Chapter 25

Clover town

Makarov

Night

"*Sighs* I need to get away from everyone." Said Makarov as he walked towards the forest of Clover Town. "It was nice to see Bob and Goldmine again, but I need some me-time. Something I rarely ever get with how rowdy the Guild is and how much paperwork I have to do because of their antics. *Sighs* At this rate, I'll be stuck as Guild Master until the day I die." Sighing for the third time, Makarov found a stump and sat down on it before bringing out his magazine, which was a magazine full of beautiful young women. Scantily clad at that as well. Just because he was one of the few responsible people in Fairy Tail doesn't mean he can't have his own negative quirks and traits.

Giggling to himself, Makarov looked at the front babe and blushed madly, enjoying just how attractive she was. She reminded him so much of the woman that gave him his son and later grandson. Remembering her, Makarov felt a ting of sadness within him before it quickly went away when he turned the page of his magazine. As he was enjoying the pictures of near-naked women, he thought about the news from Mirajane a few hours ago.

Through a magic letter, she told Makarov that Erza, Natsu, Gray, Arahan, Naestra, and that new girl left to handle a mission on their own, leaving him shocked that they were all going to one location at the same time. Much as Makarov was fearful at the amount of damage that will come about from the combined power of Natsu, Gray, and Erza, he was confident that both Arahan and Naestra were able to stop such destruction from occurring. Those two were perhaps the most successful members of Fairy Tail to date in terms of how little property damage was inflicted when they take jobs. Never in his years had he seen a pair like them do jobs without causing too much property damage within Fairy Tail. They were just so efficient in their jobs and so good at keeping everyone in line, that the list of complaints against Fairy Tail declined. And anyone that can keep those complaints down, thus making his own life as a Guild Master easier, was a good thing to have in Fairy Tail. Heck, he can actually afford to get all the magazines he wanted without running the risk of draining Fairy Tail's finances too much and that was all thanks to Naestra and Arahan keeping everyone from destroying the Guild Hall as often as before they came into the guild. The only thing he had a problem with them was their uncaring nature towards killing.

Much like most people in the legal guilds, Makarov was against killing. Killing should never be the first thing that one should take in order to defeat their foes. All life is precious, no matter what actions some people have committed in their lives. People can change, even if it seemed that they couldn't be redeemed at all.

That being said, Makarov still allowed Naestra and Arahan to continue to be employed in the Guild. While the Magic Council allowed them to do so because of their high success rate and them being non-magical people, Makarov did so because, for all their laxity, or even extreme satisfaction with it in Arahan's case, Makarov saw them as people that wished to protect others from threat.

Even if Arahan would deny it, Makarov saw that the two were morally good people that wished innocent people were unharmed and left alone from those that wish to take advantage of them. Even if it meant killing such people, Arahan and Naestra would do what they can to protect the innocent from harm. Despite his disapproval at their acts of killing, Makarov couldn't let that influence his decision from kicking them out of the guild, not when he saw everything else about them.

Not only are they caring towards their fellow guildmates, Naestra showing it more, but they are loving mentors and parents that helped children like Erza and Mirajane to become the great wizards and people they are today. And their son was someone that brought him great joy at how he turned out, unlike him with his son. How could he kick them out over killing dark wizards and other common criminals when they've done so many other good things for his guild. Besides, Naestra always expressed her sorrows with it and was always reluctant to kill, unlike Arahan, who was always gleeful to do it. Truly, they are strange, but that's par on the course for his guild.

As he turned the page of his magazine, he suddenly heard the sounds of bushes being moved around to his left, causing him to stop reading and look to the direction of the noise.

"I know you're there." Said Makarov as he fully turned to face the direction of where the noise originated from. "Show yourself." It was then that he saw who it was and was shocked.

A half-naked man bearing a wound on his left shoulder, bearing clear signs of poison on it with how sickly it looked. The scythe that the man had in hand was a bit concerning to Makarov, but upon seeing just how exhausted and sickly the man looked, Makarov went over to help him out.

"Easy there." Said Makarov as he went over to help the man as he struggled to stand on his own two feet. Using his magic to grow taller, Makarov helped the man as he began to fall to his knees because of the poison. "Can you stand?"

"No." Said the man as his white hair obscured his face from Makarov.

"What did this to you?" Asked Makarov as he looked at the man.

"A white-haired bitch with a bow and arrow." Said the man simply as he tried to speak through the pain he was feeling. It was like a thousand needles were piercing his body with every word he spoke. "Arrow must have been coated with a powerful…poison." Makarov hummed at that as he looked at the man closer, noticing his appearance. While that sounded like something that an assassin or even a dark wizard would do, he knew that Arahan would imbue her arrows with poisons to give her an edge. Most of them were lethal, to his regret and disapproval, but she had a few that merely weaken an opponent down. And he didn't know many white-haired women with a bow and arrow like Arahan. Still, just to be safe, Makarov asked a few innocent questions.

"Was there anyone with this woman?" Asked Makarov as he led the man to the guild conference for two reasons. If this was an innocent man, then no sane dark wizard or assassin would dare try to attack a building full of Guild Masters, one of which was a part of the Ten Wizard Saints. And if he wasn't, then this man would not do anything against even the weakest Guild Master with how weak he was right now.

