Chapter 5: Slave Route

1 year Time-skip:

{Note: Also around the time the fairy tail guild was disbanded and went their own paths}

Setasuke trains rigorously at his former home, the snowy mountains. Improving his strength, stamina, and magic each day. Learning various new Ice Dragon slayer moves, mode and secret arts along the way.

During this(Half a year):

Now taking a breakout of Snowy mountains and walking around the nearby town, "About time we're out of the freezer for once, right setasuke?" Hiouis smirks teasingly,

"Hmph." The ice slayer huffs, wearing a black cloak.

"Come on, it's a good way to take a break from training. It wouldn't hurt to do so." Hiouis says.

"That's only because you kept begging me like crazy to get out, but it's only just this once." Setasuke said, "Even though I could of easily said no."

"Oh lighten up and let's enjoy this atmosphere that isn't so chilly." Hiouis pats him on the head while flying, which aggravates setasuke little bit.

"I could freeze you for free right now." The ice slayer threatens almost dramatically.

"Pfft, you and who's army?" Hiouis snickers.

"My Ice." Setasuke was about to do it.

"All right dude, you win." Hiouis puts his paws up in surrender, which setasuke sighs and shakes his head at him being too silly.

An explosion is suddenly heard behind them, "Something blew up already?!" Hiouis exclaims.

"We just got here too and there's already trouble? Tsk, how Classic." Setasuke shakes his head, unsurprised.

Out of the explosion, a Carriage comes towards them with two people in front, "What, what, what the hell?!" One of them exclaims in terror, "Hurry! We're gonna get caught up in it!" He other exclaims as well.

Two other ones come out of the Smoke and get into a scuffle, "I found you, prisoner number 100977, Code Name: Cobra."

"Tch, is it fairy tail?" Cobra wonders.

"Gi-hi, I'm not part of fairy tail right now." The person is revealed to be Gajeel, who grins menacingly in a council outfit, "It's the council, you're under arrest!" Him and Cobra have a scuffle, trading blows either each other.

"What... is going on?" Hiouis sweat-drops, "We have a fight going on and an escaping carriage? Weird."

"Very weird." Setasuke agrees before eying the cargo that passed by them, "I hear crying children in that Carriage. Those two guys in the front must be kidnappers."

"How did you know?" Hiouis asks but then figures out how, "Oh yeah! You're enhanced hearing."

"Bingo." Setasuke then lights up with Ice aura, "You're tracks are frozen now." He stomps his feet on the ground, causing Ice to surface and skid towards the carriage, freezing the wheels and preventing them from going any further.

"What the hell?!" The kidnappers see their wheel frozen.

"It was him!" The other points at Setasuke.

"You guys have nowhere to run now." Hiouis smirks, floating next to the ice slayer.

"Fodders that need to be frozen." Setasuke is moving to do so, which scares the kidnappers.

On the other hand, "Poison Dragon's... ROAR!" Cobra fires and misses gajeel on purpose, aiming and hitting the kidnappers, which knocks them off the carriage, ending in them unconscious.

The carriage then crashes and flips to the side, busting the wooden doors open.

"That was unexpected." Hiouis says, which Setasuke agrees before walking over to the carriage, with Cobra doing the same thing after passing Gajeel and ending their scuffle.

The kids in the carriage cough a little after the crash, "Wha...What just happened...?" The boy wonders as all of them have shackles on their arms and necks.

"You kids are safe now." Setasuke assures.

"Why would they shackle them so roughly like that?" Hiouis questions, disgusted.

"Beats me..." Ge replies.

"You know, I had this covered." Cobra walks up next to Sueoug.

"Guess I beat you to it." Setasuke replies and shrugs, "Not like it mattered to me anyway."

"Ah, forget it." Cobra lets it slide.

Gajeel is surprised at what happened, "I don't know that white-hair guy, but did that cobra... just help in saving the kids? That's a new one." He then dramatically questions after rushing over, "Oy, Cobra! Why are you going around saving kids!" He then exclaims/questions sueong next, "And who are you! This was council matters, not yours so butt out!"

"First of all, I'm not obliged to answer to you, the one who asks for names should tell their first." Setasuke rebukes, "Second, I do what I want and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Why you-!" Gajeel gets dramatically aggravated.

"Exactly what he said." Cobra agrees with Sueong, "How about minding your own business, 'sides you're scaring the kids. Want to get beaten up?"

"Ah? Bring it on, I'll arrest you." Gajeel butts heads with cobra before saying to Setasuke, "I'll make an exception about you."

