Coven Fairy
"Morning everyone." Kali yawned, walking into the kitchen dressed in her uniform, as Eda was cooking.
"Morning Kali." Luz said, before returning to her chat on the crystal ball, dressed in her own uniform.
"You're up pretty late, considering it's you we're talking about." Eda said. "You're always up before the crack of dawn, cooking breakfast, what gives?"
"Sapphire's starting to enter the nesting phase of her pregnancy, and she kinda somehow managed to drag me into building the nest she'll give birth in." Kali yawned, pouring herself a cup of Apple Blood Energy, an energy drink of her own creation. "Basically, I made a nest so fluffy and velvety soft, that even Belos would be jealous of Sapphire. But I got so caught up in it, I didn't sleep all that well. On the plus side, Sapphire's over her possessive phase, so she'll just mainly be in that nest I carved and padded for her."
"I don't think there's anything I can say to that, in which I won't get a glare from you. So I'll just say, keep pushing through champ." Eda said.
"So they said I couldn't remove my thumb." Luz said, as Kali joined her at the table. "But, look at that." She stated, as she 'removed' her thumb from her hand.
"You sliced it off? You sliced off your own thumb." Gus said, sounding more then a bit panicked.
"You make doing homework actually fun." Willow smiled.
"An' they say humans can't do magic." Luz said, 'reattaching' her thumb to her hand.
"How'd you do that? You're some sort of monster aren't you?" Gus questioned, even more panicked.
"Luz, stop. You're freaking Gus out with your slight of hand tricks." Kali said, drinking some of her home brewed energy drink.
"Sorry, I just wanted to have a little fun." Luz said.
"Luz." King said, getting her attention and climbing up onto the table. "You've been talking to them all morning. Don't forget about the Luz and King comedy hour."
"Please don't." Eda shuddered. "Not the comedy hour."
"I am not awake, nor drunk enough, to deal with this right now." Kali groaned. "Where's the hard Apple Blood?"
"Aren't you too young to drink?" Luz asked.
"If I'm old enough to drink in Fiore, I'm old enough to drink on the Boiling Isles." Kali stated.
"This week I've been working with props." King said, turning back to look at them with an empty toilet paper tube on his muzzle. "Oh dear, it seems I've got a tube stuck on my nose, will I ever eat again?" He asked, before taking the top piece of bread from Luz's breakfast sandwich, and slamming his face through it. "Looks like I'm toast."
"It just goes on like this for a whole hour." Eda stated, stirring the pot faster.
"Heya dough boy, quit loafing around."
"Why don't you, bake me?"
Kali just snapped her fingers, and looked to King and Luz as the role on King's muzzle burned away, and they looked at her.
"I don't mean to stagnate your creativity, but I am begging you, skip today's comedy hour, at least until Luz and I get back from school, and I'm in my bed napping." Kali said.
"You're really that tired huh?" King asked. "Alright. Suit yourself."
"Besides, it's eight o'clock, and we gotta get going to school Luz." Kali said.
"Right." Luz said, getting up and leaving a kiss on King's forehead. "Try not to miss us while we're gone."
"Come on, move it." Kali said, pushing Luz out the door.
"Alright, alright I'm going." Luz said, before the door shut behind them.
King jumped down from the table, and went to the door, his tail wagging in anticipation, as he waited for their return.
"Do you… do you really think they're coming back this time?" King asked, removing the bread from his face.
"Yes, they'll be back, they always come back. It's cute you miss them though." Eda said.
"The King of Demons misses nobody." King stated. "I wouldn't care if they came through this door right now." He said, before jumping as Luz and Kali returned to the house.
"I can't believe they didn't send out a notice to the parents and guardians of students." Kali said, as they walked through the door.
"Must have been a last minute thing they didn't have time for." Luz said.
"Hey you're…"
"You're back." King said cheerfully, before climbing up Luz and nuzzling her, before jumping onto Kali and nuzzling into her chest.
"King." Kali exclaimed with a blush, with her right eyebrow twitching, before the little fur-ball climbed and perched himself on top of her head.
"I didn't miss either of you at all." King said.
"What are you both doing back so soon? It's hasn't even been two minutes since you left." Eda said.
"Apparently there's an infestation of pixies at Hexside, so school's been canceled." Luz said.
"Until further notice, as they don't know when they'll be able to remove all the pixies." Kali added, pulling King off her head and holding him in her arms like a teddy bear. "In the meantime, I'm going back to…"
Kali stopped when her PCL went off, and she got a text from someone. She was quiet when reading the text, her expression going sour.
"Everything okay Kali?" Eda asked.
"Y-yeah… everything's fine." Kali said, putting King down and heading off. "I'm going to my room. I wanna be alone."
"What's eating at her?" King asked.
"I think it has something to do with that text she got." Luz said. "I think Ed might have broken up with her."
"How can you be sure?" Eda asked. "Were they even dating to begin with? I know we teased her about it a lot, but I didn't think they were serious."
"I've seen that look a dozen times at my human school. It's always related to a breakup through texting." Luz stated.
