Author's Note: Sorry…It's been a while. Thank you for all your support and patience :,)
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
But if I did, maybe I would give Romeo and Wendy more interactions in the story line. Then introduce a comedic dynamic between Romeo, Sherria, and Wendy where Sherria teases Romeo and ships them much to the pair's embarrassment.
Per usual, please feel free to give me your constructive criticism, feedback, suggestions, etc. as they are all welcome. I love hearing back from folks.
Spells and attacks will be typed in bold. Thoughts flashbacks, and emphasized phrases will be italicized.
Lamia Scale Thanksgiving arc ~ Chapter 15 - Third Party Lurkers -
~ Central Park, Margaret Town~
"Tenacious one, aren't you?"
Half exhausted, Shinji took a knee. He looked up the three newly freed heads of the Orochi. Hastily, they rapidly lunged at him with open jaws. Abruptly, someone appeared behind him. She put a hand on his shoulder before teleporting them both away from imminent harm.
Confused that their prey vanished from sight, the three Orochi heads halted their three-pronged strike.
Aria and Shinji reappeared a few yards away from the beast. The pinkette lightly bonked the raven-haired boy square on the top of his head, "Shin-kun, that was wayyy too risky! If I didn't show up, you would have been eaten alive!"
Brushing the top of his head, Shinji lowered his head, "I'm sorry, Aria. Thanks for having my back there."
Aria frown as she refocused her attention to the Orochi. Two out of the five heads originally imprisoned by Ren's Aerial Spell were now decapitated. This enabled the Air Magic mage better control over the restraints on the remaining three. She briefly angled her gaze to the Blue Pegasus mage. Ren's breathing was indeed less labored as he concentrated his magic power into a large Air Magic circle in front of him.
Unfortunately, the other three heads that Aria immobilized in her crystals shattered their confines. Among the three heads that tried to attack Shinji, two glared a pair of blood-red eyes in their direction with opened jaws. Two magic circles formed at their ajar orifices. Blasts of electricity and darkness cascaded towards them.
"Ice Make: Dragon!"
A rime-scaled dragon of light-turquoise ice meandered past the two Fairy Tail Mages to intercept the twin blasts. The Ice Make beast shattered upon impact, but successfully shielded the two young Fairy Tail Mages. From behind, Lyon joined his hands together to launch another spell, "Don't falter now Fairy Tail!"
"Thank you, Lyon..." Shinji nodded to the Ice Make.
Aria and Shinji exchanged glances. Nodding to each other, they charged towards their towering adversary. Shinji subsequently materialized his jet-black katana into his spare hand. Brandishing his blade's edge at the polycephalic reptile in front of him, he eyed the Orochi lift its piked tail-blade to wipe them in a sagittal sweep.
"Tail incoming from our 3 going to 6!" Shinji warned the pinkette by his side.
"Guess I'll make us airborne for a sec!" Aria tapped Shinji and the two disappeared.
The Orochi's azure-scaled tail whizzed past nothingness. Dumbfounded, the creature could not make out why its tail did not make contact with its intended targets. Thereafter, both Aria and Shinji appeared in mid-air. Two of the Orochi's heads aimed their magic breaths at the Fairy Tail mages on reflex, firing an array of lightning and umbral smog their way. The third head gave its attention towards the headless stubs of the Orochi heads Shinji decapitated. Upon opening its mouth, an iridescent jade stream ebbed towards the exposed necks. Aria promptly teleported them out of peril's path again.
Aria and Shinji reappeared above the beast. From their bird's eye view, they could see the third head attempting to resuscitate the incapacitated ones. Commencing free fall, the raven-haired Swords Mage glanced at Aria, "Think you can stop the healer? I don't think I can cut it down in my current state."
"Hmmm...I might have something up my sleeve to stop them all actually," Aria furrowed her brows in a contemplative mode, "Think you can buy me some time?"
"I can only try," Shinji smiled, basking himself in transitionary light, "Requip: Fire Lord Armor!"
Dawned in a crimson, fireproof half-zip with black pants and obsidian armored parts, Shinji materialized a complementary blazing, vermillion blade into his right hand. At the flashing lights, the two Orochi heads that tried to disintegrate them earlier turned their attention solely to the armored mage. Shinji traced his fiery blade with the now glowing index and middle fingers of his left hand.
"Multiply!"
Multiple replicas of the infernal katana in his hand materialized and floated around him. After ten replicas were spawned, Shinji pointed the tip of the one he held in his hand at the serpentine creature below him.
"Arsenal Flare!"
