A thunderstorm? Tch… Typical.
The rain continued to pour from the sky, drenching the man's black coat. The blonde wizard glanced around the streets of Magnolia as he walked at a leisurely pace. Thankfully the umbrella was deflecting most of the rain. However, if it picked up anymore, he would need to take shelter.
Storms were par for the course around the Lightning Dragon Slayer. The wizard decided to make a trip into town. He did this on days he knew a majority of the guild members were out. It made it easier to not run into any old friends. The blonde Dragon Slayer kept communication with a select few. However, since being kicked out of the guild, it's been hard finding a new place to call home.
"Hn." Laxus glanced towards the sky, noticing a small flicker. Thunder cracked in the clouds shortly after. I wonder what's going on. There are so many wizards in town today. The blonde observed, sensing their magic energy on the outskirts of the city. One guild on the north side, the other on the south. Isn't the S-Class Promotion today? I remember Freed talking about it.
"Psst… Hey." A shadowy figure snapped his fingers together, gaining the attention of the S-Class ranked wizard. Laxus could sense his magic energy from between the two buildings. Upon further inspection, a lanky teen was standing there. He didn't look much older than fifteen. "I said hey!"
"What do you want?" The Lightning Dragon Slayer stopped in his tracks.
"I've got that good good for 'ya." The stranger gestured for Laxus to enter the dark alleyway.
"What now?" The blonde wizard raised a brow in confusion. Against his better judgment, Laxus decided to enter the alley. The man standing in front of him looked to be shivering. However, the Lightning Dragon Slayer was positive it wasn't from being cold. The figure was biting his lip and the inside of his cheeks constantly. If Laxus was honest, he looked as though he was coming down from one hell of a drug.
"Listen here, my man. I've got a hell of a deal for 'ya, my man." Ginta bobbed up and down, as well as back and forth. "This shit is fire man! And I'm giving it away for free." The drug-riddled man pulled a medium sized orange bottle, handing it to the Dragon Slayer in front of him.
"What the hell is this?" Laxus examined it, holding the specimen near his face. There was a black liquid in the bottle. What the substance actually was, the blonde wizard couldn't even begin to guess.
"It's the latest craze on the streets!" Ginta chuckled deviously. "One drop of Drip, and you won't be able to get your hands off of it!"
The Lightning Dragon Slayer opened the bottle. As he did, a putrid odor filled his nostrils. As his nose wrinkled, he quickly moved the disgusting liquid away from his face. It was then Laxus noticed the symbol on the twitchy man's neck.
"You're with a guild?" The blonde questioned.
"Yeah, yeah." Trying to change the subject quickly, Ginta tried to push past it quickly. "Anyways, we've got this great deal going on today. I'll let you take this one off my hands!"
It took only mere seconds for the Lightning Dragon Slayer to recognize the Dark Guild's symbol. Grimoire Heart?? What in the hell are they doing in Magnolia??
"Just take it off your hands? Nah, that doesn't seem like a very good business practice." The blonde wizard placed the lid back on and tossed the bottle at the man in front of him. "I'm more interested in that tattoo on your neck."
"My guildmates and I are handing these babies out today. Are you sure you don't want this deal??"
"Your mates, huh?" A sinister grin came over the Dragon Slayer. "Where are your little buddies?"
"All around town, it's called the Magnolia Special!" Ginta grinned happily.
"Tch…" Laxus scoffed. "We don't need scum like you muddying up our streets. You need to get out of Magnolia and never return."
"Who the fuck do you think you are?!" The man raised his hand, ready to attack the tall man in front of him.
The Lightning Dragon Slayer rolled his eyes, stepping backwards. He cocked a half-smile as Ginta stumbled in front of him.
"Me?" The blonde wizard chuckled darkly. "I'm just your worst nightmare."
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck right in front of Laxus. It effectively fried the dark wizard in front of him. Shaking his head, the Dragon Slayer left the alleyway. Instead of going the same direction, he decided to go back in town. There were bound to be more Grimoire Heart members around.
An idea came to the blonde. He stopped underneath an awning, taking a moment to sense the presence of magic power. It was easy to discern the Fairy Tail Members, even the other friendly guilds.
Laxus raised his fist into the air, and in that instant over forty lightning bolts struck in the air simultaneously. This lit up the entire sky, even supercharging the lights in the area, causing some to flicker and pop.
"Hopefully that takes care of it.." The Dragon Slayer mumbled before taking to the streets once more, heading directly west.
Simultaneously in another part of town, a water mage was getting ready for a coordinated attack.
"Drip Drip Drop."
Juvia sat on the patio of a restaurant. She kept the menu up, obscuring her features as she watched the streets from her position. Grimoire Heart has plans to distribute Drip all throughout the City.
Thankfully with her magic power, the bluenette is able to trigger an episode of rain at a moment's notice.
Before leaving for the S-Class Promotion, Master Makarov devised a game plan.
"First of all, I'd like to thank everyone that came to this emergency meeting." The Guild Master looked around to the members of Fairy Tail that were present. He called for all members not participating in the Promotion to meet in the guild hall. "I'm thankful to each of you for taking time out of your busy schedules."
"What's this about, old man?" Makao raised a brow.
"We've received information that a dark guild will be attacking our home the same day as the Promotion. They're sending their strongest to our island, while the others are going to swarm Magnolia."
Several wizards gasped in surprise. Whispers erupted in the main hall of Fairy Tail. the Guild Master sighed, expecting them to react this way. Thankfully, there wasn't any yelling or screaming as per usual.
