Author's Note: Sorry…It's been a while. Thank you for all your support and patience :,)
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
But if I did, I...hmmm...nope, nothing. I have run out of ideas. Maybe I should write more fanfics. I do have small ideas for other franchises actually since the owners/companies themselves won't make them reality ;-;
As always, please feel free to give me your constructive criticism, feedback, suggestions, etc. as they are all welcome. Or just drop your support in the section. Your kind words are always appreciated.
Spells and attacks will be in bold. Thoughts, flashbacks, and emphasized phrases will be italicized.
Lamia Scale Thanksgiving arc - Chapter 17 - Pierce Through the Clouds
~Crater, Ravine Depths, North of Margaret~
Dragon Force.
Supposedly, it is the zenith of Dragon Slayer Magic. The user gains draconic features reflective of the type of Dragon Slayer Magic they possess in addition to drastic boons in magical energy output, strength, defense, speed, and further heightened senses.
Within the isolating sanctuary of violent winds, Wendy glared daggers at Bluenote with her now hot-pink eyes. The veteran mage grinned as he resumed a fighting stance, "Interesting. You harbor such immense power inside that small body of yours. Do not let me down."
Wendy paid no heed to her enemy's words. Light glittered from her hands and the feathers on her wrists before spreading to the rest of her body, "Ile Arms! Ile Vernier! Ile Armor!"
Red, green, then blue. The lights Wendy cast upon herself transitioned between these colors to match each enchantment. Although the fallen Romeo's tricks were amusing to Bluenote, he could tell Wendy's arsenal was another ballpark entirely. And this was only the tip of the iceberg, "So she's an enchanter AND a Dragon Slayer...Best be on my guard."
Not waiting around to get struck first, Bluenote pushed one of his palms forth at Wendy's direction, "Soar!"
Unable to evade gravity, Wendy was tossed back by an invisible force. Nearly falling into the stormy wall she created, Wendy manipulated the air around her to prevent herself from getting sucked into the shredding winds. Upon stabilizing midair, Wendy zipped and faded from Bluenote's line of sight.
"So fast...Where did she go?" Bluenote pondered aloud.
In a flash, Wendy re-appeared behind the Gravity User without making a sound. Sensing her sudden presence, the Gravity Mage switched to his usual safety measure, "Fall!"
The gravity in the radius surrounding himself increased tenfold, causing the stone floor to crack and indent downwards. Wendy grit her teeth as Bluenote's gravity pressed down upon her nearly bringing her to her knees. Even as the pain coursed throughout her small frame, she would not give this villain even half a teaspoon of satisfaction.
"Got you now!" Bluenote smirked as he turned around. Raising a palm upwards, he used his magic to levitate Wendy from the ground and send another wave of crushing gravity throughout her body. Wendy bit harder on her lips, drawing blood from the corner of her mouth.
"I must say, you have improved over the past 9 years," Bluenote analyzed the Sky Dragon Slayer with a convoluted mixture of fascination and pride in his bloodthirsty, periwinkle irises, "You're not the same girl who gets knocked down with the rest of the dregs anymore. However, this will be as far as you go."
"Ughhh...this guy talks way too much!" Wendy mentally sweatdropped. Her body emanated another ethereal glow, "Anomaly Resistance Enchant: Re-Raise!"
The bone-crushing pain and inhibitions directly applied to her body subsided without a trace. Free of Bluenote's gravitational restraints, Wendy proceeded to gather wind around her feathered hands.
"My Gravity...but how?" Bluenote stared wide-eyed in disbelief for the second time today at yet another Fairy Tail mage.
"Sky Dragon's Wave Wind!"
With no time to comprehend Wendy's escape, Bluenote was swallowed by a violent tornado spawned beneath him.
"Nghhhh!" The spiraling winds mercilessly slashed and tore into his clothes and skin. Even if he could not apply his Gravity onto his opponent this time, he could still use it on himself to stay on the ground.
When the tornado dispersed, Wendy was already within close quarter's distance to take a lunge at Bluenote. Before the Gravity Mage could alter the gravity of the area, Wendy extended a leg surrounded by coiling winds, "Sky Dragon's Claw!"
