanding officer once the dragon slayer was finally assigned and Erza had decided to read up on combat formations and further study the distributed translation of the Special Region's language. Laxus was no different as he had a gut feeling he'd be needed just as much as his red haired guildmate, but he found it funny to see Natsu struggling to understand why he had to listen to someone else's orders.

Four days before the crossing of the Gate, all the volunteer mages were issued their military garb thanks in part by the Magic Council. To make sure confusion within the ranks was limited from sharing the same type of uniforms, volunteer uniforms were recolored to that of the Firoean Royal Military color palette and had the ankh symbol of the Magic Council removed. They were replaced with the Fiorean symbol which many were proud to wear.

The uniforms for the female mages consisted of thigh high black combat boots, sturdy combat pants, a black colored top that reached to the top of the upper thigh, a utility belt and completed with a long coat that rested just a bit above the knee. Levy had caught a glimpse of a few mages wearing the uniform and it strongly reminded her of the one she wore during her time working for the Magic Council. The same could be said for Gajeel as the men's uniform was almost similar to their female counterpart's version.

The male uniform had black combat boots in contrast but was pretty much the same overall although the long coat was interchangeable between one that reached down the calves, another at the knees or one that rested at thigh level. The one thing the iron dragon slayer simply had reserves about was the color swap; a navy base with certain pieces of the attire in gold and gray. Then again, he couldn't care anymore about it since he was mostly interested in the utility rather than the aesthetic look.

As for the dragon slayer, Gajeel sat at a training courtyard to see how the recruits were doing, especially now that they look the part of being in a military. Those uniforms were made to withstand punishment, so it was merely how well they could use their magic and to see if they needed some of the more experienced people to watch out for them while in combat.

The long-haired man watched as many of the mages trained in the new gear, getting themselves acquainted with what they'll most likely be wearing for a while. Some struggled as the uniforms were far from regular attire, mainly in movement as they were getting accustomed to the new weight on them. The uniforms were made with a material that was as light as could be without sacrificing the overall protection it gave, it was strong enough to withstand various spells without tearing. Gajeel could vouch for that as he remembered some of the old missions he had done for the Council alongside his unit and a few other members he got to know.

"Well I'll be a Vulcan's uncle; ain't that grumpy Lug Nut?" Gajeel turned around to see a familiar face he hadn't greeted in months, although he could have done without the Lug Nut part. "How ya doin', ya crazy ol' dragon? It's great to see ya!"

"Gihi, as great as I'll ever be Tyson or should I say "Head Chief?" Gajeel greeted taking in the sight of Tyson Hammer; an old friend he made in the Magic Council. Surprising that he was his friend, given that it was in the Council that they met each other.

He noticed how the white-haired man was still wearing his classic tight light blue shirt adorned with the Council logo on his left side, along with the crease bumps of where his thin suspenders were located underneath the shirt. Then towards his interesting take of wearing his black and white Council military coat over both his arms like a cape (even though he did it at one point too), and his ever iconic blue and gold trucker hat with the Council's logo on its front. He literally was the only man within the Council to wear one, but Tyson always said that it made him stand out as a Head Captain.

"Ya damn right I'm Head Chief, bein' placed in the city ain't somethin' a hands-on type like myself likes to be at, only if the Council's needn' my expertise I'll go." Tyson gave a hearty grin as Gajeel chuckled at his claim, glad to see his buddy again after being assigned half way around the country for nearly a year. "You're lookin' at one of the leadin' generals helping out Councilor Jura once he takes command as Supreme Commander of our forces in the Special Region."

"No shit, best not let that promotion get to your head. Your trucker hat ain't going to fit anymore of it." Gajeel joked but was actually proud that Tyson landed himself such a position, even if it came from such a terrible circumstance.

"Hey now, you leave my trucker hat out of this Lug Nut. 'Sides, where's yours, huh?" Tyson looked around his person to see if the one he gave the dragon slayer was with him but saw no sign of it.

