Episode 012: Image of the Guardian
"Alright, we're off!" Natsu declared as Elfman, Happy, and he started making their way out of the guild, ready to take on their next big assignment. "This job doesn't stand a chance! Not with how fired up I am!"
"Aye!" the blue cat agreed.
"Hah! You think you're going to be showing off? I'm about to tear everything apart with just my two hands! Nothing's going to stand in our way!"
'…And this is them on an ESCORT quest,' Ragna considered as he continued preparing food, only to notice his guild leader looking at him out of the corner of his working eye. "What?"
"Nothing," the wizened old man muttered, though his voice seemed tense.
"You were hoping that I'd go with them so they wouldn't cause as much damage, is that it?" Makarov redirected his gaze at the accusation. "Really old man…"
"Can you blame me?! You went on a guild job with some of our most destructive members of the guild and you didn't even get chased off by the army! How can I see a chance like that and not take advantage of it!?"
"The last time I went out, Elfman and I completely destroyed a mansion by mistake. How the hell is that damage control?"
"You didn't blow up the entire city. For us that take a lot of restraint," Mira rightfully reminded.
"That's beside the point; we still wrecked the place," he fought back. "Can't you just chalk it up to a miracle? And why does it even matter? When I first joined you were all 'screw the higher ups' and told us to practice magic in our own way. What's with the sudden change of tune?"
"I still stand by my words; but that doesn't mean that I want to invite trouble!" he yelled back.
'Especially if it means that he can just pawn the extra work off on me,' Ragna thought. He then noticed Lucy reading off on her own at one of the nearby tables wearing a pair of magic glasses. "Weren't we going to look for a job today?"
"In a bit, I need to finish this book first. I only got halfway through it yesterday and I could barely sleep last night with it half finished," she informed, rapidly flipping through the book's pages. "You should understand that much; whenever you have any down time all I see you doing is reading."
"That's different; you're reading novels and I'm reading informational books on magic. I need to study those if I'm going to have any idea of how this crap works. If I don't, that's how a town would get destroyed," Ragna countered.
"Right, the extra reading will help make sure it's two or three towns."
Ragna had to glare at Gray as he missed the vital point yet again.
"I'm guessing that you don't read too many novels," the blue haired Levy said to the Reaper as she sat at Lucy's table. "I was wondering who'd picked up the last copy from the store yesterday. Could I possibly get you to loan that to me once you're done reading?"
"Oh, sure thing. I didn't realize that you were a fan of this series," Lucy said as she actually put the book down for a second so she could properly hold a conversation.
"You mean there's more than one of those things?" Ragna had to question from the sidelines.
"Pretty sure that's book 7 and I doubt that's the last one," Mira informed. "This series really took off and it has quite the active fanbase."
"…No kidding," Ragna muttered, unable to comment further since he didn't know anything about novels.
"By the way, I saw that you were reading that 1,001 Tips on Writing book the other day." At Levy's basic observation, Ragna noticed that Lucy seemed to fill with an incredible sense of dread. "So… you're looking to become a writer too?"
"Huh!? I-I mean I guess!?" the blonde answered frantically. Ragna gave a questioning glance to Mira, but the fellow silver hair didn't seem to have an answer for him this time. "I mean that I'm trying to write, but… I'm not very good at it."
"Don't say that; I'm sure it's amazing and you're just not giving yourself enough credit," she told her… Ragna wondered if he was a little too proud of the support Lucy was getting. "Maybe if I read it-?"
"Absolutely not!" Okay, the last time Ragna had heard her scream like that Natsu and Happy had broken into her new house.
"Come on. You should at least let someone read it, even if it's just to spellcheck. And we keep saying how great it probably is." She then turned to the ex-Reaper. "Don't you think Lucy would write a great story?"
"I mean, probably? I think we've established that I'm not the best person to be a judge of novels," Ragna answered, maybe being a little too honest with that second part. It was then that he got a tap on his shoulder from Mira. At first he figured that she might be pushing him to support Lucy more, but instead she was pointing to some… Frog person outside holding a letter with Ragna of Fairy Tail written on it. Raising the only eyebrow he could at her, Mira's nod told him that he needed to check in with whoever was outside. He could also tell that Makarov seemed a touch anxious at their presence, so he undid his apron and headed to get it over with.
"So where's the rest of your group today? Those two that you usually work with?" Lucy asked, trying desperately to change the subject.
"Eh, Jet and Droy had an early job lined up and I stuck back because I wanted to try and check again for a copy of the book you'd gotten. So I'm free today! What about you? Hasn't it been a while, since you last headed out on a job?"
"Levy, the last time I headed out was with Erza on training and I don't even remember it! All I know is that my spirits refused to tell me what happened, but insisted I needed to give them some time off. At least I'm ahead on my rent thanks to Ragna making sure we had enough Jewels to cover me for a few months."
"Add another three months," Ragna said curtly as he headed back inside with a few papers in his hand. "High paying job. Right from the magic council."
"They want to hire you?" Makarov asked. From his tone and complexion, Ragna was wondering if his jaw was literally going to hit the floor again. "And you don't know why I want to keep you around Natsu and the rest of the troublemakers!?"
"Seriously, give it a rest," Ragna muttered as he turned to Lucy. "Truth is they wanted Natsu and Happy as well, but they just left. So it's just you and me, playing guard duty for Kaby."
"Kaby? Isn't that guy the son of Kemu Zeleon? The one with the Daybreak job I heard about from Lucy?"
"The same. In fact, he even special requested us for this job and…" Ragna had to pause as he got a good look at the sparkles in Levy's eyes. "…You're not allowed to spend the entire job reading. It's an overnighter too."
"Couldn't stop me if you wanted to!" she exclaimed. "Ready to go reserve a carriage ride?"
"You two go on ahead, I'll catch up in a second. Gotta clean cookware," the Reaper promised. Lucy gave a nod at him and a smile before following after the blue haired girl. Once they were gone, Ragna's own smile faded as he got to work.
"What's wrong?" Gray asked in one of his less oblivious moments.
"Part of the reward's one of the ingredients I'm after; one of the four I still don't have," he answered. "The magic council did their homework on me; I don't like that."
"If memory serves, you did tell me that you mouthed off to two of the leaders of the council after beating down a giant demon," Makarov reminded. "They probably wanted to check on you for damage control in any future jobs."
"This coming from the guy who two seconds ago was practically begging me to keep the more chaotic ones in line?" Ragna responded somewhat irately, working quickly not that there was much to do.
"To be fair they don't know that just yet, and if they decide you are worth their time they might request your help specifically, seeing as how levelheaded you are," the guild leader tried again. "Keep this up and there may actually be plenty of these high paying jobs in your future."
"If the rest of the council is anything like the two members I met, then hard pass," Ragna refused yet again as he scrubbed down the last of his pots.
"Are you going to tell the rest of the team, keep them in the loop?" Gray chimed in, though it was still unclear where he landed as far as teams were concerned.
"Not right now. I'd rather not get the rest of them worried over nothing, but if it looks like things are happening behind the scenes, I'll get them caught up. I know how much it sucks to be left in the dark… like I am now."
"Try to think positively!" Mira encouraged. "Maybe your luck's just finally turning for-"
"Mira. Sweetheart. Please don't even," Ragna practically begged as he finished his final scrubbings.
"Sweetheart?" the guild leader questioned, as a few members of the guild (particularly fans of Mira's) perked up at the address.
"Just getting my point across," he nonchalantly clarified as he quickly put his gear away and headed out of the guild, leaving everyone in silence until Gray broke it with his own… observation.
"He's scared of you, you know." Mira's look of horror was only too apparent. "Your brother told me."
"I think she needs more context than that, Gray," Cana noted from where she'd been drinking silently. "Also, your clothes."
