Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon

Chapter 56

The Boss leafed through page after page, eyes scanning quickly over every word, fully absorbing everything he could as he sat at his desk. "So tell me, what has my darling Gracie been up to these days?"

"Apart from joining that Fairy Tail guild seven years ago, she has apparently started hunting down and killing criminals," Cahill replied as he stood behind the Boss.

"Has she been working alone?"

"Reports indicate that she has a partner, but we're unsure of their name."

"Why not?"

"It never came up. My apologies."

The Boss sighed. "Never mind. I'm sure it's not important. Still, it's an interesting career path," he joked before chuckling. "I wonder where she got such a cold streak from."

Cahill chuckled. "Beats me."

The Boss continued analyzing the papers. "And this is everything?"

Cahill nodded. "Yes, Boss."

"Very thorough for just a few days of investigation," the Boss murmured with a small nod. He turned over another page. "So Magnolia is full of magic, huh?"

"Yes, Boss. It's been that way for centuries. It became so well known because of this Fairy Tail wizard guild. Before the incident I told you about seven years ago, they were considered the strongest wizard guild in all of Fiore."

"Ah, so it's a town in Fiore," the Boss said softly. He turned another page, revealing a roster of the members. The Boss whistled as he looked at the names. "My, these are detailed statistics."

"Thanks, Boss," Cahill said. "I did my research."

"I can tell. Look at all of the different kinds of magic. Four different Dragon Slayer Magic users, a Celestial Magic user, an Ice-Make Magic user, a Crash Magic user, three Take Over Magic users, and even another Requip Magic user other than our friend Miss Amier." As he scanned the information, one face and ability stuck out to him. "And who might this be?"

Cahill looked over his shoulder. "Ah, you mean Nikolias. After doing a little bit of extra digging, I found out he's something called a Half-Dragon."

"I've never heard of that kind of magic."

"It's not magic, Boss."

The Boss looked at his subordinate, moving his head only slightly to look at him out of the corner of his eye. "What do you mean it's not magic?"

"I don't know, Boss. That's just what my reports turned up. He has immense power, but no magic. It's unheard of."

The Boss turned his head back to the report. "Clearly. I find myself having a hard time believing it. Still, something about it is ringing a bell." He finished reading the report, placed it on his desk, and folded his hands as he mulled over all of the information he had just obtained. "Based on what I read, this Fairy Tail is not one to take lightly. We'll have to be careful with how we proceed."

"Understood."

The Boss' eyes suddenly widened as he shot up from his chair. He immediately bolted for the far corner of his large office where multiple file cabinets sat. He scanned the well-labeled drawers before ripping open the one he sought after. He quickly leafed through folder tabs before pulling out the files he desired. He opened the folder, a grin appearing on his face upon reading what the file contained. "So that's why it sounded familiar."

"What is it, Boss?" Cahill asked curiously.

The Boss looked at him with the same grin. "The reason why 'Half-Dragon' rings a bell is because of my cooperative research with a man named Gorn."

"Gorn? As in that brilliant scientist who suddenly disappeared a little over seven years ago?"

"One and the same. You see, he approached me about ten years ago, wanting to use my research in advanced weapons design to further enhance a project of his called the Red Eye virus."

"I remember that project!"

"Yes, it was fascinating and truly beyond comprehension. The research was so far developed for someone of his age. Anyway, when we began collaboration, I asked for complete files on everything that he had gathered about this virus so that I knew where to start." The Boss waved the file in the air. "And within those files contained some information on beings called the Half-Dragons."

"What did the information say?"

The Boss tucked the file under his arm and strode back towards his desk. "Not much. It did say, however, that Half-Dragons were a race of humans that went through a ritual with dragons that granted them the unique ability to transform partially and fully into dragons. However, because of Gorn's virus, they were eradicated. Well, all but one at least."

Cahill snapped his fingers. "And this Nikolias is that survivor!"

The Boss sat back at his desk. "Precisely." He then tapped his fingers together. "Also, do you remember that incident about seventeen years ago?"

"Are you talking about Harry the Horrible's murder?"