"You think I've got the time to put it on with this hair?" Gajeel indulged him when he first gave it to him, but that was a challenge in of itself when they tried to get his hair through the back. "Plus, I'm not sure Titania's gonna like me wearing it out in the field."

"You mean that little missy with the red locks is gonna be your commanding officer? Why are you so afraid of someone like her, she's too naive for her own good." Tyson knew that she's got skill, but the red head was far from really being a military leader.

"She's most likely gonna get picked by the Queen, no way am I going against that. It doesn't really matter though; our unit can work independently so I still get a bit of freedom." He wasn't one for taking orders, but he liked the arrangement that he's getting out of being placed in the Special Forces Unit.

"Then you can wear yer trucker hat." Tyson added and Gajeel felt like he walked right into that one. "I'd better mosey on back to them recruits the Councilor's asked of me to help train. I'll see ya 'round Lug Nut and try to find Hugo and Alexis around here, they got a post here too."

"I'll keep an eye out for them." Gajeel waved good bye to the white-haired man and was genuinely curious to see the rest of his old friends again. Maybe fate brought them together again or maybe they all got stuck in getting these posts to go to another world. "Wonder if Levy's seen them yet?"

On the second to last day before the trek across the Gate, Queen Hisui had called for the top ranking Fairy Tail mages and her high-ranking officials to meet in her war room. It was like the calm before the storm as everyone was silently waiting for the Queen to speak, no one willing to break the silence as everyone's nerves were already on edge with the coming day.

"I thank you all for meeting me here today," Queen Hisui started and all focus was on alert to Her Highness. "We are now at the point of no return, Alvarez have already delivered the Jupiter Cannons along with the troops and vehicles they had promised us. As for our soldiers, their morale is high thanks to those that will fight alongside them and will continue to be so once they traverse the Gate.

"I have news to give before time is up so with all those present, I will inform you all of what will be happening. Thanks to the Magic Council coming to a swift conclusion, Rune Knight support will be assured and Jura Neekis will be Supreme Commander in charge of that division of the forces." The bald Wizard Saint bowed his head to the Queen before she continued on, "As for the mages that had been exempt from partaking in the MPF rankings, the Magic Council and I have come to the conclusion of positioning them as our Special Forces Unit. Erza Scarlet, please step forward."

Erza complied and bowed onto one knee before Her Highness as she gave the red-haired woman a kind smile. "I am at your service my Queen."

"You shall be taking on the role of Commander for this unit, by unanimous decision. You are free to choose your second in command at your own discretion." Queen Hisui finished and Erza raised from her kneeling position before turning to look at her guildmates and soon came to her answer.

"I have already decided my Queen; Laxus Dreyer shall be my second."

"Very well then, Laxus Dreyer will be deemed Second-in-Command. From here, we'll be moving onto what information we have received. Have the scouts returned Arcadios?"

"Yes, your Highness, awaiting on your call." Arcadios replied and with a subtle nod, a swift air swept through the room and in seconds there were several armored figures surrounding the Queen.

For the majority in the room, they had no idea where all these people came from, but for the Fairy Tailers, they were only wondering when these people would make themselves known as some had picked up their presences within the room. One particular woman with short dark hair had caught Lucy's eye as she could have sworn she'd seen her somewhere before.

"It is quite alright everyone, this is a specialized squadron that is under my command and have been scouting the Special Region during the past week. They've watched for movement alongside my Left Hand, although they primarily watched around the area of the Gate. Through them we are knowledgeable about what waits for us on the other side. If you wouldn't mind giving your report Riana, please tell us what you know."

"Yes, your Highness, my White Tigers and I have scouted a roughly sixteen-kilometer radius around the Gate and found that it is situated in a valley area with a forest to the North and Southwest. We did come across villages spread across the area and a river, although we had decided to fall back once we noticed the presence of a large military force marching their way to the Gate. The last we saw of them was when they set up a war camp about six kilometers away from the Gate, I advise for the troops be prepared for combat once they exit."

