Ah sorry for missing last eek everyone! I've been so busy these past few weeks visiting family I had no free time to write! But I'm back now, so let's get right back into things!
Enjoy!
Michael wasn't surprised to hear that basically everyone from The Grand Magic Games teams were going, he'd expected that much. No matter how small they all had a past with both Fairy Tail and Nashi, so of course they all jumped at the chance to help in any way they could. Himself and his guild mates included. He just wished that the talk he had to have with his parents wasn't so damn difficult because of Ally.
His little sister was totally and completely against him going, and it only made the discussion more difficult.
"No!" She shouted again, gripping Michael clothes tightly as she hugged him. "I won't let you go! You'll get hurt!"
"No I won't," Michael lied through his teeth and he looked down at her. "Don't you have any faith in your big brother?"
"No!" Michael couldn't find his voice at this, too shocked at her both taunting and emotional response. "I heard what they did to Magnolia! They'll hurt you!"
"Ally stop it," Michael's mother scolded. She was against him going as well, but at least she was being logical. Unlike the child clinging to him. "Your brother has to do this, no matter how much we don't like it."
"Why?!" She cried. "I don't him to go!"
"If I don't, they'll do the same thing here," Michael replied as he hugged his sister. He hoped to instil some faith in her, but he doubted that would happen. "I have to go and fight them on our terms before they hurt us on theirs. Do you get that?"
"S-Sure, but..."
"Then you have to understand that I need to go," Michael replied, knowing full well that everyone was waiting for him. They were saying their goodbyes right now, after all. "The others need me, and I promised I would."
"But why are they trying to hurt us?!" Ally shouted, looking up at him. He could tell she wanted answers from him, but he couldn't give her any. None that would satisfy her anyway.
"Because they went after people we care about," he said. "Would you be mad if they came after us first?"
"O-Of course!"
"And if they did, Fairy Tail and the others would come to our aid without a second thought. I need to do the same for them." This seemed to silence her a bit, and Michael's dad took his chance.
"Michael will be fine, Ally." He said. "Have a little faith in your brother, would ya?" His father made a point to look at Michael at this, and he understood why. That message was for both for Ally and from his father to him.
"Exactly," His mother agreed. "He'll come home safe and sound, don't you worry!" Again, another double ended message.
We have faith, but you'd better come home safely.
"Remember to be safe, yeah?" Keita's father asked as he finished picking at the breakfast they'd been served.
"Nah I figured I'd just run out there and get myself hurt," Keita replied, raising an eyebrow at his father. "I know to be careful." His father simply rolled his eyes at this.
"I know, but it feels better to remind you," he replied. "Keep an eye on Nami, too. You two need to look out for each other out there." Before Keita could get a word in, he felt someone wrap him into a bear hug from behind.
"Don't worry Pops!" Nami said as she squeezed him, making his already tossing and turning stomach threaten to hurl. "I'll keep an eye on the baby of the family!" Despite the mild irritation rising in Keita, his father simply smiled.
"And of course you watch him too," he said. "But I know you'll have handle on that."
"Keita," A new voice said. Keita swallowed hard and turned to looked, watching as his mother came up to them. "I'm glad I found you before you left."
"Uh, sure." he said. Keita had never been good with his mother. She'd always been at arms length all throughout his childhood, so he never really got comfortable with her. It saddened him, realising he wasn't very close with his mother. But it was the result of their circumstance. Before he could say anything he was wrapped into a warm hug, one he'd never really received from her before.
"Gah!" Nami shouted out. Keita then realised his mother had grabbed both of them at the same time, bringing them both close to her.
"Please be careful," she whispered between the pair. "I know I haven't been the greatest mother to either of you...And I'm so sorry for that. My selfish actions have driven a wedge in this family that can't be repaired with a simple sorry but...Please look after each other. That's all I can ask of you."
Keita had never seen his mother like this. She was usually so calm and composed, which was probably where both he and his sister got it from. But to see her in such a state of worry only drove the point home farther. This was not a fight leaning in their favour. In fact, the odds they died were very high. It was only through this lens that he got to see his mother act so distraught, so helpless.
"Don't be so worried Mom!" Nami shouted as she got both of them out of the hug. "We'll keep an eye on each other, and we'll both come home safe! I promise!" It was obvious to all involved that was a light promise, but it still made their mother smile.
"Thank you Nami," she said. "I'm very proud of both of you. I know I never say it, but I am."This only made Nami laugh.
"You're outclassing Dad's goodbye by a mile, Mom!" she said. It was then their mother finally seemed to take notice of her ex-husband, who was standing nearby watching. Silence fell upon the family, mostly between the parents.
"Kagura," their father finally said. Their mother's jawline tightened as she watched him, perhaps curbing her tongue.
"Rogue," she said. It had been a long time since she'd affectionately used the name he used to go by, Ryos, but Keita longed for it deep down. If for nothing else than a sense of stability. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt you?"
