So, here's something funny. During the few months I was on hiatus and wrote several chapters in advance, I accidentally deleted the chapter you're about to read. To be honest, I nearly quit due to that and the stress of many things going on in my life at the time. Luckily, I persevered, somehow managed to find an older, though unfortunately unfinished copy of it, and made a few additions to it to make it an even better version of the chapter. So in the long run, it actually worked out better in the end. Funny how that works isn't it?
I do hope that you all enjoy reading this chapter, and I eagerly await your reviews.
Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo and Shounen jump. Fairy tail is owned by Hiro Mashima and weekly shounen magazine. I own NOTHING. This is all just for fun.
It hadn't even been 5 minutes since Erza's capture, yet Wendy was already busy healing all of the injured members of her guild. Having been the first one healed, Liltotto was currently clenching her fists as she watched the dragon slayer begin her work on Totamaru. It's all my fault. Liltotto thought as her mind continued to rewind to the moments when Erza had surrendered herself to the dark guild. If only I had been stronger. If only I had used my vollstandig right from the start, then Erza wouldn't be-
"Hey, what did I say about not blaming yourself for this!?" Bambietta yelled at Liltotto as she marched over to her. "There's nothing you could have done that would have made a difference. If it wasn't you, odds are that guild master of theirs would have just grabbed someone else."
"Since when can you read minds?" Liltotto asked in a melancholy tone.
"I can't, but you don't live with someone for over 15 years and not pick up on what they're thinking when they're pissed at themselves," Bambietta told her. "Now snap out of it, We're going to be launching our counterattack as soon as everyone's fixed up and I'm going to need my strategist at her best if we're going to pull this off."
"Just use Levy." Liltotto told her as she looked down. "I'm just going to fail Erza again...Just like I failed you."
Bambietta shook her head before she placed a hand on Liltotto's shoulder. "This is nothing like what happened to me, you hear!? You were doing the best you could without knowing how bad thing's really were. You can't ask for more than that. Besides, you think you're the only one beating yourself up over this?" Bambietta was quick to point a finger at herself as she continued. "Because let me tell you right now, I feel like shit for not being able to help Erza out when she needed it most. Sylphiel may have been the reason I was brought back at all, but Erza still played a vital role in where I ended up. She's the reason I ended up joining Fairy Tail and had the best time of my life. Time and again she's believed me when I wouldn't, and I couldn't save her either. But you know what I'm going to do?"
She gave Liltotto a grin then as she placed her hands on her hips. "I'm going to move forward and make up for that mistake! Knowing Candi she's going to do the same thing! I know you want nothing more than to make up for letting her down and let me tell you right now, this is the best way to do it, so stop feeling sorry for yourself, stand up tall on your two feet, get a full stomach from what's left of the casino's buffet, and help me save Erza!"
"But I can't-"
"Yes, you can!" Bambietta interrupted her. " If there is anyone here who can come up with a plan to save Erza it's you Lil! You're by far the smartest person I know and there's no one else I'd sooner trust with a plan to bring her back! You! Can! Do! This! I know you can Lil! We're either going to save Erza, or die trying, but if we do die, we'll at least die for something worth a damn, now are you with me or not Sternritter G!?"
Liltotto could only stare at Bambietta then, her eyes wide with surprise at Bambietta's own words before she slowly smiled. And that's why you're the leader. The petite woman thought before she finally gave Bambietta her answer with a small smile. "Yeah, I think I am. Thanks Bambi."
"Not a prob Lil," Bambietta said before she looked over at Candice. "You coming with? We could really use your help."
"Of course I am!" Candice responded. "What, you think I'm gonna let these assholes just come on in and ruin our vacation and just get away with it? Screw that! Besides, Erza's like the big sis I never had. No way in hell I'm just gonna bail on her. I may have made that mistake once with you, but I'm never doing it a second time!" The green-haired Quincy was quick to look over to Jade then. "If you want to go home I'm not gonna hold it against you. I know you're not exactly close to Erza like the 3 of us are."
"You're right, I'm not," Jade said as she quickly placed her twin pistols into her twin-gun holsters. "But you guys are going to need all the help you can get if you're gonna pull this off. None of you are exactly what I would call "stealthy" anyways. If we're lucky I might be able to get a good layout of their base so we can get Erza out with less of a fuss." If anything it would at least help her feel better for what was to come during the Harvest Festival. "Besides, I know she would have done the same for me."
"Glad to have you on board!" Bambietta said with a grin. "Now who else wants in on operation "Saving Titania?" Any volunteers!?"
"There's no way I'm gonna miss out on this!" Natsu said as he clashed his fists together, sparks of flame coming out as a result."I'm gonna make those guys pay for taking away Erza!"
"Hard to believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Natsu," Gray stated. "If those guys think they can just mess with Fairy Tail and walk away then they've got another thing coming!"
Juvia quickly ran over to Gray and gave him a hug from behind before she looked at Bambietta and the other Quincys. "If my beloved Gray has decided to join you, then I shall go as well!" She then smiled. "With the power of our love, we'll be invincible!" Gray, for his part, could only let out a slightly annoyed sigh. She always did have a habit of overdramatizing their relationship even now.
"I'm coming too," Totamaru said as he slowly sheathed his katana. "There's no way I'm going to let those damn assassins get away with what they're trying to pull."
Liltotto couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Glad to have you with us, but I'm surprised to see you so...gung ho about this."
Totamaru gave her a slight glare before he spoke. "Listen, I know I haven't exactly been the most friendly member of this guild, but when I joined I took an oath for myself that I would do everything I could to make sure this guild prospers, and if that means I need to fight against impossible odds to save one of our best, so be it. Erza's easily one of the best mages I've ever seen and..."
Totamaru's mind quickly drifted back to the past then, as his first official day as a member of Fairy Tail.