Wendy aimed straight for Bluenote's core, but the experienced mage blocked the blow with his arms crossed. As his Gravity Magic anchored him, Bluenote did not budge an inch. On instinct, Wendy backed up before siphoning more air for her next strike.
Unsure if he could handle another direct blow without risk, Bluenote waved a palm in a downwards motion in Wendy's vicinity again.
"Fall!"
The ground in the anointed direction crackled and crumbled with the change in gravity. Still, the Sky Dragon Slayer stood unaffected. Certainly, today was the day Bluenote would not cease to be amused by the wonders of the Magic World. Wendy flitted across the gravitational zone without a care like a butterfly fluttering through the battlefield. She bolted towards him with wind currents flowing around her feathered wrists like seraphic wings.
"Sky Dragon's Wing Slash!"
Wendy soared past Bluenote, slashing him across the transverse plane.
"Impossible...!" Bluenote grit his teeth as he was sent sprawling into air towards the upper wall of the wind cage.
Quickly, Wendy turned around, huffing in air to power her signature move.
"Sky Dragon's...ROARRRRR!"
An immense roar of high-spiraling winds rushed from Wendy's opened jaw towards an airborne Bluenote Stinger.
"Shit..." Bluenote cursed under his breath before the gale swept him straight into another torrent of wuthering winds. The two winds pushing against each other shredded Bluenote from both sides "NgghhhhAAHHH!"
The Gravity Mage fell to the ground. Not giving up, he propped himself on knee, "To cast this many spells in such quick succession...this mage is on a whole other level compared to the one I fought earlier!"
"I'm not done yet," Wendy said. She knew exactly what she needed to do next. A silverish magic circle appeared beneath the Sky Dragon Slayer as she entered a wide stance, "Dragon Slayer Secret Art..."
The winds in the barrier surrounding her spun with greater fervor. Bluenote imbued his legs with Gravity Magic to prevent him from getting carried away.
"SHATTERING LIGHT: SKY DRILL!"
Wendy waved her hands in a counterclockwise motion causing the wind wall to contract inwards, channeling the full wrath of the wind cage into a rapid, shining airstream directed at the already anchored Bluenote. The poor Gravity mage didn't even have enough time to reallocate his Gravity Magic onto his hands.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Bluenote frantically cursed before the jetstream swallowed him whole. Although the Gravity he applied to his lower limbs enabled him to stay attached to the ground, he slowly felt his gravity's grip loosen as the blast increased its intensity with each passing second he stood in the airstream.
"Nooo...even my Gravity is losing its own traction...What is this?"
It was only a matter of seconds before he was sent sprawling backwards into a pile of rubble from one of the ravines' collapsed walls.
Having used a large chunk of magic energy in this exchange, Wendy's Dragon Force mode faded. Her spiky pink hair reverted back to deep blue. Her bold pink eyes reverted to brown. The glittery, white feathers adorning her upper back, wrists, and ankles scattered from her person into sparkling dust.
Wendy nearly fainted, but she planted her legs firmly onto ground, "No, I am not going to take a rain check just yet."
With the wind barrier dispelled, Sherria who was kneeling over the unconscious bodies of Romeo and Carla witnessed Wendy use the same powerful spell she witnessed before at the Grand Magic Games. The magenta-haired Sky God Slayer smiled in excitement for her friend's hard-earned victory.
"Look at you go Wendy!" Sherria silently cheered her best friend, "You were so scared when you talked about this guy earlier. But all along, within you lay the key to defeating him."
Refocusing her healing glow onto Romeo's blacked-out figure, Sherria smiled cheekily, "Ah, this too is a form of lo-Wait a minute! "
As Sherria scanned Romeo's knocked out body up and down, she gasped at the sight of the now-ruined rental vest, dress shirt, and slacks she purchased for him. The magenta-haired female pouted and frowned before bonking the unconscious Romeo on the head, "Waaahhh, Romeo-kun you idiot! I could've used those funds to buy something for myself!"
"Ow..."
