Coven Fairy
"Be on your guard Luz." Kali said, as she traveled through the caverns with Luz, and King. "Our target could be anywhere."
"Right." Luz said, before they stopped when they heard a loud voice.
"Foolish children, leave this place, before you meet your demise." A deep voice said, as the silhouette of a large monster, appeared on the stone walls in front of them.
"Do not underestimate me, Garlog, for I am the good witch Luz, Hunter of…"
"Luz." Kali said, drawing the humans attention to the blue haired teen, showing she was holding a small one eyed demon, no bigger then a house cat, by the scruff of his neck. "He's a con artist like Tibbles. He used his giant shadow to intimidate his victims into running."
"Seriously? An' I was all hyped with my speech and everything." Luz said. "This is pathetic."
"Small I may be, but you will soon know fear when I lay waste to all that you…"
"Garlog, either you shut up, or I will feed you to King over there, who is hungry for his afternoon snack." Kali said, making Garlog look at her, before looking to King, who was drooling at the thought of eating him.
"I'd like to go to jail now please." Garlog said.
~The Owl House~
"Boop." Luz said, poking the bottle Garlog was trapped in, right over the nose, before sitting down and pressing the record button on her phone's camera feature. "Hola Mama." She began. "You haven't heard from me in a while, it's been a week and a half since that petrification ceremony. A week and a half, since I… destroyed the portal home. I had to, Emperor Belos was gonna kill Eda and Kali if I didn't hand it over to him, but I couldn't let him use it, so I blew it up with some magic fire. She's not gonna understand any of this." The human groaned. "That's okay Luz, just keep moving forward." She encouraged herself before there was a knock at the door.
"Luz, I'm coming in." Kali's voice echoed, before the door opened. "Hey, I wanted to grab Garlog, Eda and I are about to head to the Day Market and… oh, sorry I wasn't aware you were doing your daily video to your mom."
"It's okay, come join me. I want my mom to see you at least once." Luz smiled, before turning back to the camera. "Mama, this is my friend Kali. She's a mage from a different world from this one."
"Hola Ms. Noceda." Kali smiled.
"I've been teaching her Spanish. Fast learner too." Luz said. "The world Kali comes from is filled with so many people, and guess what, I don't need glyphs to do magic there, I have my own magic."
"So far, Luz has exhibited two different times she's been able to use the magic that comes from her soul, controlling the elements of fire and water, both on different occasions. What's shocking though, is she's still not adjusted to it, so she can't do it freely. She can only do it in times of high stress, or when she's backed into a corner." Kali added. "But I digress, this video is supposed to be about the Boiling Isles, not Earthland."
"This world is filled with inexplicable magical wonders." Luz said, pulling something from her pocket. "Like this portal key. So far the only thing it's been able to open besides the portal door, are the remnants of the rifts Kali leaves behind when traveling to Earthland, but I'm gonna study and learn all I can, until I can find my way back to you."
"An' look, this is King." Kali said, pulling the little demon off Luz's leg, holding him in her arms. "He's adorable, but can be a bit clingy."
"I'm never letting you go, you're never returning to the human realm." King said reaching out for Luz.
"See what I mean?" Kali asked. "But despite what he says, he doesn't actually mean it. He's just upset that he'll one day have to say goodbye to Luz."
"No, I do mean it." King said, before the camera turned off.
~Later~
"This, is Eda the Owl Lady. The most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles." Luz said, recording what Eda was doing, as she tried and failed to use magic to raise a bottle of Apple Blood from the table. "Or at least she was, until her curse overpowered her, and weakened her magic." She stated, as the bottle exploded. "She's doing her best now."
"She's also my grandmother." Kali said, popping her head into the frame for a second.
The feed cut from Eda to the halls, as Luz moved passed them, and started recording Lilith, who was down in the dumps, about her current position.
"Eda was cursed, by her own sister, Lilith." Luz said, as Lilith put her old clothes away. "An' she spent her entire life, looking for a way to undo it. It's still hard for everyone to trust each other, but maybe with time, we can all become friends."
"Leave me out of that." Kali tsked, marching away.
"Yeah, Kali might have inherited Eda's curse, which caused some major problems for her back home." Luz said, the screen switching over to her again.
The scene cut to outside, as Eda was tying a rope to something.
"Even though Eda gets frustrated, she's found new ways to make up for her lost powers." Luz said, as Eda revealed she was working on a harpoon with a net.
"Check it you two, a new hunting weapon." Eda said. "I'll call her, the stab catcher."
"What exactly are you gonna do with that?" Kali asked.
"Without the portal, Eda has no human garbage to sell. So we've resorted to working odd jobs to keep food on the table, because we don't wanna mooch off Kali's savings." Luz explained to the recording.
"Hey King, did you know that apple is a hat?" Eda questioned.
The camera quickly turned to King, who was standing in front of a target.
"Really?" King asked, picking up the apple, and putting it on his head.
"King, no, King!" Kali called out, running to grab the little demon, before the stab catcher came flying through the air, and hit the target in the center, while the apple had fallen to the ground, and Eda's arms were still clinging to the weapon. "What the hell Grandma?"
"Oh relax, you're an Etherion Dragonslayer now. So what's the harm you can just use healing magic to heal him."
"My magic has it's limits. An' please for the love of Titan, do not remind me of my magic, or how I got it." Kali said, tears starting to form in her eyes.
