Within the underground domain that is beneath the Galuna Island's Temple, Natsu and Kama managed to catch up to where the Fairy Tail team are at. The two Fiore Captains were hoping to find only them, yet here they are finding them and a large frozen demonic monster that stood before them all to witness.
"okay, I'm might be tripping but how the hell is something like that even here?" Natsu asks while staring at the frozen monster. "is this place some sort of tribe's ancient ritual stuff where they have to make sure that the monster that they sealed away stayed sealed?"
"you might be right, but I don't think it's completely true." Kama said as he stares at Deliora before he looks at Gray. "I've heard of this creature's stories. They say that eight years ago, this monster which was created by the Black Wizard; Zeref had terrorized the land up north." He glances back at the monster. "But it was defeated and sealed away by a powerful ice wizard who goes by the name of Ur."
"yeah, that's true." Gray said as he looks at Deliora. "but why is it here!? It's supposed to be sealed away at Brago's ice valley!"
"The northest part of Fiore and possibly the most coldest, huh?" Natsu said as he spits away his used up cigar before taking out a new one which he lighted with a fire from his thumb. "to keep it freshly frozen, is it?" he puts the cigar to his lips and looks at Gray. "by the way, something tells me that you know this monster on a personal level considering your current behavior."
"yeah, he's got a point there." Lucy said while looking at Gray. "why do you know so much about Deliora and where it was sealed, Gray?"
"because I was there when it happened" Gray replied as he looks at Deliora with a hateful gaze. "I saw Deliora destroyed a town before getting sealed away by Ur."
"Gray, you were there when Deliora was sealed away?" Erza asks. "would that mean that your town was destroyed by it?"
"yeah and so along with every other towns near it." Gray grits his teeth as he glares at the frozen monster. "that monster took everything from me! my family! My friends!" he clenches his fists hard till the veins pops out. "even my teacher!"
Everyone looks at Gray as they could feel the amount of pain and hatred that he is feeling at the moment.
As this goes on, Natsu made a noise when his sensitive ears picked up a noise coming from another tunnel nearby.
"someone's coming! Hide!" Natsu told the others in a quick whisper as everyone began to move from their current position and hides.
Natsu took a peek and saw two figures coming, one was a short blue hair man and the other is a dog face looking guy who was top naked.
"you sure you heard the voice coming from here, Toby?" the short blue hair man asked his companion
The one named Toby let out a dog like reply to the question
Natsu and the others looks at the two with skeptical looks as they listened to their conversation.
"Toby, you got exposed to the moon drip again, right?" the short one asks the dog man. "You have ears and all"
"I haven't!" Toby growled angrily. "this is just decoration, you now!"
"relax, it's just a joke, stupid" the short blue hair man replied with a smirk
"Yuka, you' meanie" Toby exclaimed back with a dog like "OOhhhnnnn"
"just who are these guys?" Lucy asks in a whisper.
"whoever they are, they might know why the hell Deliora is here." Gray said as he was about to come out but Erza stopped him.
"wait! There's someone else coming!" Erza told Gray as she could hear another pair of footsteps approaching Yuka and Toby.
"Yuka-san, Toby-san" a girl with dark pin hair in a gothic like outfit called out to the two as they turned around to look at her.
"Sherry" Yuka greeted. "what is it?"
"I have very tragic news" Sherry said with a sad face. "Angelica has been beaten up by visitors from the mainland and is now in pain from their assault!"
"It's a rat! Don't give it a name!" Toby yelled at her.
"she is not a rat!" Sherry retorted to them. "she is a hunter of darkness and.." she looks up and added. "Love!" a kanji of love popped out near the girl.
"These three, are they dark mages?" Kama asks while peeking out to see the three. "just by sensing their presence, I can feel their magic."
"can't tell if they are dark mages or not, but they're not from here." Natsu said as he rubbed his nose a bit. "Their scents doesn't smell like they're from here at all."
"intruders are here and just when we're about to collect the moon's power" Sherry said while looking sad. "we must find them before Reitei-sama finds out"
"yeah." Yuka nodded. "let's find them and get rid of them before the moon comes."
"especially if they've seen Deliora here." Sherry added. "they cannot be allowed to live and tell the tale to anyone at the mainland."
"umm….talking about death is kind of like the dark mage criteria, right?" Lucy asks while looking a bit unnerved. "I still like to be alive until my elderly years."
"guess we've heard enough." Natsu said as he grabs a little pebble and flings it to a nearby tunnel which hits the wall and echoed to the point it got Sherry and the other's attention.