Upon being bonked on the head, Romeo flinched and was slightly roused awake before falling back into sleep.
"You know, you shouldn't be doing that to someone who's injured," a now-awake Carla scolded the Sky God Slayer.
"Gah! When did you get up Carla?" Sherria was bewildered to see Carla suddenly up and at it again.
"About a minute ago," the white-furred Exceed stated.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Now it was Sherria's turn to chide Carla.
"I just didn't feel like it," Carla turned her head to the side while crossing her shoulders.
"Oh really..." Sherria felt Carla was hiding something, "Would it kill you to admit that you were worried about Romeo-kun too?"
"Ah-" Carla blushed when the hammer hit the nail. Frustrated, she shook her paws and face in denial, "I-I couldn't care less what happens to C-Conbolt boy I swear!"
"Carla, Carla, Carla," Sherria shook her head as she mimicked Carla's stoic guardian figure demeanor, "You cannot deny that this too is a form of love."
"Ugh...give me a break," Carla facepalmed herself with one of her soft white paws.
"Carla! Sherria!" Wendy's voice grew with volume as she approached them, "Are you guys alright? Is Romeo-san breathing?"
"He's just resting right now," Sherria stated, "He's got a bunch of broken bones. Might take a while before we can actually move him. I think you should get some rest too."
"I see..." the bluenette rushed to her fallen teammate's side, "Romeo-san..."
Kneeling next to Romeo, Wendy hovered her hands over his body before casting a healing light.
"Wendy...what are you doing?" Carla objected to her friend's choice, "You'll drain yourself completely if you-"
"Carla, you don't get it," Wendy protested as she poured more of her energy into healing her teammate, "We don't have time to wait around for Romeo to get better. Bluenote could wake up any minute!"
"Didn't you defeat him just now?" Sherria questioned.
"Not a chance, " Wendy frowned, "Thanks to Dragon Force, I was able to buy us some time. We need to get going to town as soon as possible. Carla, is there a way you can carry Romeo over to town."
"O-of course," Carla nodded.
"Good," Wendy diminished her healing magic around Romeo's vitals, "Sherria, help me cut up his shirt so we can use it as a brace for his ribs. After this, let's depart ASAP."
"Roger Dr. Marvel!" Sherria saluted.
"Roger Dr. Marvel..." Carla hesitantly chanted.
~ Central Park, Margaret~
From atop the left wall of the icy rampart, Sherry, Ren, and Aria watched the menacing Orochi approach where Lyon's body was presumably positioned.
"Best of luck, Aria!" Sherry clasped the pinkette's hands tightly.
"Give us a show, superfan!" Ren winked.
"Of course! Sherry-san, Ren-san," Aria shook Sherry's hand with a smile, "Let's save the town!"
Having bestowed her final encouraging words, Aria blipped from their sight.
As Aria made her descent, she yelled back to them, "Don't forget my signal!"
"She vanished just like that, huh?" Sherry grinned, "Crazy girl."
"She's a Fairy Tail wizard," Ren smiled, extending an opened hand to his wife, "Of course she'll put herself in harm's way for the sake of others. Now, how about we sync up so we can put an end to this. Can't let a kid steal our thunder, no?"
Sherry giggled as she gripped the tanned Trimen member's hand, "You're right, Ren-san."
Magical energy flowed between the two wizards. A dark magenta magic circle formed behind Sherry while a light-blue magic circle formed behind Ren.
"Focus. And wait for the right moment!"
Already their thoughts were unionized.
...
...
Eyes locked on the scaled beast below, Aria advanced closer to her intended target with each teleport.
Now only yards above the oversized reptile, Aria materialized multiple crystalline knives. Hastily, she flung them all accurately around the periphery of the Orochi's serpentine base with each subsequent materialization.
Soon, a full circle of lacrimal daggers was etched around the unsuspecting Orochi. The knives on the ground illuminated. Thereafter, a magenta-reddish magic circle with a cherry blossom emblem appeared beneath the Orochi. Suddenly taking notice of the glowing circle below, the six frontal heads of the Orochi charged their breath attacks to obliterate the threat.