"I'm sorry kiddo. I didn't mean to be so insensitive." Eda said.
"Yeah, Kali recently lost someone she loved, and it's still affecting her. This week we're bounty hunters." Luz said, getting the conversation back on track. "Next week we could be anything."
The scene cut back to Luz as she was sitting in her room by herself again, a bit of a worried look on her face.
"So mom, please don't be scared. I'm growing more and more, every day." Luz said. "An' I'm gonna do my best, to become a full fledged witch, and get home to you safe and sound. Te quiero Mama. To le prometo, regresaré a casa pronto."
With that, Luz turned the camera off, and tried sending the message to her mother. But without the portal to provide the connection to the human realm, the message failed to send, just like all the others before it.
"Luz, you ready to go?" Kali questioned. "We're about to head into the market and trade these bounties in for the rewards. Everyone else already have the others all loaded up."
"I'll be there in a sec." Luz said, before grabbing Garlog.
~Day Market~
"Man, the Emperor is really taking over." Luz said, as their group made their way through town, which now had a stone statue of Belos, and at least a couple dozen more guards patrolling the streets.
"I see it too Luz, and I'm trying to stay civil." Eda said, kicking someone covered in Coven Proactive merchandise.
"You call kicking someone trying to act civil?" Kali questioned the bag full of bounties over her shoulder.
"I said I was trying." Eda stated, as they reached the bounty booth.
Kali hoisted the bag of bounties caught on the scale, while slamming each of the posters down on the counter in front of the bounty clerk.
"Alright, here's your pay." The clerk said, holding out a single snail.
"One snail, are you serious?" Eda questioned.
"Oh no, I'm not done yet." He said, before breaking the coin in half.
"The hell man?" Luz questioned.
"Do you have any idea who I am?" Eda asked.
"Yes, you're Eda the Owl Lady, and you're powerless, which means you can't do anything to me." The clerk said, before an iron covered fist slammed into the counter, cracking it as the fingers opened, revealing they looked rather sharp, and lethal.
"How about me then?" Gajeel questioned, scratching at the wood. "Wanna try your luck with pissing me off?"
"N-no sir." The clerk said, before paying them the full rewards for their bounties.
"Gajeel, if you're gonna be sticking around, you need to go a little less forceful on the threats." Luz said.
"Why did you stick around instead of returning to Earthland anyway?" Kali asked.
"What, can't a big brother look out for his little sis?" Gajeel asked.
"I don't know. I've never known the love of a big brother before." Kali stated, walking away, pushing the reward money into her storage satchel.
"What's eating at her?" Lilith asked.
"You're not aware of this, but Kali has an older brother." Luz said.
"I think I actually remember something like that from when we first met at the Covention." Lilith said.
"Well, Laxus isn't exactly the nicest." Luz said. "In fact, he's a downright despicable."
"That's an understatement." Gajeel said. "I was there when we had gotten the snot beaten out of us by that jackass. He was intent in killing her, and would have if that snot nosed runt hadn't stepped in with his illusion."
"You mean Edric right?" Luz asked. "He told Amity about the situation, before she told me. I was completely shocked."
"Doesn't help that Ivan would dissect and experiment on her, on the daily." Eda sighed. "I wish I could have been there to raise him properly."
"The Emperor said, you couldn't remain in Earthland, because it sped up the curse you were left with." Lilith said.
"How the heck does he know that?" Eda questioned. "I never told anyone about what Earthlands atmosphere was doing to me."
"I don't know, but Belos does have his methods." Lilith stated.
"What's humiliating, is I can't do magic, and everyone laughs at me for it." Eda said.
"It's okay sister." Lilith said. "At least my image still commands respect and fear." She stated, posing next to a poster of her, before flames were shot at it.
"Haha, you're a traitor." King said with a laugh.
"What's going on? This is anarchy. Who told you to do this?" Lilith questioned.
Lilith's question was answered, when three posters of the Golden Guard came flying through the air, and planted themselves on the wall.
"The Golden Guard? Did you know him in the Coven, Lilith?" Luz questioned, pulling down one of the posters to look at.
"Unfortunately, I did." Lilith stated, taking the poster away from the human. "He always got special treatment, because he was the genius teen protégé." She said, sounding jealous.
"Huh, I would have thought it's because he's Belos's nephew." Kali said, taking the poster from Lilith.
"Nephew?" Lilith questioned.
"Yeah, he and I had a bit of a chat after he branded me with the Emperor's Coven sigil." Kali said, holding up her right arm, to show the forearm wrapped in bandages. "He managed to spill a few details to me, about the relationship he had with Belos. Turns out they're uncle and nephew."
"That would explain the special treatment he got." Lilith said. "But in reality, he's just a brat, and if he's in charge, ugh I wanna hurl."
"Eh, either way. I made him aware of a few details he should look into on his own." Kali said, burning the poster to ash. "From there, it's all up to him."
"Hey I know, what we need is a confidence boost." Luz said.
"What are you getting at Luz?" Kali questioned.
"Why don't we take on the biggest bounty we can find? It'll be great." Luz suggested, before running to the job board. "Lost Cerberus, no. Witch cackling lessons? Maybe not today." She said, before spotting a poster with a pretty big bounty. "There's something called a Selkidomus, ravaging boats up and down the coast. We'll be on a high seas adventure."
