I'm going to let you guys in on a little secret. Ready?
This story is turning seven in November (Holy fuck seriously?). That isn't the secret though. We're also approaching chapter 400.
I want to hit both on the same day. I think that would be awesome. But question is, what event will chapter 400 fall on? Even I don't know. I'm serious. We'll have to see.
But that's enough from me for now.
Enjoy!
Simon was annoyed.
That in and of itself was not unusual nowadays, but it was mostly directed at Damien now.
"Just tell me what happened," he insisted irritably, "c'mon, the whole country's heard you and Steph threatened to kill a noble."
"Allegedly," Damien replied. "Allegedly."
"Well, did you?"
"Allegedly."
"Damien come on. Just tell me what happened!" Damien laughed and took another sip of his drink.
"I told you a million times man," he said, "it's an official investigation now. No talking about it."
"Not even to a trusted friend?" He demanded, Damien shrugging.
"Ears everywhere," he said with a sarcastic look around the guild. "All I'll tell you is he had it coming." This just annoyed Simon even more. There was no need to hide this from him. Sighing, he leaned back in his own seat and took a sip.
"I'll get the answer eventually," he said.
"I'm sure you will, Ace Detective." Damien replied with a snort. "It's not a big deal anyway, at most we'll get a warning."
"You think so?" Simon asked, Damien nodding.
"Of course," he said, "the Magic Council wouldn't do something harsh. Apparently Don Yoku has a history of filing bullshit complains, so they're being real careful. Not to mention it's, you know, our guild." Well, that was true, the Magic Council would be foolish to start something with them.
"I guess you're right," he said.
"Besides," Damien said, "we should be focusing on other stuff right now." Simon frowned. He knew Damien was referring to the Demon Lords. He hadn't heard anything about going out on his mission yet, but he did know that they were going soon. Maybe within a few days. Drake's departure had really put a damper on that plan.
Simon usually tried not to think about Drake too much, because it just made him mad. Mad that he couldn't do anything to help, and mad that Drake had to be out there on his own. They had no timetable for when he might come back, but every passing day just made them all more worried. Especially Nashi. He hadn't even seen the pink-haired girl in a few days. Elise had also been missing, but he assumed she too was hiding herself away.
Maybe it was time he asked them for his favour.
After thinking about this for a good while, he decided it was a good idea. Getting to his feet, he stepped away from the table and waved over his shoulder at Damien.
"I'm gonna go see if I can find Nashi and Elise," he said.
"What for?" Damien asked curiously.
"I've got a favour to ask them," he answered. Leaving the guild hall, Simon angled himself towards Fairy Hills, the female dorm rooms for the guild, and began walking. As he did, he pondered to himself about his role in the upcoming battle. He and his mother had been tasked with accompanying Crime Sociere to seethe remnants of The Olympians, which in and of itself was a big deal. The Olympians had been silent since Poseidon's demise, but had apparently reached out with new information they wished to share. He had no idea what that was, but if they tried anything he planned on toppling another mountain in revenge.
After a while of walking he reached Fairy Hills, and he walked inside. Normally guys weren't allowed inside, but he knew no one would stop him. Levy knew who he was, and she ran the dorms. He was fine. Walking up the stairs, he angled himself towards where he knew Nashi's room was. He soon reached it and stared at it, pondering if he was being selfish here. No, this was good. He was helping them both out of this rut. And so, with this in mind, he knocked on the door.
"Nashi?" He asked, "it's me, Simon."
"What is it?" Nashi's voice came from inside, sounding rather monotone. Not good.
"I need your help with a pet project of mine," he said. "Can you help me?" There was a scuffling inside, and soon Nashi opened the door. Simon took in her appearance, which was rather unkempt. Her pink haired was tied in a messy ponytail, and she was wearing a shirt that was too big for her and sweat pants. The worst thing though, was her eyes. There was bags underneath them, and her usually bright brown eyes were dark.
"What is this project?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Something I want your help with," he said. "And Elise, Is she around?"
"I don't know," Nashi replied. "Did you check her room?"
"I was about to. Will you help me? I would really appreciate it." Nashi seemed to consider his request for a moment, before she sighed and nodded.
