Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail! But if I did, then I'd take out the non-canon arcs and episodes.
Holy craps! I am so sorry for slacking on the story.
Hi everyone!.) Thank you for your suggestions, valiant reviewers!
Aquacharles, you are so right about Romeo's arc though-but I'll warn you fans...it's a little...sable
Anyways, back to brighter thoughts! Things are finally happening in this story! Once again, please feel free to give your criticism and comments; they are appreciated.
Exceed Hunt arc~ Chapter 5- Extalia on Earthland
"Shit..." Laxus cursed under his breath.
A small crowd encircled the bar, where Romeo and his team confronted Mirajane and Laxus in regards to the eerie request.
Often the guild was a haven, bursting with excitement and joviality. Today, that usual happiness was replaced by a grim atmosphere. All because of a paper...a wretched job request...
"How odd...how could the Council allow a request like this to be distributed to a guild?" Wakaba grumbled; the white smoke from his magic pipe slightly meandered.
"The Council has plenty of issues to deal with in the first place. Why would they ponder over a single request?" Freed answered.
"If the public takes notice of this, things won't look very bright for the Council..." Macao mumbled.
"So much for a golden age..." Nab pessimistically groaned.
"You barely go out on jobs you spend all your time looking at the damn request board half the time," Cana sweatdropped.
Low, concerned conversations developed from the few projections of opinion. Hushed voices filled in the silence, like an audience before the start of a theatrical production. While the talk was spreading, Mirajane was analyzing the pages of a large book, possibly a record of clients.
"Oh my, the client's name isn't linked to the job." the white-haired beauty spoke with worry. She shifted her head towards her guy, "Laxus, what should we do about this?"
The blonde-haired guild master gave her a firm, yet concerned look. "Gramps really needs to train his men right," he scoffed, "The only clue we have is the damn location...Freesia Heights..."
"Freesia Heights...It's one of the more affluent residential areas in Freesia Town." Lucy noted.
"I remember that place!" Natsu cheerily exclaimed, "I think I destroyed one of their churches!"
"You think?!" Happy sweatdropped, "You laughed as you watched it burn to smithereens..."
"Damn...you sound like that was an actual accomplishment..." Gray teased.
"You wanna fight me, Icicle?" Natsu grabbed the Ice Mage's collar.
"Bring it, Flame Brain!" Gray grasped the Dragon Slayer's scarf.
"Here we go again..." Lucy facepalmed.
"Juvia thinks they'll still fight when they're all old and wrinkly..." the Water mage held back a giggle.
"Ehhhh?!" Wendy squeaked at the image Juvia created.
"I'll burn you just as badly as I did with that church!" Natsu growled.
"Ha! I could freeze your flames in a split second, you idiot!" Gray jested.
Before both could continue their ridiculous quarrel, Erza karate-chopped them both of the noggins. They immediately dropped, unconscious.
Titania sighed and put on a smile. She faced her pupil with her dark brown eyes, "And that, Shinji, is how you quell the violence in this guild."
Erza's pupil clapped, "That was amazing Erza-sensei!"
"One day, I hope you can take my place when I get too weary to do these things."
"Yes sensei. I will!" Shinji bowed before his teacher.
Erza bashfully blushed. Having a student made her feel like such a mature adult, "Oh stop it! You don't need to bow!"
Shinji regained his normal posture. This time, lowering his head, "I apologize for my misbehavior."
"You don't need to apologize either." The scarlet-haired mage shook her head.
"Erza and Shinji have been getting along really well," Juvia noted.
"Mhmm. Erza has never been happier now that Shinji became her pupil." Lucy inquired, "Though, wasn't Gray the one who wanted to have a pupil?"
"That is true. Just like Ur was his teacher." the Water mage answered.
Meanwhile...
"Freesia is quite a distance away from Magnolia. It'd probably be best to catch a train..." Levy added.
"Are you suggesting we confront the client at the mentioned spot?" Pantherlily asked the bluenette.
"It's the only lead we have to make use of..." Levy sighed.
"Either way, I do not like this bastard one bit. Trying to capture cats..." Gajeel clenched his fists.
"I agree," Pantherlily stated.
"What do you suppose we do, Laxus-nii? Romeo asked, nervously.
Laxus was staring at the ceiling, deep in thought. The young guild master grumbled to himself for a while, veins seemingly popping on his forehead. Finally, he sighed and looked Romeo straight in the eyes. Those piercing, menacing emerald eyes foretold of a significant risk that was about to be mentioned. "Romeo." The Lightning mage murmured with a deep, serious tone.
The young Fire mage gulped.
"I don't want to burden the old man with this mistake. Neither do I want to pay more bills for destroyed property," he solemnly sighed,"This is a gamble...and the guild's pride is at stake. Romeo, I want your team to confront the client."
"Ehhhhh?!" Romeo was astonished.
Wendy and the others were just as petrified as he was.
Fairy Tail had many talented mages that could solve this case with flying colors. He couldn't fathom any possible reasons why Laxus chose his group of friends to complete this risky task. He was worried that they wouldn't succeed; that they would let down their nakama in the guild and once again turn Fairy Tail into Fiore's ultimate laughingstock...he wanted to say no, but he couldn't muster up the courage to vocalize.
"yeah..." he mouthed.