"Son of a-!"
And then! -The Carriage-
"Kind of funny that we're taking a carriage somewhere and don't have to worry about Natsu's motion-sickness this time," Lucy noted as the steady rocking of the carriage brought them closer and closer to their location. "I keep glancing over and expect to hear him groaning about his condition."
"Well unless Happy willing to carry him two towns over, I think Elfman's going to be dealing with that now," Ragna muttered. "Still, I got a new concoction that might actually do the trick. Probably should've given it to him before he left."
"He'd have forgotten to take it," Levy reminded.
"Probably, but let's get onto the job details so we can sleep through the rest of the carriage ride. We'll all be exhausted enough at the end of this job anyways," Ragna said as he brought out the envelope full of papers that he'd gotten from the messenger. "Like I said back at the guild, our target to protect is Kaby Melon; son of the late famed writer Kemu Zeleon and more to point current holder of the book Dear Kaby. That's what we're supposed to be guarding."
"From trying to erase every last trace of that book to protecting it; kinda seems like life has a weird way of working itself out," Lucy said.
"To be fair, the book we were supposed to destroy was Daybreak. Dear Kaby was the true form of the book that you were smart enough to uncover," he reminded. He could tell Lucy felt proud at that.
"That still doesn't explain why the magic council thinks that this book needs our protection, and is willing to pay for it," Levy said.
"I was getting to that. Turns out our old buddy Duke Shithead-Nosehair-Everlue is finally being put on trial now that Kaby's able to speak out against him. And the lynchpin for the entire case is the Dear Kaby book itself. Everlue has been put under heavy surveillance for a while now, but there's still the chance that he'll try to get the book destroyed before tomorrow's trial through outside means. That's where we come in. Our only goal is to keep Kaby and the book safe until then. Apparently, the evidence will speak for itself and they'll finally be able to put the bastard away for a long, long time."
"Thank goodness." Evidently Lucy was still sore about the damage her pride had taken during the job and more importantly the dark deeds they'd also uncovered.
"Okay, that explains why they wanted the book protected," Levy started. "Still doesn't explain why they want us specifically. Most of their forces could take this no problem."
"Special request from Kaby himself; doesn't say anything specific in these papers. We can ask him when we get there and start forming a plan to guard the place. Like I said, get some sleep, we're in for a long night."
"But my new boooook,"'Lucy whined, trying to put on her best pouty face.
"I think getting eight hours takes priority; resting up for an important job does as well," Ragna grumbled. "Just because you brought a friend, that doesn't mean you get to treat this like a sleep over."
"Ouch. You got a harsh dad, Lucy," Levy teased.
"You don't know the half of it." Weird, Ragna didn't think of himself as that strict, least of all with Lucy… was he though? "Still, I've never done a sleepover before. Might be a lot of fun."
"Again, I wouldn't know," Ragna said, starting to feel like a broken record. "Never had a sleepover in my life."
"Wow. Just a bundle of laughs," Levy sighed.
"It's how I grew up. Didn't really know that many people or even what a damn sleepover was. By the time I even found out it would've been less of a sleepover and more of a…" He paused as he tried to put things delicately for once.
"A hook-up?" the blue haired girl offered.
"Yeah, I guess you could put it like that," the ex-Reaper muttered. "Still, even if I've never had one that doesn't mean that you can't try for some kind of girl's night. Have some fun with it. You could use a break in this crazy line of work."
"If I do that, think you can try to make a guy's night with some of the other members?" Lucy countered. "Lately all you ever seem to do is go out on jobs, cook with Mira, read on magic, and don't hunt for a house to stay in."
"How did you-?"
"Please, when I found out that you were staying at the guild because of Mira it was obvious," Lucy told him with a scowl. "All of that work making sure I was able to pay rent and here you are completely homeless."
"It's not like it matters much; I've never lived in one place for that long anyways. The idea of getting a home just… hasn't set in?" It was pretty clear by her scowl that Lucy wasn't buying that. He wisely decided to change subject. "As far as a guy's night goes… maybe once things calm down and I get my eye and arm back in working order, we can try something like that… Maybe even get Natsu involved if I can. It feels like I've been leaving him out a lot lately."
"Aw, you really are the team daddy, aren't you?" Ragna had no idea whether or not Levy was taunting him, so he simply chose to remain quiet. "How's cooking with Mira going?"
"You've eaten our food; you tell me," Ragna responded with a bit of a cocky smirk. "Good though. It helps me get a little money on the side and cooking's one of the few things I actually enjoy doing. Mira's easy to work with too; if either of us need to step away in the middle of a dish the other can take over and finish the work without a problem. No complaints from any of our customers either."
"Expect for the fact that you get to work alongside a model all day and all they get to do is watch," Levy noted. Lucy had been trying to get some sleep per Ragna's advice, but at the blue hair's inquiry she couldn't but try and see what her father-figure's response was.
"…Oi, didn't I tell you both to get some sleep? Don't come crying to me later if you end up getting dark circles under your eyes," Ragna dismissed as he slouched down until he was comfortable, lightly snoring not long afterwards.
Meanwhile -Siegrain's Office-
"All of this research and not a single concise finding," Siegrain sighed to himself, tapping his index finger on the edge of his desk while he read through the documents he'd been given.
"Almost like this whole endeavor has been a huge waste of time, like I've been saying," Ultear groaned from where she lay sprawled out on Siegrain's couch reading Sorcerer's Weakly (something she only did when she was truly that bored). "Why do you take such interest in him?"
"Because I know better than to ignore an obvious sign; that arm of his seems especially vexing… though you seem to have a grudge to bear against the man attached to it. If memory serves, you insulted him first."
"It shouldn't matter who gave the first unkind words to the other; even someone from that… unique Guild should know better than to insult a member of the magic council."
"You've just been spoiled because the only one you've had to interact with directly with is Erza Scarlet and even if she can cause the most destruction, she's certainly among their most refined… I should know," Siegrain added that last part a little cockily. "But you read the reports from the city the same as I did; his arm seemed to have a unique reaction when it approached Lullaby, one of Zeref's dark tools. It could possibly lead us to the other tool or better yet, be a hidden artifact itself... An undocumented one maybe."
"If it's undocumented, it's likely because it was a failed project," Ultear insisted.
"Or too terrible for paper to communicate. I just ask that you keep an open mind. We won't know anything for some time, but allowing him to complete his elixir could still yield some results if he gains a closer connection with his arm."
"If you're so worried about it, then why not just hand off the rest of the ingredients to know immediately instead of waiting for if he can ever acquire them all?"
"Then he'd be immediately suspicious of us and could piece together the plot on his own. For now, the only way he'd suspect something is if he were either a very distrusting person or an extremely cautious one… which is what I could have said were it not for your own move."
"You're not getting an apology for that," she told him off as she went back to reading yet again.
"I knew better than to expect one."
Kaby's Hut
"Those guys guarding the entrance are Rune Knights," Levy explained as the group approached the specified location. The two she was explaining to Ragna were stationed just outside the closed front door to Kaby's hut. "They're pretty powerful and directly serve the magic council. If it wasn't for the job offered to us, I'm sure they would be the ones to take full responsibility for guarding the book."
"Try not to get them mad," Lucy begged, remembering Ragna's last run in with anything council related.
"That's up to them; I don't play nice with arrogant pricks." Lucy already had a bad feeling as they headed overing. Approaching the knights who seemed to tense as they drew near, Ragna produced the documents he'd been given for the job. "Here to relieve you from your posts."
One of the knights looked over the documents for a long moment before nodding. "Everything's in order, but we're counting on you to make sure that book survives." The three nodded. "And I know that you're all members of Fairy Tail, but try to keep it from going too far. This is a poor farming area; for a lot of these families these small farms are all that they have. Try not to ruin what chance of a future they have left."
