Chapter 7: Krakken Egg in It!

POV: Taruko Hikari

Location: Magnolia Train Station

Another day, another job. This would be the first time I went on a job with so many people. To be perfectly honest, I was both excited and nervous. Excited because I was going on an adventure with my friends, and nervous because we were going to fight some massive monster terrorizing a city. I knew Erza and the others were strong, but I was still didn't want them to get hurt or worse. It also didn't help that we were going out into dangerous waters.

... And I can't swim. And I don't have Water Magic to cheat my way out of not drowning. Beginning to regret not learning it. Especially since my Dad was proficient in it... shit.

Oh well, no use crying over spilled milk. I'll just have to trust in everyone's strength. We'd been training like crazy since the past month and have been growing leaps and bounds in such a short amount of time. Cana was showing some astonishing improvement. Her control over manipulating Ethernano was phenomenal, having gotten down the Reinforcement spell in only a couple of days and utilizing it well in tandem with her Tarot Cards.

It helped that her magic reserves were off the freaking CHARTS! Not too dissimilar to my own.

But what else were you expecting from Gildarts' daughter? She went on to master one of the three Great Fairy Spells, too, so I shouldn't have been surprised.

"So, mind giving me the rundown on what we're gonna be dealing with? I skimmed through the request, but I wanna hear it from you."

I grunted, stretching my arms overhead and feeling the taut muscles in my body pop. I let out a satisfied sigh, my gaze roaming the clear blue sky before they landed on Gray. The black-haired Ice Mage had his hands stuffed in his pockets, as he lazily threw a glance over his shoulder to regard me.

"So there's been this huge giant sea monster wreaking havoc around Hargeon... it's been sinking ships left and right, and the citizens are starting to freak." Gray mumbled as we bought our train tickets and waited for our ride. His eyes narrowed. "Sailors can't make it past the port, and it's grinding important deliveries across the country to a halt."

We frowned. Okay, so this was way more serious than expected. But this was fine! With the four of us, we can handle it with no problem! Still though...

I shot Gray a blank look. "And you were gonna go on this job alone?"

Gray twitched. "I woulda handled it..."

Cana huffed. "Idiot."

"OI!"

Erza was the one that got us back on track. "Do we know what this monster looks like?"

The train arrived sooner than expected. Gray shook his head as we made our way inside the train and took our respective seats. He crossed his arms over his chest and glanced out the window with a squint. "Nah. Not much. All the attacks have happened around the middle of the night, where it's hard to make stuff out. The sailors that got out unscathed have said it was a ginormous beast with large tentacles and massive claws."

Doesn't sound like anything I'd know of.

Cana hummed, tapping her cheek. "That description sounds familiar..."

Erza raised a brow, leaning back in her seat. "Really?"

"I've been reading a ton of books on different kinds of monsters recently. From Gray's description, this sounds like one of the ones I've read." Cana cupped her chin in thought.

I leaned back in my seat, peering out the window and watching the world pass us by. It'd take a couple of hours until we made it to Hargeon, so I may as well catch some Z's and rest up before we make it there. I yawned, folding my arms behind my head and closing my eyes. I caught Erza looking in my direction with a squint of her eyes.

"You're going to sleep?" I could hear the incredulity in her voice.

"Yup." I popped casually. "Gonna rest up. We've got a few hours, so I'm taking a nap."

"I can't believe you..."

"A nap sounds good right now." Gray mumbled. Erza glared at him, paused, blinked, and sighed all in the span of a few seconds.

"Gray... your clothes."

"Oh, COME ON!"

Honestly, surprised he didn't unconsciously strip in the past hour. New record.

X-X-X-X-X-X

Location: Hargeon Port Town

I yawned tiredly as we stepped off the train and maneuvered through the crowd. The trek to Hargeon was a short one, and I smiled. Hargeon was one of the many ports that dotted the land of Fiore, and was well known for it's fishing and trading stations rather than it's magic. I remembered the place from top to bottom. Because in a couple of years this would be where Natsu and Lucy first meet, and that point in time will be when things kick off into high gear. It was a long ways away, but still a thrilling thought regardless.

For now though, I enjoyed the sights. It was pristine and calm, holding a rustic feel to it. Very old fashioned in that way. Beautiful, freshly painted buildings and shops, a massive clocktower and lighthouse seen far off in the distance, followed by the vast crystal blue ocean that twinkled under the suns rays. Man... I was feeling a strong wave of nostalgia right now.

Erza gasped, her eyes sparkling. "It's beautiful..."

Gray shrugged. "Eh. It's alright."

Cana rolled her eyes, "Of course you'd say that. You boys can never appreciate the beauty in things."

Wow. Harsh.

"You tryna fight?"

"Alright, guys, enough of that." I pushed the two apart when they glared at one another. I crossed my arms and looked between the three. "Cana, this was your idea for us all to go on this mission together. So starting today, we're all a team. Which means we need to ACT like one. So no fighting."

Erza nodded quickly, taking my words to heart. Gray grumbled under his breath and Cana appeared chastised, rubbing her arm. "Right... sorry,"

I smiled, shrugging my shoulders. "Don't worry about it. So. We've still got time to kill... any ideas?"

We all went quiet for a moment, and then Cana perked up, smiling. "I think I'll go check out one of the town's book stores! Maybe they'll have a book on sea monsters, since it's a port town. That way, we'll be able to identify the creature terrorizing the port!"

Erza hummed, then nodded. "Then I'll go with Cana."

Gray's eyes sharpened. "Which leaves me and Taruko to get more information on the situation so we can track it down."

I grinned, clapping my hands together and holding a fist out. "Alright! We've got a plan, now let's put it into action!"

The three smiled and put their fists in the middle. Bumping our fists together, we all collectively let out a brief cheer and went out separate ways. Me and Gray made a straight b-line towards the docks. I took in a deep breath, soaking in the smell of sea water and fish. Gray shot me an odd look. "What are you doing?"

"Taking in the smell of the town." I said offhandedly, "Why?"

"... Why?"

"I read a story about a kid that slayed demons, he had a strong sense of smell and was able to smell stuff like emotions and even predict the attacks of opponents... somehow." I scrunched my face up. Seriously, Tanjiro, how does that even work? "It was pretty weird. But not as weird as being able to become superhuman by using breathing techniques,"

I scratched the back of my head. I got sidetracked. "Eh, point is, smell is an important sense."

