Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

Hello everyone! I can''t believe it's been over a month...I mean wow. I'm so sorry. However, life has just gotten so busy and I think I was trying to tackle too much at once. Hopefully with this realization I can get better updates, but with work and everything, I just have so little time to write these days. But I swear I'll try to get better! Also as you can see this is a shorter than normal chapter. I just kinda liked the natural stop and if I kept writing to make it longer, who knows when I would have gotten this out? Anyway, hope you enjoy and hopefully I can get you a longer and faster update for Chapter 80. Fingers crossed! Anyway, enjoy!

WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! Read at your own risk. There's still original stuff in here, but if you haven't gotten to this point in the anime/manga, then some things may be ruined for you. I advise catching up to the anime/manga if you haven't already (for more reasons than just reading my story)! Thank you and enjoy!

Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon

Chapter 79

Inside the Fairy Tail guild hall the mood was somber. Everyone was still on edge after everything that had happened today. Gildarts, Erza, and Gracie were the last to return to the guild of those who had gone off in search of Lucy and Gildarts had immediately begun sharing everything that he had discovered.

"The Legion Platoon? You're joking, right?" Wakaba asked.

"So we were attacked by followers of Zentopia?" Cana asked for clarification.

"Yeah, there's no doubt," Gildarts said.

"But why would the largest organized church in Fiore do something like that?" Macao asked, a beer in his hand as he sat at the bar with Makarov.

"I can't be entirely sure, but the man I fought said something about a Holy War."

Natsu was sitting at a table with Lucy, Ash, and Sky. He immediately shot up from his seat and slammed his hand on the table. "Who cares about any of that? All that matters is that these bastards stole from Lucy!" He turned to Lucy with a look of determination. "I swear we are going to get back what belongs to you, Lucy."

Lucy nodded, but said nothing. She was far too upset for words.

"It's not your fault that they took it," Happy said, trying his best to cheer Lucy up. "That weird girl had you under her control."

Ash clenched her fists. "That magic trick of hers is bullshit. There's nothing you could've done, Lucy."

"I'm so sorry," Michelle said apologetically. "I wish I could have done something to help you."

"If it's anyone's fault, it's mine," Sky said softly as tears ran down her cheeks. "If I hadn't allowed her to control me, I could have protected Lucy. If I hadn't allowed her to control me," she paused to sniff, "Nikolias…Nikolias wouldn't be…"

Ash put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "It's okay, Sky. If it wasn't for you carrying him here, who knows what kind of shape he'd be in? Wendy's in the infirmary with him now and Mira's by his side. He'll be good as new any second now. Just watch."

"But still," Sky whimpered.

"You guys shouldn't be so hard on yourselves," Lucy said quietly as she balled her skirt in her hands. "This is all on me. I'm just…I'm just too weak."

"That's not true!" Natsu shouted. "Lucy, you're not weak! You've fought Bloody Moon! You've beaten Grimoire Heart! You went head to head with killers! Have you forgotten all of the super tough fights you've won? You're anything but weak!"

"Thanks, Natsu. I just wish I believed you," Lucy said.

Natsu gritted his teeth. He hated seeing Lucy like this. "Damn it! We need to make them pay and fast!"

Makarov hummed. "A series of church attacks just before the Zentopia Founding Festival. A mysterious clock hand inscribed with an ominous phrase that is also sought after by the Legion Platoon. And now, to top it all off, there's talk of a Holy War."

"All I know is that those guys made a big mistake when they chose to mess with a member of Fairy Tail," Natsu said as he crossed his arms. "This thing is just getting started."

"Was anyone able to follow them and figure out where they were going?" Gray asked from his seat at a table, his shirt once again missing in action.

"According to Warren, every single search team lost sight of them," Erza replied.

"Besides, that would have been a job for Niky, but he's still out of commission," Gracie said as she sat with her head in her hands. "This so bites."

"Don't lose heart. I agree with Natsu," Erza continued. "This isn't over. Not by a long shot."

Natsu punched his palm and gave a big grin. "Oh yeah! We'll hunt 'em down and teach them a lesson they'll never forget! Who's with me?"

Gracie leapt to her feet. "You know I am!"

Lucy stood as well and smiled; the first smile she'd had since returning to the guild without her father's memento. It was hard to stay down with people like Natsu and Gracie around to always cheer her up. "I'll help, too."

Natsu turned to her. "That's the spirit! Never give up!"