"You sound as if you saw a ghost. You scared?" the Lighting mage chuckled.
That immediately grasped his attention, "No! Of course not!"
"Good." Laxus smirked, "Then get moving."
"Right..." the Fire mage's voice trailed off.
He then turned his head toward the doors, then back at Laxus. "Laxus-nii?"
"What is it, runt?" Another sarcastically condescending reply.
"Why did you choose us?"
Laxus's smirk softened, "That's a mouthful you're asking of me."
"Why's that?" Romeo replied.
"Tell ya what. I'll give you my answer when you all come back, in one piece. Right now, you and your people ought to go."
Romeo walked away and sighed. "Is he for real? Just tell me and my friends to just up and go on some mission that the others could do in a flash? Is he even concerned about the possible risks? Doesn't he know what could happen if we fail?"
Negative thoughts swirled around his head like planets orbiting the Sun. All his doubts and insecurities about succeeding, while the guild's pride was at stake...It reminded him of a certain depressing time. The time when the core members of Fairy tail were absent for seven years...
Fairy Tail had fallen from grace and was labeled the weakest guild in the country. People laughed at the remaining members who held onto it. He and the remaining members were told many times to give up and disband because Fairy Tail was old news; it was the end of an old era. The guild had so little income that they could not even pay for their grand headquarters in Magnolia.
The abuse from Twilight Ogre only made it worse. Knowing full well about the tragedy the guild faced, Twilight Ogre did not hesitate to take advantage of their situation. They found a rustic, old mill near the outskirts of town and let the guild hold fort there under the condition of payment. Macao, Romeo's father, stepped up to be guild master in Makarov's place. Many times, Romeo watched his father take beatings by those vicious bastards...not able to help him in fear that they would lose the mill; just like their many comrades, their headquarters, as well as their pride as mages.
A light, cold tap on the cheek.
He awoke from the abyss of his past.
"Romeo-san?"
In front of him, a blue-haired girl with milky skin. Concern was written all over her face.
"Wendy..."
"You blanked out as you walked out the doors. Normally you're excited when we go out for jobs," the Sky Dragon Slayer's concern look turned into a solemn one,"I'm sorry...I should've thought about how stressed you were..."
"It's alright." Romeo blankly forgave her, thus concerning her more.
"It doesn't sound like your fine with it..." Wendy's voice trailed as she averted her eyes from the other three members of their team.
Shinji and Aria stepped in to help Wendy out. "What's wrong, Romeo?" Shinji asked.
"Brushing it off as nothing will only put you under more suspicion," Aria stated.
Romeo sighed and looked at the bright blue sky, "You guys won't let anything get past you..."
"You know why," Carla answered.
The latter sighed once more," yeah...I guess I'm a bit nervous."
"A bit? That's an understatement." Shinji said, "It's not like you're the only person who has to complete this task."
"You have your team with you, doesn't that make things less stressful?" Aria added.
Romeo tried to avert eye contact with them. Although they had valid points, they didn't quite reach the mark. His eyes then lay upon Carla who had a solemn look on her face. Within a second she looked up at him with this sudden fire in her eyes. Suddenly, she was cloaked by white smoke. The smoke cleared, revealing a brown-eyed girl with flowing white-hair in which the bangs and a tail secured by a little red bow; Carla's human form. Somehow, her clothes alter in size to complement the transformation.
Finally, Romeo was staring at her. Carla's human form seems to have this "gravitational" effect on human boys. Her adorable cat ears and slender cat tail make her stick out of any crowd. The cat-girl gripped Romeo's shoulders so tight that it hurt. She put herself at eye to eye level with him. Regardless of what she looked like she still bared the same venom, "Listen, Romeo. I know that you're worried about letting others down and being the center of disappointment. But you need to look at the bigger picture! The citizens of Extalia-my homeland-are at risk of being captured! Because our guild got the request, we can stop this person. If you're going to let your doubts get the best of you, then stay! We don't need liabilities."
Her voice softened as she gradually loosened her grasp on him. She drooped her head down,"I know things were difficult when we were gone...But..." she looked up into his onyx eyes with her shining, dark chocolate orbs, "things are different now."
Carla's words were right on spot, like an archer who hit the bull's eye on the first shot. Romeo felt like a wuss. He wallowed over his past sorrows despite the present conditions. He didn't look at how his hesitations would drag down the group either. Most of all, he took the fact that they are a team for granted and didn't look at the greater motives for doing this. Carla's, Happy's, and Lily's people were in potential danger. It was only luck that brought the request paper to the guild. With this, they could take the opportunity to confront the client and settle things properly.
He looked back into Carla's eyes, "I'm sorry," he turned to everyone else, "I really am...all of you..."
Carla heavily sighed and let go. Wendy started to pat her friend on the back and smiled, "You really pulled through for him. But...using the transformation magic to seduce was a little overkill. "
"I will have you know that it's not the first time I've dealt with inconfident children. Also, with this form, I can pry into the hearts of any human male!" she proudly proclaimed.
"You usually aren't like this Romeo...kind of surprising," Aria said.
"Yeah...I'm sorry that I created such a ruckus," the flame mage scratched the back of his head.
Shinji crossed his arms, "Sometimes the mind holds you back from what you need to do. Don't overthink things or else you'll strain yourself. "
"That was pretty profound." Romeo was impressed, "Who told you that?"