"Sure," she said, trying to put on a smile for his sake. "Just let me get dressed. Check Elise's room, she might be in there." Nodding, he watched as she closed the door. Sighing, he walked over to Elise's room, which was nearby, and knocked again.
"What?" Elise demanded from inside.
"It's Simon," he said, "I need your help with something."
"No thanks," Elise replied. Yeah, he figured she'd be harder to convince.
"Elise, please?" He asked, "I could really use your help."
"If you need me specifically, go ask my Dad."
"I don't want your Dad's help, I want yours."
"Why?" Elise whined. This made Simon smile a bit.
"Because your my friend," he said, "and this would really mean a lot to me." Elise was silent for a moment before an over-dramatic sigh came from the other side of the door.
"Fine, let me get dressed. What is this about?" Simon smiled.
"A pet project of mine," he answered.
Once both Dragon Slayers had gotten dressed, they followed Simon out of the dorms and into the city.
"You still won't tell us what this is about," Elise noted as she stuffed her hands into her pockets to protect from the cold. Nashi clearly had no such issue, wearing jean shorts and a t-shirt.
"It's a surprise," he said, "just follow me." It occurred to Simon as they walked that he'd never really spent any significant time with either of them in a while,which saddened him. They shouldn't of had to deal with all this stuff like The Olympians and Demon Lords. Why couldn't they just be normal kids? It was unfair.
"How have you guys been feeling?" He decided to ask, "you know, since Drake left."
"Fine," Elise lied. It was obviously a lie, given the bags under her eyes and the puffiness of them. Nashi frowned and buried her mouth into her scarf.
"I miss him," she answered quietly. "I wish we could have done more for him."
"Don't we all," Simon answered. "I miss him a lot too. He's a strong guy, though. I have no doubt he'll be back any day now."
"I hope so," Nashi said, staring at the ground.
"I hope he stops making us all worry," Elise said as she avoided everyone gaze. "Guy is so useless..." Simon managed a small smile as he watched the girl hide her emotions, knowing damn well she missed Drake.
"Well in any case," Simon said as they turned down the next street, with their destination ahead of them. "I'm glad you guys agreed to help me. This is important."
"What is it?" Nashi asked, "and why are we heading towards Crime Sociere's airship?" That was indeed their destination, parked near the guild hall.
"Because that's where we'll be working," Simon answered. He led the two girls onboard. There was nobody there, but Simon used his knowledge of the ship to guide them towards the training room. He'd even gone through the trouble of preparing for this job, gathering a trough of water and an anvil. Once they were there, he turned to the girls and crossed his arms.
"Are we getting lectured or something?" Elise asked.
"No," Simon said, "we're gonna be crafting together."
"Crafting?" Nashi asked. "Crafting what?" Simon smiled.
"I want both of you to help me make a new sword." He said, "how's that sound?"
"Sounds dumb," Elise replied, making him frown. "Why do you need us for that?"
"Well that should be obvious," Simon said. "I need your iron, Elise, and I need Nashi's fire to forge it."
"I can create a blade on my own, thank you," Elise said.
"A blade that can match the make if we use Nashi's fire to forge it?" Simon asked.
"Yes," Elise replied.
"I doubt that," Simon said. "Nashi's dragon fire can help us forge an incredible blade. If we combine both of your powers into the blade, it'll be even better."
"Why didn't you just ask our Dad's for help?" Nashi asked. "They're stronger than us." Simon smiled.
"I don't want their help," he said. "I want my friends help. I want you guys to help me." This seemed to stir something in the girls. Nashi's eyes brightened a bit, and Elise's cheeks flushed slightly.
"W-Well," Elise said, "if you're so adamant, I guess we can help out. Right Nashi?"
"Yeah," Nashi agreed. "I'd love to help you out, Simon. Where do we start?" Simon smiled.
"I'm glad you asked," he said.
"So what's the point of this again?" Nashi asked in between the munching of iron. Simon watched Elise eating, smiling.
"Too up the quality of Elise's iron," he said.
"Excuse you," Elise said, mouth full, "I'll have you know my iron is top notch."
"I have no doubt," Simon replied. "But I want this sword to be your absolute best." Elise nodded, going back to eating. Once she had finished eating the pile of fine iron they'd gotten from the local blacksmith, Elise burped and turned to him.
