AN: Hello all, it's been a while hasn't it. Well all I can say to that is that I've been busy, and this chapter was a pain in the arse to write. I must have tried to finish it at least six or seven times over the last couple of weeks and failed. I think it's because I am growing bored of this arc and want to move on, that and I think I have too many characters. Still, I sat down today and after an hour of concentration and perseverance I managed to finish it off. Here is chapter 30, hope you all enjoy.
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Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Fairy Tail.
( - )
(Last Time)
"Gramps!" Natsu shouted again, his tone turning fearful now as he ran forward and skidded to his knees beside the old man's side. Above him, Happy swooped down, and landed on the old man's other side.
"Natsu, is he okay?" Happy asked tearfully.
Turning the old man over, Natsu felt his heart suddenly twist, even as tears began to fall down his face, and his lip started to quiver uncontrollably. "G-Gramps?"
The old man's eyes were open and staring sightless at the sky above him.
He was dead.
( - )
Chapter 30
( - )
(With the Magic Council Expeditionary Force)
Floating just off of the shore of Tenrou Island, those few Rune Knights and sailors that survived the sudden and unprovoked attack on the Council fleet, rushed about shoring up their few remaining ships. All while other members of the expedition tried to rescue those few people that had survived the attack and that were still in the water, and salvaging what little equipment they could from the flotsam that had once been the Magic Council's fleet.
Of the eight ships they had set out from Hargeon port with, only three were still usable, and even then they were ramshackle and only still operable due to a hasty patchwork of repairs and some useful magic. The remaining five were completely scuppered, the shattered remains useful only as rafts for those that survived the explosive attack.
"Hurry up and aid the wounded. " Captain Lahar of the 4th Custody Reinforcement Unit ordered, his glasses broken, and his normally immaculate white cloak stained and sodden. "Save what equipment you can, but prioritise lives for now. The rest of you secure the remaining vessels as best as you can and as fast as you can, we'll land on the island and patch them up properly there." With those orders given, he turned to a host of twenty armed and angry looking Rune Knights. "The rest of us will head to the island now and secure a beachhead. All those who are prepared for battle should-"
Before he could finish what he was going to say, he was cut off by a sudden figure teleporting next to him in a blur of colour and a rush of magic.
"Doranbolt?" Lahar scowled, partly relieved at seeing his old friend, but also slightly angry that the Magic Council Intelligence Operative had not had the foresight or capability to warn them of what they were sailing into. "Where've you been, and what is the situation on the island?"
"I've been busy." Doranbolt grunted, running a hand through his short scruffy hair. "How is the fleet? What are our losses like?"
"Not good, five of the ships are lost," Lahar sighed, rubbing his eyes. "As for our losses, currently unknown. A good number survived the attack, but there are still over a hundred unaccounted for. What was the cause of this, why weren't we warned?"
"Fairy Tail and Grimoire Heart," Doranbolt said bluntly, a scowl on his face. "A Guild War has begun between them on the island. The attack that hit the ship was from one of Grimoire Heart's elite members. Azuma of the Seven Kin. I was there when he did it, I didn't even have a chance to stop him. He did it to make a point…"
Lahar grimaced.
"I scouted what little I could of the island before leaving, and the Fairy Tail Guild is massively outnumbered. Still, when I left, they were still holding their own. Several of Grimoire Heart's elite have been taken down, and so have dozens of their foot soldiers. Fairy Tail has taken some heavy losses too however, I saw several of Fairy Tail wizards badly wounded, maybe even dead. I don't know which way it'll go, but things on that island are escalating quickly." Doranbolt continued grimly. "And that's not even taking into account the fact that Grimoire Heart started this war to apparently find Zeref."
"They think the Black Wizard is on Fairy Tail's Sacred Island?" Lahar muttered. "I mean, there was a rumour in the underworld that he is what Grimoire Heart has been searching for these years. But really, here, of all places?"
"According to several of their foot soldiers I managed to corner and interrogate, yes. I didn't see any sign of Zeref though, but I did witness Perseus's fury first hand." Doranbolt pressed on.
Lahar frowned slightly at the mention of the God of Fairies, a stupidly overpowered wildcard if ever there was one. "If things are escalating like you say, it won't be safe to bring the ships ashore, not with our numbers so depleted."
"Considering some of the monsters on that island, we'd be annihilated. We'd need an entire battalion just to bring order." Doranbolt said bluntly.