Gray blinked owlishly, then frowned and lowered his gaze towards the ground. "... Slay demons, huh...?"

I paused, remembering Deliora. I decided to double down and quickly take his mind off it with something else, "There's another story I really liked to read when I was littler, if you wanna hear about it? Was pretty cool."

Gray stared at me and eventually shrugged, grunting. "Sure, I guess..."

I smiled. "Well, it starts with this kid named Aladdin..."

And that's how I ended up telling Gray about Magi. Or tried to. It's been a while since I'd watched the show and read the manga, so I was talking purely based off memory, which was fuzzy at best. But I liked to think I did a good job describing the overall plot of it. Gray seemed to be rather invested so far, which was good. That meant he wasn't focused on reliving the past. Didn't need anything of that crap right now. We had a job to do.

Maybe I should invest in writing stories. I did dabble in fanfiction, and there are a ton of stories back home I could totally rip off and come up with on the spot, considering Earthland didn't HAVE them to begin with. It was plagiarism if the work in question doesn't even exist, right? Right.

Another thing to add to the list of things to do! Spread the gospel that is Dragon Ball Z across all of Fiore! And Naruto. Annnnd Bleach. Annnnd One Piece.

I winced. Okay, maybe not One Piece, I don't think I have the time and patience to write that from scratch, let alone draw it.

We reached the docks. There were a few fishermen at the harbor, so we decided to go ahead talk to them. "Yo!" I waved, greeting the two men. They turned. One was a scruffy looking fellow with tanned skin and a fuzzy stubble with black hair. The other was more stocky and pale with wavy brown hair. The black haired fisherman greeted me with a pleasant smile. "Ah, hey there, kiddo. What can I do 'ya for?"

"We're here on behalf of the Fairy Tail guild." Gray and I flashed our guild marks, earning looks of surprise from the two men. "We've got two other friends with us, but they're running a quick errand. We got a request from the town about rampaging sea monster?"

The two men shared a wary glance before eyeing us. That already sent red flags through my head. Judging from Gray's narrowed eyes, he was thinking the same thing. The stocky man spoke up quietly. "Aiye... so you youngin's are here for the Krakken?"

We blinked. Gray spoke up, "Krakken?"

The dark-haired man looked about ready to respond before a gruffer voice came out of nowhere. "Aiye. The vicious sea beast terrorizin' these here streets."

Both men sighed as we turned to see a tall man, likely in his forties if I had to guess, with short greying hair and thick sideburns, a square-jaw and chiseled face with a crooked nose and jagged scar running across it. It looked fresh. In the process of healing. The man was dressed in a grey jumpsuit and black boots. He had an ever-present scowl on his face as he eyed us up and down. Almost as though he were analyzing us.

"You brats are tryna wrangle with that creature?"

Gray and I shared a glance.

X-X-X-X-X-X

Location: Hargeon Shore, Shawl's Boat.

"I wouldn't have expected a bunch of brats to be sent out here to fight a bloody Krakken."

"These kids can handle themselves just fine." Gray said sharply, his eyes narrowing. "It's just some dumb sea monster."

The man we encountered was Shawl. A hardened sailor who had a bone to pick with the Krakken. Apparently he was carrying important cargo from the East sea to Hargeon. His ship got attacked by the Krakken in the dead of night and the cargo was lost. Due to this, he wasn't able to get his money. He's been hellbent on catching the Kraken ever since. From what I garnered from what little interactions we had... he was a stoic man, with a sharp tongue. But there was a fire in his eyes. Passionate... but also angry.

He REALLY likes his money.

Initially he tried to run us off, saying the Krakken was his prey to find. But of course, I managed to persuade him. And by that I mean threaten him with a beating. He may be older, but I'm definitely stronger. And he definitely can't use magic. We came up with a compromise to take the beast down... but apparently we weren't the only ones out here looking for the Kraken. There were others that wanted a crack at it. Partially for the fame and glory, and partially for the money.

So we had some competition.

It was the dead of night. Shawl rented out a boat to fit all of us in. It was a lacrima-powered boat with harpoon-launcher attachments. I already knew what those were going to be used for... I huffed, shivering a bit at the cold air, staring out intp the water with narrowed eyes. The Kraken only came out at night, which was a problem, because it would be hard to see it coming when it was dark out... which is why it's a good thing I was using Reinforcement to enhance my vision. I could see in the dark just fine, that way.

"Don't start anything, Gray." Erza scolded, and I heard Gray scoff. "I can assure you Mr. Shawl, we may be children, but we are more than capable of handling this threat."

Shawl scoffed. "Aiye. Whatever 'ye say." he grumpily muttered under his breath and walked down onto the deck.

Gray scowled. "The hell is that guy's problem?"

"He reminds me of you." Cana hummed, and Gray squawked.

"I'M NOTHIN' LIKE THAT!"

"Enough." Erza chopped Gray on the head harshly, and held up his jacket. "Also, your jacket came off."

"The fuck?!"

"Did you find anything Taruko?" Cana inquired, walking up to my side and peering over the railing.

"Nope. Nothing." I huffed, turning to the Card Mage. "What did you find out about the Krakken?"

Cana pulled out a book. 'Earthland Menagerie'. "So me and Erza found a book on monsters at the bookstore. There isn't much, but the Krakken isn't native to this part of Fiore." she opened it and flipped through the pages. We all huddled together to take a look. "The Krakken are massive sea beasts native to the South Sea, near a place called Divide Island. They aren't usually hostile to humans, but can become aggressive when encroaching on their territory."

I frowned at that. If that was the case, then what was the Krakken doing all the way out here? And why was it so aggressive to the citizens of Hargeon? Preventing boats from coming both in and out...

"Something isn't adding up." Gray muttered, crossing his arms. "If they come from this Divide Island place, then why is this one all the way out here? This isn't it's territory."

Erza frowned. "Well... Cana said it becomes aggressive when someone comes into it's territory..."

I narrowed my eyes. "... Something led it here."

It was a quick realization, with the others eyes collectively widening in shock. I cupped my chin with a frown, tapping my foot anxiously. "But what led it here... and why?"

Nobody had an answer. In that lapse of silence, I... heard something. I frowned harshly, using Reinforcement on my ears and stepping back. The sound of rushing water... I listened hard and my eyes widened in alarm.

Something was coming.

"EVERYONE-!"

*FWOOOOOSH!!!