"what was that!?" Sherry exclaimed
"it came from there!" Yuka exclaimed as the group went to investigate.
After the coast was clear, everyone came out of their hiding spot and looks around.
"They're gone" Lucy said after sighing. "talk about a suspenseful moment."
"Looks like this S-class mission just turned from weird to serious." Natsu said as he looks at the ice encased monster. "whoever this Reitei guy is, he must've brought Deliora here and planned to do something with it."
"if they're Dark mages or a cult of Zeref Believers, they might do something drastic to get Deliora's power." Kama added in. "either they wish to release its terror upon the land or to the nation."
"we've got to stop them!" Gray said in a serious voice as everyone looks at him. "this monster destroyed towns and took so many lives! We cannot ever let them use it to destroy again!" he clenched his fists tight. "not after that many sacrifices!"
"Gray…" Lucy mumbled while everyone was silent.
"an Ice Wizard." Kama spoke out as everyone glanced at the man. "the one who had sealed away Deliora in its prison of ice, that person named Ur; she was someone very close to you, wasn't she?"
"yeah." Gray nodded. "Ur was my teacher."
"makes sense." Natsu said while crossing his arms. "an ice wizard who has another ice wizard for a teacher." He sighs a bit and continues to smoke while looking back at Deliora. "This mission will take a while to finish." He turns back towards Erza. "looks like it was a good idea for us to team up."
"indeed." Erza nodded as she looks at Deliora. "if the stories about Deliora's power of destruction is as they claim to be, those three and this Reitei must be planning to do something with it."
"but what?!" Gray asks. "this monster is uncontrollable and destructive! Just releasing it would cause so much deaths!"
"What do you all plan to do?" Kama asks the Fairy Tail group. "as much as we still don't have a clue on the current situation, there's no doubt that the villagers need to be warned about this."
"agreed." Erza nodded. "we need to split up into two groups."
"me and Kama will go back up then split ways." Natsu said. "he'll go and warn the villagers while I go and try to get some intel." He sucks in more smoke till the cigar is all burnt to the bud before he spits it away. "I got a feeling that there's going to be more than just three or four people working on this whole mojo."
"very well." Erza replied. "myself and my friends will stay here till nightfall and see what they plan to do."
"Eh? Why are we staying here for?" Lucy asks confused. "shouldn't we focus on getting this whole scenario figured out?"
"That's true, but the fact doesn't change that those three just gave us a hint of their goal." Erza said. "They said something about collecting the moon's power and this would imply that their goal can only be done when the moon is out."
"I see.." Lucy nodded in understanding. "they said that they couldn't let us be here before the moon comes out." She cups her chin and began to think. "but for what reason do they have to wait for the moon to come out?"
Everyone thinks of the reason and Gray was the only one who made a noise when he realized something.
"it can't be…" Gray mumbled out with a face looking very pale. "Moon Drip?"
"What's that?" Natsu asks, hearing what Gray had mumbled out. "what's this Moon Drip?"
Everyone looks at Gray who looks very hesitant before shaking his head.
"no, it's nothing." Gray said. "I just thought of it when thinking about the moon, that's all."
Everyone looks at Gray as they knew that he had known something but decided to think of it later on.
"guess there's no point in waiting here." Natsu said while lighting a new cigar before he turns around. "we'll be going ahead, keep a good watch out for those guys if they come back."
"The same to you too." Erza replied with a nod as Natsu and Kama leaves the area.
"you think that Gray knows something about this situation?" Kama asks Natsu who nodded. "this Moon Drip, right?"
"never heard of such a thing, but I guess it might be some sort of spell or ritual or something." Natsu said. "let's find out about it after we get thing settled out with the villagers."
"right." Kama nodded before both entered a tunnel that leads to the temple upstairs.
At Crocus and within the castle Mercurius, Cosmos is found walking in one of the many hallways with Puru in her arms. The pink haired magic knight had just arrived to the place with something in mind.
"Cosmos?" Arcadios made an appearance as the knight had come out of a hallway which Cosmos and Puru had passed by. "Why are you here?"
"ah, Captain Arcadios. Good morning." Cosmos turned to greet the man. "myself and Puru were just going to find you."
"me? for what purpose?" Arcadios asks.
"well…" Cosmos spoke while trailing off.
A few minutes later, Arcadios and Cosmos walked in the hallway
"I see." Arcadios chuckled with a smile as he was just told about Natsu having a ring and everything from Cosmos. "That boy actually took my advice to the heart after all." He looks at Cosmos who now has Puru riding on top of her hat. "you're a very lucky woman, Cosmos."
"Thank you, Captain." Cosmos nodded with a smile before looking a bit nervous. "so about my request?"