"Well, we had an entire battalion," Lahar muttered, his gaze shifting over the battered and wounded men around him. Of the force he had brought, perhaps only two score of them were still in fighting shape. But of those forty, only around ten or so were at the level of a Rune Knight Captain, and so capable of taking on a Guild Wizard like most of those on the island. "We should fall back and see what happens for now. We can make repairs in the meantime, and depending on what happens, we can either retreat or sweep up any remaining resistance."
Doranbolt grunted his agreement, between the two of them Lahar had command of the expeditionary force, and so had the final say. Looking past his friend, Doranbolt motioned to a crystal orb that was innocuous hanging in the air a few feet away, even as cloaked and armoured Rune Knights ran back and forth fulfilling their duties. "Is the communication lacrima alright?"
"Yes, somehow..." Lahar replied, his eyebrow raising. "I've already appraised HQ of what has happened, but with what you've just said we will need to report your findings too."
Doranbolt nodded. "Grimoire Heart is one of the biggest and most dangerous Dark Guilds in Fiore, and their entire leadership and main fighting force is probably on Tenrou, and if Zeref is too…?"
"Chairman Gran Doma is not the kind of man who will hesitate in dealing out judgement to the evil…" Lahar said softly, a grim expression stealing across his face. "It's possible that the 'Sacred Light' may be dropped once more..."
"Etherion?" Doranbolt paled. "It's extreme, but if it helps wipe out Grimoire Heart and Zeref too, then it may be necessary. The loss of Fairy Tail will be devastating to the kingdom's strength in more ways than one, especially with Alvarez looking for any weaknesses… but even so, Etherion is not the Council's only weapon, and the majority of the Council are not fond of the Fairies…"
"No matter what happens, we will have no choice but to follow our superior's orders." Lahar sighed. "We'll give our report and retain our current position and start our repairs while we wait for our next orders. When it comes to the more drastic measures, like Etherion, well, thankfully it's not up to us to make those kinds of decisions. The only thing we can do is follow orders, and do our duty."
Doranbolt grimaced, but nodded his agreement. "Let's contact HQ."
( - )
(In the centre of Tenrou)
Taking a step back, Erza Knightwalker gripped her spear tighter as she scowled darkly at her opponent, as he balanced himself easily on a large tree root on the other side of the clearing from her.
He was a tall, broad shouldered man; objectively handsome, but not the type she would usually go for, not with the condescending smirk he had plastered on his face, nor his generally smug, superior attitude.
The man was powerful, of that there was no doubt. Perhaps more so than any other mage she had fought since she had arrived on Earthland, including her own doppelgänger.
He was also immensely irritating too, and not just because of his attitude.
No, the wizard's magic was also irritating. It was versatile and powerful, so much so that even trying to find an opening was all but impossible.
Every time she used the magic of her spear and rushed him, he used his magic to create roots that tripped and attempted to bind her. It made getting in close to properly engage him in melee combat difficult.
If she kept her distance however, and attacked using the different forms her spear could take, such as by throwing out lightning, beam attacks, or just pure explosions, he just sank into the trees to avoid them, or twisted and manipulated the surrounding woodland to defend himself before counterattacking with his own explosive spells.
Things were not going well, and not just because this man was a poor match up for her. But also because she wasn't just fighting him, but instead both him and the very forests of Tenrou itself. With his odd tree/ plant magic, everything around them was a weapon or a tool for him to use to attack her, or to defend himself.
Despite Tenrou Island supposedly being Fairy Tail's sacred island, in this fight he had the advantage. This location especially was more advantageous to him than perhaps any other place on the island. They were near the centre of the island, where the trees were most plentiful, and for the moment she was powerless to do anything about it.
"You know, I never did learn your name." The dark skinned man abruptly said, his eyes narrowing as he crossed his arms and glared down at her from the large tree root he was still balancing on.
"It's Erza… Erza Knightwalker." Erza replied bluntly, her grip on her spear tightening even further as she switched its form to that of Mel Force, the spearhead widening with the edges curving inwards close to where the spearhead was mounted, with a glowing orb now connecting it to the staff.
Feeling the ambient magic in the air fuelling and amplifying the power of her spear, Erza bent her legs slightly, preparing to move.
She was tired of this cat and mouse game they were playing, and had no interest in bandying words with the witless worm in front of her.