The Fire mage slowly took a sip out of his drink as he watched on from his table as the guildhall was celebrating the defeat of Phantom Lord. To say he felt out of place would have been an understatement. He had been part of the operation that had caused his new guild so much pain. Yes, he had done what he could to try to make amends, but what did he really accomplish? In the end, all that happened was he was swiftly defeated by Jose in a vain attempt to reason with his former master. To join the guild in this moment of joy felt...wrong.
This was a mistake. Totamaru thought as he slowly got up from his chair. He shouldn't be here, he didn't deserve it. He glanced over at Juvia, the woman having a fairly wide smile as she partook in the festivities as she chatted away with Levy. It was a strange sight in a way, he had never seen her so happy...but he was glad to see that she was able to at least enjoy herself. Unlike him, she had actually contributed to the battle and frankly, it seemed this guild was what she really needed all along.
"I hope you enjoy your time here Juvia." The fire mage said as he began to make his way towards the doors of the guild. He appreciated the offer that Makarov and Liltotto gave to him to join the guild, he truly did, but he felt he hadn't earned the right. Not yet. However, just as he was about to leave, he felt a powerful hand grasp his shoulder before he could leave the guild. He slowly turned around then and saw none other than Erza Scarlet. "Oh, Erza. Do you need something?" He asked her. He may as well find out what the famous S class wizard wanted from him.
"You don't need to keep berating yourself you know," Erza told him.
"I...don't get what you mean," Totamaru responded. "I-
"I've seen that look on your face more than you think Totamaru." Erza interrupted. "I can only imagine how awkward it must feel to be here right now, celebrating the defeat of your former home. I suspect in fact that you feel responsible for what happened."
"...I could have stopped this," Totamaru answered as he looked away. "Told the magic council, or at least warned all of you ahead of time. Instead, I just sat by and did nothing while Gajeel destroyed your guild and-"
"That's all in the past now," Erza said as she shook her head. "The fact that you did everything you could to try to help Fairy Tail after that fact is what really matters. You took a stand against your own family to do what was right. It's a very commendable thing to do."
"But I didn't do anything!" Totamaru shouted at her. "All I did was try to reason with Jose and I nearly died because of it! I don't deserve to be-"
"You do," Erza said as she placed both of her hands on his shoulders. "Many people come to Fairy Tail when they have nowhere else to be, and Master Makarov and all the guild masters before him have always welcomed those sort of people with open arms. You're a good mage Totamaru, so trust me when I say this, Fairy Tail would be glad to have you."
"I...I just...Do you really mean that?" Totamaru asked as he felt his eyes begin to water. He had held in all of the pain of the whole experience up until now. The guilt, the betrayal, it was all starting to spill out.
"I do," Erza said as she took his right hand and slowly lead him back inside of the guild. "Now come, let's enjoy ourselves tonight. I'm sure it would mean the world to Juvia to see you having a good time."
And thus, a great deal of Totamaru's guilt and distraught had disappeared...and his first day as a Fairy Tail mage truly began.
"Let's just say I owe her." Totamaru finished. "Besides, the next time I run into that jerk Driscoll I'll overpower that Bankai thing of his."
"Excuse you, what!?" Bambietta asked Totamaru. "Did you just said he had "Bankai?" I need to be really sure about this!"
"Um yeah, I did, what about it?" Totamaru responded.
"That's impossible!" Rukia gasped out. "Only the most experienced or powerful of soul reapers can hope to achieve such mastery with a zanpaktou, it's impossible for a Quincy to have one!"
Bambietta quickly had to look away. "Well...actually...The thing is...We might have made medallions that could steal Bankai and kicked your asses with it."
Rukia's eyes widened considerably as she heard Bambietta speak. "You did what!?"
"Yeah, it was all part of his majesty's plan to take down the soul society by stealing your bankai," Candice said before she scoffed. "Still though, I can't believe that asshole still has his!"
"Oh big deal," Bambietta told Candice. "It's like I've said, that power wasn't ours to begin with anyway. I say relying on it separates the weak Sternritter from the strong! Besides, I still got my medallion back home in Magnolia, I've just never had to use it. Frankly, I'm more bothered that Quilge still has his vollstandig, and unlike Lil, he found a way to use it without drawbacks."
"What!?" Candice yelled. "OH, THAT'S BULLSHIT!"
"You've gotta be kidding me," Liltotto said. Well, this just made things a lot harder. Terrific.
"Pfft, whatever, we can still kick their asses any day of the week!" Bambietta shouted. "Bankai or vollstandig, it'll just make beating them all the more satisfying. Who else wants in!?"
Levy was quick to walk over to Bambietta then as she smiled. "Erza's always done what she could to look out for the rest of us. I think now's about the time I did the same for her. Besides, I couldn't just sit by and watch one of my best friends went off on a dangerous mission without me!"
Bambietta felt a hand on her own shoulder then, and she saw Lucy giving her a heartwarming smile."No way I'd let you do this without me. Besides, I can't just sit by and let them do god knows what to Erza." Bambietta smiled then. It warmed her heart to see Lucy having such initiative. Sure, a small part of her was worried about her safety, but she knew that Lucy was much stronger than she gave herself credit for. Maybe this whole experience would give her a bit of a confidence boost. That and well...It was somewhat of a turn-on to hear her lover so eager to fight for once.
"Me too!" Wendy added in.
Bambietta wasn't so happy to hear that, however. "Absolutely not! No way, not happening! Wendy, it's far too dangerous for you to come with-"
"You're always telling me everything's too dangerous!" Wendy interrupted her. "I've been training with Rukia all this time so I could be ready if something this ever happened! Besides what if one of you guys gets really hurt? You need me!"
Much as I hate to admit it, she's got a point. Bambietta thought before she shook her head. She wouldn't be convinced so easily. This was for the dragon slayer's own good! "Even so, Rukia can just as easily heal-"
"Wendy's healing is far better than mine," Rukia interjected. "I know it's hard for you to stay objective in all this, but Wendy's become far stronger thanks to my training. She's a lot more powerful than you think she is."