"That's fair; we'll do our job then," Ragna assured, admittedly a little impressed that they cared. "When can we expect you back in the morning?"
"The trial starts at Daybreak; this could be a coincidence, but I think the judge just happens to have a twisted sense of humor. You can expect us shortly before then," he said before nodding to his companion and leaving the small farm.
"…That was simple," Lucy observed.
"They were reasonable," Ragna explained before knocking on the front door. "Kaby?"
"Ah, just a second," came the man's voice from inside before the door slowly creaked open revealing their old employer, now dressed is less formal and MUCH less expensive clothing. "Ragna, Lucy, and…" He paused as he got a look at Levy.
"Natsu and Happy had already left on another job by the time we got your letter," Lucy explained. "This is Levy, she's a fellow Fairy Tail mage and can fill in for those two."
"If you can vouch for her than that's all I need to hear. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Please, come inside." Levy smiled pleasantly at the friendly greeting as the group followed Kaby into his hut. "My wife will be out for the duration of the job. We have a good family friend who belongs to a nearby smaller Mage's guild. We decided that as long as I have the book they're after, that should be enough to keep them from spending time or resources trying to use her to get to me."
"Agreed, and that's some pretty good planning on your part," Ragna complimented "But we've got questions. First off, who's them?"
"Everlue's maids most likely. He claims to have fired them shortly before the Magic Council put him under heavy surveillance, but since no one knows their exact location it seems more likely that he just wants them to ensure his way out, using them to clear his name via destroying Dear Kaby." The book in question was sitting on the table. "I'm a little hesitant to give up my father's last work as evidence, but if it will get Everlue to answer for his crimes including those against my father… then it's a sacrifice I'll have to make."
"It's a really big burden for you, but we're here to help you see it through," Lucy promised. "Speaking of us being here though, why did you request us for guard duty instead of the Rune Knights?"
"Two reasons for that; first was since you've already dealt with Duke Everlue I figured that you would be the best qualified to protect the book from his followers. Frankly, I don't think that there's anyone I'd trust with this assignment like I do the two of you. And since the Magic Council was willing to pay extremely well for this job, I saw this as a way to get you both your deserved payment from the last job… not as much, but I hope that it helps."
"It does, and it's appreciated." 'Still can't help but be a little pissed at Elfman though.' "In that case, we should get started." Taking a few supplies out of his bag, Kaby saw a small tea pot, several bottles of water, instant coffee mix, and the utensils and ingredients needed to make a large stew. "Mind if I use your fire pit for this?"
"B-By all means," their employer stuttered. "I-I can gladly feed you; I bought supplies earlier in preparation."
"Don't worry about it; just focus on keeping yourself safe and I'll make sure everyone's got energy when it's go time." He turned to his two companions. "Why don't the both of you head out and get a lay of the land? I'll get to work over here."
"You got it, maybe I'll even have Virgo set up some pitfalls so that we can get covered on as many sides as possible!" Lucy suggested confidently. "…Out of the way of the other farmers, of course."
"Virgo… right. Is she going to be alright with job?" Ragna asked, remember that the Celestial Spirit had been under Everlue's contract in the past.
"Already cleared it up with her back at the train station, she's just as ready as we are," Lucy said with a solid nod as she headed outside with Levy.
"So does Ragna usually treat his employers this well? No offense, but I get the feeling he'd be pretty blunt with most of them."
"We've worked for Kaby before and we all like Kaby. Besides, Ragna's a much bigger softy than he lets on," she said as she got a good look at their fields. "We're pretty out in the open here, so I think whatever traps we can set are going to go a long way. There's no telling what we're in for."
Meanwhile -Nearby Hideout-
"These are the best we could afford!? These mercenaries don't even look that tough!" one of Everlue's former maids shrieked. Ignoring her… unusual complexion for the moment, her normal maid's uniform was a touch more ragged than when she'd had a constant employer and it seem like she needed several washings.
"Well what did you expect, this is all that we could afford from the master's secret nest egg!" another declared as they looked over the grumbling mercs. For as dirty as the maids felt, these merc looked serval levels dirtier. These guys were bottom of the barrel folks, but they were still tough as nails and more importantly there were a lot of them. "Poor master, we need to make sure that he's found innocent, but will this be enough to overcome the Rune Knights?"
"We have to try! He's doomed in there without us!" another yelled emotionally. "Our dear master… He's the only one that would hire us in this stupid judgmental world!"
"And we lived in paradise! We barely had to do any dirty jobs for him! I'll never forgive those Fairy Tail wizards for what they did! If we ever see them again, we should-!"
"I think you'll have your chance soon enough." The maids shrieked and even a few of the thugs seemed unnerved as a masked man stepped out of the shadows. He wore a long brown shroud that covered most of his body, though it was clear that he had metal plated armor underneath. The mask he wore would be a familiar one to Ragna, only this one was marked with a XII; twelve.
"Who are you!? We didn't call you here whoever you are!" one of the maids shouted at him.
"And that was your first mistake; it's idiotic to think that you could get past well-seasoned Rune Knights with a measly force like this," they explained with a mocking tone directed towards the thugs.
"Now hold on a second you bastard! Are you calling us weak!?" one of the lead thugs demanded. "You don't look like much yours-!"
A lightning-fast attack from beneath the cloak smacked the man straight in his face and sent him flying back into a large group of the hired thugs, causing a mild quake as all in the blast range fell unconscious. Glancing at the other thugs (evident by the direction his mask was facing), those not hit pretended to be readying their gear or doing something else entirely.
"Back to business; you're fortunate. Not only will your group not have to fight through a squad of Rune Knights, but you'll even get a well-deserved chance of revenge. I have it on good authority that you'll now be up against members of the Fairy Tail guild, and they will be the same members that you claim to have wronged you all so badly." The maids seemed to smile evilly at that news… at least that's what anyone would guess they were doing.
"So you'll help us deal with them?" one of the maids asked with a sneer (again, just guessing).
"I'll be blunt; your cause and loyalty to your jailed employer mean nothing to me, but there's someone there that I have business with; a half-paralyzed man in a red coat."
"So what? You just want to take on the easy target and leave the rest of us with the actual job!?" another thug shouted, only to once again get hit in the face knocking him out along with the group behind him.
"Make no mistake in his appearance; this man is dangerous and certainly the most capable out of the group. I would be doing you a large favor in offering to merely distract him, but I will… deal with him personally. For my down payment, I'll take whatever was promised to those weaklings that just became unavailable. And should it become clear that only I can retrieve that book you're after, then I expect that your boss will handsomely reward me once he regains his freedom… or else."
The maids hesitated, not that they doubt his abilities but because they didn't want to speak for their master. They knew that they'd need this man's help right now if they wanted any chance of freeing Everlue, but to condemn their beloved boss into paying his price was something they couldn't easily bring themselves to do.
"…You'd better come up with an answer soon," the figure said before a third of their attacks resulted in the same chaos and destruction as the previous two. "I'm getting impatient, and soon I'll stop keeping myself from killing them."
"W-We're on your side!" one of the remaining thugs cried out in panic.
"Not yet, so you may want to help convince them of my terms so I am," the Twelfth Blade of Gilgamesh explained cockily. "Now… who else wants to give me their paycheck?"
Midnight
Ragna fought off a yawn as he stood guard with a slouch in front of Kaby's hut. While the two girls were going to be switching shifts, Ragna with his strong (if slightly impaired with his condition) senses were too important not to make full use of… Besides, Levy hadn't been too off mark when she'd said he'd still be a big grump with or without tonight's sleep.
"Coffee?" he heard Lucy offer as the door opened revealing two steaming mugs of the instant stuff he'd purchased in town.