"Exactly. Do you recall what his men reported when they came back smelling of piss? They said a monster attacked them; one with cold golden brown eyes." He flipped back to the roster picture of Nikolias. "I'd bet anything that this is the same man that they spoke of. I'd also bet that he is her partner in her hunting down of criminals. And if I'm right on either count, then that means that Gracie has known him the longest."

"Sorry, Boss, but you lost me. How is any of this going to help us get Gracie?" Cahill asked while scratching his head.

The Boss chuckled maliciously as he picked up the photograph from the newspaper and stared at Gracie's exuberant face. "Oh, you'll see. I have just the thing to lure her out."


Just outside the borders of Magnolia, the small Fairy Tail guild hall was just as bustling as ever. Kinana and Mira served food and drinks to the boisterous members. Natsu sat with his arm slung over Lucy's shoulder while they chatted with Gray, Erza, Juvia, and Wendy while Happy and Carla sat on top of the table. Gajeel looked over Levy's shoulder as she read a book, a faint smile on her face, while Jet and Droy butted heads over who would sit on the one open side next to Levy. Reedus sat in a corner, painting the room and its members. Makarov sat with Cana, Wakaba, and Macao at the bar as they drank, laughing at every small detail around them. Lisanna sat at a table with her brother, listening with a smile as he told her tales of his latest mission and how manly he was. The Thunder Legion sat at their own table, Laxus sitting with a look of exhaustion as Evergreen, Freed, and Bickslow gushed over him. A typical day, all things considered.

The guild doors opened with a creak and in bounced the peppy blonde swordswoman, Gracie. She hummed while she skipped over to the table occupied by Team Natsu. "What up!"

"Welcome back, Gracie," Erza said with a smile. "How was your solo mission?"

Gracie smirked while fanning her face with her hand. "Too easy. It was borderline boring. With my skills, it couldn't even be considered a mission. It was an activity for a child."

Lucy giggled. "I can't remember the last time you felt challenged."

"Niky's Dragon Feast incident, probably," Gracie answered, putting a hand unconsciously to her ribs that had long since healed thanks to Wendy.

"That was a tough fight," Erza nodded.

Gracie put her hands on her waist. "Anyway, what are you guys talking about?"

Lucy smiled over to Erza. "Well, Erza and I were thinking about going on a shopping trip with Levy, Lisanna, and Wendy. It's been a while since we did anything just us girls. Now that you're back, you should definitely come with us."

Gracie squealed. "Oh, that sounds like a blast! I've never gone shopping with the girls before. Count me in!"

"Great," Lucy said. "We'll be going this afternoon, probably right after a quick lunch here."

"Where are we gonna go?" Gracie asked.

"We'll be hitting clothes stores primarily," Erza responded. "I could use some new outfits."

"Wow, clothes shopping with someone who might actually give a damn," Gracie said with sparkles in her eyes.

Lucy giggled. "Have you really only gone clothes shopping with Nikolias before?"

"That I can remember, yeah," Gracie replied.

"I can see how that would be tough," Lucy said while tapping Natsu's shoulder. "Guys just don't ever seem to care."

"Hey!" Natsu shouted.

"You know it's true," Lucy shrugged.

"I always tell you how good you look in new clothes!" Natsu protested.

Lucy sighed. "Natsu, you think everything looks good."

"Then what is it exactly that you want me to say?" Natsu asked, bewildered.

"Never mind," Lucy groaned.

Gracie put her hands behind her back and leaned forward. "What about you, Juvia? Are you coming?"

Juvia wiggled in her seat. "Juvia will go if Gray-sama goes."

"And that's why Juvia's not going," Lucy said. "Gray has no interest in going."

"Damn right," Gray said with his arms crossed.

Gracie smirked at him. "Are you sure, Gray? By the looks of it you could certainly use the clothes."

He raised an eyebrow at her before following her gaze down, only to see that he was sitting in nothing but his boxers. "Oh, what the hell? Where did they go?"

Gracie laughed as she straightened back up. "Well, it's too bad that you won't come, Juvia. It'll be a lot of fun."

"Juvia has more fun when she's by Gray-sama's side," Juvia said.

"Yeah, yeah," Gracie said.

"Oh Gracie, you're back," Mira said as she walked over, a platter of food in her hand.

"Hey Mira! Are you gonna come shopping with us girls?" Gracie asked.