A geyser of water erupted into the air and a large shadow cast over the entire ship. Our eyes widened and I whirled around to face the Krakken. It was like a massive lizard crossed with a squid. A narrow, sharp head and jagged fangs, a bulky body with sturdy scales and massive claws. Tentacles hung from his mouth, twisting and writhing like agitated snakes. It's eyes were narrow and sharp, glowing a brilliant blue like the very sea itself. Instincts took over and I unsheathed my sword.

"Gray, you're playing defense! Cana, cover fire! Erza, on me!" I shouted, using Reinforcement on my legs and launching myself towards the sea serpent.

"Right!"

""HUH?!""

I ignored Gray and Cana's confused screams. A glance to my right confirmed Erza following my lead. Good. We've fought together and trained together for months, now. We were in near-perfect sync when it came to fighting monsters. The Krakken snapped in our direction, eyes turning to slits. I gripped my sword, channeling wind around the blade and thrusting it forward, unleashing an explosive burst of air directly into it's face. "STRIKE AIR!" the Krakken's head snapped to the side, and it's eyes sharply swerved towards me. Erza was swift to follow up.

"MANA BURST!" she roared, swinging her blade in a downward arc. A torrent of magical energy slammed against the Krakken, earning a pained shriek that grated on our ears. The sea serpent moved back, swinging it's tendrils towards us in retaliation. Erza Requipped a shield to block the attack. I tanked it outright.

CRASH!!

We crashed against the deck of the ship. My body bounced along the floor and my back slammed against the metal rail. I let out a pained gasp as the air was knocked out of my lungs. Holy shit, that thing hits hard! I groaned, sitting up and witnessing Shawl rushing out from the cabin in shock. His eyes locked onto the Krakken and he snarled. "That damned beast...!"

"MR. SHAWL, STEER THE BOAT AWAY!" I snapped, rising to my feet. The man was quick to protest.

"No! That's my prey! I ain't 'bouta let no brats get in the way of-"

"Ice Make: Shield!" our attention shifted towards Gray, who conjured up a barrier made of ice to block a downward swing of the Krakken's massive claw. The shield fractured and cracked, and the Ice Mage was clearly struggling to keep it together. Erza and Cana rushed in with a concentrated Mana Burst and Random Throwing respectively to alleviate the stress being put up on him.

The Krakken hissed and raised it's tail...

I growled in frustration, glaring at Shawl. "Listen, Old Man! We were hired to take care of this thing! People are getting hurt because of it, so put whatever grievances you've got aside so we can take it down!"

Shawl glared back at me in silence before cursing to himself and running towards the helm to steer the ship away from the Krakken. Now we had to stall it. I turned my attention back towards the beast and blasted forward, splintering the wood beneath my feet. I couldn't waste any time, that tail was about to make contact with the boat, and judging from the power behind it's strikes, it could be enough to tip this thing over.

If it does, we're all screwed.

I gripped my sword with both hands and sailed past the others,drawing upon the Ethernano in the air and bending it to my will. "Sword Saint Style..." I hissed sharply, my brows creasing as I slashed forward at blinding speeds, twisting my arms in horizontal cyclone pattern and generating a powerful stream of razor-sharp wind upon the Krakken. "DUST WHIRLWIND CUTTER!"

The torrent of wind cut into the Krakken's scales, but the cuts weren't deep enough. It howled in pain, whipping it's head in my direction. It's neck bulged and glowed an ethereal blue, working it's way up it's throat and to it's mouth. I instantly knew it was using magic when a bright blue magic circle spawned in front of it and it let out a deafening roar, unleashing a pressurized blast of water forwards me. I heard Erza scream, but I was far too busy being consumed by imminent 'OH SHIT!' to give much a damn.

*BAM!!

I Requipped a shield and Reinforced it within the split second of the blast's - which I will now dub Hydro Pump - impact. Even with the added defense, my arms shook and my bones rattled as the force behind the attack sent my body careening through the air. My body began to plummet and soon enough I was bouncing off the water like a skipping stone. Sea water got into my mouth and I sputtered. If I lost velocity now, I was going to sink...!

My eyes caught wind of a massive shadow rushing towards my from beneath the water. I Reinforced my eyes and almost shit myself when I saw the Krakken emerge, lunging at me with it's jaws unhinged, preparing to bite me in two. As the momentum left my body, I channeled air into my feet and released my grip on my magic, releasing a concussive blast that sent my body flying back just in time to avoid being eaten.

I sucked in a breath as I sunk into the ice-cold water. I blinked, adjusting my eyes and glaring around. I snapped to attention when I saw the Krakken swim towards me with sheer, unfiltered rage. CHRIST THAT IS TERRIFYING!

I swerved to the side and reached out, grabbing into one of it's tentacles as it zipped past me. I resister the urge to scream in pain as my arm was nearly torn out of it's socket from the whiplash and speed at which it swam. I closed my eyes and squeezed tight, dismissing my shield in exchange for Explosion. I felt my body jerk from left to right, sending sharp jolts of pain through my arm as the Krakken tried to throw me off, no doubt knowing I hitched a ride.

I let out a gasp of breath as the Krakken emerged from the ocean with a deafening roar. I gripped onto it's tentacle tighter and scowled, charging the runes on Explosion with Ethernano. This damn thing was getting on my nerves...

"ICE MAKE: BARE KNUCKLE!" I blinked, seeing Gray fly right into the Krakken's face and throw a devastating right hook with explosive force, chips of ice grazing the beast's cheek as it's body careened to the left from the blow. My weapon glowed hot with Explosion Magic and swung down at the tentacle I was using to ride the beast.

"EXPLOSION!"

The sword cut through the tentacle like a hot-knife through butter, followed by a thunderous explosion that sent the Krakken crashing into the waters below with a pained shriek. While the sword Explosion didn't possess an true cutting edge, it was still a sword, and could be used as such. With nothing to grab onto, I let the shockwave from the blast generated by Explosion to send my body high up into the air.

I grunted in surprise when my back slammed against a solid cold surface. I looked down to see Gray had formed a slide to safely drop me down towards the ship. As soon as my feet touched the floorboards, I stumbled over myself and fell to my knees.

"Taruko!" Erza was quick to catch me, her eyes filled with worry as she rested me up against the rail. "Are you okay?! Where does it hurt?!"

"Shit, man. I thought you were a goner..." Gray said bluntly. But I knew that was his way of worrying.