"Erza-sensei. She hogs all the glory with her touching philosophies."
They laughed for a moment, but Shinji regained his firm composure right after, "More importantly, we need to focus on the matter at hand..."
"Right!" The other four said simultaneously.
"Aye sir!" a familiar voice joined them.
"Happy?" Carla almost sweatdropped.
"He's not the only one who wanted to tag along," Pantherlily added.
"Team Exceed is back in business!" Happy cheered.
"This should be reassuring because Lily is a powerful swordsman." Shinji complemented the older Exceed.
Gajeel's Exceed smiled proudly, yet in a manner that was bashful at the same time.
"What about me...?" Happy asked, a frown almost forming on his face.
"Uhhh..." the other six stood there blankly.
"Well.." Romeo started," You're the most upbeat of the three."
"Like our ray of sunshine!" Wendy added.
"You are the epitome of positivity," Shinji chimed in.
"Lifting our spirits in desperate times." Aria piled in her compliment.
Their accolade slowly turned Happy's frown upside down. The blue Exceed turned to Carla.
"Basically, you're just the mascot." she jeered.
"Carla!" Wendy and Aria scolded.
Romeo, Shinji, and Pantherlily all facepalmed, "Good grief.."
There Happy lay in his desolate corner. A depressing, dark-blue aura emanated from his minuscule, cat-like body.
"Anyways..back to the plan..." Shinji addressed more firmly.
"Right" Carla rolled her eyes.
"Does anyone have any ideas?" the young swordsman asked.
"I have an opinion." Aria spoke, almost as serious as Shinji, "I feel that having us confront the client all together would be dangerous."
" Good point. We don't want Carla, Happy, or Lily to be near this person." Romeo added.
"I also have something to say." Wendy suddenly blurted, she twiddled her thumbs a bit as she spoke, "I don't know if this will be useful or not, but when I first held the paper, I could sniff a faint fragrance of roses."
"We could use that evidence to scent-search the address of the house in Freesia," Lily claimed.
"That's one conflict settled," Carla addressed, "But what will us Exceeds do since this individual wants to capture us?"
"Good question..." Shinji mumbled.
"The Exceeds are somewhere in Earthland." Happy suddenly spoke," We should split the group up and have some of us go to the Exceed settlement while the others go to the client's house..."
"Isn't that unnecessary?" Carla questioned her fellow blue cat.
"I just have a hunch that this guy is baiting us into some sort of trap. Who would send a request to a guild that has cats, asking to kidnap cats?"
"Exceeds," Lily coughed," Though, you bring up a valid point. I spoke with a former comrade from Extalia many years back. They told me the location of their new settlement."
"Extalia?" Aria questioned.
"It's the land where the Exceed once lived. In Edolas." Wendy clarified.
"Yeah! It was this huge floating island!" Happy added.
"Floating island?" Shinji's curiosity was perked.
"Back to the subject at hand," Lily firmly revived their attention, "we should split the group such that one party confronts the client and the other stands guard at the Exceed Village. Other than all the Exceed members heading to Earthland's Extalia and Wendy going to confront the client, who should be in what party?"
"Aria and I can join you guys," Shinji addressed, "And Romeo could help Wendy."
"That was fast..." Wendy and Romeo slightly sweatdropped.
Aria's cheeks were a tinge of pink for a split second, "O..Okay..."
"Any objections?" Lily sternly asked.
"I have no problems since I'm with my lovely feline friend!" Happy once again proclaimed his love for Carla.
Carla grimaced and glared daggers at Romeo. She swatted Happy away and trudged up to him. She glared at him the way a cheetah does a gazelle, "Conbolt...if you do anything funny with Wendy..." amidst her threat, her petite, angelic hands sharpen into these menacing, silvery claws, "I'll lacerate you into mincemeat."
Romeo held his palms up in surrender, "I swear I won't!"
"Good." she retracts her claws.
"Maybe you shouldn't have taught her that trick..." Happy looked at Lily.
"She wanted to fight alongside Wendy. Ee'll need all the fighters we can get."
~At Freesia~
Freesia. A ravishing city named after a ravishing flower. This city was built off the slopes overlooking a vast expanse of woodlands, which provided the city with resources since it became an established settlement. Those very slopes contain some of the most luxurious houses in the city, thus that area became Freesia Heights...
Romeo and Wendy were strolling through the bustling open-air market, hoping to find the entrance gate to the city's more prestigious neighborhood. Around them, a tide of people flooded into the various kiosks. Fresh, ripe fruits lined the parameters of a fruit stand. Vendors were loudly advertising their items in hopes of drawing in more customers. As Romeo and Wendy pushed through the waves of people, they saw a circle of cards shoot towards the sky and burst into a grand, sparkling firework.
Ahead, a group of people roared in amazement. "What was that?" Romeo asked Wendy.
"Not a sword fight," Wendy teased, "but, some sort of performance."
The two managed to move into the innermost circumference of spectators. At the center was a male magician with violet hair stood, holding a deck of sparkling cards. Each card was black with a purple diamond design in the middle. "Ladies and gentlemen! Did you enjoy the opening act?"
The audience cheered in approval.
"Here comes my next act!" he exclaimed in an upbeat tone.