"Not at all," he replied. "I was just finishing up, actually." More silence came over the family, one no one seemed able to break easily.
"Keita! Nami!" Keita turned around to see Drake calling to them, looking pretty serious. "Time to go, come on."
"Alright," Keita replied, turning away from his parents. He stopped few steps away from them before he looked over his shoulder.
"What is it?" His father asked.
"We will come home," he said, making both of them looked surprised at this statement. "No ifs. I swear it." Neither responded both a moment before his mother smiled.
"I'm sure you will sweetie," she said. "Now get going, you're friends need you."
"Will do mama bear!" Nami said, pulling Keita along without another word. After he was able to fall in line with her, the arm she had around his neck tightened slightly.
"Nami, stop choking me." he said, irritated.
"I'll hold you to that promise, little brother." she said in a low tone. Keita looked up and saw that Nami had a deadly serious look on her face, one she didn't usually wear. "We'll better all come home, or else." Despite their scenario, Keita managed a chuckle.
"Or else what?" He asked, returning to a phrase a decade younger than him to retort. Nami just smiled.
"Or I'll kill you myself."
Rogue watched from beside Kagura as their children walked away towards the Christina, which would ferry them back to Magnolia. Or what was left anyway.
"Was it really a good idea to just send the kids?" Kagura asked after some time. Rogue looked over at her in confusion, and she looked back in him, seeming distressed. "Their still just kids. What if someone gets hurt."
"Implying we didn't way back when." Rogue replied solemnly. Watching his children's repeating backs, he sighed. "They aren't kids anymore. They grew out of that a long time ago." Kagura just shrugged at this.
"I know, but their still my son and daughter," she said. "If I could help it, I would."
"I would too," he replied. "But we can't. At some point I think it would be good for us to realise we had to pass the torch at some point." Kagura only raised an eyebrow at this.
"What do you mean?" She asked. Rogue managed a smile as he saw their children meet up with the others at the door, all preparing to leave.
"Our story finished a long time ago," he said. "This is their enemy, their story. They're the ones who have fought and bled to win. We shouldn't try and take that from them, or their independence."Kagura just watched him quietly for a few seconds before she smiled. A warm one, one he hadn't seen directed at him in quite some time.
"I suppose you're right," she said. "After all, they'll inherit this world. Best they be the ones who shape it."
After everyone had gathered on board the Christina, the ship took flight into the sky. Drake knew it wouldn't take them that long to reach Magnolia, so he knew that they were purposefully going as slow as possible to delay their arrival. Perhaps to get some sort of plan sorted out.
"Alright everyone," Simon's said, making everyone turn to look at him. The redhead was standing around the other side of the large table on the deck of the ship, looking serious. "It's time we figure out our strategy."
"We have one?" Elise asked, sounding confused. Simon nodded.
"We do," he said. "Do you remember what I asked you back in the guild hall?" Elise seemed confused at first, but soon hr face lit up.
"Mind filling us in, Scarlet?" Terra asked. Simon nodded.
"It's simple," he said. "The Olympians think they've backed us into a corner, and they're right to think that. Our options are incredibly limited."
"So what exactly is this plan then?" Reyna asked.
"Back at Mt. Olympus last year, they made a mistake." Simon replied smiling. "They had us fight automatons crafted to be exactly like them. That includes what type of magic they used to fight us."
"Those fights were barely even fights," Drake replied. "We tossed those things around like garbage."
"Besides, we only fought a few of them too, right?" Ultear asked. "What good does it do us?"
"It lets us figure out who should fight who," Simon replied. ""It's not hard to find the mythology these guys have based themselves off of. I had Ken help me with the research." At this all eyes turned to the Archive mage from Blue Pegasus, who nodded.
"Indeed we did," he said as he stood and started typing in Archive. Soon a screen displayed itself over the table for all to see, displaying what seemed like a list. "As I'm sure some of you know, The Olympians have based themselves off an old myth of multiple Gods," he said. "This mythology seems to be very old and originated from the Pergrande Kingdom." Although it was across the continent, Drake knew of the Pergrande Kingdom. The largest country on the continent, it was at least ten times larger than Fiore, if not bigger. It didn't surprise him to hear the country had different mythologies from all across it's borders.
"So how does this help us at all?" Winter asked.
"The mythos explains these Gods in detail and what they represent," Ken continued, pointing to the screen. "For example, Elise, you fought Apollo right?"
"Yeah, I did." Elise said, nodding.
"And you said he used some sort of light magic?" Elise nodded again, and Ken smiled. "In the mythology, Apollo was the God of the sun. So based on this information, it's safe to assume that this Apollo has magic linked to the sun." This seemed to light the bulbs in everyone's head, and they knew understood what the plan represented.
"It's not the most solid battle strategy, but based on what we have it's the best we've got." Simon said, arms crossed. He seemed pretty stressed out, but that couldn't just be limited to him. They all felt pretty stressed given the situation. "Based on this, I had Ken help me set up a predetermined list on combatants." Ken nodded. and swiped the Archive list away to one that had more names on it.