"Thanks," he said as he grabbed one, taking a nice long sip. "What?"
"That's… pretty hot stuff," she tried to warn him.
"It is? Guess I'm just more tolerant to hot food," he shrugged off. "Beats eating it cold like Levy had to because she wouldn't put that book down for dinner. I'm surprised Kaby let her read it when it means so much to him."
"He's going to have to give it up tomorrow so he might as well get used to the fact now. And it's going to be read aloud to the court as evidence, so I guess it's not going to stay private for him either. He's giving up a lot to in order to bring Everlue to justice," Lucy then got close to Ragna's face. "And I also heard that you told him to write a book about his side of the story."
"You don't think it's something worth writing about?"
"This is coming from the guy that was saying how little he knew about novels earlier."
"Yeah, meaning if even I can see that then it's probably a half decent idea." Ragna at least got a short laugh out of Lucy, but he wasn't sure if it was just for his own stubbornness. "So what did he have to say about the book idea?"
"He actually already had a few pages to show me when I brought it up." She gave Ragna a somewhat uncomfortable smile. "It… doesn't really seem like he's inherited his father's talent for the craft, and I tried to tell him that gently. He didn't seem to upset by it though and was more than happy to take any advice Levy and I gave him."
"And yet you won't let anyone read your own writing," Ragna argued, referring to her scare that morning.
"He even said that he's going to put whatever his book makes towards a better life for everyone in his farming community."
"Come on, at least try to be subtle about changing the subject," the Reaper muttered before taking another sip of his instant coffee.
"He's actually going to put the money he was going to pay us for our first job towards it too," Lucy added. "He said that the only reason he hasn't done it yet is because he wanted to be sure Everlue didn't try anything against the village as vengeance."
"Right; something he wouldn't have been able to do if we'd taken the money outright like you'd wanted to," Ragna reminded.
"…Yeah, you got me there," the blonde agreed with a slightly disheartened nod. "If it weren't for you and Natsu, I don't think the people of this place would have that bright of a future."
"Then again, if it wasn't for you Kaby wouldn't have been able to find out what really happened to his father and get that final piece of closure that he needed," he added for Lucy's benefit. "And in the end, we managed to still get a chance for a giant reward without costing him anything."
"Right, in a weird way everything seems to have worked itself out after all," she agreed with a smile. "At least it will once this part of the job is over, meaning we need to make sure that everything goes well."
"Right, so do me a favor and tell Levy to give it a rest with reading that damn novel you bought," Ragna sternly ordered. "She's going to need to be rested for when she's on lookout and these extra hours of reading aren't helping anyone."
"…Maybe she's right about you being a strict dad after all," she taunted him before sticking her tongue out slyly.
"Yeah, maybe she is," Ragna added with a small smirk.
And then! -Two Hours Later-
Ragna had to fight to keep his good eye from twitching as Levy yawned for the umpteenth time since she'd come out to replace Lucy. They didn't have too long before the sun came up and the night had been completely silent, but that didn't mean they were in the clear just yet. Even in his current state, Ragna still had plenty of stamina to spare (it helped that he'd actually been getting his expected 8 hours recently as opposed to sleeping with one eye open when he'd been a one man revolution), but he knew that it'd be in his best interest to take the rest of the day to catch up on his sleep… at the Fairy Tail guild… when he didn't have anywhere to call home… yeah, Lucy was going to bring that up again.
'Weird, I would have figured that they'd have sent SOMETHING by now. They're awfully close with how early the sun has been rising. They got around 4 hours before the magic council comes for the book and at that point it's all over. Would they have actually gone after Kaby's wife? No, she'd definitely be safe at that guild and at this point it would still be cutting it too close to get the book through her. What's their angle here? I-' "Levy, I swear if you yawn one more time, I am going to drown you in all the instant coffee we have left."
"I think I heard about that threat from Natsu," Levy said as she tried to stifle another of her yawns… failing. "First, thanks for not following through. I'm trying as hard as I can and you are being very patient with me."
"…Right." Ragna found it difficult to stay angry at someone so collected.
"Second, sorry I went a little overboard with my reading. I would say that you know how it is when you start reading a good couple of books and have no chance of putting them down, but clearly you don't know anything about it."
"Not really, but that's beside the point. Just keep your eyes out and we'll get through these last couple of hours."
"Might help if we actually had a conversation to keep me awake. I promise I won't get distracted." Ragna didn't immediately turn her down. "So about this whole father-daughter thing between you and Lucy, how exactly has it been working out?"
"Not a whole lot to say that you can't already see… also, Natsu and Happy are a part of it too. It's not just Lucy," Ragna reminded.
"Yeah, but it's kind of obvious to see where those two fall into all of this. They probably started with this as more of a joke, but they're probably sticking with it in more of a lighthearted manner because it's fun. As far as drama goes, that sort of thing would lie with Lucy."
"…Fair assessment, though there hasn't exactly been a lot of drama to talk about," he admitted. "Like I said, the whole relationship is fairly skin deep. I do my part to look out for Lucy and make sure she's in a good place. That includes making sure she's got enough money to cover her rent and to keep safe from the crazies… a few of which we have in our guild."
"Not arguing with you there, but they're all good people. Right?"
"From what I can tell anyways. But I guess I'm not exactly what you'd call that much of a 'doting' father. I'll just do my best to keep her and the others safe, but I know that they have their own work to do and being a wizard can be a dangerous job, so I'll just hope to high hell that I'm there when they need me."
"So… in short you're winging it."
"…Yeah." 'Maybe it's not just Mira that's able to see through me so easily.'
"And in spite of that, it looks like you're actually doing a good job by just being there when they need it."
"…Glad that you think so," Ragna answered with a soft smile. "Someone I didn't include in all of that talking was Erza."
"Why? Did she have something to say about it? Try to stop it even?"
"No no, she actually joined in."
"What!?" Levy exclaimed before laughing. "You're making that up!"
"No, I'm dead serious. We start explaining things to her; all of a sudden she joins in and calls me Father out of nowhere," Ragna explained with a soft smile.
"Joined in? Erza? The biggest stickler for rules in the guild and the one that's always the first to chew us out whenever anything happens that would damage the guild's reputation?" Levy asked, unable to hold in her laughter. Ragna was glad that her earlier signs of exhaustion were gone, but he was worried that she might start waking the neighbors. "There's just no way."
"To be fair, I don't think there's anything written against this in the rules. Go on and ask Erza, she'll own up to it."
"Or put me through a couple of walls!"
"Then ask Lucy, Natsu, Happy, or even Grey. They were all there, they'll tell you exactly what I told you."
"Or they're all in the know of some massive prank."
"You're impossible to convince, you know that?" Ragna muttered, but couldn't help continuing to smile. His happier complexion didn't last long as his features narrowed. "They're here."
"This close to morning? That doesn't leave them with a lot of time."
"I'll be sure to tell them to keep a tighter schedule in the future. Go grab Lucy and make it quick; I'll stay here to greet them." Levy nodded and headed inside, though Ragna didn't take his eyes off of the surrounding darkness. 'There's a lot of them out there, and they've got this place completely surrounded. What kind of skill are we dealing with in these guys? Lucy's got her spirits and Levy's got that magic that she told me about, so will that be enough… and why the hell is one of them coming over ahead of the rest?'
"What's that idiot doing!?" came a shrill voice from a short distance away. The Reaper thought he recognized it as one of Everlue's maids from the job the group had taken a short while ago.
With the larger group staying back while the lone figure made their way forward, Ragna knew that it wasn't in his best interest to engage the enemy just yet. By the time Lucy and Levy had stepped out of Kaby's hut, the approaching threat had just stepped out of the shadows.
"Hello… Thirteen."
'Weird, makes me remember Nu,' Ragna considered. "Took you long enough to catch up, Blade of Gilgamesh."