"So initial confrontation against the enemy is certified once we cross the Gate then." Erza voiced out as she tried to quickly form a battle plan. "We need to buy enough time for the Mk. III's to set up and for our people to create defenses."

"We can move the more battle-ready troops in first, gives us a fighting force situated on the battlefield and that'll focus the enemy's attention away from the Gate. From there, any earth mages can help erect stone barriers and the like to cover the cannons." One general added as the Jupiter Cannons were their best bet in breaking through the enemy's line.

"Then the mages should circle around the Gate to protect the flanks, our army holds the frontal assault while we have any blind spots covered. Once the Cannons are ready to fire, we'll issue a retreat command to get the troops out of the blast radius." A second general soon followed as it made sense for the enemy to try surrounding them in a valley from all sides.

"Riana is the valley, in any form, defensible?" Without any proper form of driving away the enemy, the Fiorean forces will end up sitting ducks with no escape aside from the Gate.

"I'm afraid not your Highness, but I do have a suggestion." She awaited the permission to speak from the Queen before she continued with the idea she had in mind. "If we utilize earth mages to manipulate the terrain, we can transform our surroundings so that it becomes a literal uphill battle for our enemies."

Murmurs started up from the generals at such an idea, many of them unsure how to react to it as they held their doubts to the woman who failed at protecting the country's greatest secret. It costed her all but one of her White Tigers and they believed that she could very well be leading their men to die needlessly. Riana, of course, knew that they wouldn't accept her proposal so easily because of her besmirched record although she truly believed her idea would work.

"Jura, do you think it's possible to do such a thing." Queen Hisui asked openly and the Wizard Saint stroked his long beard in thought.

"If all the earth and rock mages combined their powers, then it could very well be done; however, the durability of the Gate needs to be kept in mind. If it can withstand being risen to a higher elevation then Riana's plan can be done, if not then we must work around it just to be on the safe side." Jura was quite impressed with the suggestion as it would give them the advantage of the higher ground, but he worried that the Gate wouldn't be able to withstand the earth being manipulated on such a scale.

"Begin with creating defenses around the Gate, once things have settled then try minor experiments to see how much the Gate can take before it becomes troublesome to move it." Queen Hisui voiced as it was best to be protected than try taking such a large risk of destroying their only way home.

"Understood, my Queen." Jura responded and made a mental note to inform his troops and other mages to focus on defense. "We will be prepared once we've been deployed."

"Very well and as for you and your White Tigers, Riana, I'll be giving you a rest period until you will be deployed to the Special Region again." Queen Hisui thought it best to give them some time off as they spent quite a while in the other world under her orders.

"Permission to speak, my Queen." Riana was grateful to her queen for giving her a second chance, but she wanted to do more under her name to show it.

"Granted, speak freely Riana."

"As grateful as we are for granting us leave, we wish to continue our orders and assist in the first assault." This started another wave of murmurs from the generals as they hadn't come across any soldier to deny time off by order of the Royal Crown.

"I understand your eagerness to prove your worth to me, but can this represent all of those under your command?" Hisui looked at the rest of the White Tigers and each of them stood straight, slamming their fists on their chest plates over where their hearts were located. The specified salute of the White Tigers; a clear answer to her question. "Very well, you shall be a support unit that will protect the mages who will try to erect defenses."

"Thank you, your Highness." Riana said as she gave her the White Tiger salute and bowed her head, an action the rest of her unit copied. "We shall take our leave."

After that, they vanished just as they had appeared. It gave the Queen piece of mind that she had such talented individuals under her command, plus they showed their loyalty in their actions on more than one occasion. Though skepticism was still evident on some of those in her court in entrusting the short haired woman with guarding the mages, Hisui wondered why they disregard her other accolades. A matter for a different time as now she needed to address the rest of her plan for the first assault.