That didn't stop Cana from clobbering him upside the head.

"OW!"

I chuckled, then hissed, gripping my injured arm and snapping it back into place. My left eye twitched and everyone winced deeply at the sckning popping sound. I let out a pained wheeze. "I'll be just peachy..."

"Hmm." Shawl growled to himself, glaring off into the distance. "Seems the blasted thing has run off..."

I sighed, resting my head against the rail. "Well that's just great."

Erza frowned, eyeing the way the Krakken retreated and closing her eyes. She let out a sigh and stood to her feet. "... I think we should call it a night, and rethink our plans."

There was grumbles of agreement as Shawl started turning the boat around.

"Hey!"

We blinked, turning to see a group of men on their own boat. Far larger than the one Shawl own. Leading the helm was a man in a dark green jumpsuit with tan skin and dark brown hair styled in a buzz cut with a bushy beard. He grinned jovially, holding a smug aura about himself. And judging from Shawl's scowl, this was a guy he didn't seem to like.

"Roping children into your wild goose chase now, Shawl?" the man smirked, his gaze shifting between us.

Shawl gripped the steering wheel tightly. "I ain't in the mood for yer bullshit, Jovah."

Jovah raised his hands in a placating manner, laughing. "Now, now, Shawl. No need for the hostility... we're just looking out for your health, being a man in your fifties..." the other men laughed. I narrowed my eyes. "You shouldn't be hunting down monsters."

Shawl growled. "You damn..."

Erza stepped up, her brows furrowing. "I will not allow this disrespect to Mr. Shawl to go on any further!"

Jovah blinked languidly, looking over at Erza and raising a brow. "... and you are?"

Erza clenched her fists. "I am Erza Scarlet! A Fairy Tail Mage!"

Murmurs broke out amongst the group of men. Jovah grew flustered, sputtering in surprise. "F-Fairy Tail...!?"

"We're all apart of the guild." Gray informed, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"And I can only guess you guys are after the Krakken too." Cana spoke upm crossing her arms. "We were hired to take care of the beast. Mr. Shawl was kind enough to lend us a hand."

Seems we were rallying to Shawl's defense. I stood up, grunting and staring Jovah right in the eye. "Disrespecting Shawl means you're disrespecting us. If you're really after the Krakken as well, that's fine. But if you get in our way, it's no holds barred."

Erza smiled thinly, her eyes as sharp as daggers. "So choose your next words wisely."

Jovah stammered, his jaw going slack as he looked between us and Shawl. Eventually his jaw clicked shut and he scowled shot some orders to his men before steering the boat away. I watched them leave with focused eyes. Once they were out of sight, we turned to face a surprised Shawl and grinned.

"So! Back to Hargeon, then?"

X-X-X-X-X-X

Location: Hargeon Port Town, Seafare Motel

"OW!"

"You shouldn't be moving around so much!"

I grumbled, leaning back against my bed and thumping my head against the bed rest. Erza sat at my bedside with a stern frown, holding a tray with soup and apple slices on the side. My brow twitched as she raised a spoonful of soup to my lips. Now... any healthy blooded boy would be swooning over a girl feeding them in bed. However. I am not most boys.

If this was us 7 years later, it would be a whole 'nother story.

And also...

I'M NOT THAT INJURED, DAMN IT!

"Erza." I hissed through gritted teeth, smiling tightly. "Stop..."

She frowned, blinking. "What? You need to eat."

"Erza." I glared at her lightly. "I can eat myself."

"You're hurt."

"It's just my arm, and it's not like I broke it!"

"You shouldn't overexert yourself regardless!"

"What are you, my mom?!"

We both twitched simultaneously at the sound of hysteric giggling. Dread wormed it's way into my stomach as I slowly craned my head in Cana's direction. She stood at the doorway with Gray, who was smirking at me in an aggravating way. I wanted to punch him square in the face. I wanted to lunge at him and throw him through the wall.

Calm down, Taruko... think happy thoughts.

Erza spoke up sharply. "What's so funny?"

Cana hummed merrily, folding her arms behind her back and smiling. "Nothing~"

I stared. Then I sighed, and bit onto the spoon, swallowing the soup in one gulp. Erza smiled in satisfaction, but my expression remained exasperated. I turned back to Gray and Cana. "What's up?"

"We're gonna meet back up with Shawl soon." Gray informed, leaning against the doorframe.

"Mm." I hummed, nodding. "You guys can go on ahead, then. I'll finish this up and catch up with you."

"You sure? We don't mind waiting for you." Cana said, her brows creasing.

"It's fine, go." I waved them off with a smile, and shot Erza a look. "That means you too."

Erza looked ready to refute, but I stared at her harder and she eventually relented, grimacing and setting down the tray of food on the desk near my bed. The redhead hurriedly rushed after Gray and Cana a the exited the room. As the door clicked shut, I sighed, carefully grabbing the tray with one hand and resting it on my lap before digging in. Now that I was alone, I could finally focus.

Last night was a busy, surely. We didn't kill the Krakken, but we managed to scare it off. For how long, I didn't know. It was bound to come back soon, though, so it was best to scout the area again in case it rears it's ugly head. And then there were those guys from before... Jovah and his men. Something didn't sit right with them. Calling it a gut-feeling, but, the way they acted...

It was so fake.

The fact they appeared right after we had just gotten done fighting the Krakken made me more suspicious. Gonna have to keep an eye on them for sure.

I paused, realizing my soup was already gone. I moved on to the apple slices, taking a glance at my right arm. I clenched a fist experimentally and winced at the brief flash of pain. I was no doctor or medic, but I was smart enough to know that I shouldn't use this arm too much, unless I wanted to make it worse. And there was no way I was backing out on the mission.

*Crunch.

I chewed silently, peering out the window and eyeing the setting sun. I spent the whole day resting. Right now was the time to take action...

Setting my tray aside, I got out of bed and threw my clothes on as fast as I could. Knowing Erza, Gray, and Cana, they were likely already waiting. And it wouldn't do to keep Mr. Shawl waiting. He was already a grumpy guy, and I didn't want to anger him any further.

Jogging out of the motel, and I rushed towards the harbor at a leisurely pace. The harbor was in sight, and I was about to pick up the pace when I heard some people talking. It was faint, but it made me pause. I turned to the source and Reinforced my hearing as I made my way over.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, man?"