"This is like that other guy you ran in to at Everlue's Mansion?" Lucy questioned. Ragna had the foresight to tell the rest of his team what had happened and the situation it had put him in, better than have it come up now as a complete surprise.
"…Never refer to that weakling in front of me."
WHAM!
XII had unleashed the same attack that they'd used to threaten the thugs and this time it was aimed straight at Lucy's head. It was a fatal blow with no chance of survival… or it would have been if Ragna hadn't taken the full force of the blow by extending his arm to cover her. Even with the sudden attack blocked, the ground in front of them was horridly cracked from the force alone. Ragna narrowed his eyes in a scowl.
'That was just a shockwave from a physical punch, no magic involved. This guy is actually dangerous.'
"Not bad. I'm glad you were able to defend her against that little trick of mine. It'd be a pity if this was all it took. I wouldn't have been able to rip you all apart myself."
"You're only here for me," Ragna reminded, holding his rage back though it was clearly evident in his voice.
"I'm here for you and my job. It's clear that those fool maids waiting back will all of that hired muscle want you all dead or worse. Something about their boss? I couldn't give any less of a damn. You'll be dead. I'll be paid and well on my way to earning the next spot as the new Eleventh."
'So there's some kind of fighting within the Blades for rank? That might explain why it took this guy so long to come after me. Weird, I thought they would've been a lot more upset with me.' Ragna weighed his options. "Lucy. Levy."
"You can count on us," Lucy affirmed with a nod. "If you both fought here, it would be hard for you to go all out without the entire village getting swept up in the chaos. The three of us can handle the rest no problem."
"Three of you?" XII questioned. "I guess what they say about dumb blondes is… Oh, you have a Celestial Key. And a golden one… just like your stupid hair."
"Just for those comments, I'll throw in an extra punch for you," Ragna promised his daughter figure who was already fuming. "We going?"
"…Why not? The fewer distractions, the better. And the more of those thugs that fall, the larger of a paycheck I can demand." Rolling his good eye at how materialistic his opponent was turning out to be, Ragna started heading towards the outlying field with XII following closely behind him.
"Not going for a sneak attack?"
"Don't tempt me; they said I had to beat you legitimately."
"They?"
"Keep moving," came the harsh demand from beneath his opponent's mask. Ragna knew he wasn't going to be getting anything else just yet, so he kept quiet and followed his opponent, even when they stepped through the ranks of thugs and the strange maids he remembered from last time. "I'll handle him like we planned. The rest are all yours. I'd hurry if I were you."
"And who was the one saying we needed to wait until they were good and exhausted!?"
'Seeing how dirty this guy is still playing even when 'they' told him not to, it wouldn't surprise me if he's trying to get everyone else as desperate as he can just to get more money. XIII was only prideful, so what's this guy's deal? Maybe it's that position thing.' These thoughts lingered with Ragna as he was led away, along with any consideration for how he was going to fight off this new foe.
"…Sooooooooooo…" one of the thugs began once Ragna and XII were gone. "Are we supposed to-?"
"ATTAAAAAAAAACK!"
Their hired thugs gave vicious cries as they rushed forward. The didn't make it far before a large section of the ground fell out from beneath a group of them and they stumbled in unable to escape.
"YOU PREPARED A PITFALL!?" one of the maids demanded.
"COURTESY OF VIRGO! AND SHE'S NOT THE ONLY ONE OUT TO PLAY TONIGHT!" Lucy declared as she brought out a golden key. "OPEN: GATE OF THE GOLDEN BULL! TAURUS!"
With the ringing of a cowbell and a loud MOO! as a battle cry, the giant Celestial Spirit emerged from the portal with a giant crash. The bull-man with a giant battle axe was not unlike a Minotaur, save for its white and black spotted fur compared to the usual darker brown, making it look cuddlier despite its massive muscles. The charging thugs couldn't help but pause for a moment at the bastion of raw power before them… right as it turned to Lucy with hearts in his eyes and steam blow out of its nostrils.
"Why hi there Lucy! Thanks so much for summoning me again! Always happy to see you and your killer bod! Why don't you MOOOOve on over here and give me a little kiss?"
"…Ragna's going to turn that oversized bovine into Fillet Mignon," Levy noted appropriately.
"Why do you think I don't summon him whenever dad's around?" Lucy asked rhetorically, something that seemed to confuse her summon. "But enough perving Taurus! I need to you to beat up those guys charging us!"
"MOOOOOOO! YOUR WISH MY COMMAND! I'LL GET THESE STEERS OUTTA HERE!" the summoned spirit declared as he brought out his twin-bladed battleaxe and blasted a large group of the thugs away using the blunt side of the weapon.
"WHAT THE HELL!? I DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR THIS BULL!"
…As expected, no one found that particularly funny; least of all Levy as she used her own magic to create the word stone, made out of stone, and threw it at the jokester to crush.
(SHE THREW A ROCK AT HIM! …It was a big rock)
"So that's your magic script," Lucy noted as she kept her whip out and at the ready should she need it. Taurus was going to town pretty hard at the moment, so it didn't seem all that necessary. "What else do you have?"
"How about this one for size!?" she declared at some of the attacking maids got close. "SOLID SCRIPT: HOLE!" The spoken word appeared in front of her on the ground and right under a few of the maids. A second later, a pitfall materialized and caused them to fall in.
"You can do that with your magic!? Why didn't you tell me!?" the blonde demanded.
"You seemed really excited to dig all of those pitfalls with Virgo, I didn't want to ruin your moment," she explained innocently… Lucy couldn't exactly argue with her there. "SOLID SCRIPT: FIRE!" The resulting word and the explosion sailed towards their opponents and seared several of them quite badly.
"Nice! They aren't even getting close to the house!" Lucy said excitedly with the job going so well. "I hope Ragna's having as much fun as we are."
-Meanwhile: Outer Dirt Fields-
"I think this is far enough. I have to allow myself some time to head back, deal with your companions, and grab that book after all," XII said as he turned to face the Reaper. "I've done a fair bit of research on you, so don't think that I'll be underestimating you like so many others have."
"Huh… thanks for letting me know. Now I won't need to give you a second chance once you've realized your mistake," Ragna smirked cockily.
"Second chances shouldn't exist in our line of work," XII insisted dismissively as they tossed something from beneath the folds of their cloak that clattered to dirt ground between the two. "Let my most recent trophy be proof of that."
It was XIII's mask, broken horridly with missing sections, countless scars, dents… and stains of dried blood. The previous XIII mark which had already been crossed out by its owner post their defeat looked like it had been impaled by something and was surrounded by a majority of the blood. Ragna didn't say anything, though his cocky smirk was gone and replaced with stillness.
"None of the higher numbers thought we should waste our time with a weakling who had given up title and honor, but I knew differently. His blood had become a part of our covenant; we needed to take back. What should I do to you and the two girls with you? I want to take as long as I can to draw the life from them while you watch."
Ragna was silent for a long moment… before sighing tiredly.
"Look, if you're trying to-"
(Cue DragonBall FighterZ Goku Black's Theme Extended)
Quick as a flash, Ragna guarded with his right arm to defend another of XII's shockwave punches as cracks appeared on the ground between the two. Before Ragna could retaliate with as much as an insult, he was forced to block a series of these attacks as XII unleashed a full barrage, tearing chunks of the very earth apart as Ragna fought to hold his ground. Taking the time to reel back one final shockwave punch, XII unleashed a wave unlike any before it that caused Ragna to actually grimace at the impact. Throwing his cloak off and towards Ragna gave XII the cover he needed for his next attack.
CLANG!