"This list implies that all members of The Olympians will be present," he said. "Which, if they really want to keep Na...Luna for themselves, they'd all come. So based on what I found out, I compiled a list of who should fight who."
At this, everyone in the room tensed up. This list would more or less determine the outcome of the battle, so who was going up against who? What would they have to do?
"First we have Apollo, the sun mage. I've decided that without, uh, any kind of fire mage with us, the best opponents for him would be Michael, Juno, and Kyoko. I decided this because Michael may be able to eat the light, if it's white enough. Juno can provide defensive support by using Territory to block the attacks, and Kyoko can memorise them and use them against Apollo."
"Seems logical," Michael said as he cast the two girls a look. "You guys better be right behind me."
"I always am," Juno replied, smiling back at him.
"We'll make it a fight to remember,: Kyoko said as well.
"Next we have his sister, Artemis." Ken continued. "Based on her mythos, Keita will assist Quatro in defeating her. She uses magic based around the moon, so Keita will have an advantage if she makes the battlefield dark. Quatro can ensnare her before she can get hits in with her bow."
Going on like this, Ken told everyone who they were to fight. Nobody objected to his list, trusting the man with the calculation magic to figure it out.
"That's most of it," Ken said. "Save one. Master Zeus is the only one I'm not so certain on my contingency plan for. Based on what I can see, Steph and Rina should be the ones to fight him."
"Eh?" Steph asked, looking shocked.
"Oh yeah?" Rina asked with a smirk.
"Yeah,"Ken said. "His mythos says he's the God of the Sky, so he will most likely use sky or lightning magic to some effect. Given the fact that you're the Lightning God Slayer Rina, it seems this is your best opponent."
"Sounds like a plan!" Rina said, already crackling with power. "I can't wait to smack him down from the sky he pretends to lord over!"
"Please wait," Ken said, silencing her. "I doubt the boss himself will make an appearance right out of the gate. And if they know enough about us, he's likely to avoid you. So, in that event, please conserve your strength. You're our ace in the hole for him, and you getting defeated won't do us any good."
"So you're telling me to watch?!" Rina demanded, looking upset. "But what if my friends need me? I won't just sit back and watch!"
"Rina-"
"No, don't even bother! I'm not going to hide just so you can use me!"
"Rina, stop arguing." Drake turned as Keita spoke up. He seemed upset himself, but didn't voice his concerns. "This is our best bet at survival. If you need to hide, then hide." Rina still seemed ready to argue, but hearing this from one of her close friends seemed to calm her down.
"And let's all remember this is only a contingency plan," Simon said, sighing. "This is only our best bet at who should fight who. If the fights don't pan out this way, do not try and run off and find who you're tasked with. It will only cause confusion. You may even lead another Olympian to them as well, putting yourself at a disadvantage."
"So basically if it doesn't go as planned don't make it worse," Drake summed up, Simon nodding.
"Oh, and one other thing." Ken said, closing his Archive. "The Olympians have been ahead of us every step of the way so far. Which means they probably know all about us and what we're capable of. They know we'll try and do a type match-up, which means they'll probably try and avoid it. Even lead you into a trap, which goes back to what Simon said a second ago."
"Um..." Drake turned as Luna, who'd been sitting by herself in the corner, spoke up. "What am I supposed to do?" Silence came over the large group, nobody knowing what to tell her at first. Did she want to fight, or run and hide?
"You're priority number one," Simon said. "And everyone remember that. This won't last long if Luna get's captured. She's what they want. If they have her they'll retreat just as quickly as they came. Luna, you're too run and hide at the ruins of your parents old house. Do you know how to get there?"
"Y-Yeah, I do." She said. Simon nodded.
"Good. Drake, you go and check on her as soon as you can. Stay with if you can. If they take her it's all over." Drake swallowed and nodded, not pleased with having two objectives now. Defeat someone and protect the target, easy.
"If anyone wants to come to me and try to plan a strategy, you're welcome too." Ken said. "I'll do my best to assist you." Pretty much everyone lined up to receive Ken's help, and soon Archive was wide open and trying to come up with battle plans. Drake, however, wasn't interested. In such a weak contingency plan, there was no point in trying to figure out a battle plan.
"D-Drake?" Drake turned to find Luna standing near him. She looked on the verge of tears, but he couldn't blame her for that.
"Yeah?" Luna looked down at her feet at first, not sure what to say.
"I-It'll be okay, right?" She asked. Drake pressed his mouth into a line as he watched her, not sure what to say.
"Of course," he finally replied. "It'll all be fine."
More talking, more build up. We'll get to fighting eventually, no worries everyone!
At that though, I'd like to ask you guys something. Some of you have been here for years, so I'd like to ask. What about this story is so entertaining. Maybe it's just because I'm hard on myself, but I don't think this story is anything special. What do you guys like about it? Let me know! I hope you enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try and get five!
Chapter 316: Meeting at the Ruins.