As Makarov was escorting the man, he suddenly felt something was amiss and thus pushed the man away. Just in time to avoid a knife coming straight towards him. The knife ripped a new one on his shirt, but otherwise, it missed him completely. Glaring down at the men he helped, he saw that he was on the ground with a knife in one hand.

"Just as I suspected." Said Makarov as he glared down on the man on the ground. "You're a dark wizard and the one that did this to you was Arahan from my own guild. Am I correct?" The man just gritted his teeth before glaring at Makarov. The glare confirmed his question. And if that didn't, then the sounds of yelling from a familiar pink-haired dragon slayer did.

"There he is!" Yelled Natsu as he was being carried by Erza. In front of them were Arahan and Naestra, their bows at the ready as they ran. Turning to face his fellow guild members, Makarov relaxed as they along with Gray, Lucy, and Happy came towards him and regrouped around him.

"Master! Thank god that you're safe." Said Erza with a smile as she placed Natsu on the ground, face first, much to his indignity. "I thought we would be too late."

"We wouldn't be." Assured Arahan as she held Erigor down on the ground with her hands holding his own so that he wouldn't stab anyone with his knife or scythe after disarming him. As she did this, Naestra was prowling around Erigor's body for his secret weapon. "My arrow was laced with a poison that would sap his strength. By the time he got here, he would be too weakened to sing Lullaby." Upon hearing Lullaby, Makarov widened his eyes in shock.

"He has Lullaby!?" Demanded Makarov as Naestra searched for the flute in question. He knew all about Lullaby and its dangerous powers. To think that this man had it in his possession, and he didn't know about it.

"Indeed." Said Naestra before finally bringing out Lullaby from Erigor's person. "I believe it's best in your hands, master." Makarov nodded at that before taking the flute from Naestra, now back to his normal size. Looking at the dark flute, Makarov couldn't believe that such a dark artifact was in the hands of a dark wizard and that he would have to lead them to the other guild masters, where they would all be vulnerable to Lullaby's power. That, however, soon was squashed down when Naestra placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled as if she knew what he was thinking and was counseling him. Giving her a nod of thanks, Makarov looked at the artifact and placed it behind his back.

"You all did well today." Said Makarov as he looked at all the mages and members in his guild. "Not only did you stop this man from utilizing Lullaby against, what I assume, the Guild Masters in Clover Town, but you also managed to capture Lullaby itself." He then held it up for them all to see. "I'll be making sure this ends up somewhere that no one can ever use it for any purpose. I'll also be informing the Magic Council of your deeds today in order for you all to get the proper recognition that you all deserve." Though Naestra and Arahan didn't mind if they didn't get any recognition for their deeds, the others were happy about it. Just as Erza was about to thank Makarov when she suddenly sensed a threat coming towards them.

Yelling at everyone to take cover, Erza brought out her sword and deflected a crossbolt aimed at her throat. Before she had even yelled, both Naestra and Arahan moved out of the way as several crossbolts were shot towards them. Natsu yelled as Lucy dropped down next to his limp body with Happy in her arms while a bolt landed near her head, freaking her out. Makarov gasped in surprise as a crossbolt embedded itself in Lullaby. Gray then created a wall of ice around him and Makarov, stopping the other bolts that were aimed at them.

Once all the bolts were shot and missed their targets, five dark-clothed men came out of hiding. With masks and hoods covering their faces but their eyes, the Fairy Tail members couldn't tell who they were, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that they were all eyeing Lullaby and looked like they were ready to kill anyone that prevented them from getting it. Wielding a crossbow on one hand and a wicked knife laced in poisons with the other, the three charged at the Fairy Tail members.

Lucy screamed out as one man jumped over her to engage Gray, who jumped back to avoid the man's poison-laced knife, while another engaged Erza in a battle of blades. The remaining three went for Makarov who held their prize.

Naestra intercepted one and forced him to engage her while Arahan did the same with another, cracking madly as she did so, leaving one to engage Makarov.

"These men." Thought Makarov as he dodged the poison-laced blade his foe wielded. "Their colors remind me of that woman all those years ago. And those eyes. They're filled with the exact same wickedness and sadism as that woman as well. Could they be connected?" Reminding himself that he needed to prevent these men from obtaining Lullaby, Makarov watched the man's attack patterns and carefully planned his attack. As the man went for a downward stab on Makarov's head, the Guild Master of Fairy Tail enlarged his right foot and kicked the man's gut, sending him flying away a few feet. The man landed on his feet, but it was clear that he was hurt from the kick. Grasping his gut, the man charged at Makarov.

Stunned at the man's tenacity, Makarov still dodged the attack and tried to do the same trick, but he nearly got slashed as a result. Seeing the man has learned raised his defenses up, Makarov was wondering what to do when the man suddenly received an arrow to his head, killing him. Turning around, he saw Arahan and her bow out, her posture indicating that she shot the arrow. Around her, Naestra had incapacitated her opponent while Erza's opponent was missing an arm while Gray's opponent was encased in a block of ice. As for Arahan's opponent, he was dead, his blood flowing from a sizable cut on his throat.