"Now that that has been settled, I'd like to offer you any assistance in commanding the Rune Knight forces, Jura. I can see which generals can be moved to help you and your division."

"That's quite alright, my Queen." The bald wizard Saint said as he pointed towards two individuals sitting off at a corner. "The Council has appointed three talented individuals to help lead our forces beside me; however, one is currently helping train the recruits before tomorrow."

The first to step up was an average built muscular man that was nearly as tall as Laxus, he wore a full body plate rune knight armor set that sported the colors of the Magic Council and held the gold ankh symbol on his breastplate. An interesting thing to note was that he was wearing a helmet shaped like an owl, which caused Natsu to shutter slightly from remembering bad memories about another owl headed man. Though the visor's holes, which looked like owl's eyes, glowed ominously with magic and Erza felt that he was looking directly at her for some reason. Added to that, she got the feeling that it wasn't in the best of lights, though she didn't let it her consume her thoughts for long.

"My name is Hugo Sharp; Head Captain of the 9th Strike Force Unit of the Magic Council, now field commander under the command of Councilor Jura Neekis." Hugo began once he removed his owl shaped helm to reveal his clean-cut facial features, his red eyes that were quickly justified to be the source of the glow his visor had when worn and his military cut black hair. "We will make sure that all of Fiore's goals will be met at all costs, my Queen."

Just at the glance of him, one could get the immediate sense of looking upon a hardened veteran. Some Fairy Tailers who had met Captains Laurel and Iris could make the easy connections these men could have with Hugo, although the rune knight looked to be years younger than those men.

Following him, the second person stepped up who was much shorter and had a well-shaped body. A woman no doubt, although the dragon slayers present (Natsu and Laxus) had picked up her scent and found that it was somewhat similar to Gray. In the sense that this woman was very likely to be from the Northern Regions like their guild mate, but they stayed silent as she became more visible. She stood next to Hugo proudly and lowered her hood to reveal her long white hair, clear blue eyes that reminded some of a frozen lake, and lush lips that would drive any man's desire.

A bombshell in Laxus's words, though her appearance kind of reminded him of Mirajane and it made all the more sense for him to classify her in such a way. Her outfit looked similar to what the female mages were wearing, but hers has been customized to fit her style to a certain extent. Nothing extravagant as Hugo's armor and owl helm, but enough of an archer's or rogue's aesthetic look to make her stand out.

"I'm Alexis Shiverpeak; Head Captain of the 6th Scout Ranger Unit of the Magic Council, the colonel who'll be working under the command of Jura Neekis." Alexis said in a sweet voice that was a direct opposite to her companion beside her with the harder edged voice. "Ready to serve for the greater good of Fiore."

"And lastly, Tyson Hammer who could not attend the meeting at the moment. He is my Major General, recently the Head Captain of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit." Jura completed and Queen Hisui acknowledged those that the Council has chosen to assist the wizard saint in their rescue operation.

"Moving on from this, we'll continue to discuss necessary battle plans in preparation for what lies in wait for us." Queen Hisui then placed attention to the map recently created by the White Tigers of the area they scouted. "Before I continue, I want to make something clear. This is our enemy, causalities will occur and I will not have many on our side. Eliminate those that threaten the lives of our allies, but if they surrender then take them into custody."

"Prisoners of war, your Highness?" A general asked as he didn't expect this enemy to give up now that they could be made to believe that Fiore was an invading force on their land.

"Yes, they can have use for us aside from the ones we currently have imprisoned. Relay this order to all troops; kill if necessary or take prisoner if the enemy has surrendered."

Many saw where the Queen was going with this, but some had their reserves of the order. Erza being one such person as her job of keeping Natsu in check will be harder now that Queen Hisui has given the "okay" to kill. She wanted to stop him from becoming a greater killer by limiting his actions, but now she'd have to double her efforts to keep him from unleashing his might on the people who he now knows to be his enemy. This was going to be a long operation for her.