"Yikes, that's never good." Eda said. "Your first heart break, is always the hardest. I should know, and it never gets easier the more you go through it."
"Mysterious past." Luz gasped.
"What should we do to cheer her up?" King asked, sounding genuinely concerned for Kali.
"Hey, guess what's been in my mouth that I'm about to throw up." Hooty said, coming into the kitchen, before he began dry heaving, and dumping a bunch of letters and packages on the ground. "The mail." He said, as Eda picked up the letters.
"Junk, junk, junk, death hex." Eda said, tossing the fourth letter into the garbage, resulting in it imploding on itself in a mass of dark matter. "Wait, I think I might know how to cheer Kali up. A Carnival's in town today." She stated, showing King and Luz the flier.
"I'll go tell her." King said, grabbing the flier from Eda and heading up the stairs to Kali's room. "Kali, hey it's King."
There was a moment of silence, before Kali finally decided to respond.
"Go away King. I just wanna be alone right now." Kali said.
"Come on, don't be like that." King said. "Look, I know you're probably hurting right now, but there's a carnival in town today, and the rest of us were planning on going. Wouldn't you please consider coming with us?"
There was more silence, before King heard the semi-familiar sound of a rift closing.
"Oh, okay. Guess I'll see you when you get back then." King said, sounding a bit disappointed, before heading back to the others.
"Well, is she coming with us?" Eda asked.
"She… left for Earthland." King said. "Guess she really does, just wanna be alone right now."
"I'm sorry King. You were looking forward to her coming along huh?" Luz asked.
"Yeah, but I get it. She's hurting, and is needing some time to process things on her own. I guess the best we can do now, is give her some space." King said.
~Earthland~
"Another Mirajane." Kali groaned, slamming a mug down on the counter.
"Goodness, you're really throwing them back." Mira gasped, bringing Kali another drink.
"It hasn't even been five minutes since she stopped by, and she's already had several drinks." Elfman said.
"Oh shut up. If I drink fast enough, then maybe I'll get drunk before my metabolism can burn away the alcohol." Kali groaned.
"This kind of behavior isn't like you Kali." Erza said, coming to her side with Sapphire in her arms. "Sapphire came to me as soon as you started drinking, what's happened?"
"It's Ed." Kali stated, her words sounding slurred a bit.
"What about him?" Elfman asked, as Kali downed another drink.
"He and I, weren't even actually together, yet he decides to break up with me, through a text. Saying he's found himself to be more attracted to guys, then girls." Kali said with a hiccup. "He's also erased his guild mark, because he doesn't feel he deserves to be part of the guild after breaking things off with me. He didn't even have the balls to say what he wrote in the text to my face, so why does he get off the hook so easily?"
"Oh dear." Mira sighed. "You actually liked him, and you're heartbroken over the break up happening, before you even got together."
"What's wrong with guys? Is it me? Am I the problem? I bet I'm the problem, aren't I? I know I am." Kali questioned, slamming her head on the bar counter. "Stupid curse ruining my entire life."
"Seems her theory about drinking faster then her body could metabolize worked." Elfman said with a bit of a sweat drop. "She's hammered."
"Come now Kali, I know it seems like you'll never find love, but there's someone for everyone out there." Erza said. "Let's get your mind off things. Come on, stop drinking. Sapphire's gonna have her babies soon, and you need to be a better example then this."
"I know, you're right." Kali groaned. "But it's not fair. Am I the problem? I mean… I know I'm still figuring out my sexuality, but I actually liked Ed because he was so nice and sweet."
"There'll be plenty of time for figuring that out." Mira said, rubbing her back to be supportive.
"Lucy, Grey, Natsu." Erza called to them
"What's up?" Lucy asked, popping up from their table.
"We're gonna be spending the day, doing something to cheer Kali up. Anything she wants, we'll do." Erza said.
"No Erza." Kali sighed.
"What do you mean no?" Erza asked.
"I need to be alone for a while, at least long enough to properly clear my head." Kali stated. "Mira, do you mind looking after Sapphire for me, while I take on a few jobs?"
"Not at all Kali, take your time." Mira said. "Just let me know which jobs you'll be taking, before you go."
"Thanks." She said, heading over to the job board. Looking it over real quick, Kali pulled down four fliers, for jobs that looked right up her alley. "I'll be taking these four. I'll send word on which one I take on next, after finishing the first one."
"Alright, be careful Kali." Mira stated. "An' remember, your heart may be broken, but that doesn't mean it can't be mended."
"Sober up on the train ride to your first job alright?" Erza suggested, with Sapphire jumping from her arms, to Kali's.
"Sorry Sapphire, you can't come with me. You might miscarry, and we don't want that. I'd rather you relax, and let your little ones be safe, and come into this world, happy and healthy." Kali said, putting Sapphire down in Mira's arms, before reaching into her bag, and pulling out the carved nest, made from wood, with a plush red velvet interior bed, and several pillows along one side. "This is Sapphire's nest. Don't let her sleep in it too long."