"I like the sound of that." Gajeel smirked.
"No." Kali said, taking the flier and tearing it to shreds. "Selkidomus are peaceful creatures, who only attack when provoked. They're pacifists by nature and would never willingly attack anyone for no reason. So if it's ravaging boats, then that means they're actively hunting the Selkidomus, and are getting what they deserve."
"She's right." Eda said. "Besides, that job was put up by the Emperor's Coven, so anyone hunting it, would be in Belos's pocket."
"The Emperor's Coven huh?" Gajeel asked, before he smirked. "I think I just got an idea."
"Well, whatever your idea is, can it wait until later?" Kali questioned, looking a little green in the face, as she hugged her stomach. "I'm not feeling so good all of a sudden."
"Again? That's the fifth time in three days." Eda said. "C'mon, Lilith and I will take you home. You three behave." She stated, leading Kali to the cart, while looking at King, Luz, and Gajeel. "We might have to stop at the Healing Coven to get you checked out."
"Anywhere but there." Kali groaned, as the cart began to move. "I don't wanna be anywhere near any of the Coven Scouts that took part in the healing ritual."
"So what's your idea?" Luz questioned.
"The job Kali just tore up is commissioned by the Emperor's Coven, right?" Gajeel said, his smirk growing dark and sinister. "So let's cause a little chaos for the Coven that broke Kali's heart."
~Owl House~
"Now just relax, and drink something to settle your stomach." Eda said, laying Kali down on the couch as Lilith brought some tea for the girl. "I can understand why you wouldn't wanna go to the Healing Coven, but we need someone to look you over, this is getting concerning."
"I don't need a healer Grandma, I just need some rest." Kali said.
"Nope, you're not getting out of that this easily." Eda said. "As your grandmother, I'm responsible for your well being so long as you live under my roof."
"Edalyn, perhaps she's just nervous. Over anxious about going to the Bat Queens Forest, to retrieve Sapphire's pups." Lilith said. "I mean, Sapphire was Kali's closest friend, and now with her gone, she's too worried to even look at them. She's put it off for a week and a half now, so that could be the reason why she's been getting sick like this."
"Could that be the cause?" Eda asked looking to Kali.
"It might be." Kali said, sipping the tea. "I just, don't wanna have to tell them one day, that their mother died so I could survive."
"Oh kiddo." Eda sighed. "Look, as real as that might be, I'd still feel better if an actual doctor took a look at you."
"What about Porlyusica?" Kali asked.
"You mean the pink haired bitch I never got along with in Earthland?" Eda asked. "What about her?"
"She's a physician, and currently the only one I trust." Kali said.
"True, she is an impressive doctor. Makarov would have died countless times over in the three years I was there, if it weren't for her." Eda said. "Alright, Lily you go get Porlyusica, I've got some errands to run."
"Me? But I don't know anything about Earthland, or who this Porlyusica woman is." Lilith said.
"I get that, which is why you're gonna bring Kali with you." Eda stated. "She'll take you to the guild, and from there you'll explain the situation to Makarov, before he sends someone to get her."
"But I don't think that's such a good idea." Lilith stated, watching as Eda grabbed some gear and went off on her own towards the door.
"I'm counting on you Lily, bye." Eda said, before closing the door behind her, leaving Kali and Lilith alone.
With the door closing behind them, Lilith just stood there in shock, while Kali picked herself up, and grabbed her portal blade.
"Let's get going." Kali said.
~Docks~
"Selkidomus hunt, we want in." Luz said, with King on her shoulder, and Gajeel beside her as the ship horns blared.
"You think you can handle this squirt?" The Captain, a crab like demon asked. "I don't doubt your big compatriot here, but you I don't see being capable of this."
"I can handle anything." Luz said.
"Fine then, change into these the lot of ya and get on board." The Captain said, tossing a pair of sailors clothes to Luz and Gajeel.
"If this makes me look like an idiot, I'm enacting a mutiny before we even set off." Gajeel said.
As Gajeel and Luz left to change, neither of them were aware of the figure looking at them, from the porthole. The Captain looked to the overlooking viewer in the golden mask, nodding to his employer, before the viewer closed the porthole, with the Emperor's Coven sigil shining with glass.
~Fairy Tail~
"So, this is Fairy Tail huh?" Lilith questioned, standing in front of the Guildhall with Kali. "An' this is Earthland?"
"It is."
"The people here, look more human then demon or witch."
"That's because Earthlanders evolved to utilize magic over the course of millennia. Before that, we were nothing more then normal humans. Now while everyone has it, only about 60-80% of the population is capable of utilizing the dormant magic within their souls." Kali stated. "C'mon, Gramps should be at his usual spot at the bar."
Entering through the doors, Kali and Lilith made their presence known to the guild.
"Kali, welcome back." Mira said, coming to Kali's side, and pulling her in for a hug. "Erza, told everyone what had happened to Sapphire. We're all so sorry for what happened."
"It's fine Big Sis Mira." Kali said, hugging her back.
"How are her babies doing?" Mira asked.
"I… I haven't gone to get them from the Bat Queen yet." Kali said. "I'm afraid to even look at them, because I know one day, they're gonna ask me what happened to their mother."
"Oh, I know it's scary." Mira said, before noticing Lilith standing there. "Who's this?"