On command, the fiery swords rained down upon the Orochi, exploding and spreading fires a top its large constitution. The non-incapacitated heads tried to swerve their elongated necks and snap at the blades, but their efforts were to no avail. Though its dense, keratinized hide would mitigate most of the damage sustained, Shinji's onslaught still served its purpose - a temporary distraction.
The third intact head that attempted to revive the previously out-of-commission heads now halted its initial operation.
"Hmph, got you now!" Shinji eyed the unguarded headless stubs.
Blazing blade in hand, he dove towards the exposed necks then stabbed his katana into the one of the headless stumps. Amplifying his magic power, Shinji made his blade burn stronger. The Orochi roared in anguish as this new, agonizing pain courses through its whole body. In the following second, the mighty beast began slithering and squirming in the scorched grass in attempt to shake Shinji off.
"Tch. Dammit...!" Shinji grunted as he was steamrolled and shook around the Orochi's scales and charred soil. Knowing that he needed to give up, Shinji let go of the blade and rolled a few yards back from the flailing beast.
Mildly bruised, Shinji brushed off the dirt from his armor and coat before looking up to Aria with a thumbs up, "Was that enough?"
"Perfect. But that was reckless, Shin-kun...even by your standards!" Aria sighed as conjured multiple crystalline blossoms.
Shinji shrugged, "You can scold me all you want to later! This isn't time!"
Flustered, Aria puffed her cheeks poutily, "Fine."
Refocusing her attention to the battle, the pinkette flourished her hands, directing the florets to move in on their target.
"Punishing Blossom!"
Innumerable amethystine daggers bombarded the Orochi. Every sharp that made contact with the beast burst into translucent lilac stalagmites that encased the contacted sections while weighing the creature down. In the aftermath of the onslaught, the beast was immobilized by the weight of the attached crystals. Still, the heads were not entirely frozen. The heads that could blast Lightning Magic, Dark Magic, and two amongst the heads imprisoned in Ren's Aerial were still mobile despite being partially covered in ether crystals.
Reappearing by Shinji's side, Aria took a tired breath and wiped the sweat off her forehead, "Shoot, that did not do the trick."
"You two did admirably," Lyon approached them, "Please, let me handle the rest."
Sherry's scream stopped them in their tracks, "Ren-san!"
The three turned to the Blue Pegasus mage's direction and saw he was punched by a dark- cloaked figure with loose, green trousers with a light-tan scaled pattern from the mid-thigh cut off at the knees with brown tassels attached to the hem. His knees were covered by sable leggings tucked into tight black boots.
"Hmph...now that's one less torn on my side," his raspy voice conveyed delight.
"Gah!" Ren sprawled back a few feet from his assailant, hitting his back against the dirt.
"Ren-san!" Sherry and the others quickly ran to her husband's side.
Lyon and Shinji stood in front of Ren, glaring at the cloaked figure with the zany pants.
Lyon clasped his hands together in preparation to cast another spell at unexpected intruder. A frigid aura emanated from his intertwined hands, "Who the hell are you?"
Shinji reequipped his deep red katana and pointed it at their adversary, "Are you with Orochi Head?"
"Don't lump me in with those lame bugs," the covered figure hissed. A creepy pair of lightless black pupils could be seen from within the shadow cast over his face by his hood.
Meanwhile, Sherry and Aria helped Ren get up from the ground.
"Ren-san, are you alright?" Sherry asked her husband,
"I-I'm fine Sherry-!"
Having gathered himself up, Ren gasped at a new realization. He turned to the Orochi.
"Ah crap, my Aerial's been undone!"
With Ren's composure broken, his anoxic restraints over two of the reptile monster's heads dissipated. Four pairs of blood red eyes now set their sights on the mages below them with gaping open mouths. Four magic circles of different colors spawned in front of each respective head with a sinister shine.
"Orochi, sick them!" the figure pointed a finger at the five mages in front of him.
"Brace yourselves!" Ren exclaimed, putting himself in front of Sherry.
"Crap, I don't think I can teleport us all out of this..." Aria sweatdropped at her own powerlessness.
"Not on my watch!" Lyon pivoted turning his Ice Make stance towards the four intact heads, "Ice Make: Titan Feet!"
Overhead, a ginormous foot made of ice dropped onto the Orochi.
Aria's jawed dropped, "That thing is huuuuge!"
"Well, that's Lyon-sama for you!" Sherry winked at the pinkette, expressing her pride for her former guildmate.
"Redirect your fire!" the cloaked man pointed to the giant Static Ice Make creation.