"Oh my, did you make this Kali?" Mira asked, feeling the inside of the nest. "It's so soft, and plush, if it were human sized it'd make for a perfect bed."
"I did. Made it for Sapphire since she's getting into the nesting phase of her pregnancy. Spent all night making it with the best quality stuff I could get my hands on to Sapphire's standards, so I think I'll get some sleep on the train ride to the first job. Seems like it's in a town I've been to before, so I should know the layout pretty well." Kali explained.
"Safe travels." Mira said waving Kali goodbye.
~One Train Ride Later~
"Alright, let's see." Kali said, reading the flier. "According to the job request, these people need help taking care of a cursed monster. Seems like it's nearly destroyed the town before. But seriously, a cursed monster? Is it a curse, or is it a monster? I mean if it's cursed, then it's a monster because of the curse. It can't be both. But why does the drawn silhouette look so familiar?"
Pocketing the flier, Kali made her way from the train station, and towards the town, where there were plenty of buildings with the hustle and bustle of tourists, and what looked like members of a mercenary guild. She noticed though, that there were a couple members of the mercenary guild gathered around the same spot she was supposed to meet the client for this first job she took.
"Guess this creature's more then just a mercenary guild can handle." Kali said. "Still, I feel remnants of a strong magic among one of those two." She stated, looking at the two mercenaries gathered for the job. "Guess this is a joint job."
One of the two mercenaries, was a toned and muscular young man, with dark orange hair styled upwards like fire, with the tips somewhat singed and two strands framing the sides of his head. Kali could see he had several red tattoos on his upper body, including flame-like ones on his face, with a red sun that covers most of his left pectoral, and a tribal design that runs down his left arm. For attire, Kali saw he was bold with his fashion choices, consisting of loose pants with a fur lining in the middle, the top is dark-colored while the bottom is light. He wears a wrap around his waist, with an apron-like cloth over his pants, bearing diamond shapes and an X-design sewn into the fabric. Kali noticed the bandages cover his right forearm, while his accessories included three triangular dangling earrings on each ear, and a large gold chain with a cross-shaped pendant around his neck.
The man beside him, just looked like a typical shinobi kind of person, dressed in all black with a cowl, and only his eyes visible, with a katana on his back.
"Man, Natsu and Happy would flip if they saw him." Kali said, before approaching the two.
"Can we help you?" The shinobi man asked.
"My name's Kali, I'm from Fairy Tail, and I'm responding to the request for a Wizard's help, in dealing with a magical cursed beast." Kali said, holding up the flier.
"Ah, we were told to keep an eye out for you." The orange haired man said. "The name's Ignia, and this is Hagane."
"Nice to meet you." Kali said. "Do you know what we're hunting?"
"According to the client, we're hunting a creature that destroyed the town three years ago." Hagane said, eyeing Kali suspiciously. "I could handle this beast on my own. It would be no match for my Ninjutsu."
"Ignore him." Ignia sighed.
'Three years ago? That matches up around the same time Natsu, Erza, Lisanna and I came here, right before she went on that job with Elfman and Mira.' Kali thought.
"Come on, now that you're here. We can get the debriefing underway." Ignia said.
"Lead the way." Kali said.
Following Ignia and Hagane through the town, the trio went into city hall, and there they were greeted by the mayor's butler.
"Welcome, please follow me to the Master's Office." The Butler said with a bow, before leading them into the office.
Once in there, they were greeted by the sight of a slightly heavy set man, standing and looking out the window, to the town he was in charge of.
"The Mercenaries and Wizard, my lord." The Butler said.
"Thank you, that'll be all Charles."
"Of course." Charles said, before leaving.
"Welcome." The mayor said, not even turning to look at them. "Please have a seat."
"This is a fancy place you got." Kali whistled, sounding impressed.
"I'm familiar with Ignia and Hagane, but I'm afraid we haven't met young lady." The mayor stated.
"I'm Kali Dryer Clawthorne, of Fairy Tail." Kali said. "I'm the one responding to your request for wizards help."
"Ah yes. Pardon me, I believe we have met actually. Three years ago right, when you accompanied three others from Fairy Tail for the job that your team had replied to back then." The mayor said.
"I don't remember much about what happened, after we finished the job for running out those bandits, so I apologize that we can't reminisce about back then." Kali said.
"It's fine." The mayor said.
"What exactly is the job you have for us?" Ignia questioned.
"I put what information I could on the job request, but it doesn't exactly tell you everything involving the job." The mayor said. "Three years ago, the cursed beast came to our town, and destroyed everything. Though we quickly rebuilt our town, we learned the beast was still alive, and in the mountains. It's residing in the caverns high in the rocky mountain tops. Your job, is to travel to its lair, and destroy the creature. Nothing less of killing that creature will suffice." He stated, turning to look at them, and showing the left half of his face was covered in scar tissue from claws that looked like they were made of flames with inhuman levels of head.
"We got our orders, let's head out." Hagane stated, turning to the door and heading out.