"Uh, hello there. I am Lilith Clawthorne, Edalyns sister." Lilith said.
"I see, so you're the one who cursed Eda, is that right?" Mira asked. "What brings you here per chance?"
"It's about Kali." Lilith said. "Over the past couple days she's been suddenly experiencing bouts of nausea, that vanish as suddenly as they appear."
"That's concerning." Mira said. "Kali, have you and Edric ever done anything, adult, before he broke it off with you?"
"No, he and I never got that far." Kali said. "Plus I'm barren, remember? Demon Fetus?"
"Well, then we can rule out pregnancy, because that sounds a lot like morning sickness." Mira said. "C'mon let's go see Master, I'll send someone to get Porlyusica."
"Thanks Mira." Kali smiled.
"Kali, it's obvious I'm not really needed here anymore, so if you wouldn't mind opening a portal for me, I have some ingredients to gather back on the isles for a scrying spell." Lilith asked.
"Oh please, don't go just yet." Mira said. "I'm sure the Master would like to speak with you."
"Great." Lilith said worriedly.
"Don't be like that Mira. Lilith has her own things to do, especially after she betrayed the Emperor's Coven." Kali said, opening a tear to the Boiling Isles. "I'll see you back at the Owl House Lilith."
~Gajeel & Luz~
"Man I hope I never develop motion sickness, this feels amazing." Gajeel said, as he stood at the bow with Luz, both dressed like pirates. "But why's the dang ship made entirely of metal?"
"It's not called the Boiling Isles for nothing Gajeel." Luz said. "The ocean is a heaping mass of boiling water. There are only a few lakes on the Boiling Isles that are safe to swim in."
"Huh, guess I never really put much thought into the name. Makes sense as to why the ship's made of metal though." Gajeel said.
"So what's the plan?" Luz asked.
"You're gonna use your plant magic to create a Selkidomus double, and once the crew sees me kill it, you stay behind for a bit to convince the Selkidomus to leave to safer waters once we're gone. Then once we collect the reward, the old crone won't have to worry about money troubles for a while."
"Sounds like a good plan." Luz smiled.
"King wanna cracker." King said, imitating a pirates parrot.
"All hands." The Captain called, gathering them around. "Alright crew, the Selkidomus has been ravaging the coastline, it was last seen in the Simmering Shoals. You know the drill, snag the glory…" He stopped to drop a giant bag of snails in front of Luz and Gajeel. "… get the money galore-y. We all do the work, we all get a cut."
"I have many debts." An orange fish demon said as he and the others cheered.
"Till then, keep everything ship-shape." The Captain said, pulling a broom from his jacket. "This ain't no pleasure cruse." He stated throwing the broom to Luz, before Gajeel caught it. "Don't be a burden Sea Squirt."
"Excuse me Captain." Gajeel said, his fists turning to metal, while gritting his teeth with a smile. "But talk to my little sisters friend like that again, and I'll boil you alive like a lobster in the sea, got it?"
"Gajeel, I can take care of myself." Luz said.
The first task Luz and Gajeel were given, were to remove the barnacles from the underside of the ship that wasn't submerged into the water. When the Captain tried handing her the scrapper needed, Gajeel just flicked it away, before Luz used her plant Glyphs to create a swing that lowered Gajeel to the barnacles. The barnacles hissed at Gajeel, but the Iron Dragonslayer hissed right back, and covering his hands in iron again, pulled them off one by one, impressing the Captain on their teamwork.
The second task was for Gajeel and Luz to shovel coal into the furnace, to which Gajeel and Luz just looked at each other when the Captain demonstrated and held the shovel out to them. Luz pulled out two fire Glyphs, and igniting them, threw them into the furnace, one by one like a dance until Gajeel put a third on the inside of the furnace door before clamping it shut, and the ship went sailing at speed the Captain never thought it was possible of. The Captain seemed quite pleased and impressed with the work these two newcomers were doing, even though half his face was covered in soot.
Later Luz looked as though she were dancing to a sea shanty, but Gajeel was just laughing his ass off, as he knew she was trying to get a giant bug off her back, and her moves resembled that of a dance. When she finally threw it off her back, King was pulled away by Gajeel, preventing him from being knock into the boiling sea, while the iron eater was still laughing, as Luz just shivered at the thought of that thing being attached to her back.
"Well, ye had me confront my own biases, and I got nothing but respect for you now Squirt, I mean, sailors." The Captain said, after patting Luz on the back kinda hard, while addressing both Gajeel and Luz.
"Thanks Salty, you make me feel like a real part of the crew." Luz said.
"Well that's because, you arr." Salty said, making a pirate joke.
"Boo." King called out.
"Lame joke." Gajeel said, leaning back against a pile of rope bundles.
"Say, why ain't your friend be doing this job with his sister instead of you?" Salty asked. "I ain't complaining, it just seems a bit weird to me is all."
"Oh, she's not feeling too well, she's actually sick for some reason, so I came in her place." Luz said.
"Good on ya lass." Salty smiled.
~Lilith~
"Okay, I've gathered all the other ingredients so far, now all I need is fire bee honey." Lilith said, marching through the forest, looking over the list of ingredients for a scrying spell. The magicless witch stopped, when she noticed several fire bees flying past her, and following them, she spotted the giant swarm of fire bees. Taking a single step onto their territory, it did not end well.