"It's quick and easy pay, what's there to worry about? Jovah's plan is full proof!"

I turned the corner and paused. Under the deck, I could see two men moving boxes onto a ship. A familiar one. That was Jovah's... but what were they doing, there?

"Yeah, but... that Krakken is seriously some gnarly stuff. If it catches us..."

"It won't! Those Fairy Tail brats and Shawl already sent it running with it's tail between it's legs. They practically did our job for us! Now we can ship these eggs to the dealer without worrying about getting attacked before we hit the border. And those kids will be far too preoccupied with making sure that thing doesn't rear it's ugly head to notice us leavin'."

My eyes widened. Shit. These guys were poachers... that's why the Krakken is so aggressive and all the way out here! They stole her eggs! She was destroying the ships in search of them. They're planning on selling them off to someone.

I narrowed my eyes, reaching for my sword. I couldn't let this go on any longer. I moved from my spot and was about to lunge at the two grunts. But my ears twitched at the sound of shifting sand. I leapt out of the way as a fist slammed into the ground, kicking up sand in the process. I covered my eyes and scowled, locking eyes with a grinning Jovah, his arms wreathed in fire. "Well, well... if it isn't the Fairy Tail brats. Snooping around, are 'ya?"

I remained stoic as the rest of his men emerged from the shadows, activating their magic and taking out their weapons. Soon enough, I was surrounded from all sides. Jovah stepped forward with a smirk. "You know... I have to thank you. You've made our job a lot easier, getting these eggs out of Hargeon will be a piece of cake with the Krakken gone."

The flames grew more intense, and his face morphed into a cruel expression. "But we can't have you messing up our plans. So we'll have to kill you. If you give up now, I'll make it quick. But if you try to fight back... well." his men chuckled along with him. "It won't end well for you."

My brow twitched. The nerve of this bitch!

"You talk a big game." I spoke up calmly, sheathing my sword and standing up straight. I Requipped Explosion into my hand. They tensed, and I channeled Ethernano into the sword. "But you seem to forget one thing..."

In one swift motion, I swung it down. The runes burned brightly, humming with volatile energy. Jovah and his men started to back up in a hurry, likely knowing full well what was about to go down. Good.

Be afraid.

"I'M A MEMBER OF FAIRY TAIL! SUPER EXPLOSION!!"

The world around me detonated.

X-X-X-X-X-X

NO POV.

Erza tapped her foot anxiously, her arms crossed over her chest. She looked around with narrowed eyes, awaiting for Taruko's arrival. It had been about 20 minutes since they'd left the motel, and the boy still hadn't come down to the harbor. She was beginning to grow worried. Did he hurt himself? What could possibly be holding him up? It shouldn't take this long... it was a five minute walk. One minute if he ran. Her brows creased tightly. Maybe she should go check up on him.

Gray groaned. "Where the hell is he? It doesn't take that long to eat food! Especially with that black hole of a stomach!"

"... Yeah. This is weird. He doesn't take this long... usually." Cana hummed, frowning.

"Well if the brat doesn't come sooner, we're leaving without 'em." Shawl said gruffly, and Erza clenched her fists tightly.

She took in a breath and hopped off the boat. "I'll go look for him--"

*BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!

Their eyes collectively widened in shock as the thunderous explosion that rocked the earth. Several bystanders let out screams of shock and terror. All of that was tuned out by Erza, who whirled around to see a plume of fire, smoke, and sound rise up in the distance near the beach. Her eyes widened as she saw the faint signs of battle commencing down below, and she swallowed thickly.

Gray blinked. "...You don't think...?"

Cana frowned nervously. "Who else could generate an explosion that powerful?"

Erza broke out into a sprint. "Let's go!"

Gray and Cana didn't utter a word, nodding mutely and running after the redhead. Shawl squawked in outrage and confusion.

"WHERE ARE YOU BRATS GOING?!"

The trio used Reinforcement to reach the beach faster. They arrived in record time to see Taruko fending off the men from the other night. The swordsman weaved under a blast of lightning and drove a foot into the stomach of a burly man. As another came in from behind, raising his axe overhead to bisect the boy, Erza rushed into action and closed the distance in seconds, driving her knee into the man's fast and sending him flying into the water.

Taruko blinked, offering Erza a cheerful grin. "Oh, hey, Erza! Fancy seeing you here!"

Erza returned his grin with a glare. "I tell you to not overexert yourself and you end up getting into a fight?"

Taruko laughed. "Guilty? But it's for good reason!"

"EXPLODING FIREBALL!"

"ICE MAKE: SHIELD!"

"SUMMONED LIGHTNING!"

The duo whirled around to see Jovah hurl a massive fireball towards them. Gray appeared in front of them, tossing his jacket and shirt to the side and intercepting it with a shield of ice. As the barrier held up against the powerful blast of fire, Cana dove in, pulling out her Heaven, Reverse Death, and Mountaim cards; hurling them at the man and conjuring several blasts of emerald-green lightning. Jovah cursed and leapt out of the way, allowing the kids to regroup and stand back-to-back.

Gray scoffed. "Macao's flames were way hotter than that."

"What's the situation, Cap'n?" Cana quipped as they were rushed in from all sides.

"These guys are poachers, they stole the Krakken's eggs and are planning on selling them off!" he grunted, blocking an overhead strike and kicking one of Jovah's grunts away. "That's why she's been on a rampage for the past couple of weeks! She's looking for her babies!"

Erza narrowed her eyes in outrage. "Those fiends..."

"Makes sense." Gray drove his fist into a grunt's stomach, causing the man to double over and fall directly into the boy's knee. "No wonder that thing is so cranky."

"So that means we've got to get the eggs back!" Cana ducked oit of the way a light blast, retaliating with another Summoned Lightning.

"Like hell we'd let you! BOSCO!" Jovah roared, channeling his magic and breaking through the team's guard to attack Taruko directly.

"Oh, SHIT-" the boy used his sword to block a fiery punch, getting sent flying through the dense pack of grunts. Jovah angrily followed after the boy, an Erza growled, rushing after the two.

Gray blinked. "... Uh."

"Gray, look out!"

At Cana's warning, his body moved on it's own and he leapt out of the way, avoiding a devastating tremor. The Ice Mage narrowed his eyes, staring at the cracked ground and huffing. "Earth Magic?"