Mira, Wendy, and Carla walked into the main room coming from the infirmary. Mira's face was full of worry, Wendy looked both sad and exhausted, and Carla looked troubled. Everyone turned to them and waited for the news, but no one was more anxious than Sky. She stood with clasped hands and a face of fear.

"How is he?" Makarov asked.

Wendy looked at the floor. "His spine was a mess. The vertebrates were all over the place." Tears were stinging her eyes. "I tried to use my magic to move them back into place, but every time I tried he was screaming with such pain. I hated to hurt him, but I needed to set it back into place. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Wendy. Is he gonna be okay?" Gracie asked.

Mira nodded. "He should be. Wendy was able to straighten out his spine. He's resting now."

"But shouldn't the Red Eye set his spine straight by itself?" Gray asked. "If I remember correctly, that's what happened with that Gorn guy. His body would break, but it just snapped back into place."

"I asked Nikolias that," Wendy said. "He told me that if the bones were completely snapped then there was nothing for it to mend to."

"So simple fractures will heal, but anything worse still needs attention," Erza summarized.

"I hope he makes it," Sky prayed.

"He'll be fine. I know he will be," Mira said with a sweet smile in spite of her own clear worry.

"Nevertheless, we shouldn't get too ahead of ourselves planning without Nikolias present," Erza said. "He could offer valuable insight after fighting with them."

"Like finding their scent and tracking them down," Wakaba offered.

"It may be too late for that now," Gracie said. "It's been a while. The trail could be cold by now. His sense of smell is good, but he can't pull one out of nothing."

"There is still a chance of there being a trail, though," Erza noted.

"True."

Erza put a hand to her chin. "This Holy War that they spoke of bothers me. It's clear that the Legion Platoon is looking to accomplish something big and that something requires that clock hand. Then you have to think about the inscription on the clock hand."

"Time ticks forward on toward inevitable chaos," Gracie recalled. "You think that means the Holy War? War is certainly chaotic enough."

Carla suddenly shuddered as a vision flooded her mind. An old man was running through darkness, floating candles with dark flames offering the only light. He was clearly terrified. He turned around and was suddenly in the middle of a blue lake while face to face with the clock hand, strips of old cloth billowing behind it in the wind. He stared at it in fear as he muttered, "Time ticks forward on toward inevitable chaos!" The blue water suddenly turned dark and a large, menacing eye opened up beneath him.

Wendy noticed the little white Exceed's actions. "What's wrong Carla?"

Carla shook her head of the vision. "It's nothing."

Lucy thought it over. "That clock truly exists out there. Does that mean it's going to be used in the Holy War?"

"Probably. Gracie could be right; that the chaos mentioned in the inscription and the Holy War are one and the same," Cana said.

"But chaos just screams no-holds-barred," Gray said with a smile as he sat on top of Lucy's table.

Natsu smirked. "That's just the way I like it!"

"Natsu, you need to remember that the world only works because there are certain rules in place," Happy said while raising a paw.

"Like 'taking people's things makes you a thief'," Cana offered.

"And things like 'lock your door when leaving'?" Michelle asked.

"All freedoms are built upon a specific set of rules," Makarov said. "Otherwise, there would only be lawlessness."

"So would winning this Holy War give them that freedom?" Macao asked.

"Taking things from others doesn't seem all that holy to me," Gildarts said.

"What we need are clues," Lucy said.

"What if the Legion Platoon is looking for other clock parts, too?" Michelle asked.

"That's pretty probable," Gracie said with a nod.

"If we can discover what their aim is, the significance of the clock hand will become clear as well," Erza said.

"So then we need to find them and stop them!" Ash shouted as her hair began glowing slightly. "I'm not one for sitting back and letting people just do what they want."

Gray nodded. "We'll just have to do some investigating if we want to find them and discover their plans." He leaned against Natsu with a smirk. "Then again, they may take notice and just come to us."

"I hope so," Natsu said while bumping Gray's fist. "Let's go!

"But what should we look into first?" Lucy asked.

"I'll try my fortunetelling and see if that gives us any hints," Cana said.

"That's my baby girl!" Gildarts swooned.

"Knock it off! You're embarrassing me!" Cana snapped.

"That could at least point us in the right direction," Gracie said with a giggle.

Suddenly, there was a loud banging noise like a door slamming into a wall. It was followed by stomping footsteps. Everyone turned towards the noise to see an enraged Nikolias making his way out of the infirmary and towards the door. His fists were clenched, his sharp teeth were grinding together, and thick veins were throbbing in his forehead and neck.