"Hmm… so you are not Erza Scarlet, but instead someone else, a sister or relative perhaps? You have the same look about you that she has, or at least from what her pictures of her I've seen. But you do not have the same power or magical presence that I would have expected from one with a reputation such as her." The man said slowly, his gaze hardening. "When you sought me out, I grew excited at the thought of fighting the woman known as Erza Scarlet, the strongest woman in Fiore."
Erza Knightwlker scowled darkly. "You need to get your facts right shithead, Erza Scarlet isn't the strongest woman in Fiore, I am!"
"I see," The man replied blandly. "Well, as much as I would say that I have enjoyed this fight immensely thus far… I'm afraid that I will need to end it now."
"You say that like you can just end it now," Erza snarled, her ire peaked by the as of yet unnamed wizard's attitude.
Smirking slightly, the man placed a lone hand on the tree directly to his left.
His hand sank into the surface of the tree as if it were fusing with it.
Seeing this, Erza hurtled forward with a blast of wind, her spear, Mel Force, whipping forward as she sent a blast of condensed air, a vacuum, tearing through the forest towards him. The force of the blast, from past experience, was enough to shatter stone and collapse cliffs. It should be enough to blast the man from his perch and if it struck true take him out of the fight in a single hit.
Unfortunately, before the blast could hit him, masses of roots shot out of the sides of nearby trees, shattering almost at once as they absorbed the energy from her attack. Within moments, at least a dozen branches had been reduced to splinters, but in doing so they had negated much of the force of the blast of air.
"Hn!" The wizard snarled, slapping aside the remnants of her attack as he did so, before a few moments later an entire new forest of vines and trees erupted forth from the ground all around Erza, razor sharp thorns sprouting from the vines as they sort to bind Erza's arms and legs, only for them to be disintegrated and turned to splinters when another vacuum of wind exploded from her spear and enshrouded her body. The wind formed an armour of sorts around her, fully encasing her body in a rapidly moving vortex of air.
Scowling, Erza Knightwalker didn't break her stride as she stepped forward, dancing across rapidly moving and shifting tree roots and branches, and slaloming thick thorn covered vines that either lanced down at her from overhead, or which erupted from the ground around her.
"You won't get away this time!" Erza shouted, her gaze hardening as she leapt off of a rapidly lengthening branch and thrust her speak forwards, the weapon rapidly changing forms once more as the point straightened and four sharp edges curved inwards and outwards like the petals of a deadly flower, a golden arrow also extended horizontally out of the head of the spear, a glowing red crystal in the centre.
This was the Saint Spear, Ravelt, her magic spear, the Ten Commandments, strongest form. A sacred lance which had been forged by the Edolas's greatest smith with a single intention, the intention for it to destroy all in its path.
"Now die!" Erza shouted, torrents of magic erupting forth from her spear and once again enshrouding her entire form as she thrust her spear forward. Almost immediately an explosion of fiery, white hot flames erupted forth in a wall of flesh melting fire, all of which headed straight at the startled wizard as he took a step back in surprise.
The fire expanded outwards in all directions as it closed in on him, consuming all in its path, including all the plant life and trees that dared to get in its way.
In response to the sudden escalation, the dark wizard thrust his free hand out, before he forced dozens of trees to erupt from the ground to shield him, only for the wood to splinter and burst into flames as the white hot fire swept through them, turning anything it touched to ashes as it unrelentingly ate through the fuel the wizard put in its way.
Disappearing into the ground, Azuma momentarily vanished from sight for a moment only to reappear on the other side of the clearing from Erza, his eyes wide with surprise and a small amount of fear, and his hands already extended towards his opponent. Almost at once, the ground below Erza and the air around her exploded in response, as the wizard started to manipulate and condense all the power contained within the earth. Using the true power of his magic now, Erza had pushed him so far.
A small grin noticeably split the man's face as he fought, his jaw tensing as he proceeded to draw on more and more power from the earth, causing the explosions to intensify, completely obscuring Erza from sight as fire, smoke and explosions decimated everything around him, in a more than one hundred metre diameter.
His smile soon disappeared, however, when the area in front of him began to burn. The ground at his feet also started to melt, even as the forest behind him burst into flames as a sudden wave of ferocious, angry power erupted forth from the epicentre of the explosions.