The bees knew instantly an intruder was there, and once Lilith looked up, she gasped in shock before instinctively drawing a magic circle in the air to create an ice spell, but all she produced were a few ice cubes. Realizing her plan hadn't worked, Lilith ran behind a tree, and flinched as several bees embedded their stingers into the other side, like thrown shuriken.
"How can I get fire bee honey without ice magic, or porcuspine quills without a sleep spell? I wish I had Raven at my side, but she's not speaking to me either." Lilith groaned. "Who am I without magic, without a Coven?"
"Without friends?" Hooty's voice echoed in her ears.
Lilith just instantly looked up, her gaze straight ahead of her, while Hooty was sprouted from the ground like a plant, to her right.
"I said…"
"You don't know how to get those fire bees, but I can help." Hooty said.
"No, I don't want your help. I told you not to follow me!" Lilith stated, trying to move back away from Hooty as he moved closer to her.
"If I were you, I would…"
"You would what? Because it doesn't matter, you aren't me!" Lilith stated. "You're just, some kind of weird bird worm." She angrily said. "You have no idea what I'm going through. I have to do this alone, because if I can't, what kind of witch am I?"
"Sorry Lulu. I mean, sorry Lilith." Hooty said, as he sank back into the ground.
"Now, let's try this one more time." Lilith said, picking up a stick.
~Kali~
"An' there we go." Porlyusica said, as she drew some blood samples. "I can't do proper tests here, without my equipment. So I'll be sure to bring the results back as soon as I know what's wrong with Kali."
"Thank you Porlyusica, your help is very much appreciated." Makarov said.
"It's no trouble." Porlyusica said, packing up her bag. "I'll be going now."
"Did she have to take a urine sample?" Kali questioned with a blush. "It was embarrassing to bring it out from the bathroom."
"Now, now Kali. There's nothing to be ashamed of with having to give your physician a urine sample." Makarov said. "Hopefully, Porlyusica will be able to figure out what's wrong with you before the Harvest Festival roles."
"Hopefully." Kali said.
"So, how are you feeling?" Makarov asked. "It's not too far off to think that this nausea is a side effect from using Formation Xero."
"I'm fine."
"Mira tells me you haven't been to the Bat Queen's domain." Makarov said. "Are you afraid of what she may do?"
"Somewhat, but I'm mostly putting off that, I'll have to tell Sapphire's babies what happened to their mother, once they're old enough to know." Kali said.
"Kali, that's years off." Makarov said. "I can understand why you'd be scared though. I honestly went through something similar with Ivan, when it dawned on me, he'd ask about his mother once he was old enough to know."
"What'd you do?" Kali asked.
"I took charge, and I raised my son, the best I could." Makarov said. "Though, it's clear that I went wrong somewhere, and now I don't even recognize the man he's become."
"You did the best you could on your own." Kali said. "Guess there was something always missing from his life though."
"That would be a mother." Makarov said. "My point is Kali, you'll know what to tell them, when the time's right. But Sapphire entrusted the raising of her young to you, not the Bat Queen, so it's unfair that you're leaving their upbringing all on her, when as I understand, she's got three little ones of her own to take care of."
"You're right, you're right." Kali sighed. "Can I ask you to come with me?"
"Of course my dear. I feel as though I should at least explain I was the one who instilled Formation Xero into Sapphire's very being when carving her." Makarov said.
"That too, but I was more wondering if you could talk some sense into Gajeel, he's driving me crazy with this whole, big brother thing." Kali said.
"What's this now?" Makarov asked, raising a brow.
"Turns out his Dragon Dad, and my Dragon Mom, were mates. An' not the normal kind where the male dragon knocks up the female, and leaves her to raise the young alone. I mean actual mates who stood by each other, through thick and thin." Kali explained. "Gajeel's taken that to name himself my big brother now."
"Well, he's not actually wrong there." Makarov said. "If that is the case, then you two are siblings. Remember Kali, blood makes you related, loyalty is what makes you family."
~Luz & Gajeel~
"We're here, the Simmering Shoals." Captain Salty said lowering his telescope. "Eyes peeled mates."
One of the crewmates actually peels back their eyelids.
"That is nasty." Gajeel said, stepping away from him.
As the ship slowed, Luz and Gajeel noticed all the wrecked ships in the water bellow, before noticing how a few of their crewmates removed their hats, in a moment of silence.
"She's close." Salty stated, before bubbles formed in the water, and there was a large impact against the ship.
"She's here." Luz gasped.
From out of the surface of the water, Luz and Gajeel saw the fins of the Selkidomus as it came circling in the area in front of the port side of the ship.
"She's covered in so many battle scars." Gajeel said. "How long, has she been surviving like this?"
Many of the crew mates began throwing harpoons at the Selkidomus, but the beast fought back, as it sprung up out of the water, before puffing up like a pufferfish and sent spikes at the ship. Gajeel covered himself in iron, and used himself as a shield to deflect the projectile that was coming for Luz.
"You okay kid?"
"I should be asking you that." Luz said.
"Ya kidding? It'll take a whole lot more then that to scratch my iron." Gajeel smirked before there was an explosion, that rocked the boat. "What the hell was that?"
Luz looked to where the explosion came from, before they all saw the silhouette of the one who caused it, running off with the loot.
"Is that a g-g-ghost pirate?" Salty questioned.