The magician shuffled the cards and then threw them like shurikens. A lilac spark from the purple diamond print transfigured each card into glistening, lavender butterflies which gracefully flew above the audience. Next, the magician waved his left hand in a circular motion. Soon, there were five tiers of butterflies flying in circles around him. After, the magician clenched his fist. In response, the butterflies flocked into a single swarm and formed a sphere above the crowd. The masses were musing at this majestic sight. Eventually, the magician opened his hand such that it was flat like paper. The butterflies descended into his hand, morphing back into cards.
Respectfully, took off his hat and bowed, "Thank you, thank you. This Magic Cards Deck is an exquisite product of the Magistia Lacrima Company! Our headquarters are stationed in Freesia Heights!"
"Magistia?" Wendy was totally unfamiliar with the name.
"Magistia is among many companies that make special lacrima which help us with our daily lives. The communications lacrima is a prime example." Romeo explained, "But, to our luck, it's located in Freesia Heights."
Then Wendy shuddered...it was a sudden one, but it definitely meant something,"Since he's an employee of the company, maybe we should follow him."
"I don't know," Romeo was a little dubious," that might look a little suspicious, won't it?"
"It's better that we find out as soon as possible..."
"Wendy. You're not good at making up excuses." Romeo peered into her brown eyes, "What are you hiding?"
"I can't say it yet. But think of it as... a dragon instinct." Wendy gave him an innocent smile.
Romeo sighed, "Okay. I trust you."
As the crowds regressed into their original flooding, Romeo and Wendy cautiously followed the magician through the streets of the market. Tailing him, they exited the busy city streets. Every time he turned his head to look back, the two always found an alley, bush, or tree to hide behind. Eventually, they made it into the mansion-filled territory of Freesia Heights without being noticed. The illustrious streets were garnished with beautiful mansions, floral gardens, fancily paved sidewalks, and gates crafted with steel, silver, and gold.
"Crap...these places must cost a fortune..." Romeo espied each house, holding his jaw back from opening in amazement.
"I wonder why people would need to live in such places," Wendy pondered aloud.
"I've wondered so many times myself," A voice in front of them abruptly caused them to shift their faces forward in surprise.
That voice was none other than the magician in front of them, "I've wondered so many times myself why people have to live in the lap of luxury when others are out there starving...Hmmm...perhaps now isn't the optimal time."
Romeo sweatdropped nervously, "A ditzy adult with elaborate vocabulary...What have I signed up for?"
The purple-haired magician, "So, what business do you children have following me?"
Wendy gulped, "Um...my friend and I are mages of Fairy Tail. We received a request from an address in Freesia Heights."
"Crap, she told him directly. Now we're doomed..." Romeo wailed in his thoughts.
"I see, I see. If I recall, Magistia sent a request to Fairy Tail. I don't know the full details, but I'm positive that you are here for this sole request."
"Mhmm. I'm glad we came to an understanding." Wendy nodded.
"Thank Mavis we are saved...then again it was his naivety that saved us" Romeo was very relieved.
"It will be my pleasure to escort you to the headquarters. I'm sure you'll have to speak with Mr. Magius or one of his superintendents which frankly I, the Magnificent Papillon, unfortunately, am not."
"Thank...you, "Romeo slightly cringed.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Papillion," Wendy politely shook his hand.
"Likewise," he replied.
The three made their way past more illustrious houses until they found themselves in a large yard decorated with columns, statues of historic figures, and rosebushes. White rose bushes. In front was a grand, rectangular-prism office building with glass windows that reflected the blue canvas of the sky and the white, cottony clouds. There was a concrete pergola that provided shade for the entrance. Atop the highest point in the pergola's curve was the Magistia Lacrima Company insignia; a diamond vector encased inside a human hand...
In the shroud of a densely-wooded forest...
With Pantherlily as the navigator, Shinji, Aria, and the other Exceeds ventured into the labyrinthine woodlands. The bright sun etched the shadows of the tree leaves onto the ground. They swayed and rustled with the gentle caress of the breeze.
Lily led the way. Carla worried about Wendy and to a lesser extent, Romeo. Aria spun a glass-like petal around her finger as she was walking beside Carla. Shinji, exercising precautionary measures, clutched the handle of his katana with his right arm. Happy followed behind, rather tired from all this walking, "Are we there yet?"
"Patience, Happy," Lily chided, "we have to trek up the hills, locate the hidden waterfalls, follow the river, branch off left for a few hours, and we'll find the front gates to the village."
The blue cat's mouth dropped from hearing Lily's description, "We're never going to make it!"
"Hush, I can't stand your childish hysterics," Carla scolded.
With that, Happy groaned, "Couldn't we just fly and spot it from the sky?"
"It's not that simple," Shinji interpolated, "Since there are poachers who are after the Exceeds, we don't want them to find you three and hunt you down."
"What's worse is that they could track you so that they can find the village and hunt all the Exceeds," Aria added.
Happy shuddered slightly, "I don't understand why people would want to hunt Exceeds."
"I don't either, " Aria replied, "Might you know Carla?"
"At the moment I don't have a clue," Carla crossed her arms in unsatisfaction," I haven't received any visions since we left the guild."
"Thanks for trying." Aria grinned.
Lily sighed solemnly as they continued, "Queen Chagotte, I hope we find you and the villagers in good health."