Ragna had summoned XIII's old war blade and had cleaved through the cloak at just the right angle to counter XII's duel-wielding katana blades from behind the cover. The blades were golden and pale white with the golden blade having a sun keychain trinket at the pommel's end while the pale white one had a waxing moon. Sparks flew as the golden blade scraped across Ragna sword from XII's forward lunge until he'd passed by and swung into a backhand slash with his other sword which Ragna countered with a blade clash. Ragna's overhead swing was dodged by a lightning fast sidestep from his opponent before he blocked their parallel slash with the flat end of his sword and avoided the follow-up before swinging wildly and forcing his opponent to leap back.
XII quickly strafed towards Ragna's blindside the instant they landed and charged forward with a pincer attack. Ragna was already used to fighting half-blinded and thrust his sword into between the pincer and stopped both blades. With his opponent unable to close the gap, Ragna chose his moment to unsummon the blade before smashing XII in his face with an expertly timed jab. Ragna then summoned Erigor's scythe for a wicked slash that was guarded against by the golden blade before XII went into a heavy swing with his other blade resulting in another clash. As both warriors slid back from the exchange, Ragna used the additional range granted by his weapon to use a deliver another powerful attack to his opponent's guard before unsummoning his weapon.
"REAPER'S STORM!"
With all of his recent studying and practice with Fiore's magic, Ragna had managed to improve his spells drastically since their last casting. Now instead of just a few jagged bolts of violent electricity, Ragna managed to fire off one massive bolt that appeared to pierce through XII before his afterimage faded. Summoning XIII's sword to his side once more, he deflected XII's rush to his blind spot before swinging around with a roundhouse kick to their side. Ragna didn't know what the Blades used for armor, but though the contact had been solid enough to launch XII off their feet it didn't feel like a lot of made it through to damage XII.
Landing to his feet with a bit of a stumble, a low growl could be heard from beneath XII's mask. Ragna meanwhile was managing to keep his calm complexion during the fight, waiting for XII to make the next move that he would counter. The Blade of Gilgamesh readied their blade before unleashing a wicked slash that created a razor shockwave as his form of attack. Using his own large blade, Ragna guarded against the projective, deflected XII's forward sword lunge, before counting their follow-up swing and putting the two into a blade-lock. While XII was clearly struggling to push forward even with all of their established power, Ragna wasn't moving an inch as he held the sword back. Even asserting pressure with his other sword did nothing, leaving Ragna to drop the sword and fire off a point-blank fireball to send his opponent flying back. Catching his sword before it hit the ground, Ragna unleashed his own shockwave cut that crushed XII's ill prepared guard and managed to knock the golden blade out of their hand. The blade spun through the air before it impaled itself in the ground a short distance away.
Making sure they didn't have time to retrieve their sword, Ragna rushed forward to continue exerting his pressure. XII dodged the Reaper's overhead slash, but Ragna's kick forward caught them straight in the gut and sent them stumbling back. His follow up swing only sent them further off balance from the clash and XII's retaliating slash was easily dodged. Ragna next swing against the poor guard blasted them back even further before they crashed violently to the ground. While Ragna could've rushed forward to mercilessly continue his onslaught (and even heavily considered it) he stayed back for a moment to allow his opponent to climb to his feet.
"Not sure if you've noticed, but I'm kicking your ass pretty damn hard right now. I think it's about time you backed the hell off." Honestly, Ragna already knew that this was never going to work. He'd given this offer plenty of times back in his home world and they never took it (aside from Platinum of all people oddly enough). His only hope was that people were a little more reasonable in his new setting, but even still there wasn't much evidence for their saner thinking.
"Don't you dare mock me…" his opponent seethed. "I'll never allow myself to be thought poorly of… Never AGAIN." Without elaborating further, the placed both of their hands on their pale katana and began glowing with energy. The golden katana that Ragna had disarmed them of faded into golden energy that was absorbed by the blade they still held.
"You waited until now for this? I thought you said that you weren't going to underestimate me like everyone else," Ragna reminded as he readied his sword. "And what about the damn Blades and their hatred of magic? Looks like you got no problem using it."
"I DIDN'T UNDERESTIMATE YOU! AND THIS ISN'T YOUR FEEBLE CANTRIPS! THIS IS THE DIVINE POWER GIFTED ONLY TO THE MOST ELITE GROUP OF WARRIORS IN THE WORLD!" he declared as the glowing increased and the warrior was encased in a binding flash of light.
'Divine Power? I mean I didn't see any magic sigils like I see from most spells, but are they just calling magic by another name to justify their own use of it? Sure as hell seems like it,' Ragna considered as the light faded. Now the katana XII held was pale white with golden flame detail covering the metal of the slightly longer blade. The chain at the end was now a flaming sun with a pale white center and golden flames surrounding it. Or more accurately, it was an eclipse with the center being the obstructive moon.
"DIE!" XII roared as he rushed forward for an overhead slash. Ragna easily deflected the slash, but as he went back for a follow up attack, he heard what seemed like a gleeful scoff from beneath XII's mask. In the next instant, he suffered a fairly deep vertical cut across his chest as a spray of crimson was drawn. "FIRST BLOOD!"
It was like Ragna was dealing with a shark in a frenzy now that he'd been hurt. XII went for a cut from Ragna's right blindspot, but Ragna was able to clash the attack with his own blade. As XII went for another attach from the opposite side, Ragna was then slashed from the right by a sudden force and began bleeding further. Holding, his opponent's next attack in a blade lock, Ragna grimaced under the new weight due to his injuries before his blade was struck by another sudden force. His tensed and grit his teeth at the new development… before pausing thoughtfully. Ragna backstepped the next slash as XII's swing went wide, then rushed in a by swing his sword to the side as if to counter the former attack after the fact. It was the right move as the next instant sparks flew from the invisible attack and Ragna used that instant to unsummon the sword. XII's follow up swing was too slow for Ragna's forward uppercut which launched his opponent off their feet. Going into a roundhouse kick, he blasted the Blades of Gilgamesh member back once more.
"WHA-!? I-!? HOW-!?" XII demanded as they struggled to stay standing. "YOU FIGURED THAT FAR TOO QUICKLY!"
"To be fair, your little trick was easy to recognize when I've already dealt with it once before," Ragna said calmly as he brought his sword back out. His wounds were already starting their process of healing (greatly impeded by his weakened state). "You're able to make a small breakthrough in time-space giving you a sort of phantom-strike after the fact. I had a good friend that used to do the exact same thing. Only difference is you need that little toy to do it and she was just batshit hyper!" 'Thanks Tao, I owe ya one.'
XII's feral roar made it clear that Ragna's taunt had made it through to the formerly cocky and now enraged sellsword. They charged forward and unleashed swing after swing on the Reaper, coming at him from different angle each time and yelling like a madman all the while. Ragna hadn't backed down from the attack, in fact he was at the center of the chaos. Blocking the first swing, then the follow up, then the first attack's phantom strike. None of XII's attacks made it through Ragna's defenses and the Blade realized that the only reason that could be true would be if Ragna was moving at least twice as fast as him. Trying desperately to move themselves faster, their attacks became even more crazed before-
CLANG!
(End theme)
XII's combined sword sailed spiraling through the air much like his single blade had, only now when it landed XII was defenseless. Slowly glancing to his missing sword, he almost frightenedly turned his attention back to Ragna who barely had to move to put his sword at the opponent's throat.
"Tell the rest of the idiots in your group that I'm ready whenever they are. Better yet, I'm more than ready to finish this all now if it gets you off my back." A strong breeze blew through the dirt fields as Ragna unsummoned his sword. Now XII was starting to shake as he stared down Ragna.
"You… idiot." Ragna tilted his head slightly at the insult; not the sort of thing he was expecting. "You really think you can just fight us off like this? That we're not going to try to kill you with everything that we have!? Why didn't you cut that last weakling down!? Why are you letting me live!? Pity!? There's nothing for me now! NOTHING!"