Subsequently, the Orochi accordingly adjusted its aim and blasted Lyon's magic with four elemental breaths. Despite its efforts, the blast could not completely disintegrate his craftsmanship. Chunks of ice from the initial creation hailed down upon the draconic being.
"Interesting, so this guy needs to command the Orochi for it to take actions. You must be the beast tamer." Lyon observed.
"Then all we have to do is ensure he won't have time to speak," Shinji sprinted towards the cloaked man with his blazing sword ready to swing, "I'll take him, guys. Cutting this guy down to size with my sword should be an easier match for me than with the lizard!"
"Tch. Great, another pest..." the slippery male clicked his tongue as he dodged Shinji's fervent swings. Taking his own safety into account, the cloaked man leaped towards the alleys to evade Shinji, but the sword mage was hot on his tracks.
Two heads were rendered headless stubs. Ether crystals clamped the mouths of two other heads; they could move but were unable to use breath attacks. Aria, Lyon, Ren, and Sherry were left to deal with remaining four heads attached to the giant serpentine body. Twelve pairs of blood red eyes glared down upon the four mages as Orochi's viable heads growled at their assigned prey.
~Back Alleys of Margaret~
Taking a concrete corridor into one of Margaret's dark alleys, the black coated figure bounded from wall to wall over canals and boats. Despite his parkour skills, Shinji's stamina would not relent. In pursuit of his enemy, Shinji imbued magic into his blade emblazoning it once again with flames. While charging the ferocity of his flames, he continued to track his opponent's movements in wait for him to make another leap until...
"Vermillion Talon!"
Shinji swung his fiery sword, unleashing a flaming vector of a scarlet phoenix that flew towards the anonymous individual. The radiant bird homed onto the cloaked figure as his trajectory subtly shifted midair.
Feeling the sudden, posterior flash of warmth, the cloaked man pivoted in midair to counter. Instinctively, he thrust a flat palm forward towards the blazing creature.
"Aerial!"
A sky-blue magic circle appeared parallel to the man's palm. Just when the phoenix was about to singe him, it was abruptly encapsulated in an eerie transparent sphere. The flames within the orb immediately diminished until they vanished completely.
"That's Ren-san's Air Magic..." Shinji observed, "Is this something he naturally knows on top of Beast Taming?"
Tracing his blade once more, Shinji used another Swordsmith spell, "Multiply!"
As the command suggested, another batch of five replicate katanas formed. Hovering behind their swordsmith, the replicas set themselves ablaze.
"Let's see you hold off against this many! Arsenal Flare!" Shinji pointed his blade towards the cloaked man.
An array of burning scarlet weaponry bolted towards their intended target.
"Tch. Shit." The mysterious man cursed under his breath as he conjured two Air Magic circles from his both of his palms. He set his left palm forward.
"Aerial!"
With multiple blades encroaching him, he attempted to conjure multiple deoxygenated chambers. At most, he was able to lock in two swords which lost their flames and fell straight into the canal waters. Three remnants passed by and made straight for his cloak. Unfazed, he calmly landed on an unoccupied boat. The cloaked figure pointed his hand towards the volley of torched swords and Shinji.
"Aerial Shot!"
Water from the canal floated. Forming into large orbs, the aquatic spheres subsequently darted towards Shinji's blades. The rapid water orbs doused and shattered Shinji's flaming blades before homing in on Shinji.
"Crap," Shinji cussed as he jumped onto a nearby wall to evade the ensuing water blasts. He then kicked off of the wall to acquire forward momentum.
"So his Air Magic enables him to use his surroundings too..." while mid-air, Shinji's calculated his next move," Too bad using the local water makes this a mismatch with my Fire Lord Armor. Then I guess I have to shift gears..."
Basking himself in light again, Shinji switched from his obsidian armor and red, fireproof half zip. When the light subsided, he was dawned in a silver, black, and emerald leather armor with a green hood and black face mask. Two curved emerald blades materialized in his respective hands.
"Requip: Fuujin Armament!"
"Gross..." the black hooded figure frowned in disgust, "Now that I've seen it up close. You really are a knock off of Titiania."
"Rude..." Shinji held his silence as he glowered at the cloaked man, "But how does this creep know my sensei?"
Shinji connected the ends of his tomoe sword's hilts to join the blades in symmetry, forming a bow-like shape. Upon transfiguring the swords into a bow, an iridescent jade thread fashioned itself between the tips of the blades forming a drawstring. Shinji pulled back on the string, causing a magic arrow made of wind to take shape.