Bambietta quickly gave Rukia an angry glare. "You stay out of this!"
"Please Bambi?" Wendy begged. "I promise I won't hold any of you back. I can do this, I know I can!"
Bambietta stared at the small dragon slayer, glaring hoping that she could somehow scare Wendy out of this insane idea...but the more she looked at Wendy's determined face, the more Bambietta's own glare lessened. Try as she might, her own desire to scare Wendy was beginning to falter. She...really wants to do this huh? Bambietta thought. Finally, she could glare no more before she sighed and her serious expression returned. "Alright, fine, but when I tell you to fly away with Carla to get out, you'll do just that, no if's and's or buts, is that clear!?"
"Thank you so much!" Wendy cried out to Bambietta before she gave the Quincy a tight hug, Bambietta's angry face giving away almost instantly. Oh, I can't stay mad at her. The Quincy was quick to look at Rukia then as Wendy let go of her. "So I take it you're coming with as well?"
Rukia scoffed before she responded. "Of course I am! As far as I'm concerned this is no different than the time Ichigo and I went off to try and save Orihime from Hueco Mundo! Erza's always been kind to me, this is the least I can do for her helping me join Fairy Tail."
Bambietta smiled. "Goodie, then I guess that's everyone-"
"I wish to participate in this mission as well."
Bambietta, Liltotto, and Candice quickly looked over to the stoic Arrancar as they heard him speak, but while Bambietta and Liltotto remained too stunned by the Arrancar's offer to volunteer, Candice couldn't help but speak her mind on the matter after she scoffed. "Oh what, you want to help get Erza back out of the goodness of your own heart? Like I'm gonna buy that any of that crap, you don't have anywhere near the kind of connection to her like the rest of us do!"
"It's true that I don't share a personal connection with her," Ulquiorra spoke plainly. "But the fact remain's that if we were to lose Erza Scarlet, not only would we lose one of the guild's most powerful warriors, but it would also deal a massive blow to the guild's morale."
"Oh like you even remotely give a damn about guild morale!" Candice yelled back at him.
"Candice?!" Bambietta gasped, surprised to see her friend being so antagonistic to the Arrancar. "What the hell!?"
"What, I'm just supposed to take his word for it that he suddenly gives a damn about the guild now? Please he hasn't even been a member for more than 3 days!" Candice snapped back. "You know exactly what he's like, following logic to a fault without giving a damn about anything else! The odds of us succeeding are way too damn low for me to just accept that he wants to join out to help the guild out of the goodness of his own heart, something last I checked he didn't even believe in! Far as I'm concerned he has to be up to something!" Candice then stared at the Arrancar with an intense glare. "You may have gotten everyone else's trust easily, but I need a bit more proof if you want me to think you actually want to help out on a near-suicide mission!"
Ulquiorra could only stare back at Candice, trying to think of the proper words to prove his point, but as his mind wandered, he thought back to the distant past, on the roof of Las Noches.
Finally, it was over. The 4th Espada had to admit that he had never expected the substitute soul reaper to have put up as much resistance as he had. The Ichigo Kurosaki had gone from being barely able to survive one of Ulquiorra's ceros in his base state to forcing himself to use ressurecion to defeat the young man. The fact that Ichigo Kurosaki had been able to improve so much in less than a day was quite the feat.
It was irrelevant now, however, as once the espada had taken the fight to the top of Las Noches to obey Lord Aizen's orders and released MurciƩlago that the batter had turned to his side completely once more. Even with the aid of his hollowfication, Ichigo Kurosaki was no match for Ulquiorra as he was now. Not even his fully powered Getsuga Tenshou was able to harm him in any way. After what could best be described as an utter one-sided beat down, Ulquiorra now held the substitute soul reaper by his neck, his hollow mask destroyed and half of his Shihakusho now gone. He had completely expected the young man to give in to despair after what had transpired...but much to his surprise, Ichigo Kurosaki still clung to his weapon despite the thorough thrashing he had barely endured.
"Why won't you let go of your sword?" The Arrancar asked. "You've experienced the vast difference in our powers and yet you actually still think you can defeat me?"
"Difference...in power...That doesn't matter at all." Ichigo managed to stammer. "You think I'd give up...Just because you're more powerful than me? From our first battle together I knew that you were stronger." Ichigo managed to say as he slowly lowered his gaze back at the Arrancar, his face full of determination. "We'll find a way...to defeat you...Ul..qui..ora!" He finally managed to sputter out.
Ulquiorra's eyes widened at the man's determination and utter lack of logic. He knew that the Arrancar was stronger than himself, and yet he still had the will to fight? Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. There was no logic or reasoning behind his words, merely determination.
He was so sure, positive then, that upon showing the substitute soul reaper his 2nd release that he would cower in fear, finally give in to despair...but even then, he continued to battle right until then end. But it was not the substitute soul reaper who had died, it was himself.
"It's true that the odds are against us." Ulquiorra finally spoke. "But they're not impossible. If I have learned anything from the last few months it is that my definition of the word impossible isn't as absolute as I once thought it was. The fact remains that the assassination guild took us by surprise and managed to seal away one of our most powerful assets before the battle could even begin. Furthermore, with Miss Basterbine being so preoccupied with protecting Lucy Heartfilia and Wendy Marvel, I feel it would be best if I joined to assure Levy's protection."
Candice looked like she wanted to say more but before she could begin, Bambietta placed a hand on her shoulder. "Look, Candi, if he wants to help, I say let him. We need all the help we can get right now, and he's practically the strongest guy on our team right now. I'm not gonna turn him away just because of what he is or who he was. It's who he is now that I care about." Bambietta then gave the Arrancar a smile. "You want in, glad to have you aboard!"