As they continued forward, none seemed to acknowledge the footsteps of a transparent figure trailing them...
~At the Magistia Lacrima Co. HQ~
The inside of the office-building was just as ravishing as the exterior: halls with marble flooring, alabaster sculptures, even the walls were decorated with murals and pastel paintings. Papillon was giving Romeo and Wendy a long, detailed tour of the company's luxurious office-building.
"...the bathrooms and hallways are most excessively adorned, but the offices themselves are just like any other: blueprints and paperwork scattered everywhere, employees with their eyes glued to their computing screens, their fingers endlessly clicking away at the keyboard..." Papillion went on and on.
Romeo and Wendy have held back their urges to yawn since they entered the esteemed "palace".
Then Wendy spoke up, "Um...Mr. Papillion?"
"Oh right!" Papillion turned as if he was to address an interesting factoid, "You must be wondering where on earth the lacrimas are manufactured. Well..." he folded his hands neatly, "we have ten factories stationed all over Fiore, especially near mining towns-"
Romeo interjected, "Mr. Papillion, Wendy and I really need to see Mr. Magius for the sake of the request. It would be nice if you could-"
"Oh, I see, "Papillion responded gloomily and was sitting in a corner with this sullen aura surrounding him, "I see that I'm too boring to be around..."
Romeo sweatdropped, "That's not was I meant, but.."
"Romeo-kun, that was mean," Wendy shook her head.
"Fine. *Sigh* I'm sorry Mr. Papillion, could you grace us with the honor of taking us to Mr. Magius?" the Fire Mage pleaded with a hint of sarcasm.
Just like that, the purple-haired magician rose from his corner and dusted his black blazer off, "That's more like it."
Romeo rolled his eyes, "This guy is so difficult..."
~One EXTRA LONG exquisitely, detailed tour along the way to Magius's office later~
"At last, you have arrived." Papillion embellished them with his serenade, "The the door to the office of the mastermind of this company's success, the one who pulls the strings!"
"Quite literally, if we can confirm it," Romeo thought.
Wendy smiled exhaustedly, "Thank goodness we made it Romeo-kun."
"Yeah..." the Fire Mage puffed.
"And now for the doors.." Papillion gently opened them, making way for the two young mages.
Upon entering, Romeo and Wendy took note of the office's characteristics. It was a spacious, circular room. The walls were painted white. The marble tiles on the floor were also white. In the center of the room was a gray wooden double pedestal desk. On the surface of the desk was a black leather folder. To the left of the folder was a translucent paperweight that pressed down a small stack of paperwork. To the right was a porcelain teapot next to an empty porcelain saucer. To the left of the desk was an alabaster bust of the company owner set atop an obsidian column. There was a bronze plaque on the column. The letters engraved on it could read "Theodore Alabastor Magius". On the wall behind the desk was a circular cathedral-like window. From this window, the Sun's light cascades into the room.
Sitting cozily in his throne, Mr. Theodore Magius was sipping tea from a porcelain cup. Magius possessed the look of a god. His flowing hair and beard were as white as a winter's fresh snow. His skin was a peachy tone. But his eyes were icier than Shinji's. The Lacrima company owner was dressed in a fine white blazer over a black dress shirt. Fastened around the collar of his shirt was a sky blue ascot. His dress pants were also white. On the other hand, his leather shoes were black. He was attended to by an orange-haired subordinate with piercing yellow eyes who wore white dress-pants and a white blazer with a pink dress-shirt on the inside, a red rose was attached to his chest pocket. His hands were covered with black gloves. Magius placed his cup onto the porcelain saucer, and smiled at the young Mages, "Ah, it seems we have guests. Care for some tea?"
Wendy bowed politely," Thank you for the kind offer, sir. But, no thank you."
Romeo bowed too, only because Wendy was doing so.
Magius turned to Papillion, "Who might these guests be, dear Papillion?"
"Ahem-I humbly present you the Mages from Fairy Tail."
Romeo noticed how the pupils in Magius's eyes narrowed at Papillion's words. He turned to Romeo and Wendy, and congratulated them with a smile, "Wonderful! I see you found my personal request. I appreciate you youths for coming all the way here."
Romeo tensed up, "How can he still behave so calmly...?"
"Now you must be wondering why I sent such a request to your guild?" the man maintained his warm gestures.
Wendy's heartbeat was accelerating, she barely mustered a nod.
The company owner had his eyes fixed on the young wizards, yet he spoke to his subordinate," Ambrose?"
The orange-haired worker spoke, "Yes, Mr. Magius?"
"What is the status of Wanda's mission?"
"She said that they are almost at the village. And that they haven't noticed her presence at all."
"Bravo!" he clapped in wicked jubilee, "Wanda does her work most splendidly."
Upon realizing what they were talking about, Wendy's heart plummeted. And Romeo grit his teeth.
Magius chuckled feigning the innocence of an elementary school girl, but his eyes morphed into something maliciously cold, "It's quite obvious. Your guild has cats. To be exact, they are Exceeds. Exceeds have magic within their bodies. The more cats I gather in one spot. The easier it is to capture them. Once in captivity, I can make them breed and breed. After all, the more Exceeds I have under my control, the more lacrimas I can create. With the amount of lacrima I can obtain from harvesting the magic from within those creatures, my company's fortunes would skyrocket!"