Ignia and Kali looked to one another, before following Hagane out of there, all the while, neither of them unaware of the hateful glare the mayor had towards Kali.
~Fairy Tail~
"This is concerning." Mira said looking through the binder of jobs, while Sapphire rested in her nest.
"What's the matter Mira?" Lucy inquired.
"It's the four jobs Kali took before she left." Mira said. "I thought there was something they all had in common, and I was right to double check to roster. They all were admitted from the same town, by the mayor."
"The same town? Is that unusual?" Lucy asked.
"Not generally, but each of them, were submitted at the same time. I've checked with the other guilds, and it seems they've all been in the dark about these jobs, because they didn't receive any fliers for them."
"So Fairy Tail was the only one to get these specific job requests?"
"It would appear so. An' it looks as though, they're jobs that Kali would be interested in." Mira said, showing Lucy the binder and the page the jobs were listed on.
"Taking care of a Cursed Monster, dealing with a Demonic Beast, ridding the town of an Evil Curse, destroying a monster in human guise?" Lucy read aloud. "Even Natsu would be up for these, why didn't he notice them?"
"I just put them up this morning. But what concerns me, is the requests all came from a town, Kali destroyed when her curse took over, and Sapphire was left here due to a broken wing." Mira said.
"You don't think, this is a trap for her, do you?" Lucy inquired.
"If it is, I just hope Kali will be able to deal with it on her own." Mira stated, concern evident in her voice and on her face. "None of us would be able to make it there in time to help."
~Kali~
"So you're a fire mage huh?" Kali asked Ignia.
"I am. I don't like tooting my own horn, but I'm pretty skilled in combat as well." He said.
"What's his deal?" Kali asked, looking at Hagane.
"He's a shadow mage. Considers himself to be the best the Mercenary Guild has to offer. But he's only second string." Ignia said.
"I can hear you." Hagane stated. "An' I am the best our Guild has to offer."
"Really? You barely have any magic, and you're completely lacking in awareness of your surroundings." Kali said.
"An' what the hell makes a weakling who relies on magic, say that?" Hagane questioned.
"You're standing on an open bear trap." Kali said, walking past him.
Hagane looked down, before pulling his leg up real fast, to avoid it being snapped in two by a bear trap.
"Come on, we're almost to the caves." Kali said, leading the way.
Hagane and Ignia both looked at Kali's retreating figure as she took the lead.
"You sure we need to do this?" Ignia questioned.
"It's a job. An' she's not innocent, so she's within the parameters of the Guild's code." Hagane stated.
"She's from Fairy Tail, the strongest Wizarding, or any sort of Guild in Fiore, and Makarov's kin. An' besides, she doesn't look like a monster in human disguise." Ignia stated.
"Don't let her looks, or her body fool you newbie. She's pure evil, the mayor attested to that. She needs to be dealt with before she does anymore harm. Besides, I'm pretty sure Fairy Tail will thank us once we take care of their demonic prob…"
"We're here." Kali called to them.
Ignia and Hagane looked to one another, before they looked in the direction Kali went in, and ran up to join her. There, on the cliff looking over the entrance to the caverns, they saw a multitude of skeletal remains, leading to the cave itself.
"So many victims." Hagane said.
"Let's check it out." Kali said, hopping down the side of the cliff.
'You would feel at home here, wouldn't you monster?' Hagane thought.
Sliding down the wall of rock, Kali recognized the cavernous arena like structure. The caves entrance ahead is where the bandits from her last job in that town, made their hideout, and kept the loot they stole from innocent people.
"Strange… why does this… feel familiar?" Kali questioned.
Kali's sense of danger rose high as a wire wrapped loosely around her neck. Before it could tighten, Kali slipped her hand into it, and covered her palm in metal. Letting out a growl as her attacker tried choking her to death, Kali released an immense amount of electricity, and managed to electrocute her attacker, allowing for her to break the wire and free herself, right before she spun around with an upward roundhouse kick, and hit Hagane in the head with her heel.
"The hell's your problem?" Kali questioned. "Why are you trying to kill me?"
"I'm just trying to fulfill the mission requested." Hagane said. "By killing the cursed beast."
"What are you talking about?"
"Doesn't this all feel familiar to you? Doesn't it feel like home?" Hagane asked.
Kali looked around, her eyes scanning over the skeletons, littering the ground, before they landed on the crushed skull of a bandit, that lay in a familiar claw print embedded into the ground.
"No." Kali gasped. "My curse… I knew it activated, but Natsu told me that… he told me Lisanna had managed to feed me my elixir in time, and that the village was destroyed because of the bandits retaliation when they were able to escape from us." She said, not noticing how Ignia's interest piqued when Natsu was mentioned.
"I'm not buying your lame excuses. You revel in destruction, take pleasure in causing others pain and suffering." Hagane said, pulling out a blade.
"No. No stop."
"Face the truth. You're nothing more then an emotionless monster, who takes pleasure in the pain she causes." Hagane exclaimed lunging at her. "Now DIE."