Candice looked like she wanted to have more to say but decided to remain silent. Bambietta did have a point after all, though Candice still remained wary of the Arrancar even now. If you even so much as think of leaving us behind or stabbing us in the back, I'll zap you into a pile of ash!
"Wait, shouldn't we go back to the guild to get some more help? I'm sure Makarov could make all the difference with Fairy Law." Lucy brought up. "And I know Laxus isn't exactly on the best terms with us, but I don't think even he'd turn us down over something like this."
"We could also get help from the magic council." Levy was quick to bring up. "The more help we get the better our odds of sucess."
Liltotto however shook her head in disagreement. "Normally I'd agree but given how their guild master seemed to be in a hurry to take Erza, it seems that time is of the essence. Whatever they're planning to do to Erza, they're going to do it quick. By the time help arrives it would probably already be too late. It's far from ideal but we'll have to make do with what we got."
Bambietta smirked as she placed her hands on her hips. "Oh come on Lil, I'd say we got more than a good enough team. Everyone here is either eligible for S class or is at least an A-class mage! I say we couldn't ask for a better team! Now come on, let's go!" Bambietta quickly pointed outside to the wide sea outside of the casino's entrance. "Operation Saving Titania is a go!"
Quilge Opie smirked as he slowly ascended up the stairs to the throne room of the tower of heaven. While he hadn't expected to be reunited with so many former colleagues, it didn't change the fact that the mission Lord Jellal had entrusted him and Death's Head Caucus went had managed to complete their task. Erza Scarlet was now successfully locked away in one of the tower's many prisons, her magic sealed away by the seal stone cuffs around her hands. Escape was all but impossible.
He soon opened up the door to the throne room and quickly bowed as he saw his master. "Lord Jellal, I'm here to gladly report that our mission was a complete success!"
Sitting upon the throne he had granted himself within the Tower of Heaven, Jellal Fernandes turned his attentions to Quilge. His eyes peaked out from beneath the hood of his jacket, a smile spreading across his face. And at that moment could Quilge swear that he saw a dark red light emanate from Jellal's right eye. "You've done well, Quilge. Very well indeed. I knew having Ultear bring one of the Quincys into the fold would be worth the effort... but this... this goes beyond even my wildest expectations!
"Oh but it must be I who should be thanking you, my lord!" Quilge said as he stood up. "After all it was you who gave me a brand new purpose in this world. To bring about a divine utopia unlike any the world has ever seen!" He could still recall it now when he had first arrived in this world. Finding work wasn't hard, his power and experience made getting into the rune knights fairly easy...but he soon found the work unfulfilling. The last two organizations he had worked under had so much grander things in mind for the world. To change into a utopia for all who were worthy enough to live in it! The magic council simply wanted to maintain the status quo. They had made no real attempts to change the world, despite having the power to do so. They even refused to take the lives of those who opposed their rule unless it was deemed absolutely necessary! It was maddening, working for such blind fools!
But when Jellal, or more specifically Sigrean had found him, he had offered him that divine purpose. Something he could truly pour his heart and soul into. A true purpose! He recalled the words of his father many years ago, which had spurned on his path in life.
Remember this well, my son, if you want a true Utopia, you'll never be able to achieve it without some sort of sacrifice. Be it blood, sweat or tears, or even life...everything truly worth having comes with a cost. Do you really want that perfect world? Then you'll have to be ready to stain your own hands with blood.
So it had been in his time with the vandenriech and his life before, and so it would be yet again. It had to be, there was simply no other way.
"I promise you this," Jellal said as he stood from his throne and pulled back his hood to reveal his dark blue hair, "with Erza Scarlet within our grasp, Earth Land shall return to times of old where magic was a power to be feared and respected outright. The age of black magic is soon upon us." Jellal began to chuckle then, his laugh a quiet one. However, it soon evolved into a loud outburst, the wizard clutching at the side of his face. "Soon shall Lord Zeref's time come again!"
"Indeed it shall my lord!" Quilge said as he gave his lord a salute. "The divine utopia you have spent so long and hard on shall soon be realized.
Jellal was much like the two men he had worked for and admired so long ago. He had something the fools at the council lacked. Vison. A drive to do what had to be done for the sake of a better world. After all, how could law and order exist if all people in the world were not equal? The lesser beings had to be purified, expunged from the world in order for that utopia to be made. For if all that remained were the strong, then true peace would come about.
No more would there be a "weak" to feed upon. Any and all people would be able to stand up and to fight their own battles. To not rely on anyone but themselves! No longer would there be pushovers, but rather people who could handle their own problems!
Jade felt her heart race slightly as she rummaged through the hotel room she and Candice were staying in. She could still scarcely believe that they had been attacked by Death's Head Caucus of all guilds! Their supposed reputation was known far and wide across Fiore and she had bared witness to its effectiveness less than an hour ago. She was lucky to even be alive right now as far as she was concerned. If it wasn't for Wendy's intervention she would have died, she was sure of it. Jade was an assassin in the service of Emberella, and she was good at it. Very good she'd even say. Not once had she failed to kill someone her mother figure had asked for and almost none of them ever saw her coming. However, she could tell that compared to many of the others she had seen from the dark guild that she was far, far from being the top dog in regards to that profession.
Not that she exactly wanted to go back to that profession anymore, Fairy Tail had done well to guilt-trip her into feeling remorseful for her past more than a few times unknownst to them all. It was a powerful fear of her's that one day her past would catch up to her, and she would be promptly be removed from the guild and placed in a dark, cold, damp cell. But as powerful as that fear was, it was incomparable to the one going through her mind right now.
"This was just supposed to be a fun vacation," Jade said as she began packing some extra ammunition into her small backpack. "Just one last thing me and Candi could do with our friends before-" Jade quickly shook her head as thoughts of her guildmates reduced to mere dolls for Emberella to command came to the forefront. "That shit happens. And now, I'm going to go and probably die before we even get back home. Truly this is the vacation of a lifetime."