"Close." he turned to see a brawlic man with a buzz-cut and scar over his left eye step forward, wearing. sleeveless vest with fur trim, black pants, and brown boots. Bosco cracked his knuckles, his expression as firm as stone. "Earth Make: CANNON!"

Bosco slammed his fists into the ground. The earth around them shifted and shines with dark-green magical energy. A large cannon made of solid stone burst forth from the sand and launched a giant boulder at the two. Gray and Cana leaped out of the way, with the Ice Mag narrowing his eyes at the man and smirking. "Molding Magic, huh?"

He palmed his fist and grinned, frost wafting off his body. "Alright... let's see who's magic is superior!"

Cana rolled her eyes, reaching for her deck. "You forgot I'm here, Doofus." she frowned at Gray. "Remember what Taruko said? We're a team. So we do this together!"

Gray paused, then huffed, nodding and popping his knuckles. "Fine. Try to keep up, will you?"

The Ice-Mage slammed his palms against the ground and conjured a pillar of ice underneath his feet, launching himself into the air and flying towards Bosco at high-speeds. Gray channeled his magic and thrusted his hands outward, unleashing a storm of frozen spears upon the Earth Mage. "Ice Make: Lance!"

"Earth Make: Barrier!" the larger man countered with a sturdy wall of stone. The spears embedded themselves into the rock, and Bosco smirked to himself. "You won't be breaking through this wall!"

*BOOOM!!!

"What?!"

Several cards slammed against the barrier and detonated, engulfing Bosco's defense in a thunderous explosion. The Earth Mage covered his eyes and scowled, taking a step back and squinting past the smoke. "They broke through my barrier?!" he noticed two figures move through the smoke and raised his arms to block two kicks from Gray and Cana. The force behind the combined attack sent him sliding back and he released a pained grunt, blinking in surprise. "Tch... brats hit hard."

"Sun's Strength." Cana smirked, flashing her deck. "Comes in handy when you need to break past someone's defense!"

"And there's more where that came from! Ice Make: KNUCKLE!" Gray slammed his hands against the ground, unleashing a barrage of frozen fists towards Bosco. The man scowled and drove his fist into the ground.

"Earth Make: BARRAGE!" likewise, fists made of stone burst from the ground, clashing against Gray's spell. Rock and ice exploded in a thunderous collision, and Cana rushed past it and hurled five cards at Bosco. Mid-flight, the cards combusted and released a raging goust of fire that slammed into the man, sending him flying.

"EXPLOSION CARDS!"

"GAAAGH!!!"

Cana Reinforced her legs, bolstering her speed and launching herself at Bosco. The air rippled as she rocketed towards the man, and with a valiant battle cry, drove her feet into his stomach with a devastating dropkick. The larger man's body crashed into the ground with explosive force, and Cana conjured a Wind's Edge spell to stack up damage. Bosco was quick to summon another barrier to block the attack.

Bosco snarled to himself. "These kids... they're definitely apart of Fairy Tail. But still... I'm not gonna lose to some snob-nosed brats!!"

With a roar, Bosco forced himself to his feet and clasped his hands together. Green magical energy exploded from his body and he delved deeper into her reservoir of magic. He slammed his fists into the ground and began to warp the very earth. As tremors shook the beach, several massive rock snakes erupted from the ground and lunged at Gray and Cana with violent hisses. "EARTH MAKE: STONE COBRA!"

"Dynamic-Molding Magic?!" Gray flipped out of the way as one of the snakes dove straight at him. "Just like Lyon...!"

"Gray!" he snapped his head in Cana's direction. The young Card Mage bounced across the field, using her enhanced speed to avoid being swallowed whole by the animated rock serpents. "I've got an idea! Just follow my lead!"

Confusion flashed in his eyes, but he nodded nonetheless. "... Right!"

With a grunt, the two boosted off the ground and flipped over the heads of one of the snakes. They began to run along it's body as two more dove in. At the last moment, the duo leapt out of the way and let the animated serpents collide with one another, exploding in a shower of smaller rock shards. Bosco clicked his tongue. "Earth Make-"

"HAAH!" Cana swooped in, striking Bosco with a brutal roundhouse kick to the jaw. As the man staggered, the girl flashed a card. Aquario. She channeled her magic into it and tossed it at Bosco's feet. The card shined a brilliant blue, and geysers of water burst forth from all direction, drenching the man and driving him to the ground. "The Prayer's Fountain!"

Gray's eyes widened, a look of realization donning his face. "Now I see what you're throwing down... alright!" the boy grinned and rushed forward, clasping his hands together and channeling his magic. He closed the distance between himself and Bosco, and aimed his hands towards the geyser of water. "Ice Make: Ice Geyser!"

"GUGHK--!" Bosco's screams were cut short as the water that surrounded him was frozen solid, and he was encased in a dense wall of jagged eyes. Gray exhaled frost from his lips and stepped back, wiping away sweat that dribbled down his chin.

"Alright! Up top!" Cana beamed, holding her hand out to the Ice Mage. Gray blinked, then smirked and high-fived the girl.

"Not a bad idea. You're really starting to hold your own." he complimented.

Cana smiled smugly. "Was there any doubt?" she giggled sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. "Honestly, it's thanks to all that training with Taruko..."

"Mm." Gray nodded. He had to give the swordsman his props, with his and Erza's arrival, he could feel himself making leaps and bounds in strength. Gray turned in the direction of where the two had ran off to engage Jovah. "Wonder if they've wrapped things up over there."

Cana tilted her head. "Not worried?"

Gray snorted. "About those two? No way. They're freaks of nature."

X-X-X-X-X-X

POV: Taruko Hikari

"SPIRALING FLAME!!"

*FWOOOOOOOSH!!!

Jovah unleashed two streams of spinning flames towards Erza and myself. We shared a glance and nodded. As Erza backed up, I rushed forward and gripped onto my sword and twisting my body. As I picked up speed and rotated, the wind around me began to shift and I channeled it into my blade. As my momentum reached it's peak, I slammed my foot into the ground, putting myself to a grinding halt and swinging my sword upwards with explosive force, generating a powerful arcing slash of wind that dispelled the flames. "Sword Saint Style: Black Wind Mountain Mist!"

Erza rushed Jovah at blinding speeds, forcing the Fire Mage to hastily step back and fire off an Exploding Fireball at her in panic. Requipping another sword into her hand, Erza channeled magic into both of her swords and lashed out with a precise cross-slash, splitting the ball in four. Digging her feet into the ground, she narrowed her eyes and held her swords parallel to one another before swinging them upwards. The sheer strength behind her swings were capable of firing off two air-base projectiles, which cut into Jovah and left shallow, bloody gashes. "Nigiri: Tōrō!"