Hagane's strike was cut short, when Kali swung her arm to the side, and sent him flying all the way to the other side of the crevasse wall, the impact causing the wall to collapse on top of him.
"Oh my." Ignia said, before he smirked as Kali was just breathing heavily, steam coming from each puff of breath. "Seems he's awakened the beast within."
Kali was growling as her body began to tremble. Her skin began to grow scales, and she began to quiver in pain as her skeletal structure began to shift.
"I think it's about time I ended this farce of being a goodie-two-shoes, and took care of things from here." Ignia smirked, flames circling around his feet, before they erupted into a wall of fire. "Now you're about to see, what a real dragon looks like." A gruff voice said, as a large beastly silhouette appeared through the flames in front of the shifting Kali, their eyes glowing red.
~Fairy Tail~
All was dark, and silent in the void of Kali's mind. The last thing she could remember before entering here, was the attempts on her life, done by the assassin Hagane who was meant to be her teammate during the job she took, but then nothing.
"Where am I?" Kali questioned, before she felt an immense wave of fear wash over her, like she was staring down at the soul of an apex predator. "What's going on?"
"Kali…" The muffled sound of a familiar voice echoed in her ears. "Kali, can you hear me?"
"Natsu, is that you?" Kali questioned.
"Kali, please wake up. Wake up."
In the last second, Natsu's voice became clear and loud, forcing Kali's eyes to widen before she shot up, sitting upright in bed.
"What… happened?" Kali questioned.
"Oh thank goodness, you're awake. An' alive." Mira said, standing at one side of the bed, with Natsu on the other.
"I'm… back at Fairy Tail?" Kali asked. "How did I get here?"
"You tell us." Porlyusica said, making herself known. "Natsu found you unconscious and badly injured in front of the doors, as if someone had just dropped you off on the guilds doorstep, like an infant at an orphanage."
"Kali you had a dragons scent on you." Natsu said. "It was different from Igneel's, but so similar as well."
"I honestly couldn't tell you anything about that Natsu." Kali said. "I don't remember much after Hagane tried to kill me."
"Who did what now?" Natsu questioned.
"I was afraid of that." Mira said with concern.
"You should be fine to move around now. Your injuries weren't that severe, and your Palisman has been worried sick." Porlyusica said. "You may return home if you wish."
"I think that would be for the best." Kali sighed, turning to sit over the edge.
"Are you sure? You barely just woke up."
"I'll be fine." Kali stated. "Besides, I kinda blew King off earlier after I got that text from Edric, and I feel bad about it. I wanna do something that'll make it up to him."
"If you're sure, then be safe." Mira said.
"I will." Kali stated.
Getting up, and heading out the door, Kali had to step back and hold her arms close, as Sapphire flew into her chest, keeping the Palisman supported in her arms.
"Oh, I'm sorry Sapphire." Kali cooed, as Sapphire looked right up at her, with eyes that would make a puppy look ugly. "I didn't mean to worry you like that. C'mon let's go home."
"Kali wait." Natsu said. "If you remember anything at all about the dragon I caught the scent of on you, please let me know."
"I will Natsu, no need to worry." Kali smiled, loving how adorkable Natsu can be, before opening a rift between their worlds.
~Boiling Isles~
"Now let's see, where would they be." Kali said, walking through the town as the rift closed behind her, before stopping as she noticed a sign. "King did say there was a carnival going on today, so I guess I could start there." She shrugged, entering the fair grounds.
"Yes, yes. Now Luz and I will share a bond that's mighty as these trinkets." King said, pulling Kali's attention in his direction.
"Hey King." Kali said, coming up to the little demon.
"Kali." King gasped, before jumping onto her. "Did you finish in Earthland already?"
"I did, and I'd like to apologize." Kali stated, crouching down to look him in the eye. "I was rude to you earlier. I took out my frustrations about Ed on you, and that wasn't fair of me. So I thought I'd come and see what you were doing."
"Well, I just won enough tickets to get these bracelets." King said. "I was gonna give one of them to Luz… but you can have this one." He smiled, holding one out to her.
"Aw, thanks little guy." Kali smiled, holding out her hand and accepting the bracelet. "Where is Luz?"
"I saw her heading for the house of mirrors." King said, leading the way. When they got into the house of mirrors, Kali found it odd that there was a trail of cotton candy leading them to a specific location. "Heya Luz, good news. Look who joined us here at the carnival."
"Hey Luz I… whoa." Kali stopped, when Luz turned around, showing their two classmates in the palm of her hand, literally. "What happened to Gus and Willow?"
"King splashed us with something to make us small." Willow stated.
"An' now I can't go on the big boy rides. You monster." Gus whined, looking at King.
"King?" Kali questioned, as Sapphire flew off her shoulder. "What did you do?"
"Y-you weren't supposed to shrink. You were supposed to disappear." King said, before realizing to what he just admitted.
"King?" Kali gasped.
"What?" Luz questioned.
"No-no-no. Listen, I wanted to win the bracelets, and there was this psychic, see?" King questioned, pulling out a bottle with a glowing liquid and a spray nozzle.