"Oh please, I'd like to see you try and arrest me, not like you can." Setasuke scoffs in not caring.

"We...We live in a church in the village of Tuli..." The boy speaks up in a timid voice, grabbing the three's attention, "Those people came all of a sudden yesterday, and forced us into the carriage..."

"Yep, kidnapping it was, but for what?" Hiouis wonders.

"An exceed?" Gajeel is surprised and observes hiouis, "Like pantherlily, Salamander's cat, and that little girl's cat. And Dragon slayers always have exceeds on them... so could that mean this guy is a..." He observes Setasuke and finds it hard to believe what he thinks he is.

"Some kinda trafficking, I suppose." Setasuke guesses.

"It's a slave trade." Cobra reveals and corrects.

"Slave trade, huh?" The ice slayer questions.

"They're hustling to get stuff done before the council's all fixed..." Cobra explains, "There's been more and more assaults on churches in these past few months," He eyes Gajeel next, "You didn't know that? Are you council guys even doing your jobs properly, huh?" They butt heads again.

"We've been busy cuz of escaped criminals like you so don't get all high and mighty." Gajeel grins in annoyance.

The boy tears up and cries dramatically, "Uuw..."

"Don't cry!" Gajeel/Cibra exclaims at the same time.

"What's wrong, kid?" Hiouis asks, walking up to him after receding his wings.

"It's because... We weren't the only ones, there was a carriage in front of ours... All the big brothers and sisters..." The boy explains, still teary eyed.

"So there's a bunch of kids that got taken before you lot..." Gajeel figures out.

"That explains it..." Hiouis gets it too.

"What should we do, we have nowhere to go now... If we're all split up like this..." The boy trails, "How should... we live from now on...?"

Setasuke walks up and looks down at him, "Mopping isn't the answer, kid. There's always another way."

"If you have no relative and want to live, then you'll have to live the hell out of it." Cobra looks him in the eye.

"Wow, guys, good encouragement... kind of, I guess." Hiouis sweat-drops.

"This guy..." Gajeel thought on cobra, "And I still don't want to believe that the white-haired kid could actually be a..."

"You'll take gooood care of these kids, right Mr. Council-man?" Cobra grins and teases at Gajeel while patting their heads.

"Aah?!" Gajeel exclaims dramatically, "Cobra, You... are you telling me to overlook you?"

"Wasn't it your job to save these kids and not leave them alone to thefts? So much for being a council member." Setasuke taunts while frowning.

"I'll show you guys!" Gajeel gets dramatically aggravated and places the kids in a cell made of Iron.

"Uhhh... you're placing them in another cell?!" Hiouis exclaims dramatically.

"Are you crazy?!" Cobra exclaims dramatically too.

"Who's crazy?!" Gajeel exclaims back at them.

"Hold on..." Setasuke notices inside that the kids are actually enjoying themselves, playing with toys and complementing the weather condition.

"Guess it's not another hell cell... well, never mind." Hiouis says after seeing.

"There's no other cage that's sturdier or safer, so don't worry and just wait here." Gajeel promises the kids, "I'll send those guys who attacked your family flying and bring you all back to your church, I promise." He grins in assurance.

"You should help as well, Setasuke." Hiouis tells him.

"Hmmm..." The ice slayer is thinking about it.

"Guh... You bastards...!" The kidnapper comes from the carriage wreckage, "Those brats are valuable merchandise! Don't you go off doing as you please!" He grabs a gun from his pocket and goes to shoot, but.

"Annoying." Setasuke sighs and simply waves his handing, freezing the kidnapper in a ice shell. Gajeel and Cobra then attack him while he's frozen, striking him down plus shattering the ice, knocking him unconscious for good.

"Tck, he's an aggravating basterd all right." Cobra agrees.

"Guys like this should be beaten up as soon as possible, and then you're all under arrest." Gajeel grins.

"Keh, so bring it on!" Cobra's fired up as him.

"Hmph, I'm already dragged in this, hiouis, so I'll help." Setasuke grimaces

"That's what I'm talking about." The exceed raises his paw and is happy.

With that said, they match to the enemies hideout and find it, with Gajeel breaking the door open with a mere kick.

"That's it?" Setasuke doesn't get it.

"A full frontal assault, huh." Cobra says too.

"So much for that." Hiouis shakes his head.

"No need to use little tricks on these guys." Gajeel grins mischievously anyway, "Besides, no one's here, is this really the right hideout?"

"Are you doubting my ears?" Cobra grins and knows what's up, "4 bastards and 6 hostage brats. They're all here in this room."

"You have good hearing or something?" Hiouis asks.