She then groaned as she lay down on her bed. Why did she even accept Candi's offer to come along? "I should just go back home, tell Emberella we were involved in a terrible fucking incident that couldn't be unfucked, and that I decided to hightail it out of there...Yeah, she'd probably be ok with that." Part of her wanted to do just that. The odds of them pulling this off were so small she'd sooner spend her entire life's savings trying to win the Fiore Lottery than bet on her own chance of survival. In fact, she was sure none of her friends would even blame her if she just told them she was getting cold feet and would let her just walk away. There was nothing wrong with that...right?
Strangely enough, however, despite how easy it would have been for her to get away from this mess, and the temptation to live another day, Jade found that she didn't want to leave. At least not enough to let her guildmates go alone. Everyone here was a friend of hers in some form or another...Well, perhaps not the Arrancar, but he had never done anything to personally bother her. And besides that, Erza was important to everyone in the guild and Jade had to admit she slightly admired her. Jade knew that even if she did survive this and somehow continued to live her life at the guild, she knew in her heart that it would never be the same without Erza.
"Certainly a rather interesting choice on your part, Miss Ladro."
Recognizing the voice instantly, Jade picked up a pillow and groaned into it. She didn't have the patience to deal with this now! "What do you want Sosuke? In case you haven't noticed, I'm kind of getting ready for what's probably going to be the last fight of my life. So how's about you try some of your shoulder angel of conscience nonsense at a better time!?"
"Why my dear, I couldn't think of a possibly better time," Aizen said as he materialized right before here. "After all, it would be most obtuse of me to question you in a life or death situation, especially if it truly is going to be "the last fight of your life" that you claim it to be."
I suppose he has a point. Jade thought before she slowly rose up. "Ok, fine, what do you want? Try to make it quick though, we're leaving in 10 minutes."
"I'm just curious about your current course of action is all," Aizen spoke to her as he sat down next to her. "Most would find it rather illogical."
"What, because the odds are against us?" Jade asked as she turned her head to face him. "Yeah, I know, we're probably fucked trying to pull this off, But I can't just leave them to die if I know we have a chance at pulling this off. They're going to need me if they want to get in with as little trouble as possible."
"I'm afraid that you misunderstand," Aizen told her. "Doing what is seemingly considered impossible is something I'm rather experienced with. I've accomplished many things that foolish old men had considered impossible for over a millennium."
Jade couldn't help but roll her eyes at his vanity with the reference of his past accomplishments. She had only a few minutes before she would go off to fight for her life, and she had way better things to do than listen to this person in her head just prattle on about how amazing he was. "Then what's the problem exactly?" Jade asked, wanting to get to the point as quickly as she could.
"You're clearly willing to risk your own life to protect your guildmates so they don't lose their lives when they raid the Towe of Heaven," Aizen spoke. "A brave and loyal choice of action to be sure, but tell me, what's truly the difference to them dying now...or simply losing their free will to your mother a mere week from now?"
Jade rose up from her bed as she glared at Aizen, her eyes filled with anger. "How dare you! What Emberella is doing-"
"Is hardly any different than your friends being killed." Aizen interrupted her. "Perhaps their minds will still have some consciousness while your mother controls them, I haven't had the chance to study how the spell is structured to know that much, but that is in its own way even crueler. To be forever trapped in your own body unable to do anything as you're commanded to do commit actions you would find heinous. I'm sure many of them would actually prefer to die saving their comrade than end up as mere lapdogs."
Jade's hands began to shake then as she stared at him. "You...I...She..."
Aizen couldn't help but chuckle as he rested his knuckles against his cheek. "I think it's time you reevaluate your allegiances before your vacation is over. Time is running short for you to make a proper decision you see. You're at a crossroads now, Jade Ladero. One with your mother figure, and the other with your friends. All this time you've been trying to balance between the two, but now you're finally beginning to see that is nothing more than a childish fantasy." He then shot her a small smile. "No...You've already known that for quite some time now haven't you? You just refuse to accept reality."
"Get. Out. Of. My. Room. Now." Jade stated coldly. "You've more than outstayed your welcome."
"Very well," Aizen said as he rose to his feet. "But before I go, allow me to remind you something I told you the day we first met." His body began to slowly vanish now, his entire body almost entirely gone before he spoke his words of wisdom. "Admiration is the furthest thing from understanding." With that, he was gone, leaving Jade all to herself.
"Ugh, god damn it!" She yelled as she looked at the ceiling. That was the last thing she needed right now. Damn that Sosuke Aizen and his mind games, damn his irritating aura of arrogance, and damn the fact that everything he said made sense!
"Oi, bestie, you ok?" Jade could hear Candice call from the hallway. "Thought I heard some shouting."
Jade sighed as she got up from the bed. "Everything's fine Candi, just mad about those guys ruining the vacation is all. I'm almost ready." She quickly packed up her spare ammunition and prepared to leave the room. She couldn't believe it, but right now a life or death scenario was far more preferable to how she was feeling now.
Meifon Long had almost all that she needed within hand. The guild leader of Celestial Blade had worked long and hard to find the proof she needed. Every resource at her disposal had been put towards the singular goal of discovering a truth that threatened the very security of the kingdom of Fiore. It had been a dangerous game she was playing, but she knew it had to be played.
For she had found evidence of who the traitor within the Magic Council's ranks was.
Guiding her personal airship down to the ground, Meifon exited it. She had come alone, leaving her guild back at the main airship for now. If she was wrong, or if her evidence was not enough to support her claims, she did not want to drag the others down with her.
Suddenly, her communication larcima began to glow. A holographic image of Yajima, a short old man with a bald head and mustache was now looking at the wizard saint with a grim expression. She had almost never seen him like this, the two of them having been on good terms as former members of Fairy Tail. If he was calling her right now...