Suddenly he was forced to throw himself backwards when a beam of burning white fire erupted forth from the cratered ground in front of him, the beam of white hot fire tearing through the forest behind him, before it then condensed into an orb and exploded, knocking him onto his back from the force of the explosion, even as fire rained down onto the surrounding area setting the few remaining trees in the area alight, with the wizard's own clothing now burned to cinders as he scrambled to his feet, his gaze locked on where Erza had been.
"What was it you said before?" Erza Knightwalker asked grimly, walking forwards almost casually, her bare feet treading harmlessly over the visibly cherry red, molten ground beneath her. Her entire body was still covered in a cloak of crimson red magic, magic that constantly radiated from the burning, white hot blade of her spear. The crystal set within the blade shone like a miniature sun. It glowed almost as fervently as the Fairy Tail Guild mark she had on her arm. "That it was time you ended this?"
"I-I'm impressed," The wizard replied, his composure cracking slightly as he started sending tree roots and vines exploding forth from the ground again, explosions erupting around them as they shot towards Erza.
"Good," Erza replied softly, dangerously, her voice still just about audible over the explosions as she approached the dark wizard. "Because I'm not."
The dark wizard scowled in response, his sweat soaked face contorting in anger as he thrust both hands out and sent more explosions at Erza, intensifying them as he tried to wipe his enemy from existence, only for Erza to blur away in a flash of red, a trail of burning footprints the only sign of her passing as she cut through the swathe of branches he had started to draw around him and thrust her spear forward.
The dark wizard's eyes widened, his previous arrogance now completely gone as he seized control of all the magical power contained with the earth of Tenrou. His previous caution was also gone now, as he used his body as a conduit for this power, knowing as he did that overusing his Lost Magic like this would end his life, or at the very least turn him into a tree.
Still, considering he was a hairsbreadth from being impaled, it was a sacrifice he would willingly make if it meant taking his opponent down with him.
"I don't think so!" Erza snarled, her eyes widening as she felt the sudden build up of magic power emanating from the dark wizard.
She might not have any innate magic of her own, but she could sense it like no other. It was a necessity in Edolas when it came to finding sources of magic in the shattered, almost magicless land, which could then be used to power her spear.
Drawing on the power of her spear, she heightened her own reflexes and physical abilities, her eyes almost glowing with the ambient magic that she could feel flowing into her spear, and then from her spear into her.
She wasn't going to die here, not to this pathetic man's apparent trump card.
With that thought in mind she slammed her spearhead into and through his gut, and then twisted, her entire body straining and the muscles in her arms and legs tearing, as she then lifted the wizard fully off the ground, blood spattering down onto her face, even as she continued to rotate her body, before she then hurled him into the air and away from her, and just in time too, as only a few seconds later, several hundred feet up in the air, the man exploded with such force he levelled trees and knocked Erza clear off her feet.
"Fuck," Erza gasped, her exhausted body finally giving out on her and her spear rolling out of her now numb hands, even as the last dregs of borrowed magic flowed out of her body and back into the land beneath her. "I think I might have overdone it a bit."
( - )
(Near the coast of Tenrou)
She could feel her heart thundering in her chest at the sight of the young man in front of her, peripherally she was also aware that tears of happiness had begun to form in her eyes at the sight of him.
Unfortunately, she was not able to focus on the joy and excitement she was feeling as now, after nearly ten years of waiting and struggle, she had finally found the Black Wizard Zeref, the key to all her dreams and ambitions.
The reason for this was the angry looking Ice Wizard opposite her.
Gray Fullbuster, the parasitic worm that had not only usurped her place as her mother's child and student, but the one who had also been the cause of her mother's death.
The very sight of the topless mage filled her with nothing but rage.
Ever since she had found out about her mother's fate and the events that had led up to it, she had nursed an anger and hatred for this wizard.
So many times she had been tempted to throw caution to the wind and just kill him.
The first time she had wanted to kill him had been back when she had first learned the truth from Master Hades. Back then, she had just been a budding dark wizard at the time, and he had been little more than a petulant boy just starting out as a Guild Wizard. The difference between their power and temperament had been like night and day. It would have been so easy for her to wait for him to accept a mission, and then ambush and slaughter him on the road.
She hadn't though, Master Hades had stepped in and quelled any immediate thoughts she might have had of vengeance with the picture he painted of his dream, the Grand Magic World, and the opportunities that would be available to her once Zeref had been found and unsealed.
The second time she had been tempted to take her revenge on Gray, had been when she had gained a position on the Magic Council.