"Ghk-!" Jovah hissed in pain. I blitzed past Erza and leapt into the air, Requipping a second sword into my other hand and swinging them down in a downward arc, unleashing two air-slashes upon the man.

"Otōrō!"

"BLAST BURN!!" Jovah's panicked roar was loud, but not as thunderous as his flames, which exploded from his body like that of a raging inferno. The heat was so intense that it burned away at my projectiles and forced Erza and myself to retreat, lest we wanted to get burned. I narrowed my eyes in distaste, as I eyed the man, who was currently engulfed in an aura of fire.

Our plan for a combo finisher failed. We practiced that move in particular for a while now. I'm man enough to admit that I've been shamelessly copying moves from different media, like the Wind Breathing techniques from Demon Slayer, and Zoro's Two Sword Style. But it was simply too good of an idea to pass up. But it didn't quite work out in our favor this time...

The flames surrounding Jovah grew smaller and more condensed. The Fire Mage shaped it into a spear and heaved it at us with ferocious speed. "Scorching Javelin!" the air exploded, shockwaves vibrating across the field as the spear flew at us at incalculable speeds. We tried to move out of the way, but to attack managed to score Erza, digging into her armor and piercing her side. The wound was instantly cauterized by the heat of the attack.

"Nngh...!" Erza's face scrunched up into a pained grimace as she stumbled back, cradling her injured side. I felt something within me crack, and before I knew it, I was already closing the distance with Jovah.

"HAAAH!!!" I screamed, swinging my sword down. Jovah dodged, and he ground cracked as my blade pierced the earth. He raised his hands and fired off a barrage of Exploding Fireballs. I Reinforced my arms and batted them aside with my sword. I lunged at him and thrusted one of my swords forward, releasing an explosive burst of wind. "STRIKE AIR!"

Jovah was slammed back. My ears twitched at the sound of shifting sand and I blinked, watching as Erza jumped overhead and swing her sword in a downward arc, firing a condensed ray of magical energy that exploded upon contact with Jovah. His pained screams were muted by the deafening explosion. "Mana Burst: Razor's Edge!"

"GUAAAGGH!!!!"

She made a variant move of Mana Burst before I did?!

Erza hopped back, letting out a harsh breath and hissing as she reached for her side again. "Ugh..."

"You wanna sit out?" I rushed to her side, eyeing the wound in concern.

"You're still fighting when you should be resting." Erza answered in a clipped tone, shooting me an annoyed yet determined glare. "If you can keep fighting, so can I."

I smiled thinly. "Guilty."

We turned to see Jovah shakily rising to his feet with a pained groan. His entire body shook from all over, and his breaths were labored. The man glared at us defiantly, huffing. "Damn it..."

Erza raised her sword at the man, her eyes as sharp as her blade. "Stand down. It is clear you can't go on any further."

Huffing out a chuckle, Jovah grinned and held his hands together, conjuring a ball of fire between his palms. "That's what you think..."

I blinked, before cursing under my breath and sprinting towards him. Jovah's grin widened further, as the ball of fire burned hotly in his hands. He compressed it between his palms and let loose a powerful blast of blinding fire. I screamed in pain at the flames licking at my skin as I was sent flying off my feet. My back slammed against the ground and I groaned in pain, wincing at the minor burns scattered across my body.

"Taruko!" my eyes cracked open and I blinked blearily. My vision was blurry, and it was hard to make anything out. I could see a red blob shamble in front of me. That had to be Erza. "Are you alright? Can you stand?"

"That motherfucker... just flashbanged me..." I hissed, clenching my eyes shut and slowly sitting up. I opened my eyes and blinked a couple of times as my vision regained clarity. I looked around and scowled. "Where...?!"

Erza grimaced, her gaze shifting towards the shore. I could see a boat driving off into the distance, with a familiar figure at the helm. "He's getting away. At this rate we won't get him."

I clenched my fists and stood up to my feet. "Then we'll have to step it up!"

I could try using Mana Burst combined with Strike Air... but there's no telling if my body could handle that kind of power and speed. But we didn't have many options right now.

"Oi, you Brats!"

We perked up to see Shawl and his boat come into view. The man's infamous scowl slowly morphed into a smirk. "Looks like y'all could use a ride."

Erza and I shared a grin and rushed onto the boat with renewed vigor. "Hey, wait up!" we turned as Gray and Cana hastily ran over, hopping onto the deck and nearly tumbling over themselves. Shawl triggered the lacrima in the boat's motor, and we were off, giving chase to Jovah, who was reaching past the river bank by now. The wind whipped across my face as we desperately tried to catch up.

Erza frowned. "We won't make it at this rate."

Shawl hummed. "What had you Brats in such a hurry in the first place. Why were y'all fightin' those braggarts?"

"Jovah and his goons are poachers." Gray huffed, crossing his arms. "They stole the Krakken's eggs."

"That's why she's in a frenzy! Her babies were taken." Cana piped up. "They're planning on selling them to their employer."

Shawl narrowed his eyes. "Poachers, eh...? Shoulda guessed there was somethin' fishy 'bout those ingrates the moment they arrived in Hargeon..."

"We're gonna stop him." I said resolutely. "Just get us close enough to the boat. We'll take it from there."

"Hn."

Our drive was relatively silent, except for the sound of rushing waves. Inch by inch, we got closer to Jovah's boat. From the corner of my eye, I could make a out giant shadowy figure swimming underneath from the depths. I blinked, then smirked as my gaze locked onto Jovah's boat. Bingo.

He must've noticed something was up, because he turned around and spotted us. I could picture the shock on his face. He raised his hand in retaliation, summoning a massive ball of fire and launching it at us. I channeled wind into my sword and slashed the fireball once it got close, cleaving it in two. I stepped onto the rail and looked towards everyone else. "Guard the ship!" I didn't wait for a response. I channeled the air around me into my feet and launched myself through the air.

I flew directly at Jovah's ship. He noticed my descent and aimed his hand at me. "Hellfire Storm!" a barrage of fire bullets assault me, and I took in a deep breath, gripping my sword and swinging outwards. I unleashed a potent Strike Air to disperse most of the bullets before crashing onto the back of the boat. I faintly heard Jovah cursed as he scrambled towards the deck. I hurriedly looked around.

