In the center of the hall, the mages assembled. When the firsts mages of Fairy Tail came, Takeru, and the named Reve were here. in the order, here came : Natsu, Happy, who regain concious during the trip, Erza, Wendy, Carla, Luke, and Lucy.
« Uhm ? Someone is missing, right ? » Luke ask, hands on the back of his head. Just at this time, Gray enter from the front entrance, a hand on his side, and panting a little.
« Take you long enough, Icy, even with this advantage, you were still have issue ? Pfeuh... sometimes I wonder why are you so weak. » Reve said with a annoying smirk, without even lokking at him, before pointing his snipe rifle at Erza.
« This goes especially for you, Titania, you were defeated by these clowns ? And you consider me as you're rival ? » He mocked arrogantly, escaping a little laugh.
Nastu can't handle that anymore, he stepped furiously Reve « You don't have the right to talk about Erza like that ! »
« He's right ! »Lucy added « They ambush here ! »
« It's the same thing. That's a S rank mission, you must know the risks and the potentials tactics used by the ennemy. I've heard you lost you're magic power, estimate you lucky they just decide to take you to you're guild back. Otherwise, it could be way, way worse. »
Natsu came closer again, his front head on the tip of the snipe rifle « I've heard enough !You want a piece ? » Natsu's hand ignite, and glare Reve with fury, while him look Natsu with a air of superiority.
« And what will you do ? Beat me to death ? »
« It could be the case »
Natsu and Reve continue to look each other, the tension high. It last few minutes, until-
« Hum... guys ? » The silence was broke by a low voice. Everyone turn their head, and now, 8 pairs of eyes stared Wendy. In front such a view, she hide her face behind one of her pigtail. In other circonstances, it would be cute, but...
« Speak ! » Takeru ordored, this only cause Wendy to just jump backward with a squeak
« I-I...t-the mission... »
« Sorry, I can't hear you, the loli, I must get old » Reve respond sharply.
Lucy, Erza and Gray couldn't take anymore of the humiliation Fairy Tail take. They prepared to attack, but one logical spirit decide to saved the situation.
« Okay, calmos, calmos » Luke decided to stopped the dispute here before it goes too far. « I think we forgot why are we there in the first place. And I think that what's that little girl wanted to say » He pointed Wendy withhis thumb
« Damnit, it remain one ! » Gray shouted, facepalming himself.
« That guy who beated Erza from behind. » Natsu gritted his teeth. How could they forgot that !
A tremor was now heared from the entire mansion, causing everyone to reconcentrate of their mission.
« W-What the- ?! » Lucy ask
« Ic come from behind. » Said Takeru
« So what we wait ? Let's go » Natsu sprinted towzrd the center of the trembling, and so the others followed him. When everyone arrived, they noticed one hole instead of a wall.
« Humpf. Looks like he was desesperate to escaped. There's not even a backdoor » Reve pointed.
« Hey look ! » Said Luke. Footprints could be seen accross the snow.
The group followed the traces for about 15 minutes, until the border of a forest before they just...gone. The footsprints just disappeard, like if the person vanish from thin air.
« Uh ? That's weird, they're stopped here, in the middle of nowhere » Lucy stated, placind a hand on her chin
« Thanks Captain Obvious » Luke said, deadpanned
« No problem »Happy lift a pawn, as if he heard or understand the conversation.
Reve looked the ends of the footprints, then look around in the distance.
« Tak ? »
« It's useless, I can't smell anything »
« Yeah. » Added Natsu « His smell disappeared like he really disappeared
« But he can't go very far, right ? » Lucy supposed.
Reve walked toward a near tree and climbed it. Once he reached the top, he used his snipe rifle to see far away. After doing a 360°, he fell off the tree, landing on his feet. His rifle vanished, and shook his head
« Can't see anything, or anyone »
« B-But we can't just stopped here. He must be somewhere » Wendy said*
« It's not avail, little one » Luke said « If even Tak, Reve and Salamander don't have a clue where he did went, and it's not like there's a hidden passage here. So we must accept that he just disappeared without trace. If he ever come back, he know what's await him. Plus, we already stopped his subbordonates. So, let's back off. »
Luke, Reve and Takeru went back where they come from, further in the mountain, letting the Fairy Tail mages on a quite bitter end.
« Grrr...I'll make them paid »Natsu clenched his fists. He really doesn't support thes three.
« So, what now ? »Gray ask
« Let's come back to the guild, we finish here » Erza close her eyes and came toward their home.
After a few minutes of march, Natsu and Wendy stopped the group
« Wait ! »
« What's the matter, Natsu ? »Lucy ask
« There's someonehere, but their scent is weak » Wendy certified
« It' over here ! » Natsu ran to his left.
« Wait ! Natsu ! » Lucy tried to stop Natsu, without succeed.
The group followed Natsu depper in the forest, unitl they stopped. Wendy and Natsu sniffled the air, before Wendy pointed a direction «Just here ! »
Gray and Natsu approched the direction and removed the snow, until they saw black hair from the snow
« I-It's someone ! » Gray hurried to dig out that person. She was a girl not taller than Wendy, with long black hair and a outfit that don't fit well with the climate of the mountain. She was covered of bruises and other marks.
Wendy gasped for such a view and hasted to heal the girl. But before she could applied her healing, the girl open slowly her blue eyes, which wided and went out Gray's grip.