Frowning in disapproval at her killing, Makarov went over to his Fairies and spoke up.

"I'm grateful that none of you are hurt by these assailants." Said Makarov, ignoring Arahan's killing for now. "I assume you're all fine, yes?"

"Yes!" Yelled Natsu from the ground. The poison that he inflicted from before by Erigor was still in effect. Hence why he didn't participate in the battle at all, much to his annoyance. Everyone else gave their confirmations as well, satisfying Makarov. Walking over to the men that Naestra captured, he asked the man what they were hoping to achieve. When he received nothing from the man except a glare, Makarov sighed before looking over at Naestra.

"Make sure these men are under constant surveillance as well as treated for whatever wounds they have." Said Makarov, eyeing Erza's assailant. "We're taking them to the Guild Master's conference. From there, we'll contact the army and have them take all these men into custody."

"No need to contact the army, master." Said Naestra. "We already contacted the army before pursuing Erigor, the man with Lullaby. They should be here soon." Makarov hummed at that before nodding towards Naestra.

"Very well." Said Makarov before giving out orders. "Then let's get these men patched up and under control." With that, Erza grabbed her man and escorted him to the guild master conference building while Naestra did the same with Erigor and her other assailant. As Gray and Arahan did the same with the remaining one and Natsu, Makarov looked at Lucy and Happy. "So, how was your time with your fellow guild members?" Upon hearing that question, Lucy gave out a smile.

"Good." Said Lucy before remembering the killing from Naestra and Arahan. "Just wished that Naestra and her sister didn't…"

"Kill?" Finished Makarov, causing Lucy to nod. "*Sighs* Believe me, you're not the only one that wishes that they don't kill. If you wish to tell them about your dislike for it, my advice is to relay them to Naestra. She'll give you a reasonable explanation as well as be understanding towards your concerns." Lucy nodded at that before following Makarov towards the Guild Master conference. As they walked, Makarov looked at Lullaby and frowned, eyeing the bolt that was embedded in the dark artifact. It looked like a normal bolt, but Makarov had a feeling that it wasn't. And that it did something to Lullaby, but he couldn't figure out what. He could only hope that it wasn't anything too dangerous, otherwise, he may end up regretting sealing away Lullaby.

Meanwhile

"Useless humans!" Yelled the armored woman that had met up with Erigor prior to Eisenwald making their final plan against the Guild Masters. They had seen what had happened with Erigor from a distance, far enough that neither Naestra nor Arahan can hear them. They also saw what their agents did and the woman was not happy with it. "I knew I should have risked our presence in order to ensure that this plan will succeed. Grah!" As the woman raged, a man in dark clothing looked at her as she raged.

"It seems that our human agents still did something worthwhile." Said the clothed man, dressed similar to those that had. "They managed to prevent the demon that composed Lullaby from adopting its true form. No doubt these Fairy Tail wizards would have destroyed the demon before it could even do anything. Such is the frailty of the demons of this world. So fragile. So unlike the daemons of our old home."

"I care not about that! What I care about is that I have been denied my vengeance against Makarov!" Yelled the woman, causing the man to bow in pity.

"My sympathies, mistress." Said the man, causing the woman to glare at him. "I assure you, if you were in charge of the Dreadwaters, I would have completed the task with no difficulties at all. Alas, your elder sister and brother have dominion over the family, so I cannot be of your service without their permission."

"Do not remind me of them, Xylas." Said the woman as she glared at Clover town. Or rather the person there. Makarov. "I will have my vengeance on Makarov for the humiliation that he brought me years ago and I will make these Wood Elves pay for what they've done today."

"Intriguing, though, isn't it?" Asked Xylas. "Asrai are here. I had thought we were the only elves in this world, but it seems we were mistaken." Both of them had seen the fight and seen how Arahan and Naestra fought. The grace, skill, and savagery they displayed. It was too much like the way the Asrai fought. A combination of Druchii savagery and Asur grave and elegance into two beings. So intriguing. The woman finally calmed down enough to respond.

"Yes." Said the woman, still a bit angry, but in control of her emotions for now. "They will be excellent slaves for our highest bidders. They will give me much praise and prestige within the family if I bring them back to Bosco. Even more so than bringing Makarov to them alive. Elven maidens as slaves? That is something that people will pay millions, even billions, just to have one as a slave."

"Indeed." Said Xylas. "Especially if they still have their maidenhood intact." The woman nodded in agreement, now imagining the prestige she would get if she captured both of them. It almost got rid of her hatred for Makarov and his guild. Almost. "Perhaps we should focus on acquiring them for now, mistress? After all, it benefits us more if we capture them instead. Yes?" The woman growled at that, not liking attention from being shifted from Makarov, but relented.

"Very well, Xylas." Said the woman. "We'll shift our focus on them. For now, though, we shall remain in hiding. I do not want any more operations until I'm certain that the situation here is blown over and we can begin operations again without anyone connecting us to this or what happened in the port." Xylas bowed at that.

"As you wish, mistress Lilea." Said Xylas as the two watched the Fairy Tail group enter the Guild Master conference with their prisoners.