With several other corrupt and incompetent Council members, the late Jellal included, under her thumb, and the entirety of the Council's resources at her beck and call, she could have had Gray killed at any time.
But to do so would have outed her as a dark mage, and would have interfered with the plan to find the keys they needed to unseal Zeref. Which was just not an option, as like always, Hades' plan and his goal of unsealing Zeref had taken priority over her vengeance.
As such she had once again chosen the promise of a beautiful future, and if all went well, a perfect past, over the momentary delight and satisfaction that killing Gray Fullbsuter would have brought her.
She had been patient, like always, and had waited for the promised day to arrive.
Only now it had, she was once again left with a choice.
She had found Zeref weak and sealed though he was, but she had also found Gray Fullbuster too, also weakened and now very much in her way.
Only the choice now was to bat him aside, capture Zeref and leave as fast as she could, or stay longer and kill him here and now, and either risk Zeref escaping her clutches, or someone else, maybe even Perseus, finding them.
In the end, she had made the choice to kill him here and now, and get him out of the way.
Was it risky?
Yes.
Would it be worth the risk if in the end she managed to finish Gray Fullbuster off, and capture Zeref at the same time?
Definitely.
Flicking her hands through the air, she projected her lacrima through dozens of different iterations of time in a single moment, the large orb blurring from existence in an instant, before reappearing in several dozen places at once, all the new iterations of the orb moving rapidly as one as they all shot unerringly towards Gray, forcing the ice wizard to throw up another shield ice to defend himself.
They had been fighting for several minutes now, and already he was starting to struggle.
Though whether that was because of the differences in their strength, because she knew for one she was far stronger than him. Or because she was still fresh, while he was not, she was uncertain.
Either way, she was winning, and handily so too.
"I don't think so," Ultear muttered, twitching her fingers and fast forwarding Gray's dome of ice through time, reducing it to nothingness, even as the lacrima orbs continued to pummel him, breaking bones, splitting flesh and drawing blood.
Holding back a grin, Ultear continued her assault.
A part of her was tempted to start using her family magic, her Ice Make Magic, the very same magic her neglectful mother had taught to her ungrateful pupil, the very same pupil that she now had at her mercy.
She didn't though.
To fallback on such magic would be to accept her connection to Ur, and to rely on the magic that she had created, as opposed to the Lost Magic, Arc of Time, the very same magic that she spent years struggling and striving to learn and master.
To fallback on using Ice Make Magic would be an insult to everything she had become and achieved over the years.
"It's sad..." A voice from the side muttered, the tone soft but still carrying. "How you've managed to anger me..."
Zeref, Ultear thought, pulling her gaze away from the bloodied and battered Gray even as he struggled to make it to his feet, as she instead looked at the speaker.
It was Zeref, he was speaking to her directly, and despite the words he used, that alone made her heart swell with joy.
After searching for so long, she had finally found him.
"What you want is my power?" Zeref continued, his sad, doleful eyes trailing from her to Gray, even as the Ice Wizard made it to his knees, blood dribbling down from a split lip, and from several other nasty wounds.
"Your entire existence." Ultear clarified, her gaze no longer on Gray but instead totally and completely on Zeref, her dark eyes trailing up his thin robed form, before resting on his gaunt, pale and surprisingly young looking face. "Lord Zeref."
"I have no intention of doing anything in this time period." Zeref said softly, his eyes flashing momentarily red, before returning to the placid black they had been before. "I don't want to see wars or people dying. Stop attacking this island, stop hurting that wizard, and leave at once."
Ultear's eyes widened, her stomach sinking as she took in her lord and saviour's words.
They had not been what she was expecting to hear, not from the Black Wizard, the most powerful and dangerous wizard to have ever lived.
"Why?" She asked, unable to think of anything else to say, other than to question him.
He was not acting like the Black Wizard she had expected him to be.
Instead, he was almost childlike and looked lost, almost like a lost, little lamb alone in a big, dangerous forest.
"I'm angry." Zeref announced, his expression twisting to lend credence to his words, even as his eyes once again flashed red. Only this time a sudden weight seemed to hang in the air around him. It felt like gravity had just tripled and the air had taken on the consistency of wet cement.
Ultear took a step back, her heart twisting painfully, even as she began to pale, her hands starting to shake from the formidable aura the Black Wizard was now giving off.