Mira put her free hand to her face as she tilted her head cutely to the side. "Oh I'd love to, but unfortunately I have to pick up supplies for the guild shortly and then return to bar duty. Another time maybe."

Gracie pouted. "Man, too many people are backing out on us."

"Gracie, that's two people," Wendy said.

"And that's two too many!" Gracie complained.

"We'll still have fun," Lucy promised.

Gracie gave a humph. "Yeah, I guess. Oh, before I forget, Mira; have you seen Niky around?"

She shook her head. "No, I haven't seen him since I left. He slept in this morning. He's so cute when he's sleeping that I just didn't have the heart to wake him."

"It's practically noon. He hasn't been by yet?" Gracie asked.

"Nope."

"Oh well, I'm sure he'll be here soon," Gracie said as she sat beside Erza. "Let's get back to planning our day of fun!"


Nikolias yawned as he walked the streets of Magnolia on his way from the Strauss house. He had slept a lot longer than he wanted, but he was so comfortable that he just couldn't wake up. He didn't even feel Mira get up and leave and was almost surprised at her absence.

"I must have been really out," he groaned as he stretched his waking muscles. "I can usually at least feel the shift in the bed."

He walked through the market place, looking at all the vendors and customers as he passed by. Children played in the streets, dogs barked, cats dug through the trash cans, and wives fanned the sheets outside their windows, filling Nikolias' nose with the fresh scent of fabric cleaner. He chuckled inwardly as he thought about how far he had come. Seventeen years ago, he would have never felt so at ease in such a place. He would have felt irritated and would have been rushing for the exit. But all that changed once he met Gracie.

Sure, he loved Mira and everyone at Fairy Tail and felt blessed to have met them, but he knew that things would be much different had he not found Gracie that day seventeen years ago and had she not forced her way into his life. Who knows where he'd be?

Suddenly, his ears picked up on a very interesting conversation. The voices were soft, almost a whisper, but he picked them out of the crowd and focused on them after hearing the opening question.

"Hey, did you hear about Xeeval the Executioner?" one man asked.

Nikolias slowed his pace and slightly turned his head so that he could look at the small group of men. They stood at the opening of an alley, huddled together to try and have a private conversation. Unfortunately for them, nothing was private when someone with dragon hearing was around. He focused completely on these men, trying to hear every detail.

"You mean that legendary murderer?" another man asked.

"Yeah, I heard that the trail got hot again," the first man replied.

"You mean the Rune Knights have something on him?" the third man asked.

"Yeah, apparently he killed, like, twenty people a couple days ago for no reason other than that they were in front of him," the first man said.

"That guy is a monster, no doubt," the second man said.

"Where did he hit?" the third man asked.

"A town called Juniper," the first man answered.

"Juniper?"

"Yeah, it's a small town in the country of Bosco, near the Seven border."

"Do you think that they'll catch him?"

"Not sure, but based on what my friend told me, the Rune Knights believe that Xeeval was headed west after killing those people."

"I hope they catch him. Take that filth off of the streets forever, I say. I mean, how can people ever feel safe with him out there?"

Nikolias had heard enough. He powered his way towards the guild, hoping that Gracie had returned from her mission. 'Xeeval the Executioner. A legendary name, that's for sure. I had been hoping that he would pop up soon. I'd love to kill that monster. I hope Gracie's back. We need to move out immediately before the trail goes cold.'


Nikolias threw open the doors to the guild and scanned around. He soon found Gracie sitting with Natsu and the others at a table and smiled. 'Good, she's back,' he thought as he walked over to her. "Gracie!"

Gracie looked up and waved. "Hey, Niky! Look who finally got up."

"Oh shut it. Guess what I've got for you?" Nikolias said excitedly.

"Ooo, a present! What is it?"

"I got a tip that Xeeval the Executioner was spotted in a town called Juniper in the country of Bosco."

Gracie looked shocked. "Xeeval the Executioner? Really?"

"Who's Xeeval the Executioner?" Natsu asked.

"He's an infamous mass murderer," Gracie explained. "He's killed hundreds of people for no reason except to satisfy a twisted blood lust."

"Why has he never been caught?" Erza asked.

"He's cunning," Gracie replied. "He kills a lot of people and then simply vanishes off the face of the Earth. He's so good at remaining inconspicuous after his crimes that authorities have barely been able to gather any kinds of leads as to his whereabouts."