"Meifon, thank goodness I was able to finally contact you." The old man said with a sigh of relief.
"Hm?" Meifon noted the concern etched upon Yajima's face even as it echoed through his voice. She had expected to come here as the one with grave concerns to voice, but it seemed he had beaten her to the punch. "What's... what's the matter?"
"I'm afraid to contact you under such dire circumstances, but given your connection to someone deeply affected by what will soon transpire, I felt it was necessary to contact you immediately," Yajima told her. "...It appears, we missed one of the R System towers."
Meifon dropped the lacrima orb almost immediately, her blood running cold. It hit the ground hard, but never broke its connection to Yajima. The hologram of the council member simply projected out horizontally.
"That's not... that's not possible," Meifon said, the wizard taking a step back. She felt her breath catch itself within her lungs for but a moment. Still, the S-class wizard reigned herself in and knelt down, picking up the orb. She was eerily calm then, her emotions in check. "Where is it?"
"Near the southeast coast of Fiore's ocean," Yajima informed her. "We've only been informed ourselves very recently. One of our scout teams sent us an image of the tower before we lost contact with them. We've already assumed the worst."
"How could this have been right under the Magic Council's notice for so long?" Meifon questioned. "Unless..." Her eyes narrowed. He deliberately kept it from you all. So caught up in the moment, her suspicions coupled with the reveal of a hidden R-System, it had taken Meifon a few seconds to hear all that Yajima had said. "What about Erza?" she asked, a bit of panic leaking into her voice.
"I need you to make sure that you keep an eye on her," Yajima informed her. "You know as well as I do that she and her entire village were enslaved to build those wretched towers. Right now we need to be very careful how we go about exterminating this last one, not just rushing in like a bunch of fools. I know that Erza is usually more than capable of keeping a cool head under dire circumstances, but I fear with the personal connections at play here, she may not be thinking with a straight head."
He then shook his head. "This isn't just any tower...It's the very same one she was brought to...and its current leader is none other than Siegrain's twin brother."
"No..." Meifon shook her head. "Erza would never... never make a rash decision like that. She's..."
Meifon stopped. Everyone had a breaking point. She knew very well the lengths she had gone to deal with Strings, with the man he had once been in their shared past. Why then would she expect Erza to be any different? She quickly shook her head as those thoughts came to her head, however. No, I have to have faith in her to make the right choice. If anything, this event makes it all the more clear I have to end this right here, right now. "You have my word that I'll see her as soon as I can," Meifon informed him. "I just have one piece of urgent business that I must complete before I see her. It won't take long, however, I promise you."
"Yes, see to it that you do. We need to be careful about how we handle things from here on out." Yajima told her. "We're all counting on you." And with that, the hologram of the elderly man vanished.
The Wizard saint felt her hands clench in fury as she grit her teeth. She wanted nothing more than to go to Erza and comfort her, to make sure that her successor had someone to be with during this difficult time, but this was a matter that simply could not be put off any longer. She could only hope that Fairy Tail would give Erza all the help she needed. She had best to meet up with Mystogyn soon, the sooner they put an end to this traitor, the better for everyone in Fiore.
After the group had managed to get their supplies and fully prepared themselves, the Fairy Tail mages quickly set out to find a ship large enough to help them on their journey to save their dear friend. Fortunately for them, a rather large vessel had landed its anchor at the resort's harbor. While its crew was initially hesitant to take on such a dangerous task, once they had found out they were mages of Fairy Tail, the captain of the ship had quickly complied. It turned out that members of the guild had saved his town from a dark guild many years ago, and he was more than eager to return the favor. One person, however, took issue with the entire arrangement.
"Oh god, why did we have to take a boat?" Natsu moaned out as he gripped onto the railing of the ship, the dragon slayer's head leaning over said railing as his stomach churned as the ship was slowly rocked by the waves of the ocean. "We could have just flown in with Happy and the rest of you could have been carried out."
"Sorry, Natsu but I'm afraid that would be a bad idea." Liltotto pointed out. "Odds are they would expect us to travel by air. While there's a good chance they also have some kind of defense for the sea, Quilge and the others will probably expect the former. Besides, with how strong our enemies are we need to save as much of our energy as possible for the battles ahead. Furthermore, from what I can sense it'll only take us 30 minutes to catch up."
"30 minutes!?" Natsu yelled out. "Lil I can't wait for -" Whatever Natsu wanted to say was interrupted however as he quickly hurled his lunch over the ship, puking out his lunch as Totamaru slowly shook his head.
"You know, I used to be jealous of people who had slayer magic since they were completely immune to whatever element they learned, but now..."
"Yeah, Natsu doesn't take travel sickness very well." Lucy quickly brought up. "He was pretty much just like this when we took the trip up Mt. Hakube."
Juvia was slowly nodding her head in understanding as she listened in. "That would explain why Gajeel was sick when we took a magic mobile to Clover Town for a mission."
Bambietta couldn't help but giggle at the thought of the iron dragon slayer puking his guts out over a simple car trip. "Oh really, now that is some comedy gold! I'd have loved to have seen that!" She may have decided not to kill Gajeel in the end, but she was still very sore over what he had done to Levy. She couldn't help but quickly glance over to Wendy then and smiled. Thank goodness you don't seem to have that problem at least. She couldn't bear the thought of Wendy being sick in any way.
She quickly glanced at her girlfriend then, the young woman now clutching onto her doll Gonzales. Apparently, Lucy found the doll to make her more comfortable whenever it was nearby, though she couldn't explain why, so the celestial mage brought it with her. Bambietta suspected it was due to its fullbring nature. I just hope it doesn't become a problem, the last thing we need is- Her thoughts were interrupted then as Liltotto spoke up.