"Niky, you're alright!" Gracie exclaimed.

"Thank goodness," Sky breathed, a relieved smile on her face.

"Where are they?" he hissed as he made his way to the door. "Which way did those pompous fuckers go?"

Mira ran over to him and took his hand to hold him in place. "Nikolias, calm down! We can't act rashly. We need to plan things out before we go after them. Besides, you should be resting. Your spine only just recently was fixed."

"They made a fool of me," he growled, his whole body tense and shaking from anger. "They stole from Lucy and there was nothing I could do. Using cheap tricks like that makes me sick. I'll go after them and get back what they stole with interest."

"Not yet," Erza said. "Let's plan our strategy first and go from there." She narrowed her eyes. "We'll get it back. You can count on it."

It took some time, but Nikolias began to calm down. He took a deep breath and his body relaxed. "Fine. We'll do it your way." He turned to the group, lacing his fingers with Mira's. "So then tell me; what's the plan?"


A large church sat nestled among the trees. It was a quiet location next to a small town. There was a small rock cliff to the right side of the church walls and standing on that cliff were members of the Magic Council's Rune Knights headed by Lahar. They all stood facing the church, watching intensely as they waited for anyone to threaten the building.

One Rune Knight came running up to Lahar. "All clear so far. Nothing strange to report from the other two parishes."

Lahar nodded. "Very good."

"But what if the next attack is somewhere other than the three locations we have men monitoring?" one of the knights asked.

"There is a slim chance," Lahar admitted, "but still, after investigating the prior incidents and some expert divinations, we were able to narrow it down to the three most likely targets. I have faith in our intel."

"Is there anyone inside?" another knight asked.

"At this late hour, the priest assures us that it's empty," another knight replied.


Inside of the church, a man dressed in a ratty light colored cloak sat kneeling before the altar. A large symbol for Zentopia was carved into the wall and the altar was simple wood. The man's hands were clasped together and his eyes were closed as he quietly prayed.

Suddenly, the door to the church burst open, startling the man from his prayers. He turned around with a look of fear in his eyes.

Standing in the doorway was a figure wearing a large bear mask. It had robotic arms and an odd lever was attached to its torso. It laughed evilly as it stepped forward. "Hot payoff time!" it cried in an oddly altered voice.

"Stop right there!" the man cried as he leapt to his feet. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a silver key. "If you think that I'm going to go quietly you're dead wrong!"

The strange being laughed harder as it grabbed hold of the odd lever on its side. "Oh by all means, go down as loudly as you want!" It pushed down on the lever.


The Rune Knights stationed outside suddenly heard a loud scream coming from inside the church.

"Did you hear that? It sounded like someone screaming!" one of the Rune Knights exclaimed.

"Go! Now!" Lahar cried in a panic as the Rune Knights rushed towards the church.

However, none of them could reach the door before a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky. The church exploded from the strike and several Rune Knights were even electrocuted to death. Others were simply sent flying from the blast.

"No," Lahar muttered as he shielded his eyes from the wind and dirt.

"Well lookey here!" Lahar turned around to see a strange being standing on top of the rubble of the church. "If it isn't the Custody Enforcement Unit! Does the Council know that you little boys are out this late?"

"Are you the one behind all of these attacks?" Lahar demanded.

The strange being snickered. "Oh, wouldn't you like to know."

"Tell me who you are this instant!" Lahar bellowed.

"Alright," the being replied. "Since you're asking so nicely I'll tell you who I am. My name is Jackpot and I just love to play games! Do you?" He pushed down on the lever attached to his torso. Three pictures on his chest began to spin around like a slot machine. The pictures then all stopped on what appeared to be pictures of a large water basin. "Wash tubs it is!" Large metal wash tubs rained down from the sky and fell on the heads of all of the Rune Knights. "What a payoff! Let's move on to what I like to call Sorcery Rush mode!"

Jackpot pushed down on the lever once again and the pictures spun around. The pictures all stopped on a lightning bolt. "Yahoo! A lucky Lightning Bolt Bonus!" Out of nowhere, a large bolt of lightning struck Jackpot, electrocuting him as he cried out.

"This is absurd," Lahar murmured as he watched in awe. "Complete and utter madness."

The lightning faded and Jackpot sighed. "Not to worry. We still have another spin coming!" He pushed down on the lever and the pictures spun around until they all landed on a picture of a wicked sun. "Yes! A Devil Flush!" He laughed wildly as flames engulfed him. "This is one hot payoff," he said as he began to glow. And then, just like that, he was gone.