"He sounds dangerous," Lucy said.

"He is," Nikolias said. "That's why we need to get moving, Gracie."

"Right now?" Gracie asked.

"Yeah, right now!" Nikolias said. "We need to move quickly before the guy disappears into the ether again."

"Niky, I have plans already."

Nikolias was stunned. Did Gracie just turn down the opportunity to take down a major criminal? "Come again?"

"I have plans," Gracie repeated. "Lucy, Erza, Levy, Lisanna, Wendy, and I are going clothes shopping this afternoon and I'm really looking forward to going with them."

Nikolias still couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Gracie, this is Xeeval the Executioner, not some small fry punk ass. This guy is a big fish, the ultimate mark, the dream Hunt, and you're turning it down to go clothes shopping?"

"Yeah, I am," Gracie said. "I never get to do stuff like this."

"Then reschedule!" Nikolias shouted.

"Niky, I have plans," Gracie said sternly. "I'm not going and that's that."

Nikolias gritted his teeth. "You're really not going?"

"No, I'm not. I'm sorry, Niky, but I want to do things with my girl friends today."

Nikolias clenched his fists. "Fine. If you're deciding to choose clothes over hunting down and eliminating a huge threat, then I won't stop you or try to change your mind anymore. But I'm going. I won't pass up the chance to stop this despicable human. I at least have my priorities straight."

"Fine, go! See if I care!" Gracie shouted back as she stood up from her seat, slamming her hands on the table top. "We don't have to do everything together, you know!"

Nikolias glared at her for a moment before turning on his heels and storming out without saying another word.

Gracie sat back down with a huff. "Freaking jerk."

"Wow, I don't think that I've ever seen you two fight like that before," Gray said.

"Gracie, we can reschedule," Lucy offered. "It's not a big deal."

"No, we made plans," Gracie said while shaking her head. "Niky needs to learn that he can't always get his way. I can't just drop everything whenever he wants to do something."

"But if this Xeeval guy is so dangerous, is it okay for him to go alone?" Wendy asked worriedly.

"He'll be fine," Gracie said while crossing her arms.

"Well, if you're sure, then let's order our lunch from Kinana and head out," Erza said.

"Sounds good," Gracie said. "Lisanna! Levy! C'mere! We're gonna order lunch and then we can shop 'til we drop!" She smiled at the approaching girls, her façade masking the fury that was buried deep down at her insensitive partner.


Nikolias flew through the air, his dragon wings flapping furiously to match his mood. "Stupid Gracie. Who the fuck chooses clothes shopping over something as big as hunting down Xeeval the Executioner? Honestly, what is wrong with her?"

He looked down at the ground, recognizing the mountain range that sat at the border of Seven and Bosco. He had traveled across that mountain range back when he was aimlessly traveling Earth Land; back before he had met Gracie. He angled his body to fly closer to the ground. "Now, where is this Juniper? From the sound of it, it's a small town. Where could it be, though?"

Not knowing where to go, he decided to stop in the first town he saw to ask directions. He made sure to land on the outskirts of the town so as to not frighten people and walked into the town.

Wherever he was, it was quite busy. It reminded him a lot of Magnolia. The first person he saw, he stopped. "Excuse me!" he called out.

The person who turned was a young woman, perhaps in her early thirties. She had long black hair, green eyes, and a slightly freckled face. She blushed upon seeing him. "Yes?" she replied sheepishly.

He smiled reassuringly at her. "I'm sorry for bothering you, but could you tell me where the town of Juniper is?"

"Juniper?" she repeated before pausing to think. "Let's see. I believe the quickest way is to head east from here. It's about ten miles in that direction. But I'm not sure why you would want to go there."

"I have my reasons." He bowed. "Thank you very much for your help."

She blushed again. "Oh please, don't worry about it."

He smiled at her. "I'll be off then." He took off running for the eastern exit. He looked over his shoulder and waved as he ran. "Thanks again, miss!"

The woman waved back, but once he disappeared, she kept smiling. "What a man. Still, why would he want to go to a place like Juniper?"


Gracie, Lucy, Erza, Wendy, Levy, and Lisanna all rummaged through racks and racks of clothes. Gracie was whipping things out at random, asking everyone what they thought about anything, even if she had no interest in it whatsoever.