The day had finally come for the Fiorean Expeditionary Forces to make the grand trek across the Gate. The main avenue the Gate had taken root in was cleared to allow the Rhinos and Jupiter Cannons a clear passageway but had yet to be loaded in as troops were bidding their loved ones goodbye or waiting for the Queen's departing speech. The volunteer mages were no different as friends and even guildmates came to wish them luck out on the battlefield. Gajeel was similar to these mages as he made his way towards Levy and Gale, his wife idly chatting with Alexis while the white-haired woman played with his daughter.

"Here comes Papa Dragon to say bye-bye, isn't that right Gale." Alexis cooed to the toddler who laughed in response, the iron dragon slayer almost forgetting that the white-haired woman was very much like a mother hen to the people she's come to look after; be it her own troops or people she grew close to.

"Think you can handle her on your own for a bit?" Gajeel asked as Alexis gave a quick nod and walked away with Gale to give her parents some alone time. "Catching up with an old friend, I see."

"It's been such a long time since we saw each other, I think the last time was when Gale was born although she's still the same person as ever." Levy gave a small giggle although it was short lived and buried herself into her husband's arms. "Honestly, I'm always afraid of losing you and then you up and join the military. Can't you give me a break every now and again?"

"I'm a dragon slayer, danger's bound to follow me at some point." Gajeel replied with a chuckle and Levy buried herself in his chest. "I promise you I won't die out there, you two are what will make sure that happens."

"Feels great to know that you'll come back to us, better make sure you don't eat any rusted iron over there though." The bluenette advised and Gajeel chuckled again at how caring his wife was being. "I do love the uniform on you though, reminds me of the one you had when we were working for the Council."

"Gihi, I make this look good although the color sure does remind me of Salamander's team color during our first time in the Grand Magic Games." His coat was dark blue with gold seams and straps with the Firoen symbol located on the upper arms, he wore a black shirt with his collar raised, a utility belt without pouches, dark gray pants and black combat boots. "I'll try to get used to it."

"I really don't want to let you go, but you'll probably get in trouble with Erza even before you guys get to the other side." Levy reluctantly let go of Gajeel and he gently rubbed away a tear from her face. "You must be glad no one you know can see you being gentle, huh?"

"Except for me!" Alexis cheered as she came back with Gale, the little one on the verge of tears as she reached out for her father. "She got restless when she saw her parents hugging, I guessed she sensed how sad Mommy was getting." The white-haired woman hugged the smaller woman to comfort her and Levy accepted it without resistance.

"You be a strong girl for Papa, alright? Mama's gonna need you while I'm off stopping the bad guys." Gale nodded her head in response and Gajeel gave her a kiss to her cheek. "That's my girl, show me you can be just as brave as Papa." She flexed her imaginary muscles to show him her bravery and he chuckled in response.

"Gale big gurru." Gale said as her father passed her to her mother who in turn smiled at her daughter's words.

"I'll be home in no time, you'll see." Gajeel tried to reassure his fretting wife and kissed her to ease her nerves.

"I love you." Levy said as the long-haired man turned to make his way back to his unit, stopping at her words and turning with a smirk.

"I know." And like that he kept walking, Levy already knowing how embarrassed he was thanks to Alexis being around to say it back.

"Ain't he adorable, too afraid to say his true feelings because I'm around." Alexis commented as if she read Levy's mind and gave the bluenette one more hug before she needed to get going as well. "Don't you worry about a thing Levy, I'll make sure that big oaf comes home to you in one piece."

"Thank you, Alexis, it means a lot." It really did as she could trust the white-haired woman to keep her word, Levy knew that first hand thanks to working alongside her.

"Anytime time love, so you make sure you are looking pretty when he returns." She giggled before waving the mother and daughter goodbye, then making her way towards the Rune Knight meeting point.