"Though I'm not that accurate in predicting missions and what not, I believe I can arrange a two month absences for you and Natsu in some time." Arcadios said with a smile. "both of you have been working hard in your duties as magic knights, take the time off and have fun together."
"Puru~!" Puru cried out to Arcadios who chuckles and nodded.
"yes, with Puru too." Arcadios chuckled.
"Thank you very much, Captain Arcadios." Cosmos smiles and nodded gratefully. "I'm very grateful."
"Just make sure to keep that knucklehead in place when both of you settled down." Arcadios replied after nodding. "he's outgoing and all, but he's too straightforward in doing things."
"I will." Cosmos nodded. "I will do my best."
As they continued to converse and walk in the hallway, they run across with Dan, Tim, Neppa, and Uosuke who came by.
"Puru~!" Puru cried out as the little furball jumped and latched onto Uosuke's face. "Puru~!"
"It's fluffy~!" Uosuke cried out in joy as he snuggled his face into Puru's fur.
"hey! Let me in on that, Uosuke!" Neppa exclaimed. "I want the fluffy furry too~!"
While Neppa and Uosuke are busy with Puru, Tim and Dan met up with Arcadios and Cosmos.
"Fancy meeting you here considering that you're off duty this week, Cosmos." Dan said while having his arms crossed. "what brings you here to the castle on your day off?"
"just visiting Captain Arcadios and requesting something for a later time." Cosmos replied, planning to keep the whole ring and stuff a secret till the right time. "how about you guys? It's not that often that you four are in a group."
"indeed." Tim nodded. "we are planning to head off for a quest that we are going to do as a pseudo team. Clay-kun along with Kamika-san and Rookie-kun had already gone off to do the same a day before."
"ah, she told me about that when she came to visit me the other day." Cosmos replied. "is it an S-class mission like theirs?"
"more like an A-class." Dan replied while shrugging his shoulders and waving a hand to the side. "all the other S-class got taken already and we're left with the A-Class." He then sighs and looks a bit annoyed to Arcadios. "if Captain Arcadios had reserved one for us, we wouldn't be stuck with an A-class mission~!"
"The ones who can choose and reserve S-class missions are your team's Captains. It's all about ranking and therefore no complaining." Arcadios replied.
"stingy." Dan said while looking away and pouted.
Cosmos giggles to the situation before she looks up when she finds Puru jumping back into her arms after having enough fluffy time with Neppa and Uosuke who looks satisfied.
"by the way, how is the progress of the Captains' job?" Tim asks. "they have departed for the island of the Moon; Galuna the day before, correct?"
"They had." Arcadios nodded. "even with Natsu and Kama's skill put together, I doubt it will take them a day or two to complete it."
"our Captains got their gist together and nothing is impossible." Dan said. "they'll finish the job before we could even sneeze."
"Achoo!" Cosmos suddenly sneezes after Puru climbs over her head and this made its fur tickle her nose. The pink haired magic knight then giggles a bit awkwardly to Dan. "I'm sorry."
"looks like you lost your bet to yourself, Dan-dono." Tim chuckles as Dan looks defeated.
"good grief." Arcadios sighs before he hears someone calling his name from behind. He turns and sees a soldier who came and saluted to him. "what is it?"
"We've just received a report regarding the S-class mission that Captain Dragneel and Captain Falce has been tasked upon." The soldier reported before handing a scroll to Arcadios who takes it. "it would seem that there is a guild who had taken the S-class mission before them."
"really? Who?" Cosmos asks, she along with everyone else curious to hear the report.
Arcadios unravels the scrolls and reads the content before humming a bit in response.
"Fairy Tail, is it?" Arcadios said before he handed the scroll for Cosmos who reads it with everyone else. The Captain Knight then scratches his chin. "if I'm not mistaken, that's the name of the guild that helped Natsu during his mission on capturing Eisenwald before, correct?"
"yes, it is." Cosmos nodded as she reads the scroll. "Natsu told me that the guild helped him in capturing Erigor and his dark guild."
"heard a lot about this guild." Dan said while looking up and began to think. "if I'm not mistaken, the guild is known to be the number one most strongest guild in all of Fiore and also the most destructive of them all."
"That doesn't sound very good." Neppa said. "how can there be such a guild?"
"yeah, if it's the most destructive guild. It shouldn't be number one at all-tai." Uosuke added in.
"though the stories claim that the guild is destructive, it's heritage is filled with stories of greatness." Tim stated. "the guild has stood for almost a century and has done efforts worthy to be praised."