"I want everyone to settle down. We've dealt with threats greater than this. I've been in touch with the Magic Council, and they're prepared to send any additional aid our way. Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale have already agreed to assist us in our time of need."
"The plan is to set up Warren, as well as Ichia and his gang inside of the Guild Hall. They will be our main source of communications between the teams here in Magnolia and Tenrou Island. Juvia, conjuring up a little rain on the day would be very helpful. If we can keep most of the citizens indoors, we may be able to keep the casualties to a minimum. We'll surround the town with allies, slowly working inwards to eliminate the problem."
"The information we've been given tells us that their strongest players will be competing against ours on Tenrou Island. They've decided to use the time as a 'Promotion' of their own, to revamp the Seven Kin of Purgatory."
Mumbles began among the wizards. Some of them were beginning to get nervous about their upcoming battle.
"Who's to say they don't have strong members that are coming to Magnolia??" Wakaba piped up.
"I trust that all of you will be able to accomplish this. Please, don't underestimate your power as a team. I've seen this guild accomplish a lot in my time here. If you believe in yourselves, and your comrades, there isn't anything out of your reach!"
"Is everyone in position?" Warren could be heard inside her mind. His magic ability was critical to their plan. With it, every member of Fairy Tail was connected through him. He is the one link to their other friends on Tenrou Island.
Several wizards confirmed their readiness. The rain began to pick up, causing most of the citizens to thankfully retreat indoors. Juvia was glad her ability was finally being put to good use. Now that the streets were clear, the young mage got into position. She stood from the outside patio table and began to walk towards the center of town. Her goal was to act as surveillance.
As the bluenette walked the streets of Magnolia, she was glad to see that no one was out. Perhaps there was no reason to worry after all.
"Juvia, do you see anyone yet?" The telepathy wizard questioned.
"No… But I'll keep searching. There's no one in the streets right now." The water mage continued to observe her surroundings. A bright flash of lightning could be seen north of her location. Otherwise, it was pretty uneventful in her area.
Moments later, the entire sky flashes with a bright white light. The hairs on Juvia's neck and arms stood straight, causing her entire body to tense. A loud crack broke the tension like a whip. The bluenette lost track of how many strikes she saw go off simultaneously.
"Woah!"
"Did anyone else see that?!"
"It's so bright!!"
Several wizards began communicating their findings at once. Nearly everyone saw the strikes of lightning that blinded anyone in range. It couldn't have been a mere coincidence. Many of the wizards began to speculate if their old guild mate, Laxus, had something to do with it.
The water mage quickened her pace, looking for any possible sign of the enemy.
Taking a right down the main street, Juvia stopped in her tracks. There was a man lying in the middle of the sidewalk. She ran up to him and examined him. She first noticed the guild symbol, Grimoire Heart. Next she checked for a pulse, which Juvia was unable to find.
"I found someone. It looks like they were struck by lightning."
"You know what to do. See if there are any others. Once that's done, return here and we'll dispose of the product. " Warren commented.
The water mage took the bottles out of their pocket and placed them in her bag. Juvia proceeded to place the dark wizard in the alleyway, to keep him out of sight. She knew there were a total of forty-three members that arrived in Magnolia for the Raid this morning. Was the lightning strike one impressive and coordinated attack?
There's no time to think about that right now. The bluenette told herself. My focus needs to be on finding the remaining members, and disposing of that wretched liquid.
"Well… That was kind of anti-climactic." Makao sighed as he leaned against the bar. Most of the other guilds have gone back to their own towns. After the 'miraculous' lightning storm, all of the Grimoire Heart members were taken down. Most of the wizards in the room began to consider a powerful ally joined them in their time of need.
"At least it's taken care of." Wakaba commented. "Now we just have to hope that everyone on Tenrou is strong enough to defeat the Seven Kin."
The double doors of the guild hall burst open. A soaking wet Dragon Slayer walked through.
"I didn't come here to start any troub-"
"LAXUS!!"
Several of the members ran to the blonde wizard, embracing him. It was like he was coming to answer an unsaid prayer. Unsure of what to say, he just grinned and accepted it. "Alright, alright… Settle down guys."
"Were you the one that caused the lightning storm earlier?" Juvia couldn't help but ask.
The Lightning Dragon Slayer nods. "Yeah. I ran into a member of Grimoire Heart trying to sell this to me." Laxus pulled an orange bottle out of his pocket. "It looked like some nasty stuff. Didn't want it getting into the wrong hands. The guy mentioned something about his buddies handing it out all over town. I couldn't let that happen to my home, even if I'm not a member anymore."
The blonde wizard shrugged the guild members off of him. "That's all I came to say. I'm gonna head outta town now. So you probably won't see me again."
"Wait!" Warren stood from his seat. "Please, the rest of the guild is in danger."
"What are you talking about?" The Dragon Slayer raised a brow.
Makao continued where his companion left off. "The Seven Kin of Purgatory, as well as other strong members of the guild are currently enroute to Tenrou Island. We're not sure if they'll be able to do it alone."
Laxus glanced around the room, seeing each member of the guild as a member of his own family. Although it seemed as though Fairy Tail turned its back on him, the Dragon Slayer was far from giving up on them.
"How do you propose I get there?"
Itchia piped up, a grin on his features. "The Christina shall take you to your destination!"
"Take me as well!" Juvia raised her hand. No one was surprised the water mage did this. Gray was on Tenrou Island.
"Absolutely! But we must hurry!" The parfum mage demanded as they ran out of the guild hall.