"I can hear people thoughts." Cobra reveals.

"Technically reading minds..." Setasuke guesses.

The criminals then attacks from the air, "It's the bosses orders! Crush 'em!

"Tch." Setasuke simply encases his arm with an Ice sword and blocks one of the kidnapper's attacks without looking while Gajeel does the same thing with an Iron sword.

"Eh?" The kidnappers are now screwed and then get swatted aside by the trio, "Gwah?!"

"A surprise attack from our blind spots...! I can hear you." Cobra grins.

"Alas, you've let your guards down." The boss fires magic blasts at them, "HAAH!"

"GWOH!" Gajeel gets hit by them.

"I already expected pros like you to evade that surprise attack... that's why I set up a double ambush!" The boss fires more.

"Where are you looking."

"Wha-?!" The boss turns around and sees Setasuke already at his blind spot, having used his speed to dodge his magic blasts, "What speed! How did you get there."

"Like it matters." Setasuke punches the boss back, sending him skidding back.

Cobra then comes from the air with a poison dragon kick and strikes the Boss in the face, "BA-GOH!" He then exclaims, "Impossible... You dodged that attack too?!"

"Like I've been saying, I can hear everything. You can't catch me with surprise attacks." Cobra repeats/Grins.

"God dammit you two!" Gajeel gets out the ground, unscathed from that magic blast, "A little warning would be nice!" He dramatically exclaims.

"Tch." Cobra scoffs at him.

"You were just too slow." Setasuke states the truth.

"And you look fine to me." Hiouis sweat-drops while watching the fight.

"Completely unharmed?!" The boss notices not a single injure on Gajeel.

"Hand over the hostage kids!" Gajeel goes to attack.

"Not good!" The boss sweats in worry and quickly waves his hand, "Number 62,63, 64! Protect me!"

Gajeel goes for the punch, but the controlled kids get in his way, "Guh?!" He hesitates and stops his punch in an attempt to not hurt them.

"HAH!" The boss blasts Gajeel with his magic wave blast, which the latter covers from and of course appears unscathed again.

"Okay, now that was just a dirty trick! Using the kids as his shields." Hiouis watches in disgust.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Dirty trick or not, I knew they wouldn't hurt them!" The Boss laughs, "I was right to cast the slavery magic on the merchandises."

"You son of a bitch...!" Gajeel curses.

"Tch." Setasuke scoffs.

"Now, stall those three!" The boss commands the kids to attack, which they do.

"Freeze!" The ice slayer waves a hand and freezes/Restrains the kids in a Ice shell, stopping them from doing anything else.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" The boss doesn't get it, "Weren't you not suppose to do anything to them?!"

"Heh, Liked I'd fall for a cowardly trick like that." Setasuke frowns, "It'll be useless for you to control them now. Even if you attack make them attack, it won't dent the ice even a little. And plus, it'll keep them safe from harms way." He explains.

"Ha ha! There's nothing you can do now." Hiouis taunts at the boss.

"Damn you!" The boss curses at this outcome, "My plan to control the brats and keep myself safe failed!"

"Gihi, so that means we won't have to hold back!" Gajeel is happy to hear.

"I was planning to stall you council and guild members!" The boss goes to retreat, same with his subordinates, "It would have been easily if you just killed the brats off, Justice is such a worthless and foolish belief!"

"He has the wrong idea, doesn't he?" Cobra says.

"Hmm?" Setasuke doesn't get what he means.

"Cobra?" Neither does Gajeel.

"Y'Know, I'm the Poison Dragon Slayer of the Oracion Seis?" Cobra reveals and shurgs before grinning menacingly, "Like hell I care about the rules of justice." He then unleashes, "Poison Dragon's... Roar!" He fires and blows away the kidnappers.

"Oy! You gotta be kidding me!" The boss is shocked at that.

"That's right, I'm more villain than any of you!" Cobra strikes the boss as well, with both his hands encased in poison.

"How...!" The boss kneels in defeat.

"It's over for you, you guys should look forward to the nasty meals you're about sever in prison." Cobra taunts.

"I won't let it end here!" The boss goes for a final attack at cobra m, but.

"No, you're finished." Setasuke elbows him in the face, with his ice encased on it, "You fodders."

The boss hits the ground, with a bloody nose and Gajeel shackles his head and hands while he got the chance, "And know when to give up. It's Checkmate for you lot."

With that now over, "Now then..." Sueong releases the Ice shell and lets the kids out, now they're back to normal.

"You guys are safe now, no more of those mean old bad guys." Hiouis assures them, while they cough a little of exhaustion.