From beside her, she could hear a groan as Gray struggled up into a standing position, even as her own legs started to shake as the pressure in the area seemed to double again.
Panting, Ultear forced herself to stand upright, her eyes narrowing.
This was not it, this would not be how it ended.
Holding back snarl as the pressure continued to mount and a large, void black orb started to form in Zeref's right hand, Ultear did the first thing that came to mind.
'Ice Make: Roses'
A forest of brambles and roses, all meticulously sculpted from ice, took form around her, exploding outward in all directions as it flooded the glade, the razor sharp thorns on the brambles slicing through the flesh of both men as their sudden appearance, and the speed at which they moved and ensnared them, took them by surprise.
Gray was the first to fall, his eyes widening as viciously sharp thorns tore cruelly at his skin, drawing yet more blood, even as countless ice brambles swirled around his body like a blender, consuming him as they trapped his arms and slammed him into and through a nearby tree. Shredding the tree too as they swirled around the trunk.
Zeref was likewise caught, his archaic clothing now torn to shreds and his deadly magic dispersed.
"You may be a legendary Black Wizard..." Ultear snarled, her expression twisting into one of anger as the sudden pressure on her shoulders vanished. "But in your sleeping state, you're nothing. You shouldn't underestimate the strongest member of the Seven Kin of Purgatory!"
Zeref grunted, struggling to stand up.
Already she could see the wounds she had accidentally inflicted on him rapidly healing.
"It's fine, Lord Zeref." Ultear said, her voice softening as she saw him struggle. "We have the key that will wake you up."
"Stop..." Zeref muttered weakly, his once again black eyes confused as yet more icy brambles started to close around him, only these vines lacked the razor sharp thorns they had before.
Even if he did heal, she didn't want to hurt him more than she had too, after all who knew what kind of a person he would be after he was unsealed.
With a few more struggles and muttered protests, he finally collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"I got him... ahahaha..." Ultear looked up at the sky. "I got Zeref!"
Now all she had to do was get him back to Master Hades so that he could be unsealed, and the real work could begin.
( - )
(With Percy)
The evening was drawing in, that was one thing Percy noticed as he walked through the twilight lit forest, his sword in hand.
The last couple of days had not gone the way he had expected.
When he first set off on this trip, he had been expecting a nice few days in the sun, testing the young wizards of Fairy Tail as they underwent the S-Class trials.
This was supposed to be a holiday for him, a time for him to unwind and de-stress after the last few chaotic months. Especially considering he had gone straight from completing a dangerous mission in Seven, to fighting the Oración Seis, dealing with Dreyar family drama and then navigating the bizarre forests of Edolas as he sought to relocate his Guild, defeat a corrupt king and ferry his comrades back to Earthland.
He had been hoping that for once he could have had a few quiet days by the sea; swimming and barbecuing with the rest of his Guild. He'd especially been looking forward to having a beach day with the two Erzas and Mirajane. Not only that, but he'd even brought his swim shorts for just such an occasion.
Unfortunately, it was not to be as they had been attacked by a Dark Guild and at the worst possible time too, during the middle of the trials when several of their members had already been tiring, even as they had all been scattered across the island.
It was frustrating.
For all he knew, some of his comrades could be lying dead right now, killed by the overwhelming number of dark wizards scurrying around the island like rats, especially if there were others on the island on a par with the two elite members of Grimoire Heart he had met so far, Zancrow and Azuma.
Azuma unfortunately, had escaped him, which meant he was still at large.
But Zancrow, at least, was dead.
Unfortunately, considering they were just two members of the so-called Seven Sins of Purgatory, that meant that there were at least six others, Azuma included, out there, all of whom were potentially at the level of an S-Class wizard.
More than that, there was also the Ace of Grimoire Heart and their Guild Master too, both of whom would likely be far beyond Zancrow's level.
Thinking about his comrades now, he was worried.
Makarov and Gildarts were easily strong enough to look after themselves. The two of them should be able to deal with the cannon fodder with ease, and probably one or two of the elites considering they had the advantage in terrain, and probably both experience and power.
No, it was the others he was worried about.
Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Gajeel, Loke, Happy, Levy, Mest, Erza Knightwalker and Cana, none of them were truly at the level of an S-Class wizard, or at least not yet.