"The money, we're being robbed." Luz said.
"An' the Selkidomus is getting away. It's heading back for that island." Gajeel said, spotting the Selkidomus as it was fleeing. "Looks like the thief is heading for the same island."
"Let's go after them both." Luz said, using an Ice Glyph from her shroud to create an ice dingy.
With both Luz and Gajeel hopping onto the dingy, Gajeel turned to the back of the ship, and puffed out his chest as he prepared his next move.
"Iron Dragon: ROAR!" He cried out, using the breath attack to send them propelling forward.
"Show that specter what for you two." Captain Salty cheered.
As they pressed forward, the ice was melting fast, and Luz was not sitting on Gajeel's shoulders.
"Hang on kid." Gajeel said, before jumping off the ice and landing on the ground.
Luz went flying forward, resulting in her crashing into the thief, while causing the money to be sent flying backwards, and would have landed in the water, if Gajeel hadn't caught it first.
"The money." Luz and the thief sighed in relief, before Luz looked to the thief suspiciously.
"Hold the phone, hold the phone." Gajeel said, before knocking the thief's pirate hat off, revealing it was Eda underneath.
"Eda? What are you doing robbing our ship?" Luz questioned. "An' what happened to your legs?" She asked, as they looked down to see Eda's legs were missing.
Eda answered the second question with a snap of her fingers.
"It's called, disguising your tracks." Eda said, her booted legs returning to her from the propeller tub. "Now what were you doing on that ship?"
"We were causing a little mayhem for the Emperor's Coven." Gajeel said. "We were gonna sabotage the hunt, but you caused an explosion, and got away with the money."
"Well you shouldn't have done anything." Eda said. "You could have gotten killed."
The ground began to rumble, as the water swirled, and took on the shape of a fist with a figure holding a cage inside. The watery fist slammed into the shoreline, revealing the Golden Guard, steam pouring from his body and mask.
"That can still be arranged." Hunter said.
"Oh great, Golden Boy's here." Gajeel gagged, quickly hiding the money out of sight from him.
"Where's the money?" Hunter asked, getting to his feet.
"Melted in the boiling water." Gajeel said.
"Pity." Hunter sighed. "Anyways… Hello criminals. What's about to happen should be relatively painless, if you just do what I say."
"An' why would we do that?" Luz asked.
"Because none of you can use real magic." Hunter stated. "An' that Dragonslayer Magic, is nothing but an elaborate illusion, that's useless once someone's aware of it."
"Is that right?" Gajeel asked.
"I'm certain of it, and I do know two of you are standing on a plant that eats flesh." Hunter said.
The three looked down, before Gajeel pulled Luz and Eda off the flesh eating plant as their shoes began sizzling.
"Okay, the humans will remain sailors to repay all the money they lost, while the Owl Lady will be arrested, again, for attacking one of the Emperor's ships." Hunter said, as Gajeel put them down.
"Fat chance of that happening." Gajeel said. "But answer me this, why is the Emperor's Coven hunting the Selkidomus? From what I understand, it's a peaceful creature, and you're provoking it."
"The Emperor ordered me to slay one, and I'm just following orders." Hunter said.
"Well I'm just gonna smack you around a bit." Eda said.
"Eda wait." Gajeel said, putting his arm in front of her.
"What gives?" Eda questioned.
"Luz, have you noticed we haven't seen any sign of King since Salty acknowledged us as Sailors?" Gajeel asked, looking to the human girl.
"King?" Luz questioned, before she gasped. "Oh no."
"Yeah. He's in that cage, I can smell his scent." Gajeel stated.
"I doubt you can actually smell his scent. Most likely it was an educated guess." Hunter said. "So here's the deal. No one will have to be a sailor, or be arrested, if one of you follows those Selkidomus tracks, and slays the beast. Here, I'll help." He stated, producing a sword.
Luz just whimpered like a puppy, not wanting to slay the Selkidomus.
"You're making this difficult." Hunter groaned. "Go, or I drown the bird." He stated, holding up the cage, and parting the covering on it, revealing King inside.
"Weh?" King questioned, before the covering closed again. "Ah, it's dark now." He said, as he began snoring.
"How about… NO!" Gajeel shouted, running at Hunter.
The Golden Guard grabbed the Dragonslayer with his magic, and threw him into the boiling sea.
"Gajeel." Luz gasped.
"Such a pity, I do hope you two won't be as naïve as him." Hunter said. "In these parts, the steam alone from the water, is enough to cause third degree burns. So you can probably imagine the kind of pain he'd be in right now, if he were still alive."
"Fine." Luz said, grabbing the sword. "I'll do it."
"Luz wait." Eda pleaded, getting up and following her to the Selkidomus nest.
~Lilith~
"I am not one, to be trifled with Bees, I am a witch, unhinged." Lilith declared, swinging the stick around as she was surrounded by a ring of fire bees. When she pulled the stick back, she noticed it was much shorter then before, and dropped it to the ground in fear. "What? No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I can't do this alone. I need, help."
The instant she said those words, Hooty sprang up from the ground, giving off a massive deep hoot that sounded like it came from an owl, bigger then him.
"I'm here for you Lulu. No witch is an island." Hooty said. "Now face my wrath."