"Oracion Seis Cobra..." The boss speaks up, and smirks, "Didn't you come here to save the brats? To attack them on top of that... You truly are a cold-blooded man, Bwa-" He coughs.

"So says you." Gajeel remarks.

"The way I see it, it doesn't look like he is, though he's a criminal." Setasuke said, telling his thoughts.

"Tough, huh?" Cobra checks on the boy, "Even though I went easy on you, you still took a poisonous breath."

"I see, that's why it was weak." Gajeel gets it.

"If it was a full powered roar, then the kids would have been killed as well. Second, if you aimed for the guy in a straight manner then the kids woulf have been used as a shield by him." Setasuke gets it and explains it, "Figured as much."

"Yeah, me too." Gajeel agrees.

"I can hear you loud and clear, you were fooled for a second there." Cobra teases Gajeel, much to his annoyance.

"There's a thing called 'privacy' you know." Hiouis finds cobra's hearing a bit creepy.

"I heard that, you want me to 'Stay out of people's heads'." Cobra grins at hiouis too.

"Oh come on." Hiouis sighs.

"I heard your 'Voices' too." Cobra turns to the kids, having heard them say 'I don't care what happens to us, please capture these guys! I want to protect my family.' He then says, "It's what you asked for so endure it gracefully, because this pain will help you move forward." He gives them encouraging words.

"Hmph." Gajeel just puts on a face.

"Hey, don't laugh." Cobra caught on to him before eying Setasuke, "And I heard what you said, 'A criminal giving out encourage words is a new one on me, though that doesn't excuse him from be pursued.'. Loud and clear." He read his thoughts.

"Oh please..." He scoffs away, "Stay out of my head already. It's creepy." Setasuke warns him.

"Exactly what I'm saying!" Hiouis exclaims dramatically and agrees.

"Ah, whatever. Now that my goal is fulfilled, I don't have any business here anymore." Cobra encases his hand via poison dragon magic.

"!" Gajeel and Setasuke both block an attack from Cobra's poison hands.

"I'll just play with you guys for a little and get the hell out of here." Cobra declares and is in a standoff with them.

"Chill out would you, elf-ears? Don't just assume I'm gonna catch you just cause you're a stalker at reading people's minds." Setasuke said, "The whole hostage situation is done. I care less about capturing you, since that's not my problem." He scoffs/frowns before turning away, "Let's get out of here, hiouis."

"Roger." The cat flies and follows him, leaving Gajeel and Cobra to deal with the other.

"Unlike you, he had common sense." Cobra says.

"Just cause you say that doesn't mean I'm gonna simply let you escape." Gajeel replies, "You think you can get away from me?"

"Yeah." Cobra is confident he can, "I found a place where I can live in freedom, It's my home. I have gained a bunch of guys who would get on my nerves if I don't come back.

"Regardless, there's no reason for me to let you escape." Gajeel still ain't convinced, but says, "But on the other hand, I did promise these kids, that I'll bring them back to their family." He then grins/points at cobra, "I'll have to let you out of my sight in order to send those brats back, but don't even think about running away while I'm gone, got it?"

"Ha Ha-" Cobra can only laugh, "Man, you, Natsu, and those fairy tail people... are all idiots!"

"Yeah, I'm gonna capture you now." Gajeel rebukes.

"?" The kids don't know what's going on between them.

Gajeel/Cobra stop their remarks, with the council member saying, "It doesn't matter if our home base is gone or if we're disbanded." He then declares, with his fairy tail tattoo, "Fairy tail is my home."

With that said, the two come look to have come to an understanding and let each other off the hook, with Gajeel returning the kids home and Cobra leaving himself.

Almost out the village:

"I'm surprised." Hiouis speaks up.

"Hmm?" He asked.

"You didn't mention to that cobra guy that you were also a dragon slayer as well." The cat recalls, "I mean, you ran into more fellow dragon slayers."

"We were too caught up in that hostage situation to even think about that and Actually, that council guy was also a dragon slayer as well telling by his scent, and if I have to guess, he's an Iron Dragon slayer." Setasuke state.

"What?! So that means there were... two more dragon slayers right in front of us!" Hiouis exclaims dramatically.

"That looks to be so." Setasuke replies, "Bet they're still back there scuffling for nothing."

"You can say that again." Hiouis totally agrees.

"I see, so you ran into Cobra, huh." A man with blue hair walks from the side of them: Jellal.

"That guy always goes running off whenever he pleases." Melody is dramatically annoyed.

"I know right?" Racer and the rest of the Seis come up.