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Ragna actually had to take a step back from this intense ranting of someone that had been cutting him open two seconds ago. "You're… you're acting like you actually want me to… Oh no."
"Ugh… I… KILL M-!"
"On second thought."
WHAM!
Ragna's punch struck XII straight in their face. They didn't go very far, but the direct contact and power the Reaper put behind it made things clear that the disgraced Blade of Gilgamesh wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.
"I promised my daughter an extra punch for your comments earlier. I'd say sorry, but you really earned that one and at least this way you'll have no choice but to take it easy for the moment."
With his opponent knocked out, Ragna headed over and grabbed the combined katana they'd been using. Giving it test swing, it didn't feel any different than swinging any other sword, even if it was expertly crafted. Channeling his magic into the weapon and swinging again yielded the expected results as he felt the air shift from the phantom slash.
"So their weapons are compatible with magic after all. Makes it seem like these Blades of Gilgamesh guys are all hypocrites when it comes to hating on the stuff. Or is it just this guy's case? Either way, he won't be giving any answers for at least a… What the-?"
XII was gone. Without a trace. Not even his cloak had been left behind.
"I… couldn't feel him leave? My senses haven't been that bad while I've been half paralyzed. I even kept an ear out for him and… Wait, how the hell was he even standing? Even with how tough he was, a punch that solid would've kept him down for a whole day. Hours at the very damn least. What's going on and where…?"
Chills.
"Oh shit."
Back with the Girls
"And that should be the last of them," Lucy said as she pulled the final ropes, leaving the maids to give pained gasps as they were finally tied up. "Nice job getting all of this rope for us, Kaby!"
"I explained the situation to everyone else in the village and (after dealing with many many noise complaints) they brought over what they had. I… hope you don't mind that they started asking for a small cut on the bounties of each of the criminals their rope's helping to subdue."
"Huh, take all of it if you need it. The reward we'll be getting from the Magic Council is much bigger than what they're worth and you guys look like you need it more than us," she explained.
"Uh, shouldn't you hold onto some of that?" Levy asked awkwardly. "Ragna will need some of the extra funds to house hunt, won't he?"
"Don't worry, this job will cover any down payment plus at least two months," Lucy explained before gripping her fist tightly. "And I'm going to make sure he spends it right this time!"
"…Can Ragna not manage his money?" Kaby asked innocently.
"He likes to spoil his team, almost like they're his kids," Levy explained, though it almost looked like she was getting used to the idea.
"Oh, that's nice," Kaby explained before looking towards the horizon. "It looks like we won't have to wait much longer. The Rune Knights will be here to pick up that book before long."
"Finally, I can't wait to get back take a bath and sleep for the rest of the day," Levy said with a long stretch. "…Oh who am I kidding? I'm probably going to check that book shop to find something else to read until I pass out. Care to join me, Lucy?"
"Can't. Need to capitalize on Ragna's latest paycheck and make sure he manages to find a place to call home straightaway. He's helped me get started, so I can't pass up this chance to return the favor."
"You two certainly seem close; much closer than the last time I saw you both," Kaby commented. "And… you're definitely living up to that father and daughter type relationship you were telling me about. My father and I had most of that time together stripped from us; be sure not to let the chance you both go to waste. I…" Kaby noticed some of the tied-up thugs were shaking and followed to their gaze to a slumped over figure slowly shuffling towards. "Who… is that?"
"That's the Blade of Gilgamesh that Ragna was fighting," Lucy realized as he got closer. "Don't tell me… he lost?"
"I doubt that the case," Levy said, trying to comfort her friend. "I… Wait, why are these guys so terrified of him?" All of the thugs and even the maids were shaking as XII approached. "Weren't they on the same side? Lucy you better bring out-!"
"Already on it!" she declared as she brought out the same golden key from before. "OPEN! GATE OF THE-!"
"STOP."
Levy tackled Lucy at the last instant, right before XII's shockwave punch would've connected. The ground along the attack was horribly torn, the thugs in the way were blown off the ground with every bone in their bodies broken, and half of Kaby's hut was completely obliterated.
"DIE."
Another shockwave aimed at the two. His aim was slightly off and only delivered minor cuts to the girls from the debris. Kaby himself was nearly hit by the attack and dove behind the girls to keep the sought after tome safe, knowing very well he couldn't be of any help in this fight. The figure shuffled forward one final time before raising its head like it was possessed. The bleeding red eye that was poking out from beneath his horridly cracked mask certainly gave off that sort of impression.
"I'M GOING TO KILL… ALL OF YOU!"
With a brutal howl, he rushed forward as anyone tied up let out their terrified cries. Hurrying to their feet, Lucy grabbed out her golden key while Levy readied and quickly cast a spell.
"SOLID SCRIPT: GUARD!" she shouted as she quickly wrote the word in the air and created the barrier.
Lucy tried to use that time to begin her casting for Taurus once more, but it wasn't enough before the opponent closed the distance. XII roared as he swung both of his fists upwards against the barrier and destroyed it in that one single strike, causing magical energy to shatter away like glass shards. Both girls and Kaby fell back helplessly with XII towering over them. Roaring with his fists raised in the air as the very earth around him shook violently with his power, he prepared for the final death blow. Barely starting his downward swing though…
"…Levy… Kaby… Lucy… I'm sorry."
With a quick flash of steel, XII went hauntingly still a mere second from following through with his final attack. There wasn't any sort of blood spray for the blow had been far to clean. All Lucy could see was XII's bloody eye seeming to dull for a brief moment. Then his top half fell one direction while his bottom half moved another, both of his halves hit the ground and began to bleed out on the dirt while also revealing Ragna standing behind him. His posture indicated that he'd just finished a powerful sword cut, made all the more evident with his new katana coated in blood. His face wasn't in a terrifying scowl, not even annoyed, to the three it almost looked… sad.
'Dammit… Of course it was too good to last,' Ragna thought before swinging his new blade to rid it of blood and sending it back to his magical storage. You could hear a pin drop in the fields as his good eye glanced to the shocked trio he'd just saved. "Is everyone alright?"
"Y…y… y…" Lucy couldn't even form an answer.
"I'm going to assume you're trying to say yes." Not a bit of humor in the ex… current Reaper's words. "…Just worry about yourselves for right now… I'll take care of XII."
"D… Da… Ragna," Lucy tried again, at least managing to say her father figure's name. "I'm… I'm… so-"
"Don't you dare apologize." It had been some time since Ragna had spoken that forcefully, and never before in this new world. "If it's to save the people I care about… then there isn't a line out there I won't cross." Ragna turned his back to her as he used XII's cloak to wrap the bleeding pieces, already they were staining and starting to leak through the material. "This isn't your burden to bear; it's mine."
Ragna didn't offer another word as he left... knowing that no matter the pay he received, the job had been an utter failure.
Later -Day Break-
It wasn't long before the Rune Knights returned with what looked like several officers of the army. By then Ragna had already buried the two halves of his first taken life in this world and had wordlessly returned to the girls and Kaby. It had been a long, silent, and agonizing wait which heavily contrasted their jolly followship mere hours before. The two Rune Knights from the day before approached the group while the other officers went to the tied criminals who were honestly relieved to put whatever distance they could between themselves and the skilled killer in their midst.
"…Before I start," one of the Rune Knights said as he held onto a metal suitcase with a magical sealing rune on it, "Let me just say that I was left in the dark as much as you were… and I don't approve of these methods."
"What's that mean?" Levy demanded, still shaken by the earlier events and now felt… mixed.
"Everlue was already tried. And found completely guilty of every crime brought before him," the fellow knight explained joylessly. "It was a court held in secret, no one on the outside was privy to the knowledge."