"What're you looking for, here?" She asked.
"All I need from you is a good chunk of iron," he said. "Can you make one?"
"Can I make one?" Elise asked, "of course I can. Watch this." Simon watched, Elise concentrating. Soon iron scales crisscrossed her face, and he realised she'd activated Dragon Force. Focusing, Elise's arm began a rod of iron, which then spat out a rod onto the ground between them all. "See?" Elise asked, "high-grade Iron Dragon iron, at your service."
"Fantastic," Simon said, turning to Nashi. "Nashi, how long as it been since you used Michael's Holy Light in your own fire?"
"Uh," Nashi stared, looking up at the roof as she thought, "it's been a while."
"Think you can do that and Dragon Force?" He asked. Nashi made a face as she thought, but then she looked at him, and her face hardened.
"Of course!" She said, pumping her fists, "I can do that! Watch this!" Both Simon and Elise watched as Nashi concentrated as well, flames erupted around her body. Soon they flickered white, and then the heat intensified as scales grew around her face and arms. She smiled at Simon through the heat, who smiled back at her.
"Great!" He said, "Now, Elise, think you can withstand those flames and heat up that rod?"
"Of course i can," Elise said, "who do you think I am, Ultear? I can withstand Nashi's fire."
"Don't turn this into a contest," he said as Elise grabbed the iron. "That's the last thing we need." Nodding begrudgingly, Elise grabbed the iron and walked to Nashi, inserting it into the blaze. It didn't take long for the metal to heat up, and Simon watched diligently as Elise worked it in a circle.
"So why are we making a sword?" Nashi asked, "are you breaking yours or something?"
"No," Simon answered,"but we're fighting Demon. I want the best weapon possible. Iron Dragon iron, forged in Holy Fire Dragon heat. Once it's heated, I'll use a hammer enchanted with my Heavenly Body Magic to craft it at that anvil over there. It'll be the ultimate Demon Slaying weapon."
"Fancy fancy," Elise said. "Weren't confident without our help?" Simon smiled.
"Something like that," he said. After a while of heating the metal, Elise removed the iron from Nashi's flames and moved over to the water trough, dropping it inside. Steam erupted from the water, blinding the three of them.
"Can we open a window or something?" Nashi asked, "It's hard to see."
"There's not exactly windows on an airship that open," Simon replied as the steam cleared a bit. "Elise, put it on that anvil for me." Elise did as he asked, and Simon summoned the hammer from his inventory. He also summoned some gauntlets to protect his hands, and went to work hammering at the iron.
Before it cracked and shattered within minutes. The three of them stared at the cracked iron, Elise coughing.
"I might not know how to make a sword," she said. Simon managed a snort.
"We'll go until we get it right," he said. "Let's go again!"
Simon did not expect the forging to take five whole days and counting.
Day and night, he worked with Nashi and Elise. Sometimes the iron shattered and was unusable, and other times they got further but were not pleased with the results. Sometimes it was him that wasn't pleased, and other times it was Elise or even Nashi. They worked themselves harder than they probably needed too, but they were all invested in the sword now. They wanted to get it right.
"Easy," Elise said as he hammered away at the iron. "Easy, Simon. This ones looking pretty good."
"I can see that," he said. The blade was looking good, the best of any they'd done so far. The blade itself was long and straight, hitting about thirty inches long. It's blade was double sided, and the iron itself had a white glow to it, which they had discovered was from Nashi's flames imbued with Michael's light. With each strike of his hammer, Simon watched as magic circles carrying the power of Heavenly Body Magic were left etched into the blade's flat side. As for the hilt, he and the girls had gone to Tetsu and asked him for some Iron God iron. He seemed confused as to why they wanted it, but handed it over. The hilt was dark black as opposed to the whiter blade, with a T-shaped guard with curved ends. In order to make his hand not uncomfortable, Simon wrapped white cloth around it, which added another contrast to it.