The Rune Knights looked around in a panic at the sudden disappearance of the one calling himself Jackpot.

"So that's who's behind the attacks," one of the knights said.

"Yes, that's been made quite clear," Lahar said as he furrowed his brow. "And the worst part is that it's just some sort of twisted game to him." He turned to his men. "He must be stopped at all costs before there are any more casualties."


Outside of the guild hall, Macao and Wakaba were speaking in private with Gildarts.

"I hate to even ask it of you, but do you think that you're up for it?" Macao asked Gildarts.

"Yeah. I mean, what other choice do I really have?" Gildarts replied.

"You're the only one in the guild with the kind of power and composure to pull this off," Wakaba said. "Nikolias is suited for it, but he still needs to calm down a bit."

"No explanation needed. I get it," Gildarts said.

"And don't worry; we've already picked out the perfect partner for you," Macao said with a smile.

Off to the side, Makarov and Cana were observing the private conversation.

"Looks like he's back to his old tricks again," Cana said with a small smile. "Sneaking around late at night."

"Go easy on him would you?" Makarov begged.

"Cana sweety!" Gildarts said, having noticed the two off to the side. He walked over to them with a smitten face. "Were you listening to us?"

"Just a little," Cana replied.

Gildarts clasped his hands together. "You wanna tag along with your daddy? We've never been able to go on a real father-daughter mission before!"

"Nah, I'll pass," Cana said, causing Gildarts's face to fall.

Gildarts walked off, sulking. "Cana's always so mean…"

"Just go already!" Cana snapped.

Gildarts immediately began running off. "See ya later!"

"Thanks for going easy on him," Makarov said sarcastically.

"I don't need to cut him any slack," Cana huffed. She then smiled. "That guy. He's always been so cool and collected under pressure before. What a dork."


In a far off, unknown location, the followers of Zentopia were all gathering in one area. The reason for the gathering was that the Archbishop was going to speak.

In his chambers, the Archbishop was being attended to by several of his closest followers while he remained in bed.

"He's had another one?" one whispered.

"The nightmares are getting worse with each passing day. We've tried giving him sedatives, but it doesn't seem to help," another one replied.

One of the followers stepped forward. "Are you feeling any better?" he asked the Archbishop, who was currently sitting and wiping his face of sweat. "Were you able to sleep?"

The Archbishop lowered the cloth. "Yes, but the dream has returned." He sighed heavily and closed his eyes.

"You had it again tonight?"

"I did. Such horrors…how could they be born within my own mind?" The Archbishop opened his eyes. "However, I do firmly believe that there must be some purpose behind these visions. The very thought of sleep terrifies me now for fear of seeing it again."

"But sleep is crucial to maintaining your good health, sir," one of the followers urged.

"The time for the Founding Festival draws near," the Archbishop said. "You must summon the Cardinals in the event that some misfortune was to befall me."

"Please don't talk like that," one of the followers begged.

The Archbishop rose from his bed. He quickly dressed into his robes and placed the mitre on top of his head. "I cannot take this lightly," he began as his followers bowed. "Facing unpleasant facts is part of leadership. I am bound by my solemn duty as the Archbishop of Zentopia."


The next day, Makarov sat at the bar with a drink in hand. He thought over everything that was discussed the other day. 'So many important roles to play. I can only hope that they are all okay.'

"You shouldn't worry so much," Macao said as he sat beside the former guild master.

"Old habits die hard," Makarov said as he took a sip.

Wakaba sat on the other side. "I hope you're not worried about Gildarts."

"No, he's the least of my worries. It's the others that have me concerned," Makarov replied.

"C'mon, think about who we sent out there," Wakaba said. "Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, Wendy, and Michelle have worked together before and they're practically unbeatable. Plus, they'll have Sky and Ash as backup."

"Then there's Nikolias, Gracie, and Mira," Macao said. "How can you possibly be worried about them?"

Makarov sighed. "I have no concerns about their skill. However, Nikolias seems to be angrier than usual these days and I fear he'll give in to that anger. It could even get him seriously hurt."

"Really? Has he really been that angry these days?" Macao asked as he looked at Wakaba, who only shrugged.

"Never mind," Makarov said. "You can just write it off as an old man's paranoia." He took another sip. 'I certainly hope that that's all this uneasiness is. Be safe everyone.'