Conversations like those between couples were abundant around the archer and she had caught the busty blonde she saw in the war room make her way to Levy from the corner of her eye, guessing that those two were pretty good friends aside from guildmates. As for everything else, well she had to see what her fellow high-ranking knights had in mind for them and yet she couldn't help but wonder what the Special Forces commander was planning to do. It was her vanguard that will be the first to engage in combat so their assault rested on her battle plans.

As for said commander, Erza was formulating a battle strategy to help buy their forces time to fully deploy, finally finding a use for Natsu in it. As she looked over these plans, she started listing off the people under her command although she came to realize that someone was missing. The slayers were accounted for, from both Fairy Tail and Sabertooth, Lucy was reassigned into her ranks and all Exceeds as well except for Happy who has gone missing. No one has seen the blue furred cat anywhere, but it was too late to do a complete search for him. Natsu tried his best with no luck, so they had to leave it in the hands of everyone else back home to search for him. There she went getting side tracked about Happy, too much on her mind was making her lose focus and she needed it now that they were on the zenith hour.

"Wendy have you seen Gray?" Erza asked the young teen as she was coming to join up with her in their Rhino after casting Troia on those who needed it. "I haven't seen him around and we're moving out soon."

"I got word from Bisca that he was on his way back to Crocus, but he'll be joining the Second Wave." Wendy knew the plan was to traverse in waves; the first being the initial assault, the second to fortify their surroundings when the enemy was defeated and the last one will be to firmly secure the region under their control. "From what I know, he went to visit somewhere before going back to Magnolia and heading back here."

"You've got to be kidding me, he was one of our best defenders. Guess I'll have to double down to cover his share. He won't get out of this without a punishment, that's for sure." She had it all planned out, but now she was short a strong defender. Thankfully they could still manage, although it still meant that the ice mage had to face a rather angry C.O. when he returns. "We should get ready for the Que-"

"If I can have everyone please quite down, Queen Hisui would like to address the Fiorean Expeditionary Forces personally." Arcadios announced from constructed stage off to the side of the road, the crowd hushing their voices along with the soldiers. "Thank you."

Hisui made herself visible upon the stag, flanked by Arcadios and his Cherry Blossom Holy Knight captains with a compassionate smile framing her face. She gave a once over to all those that had gathered and activated a voice amplifying spell so that her voice could carry on towards even the furthest of those in the crowd.

"Brave men and women of the FEF, as your Queen I am filled with gratitude and pride of what you all are gathered here to do. You will be our nation's representatives and hope within the Special Region, as well as saviors to those taken away from us not long ago. The citizens, your family and friends have gathered here to wish you luck and give you their prayers for your safety. You all will be in my thoughts and I will not rest until this conflict is solved with Fiore and her people standing on top."

"Many of you may feel apprehension, possibly fear of the unknown and I will say that I'm very aware of it. You have our support, you have your allies standing beside you and you have a number of talented mages on your side who have volunteered to join you on this expedition." HIsui watched as the more nervous faced soldiers relax a bit as they took in her words, but she knew she had to continue her speech to inspire them. "They will be the closest people you will have and are the people who have faced adversity before. Our great nation has been attacked once before by a power far superior to us, but we did not lose hope and fought on with every ounce of power left within us."

"Reignite that hope to warm your soul, to steel your resolve and light your way through the darkness of despair. Our strengths will bring our people home and it will be thanks to all that you will accomplish which will guide them safely. We are a people united, we will stand against injustice and if our efforts in the Special Region assist those that call it home, then we will become their beacon of hope."

"Brave men and women of both Fiore and Alvarez, you take with you our hopes and carry courage within your hearts. Go forth and show our true might!" Cheers rang out all around, from the citizens gathered to the soldiers lined up with their units at the Queen's speech.