"That goes double for you guys too." Melody tells them as well, "Aren't you mad at them, Jellal?"

"No, it's fine. They're comrades in whom we can trust." Jellal smiles and replies.

"I'm guessing Cobra is a friend of you guys, or something?" Setasuke asks.

"He is, but he has a habit of wonder off as you can see." Jellal replies.

"Well, if you're looking for him, then he's back there fighting that council guy." Hiouis points in the directions, "He probably still is as they were butting heads a lot.

"I see, well thanks." Jellal replies.

"Alright, we're out, hiouis." Setasuke turns with his black cloak on.

"Wait up, Setasuke." Hiouis goes after him.

"I also heard you're an Ice Dragon Slayer." Jellal said.

Setasuke stops in his tracks, "That's right, I am. Guess you heard us talking."

"Oh don't worry, it wasn't my intention to chime in your conversation." Jellal assures in a calm manner of course.

"It's amazing still that there's another." Melody says, "Other than fairy tail's dragon slayers."

"Is that right?" Setasuke says, "Well, you don't have to tell me what type they are. They'll show it once I run into them."

"When you say that, it sounds like it'll turn into a fight." Mace Beth said, which Setasuke shrugs.

"Anyway, we're heading back to the snow grounds." The ice slayer states, referring to the icy mountains.

"Guess it's back to being in the refrigerator." Hiouis sighs, knowing they're going back to the Snowy mountains.

"There they go." Racer said, "That Setasuke guy sure is an odd fellow."

"You can say that for again." Jellal agrees and smiles as the wind blows.

Meanwhile:

Cobra is heading back to the Seis and wonders about Setasuke, "There no doubt that guy smelled like a dragon slayer... an Ice one at that. Plus I didn't ask his name... but oh well."

At the council:

"You failed to capture cobra?!" Levy exclaims dramatically at Gajeel.

"I didn't fail to capture him!" Gajeel exclaims back, "He wasn't there to begin with so tell the investigation team to search a harder."

"I told you we don't have enough man power..." Levy reminds.

"He already did a great deed for us by destroying the trade route." Panther lily said.

"That's true, but..." Levy trails.

"..." Gajeel then wonders of Setasuke, "That guy..."

"Huh?" Levy asks what he means.

"That white-haired guy... he helped in destroying the slave route." He mentions.

"He did?" Lily is surprised.

"Also, he smelled like a Dragon slayer." Gajeel reveals.

"A dragon slayer?!" Levy is totally surprised, "Did you see what element he had?"

"... He used Ice." He replies/reveals.

"Ice?" Levy says.

"So that means he's..." Panther lily trails.

"That's right, an Ice Dragon Slayer." Gajeel finishes the sentence.

"That sounds familiar..." Levy recalls.

Gajeel nods too and they recall back to tartaros, with Icigoneal mentioning Setasuke Ryuta, an Ice Dragon Slayer.

"That could only mean one thing." Levy says.

"Yeah... that guy is Setasuke Ryuta." Gajeel reveals, "And I was too caught up on the job to notice that."

"Well it's alright." Levy assures, "We have to work ourselves hard so that Fairy tail revives at any moment."

"Hmph." Gajeel grins and takes the paper conditions, "It can't be helped."

Halfway back:

"Ya know, Setasuke..." Hiouis gets his attention.

"Hm?"

"I'm surprised we didn't bring Alvin with us." The cat mentions, "Since he's your protege and all, he could have learned something new as well."

"No need." Setasuke replies, confusing his exceed, "I taunt him all that basics he needed to know, and helped him gain plenty in his arsenal." He adds, "All Alvin's gotta learn to do... is go dragon-force. Which I'm positive he can learn on his own."

"Hey, you're right." Hiouis gets it now, "That mode is a Dragon slayer's ace in the hole and you're the only one in the guild who can use it." He adds, "If Alvin can use that at will, just like you, then there's nothing to worry about. Same goes with Geras and Rin."

"Absolutely." Setasuke agrees, also tightening his right fist under his black cloak, "Acnologia won't know what hit him if he ever tries making a move against our slayer guild. "

"Yeah!" Hiouis nods, with him on that.

A few minutes later, "We're back." They arrive back at the icy mountains, "Training resumes."

"So does the continuation of being in the ice age..." Hiouis shivers already from the breeze, putting his coat on asap.

Phew, that ends the Road Knight/Slave Route arc.

Setasuke met Cobra and Gajeel in this chapter and helped them in stopping the trade route, with Gajeel and Cobra not knowing until after that Setasuke was a dragon slayer too.

Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed and until next time.