"That must have been what did it." Luz said.
"Give me that." Kali hissed, taking the bottle. "King, what in the world were you thinking?"
"I'm sorry. But they weren't supposed to disappear, disappear. They would have returned as soon as I clapped my cheeks." King said.
"King, you're not the one who made this potion. Whoever sold it to you tricked you into thinking it made things disappear, while hiding the truth that it shrinks whatever it sprays." Kali sighed, examining the potion, before King grabbed it, and they were playing tug of war. "What are you doing King?"
"You don't understand, you were gone, Luz was getting distracted, and I was just trying to…"
"Shrink our friends?" Kali questioned.
"Solve my problems." King stated, before both of their hands slipped, and the three normal sized beings were shrunk proportionally down to Gus and Willows size.
"Hi." Gus and Willow said, walking up to them.
"King. You are so grounded when we get back to normal." Kali stated.
"Wait, I can fix it." King stated. "Obviosou showed me how. Behold." He said, before patting his cheek twice.
There was a moment of waiting, but nothing happened.
"W-why isn't this working?" King questioned.
"Because you're not the one who made to potion." Kali groaned. "Obviously, that potion was designed to be undone by the person who made it, not by anyone who uses it. Potions like those are a common tool used by con-men who trick people into accidentally shrinking themselves, before they're sold like toys for the con-men to make a quick profit."
"But what con-man would wanna trick King into using that stuff on us?" Willow questioned.
"He's basically Eda's adopted son, how much time you got to go over the list?" Kali questioned.
"I'll save you the trouble, and just tell you." A short, pig like demon said coming out of the shadows.
"Tibbles?" King questioned.
"Wait, the con-man who Eda was gonna get her potion from during the night of the Moon Conjuring?" Kali questioned.
"I am that man indeed." Tibbles smirked, reaching down and grabbing them.
"Gah." Kali cried out.
"Kali, what's wrong?" Luz questioned, as they all struggled in Tibbles' grip.
"I was injured during the job I… went on." Kali huffed. "I wasn't aware of what the injuries were, but I think I have a couple cracked ribs."
"Let us go you heartless monster." Willow stated, as Tibbles began to leave the hall of mirrors. "Can't you see she's injured?"
"Not my problem."
"SAPPHIRE." Kali shouted, as she pulled one arm out, and whistled loudly.
From out of the shadows of the tent, Sapphire came flying down and used her claws to scratch at Tibbles face, forcing him to drop them.
"Not good. At this height we'll die when we hit the ground at this size." Luz gasped.
"No we won't." Kali as Sapphire came flying through, and caught them in her mouth, before swallowing.
Gus, Willow, King, and Luz were all in a panic as they were shoved deeper down Sapphire's throat into her stomach, before they were deposited into a large empty chamber that left a bit more room for them to sit comfortably in.
"We gotta get out of here. We gotta get out of here." Gus said in a bit of a panic.
"Hey, it's okay." Kali grunted as she sat herself up against the wall of Sapphire's stomach. "We're fine. Sapphire won't do anything to us."
"How can you be certain of this? Of anything since your Palisman just ate us?" Willow asked.
"We must have looked like a delicious little snack to her, and she couldn't resist as her instincts took over." King said.
"I understand why you're all panicking. But you don't need to worry." Kali said, before she hissed in pain.
"Let me see that." Luz said, scooting over to Kali and raising her top, to see bandages, and fresh blood coming through the fabric. "That looks bad."
"I have a first aid kit in my bag. You can use that to sew up the wound." Kali stated.
"I've only ever done stitches on practice pillows and taxidermy models I've made. I've never done stitches on an actual living person before. Plus my mom's a vet, not a nurse or a doctor." Luz said.
"It's okay Luz, I know you can do this." Kali said.
"Hate to interrupt, but we're currently inside Sapphire's stomach." King said.
"Her second stomach actually." Kali sighed.
"Say what now?" Gus asked.
"Sapphire's a female dragon. An' like all females of her species, she has a second stomach she can use to store her young in if there's danger. But since she's currently pregnant with her first litter, it's being used to rescue us from Tibbles." Kali said.
"So, we're in the same kind of stomach you stored her and King in during that boiling rain storm, huh?" Luz asked.
"She did what now?" Willow asked.
"I'll explain later." Kali stated, before hissing as Luz began stitching up the wounds. "For a tiny fella he's got one strong grip. Strong enough to reopen the wound."
"It looks like you've already lost quite a bit of blood. I'm not sure how much more your body can handle, before you become anemic and your body goes into shock." Luz said, tying off the last stitch.
"I'll be fine, after a bit of rest anyways." Kali sighed, before leaning her head against the wall, and smiling softly.
"What is she doing?" Gus asked.
"I don't know." Willow responded.
"Oh my gosh. Are they on the other side of there?" Luz asked.
"Come and listen for yourself." Kali smiled.
"Oh my Titan, oh my Titan, oh my Titan." Luz squealed, sitting down and leaning her ear in against the stomach wall. "Oh, I can hear their tiny heartbeats. It's so soothing."