"Without the book?" Ragna demanded. Even his words barely held any rage at the reveal.
"There was a bounty of other evidence and witnesses gathered from all over in secret," the Rune Knight explained. "The only thing that we didn't have was the location of his maids who had all done their own fair share of dark deeds."
"You used us all as bait!?" Ragna and Lucy had only seen Kaby shake with that kind of rage when he was talking about Day Break in its original form.
"They only intended to us you as the bait, but then you requested these wizards to your aide," the first knight said as he offered the briefcase. "And while I again say that I don't approve of these methods, you did perform more than admirably. Not only are the maids in custody, but a fair number of criminals all with bounties on their heads as well. All of which you deserve payment for."
"Give that to the village; we already agreed to that and you owe them all that much," Ragna ordered as he grabbed the suitcase. Not a word or even motion of disapproval was made by any of the knights. "How long?"
"Several life sentences for Everlue, but I don't know about the rest of these," the second said, gesturing to the tied criminals. "There are going to be a lot of trials; every single one needs to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. I know it's hardly anything, but… you made this Kingdom just a little safer with your actions. And even if you received payment in return for them, you still have both our sincere thanks."
"…Whatever." Neither of the guards knew what had transpired, but both also knew better than to question. With a solid nod from each, they rejoined their officer in arranging to bring their new prisoners to justice. "Kaby, we need to be going."
"I… I agree," their client agreed. "Even if it wasn't for the cause that I thought it was, you still have my gratitude. I'll… write to you all later, under better circumstances."
The three nodded as they headed off wordlessly. Ragna knew that he'd have to walk in the lead, not side by side once more. Circumstances were what they were; it didn't matter when the end result had ended in someone dead. He told himself that there was nothing else to do as the passed by the recently dug grave… nothing except to avoid another secret.
"Lucy. Levy." The three came to a stop as he turned to face them. Their faces weren't shocked, moreso tired… and not just from the long night that they'd all endured. "It doesn't excuse what happened, but I noticed something completely off when I was burying the body." Both girls stood patiently. "Their blood, it… it looked like it was getting eaten away by something green."
"Green?" Levy questioned. "You mean… some sort of poison? Or acid?"
"I think it was more accurately a drug; something that put him in that state. Regardless of…. anything else, it was obvious that it would've killed him soon enough. Before I burned the body to ashes to make sure it didn't spread, I got a good look at his face under his mask. And it's clear that he was turned… well, Feral is too kind of a word for what I saw. And he didn't have anything on him to inject or consume that sort of drug. Someone else did that." He shook his head. "Problem is I don't have a damned idea who could've done that between my fight with him."
"So someone even worse is still out there?" Levy asked since Lucy still hadn't started talking yet.
"…Sorry, I'm still in the dark."
-…And then…: Carriage Ride Back-
The ride back was as dead as they expected. Aside from hiring another carriage there hadn't been a single other word said as the crew traveled the slightly bumpy terrain. Unlike their journey there which had Lucy sitting beside Ragna, now she and Levy were both seated across from the Reaper. It was a minor change, but was indicative of the new distance between them. Despite the physical and mental exhaustion they carried, not a single one of the tried getting any amount of sleep. As they traveled, Ragna felt something warm on his cheek, a bit of direct sunlight. Seeing this made him realize something; even if he was still put in similar circumstances stances as his last life… that didn't mean he was stuck with his old self, not by a longshot.
"Hey… Lucy," Ragna started gently. In the long pause, he wondered if she'd heard him or if she was just ignoring him… turns out, neither.
"Yeah?" Her voice was still hollow, even talking with him.
"Once we get back to the guild… why don't I take a look over that book you're writing?" The sudden request seemed to at least bring some life back into the blonde, even if it was clearly dominated by her surprise. "I mean, I know I'm far from an expert on something like this. I wouldn't know where to start with this sort of thing… but maybe you can help me with that." He smiled, and unexpectedly it didn't even feel forced. "I'd love to see whatever it is you've written. I'm pretty damned sure that it'd be amazing."
Another long moment of silence. Levy just looked at the two worriedly, turning her head between each of them and waiting for the next move… the tension made it feel like the carriage could explode at any instant.
"…Only on one condition," she finally said, now officially finding her voice again.
"Name it," the Reaper told her without reservation.
"Before you do… and hopefully as soon as we get back," she started as she finally looked him in the eye. "We're house hunting for you… you still need a place to call home… Dad."
"…That's a high asking price," Ragna said with his warm smile turning to more of a soft smirk.
"Going once…"
"Okay, okay; you got me," he relented with a chuckle as Lucy final gave her own smile. Watching the two of them… it wasn't much for Levi, but her smile made it clear that it was more than enough to start.
Next Time: Image of Fellowship
Author's Note
Storm VII: Boy. Kind of a downer of an ending, huh?
Happy: Some people might take offense to that. Don't you usually end up with some backlash on your darker chapters?
S: Sometimes, but I try to do my best with what I'm allowed. Onto brighter news, I want to talk about my YouTube channel.
H: Oh here we go.
S: Thank you all SO DAMN MUCH for the support I've gotten. While I can't say that my channel's exploded overnight, the amount of well wishes and those of you that have subbed is super evident. Seriously everyone, thank you.
H: Weren't you going to plug a poll that you had up on your FanFiction account's homepage?
S: I was, but the thing is that there's actually been a recent change and I deleted it. A bit after (or before) this chapter goes live I'm going to post a short video with some of my channel plans moving forward along with a list of stories that I'm going to try to get to.
H: And I'm sure it doesn't have anything to do with a very VERY certain half of your name.
S: YOU be quiet… actually, why don't you try responding to the comments for once? Let me know if you guys like this at all and maybe I'll bring it back from time to time. Maybe even alternate it. Anyways, I now leave it to my very capable assistant; Happy.
H: If anything, you're the assistant.
S: Hey.
Review Responses
Wlyman2009: Knowing Dad, he probably will if given enough time. Probably going to be rightfully sore for a while though.
Hotshot6: SIMPSONS DID IT! Though if he had, Erza would've hopefully stopped him.
The Unplanner: This Bang guy sounds really fun. He seems like a ninja with volumes worth aspiring to!
Shooter312: Actually, he wouldn't have endured a single round of the tournament. Probably would've blown it up before either of the two got a chance to. And unlike them he (depending on the point in anime) doesn't care about casualties.
Spartasic 4: Eat something? Well if it's an all you can eat fish buffet, then sign me up! I'll prove I'm the manliest there and then some!
P3R50N4: Dad hasn't told us about this Arakune person yet, I wonder why?
Javer Amon Belmont: Wow, that's a long recap. Anyways, Makarov calling us all his grandchildren doesn't sound ANYwhere out of the ordinary! I think most of us would eat it up! Except for… you know.
Salamandra134: Ragna hasn't talked to us about him either. The one time he did all he said was 'fight boner' and didn't elaborate further.
EnteTheSlayer: Was it? I can't tell the difference.
Kitsune No Hi 75: Glad you do!
NiceScourge: The… what quest? I don't think this version of me knows what that is yet. But glad that you have that smile! Be careful though, otherwise your face is going to be stuck like that!
Sarcasm Sage 626: Mira's the type of person that probably has tons of hidden depth to explore. No wonder Storm seems to love writing for her. And yeah, the whole thing did sound very Elfman like.
Dracoog101: Neither can I! I need to be back in the spotlight!
Kerrowe: At least he got money this time… but at what cost?
End of the Responses
Storm: Well that was surprisingly… straightforward. Dare I even say, professional?
Happy: I get paid in fish for doing this, aye?
Storm: At this point, why not?
Happy: Great! Then I hope to be doing this every chapter like you said, so show Happy some support in those comments!
Storm: And of course, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!
Storm & Happy: Ciao!