"Tim is right, let's not see things as what they are without approving it first." Arcadios said before cupping his chin. "though it's quite the coincidence that Natsu and Kama would meet them on their mission. I hope that there won't be any problem between the two groups."
"knowing Natsu, I believe he'll appreciate all the help he can get." Cosmos said with a smile that turned awkward. "that is if the other party doesn't agitate him too much."
"ah that's right…." Everyone else spoke in unison, remembering how Natsu is hot tempered like his own magic.
"Achoo~!" Natsu sneezed a bit loudly as it echoes in the temple. The Fire Dragon Slayer coming out of a hallway that is left burned and scorched along with a pile of unconscious priests who he had knocked out. He sighs while rubbing a finger to his nose. "man, Cosmos is talking about me a lot today."
Natsu is on his task of getting intel as he is traversing in the temple, trying to see what they are planning to do. He tried going around in stealth but people find him and tried to attack, only get knocked out. Right now, he's trying to locate the person named Reitei and find out what does he plan.
"should be getting close by now…" Natsu whispers as he keeps on traversing the temple and was about pass an intersection which is where he came across with Toby all the sudden. "eh?"
"uh?" Toby made a confused noise as he and Natsu stared at one another.
A few seconds went pass and turns into a minute where Toby's eyes went wide in shock.
"I-Intrud-!?" Toby was about to scream about to his friend about Natsu, but gets knocked to the wall by the man before falling to the floor with a red bump on the back of his head. "oohhn…"
"I'm really not cut for stealth and stuff, huh?" Natsu said after sighing before he picks up Toby and begins to drag him away. The man went to place the dog man straight to where he had knocked out the priests, he doesn't want to let them get back up and warn their friends about his current location.
Continuing his task, Natsu heads up some stairs as he stops by the top and peeks out his head to see that it's some sort of throne room seeing that there's a large seat at the center and there is a person wearing a metal helmet and a cloak. This person is currently talking to several priests standing before him.
"Something tells me that guy is the Reitei…" Natsu whispers as he watched in silence while listening to the group's conversation. "I wonder what they are planning?"
"How is the progress of the ritual?" the one named Reitei asks the priests. "have we accumulated enough power as planned?"
"yes, it's all progressing smoothly." One of the priests replied. "by the following night, we might be able to make large progress in melting parts of the ice faster than expected."
"good." Reitei replied. "ensure that more magical power gets collected from the moon and make sure to melt it more faster, understand?"
"yes, Reitei-sama." The priests replied.
"soon, it's going to come. My destiny." Reitei said while smiling. "I will defeat Deliora and finally surpass Ur!"
"looks like they really plan to get Deliora free, huh?" Natsu whispers. "but that guy plans to defeat it? To surpass Ur? Is this some ego call from the guy?" he then rummages to his back pocket. "need to get this info to Kama and then.."
"I don't think that's allowed here." A voice spoke as a masked person appeared behind Natsu whose senses instantly gets alarmed to the point he ignited his right fist in flames before he swung it right behind him. However the stranger behind him had instantly jumped away to dodge. "oh! That's quite the magic you have! A fire mage, are you?"
This alarming situation got the attention of Reitei and the priests as they all got alarmed by it.
"Who is there!?" Reitei exclaimed.
"Tch! Damn annoyance!" Natsu exclaimed as he took a deep breath and instantly blew out black smoke that instantly enveloped the entire area.
The priests began to cough while Reitei merely held a hand over his nose and mouth with the other hand waving off the smoke.
"who was that!?" Reitei demanded as he faced the other masked individual. "an intruder!?"
"it would appear so, Reitei-sama." The masked individual replied before smiling. "a fire mage who bears the Fiore's Royal Army symbol. I believe it to be a member of the Kingdom's royal magic knight unit."
"royal magic knight?" Reitei said. "I see, I've heard that the kingdom have decided to dispatch their magic knights to solve jobs meant for magic guild to add trust to their army." He scoffs a bit. "no matter. Even if it's the magic knight or guild or whoever they are, no one can stop me. no one." He looks at his masked companion. "make sure that no one will disturb our goal, Zalty. Understand?"
"I understand, Reitei-sama?" the masked man now identified as Zalty smiles before cackling a bit.
Meanwhile with Natsu, he is found to be running off from the scene as he made a decision for a quick retreat instead of being a part of a battle that would just waste his time.
"I should've gotten Kama to be doing this stealth stuff!" Natsu said he runs straight for a wall that he destroyed with a spinning flaming kick. The man now got outside before he proceeded to jump down into the forest. "I hate doing spying stuff!"
That's a wrap!
Bye bye