Wendy's eyes widened at his declaration. Romeo tightened his fist, "You sick bastard..."
Papillion, too, was shocked by this, "Mr. M-Magius, what on earth...a-are you saying?"
"I'm sorry sweet Papillion. I would prefer it if you keep your opinions to yourself. Step aside, unless you don't want to get hurt" Magius's voice permeated into Papillion like poisonous gas. With that, Papillion was silenced, but he collapsed to the ground from the sheer shock of things.
"Ambrose, if you please..." Magius commanded his subordinate.
The orange-haired mage took his right-hand glove off and stuffed it into his chest pocket, revealing a ruby lacrima ring on his ring finger. The red jewel glistened, "Thorn Cage!"
A magic circle appeared below the two. In the following second, vines covered with thorns meandered around the two and trapped them within a thick cage. Romeo set his palms on fire and burned the thorns to a crisp. As soon as the cage was demolished, Magius's subordinate waved his right hand. A flash from the red ring subsequently followed, "Vine Frenzy!"
A barrage of thorny rose vines sprung from the floor and lunged at the two mages. Romeo and Wendy dodged the heavy barrage simultaneously. Wendy eyed Romeo, "Leave this to me!"
Romeo nodded, "Go for it!"
"Sky Dragon's Wing Slash!" the spiraling winds spliced and diced those vines into mincemeat.
Out of nowhere, Romeo noticed a vine was quickly meandering from behind her, "Wendy behind you!"
The Sky Dragon Slayer turned to her partner upon hearing him but was too late for the vine latched onto her and wrapped around her legs, wrists, mouth, and nose. All Romeo could hear was her muffled voice, "Mmmhfhfhf..!"
"Wendy!" he turned to Ambrose with a fiery glare in his eyes, "Let her go you bastards!"
"Why should he?" Magius replied with his fake innocence.
"I wasn't talking to you, old fart!" Romeo barked back.
"Ohohoho, you are quite the mouthy type aren't you?" the prestigious man turned to his employee, "Ambrose, why don't you tighten the vines around the hostage a little more? This brat is getting on my nerves."
The orange-haired employee blankly replied, "As you wish, sir."
With another wave of his hand, the vines coiled tighter around Wendy. Although her voice was further muffled, her expression displayed that she was suffocating. Watching her suffer like this only made Romeo angrier; the fires on his fists were burning at a greater magnitude. However, he did not act knowing that Wendy could suffer even more if he did anything to provoke them. Backed into a corner like this, Romeo felt pathetic, "Dammit! If I do something, things might get worse for Wendy...but if I don't do anything, she might die!"
Beads of sweat were starting to dribble from Romeo's forehead. Mr. Magius took note of that and started to harass him with his poisonous locutions, "Perhaps if you apologize and beg for forgiveness on all fours, I'll consider letting the girl breathe..."
Romeo glimpsed at him with all intentions of refusal, but he shifted his eyes to Wendy and knew he had to do this for her sake. With hesitation, Romeo deactivated his flames and slowly dropped down onto the floor on all fours with his head facing down, "Fo-For-give m-me Mr. Magius fo-for my b-bad ma-manners."
Romeo peered up with his eyes and noticed that Mr. Magius stood tall in front of him, like a master gazing down at a lowly mutt, in his peachy hands was a silver stave with a lightning blue lacrima. He sighed in disappointment, "Now that wasn't even a quality apology. You stuttered so very much. It sounded like you weren't sincere; like you were hesitating..."
Suddenly, Romeo felt his head being pushed down into the cold, marble-tiled floor by something hard. Magius was squishing Romeo's head onto the ground with the sole of his leather shoe, "In business, we are all about high expectations with no hesitations! But, of course..." he pressed his foot down on Romeo harder,"...a child like you could never understand that!..." then he swung his staff at Romeo's crouching figure, knocking his up into an almost standing position.
"Ngggh.." Romeo grit his teeth from the hit. The young Fire Mage lit one of his hands on fire but was met by a jolt of electricity.
"AGGggggghhh!" the young wizard exclaimed as he was being fried alive. It ended after half a minute to which Romeo was covered in burn marks.
While Romeo was panting, Magius chuckled, "Ohohoho! Panting are we? Perhaps you enjoyed the taste of my Zeus Sceptor!? Care for some more?"
N..N-N..No.." Romeo was slowly getting up.
"You're still having troubles with your manners" Magius tightened his grip around the staff, which in response, the lacrima sizzled with more sparks. He sighed as he rose his staff which was now crackling with electricity," No worries, we have plenty of time for you to learn."
"That's enough!"
Those words snapped Magius out of his sadistic reverie. In the following second, three cards were thrown at him. Upon making contact with his suit, they transfigured into butterflies then burst into purple lights which blinded Magius.
Wendy who was struggling to maintain consciousness for the vines saw that light and looked away. In her field of vision, she noticed Papillion holding his cards.
"My EEEEYEEEESSS!" the snow-haired sadist covered his eyes as he staggered back a few steps.
Utilizing this opportunity, Romeo shuffled back onto his feet and knocked Magius down with a punch straight in the stomach.
"GAhhhh!" the old man went down.