"Wait, you're listening to the heart beats of Sapphire's babies?" King asked.
"Yes, and they sound so adorable. Come listen." Luz smiled.
King shrugged his shoulders to Gus and Willow, with the other students following, and leaning in, before they were shocked, and relaxed listening to their heartbeats.
"Oh, they sound so soft and gentle."
"It's amazing." Gus said. "So how is Sapphire so fleshy on the inside, when Palismen are made of wood?"
"Well that's the thing. The Palistrom wood I carved her from, was exposed to ether energy. The magical energy people from Earthland rely on to actually use magic." Kali said. "Because she saturated so much ether into her body, she came out differently, and unlike the Palismen carved on the Boiling Isles, required a name to come alive, rather then just the intention of the wielder or creator of said Palisman. One of the differences, being she's not made of wood anymore, at least not when she's active and out of staff mode. She's made out of flesh and blood."
"But why keep that a secret?" King asked.
"Because I feared that she might be taken away from me, and experimented on to see what allows her to turn from wood, to flesh and blood so freely." Kali said. "It's the very reason why her insides are so soft, and why I've been so adamant about her keeping safe during this pregnancy."
"Wow, that's so amazing." Willow smiled.
"I shouldn't have told you, so please keep this between us." Kali stated.
"We promise." Gus smiled.
"Same here." Willow stated.
"My lips are sealed." Luz affirmed.
"I won't tell a soul."
"Great." Kali smiled, before the stomach began to convulse.
"What's happening?" Gus asked.
"Sapphire's probably at a safe place now. She's letting us out." Kali said, as they were each forced up the esophagus.
As Kali and the others were gently placed on the ground, they found themselves sitting on a barrel of some kind, in front of a tent.
"Tibbles Tiny Circus of Terrors?" Willow read aloud.
"Sapphire must have followed him here." Luz stated.
"Not to alarm anyone, but I think Tibbles was planning on feeding us to the animals in his tiny circus as entertainment." Kali huffed. "Sapphire, I need you to go inside, and try to get Tibbles to tap his cheeks. Try anything that won't draw attention to yourself." She stated, placing a hand on her Palisman's extended belly, feeling a kick from one of the little ones inside. "I know I'm asking a lot from you, in your current condition, but please help us return to normal, and afterwards, when I'm feeling better and I'm all healed, I'll install a surround sound system in a house that I'll build for you."
Sapphire just looked at Kali, before nuzzling her and giving off what sounded like a chirp.
"I love you to girl." Kali smiled, gently rubbing her muzzle. "Now get going."
Sapphire nodded, before she took to the air, and flew into the tent. Sitting, and waiting in anticipation, the five shrunken beings began to worry something had happened to Sapphire.
"Gus, Willow. I'm sorry I made you poof." King stated, deciding not to waste the moment. "Luz, I'm sorry to you as well. It's just… I know you won't be staying in the Demon Realm forever, and you'll be going home soon. An' since you've been going to school, you've been hanging out with your friends more often and I just… wanted to have you around more."
"Hey, it's okay." Luz said. "I mean it's not okay you shrank my friends out of jealousy, but I understand what you're saying."
"Kali, I'm sorry to you to. Your wound wouldn't have opened back up, if I had just been honest, and hadn't tried taking the bottle back from you." King stated.
"Hey, we all make mistakes." Kali said. "Just like how I made the mistake of developing feelings for Edric, right before he broke my heart."
"I'm sorry, who did what now?" Willow asked.
"Don't ask. It's a bit touchy." Luz said, before they began glowing purple. "What's going on?"
Before anyone could answer, the five shrunken beings, grew back to their normal height, with their combined weight destroying the barrel they had been on.
"It worked. Sapphire must have managed to get…"
*BURP…*
The sound of a loud belch, echoed from out of the tent with a gust of hot air, before the crowd inside came running out, screaming in terror.
"What's going on?" King asked.
"I think I may know." Kali said.
They all waited for a moment, before Eda came out, dressed in a weird clown costume hauling a big bag of money over her shoulder, while Sapphire came out a minute later, with a bit of a waddle in her step, looking like her babies grew into toddlers, while being twice the size of Eda's Owl Beast form.
"Uh… did Sapphire's babies grow as she did?" Gus asked.
"They shouldn't have." Kali stated.
"No need to worry. The babies are fine." Eda stated. "Sapphire's just stuffed to the gills. She ate Tibbles and the other beasts that had been in his Tiny Circus of Terrors, after they grew back to normal size."
"An' I'm guessing they ain't in her storage stomach." Luz said.
"You'd be right." Eda chuckled. "To be honest, Tibbles kinda deserved it."
"Well, let's get going home. I'm exhausted, and I'd rather hit the hay then spend another hour here." King stated.
"Same."
"I need to rest anyway." Kali sighed. "Let's get going."
"By the way Kali, how'd you know Sapphire's insides were gonna keep us safe?" Willow asked.