"Stop!" Elise shouted, Simon's hammer pausing it mid-air. "That's it, that's enough. Hand it over, we'll sharpen it!" Simon did as he was asked and handed the blade over to Elise, ditching his shirt as he did so. It was really hot in the training room, after all. Turning her arm into an iron bar, Elise made it spin rapidly. Nashi stood opposite her, blade in hand. When Elise gave the signal, Nashi pressed the blade of the weapon into the bar, Elise's arm acting as a grindstone. Sparks flew everywhere as Elise's arm fought against her own iron, but the blade didn't stand a chance. Both girls were focused intently on the edge of the blade, neither saying a word. Simon watched intently, ready to give his signal.
"Now!" He said. Nashi moved away immediately, the blades edge completed. Without a word she turned it over and began working on the other side, all of them watching in anticipation. The silence felt deafening after so much work, but Simon kept himself concentrated.
"Now!" He said. Nashi moved away. Elise turned her arm back to normal. They all stared at the blade, looking desperately for any flaws that made them disapprove of the work. No one said anything for a few minutes, before Nashi moved to Simon to hand him the blade. This was the most important test; the feel of the blade. Taking it in his hand, Simon gripped it as hard as he had to and began to swing it around. The balance was good. The feel was good. He twirled it around and switched hands. Still felt good. He smiled as he brought it up to look at it, the blade sparkling.
"Girls," he said, "I think we did it!" Both girls smiles widened at this, and they pumped their fists.
"Yes!" Elise shouted, "finally, the best sword we could make! It's done!"
"It looks really good!" Nashi said as she inspected it closely, sweat dotting her face. "What are you going to call it, Simon?"
"Yeah," Elise said, "Every good sword needs a name." Simon smiled at this, letting the light reflect off the sword.
"I've already got a name," he said. "Astra."
"What does it mean?" Nashi asked. Simon shrugged.
"It just came to me," he replied. "How does it sound?"
"Cheesy," Elise replied, "but its a sword name, so it's perfect." Simon laughed at this, seeing as she had a point. Spying a training dummy on the other side of the room, Simon motioned for the girls to move. He swung Astra in a down diagonal motion, and a ray of light erupted from the blade and flashed across the room, slicing the dummy in half. He smiled.
"Perfect," he said. "Thank you both so much. This means a lot to me." Nashi smiled.
"It was no big deal," she said. "We wanted to help you."
"Yeah, about that." Elise said, making Simon look at her. "Look, Simon. Uh, Nashi and I wanted to, uh...Thank you." Simon made a face and tilted his head.
"Thank me?" He asked, "why?"
"For, you know..." Elise mumbled, playing with her hands.
"For getting our minds off of Drake," Nashi said for her. "It's been hard for us, since he left. We've been wallowing in our own thoughts and...Well, it wasn't a good look." Simon recalled how they both had looked when he'd asked for their help almost a week ago.
"Yeah," Elise said, "and, well...We really appreciate you getting us to focus on something else." Simon smiled and looked down at Astra, looking at his face reflected in the metal.
"It was nothing," he said. "You guys are my friends, and I knew you were struggling. You guys would do the same for me."
"Of course," Nashi agreed.
"Maybe," Elise said sarcastically. Scoffing, Simon put Astra away in his inventory, and walked towards the girls.
"He'll be back," he told them. "Don't worry about him. Worry about making sure home is the same for him when he gets back. That's what friends do. Right?"
"Right," Nashi said.
"Is your speech over yet?" Elise asked, not looking at him. Simon saw her wiping at her eyes. He smiled at this.
"Yeah," he said. "It's over." Smiling, Nashi moved forward and hugged him. They both smelled like iron, flames and sweat, but Simon hugged her back. After a few seconds, he looked over to find Elise watching them. Rolling his eyes, he moved one hand away from Nashi and beckoned for her. She made a face, but he noticed she still walked towards him. Elise joined the hug, wrapping one arm around him and the other around Nashi.
"I knew you were a hugger," Nashi said in the moment.
"Shut your mouth," Elise hissed. Simon snorted.
"Glad to see you guys are the same as ever," he said. "Let's keep it that way for when Drake comes home."
"Of course," Nashi said.
"After I kick his ass for making us worry," Elise agreed. There was a silence between them, which was ended by the door to the training room opening. Looking up, Simon saw his Dad sanding there.
"It's time," he said. "Laxus is calling for us."
This chapter was totally different before, but it was shit so I rewrote it into this. I know this is better, but what do you guys think? I hope you all enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try and get five!