"Fuujin Yajiri!"
He released his aim, firing a spiraling gale at the mysterious man's vicinity.
Naturally, the hooded opposition was quick on his feet. But, at close range the arrow's speed proved near impossible to avoid unscathed. Taking a chance, the hooded man extended both his hands forth to intercept the arrow. Manipulating the air around him, he tried to create resistance against the grinding winds. When the wind arrow pierced into his aerated blockade, he was nearly thrown off the boat by the intense recoil. The small, wooden vessel he stood on shook violently. Although the cloaked man was able to block the arrow from piercing him, his black cloak wildly ruffled until it completely flew off his person.
"Drat...my disguise!" Kurohebi sweatdropped at his sudden exposure.
From a few yards away, Shinji noticed the anonymous one lost his means of concealment. He could not make anything out of this guy's identity, but that did not deter him from the fact this person has control over the eight-headed beast wreaking havoc in the park. While Kurohebi was in a near standstill, Shinji nocked another wind-blessed arrow back. This time, he aimed at the boat.
"What a pest...," Kurohebi could feel the change in the air as Shinji fired another arrow at him. He grunted in pain as he tried to redirect the first arrow towards the incoming arrow, shredding the cloth and skin around his hands in the process.
"Nghhhh!" Kurohebi hurled the first bow at the second bow. Upon collision, the projectiles burst into an expanding sphere of wind that blew everything in the vicinity back. The nearby buildings rumbled. Boxes, crates, and boats stationed in the alley were torn into smithereens. Kurohebi, too, was blown off the boat he stood a top and slammed into a nearby wall.
With help from his Fuujin Armament's innate resistance to Wind Magic, Shinji dashed through the gust with minor difficulty. Dismantling his bow into separate blades, Shinji's icy sapphire eyes locked onto the black-lipped, black-eyed man trying to regain his composure after his back was damaged against the wall. He lunged forward without hesitation. As he closed in, Shinji could espy a sickly smile form on his foe's face.
Kurohebi quickly extended a hand up. Another sky-blue Air Magic circle formed, "Aerial.."
Only a few feet away from his enemy, Shinji found himself suspended in air. To make matters worse, he felt the air around him was thick and suffocating. Shinji pressed a hand to his forehead. He felt a sudden onset of a headache as he tried to steady his breathing. Slowly, his captor arose from his slump and creepily walked towards him.
"Heh...Heheheheheheheh!" Kurohebi's sable eyes became malicious slits, "Too bad. Nearly got me there. I've got to say that playboy's magic is really useful. You could try shouting for help, but you might snuff yourself out in the process."
~Ravine North of Margaret~
"Shite. We've been bested," Carla grit her teeth.
Romeo, Wendy, and Sherria looked despondently at Carla amidst a background of Orochi Head's irksome laughter. A vein popped on Romeo's forehead because the freckled, lime-haired man did not cease his antics even after being taken down. Impulsively, Romeo stepped towards the cackling man.
"Ahahahahaha...HAAAA-Bugohhh!"
Then slugged him over the head with a tightly clenched knuckle sandwich to silence him.
Romeo sighed, "Sorry everyone, this guy was getting on my nerves."
"Don't be. That guy just did not stop," Sherria replied.
Wendy walked up to Romeo and held his hand, examining the bones of his knuckles for bruising.
"That was a pretty hard right hook. Is your hand okay, Romeo-san?" Wendy expressed her concern.
"All good," Romeo withdrew his hand before turning to the one he was most worried about at the moment.
Carla was beyond distraught. As of recent, her clairvoyance showed her something that didn't make sense when juxtaposed with what just transpired. Yes, the massive army of monsters that were marching inbound towards the city from the ravine they now occupied was accurate. However, the second part turned out to be way off.
Carla grabbed Wendy as she activated Aera. Sherria suddenly jumped, planting her foot on Natsu's face before onboarding Happy to fly alongside them.
Natsu and Happy were not sent to attend Margaret for the Thanksgiving Festival as Fairy Tail's representatives in the first place. This was obviously for the best when taking into consideration the copious, unnecessary damages that rambunctious Fire Dragon Slayer would have wreaked on the city. Nonetheless, the anomalous person who filled in Happy's role as Sherria's chauffer was Romeo.
Minor contradictions aside, Carla could not forget the exhilarating rush from earlier while fighting Orochi Head and his squadron of elite monsters under his control. Her Precognition was inherited from her mother, Queen Chagotte, as explained in a roundabout manner by Nichiya and Nadi when she returned to Earthland from Edolas. But all her years, those clairvoyance powers were solely restricted to prophetic visions. This was the first time her Precognition ever demonstrated combative or evasive capacities in real-time.