Lilith backed up, shocked at how well Hooty was fighting against the fire bees, before clapping and sounding amused at what she was seeing. Her amusement had to be cut short, as a vat of flaming fire bee honey was flung right at her.
"Hooty!" Lilith called out.
"My bad." Hooty said.
~Luz & Eda~
"Luz, don't hurt the Selkidomus." Eda said. "We can find another way out of this."
"You heard what he said, Eda." Luz stated, jumping onto a mast. "If you and King wanna be free, then I have to do this alone. I can't execute the original plan without Gajeel, and he's gone now."
"What's this alone business? Don't you remember, us weirdos have to…"
"What? Stick together?" Luz questioned, turning to look at Eda. "Because you stuck with me, you lost your magic, you almost got turned to stone, and if it wasn't for Gajeel we wouldn't have gotten the full bounties on the hunts we brought in. Because of me, you've had to make too many sacrifices that wouldn't have happened, had I just remained in the human realm, and Sapphire would be gone now."
Eda looked at Luz, having a clearer picture of what the human was going through, and why she was doing this. But her thoughts were interrupted, when the whole cavern began to shake with the sound of the Selkidomus roaring.
"It's my fault this happened, that's why I've got to do this alone." Luz said. "I'll make it all up to you, Eda the Owl Lady. You and Kali both, I promise." She stated, before holding the sword up, and tipping over to fall into the caverns bellow.
"Luz." Eda cried out.
Luz fell through the caverns, before landing on the Selkidomus's head. With a growl, the watery beast threw Luz off of her, and she rolled to the actual nest. The air began to change to a fiery red as the Selkidomus's eyes turned a dark red. Puffing out, the Selkidomus fired off quills at Luz, to which the human hid behind a piece of wood.
When the attack ended, Luz came out from behind the wooden plank.
"All right, let's do this." Luz said, tapping the ice glyph on her sleeve, and sending herself through the air towards the Selkidomus.
Before either human or beast could strike, a blur of black and silver came flying through the air, and grabbed Luz in their arms.
"Hang on kid." Gajeel said, landing on the ground with a slide, landing in the nest.
"Gajeel?" Luz gasped.
"Save is shrimp, I'm alive yeah, but I'm also disappointed. I overheard what you and Eda were talking about. You think throwing your life away, is gonna help Eda, or Kali?" Gajeel asked. "Well it won't. I know about all the adventures you've been on with them. You helped Eda and Kali get Kings crown when you barely knew either of them, you saved her from being turned to stone, and you even mended some broken bonds between that old crone and her sister. So I'm pretty sure she'd say something, like her life being pretty great because she has you and Kali in her life."
Luz was taken aback, as she wa son the verge of crying from happiness.
"Now suck it up." Gajeel said. "Clear out the cobwebs of guilt in that brain of yours, we're gonna stick to our original plan. Problem is, there's not a lot we can do with the Selkidomus acting this way."
"You know a surprisingly lot of facts about creatures from the Boiling Isles." Luz said.
"Well yeah, Kali insisted that if I were gonna stay, I had to do some reading, so she put a book about marine life in my hands and I read that thing. Took me two days to do it." Gajeel said. "But there's gotta be a way to calm her down, where no one has to get hurt."
"Gajeel look."
Gajeel turned around, to see a baby Selkidomus looking at them curiously, before flopping up to the Iron Dragonslayer, and rubbing up against him.
"I think I figured out why the Selkidomus is being so defensive." Luz said. "An' I think I know how we can trick the Golden Guard into letting us go, while assuming we did what he wanted."
~Hunter~
The Golden Guard stood outside the caves, waiting for them to come out, before he lifted the covering off the cage, waking King.
"Weh?" King grunted, circling around the cage, before the covering dropped again.
Hunter repeated this a couple more times, finding amusement in how King was reacting to the different levels of light and darkness.
"You're actually, weirdly endearing." Hunter said with a laugh.
"No, I'm not." King said, before he was snoring.
The sound of the Selkidomus's wailing echoed from the caves, bringing Hunters attention back to them, before he saw the shadows of Luz and Eda, fighting the Selkidomus. Things were looking rough for the duo, as the Selkidomus was winning, before Luz pulled up with the sword Hunter provided for her, and sliced the Selkidomus's head clean off. Without further need for battle, Luz pulled on part of the seaweed from the Selkidomus's muzzle, and dragged it out to Hunter.
"Oh, that thing smells awful." Hunter said. "Why are you touching it with your hands? Gross."
"You're gross. I did what you wanted, now give me King." Luz stated.
"Actually, he smells pretty bad too." Hunter said, holding up the cage. "Take him." He stated, before throwing the cage, and turning away from them. "Thank you for your service. You can find your own way home."
"Awe, leaving so soon?"
Hunters head shot up, before he twisted back to Luz, and was instantly thrown back by an Iron Club to the gut. Coughing and wheezing, Hunter looked up and spotted Gajeel marching towards him.
"But… how?" Hunter questioned.
"My iron scales can withstand Salamanders breath attack. That shit's way hotter then the water behind you. All I had to do was hold my breath until I made it to a safe area to resurface." Gajeel said, covering his fists in iron, as he cracked his knuckles. "How's that, for an advanced illusion?"
Hunter just gasped, before jumping back, evading another strike from Gajeel. Back on his feet, Hunter was terrified, as he hopped onto his staff and vanished in flashes or red light.