Ambrose, whose attention was initially on a barely-conscious Wendy was averted to his boss who was suddenly struck. He stepped towards his boss out of concern but realized he had made that gap. A flurry of flashing-purple cards was thrown at the vines. The cards severed them, unleashing Wendy from their grasp. Once Wendy hit the floor, she was heaving intensely, trying to catch her breath. Ambrose looked at Papillion, not in anger, but rather puzzled, "Papi..."
Romeo looked at Papillon too, "You..."
"Romeo-san now is not the time. Right now, my thoughts are jumbled. But I am certain of what is morally right"
"What...What are you going to do? Aren't you worried about getting fired?" Romeo replied.
"What I do doesn't matter! Seize this chance to escape with Wendy-san!"
Once again, the Fire Mage was hesitant. Papillon grit his teeth. Ambrose took Romeo's reluctance as an opening. As he raised his hand, the red ring flashed once more, "Crown Punishment!"
Various vines were summoned in midair, the thorns linked forming a large ring; a giant crown of thorns. Ambrose swiftly lowered his hand. The crown of thorns spun like a wheel as made its way towards the two mages. Romeo readied his flames to counter, "Red Vortex!"
The tornado of scarlet flames made contact with the crown, but the flames were dispersing instead of scorching the thorns into ashes. That is so because the crown of thorns was spinning at a faster pace than that of Romeo's swirling flames. Small embers were falling from the ceiling like snow. Romeo still had to maintain the spell to destroy the thorns.
"Hmm..that should keep you busy Ambrose was about to cast another attack, but was intercepted by a volley of cards which morphed into a swarm of amethyst butterflies, "Swarm Meld!"
The purple butterflies surrounded Ambrose, blocking his field of vision. Papillon turned to Romeo, "Please Romeo-san. Go. My butterflies won't hold Ambrose or Mr. Magius for much longer"
"I won't delay you anymore," resolved Romeo. Without hesitation, Romeo ran towards Wendy.
Noticing her partner, Wendy began to speak, "Romeo-san, are you-Wah!"
The daring Fire Mage lifted her up and carried her bridal style, but continued towards the window. The Sky Maiden's cheeks were now sporting a rosy tint, "W-W-What are you going to do?" she stuttered, as he neared the large window.
"We're getting out of here." Romeo firmly replied. Flashing her a small smile, "Hold on for a bit."
In the succeeding second, Romeo broke through the glass window; the ear-splitting shattering of glass echoed through the building. For a moment, Wendy felt time stopped while they were in mid-air. The light of day glistened on the now-liberated glass shards. She looked up at Romeo who adorned a resolved expression, like the heroes from those storybooks when they decide to save the princess. Realizing she might have been gazing too long, her blush deepened.
"Red Carpet!"
Beneath Romeo's legs, a flock of scarlet flames merged to form a larger fireball. Once Romeo's feet were on, the two zipped through the air at breakneck pace.
"U-U-Ummm..." Wendy spoke shyly, "When are you going to put me down?"
"Never." Romeo resolutely replied.
"Oh...Wait?! WH-WHA-WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!" Wendy gasped.
The Fire Mage giggled, "I'm kidding Wendy. I'll let you go when we reach the others."
"Um...how are you going to find them?"
"Uhhhhhhh...crap..."
Wendy facepalmed herself, "You have got to be kidding me!"
Romeo grinned nervously, "Sorry about that. More importantly, that old bastard sent someone to follow the others. If they find the village, the spy will also find the village and can cause havoc form the inside..."
"I see...Romeo-san, I'll use my sense of smell to find Carla because I know she's definitely with the others."
"Thanks."
Onwards, they zipped above the trees under an afternoon sky.
There was still time in the day...
~Exceed Village/Earthland's Extalia~
The Exceed Village: a tranquil civilization of the Exceed who have settled on Earthland. The village consisted of many small, dome-shaped huts made of wood, mud, and dried grass scattered over the lush, green grasses of the clearing. There were a few wells located Despite the years of adversity they faced building their settlement, they were able to succeed. Chagotte, the former queen, along with Nadi, the minister, and the Four Elders were discussing matters inside a larger dome in the center of the settlement. Despite their misdemeanors in Edolas, the other Exceeds were forgiving enough to allow them to redeem themselves. Concealed by the peace, the governing body and militia were fretting over some troubling matters as they stood around a round, wooden table...
"It pains me to worry the children and their parents with this matter," Mejeer sighed dolefully.
"It pains us all, Mejeer," Martam spoke up, "but Chagotte's visions have never failed us."
"Perhaps you could recapitulate what you saw." Nadi piped in, waving his paw incessantly.
The former queen closed her eyes, picturing the things she saw almost a month back...
A visitor at the gates of the village.
A humanoid-machine, larger than the Dorma Anim, approaching the village.
A sinister ray of light being fired from its arm.
When her vision stopped, Chagotte was breathing heavily.
"Chagotte!" Martam, who cared for her deeply, rushed to her side alongside Nadi, "Are you hurt?"
"Should I fetch a blanket or some water?" Nadi asked.
"I am fine, Nadi, "Shagotte's hyperventilation subsided.
"Thank goodness!" the black and white Exceed smiled in relief.
"I apologize for sounding rude, but the matter is urgent," Mejeer reprimanded, "Miss Chagotte, what did you see?"
"What I saw was the same as I saw almost a month ago..." Chagotte solemnly said.