Sure, Natsu, Gajeel and Gray had the raw power to call themselves S-Class and a decent amount of fighting experience, even as Cana, Erza, Levy and perhaps even Loke, had the skill. But none of them had the all round experience an S-Class wizard needed, they had the potential to be S-Class which is why they were taking the trials, but they weren't quite at that level. Or at least not yet, and he didn't blame them for that. After all, that experience only came with passing the trials and taking on multiple S-Class quests in the field by themselves.
None of them had done that yet.
On top of which, raw power without restraint or control was inefficient, and although it might work on low level mooks, it would be all but useless against a stronger, more experienced mage. Similarly skill, control and tactics were great, but without the strength to back it up, those skills alone wouldn't prevail unless under the most specific of circumstances.
It was for that reason that Makarov encouraged the lower ranked members of the Guild to form teams.
Teamwork was the great equaliser, and could be a bridge that connected those with power, with those who had the skill and tactical knowhow to use said power. It allowed them to back each other up on missions, and learn from each other while they were on the field.
Together, the lower echelons of the Fairy Tail Guild were unstoppable.
Alone they could break, and that was what had him concerned.
Most of his Guild mates would be alone, or in pairs, right now.
Still, he was at least comforted by the fact that Erza Scarlet and Mirajane were also on the island. The two of them were strong enough and capable enough to look after themselves, and had the skill and ability to find the others and keep them safe.
Though, he did have a few concerns about Mira, and the fact she hadn't been active on the field for a while.
Over the last few years, she had spent more time modelling and running the Fairy Tail Guild and bar, than she had on missions or fighting.
Shaking his head at that thought, Percy ploughed on.
He didn't want to get distracted with his own inner thoughts.
This was not the time for it.
Especially not now, he could smell the scent of blood in the air.
Continuing on warily along his current path, Percy started to take in his surroundings.
He could see broken branches, craters in the ground and toppled trees.
A battle had taken place here, and it had been a ferocious one.
Spreading his senses through the moisture in the air as he walked, Percy quickly became aware of another presence ahead of him, some hundred metres or so ahead of him.
Whoever it was, they felt familiar.
Which meant it was likely a member of Fairy Tail.
With that in mind, Percy increased his pace, even as he remained cautious.
He could sense something else in the area ahead, the source of the blood.
Bursting out of the trees, Percy felt his mouth go dry.
The person in the shattered glade was Natsu.
The Fire Dragon Slayer looked tired and battered. His clothing was covered in dirt and tears, and he looked to have the beginning of several nasty bruises forming on his chest and arms.
But that wasn't what drew Percy's attention.
No, what drew his attention was the tears flowing down his face, spattering onto the still, unmoving face of Makrov Dreyar.
"No," Percy said thickly, his stomach sinking as he dropped his sword and crossed the clearing.
His knees hit the floor with a thud as he knelt beside Makarov's painfully small, battered form.
"H-he's dead," Natsu cried, his face scrunching up as he clutched the body desperately to his chest.
"Natsu," Percy said softly, putting an arm around the pink haired teen and drawing him close.
"I-I don't know w-what happened. I just came here, and… and…" Natsu once again broke down, his breathing hastening as his entire body started to shake.
"It wasn't your fault Natsu, it wasn't anybody's fault but the one who killed him." Percy sighed, his eyes stinging slightly from unshed tears and his mouth feeling dry, even as Natsu collapsed into him, great sobs still wracking his body.
Holding the teen close, Percy rested a hand on Makarov's aged, weathered face.
The flesh was still warm, but his eyes were glazed and empty, and the strength and warmth that had once infused his entire body, was absent.
Makarov, the Fourth Guild Master of Fairy Tail, was dead.
Gently closing Makarov's eyes, Percy soon closed his own eyes, his hold on Natsu strong as he allowed the pink haired dragon slayer to let it all out.
"Let the world honour you, my old friend," Percy muttered in ancient Greek, his eyes still closed as a single tear trickled down his cheek. "And if you find yourself alone, walking through fields of gold with the sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium. Be at peace, my old friend. I will see you again, but not yet… not yet."
( - )
AN: So what did you all think?
There is one more chapter of this arc left, and then I will be moving on. So I hope you stay tuned to find out what happens next.
Also for those that follow my other stories on this account, I've started looking at Dead Man Walking and Carpe Diem again, they're going to need a polish and a bit of an edit, but I will hopefully be picking up where I left of with them soon.
Thanks for reading and please leave a review.
Seagate