"So, other than Natsu, is everyone else here ready for the briefing?" Liltotto asked the assembled group. "Last time some of you were caught off guard by what our enemies could do. Luckily for everyone here, I have a pretty decent idea of what they can all do, so it's best I give all of you an idea of what we're in for here. Rukia here has volunteered to illustrate them to the best of her ability as I go over each one."
The petite Quincy was precise and thorough throughout her briefing, going over each and every person from her world and their ability as best she knew, Rukia intervening on occasion due to her personal experiences with Shrieker and the bounts. Soon, after 12 minutes or so had passed, Liltotto looked at the assembled group. "So, any questions?"
Jade spoke up. "Yeah, why on earth do they all look like chibi bears?"
Liltotto fought the urge to groan. "What are you talking about-" Liltotto's words were cut off once she looked down at the pictures Rukia had drawn to see cartoonish-like bears, each one barely resembling the people they had just discussed with their clothes being the sole giveaway. Her right eye twitching, Liltotto looked back at Rukia. "I thought you said you were an accomplished artist!?"
The regai quickly huffed. "You clearly just don't understand that fine art truly is!"
Bambietta could only stare at the pictures in disbelief. "Rukia...I hate to burst your bubble, but these suck. Who the hell taught you how to draw in the first place!?
"I'll have you know I was taught by none other than my esteemed older brother!" Rukia shouted back.
The Quincys could only stare then, their minds quickly trying to imagine the older noblemen teaching Rukia the "finer arts" using Ambassador seaweed as an example of "true art." It was..baffling, to say the least. Candice quickly shook her head in disbelief. I can't believe that I died to someone who draws like...this!
Liltotto continued to speak then to change the subject. Besides, this was something she just felt had to be said from the bottom of her heart. "Listen, I'm going to be honest, the odds aren't exactly in our favor this time around. We're going to be fighting on enemy territory and they'll know the place far better than we will. For all we know, we'll have even more people to worry about than those we saw at the casino. However, winning our battles isn't what matters. Saving Erza is. If one of us manages to get to her, we leave if we can. The odds of us winning a dragged-out fight are very slim if Ulquiorra can't use his ressurecion and that's not a gamble I'm willing to take. If possible, please try to team up with anyone near you. I don't want to hear any complaints about it either. This isn't a tournament you're winning for your own glory, this is a rescue mission. Any beef you have with anyone here needs to be forgotten right here and now. Almost everyone here owes Erza something, and this is the least we can do to pay her back for all she's done. So leave your pride on this ship, and do whatever it takes to save her. Is that clear!?"
Everyone nodded in agreement, some even cheering as she finished her speech. Her passionate speech from the heart had made it quite clear just how much this mission meant to her, that it was clear that they were all truly united as a group in their mission. However, before anything else could be said on the matter, they were interrupted.
"Captain, look!"
Bambietta and the others couldn't help themselves when they looked in the direction where the panicked sailor was shouting at. About 60 pairs of yellow glowing eyes could be seen underneath the water then, and the men aboard the ship began to panic. The captain tried his best to keep the peace but it was no use Just then, a scaley webbed hand popped out from the sea, and then as if defying the laws of physics, a muscular green-scaled man stood upon the surface of the water as if it was land. Its face was covered in gills, and its mouth was full of razor-sharp fangs and wielded a sharp spear, its webbed tail smacking against the seawater before it growled. More and more of these creatures rose from the surface of the water until the entire ship was surrounded.
"Ok, I'll bite, what are those?" Bambietta asked Levy.
Levy's eyes were wide with shock then as she looked at the assembled creatures. "Those are Sahuagin! Their B-class creatures that are known to attack sailors that cross their territory and eat them alive!"
"Well well, it seems like someone knows a little bit about my kind." One of the creatures spoke. "We are part of Lord Jellal's navel defense force. He's asked us to ensure that not a single one of you sets on foot on his beloved tower."
"Personally, we're just glad to do something. It's been sooo long since I've enjoyed the flesh of a human, especially a female." Another creature said as it slowly licked its lips.
Gray had heard enough however as he stepped forward. "You guys think it'll be that easy, I'll show you what a Fairy Tail wizard can really do! Ice-Make-" However, before he could do anything else, however, he felt a hand on his right shoulder. Turning around, he saw Bambietta.
"Cool it, Gray, trust me when I say they're not worth it," Bambietta told him. "So just sit back ok?"
"What's up with you? I was just about to teach these guys a lesson." Gray retorted.
"And don't think for a second that I don't think you could handle it," Bambietta told him. "We could probably crush these guys in no time flat, But we can't afford to waste energy on small fries like these. I don't know how long it takes a wizard-like you to get back your magic, but it doesn't take that long for us Quincy's. A 30-minute long cruise should be more than enough time for yours truly. Let me handle this."
"By yourself, you can't be serious!" Gray told her. "There has to be at least 50 B class monsters out there, there's no way you can do it alone!"
Bambietta simply shrugged. "Gray, trust me when I say it's best you let me handle this. You guys need to save up all the power you can for when we get there. Besides-" The Quincy stared at all of the sea creatures with an icy glare as she slowly formed her sword in her right hand. "I need to vent out some anger for earlier and I don't want to get any of you guys caught up in it by accident."
Gray looked like he wanted to say more, but Juvia quickly intervened. "Darling, I know how you feel, but she's right. It's best we save our strength for the battles up ahead. Let's let her have a chance at the very least."
Gray wasn't exactly thrilled by what was going on, but he soon let out a sigh. "Ok, fine, but if you have any trouble, I'm stepping in."
One of the Sahuagin however, was downright furious. "What, you seriously think you can take on all of us by yourself!?"
"Buddy, I know can," Bambietta said as she finally walked up to the bow of the ship. "I used to kill monsters for fun back home, and they were way scarier than you. Still, seeing how you all seem to have some kind of brains inside your heads and that you're not completely mindless, I'm going to give you all just one chance right now to get out of this alive. What do you say, boys?"