"Do not feel bad, Chagotte. What you have done is more than what anybody else could muster," Muganto praised her fellow Exceed,"Still, we have conclusions we could draw from this..."
"It is most easily assumed that the visitor is an enemy. But why would the guards allow an enemy to go through the gates?" Mysdroy's quiet voice joined the fray.
"They wouldn't," Mejeer concluded, "unless it was another Exceed...perhaps one of the 100..."
At those words, Chagotte's pupils narrowed, "Carla..."
Suddenly the doors to the large dome were opened. All the governing Exceeds turned their heads towards it. A guard entered frantically, "Visitors! We have...visitors! Just like...*huff* *huff*...you said!"
Without further haste, they all rushed out of the dome and towards the opened gates. A crowd of Exceeds encircled the visitors...
When Chagotte saw who the visitors were, her eyes widened. Never did she think that she would meet them again...
Standing there were three Exceeds and two human mages.
"Fellow Exceeds!" Pantherlily, in his fully grown Exceed form, proudly projected, "Your civilization is in danger. That is why we, Fairy Tail, have come to lend a hand!"
At this, the crowd cheered upon the return of their illustrious former-commander. A mob of military Exceed ran up to Lily and tackled him into a hug. The giant Pantherlily toppled over from all the weight put on him. A moment of nostalgic laughter followed.
"Hey! What about us?" Happy pouted.
Carla sighed, "I guess we'll never amount to Lily's popularity."
Aria giggled, "He must be a celebrity here."
Shinji grinned at this joyous occasion, but something was bothering him at the back of his mind. Yet, he couldn't quite grasp it. It sort of felt like the feeling of being followed.
Amidst all the hullabaloo, nobody noticed the secret sixth visitor. Invisible to everyone, someone passed the village gates and hid behind a house. Slowly, the person's invisibility wore off, revealing a light-blue-eyed magician girl with flowing, light-blue hair tied back into pigtails fastened by pink-heart clips. She wore a polo mini dress. The collar, sleeves, and everything else up to her cleavage was see-through. A pink bow was tied around her collar. Everything from cleavage and below was navy blue. There were three, large brass buttons in the middle of her dress. The skirt had white frills. Covering her legs were black knee-socks accompanied by brown- high laced boots. Atop her head was a navy-blue magician's hat. In her arm was a standard black-and-white magician's wand. The girl giggled impishly, "That was easier than stealing candy from a baby...Maybe I should call the boss now..."
~Magistia Lacrima Co. HQ~
"How dare you oppose me!" Magius violently swung his staff at Papillion.
Another bruise marked the young employee. After all, Magius was venting his rage...
Soon, a bruised-covered Papillon sprawled onto the floor.
Mr. Magius himself was panting like a runner who finished a marathon. The sinister director barked at his superintendent, "Ambrose, discipline this brat for me. There's no knowing what he'll do if we leave him like this."
"Yes..sir, " Ambrose replied with reluctance.
Papillon locked eyes with Ambrose, "Don't...Don't do it..."
Ambrose's eyes glowed a menacing dark red as he stared into Papillon's. A hint of sadness could be traced within his voice, "I'm sorry...Papi."
Immediately, Papillon's eyes turned the same shade as Ambrose's. The purple-haired employee entered an unconscious state. Seeing this, Ambrose gazed at Papillon in an apologetic manner.
"Your hesitation is going to be your undoing, Ambrose." Magius chastised bitterly.
Suddenly, the communications lacrima on Magius's desk glowed softly. A small voice emanated from the orb, "Director...Director..."
"Ah! It seems Wanda has touched base with us." Magius's expression lit up, "Tell me, Wanda. What news do you have for me today?"
"I managed to infiltrate the Exceed Village without being noticed, " she reported in a hushed tone, "If you track the coordinates from my cellular communications lacrima, you can bring the Deus Ex Machina here."
He gleefully bellowed when Wanda finished her segment, "Wonderful! Spectacular! Your flawless execution shall not go unrewarded!"
"At last, the Deus Ex Machina. All those decades of preparation must not go unwasted!"
"Ambrose," the elderly man deviated from his short-lived reverie, "We must make preparations without haste. Get going!"
While Magius was as giddy as a child before going to an amusement park, Ambrose felt a sudden chill rush up his neck.
"...oooooooooooiii..." a deadly quiet voice emanated from behind him. The sound had such a presence it even stopped Magius in his tracks.
He swiftly switched his eyes at Papillon's knee-bent figure. The bruise-covered magician patted the dust off of his pants...In a single move, he jerked his head up showing fierce, blood-red eyes and a wicked grin that could made Ambrose slightly uncomfortable. Nothing but bloodlust dripped from his slithering tongue,"You guys can't just go to a bloodbath without me...
Another butterfly whose wings have been ripped...
For starters, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU so much for all your patience despite my incompetence and inconsistencies as a fanfic writer.
Sorry for a shorter chapter. On an irregular basis, I do dedicate a really small portion of my time revising over what arcs I want to have in the fanfic, backstory order, slice-of-life stuffs, spells, magic, etc. The three new OCs of course will be exclusive to the arc, maybe...
As always (or so far), please feel free to constructively criticize/suggest as they are warmly welcomed.
Next Chapter: Chagotte's Foresight
Stay Tuned!