"Gracie, I'm glad that you're having fun, but you only have to ask our opinion of things that you want to buy," Levy laughed.

"Yeah, and slow down," Lisanna said. "You're going to wear yourself out."

Gracie giggled and scratched her cheek. "Sorry. Guess I'm getting carried away."

"It's okay," Levy said as she scanned the clothes again. "Now, what would Gajeel like?" she whispered.

"What was that Levy?" Gracie asked.

"Nothing!" Levy chirped as she turned bright red, trying to hide her embarrassment in the clothes.

Wendy pulled out a pink dress that caught her eye. "Gracie, are you sure that Nikolias will be okay? I'm really worried about him."

Gracie sighed. She had been trying not to think about Nikolias. "I get that, Wendy, but there's nothing to worry about."

"I may not have heard of Xeeval the Executioner before, but with a name like that, I'd be concerned," Erza said. "What if Nikolias needs help?"

"Look," Gracie said, "it'll be okay, alright? Before we met, Niky kept himself alive for years. I'm sure that he faced plenty of tough opponents. Besides, mass murderer or not, I doubt this Xeeval guy could possibly pose a threat to someone like Niky." She pulled out a black tank top with a golden V that went from the shoulders down to the midsection. "I'm sure that Niky will be just fine without me."


Nikolias walked through the streets of Juniper, but was surprised at how empty it was. Actually, it was completely empty. There was no one around. Sure it was a small town, but shouldn't there be someone here?

"Did that Xeeval bastard kill everyone?" he asked himself quietly.

Something wasn't sitting right with him. This place looked abandoned, and not just from a massacre that happened maybe a day or two ago. No, this place looked like no one had lived there for years. His steps became far more cautious. "Did I hear them wrong? I could've sworn that they said Juniper. Damn it all."

He stopped in what appeared to be the middle of town. There was a broken and toppled statue lying on the ground, weeds starting to wrap around the stone. He narrowed his eyes at the stone, noting how weathered it looked. Something was definitely wrong. This place was a ghost town, lacking any care whatsoever. "What the hell is this?" he asked softly.

Suddenly, his ears picked up the soft sound of footsteps coming behind him. He whipped around to see men in black suits pouring out of the empty houses and walking towards him. They all wore masks that covered their faces from the nose down, but just from the look in their eyes, he could tell that they weren't a welcoming committee. Most of them carried obvious weapons, such as swords and spears. Others appeared unarmed.

He then heard footsteps coming from behind him once more. He whipped around once again and saw even more men in black suits and masks walking out of the abandoned houses. These men were exactly like the other men; armed and unfriendly.

Nikolias growled at them. "Who are you? What do you want?"

None of them answered. They all just kept slowly approaching him, attempting to box him in and eliminate all routes of escape.

Nikolias' black blades appeared from his forearms. He didn't like the way these men were approaching him. He could feel the malice in the air. "Answer me!"

"My, my. You're alone. What a shame," came a deep voice from within the crowd.

Nikolias whipped his head around, glaring with his golden brown eyes in the direction of the voice. "Who are you people?"

A man in a black suit stepped forward. He was bulky and tall and his black and gray hair was slicked back. He looked at Nikolias with cold blue eyes. Even though the man wore a mask like all of the others, he could tell that the man was smiling. "Oh, I'm sorry. Where are my manners? You may call me Jarvan. A pleasure to meet you, Half-Dragon."

Nikolias growled at the man, his lips curled back to reveal sharp dragon fangs. "How do you know me?"

"Oh, I've done my homework. I need to know all about you if my dreams are to be realized, for I can't have you interfering," Jarvan replied.

"What the hell are you talking about? And where is everyone?" Nikolias demanded.

"Oh, no one's lived here in years," Jarvan said. "Xeeval the Executioner made sure of that."

"What?" Nikolias asked in surprise. 'That means my suspicions were true. But then why did I hear that rumor?'

Jarvan chuckled. "You're wondering why you heard about Xeeval the Executioner attacking this place recently, aren't you?"

Nikolias didn't answer. 'What the hell is this all about?'