"Don't think you can scare us human!" The same creature shouted back. "We are not cowards, we are a strong and proud warrior race! We are Sahuagin!"
"Really?" Bambietta said before she gave the sea creatures a terrifying grin. "Because all I see right in front of me are a bunch of baby seals." Before the Sahuagin could offer up any kind of retort, however, Bambietta had quickly vanished from his sight before she had appeared right in front of him, her blade already plunged deep into the creature's stomach. Just as he let out a gargled cry and his comrades turned their heads to look at him, Bambietta quickly cleaved the creature in two. One of the Sahuagin attempted to stab Bambietta with his spear, but the Quincy simply slashed out with her sword once more, cutting both the weapon, and its wielder in half. Another Sahuagin attempted to grab her feet from underwater but Bambietta quickly jumped into the air before she fell downwards, her sword impaling itself through her assailant's head.
Another Sahuagin attempted to fire a massive orb of water at her, but Bambietta quickly changed her sword's form into her bow and quickly fired an arrow through the elemental attack, the energy arrow disintegrating the creature entirely. Two more attempted an attack from behind, but Bambietta grabbed one of the creatures by the head and threw him into the spear of one of the other attackers. Not wanting to give the Sahuagin a chance to attack, Bambietta formed an "explode" orb in her right hand and tossed it at another spear one of the Sahuagin were wielding. It quickly erupted, killing not just the Sahuagin wielding the spear, but many others who were about to join in on the attack, the sea quickly taking on the color red as it was soaked in the blood and guts of her foes. Bambietta quickly jumped into the air then, and with a sadistic look in her eye and what could best be described as a sinister laugh, she bombarded the ocean with her shrift. What was once a calm sea mere moments ago was now littered with explosions.
Each explodes orb she had unleashed hit its mark, injecting itself into each one of the Sahuagin's various weapons before they exploded, killing countless of the foes that sought to bar their path to the tower of heaven. Their numbers had been reduced to at least half then as she fell to the ocean floor, the Quincy using her control over reishi to remain afloat atop the blood-red sea.
"I...I don't believe it! She's wiped out half of our brethren in less than a minute!" One of the Sahuagin's cried out.
"She can't be human, she has to be some sort of demon!" Another quickly followed up.
Bambietta slowly looked towards the Sahuagin's then and took note of their terrified faces. She couldn't help but grin before she spoke. "What's wrong, scared?" She took a single step forward, and her gathered enemies took another step back. "Good, you should be. Looks like your survival instincts are finally kicking in. Too bad for all of you though, it's a little too late." She let out a quick chuckle then as her eyes narrowed at the Sahuagin's. "Because none of you are going to be making it out of here alive."
The remaining Sahuagin's eyes went wide with fear than before one of them quickly called out "Retreat, retreat!" No feast of human flesh was worth fighting such a monster as far as they were concerned! The Sahuagin's quickly swam in the opposite direction, the aquatic creatures already having swum a great distance in hope of avoiding the Quincy's wrath.
It was not to be, however, as Bambietta's right hand began to slowly glow. "I warned you all, didn't I? I even gave you a chance to just walk away earlier. But you refused to take my word for it. Normally I'd let bygones be bygones...but you're working for the bastard that took Erza, and for that, you will pay!"
Bambietta raised her glowing hand up, fingers curled forward as if they were talons befitting a wyvern. Her other hand quickly latched onto the wrist, her feet sliding to the sides as if the Quincy were bracing herself for what was to come. Her long dark hair seemingly began to rise upwards, the air crackling with trace amounts of static electricity.
"Atomic Blast!"
From Bambietta's palm exploded an almighty pulse of azure energy, the force leaving Bambietta's heels to dig back into the wood frame of the ship. She held her ground, her eyes ablaze with the reflection of what lay before her. She swept the stream of energy across the ocean, from left to right, watching as each and every one of the Sahuagin's were consumed in their own individual explosions. The turbulent waves only grew more volatile, leaving the ship to rock from the devastation before it.
Then, the deed done and the enemies vanquished, did Bambietta slam her hand into a fist, her fingers curling into her palm, the energy blast fading away. She held her fist before her, smoke slipping between her fingers, her face adorned with a vicious smile, her eyes cast in the shadow of her hat's visor.
Then she turned around to face her fellow guildmates, all the while sheepishly running a hand through her long hair.
"Okay, so maybe I overdid it a little there, but at least I didn't accidentally cause a tidal wave, right?"
She quickly landed back on the ship, but not before she turned to face forward as she looked on towards their destination. I'll get you out of there somehow Erza...even if it kills me.
So oddly enough, the original chapter had a whole scene that was cut where I had Liltotto go in-depth on their foes, but after the chapter was deleted, the scene was lost. I decided not to rewrite it though, since while not all of the characters are aware of what each fighter can do, you, the reader most likely are. It was more of a time-saving decision than anything else granted, but I feel like I made the right call.
But as for the scenes that were added, that would be the flashback Totomaru had with Erza and Jade and Aizen's little conflict.
For the former, I kinda wanted to give Totomaru some kind of stakes in this arc aside from just being dragged along for the ride, and realized that a scene like the one you got in this chapter would work perfectly.
Jade and Aizen however, works as set up for the future, and to be honest, I really, really, enjoy writing them together.
Also, for those wondering, I do plan on giving Quilge Opie more fleshed-out reasoning and flashback for why he's doing what he is and how he came to be the way he is. While I don't promise every Sternritter in this story will be fleshed out, I do want to give these characters more depth. This was just more of a teaser than anything.
Next chapter, our hero's will finally arrive at the dreaded tower of heaven. Will they be able to save Erza Scarlet and escape acording to Liltotto's plan, or will it all be for naught? Find out next time, on A Quincy's Fairy Tail!
Sahuagin MPF: 860