« Whoa, she's fast. » Gray didn't have the time to re-catch the girl and took a blow on his lower jaw. He was taken back from the hit, and slided on the snow
« Gray ! »The other said.
« Hey ! What's you're problem ? » Natsu said angerly, looking at the little girl. She was recoiled few meters away, ready to fight, although she's trembling and panted heavely. From fear, cold, nervosity ? Natsu could not said, but whoever hurt his guildmates was considered a ennemy
« Natsu-san, wait ! » Wendy pleaded Natsu for not fighting her, she could see the girl was only afraid, and nothing esle. An orange reddish aura escaping from the girl
« I'll assist you. »Erza said, they didn't know the level of threat this person could be, but Natsu extend a hand toward her, still looking his future foe.
« No, Erza, she must know we're not a menace And sorry Wendy, but I don't think we can resolve that without violene »Like Wendy, Natsu knew the girl only tried to defend herself, but she didn't seems to be in the mood of listening.
Gray placed a hand on Wendy's shoulder, with a rassuring smile
« Don't worry, you know Natsu, he can handle this. Plus, she's seems to be a fire mage, so it won't be a problem. » Wendy nodded.
The mysterious little girl charge first, flammes surronding her fist « I will not coming back ! » She swung her fist at Natsu's face.
Her speed was surpeising Natsu, he only has the time to block the hit with his left forearm, and step back from the recoil.
« Fire Dragon's Talon ! »Natsu's right ankle ignite, and swing the girl. It was a direct hit, she gasped, before flying back. She placed her nails and feet on the snow to stop herself.
Natsu used his momentum for flames to spred out his extendes arms
« Flames Dragon's Wing Attack ! » He flailed his arms toward the girl. He was expecting his attack to landed, but instead, he heard a sucking sound. His flames were eaten by the girls
« What ?! »
« She's- »
The girl then puffed her cheeks, « Roar of the Dragon Omega ! » The throwed her head forward, and a funnel of reddish flames escaped from her mouth. Natsu tried to inhaled these flames, but not availed, he could not eat the flames of the girl. Without anticipating that, he could only watched the flames devour him, escaping a pain yell.
The girl panted heavely, and began to sweat
« I-I will not come back, you heard ? »
« What she's talking about ? » Lucy has no idea what the girl said.
« I don't know » Ersa neither had a clue.
Natsu came out of the flames, charging his foe « Horn Head of the Fire Dragon ! » Head first, he slammed his head, and the girl tried once again to eat his flames. But Natsu was too fast and the hit landed on her stomach.
« Gah ! » She fell on the snow, rolling, before she stopped, but it was not finished. She stood up, and while her body is seriously weaken, her aura only intensified, nearly trembling the entire field.
« YOU WON'T FORCED ME ! » her flames becames darker as the fight last.
Natsu knew it was time to get serious. He flared his flamed aura, electricity accompagned it.
« Lightning Flame Mode ! » he ran toward the girl
« Lightning Flames Dragon's Claw ! » His right hand took the shape of a claw, and attack the girl, who perform the same attack
« Claw of the Dragon Omega ! »
The two attacks were on a stalemate , ending by a explosion. Everyone not implied in this fight cover their eyes from the force of it and the flying snow
« What-Who is she ? » Lucy was honestly surprised by how that little girl manages to be head on head with Natsu.
Speaking of Nastu, the two fighters now gave each other a plectora of hits and kicks. Natsu acknowledged that she may be stronger than him if she continued to be enraged like that. But with the experience and the years of fights, he knew how to gave a hit when, and that girl surely didn't. Natsu used his adventage to take the advantage,landing hits on his foe and blocking the ones she gaves.
Once he though he had the time, he gave a headbutt to the girl, who used this opportunity to gather a enourmous amout of magic around his fist
« Iron Fist of the Lighnting Flame Dragon ! » He swung his attack at the girl's chin. She was flying back, before landing on her back, uncounscious.
Natsu exited his dual mode, before sat down, exhaling. This fight was a lot harder than he anticipated, but he made it.
Knowing the fight was over, Wendy rushed toward Natsu
« Natsu-san ! » She placed hes palms on Natsu, a soft green light emit from it. Lucy came too, helping Natsu to stood up.
« Whoa,that was someting » Gary said while scratching the back of his head.
« She said 'Dragon Omega', we know that she's a dragon slayer, but Natsu could not be able to eat her flames. Is that a unique propriety of her ? » Erza watched the fight with attention. She had several quetions about this girl. Who was she ? Why did she ended here ?
« What do we do about her ? » Gray ask. Lije the others, he noticed that she was just affraid, but letting her with that power turned out to be dangerous.
« We can't let her here » Wendy walked toward the girl, once close enough, she bend over her
« Wendy, wait, she's still dangerous. » Carla warned Wendy, but Natsu stopped her
« It's fine Lucy, she will sleep for a while in this state »
« I think it's a good idea to take her back to the guild, I have the feeling that she's not a bad person » Wendy proposed, she then looked at Erza, with puppy eyes « Please ? »
Erza, like Gray and Carla, was quite skeptical about the girl, but she ended by sighted .
« That's probably the better. If she posed a treat, I will keep an eye on her. »
« Thank you, Erza-san » Wendy jumped of joy and rushed back to the girl. She applies her heals to her. When she finished, Gray took her on his shoulder, and thegroup leaved toward the guild, without noticing that, in the shadows, they were watched,from the beginning.