Jarvan stepped closer. "I'm sure you are. You see, that was a rumor I spread in the hopes that I could lure Gracie Amier to this area."

Nikolias' eyes widened. "Gracie? What do you bastards want with her?"

"She has something that belongs to me and I'm prepared to do whatever is necessary to obtain it," Jarvan replied. "That's all you need to know."

Nikolias felt his blood starting to boil. No one threatened Gracie while he was around. "You fucking asshole."

"Temper, temper," Jarvan scolded. He then sighed. "I must say, things would have been much simpler had Gracie come along with you like she was supposed to. Fortunately, I had a back-up plan for just such an occasion." He then snapped his fingers. "Get him."

Nikolias crouched down, his blades becoming shrouded with shadows. "You douches are no match for me. I'll kill you all in five seconds. I'll make you pay for even thinking about hurting Gracie!"

Jarvan laughed. "Oh, I know that we're no match for you. I know how strong you are. But I also told you that we did our homework. We know a lot about you, Half-Dragon."

One of the men in black stepped forward, a small contraption grasped in his hand. Nikolias eyed it, unsure of what it was, but was prepared for anything—except for the one thing that it actually did. As soon as the man pushed the big blue button, a high-pitched shrieking sound erupted from the small box. Nikolias cried out in pain, his hands instinctively shooting up to his ears in an attempt to block out the sound. 'Shit, this sound is killing me! It feels like it's drilling a hole in my skull!' He glared at Jarvan despite the pain he was in. "This is nothing! I'll still kill you even with this sound!"

Jarvan only smiled as he snapped his fingers again. As soon as he did, another man stepped forward and threw a small black grenade towards Nikolias. It landed a few feet away from him and as soon as it hit the ground, a cloud of brown smoke erupted from it. This was no ordinary smokescreen, however. This smoke smelled of rotting flesh and manure, only magnified a hundred times. The smell was so noxious that Nikolias immediately hunched over, sacrificing one of his ears to attempt to block out the smell. His eyes watered as he began to cough. He tried to look at Jarvan, but the smokescreen completely blocked his vision. 'The masks…they were for this smokescreen. This was part of their plan, huh?' He kept coughing, his thoughts beginning to blur from the piercing sound of the small box and the horrible smell of the smoke. 'They've completely taken away my sense of smell, hearing, and sight. I'll have to be careful.'

However, as soon as he thought this, he felt something poke his back. Before he could even turn around, bolts of electricity shot through his entire body. He screamed in pain as the electricity made his muscles go numb and his mind go blank. He fell to his knees before collapsing on the ground, unconscious.

The smokescreen vanished and the man pressed the blue button once more to cease the sound. Jarvan laughed as he removed his mask. "You may be a strong one, but a dragon's true weakness will always be his heightened senses." He snapped his fingers. "Tie him up. We need to move him to the laboratory immediately."

A few men ran to Nikolias' motionless body, binding him and quickly carrying him off.

Another man took off his mask and stepped next to Jarvan. "Great work, Boss. You're back-up plan of capturing the Half-Dragon worked to perfection."

"Ah, Cahill. Yes, I couldn't have done it without your detailed report."

"You flatter me, Boss. This was all thanks to your genius. I do have one question, though."

"Ask away."

"How is capturing the Half-Dragon going to help us capture Gracie?"

Jarvan smiled maliciously. "I told you that I believe these two to be very close, correct?"

"Yes, you did, Boss."

Jarvan looked at his subordinate. "So then what do you think she'll do when someone so close to her doesn't return?"

Cahill thought about it. After a few moments, he smiled maliciously as well. "Oh, that's brilliant!"

Jarvan laughed. "But of course! Now, everyone back to headquarters! There's so much to do before the main event!"


HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! That's right; it has been a year ago today that the first chapter of this story was published! I can't believe how far this story has come in a year and I can't believe how many great readers this story has gotten! That's why, in honor of the anniversary of this story, I have made sure to have a chapter for you guys to read!

I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your love and support. Thank you to everyone who has favorited or followed my story and/or sent me reviews. Even if you haven't done these things, I still want to give you a big thank you just for reading. You have no idea what it means to me.

Thank you for all of your support! You're all the best! Here's to another great year of Nikolias, Gracie, and the whole Fairy Tail gang! Thank you all so much for reading!