"Where are you..." I muttered. There were several crates strewn about, some covered by dusty tarps. I cracked them open with my sword. Most of the were lacrimas, weapons, and other stolen goods. But they weren't what I was looking for. Sweat rolled down my chin, I looked around, and hastily tore off one of the tarps. A large chest sat there in front of my with a lock. Knowing I didn't have a key, I did the next best thing and slashed it open.

I pushed the chest open and grinned. Resting insode were four large, muddy-brown spheres with large brown veins running along the exterior. I ran a hand along the exterior and cringed at the slimy, leathery texture. "Ew. Okay... now I just have to..."

"Do NOTHING!"

I ducked under Jovah's fist as a stream of fire gushed outwards. I blocked a punch with the guard of my sword and shoved the Fire Mage back. His expression was the definition of furious, as I raised my blade defensively. His fists wreathed in smoldering fire. "I will not have some meddling kids get in the way of MY pay! You're dead fucking meat!"

"Fire at me and you risk damaging the eggs." I said calmly, and the man stuttered, before scowling. "You're gonna lower your fists... I'm going to steal this chest, and you're gonna drive away."

Jovah stared at me in silence. Something must have been formulating in his head, because he smirked at me. "... Or what?"

I smiled lazily as a massive shadow loomed overhead. "Or you deal with her."

Jovah stared at me in confusion. That look of confusion slowly transitioned into horror as he turned to see the Krakken glaring down at him with righteous fury. Jovah let out a scream of alarm as the sea serpent released a deafening roar and raised it's massive claws. I was quick to sheathe my sword and grab the eggs from out of the crate, clumsily holding two under each of my arms as I leapt off the ship in time for the Krakken to bring it's claw down. I heard a thunderous clash and the mind-numbing sound of shredded metal as I took in a deep breath and fell into the waters below.

I kicked my legs back and forth to keep some form of elevation. My eyes adjusted to the water and I looked around with squinted eyes. I couldn't see Jovah anywhere beyond the sinking debris. But I came face to face with the Krakken itself. It stared at me. It's glowing blue eyes boring deep into my soul. My heart hammered in my chest, and I slowly, albeit clumsily, offered it's eggs as a sign of peace.

The beast continued to stare at me for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, it reached out with one of it's tentacles and coiled around two of the eggs, and grabbed the other two with it's claws. The massive sea serpent backed away, and I nearly sighed in relief. I would have done so if I weren't currently submerged in water.

I swam back up to the surface and gasps for air, sputtering and coughing. I looked around and spotted Jovah limply hanging onto a broken piece of wood. From the looks of it, he was unconscious. I let out a sigh of relief. Good. The guy may be a jackass, but that doesn't mean he deserved to die.

I swam over to him and grabbed him by the back of his vest. Now... where are the others?

"Taruko!" I spun around to see Shawl's boat approach. I grinned as Cana waved at me cheerfully. I could see Erza make a relieved breath. With a heave, I hurled Jovah's body onto the boat, before letting out a burst of wind to launch myself onto the deck. "You're okay!"

"Was there any doubt?" I quipped with a smirk, ruffling Cana's hair.

Erza shook her head, smiling. "That was really reckless."

I shrugged mutely. Gray snorted, eyeing the floating remains of Jovah's ship. "Did you know the Krakken was going to appear?"

I smiled coyly. "I had a hunch."

Then I glanced at Shawl, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry you didn't get to get that your revenge, Shawl."

The sailor scoffed, shaking his head. "Tsk. No use cryin' over it. I have a feelin' you Brats woulda tried to stop me after the fact."

We all made noises of agreement, shrugging uselessly. I laughed lightly, running a hand through my drenched hair. "Well... let's head on back. Our job's pretty much done, here!"

X-X-X-X-X-X

Location: Hargeon Train Station

I let out a tired yawn as we shifted through the bustling crowd and made our way into the train car. After the entire debacle with the Krakken, we got our pay and bunked at the motel again for the night. The next morning, we were off. We said goodbye to Shawl, got our train tickets, and left. It was time to head back to Magnolia... and honestly, I was looking forward to it. I genuinely feel like slacking off for the next couple of days... because this shit was STRESSFUL. I never want to fight kaiju again. That was genuinely terrifying.

I groaned as I slumped against my seat, staring at the ceiling groggily. I looked down at the sound of giggling. I shot Cana the stink eye. "What?"

"Nothing!" Cana snickered. "You just seem so worn out."

"We woke up at 6 in the morning." I grumbled, rubbing at my eyes. "I'm not usually a morning person."

Gray rested his chin against his palm. "With how early you get up to train, I would have thought otherwise."

"Dude, training's a whole different story. It's about the grind!"

Gray stared at me like I was a weirdo. "... Okay."

"It's about drive, Gray."

"Uh-huh."

"It's about power."

Gray rolled his eyes, and I grinned cheekily. Erza huffed and folded her arms. "Well, you can sleep the rest of the way back home if you wish." she sighed... "I could go for some strawberry cake right now..."

Gray grimaced. "I don't know what you find so good about that stuff. Chocolate is way better."

Erza slowly craned her head in Gray's direction, glaring at him with the fury of a thousand suns. "Heathen."

Sweat rolled down Gray's cheek. "... Uh."

Cana hummed, kicking her legs back at forth. "Eh... I dunno, I think vanilla is better than both."

Erza flinched visibly. "Both of you speak nothing but lies!"

As the three argued about which flavor of cake was better, I sighed and folded my arms behind my head. I closed my eyes and smiled. Overall, this was a really productive mission. Scary, but fun... and honestly? I can't wait for the next batch of adventures to come.

Being a Fairy Tail mage is awesome.

A/N.

WE'RE BACK!

This chapter was cool to write. Admittedly I feel like I could have covered some bases better, but I think it was pretty good. I hoped you guys like it!

This was easily the longest chapter by far. 10k words. Goddamn. But ay! That makes the wait worth it, right?

I've honestly been procrastinating hard. I had half of this writtem flr like two weeks but I didn't have the motivation to finish. I only dropped like, 1k words bare minimum every other couple of days... but, I decided to lock in.

Motivation comes in bursts at 1 to 3 AM for some reason.

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! See y'all in the next one. I'm looking forward to see the reviews. lol.