With the Golden Guard gone, Luz and Gajeel let out a sigh of relief, before Gajeel fell on his back.
"You doing okay?" Luz asked.
"I lied. That water was way hotter then Salamanders breath attacks." Gajeel said. "I'm exhausted from just trying to survive being in it for so long."
"You did good." King said, as he was released from the cage.
The sound of whistling echoed behind them, and Luz turned around to see the baby Selkidomus acting all happy, as it came up to them, and nuzzled into both Luz and Gajeel, hugging Luz's leg.
"Baby, aw." Luz cooed, petting its snout. "Oh Kali would have loved to see you."
"Wait, what is that?" King questioned.
"Don't worry King." Eda said, as the mother Selkidomus came up from behind them. "Once the mother saw we weren't a threat to its baby, she calmed down. Gotta say, Luz and Gajeel's plan worked like a charm."
"Hey, Mama Selki." Gajeel called to her, while petting the baby's snout like Luz was. "This area is dangerous, the Emperor's Coven is gonna find out you're still alive, and will eventually come back for you. You need to move further out into the sea."
The Selkidomus understood what Gajeel was saying, before grunting as its chest puffed up, and it spit out a practical mountain of golden grime.
"Hot dang." Eda said. "It gave you the treasure of the sea."
"Gold?" Luz asked. "Tuna?"
"It's Selkigris." Gajeel said. "According to the book Kali gave me to read, this stuff sells for a fortune by the ounce."
"Even more at the night market." Eda said.
"Uh, maybe not mention that part of this is made from digested sailors." Gajeel said, removing a skull from the Selkigris.
~Lilith~
"I'm sorry for sending you away earlier." Lilith said, soaking a cotton ball in disinfectant. "It's hard for me to ask for help, and with everything I've done to Kali and Eda, I just felt I should have done it on my own."
"It's okay." Hooty said, not even flinching at the stinging of the disinfectant Lilith was dabbing into his stings. "I'm sorry for being all, nosy-nosy. But hey Lulu, every friendship comes with its ups and downs, right best friend?"
"I'm not commenting on that. Hootsifer." Lilith said with a smile.
"A nickname? Yeah." Hooty cheered happily.
Lilith just smiled, happy to know she at least had one friend, before the potion was boiling.
"The Scrying Potion, it's ready." Lilith gasped.
"We're home." Eda said, before tripping over Hooty as they came in through the door.
"Eda, come here. I have a gift for you." Lilith said.
"What are you talking about Lily, and where's Kali?" Eda asked, as Lilith pulled her to the coffee table.
"She's in Earthland with Makarov. An' to prove that I'm trustworthy, I'm giving you a peek inside the Emperor's Castle." Lilith said, as they stopped in front of the Scrying Potion.
"What are we supposed to do with this?" Luz asked.
"Whatever you want." Lilith said. "Don't you see? These troops don't know what to do with themselves. So go crazy, pull whatever pranks your heart desires. They're clueless without me."
"Ah Lily, you couldn't have been more right." Eda said.
"An' that Golden Guard kid, was a real piece of work. But man he's probably the biggest chump of them all." Gajeel said.
"Well I'm in a good mood, and since Kali's not here to do the cooking, who wants to get takeout and draw faces on Hooty?" Eda asked.
"Me." King and Luz said.
"What'd he ever do to deserve this kind of treatment?" Gajeel asked as the others left to get drawing utensils and a takeout menu.
"Don't worry, we'll protect you Hootsifer." Lilith said with a smile.
~Bat Queens Forest~
All was quiet within the Bat Queens domain. Kali was nervous, and Makarov could understand why. Though it was his fist time on the Boiling Isles himself, he wasn't here for sight seeing. He was here to support his granddaughter, and to calm the Bat Queen down if need be.
"Thanks again for coming with me Gramps." Kali said. "I just, don't think I could have done this alone."
"You're right to be nervous Kali, but you're doing the right thing." Makarov said.
Kali and Makarov continued deeper into the forest, until they stopped before the Bat Queen, with Kali's heart beating a thousand miles a minute.
"Kali, is wonderful to see you." The Bat Queen said.
"Hi Bat Queen." Kali said. "Listen, I'm not sure if you're aware, but Sapphire."
"Yes, yes I'm aware." The Bat Queen nodded. "I felt it in my core, when your Palisman, vanished from this world, as she merged with you."
"Then, I guess you know why I'm here." Kali said.
"Before all that, let me introduce myself." Makarov said. "My name, is Makarov Dreyar. I am Kali's grandfather, and the one who instill Formation Xero into Sapphire. So please, if at all you do feel the urge to be mad, be mad at me for I was the one who made that option to begin with."
"It is a pleasure to meet you Makarov. But I am not mad, only saddened at her passing."
"So, I first would like to start off by saying, sorry for the long delay. I was nervous, but now I'm ready to take them back with me." Kali said.
"Take who child?" Bat Queen asked.
"Sapphire's babies." Kali stated. "She told King that she gave birth, and left them with you."
"Child, Sapphire did no such thing." Bat Queen stated. "Sapphire, sacrificed herself, while still with child."
This revelation slowly sank into Kali as her mind processed the information. Her eyes widened in disbelief, tears forming in the corners of her eyes, before they rolled into the back of her head, Kali passing out from the sheer shock, that Kali and her babies, were gone.