It could easily be said that they were truly inspired and those from Alvarez were impressed with the Queen. An endeavor that is quite rare to do when it comes to another monarch of a foreign country. Though all this needed to pass as all the troops began to mount up into the Rhinos and, those designated for it, got onto Jack Rabbits. The Special Forces were at the forefront and all four of their vehicles quickly filled up with those that would be leading the vanguard. As Erza boarded the front most vehicle in the forward passenger's seat, she couldn't help being a bit weary that Gray was not going to be with them for the first assault, something a cat eared woman had caught sight of as she came up to her.

"Come on Erzipoo~ no need to be worried, we've all got your back." Millianna said as she came by to wish them luck as she had been placed within the main unit.

"It's quite reassuring that I'll have so many people assisting me, but don't mind me Millianna because you need to focus on your squad." She had heard that the cat girl had earned a captain's position and was in charge of a squad within the main Fiorean force. "We'll make sure to clear you all a path so you can get a chance at helping."

"Looking forward to it!" Millianna waved as she quickly made her way back to her Rhino, which had a conspicuous cat face drawn on the side of it that anyone in its vicinity could see.

Erza watched as she ran off and steadied her breathing once the lacrima engines came to life and she could feel the vibration of the gears moving once the command to move forward was given. At a steady speed, the Rhinos made their way through the Gate and those inside watched as the walls seemed to go on and on. It felt like an hour had gone by and if the Gate was the same from the outside, then the 100th pillar shouldn't have existed although there was one person who couldn't care about it. Natsu tapped his foot on the metal floor of the vehicle, his impatience for a fight showing for his fellow team mates to see and everyone made the wise decision in asking him not to stop.

As for the others; Lucy tried to keep her mind at ease with making idle chatter with Wendy, Laxus was busy driving so he kept his eyes locked forward and Gajeel decided to close his eyes and get some rest before the battle. The last two within Erza's Rhino were formidable mages from Sabertooth, Rogue and Minerva, who spoke to each other in hushed tones about what would be waiting for them on the other side. Erza tried to clear her mind from everyone's voices and as she began to settle herself, Laxus stopped her in her tracks.

"There's light up ahead, looks like were almost out of here." Laxus could make it out from a few hundred meters, but he had also caught sight of small red dots in the distance. "I think it's time to call it in, looks like we have a welcoming party." Erza nodded her head as she picked up the communications lacrima and projected to all forces.

"This is Commander Scarlet to all forces; the Gate opening is coming into range. I repeat; the Gate opening is coming into range, prepare for battle!" She waited for the confirmations to pour in before she put down the lacrima, her adrenaline starting to pump into her system as the opening drew closer and the red dots could be seen even better. Those red dots were in fact thousands of lit torches.

"Looks like this is going to be fun, don't you think Commander" Minerva said aloud to the red head, but before Erza could reply, Natsu kicked the back doors opened and climbed onto the roof of the Rhino. Even though they were basically a few feet away from exiting the Gate.

"Natsu, where you going!?" Erza questioned as he jumped onto the hood in front of them, but Laxus merely sighed in annoyance of the pink haired slayer's actions.

"Isn't it obvious?" Erza looked quizzically towards the blonde man before he pointed a finger towards the dragon slayer on their hood. "He's going to give them a "warm" greeting." As soon as he said that, Natsu launched himself forward into an opening and took an all too familiar stance.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

A/N: Been a while since I've done one of these; first off I'd like to say thank you for still following this story for this long and hope you'll follow it along as it progresses. Secondly, I'd like to give thanks to Warmachine375 for giving me a few ideas to help flesh out the Fiorean military along with the Council's as well. Goes the same for giving me permission for the OCs introduced here, but they will only be seen on and off at times. If you want to learn about what I'm talking about, then you can take a look at his review to see the rankings I mentioned before if you're curious. Finally, about the ships...who knows! I don't think I can do romance justice, but if it happens than I most likely didn't see it happen myself. As weird as that sounds, a ship could happen without my own knowledge and I wrote the thing!

All and all, thanks again for reading this fic.