"Oh, well on missions, I'd sometimes use Sapphire's Omega form, to sleep in her second stomach like a mobile home at night." Kali said.
"Convenient, especially if you're injured." Luz said. "Speaking of which, Sapphire?"
"Wait what?" Kali asked, before she found herself being swallowed down by her Palisman once again, and laid out inside the empty second stomach. "Seriously?"
Kali knew the others outside wouldn't be able to hear her, nor would she be able to hear them. The only one who'd be able to hear her, would be Sapphire. An' it was obvious her Palisman wasn't gonna be letting her out any time soon.
"Might as well get some sleep while I'm in here." Kali sighed, before getting comfy against the wall, closest to Sapphire's womb, and allowing herself to be taken into her dream land, where she would be greeted, by not a dream, but a memory of something that her cursed form had seen, but she herself hadn't.
~Dreamscape~
Kali opened her eyes, and found herself in the familiar surroundings of the cavern area that was where her teammate Hagane had tried to kill her in. The shinobi was laying to the side, burnt to a crisp, while Kali looked down, and saw she was in her cursed beast form. Something that shouldn't have been possible.
"What's going on, what am I doing back here?" She questioned.
"Not to worry, my pretty little beast."
Kali's eyes shot forward, and they shrank in terror, as she stared upon a massive, red scaled fire dragon, stepping through the flames, and looking down at her with a gleam of interest in his eyes.
"I'll be, extra gentle with you."
The way he said that, made Kali's spine shiver, and her senses were telling her to run. An' run she did, as she turned away from the dragon in front of her, and didn't turn back. It wasn't until she tripped and went tumbling forward, that she had managed to slam right into the wall next to the cave entrance. The dragons claw reached out, and pinned her to the wall, keeping her from moving, with one of them leaving a nasty looking gash in her side, right over her ribs.
"No need to run, my pretty little beast." The dragon said. "I won't hurt you, much."
"That voice." Kali gasped, before her eyes widened in terror, as the dragons jaws came down to chomp on her.
Kali was jolted awake from her night terror, as she felt Sapphire's second stomach convulse, with the effort being enough to rise her from slumber. The convulsions continued, until Kali found herself lying outside under the starry night sky, with Sapphire looking down over her, the dragoness looking smaller then before.
"Hey girl, don't worry I'm fine." Kali said, before Sapphire backed up, and Eda threw a pale of hot water over the teen. "What was that for Eda?" She questioned, turning around as she sat up.
"You are not stepping foot in this house, covered in dragon vomit. Go get cleaned up around back." Eda stated.
"Alright fine, no need to drown me." Kali sighed, getting to her feet, and heading for her workshop around back. 'What was that dream? Was it a memory seen through my curses eyes? Or was it nothing more then my own fear and anxieties catching up with me?'
~Elsewhere~
"Report Charles." The mayor stated.
"I'm afraid, the girl still lives sir." Charles said. "The Assassins Guild failed to end her life, and she has no doubt returned to Fairy Tail, to report what had happened."
"We'd have done them a favor if the trap had succeeded."
"Sir, there is another thing." Charles sighed.
"What is it?"
"Sir Ignia wishes to speak with you."
"He survived?" The mayor asked, turning around to show the severe burn scars on his face. "Let him in."
"As you desire." Charles said, before turning away to the door, and letting Ignia in, and leaving them to talk.
"What is it you wish to speak about Ignia?" The mayor asked.
"I just wanted to let you know, the guild has disbanded." Ignia said.
"Disbanded?"
"It has. Once word got to the master that Hagane failed to complete this mission, he had no choice but to disband, as the target was in fact someone under the Kings Protection." Ignia explained. "An' attempting to take her life, is tantamount to high treason. Which means, the Masters life, was forfeit, and he turned himself in, to face his punishment."
"Are you here to warn me about the Royal Knights coming after me next?" The mayor asked. "Because I'm not buying what you're selling, not for a second. There is no way, the King would willingly protect a monster like her."
"Believe what you will. It's the truth." Ignia said, as he began raising the heat. "However, I'm not here to warn you. I'm here to end your life myself."
"Is it getting hot in here?" The mayor asked, pulling at his collar. "An' what do you mean? You can't possibly believe I'd allow you to kill me so easily, can you?"
"See, here's the thing. You're guilty of making two fatal mistakes, when judging Kali, the way you had." Ignia stated, his body beginning to glow. "The first, being you targeted a member of Fairy Tail, my little brothers guild. If the assassination had gone off, they'd have had no problem coming here, and beating the shit out of you, as revenge for what you did."
"An' the second mistake?" The mayor asked, getting nervous as the heat continued to rise within the whole building.
"You chose to attack, a dragons mate." Ignia growled, his eyes shifting to being reptilian, before his body was enveloped in a white hot light.
Outside in the town, the night was calm and quiet, before the Town Hall, erupted like a volcano with fire, leaving nothing but ash in its wake, as the figure of a large dragon stepped through the flames, a sadistic grin on his face.
"I think it's time, I returned home." Ignia smirked.