"Weird. Absolutely weird all around..." the white-furred Exceed glowered, seemingly at Romeo.
Sensing her typical apprehensive expression caused Romeo to sweatdrop, "Um...are you still mad about that remark I made about you taking drugs? If it makes you feel better, I kind of owe you a soda too since you put Snake Guy's bowl-cut ass in his place."
"Oh Romeo, that pissed me to high heaven, " Carla nonchalantly recalled, "But that's not what's bothering me..."
"What is then?" the Fire Mage tilted his head in curiosity.
"It's just too much to explain right now," Carla sighed.
From the vantage point of the ravine, a sudden column of light rose from Margaret rose into the sky.
"Geez. Seems like whatever is going on down there hasn't settled," Sherria observed, "There really must be a second beast tamer controlling that eight-headed snake thing."
"We should hurry and head down then," Wendy suggested, "There might be injured people who need our help-"
"Fall."
By that blank, emotionless word, a heavy magic aura abruptly pressed all four mages into the ground.
"Gghhhh...I can't get up!" Sherria groaned as she was forced to lay on the floor.
"Nngghhhh...What is this!?" Romeo endured his agony as he futilely tried to raise himself.
"This magic...is Gravity Magic...I've felt this before" Wendy's eyes widened, "...Could it be?!"
Carla's confusion worsened to full on distraught, "I completely forgot...the last part of the visions."
Everything came full circle. The White-furred Exceed's mind flashed back to the third portion of her vision:
Wendy, Carla, Sherria, and Happy laying crushed on the rocks, as if some intangible force was restricting them to the ground.
"Good grace, too much is happening too quickly..." Carla grit her teeth.
Approaching them was a light tan-skinned man dressed in a white coat over purple tunic and black combat trousers. His long, black locks were tied up in a high ponytail with a chartreuse sleeve. Long sideburns curved inwards on his chimp-like face. Mild scruff lined his chin. Most of all, his silver irises displayed an utter lack of interest for the other lives in front of him.
Barely able to lift her head, Wendy's eyes widened at the sight of their new assailant.
"No way! It's the guy from Grimoire Heart!" Wendy exclaimed.
Carla mustered a gasp as she espied their former enemy, "Bluenote Stinger...This is the worst."
"I haven't heard that name in a long while," perked by the mention of his previous affiliation, the Gravity Mage's silver irises narrowed further as he analyzed Wendy, "Not many people are aware of my past with the Baram Alliance...Wait a minute...I've seen you before..."
The blue Fairy Tail guild mark visible on her right deltoid stirred a long, forgotten rage inside the man, "Seeing you again...makes me want to make you fly"
"This magic power... it's insane!" Romeo could not tell whether he was trembling with fear or if it really was just the earth quaking beneath them.
Suddenly, the gravity exerted upon the four mages grew agonizingly heavy. Cracks festered everywhere amongst the rocks forming intertwining webs on its surface. In the following second, the entire rocky hill supporting them exploded.
"Gahhhhhh!" All four mages wretched in pain as they were caught in the cataclysm.
They fell amongst the heavy downpour of boulders, pebbles, and dust that crashed into the gap of the gorge. Now only Bluenote remained atop the cliffside - now reduced to a single stone pillar which he stood on, "Pity. After 9 years, nothing seems to have changed. You still fall just as you did back then...That being said, I would like to personally witness the moment I finish you off."
Eager to exact revenge, Bluenote descended into the chasm to finish what he started.
Next Chapter: Gravity Will Crush You
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...
This chapter ended up being shorter than expected. To clarify, I managed to get everything that I wanted to get done in the chapter per my outline. This arc isn't intentionally that long either which I guess makes it easier.
Curious, would you prefer longer chapters like I normally do or shorter chapters like these last few? I would like to gage this so I can make this content easier for you to digest. Thank you, kindly.
Please feel free to give me your constructive criticism, feedback, etc. but please don't be too harsh with me. If you're rude, Bluenote will turn you into a pancake.
Bluenote: *glares with menacingly chimp energy through the screen* I want to see how you fly?"
Author: You can't make flapjacks if you make "them" fly though!
Bluenote: *lightbulb intensifies* I can always drop them after I raise them. Comes with loads of free raspberry jam after.
Author: *shivers in big scared* No thanks, I'll pass on the jam.