But this was all just as Aria calculated.
"Oh no you don't!" the pinkette crafted medium-sized, crystalline shuriken. Upon flinging the four-starred weapon, the shuriken rapidly whirled towards its target before lodging itself into an exposed flesh patch on the side of the Orochi's large body.
The monster yelped in pain, halting its breath attacks intended for the magic circle. Immediately, the Orochi's eight heads turned their attention to the one who inflicted this sharp, stabbing pain upon it. Aria smirked before snapping a finger, "Petal Burst"
Per command, the embedded, gem-like shuriken switched shades from amethyst to ruby. Heat exerted from the crystal star scorched the Orochi partially from the inside. Nerves literally on fire, the creature flailed about in agony. When the shuriken's shade reached darkest red, the crystal detonated in a cross-like conflagration. Chunks of scales, flesh, meat, blood, and bone splattered onto the walls of Lyon's icy barricade. The force of the explosion created a gaping hole in the left side of the Orochi's elongate body, partially exposing sanguine flesh and broken rib bones. All eight of the Orochi's heads concurrently roared upward in excruciating pain.
"Ew..." Aria grimaced at the morbid scene beneath her, "Sorry...not sorry?"
Glimpsing the falling pinkette, the Orochi's heads glared at their new target with newfound anger. Six of the eight heads opened their jaws preparing the take a bite out of their prey.
Aria smirked. She teleported before the first head could take a snap out of her torso.
Reappearing a few yards in front of the Orochi and the magic circle, Aria channeled more magic into her upcoming spell. She raised her hands upwards while incanting, "Delicate flowers which bloom more graciously in spring, your petals shall be carried by the tranquil breeze! PETAL STOOOORRRRM!"
Magenta radiance flashed from the magic circle on the ground. A blizzard of crystalline petals fluttered from the circled, swarming the Orochi. While buffeted by countless sharp petals, pieces of shrapnel infiltrated their red eyes. Unable to see anything, two of the Orochi's heads attempted to fire magical breaths only to have their mouths clogged with jewel fragments. Two consecutive explosions occurred within the deceptively alluring, floral typhoon. More explosions ensued as the Orochi's heads continuously tried to fire breath attacks to no avail.
"The bigger they are, the harder they fall I guess," Aria smirked briefly before self-reflecting on her steps, "Still, I don't think this will be enough. Its hide is too thick. Gotta go sharper!"
Pausing to take a breather, Aria gathered more magic power into both of her hands before lowering herself to the floor. She tenderly placed both palms flat onto the charred park grass as if eliciting the land's permission. She opened her ruby eyes to stare down beast still entrapped within the deadly shard storm, "Crystal Garden!"
Jagged, amethystine precipices sprung from the ground as they advanced into the whirling shards. The Orochi let out yet another booming roar of agony indicating to Aria that she had struck her target once more. When the glass petals ceased their waltz, the eight-headed beast's main body was revealed to have been punctured by four crystalline spires. Two of the Orochi's frontal six heads lost their heads from combustion. Despite having used two of her strongest spells against this creature, the Orochi's eight heads were still writhing in pain, even while blinded and immobilized.
"GRRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
Without sight allowing it to follow its initial directives, the Orochi's heads began to blast breath attacks indiscriminately while moving their heads to cover every possible. Perhaps somewhere along the way, the tamer's control over the creature had been lost. Streams of lightning, fire, water, and wind randomly spewed from the Orochi's viable heads. The elements locally bombarded the walls of the frozen rampart. Cracks and crevices soon formed. Shortly after, chunks of ice fell off from the base of the barricade.
"Sherry! Ren!" Aria panicked as she glanced at the top of the left barricade's wall. Should the Orochi's breaths successfully break down the left rampart at its base, her two guild-crossed lovers would be sent tumbling down.
"I have to do something!" When she tried to raise herself, Aria suddenly felt short of breath. Realizing she was nearly spent, she panted as she fell back to her knees, "It would seem that I've used up almost all my energy..."
Worse yet, the head that was breathing Fire Magic swerved its head in her direction at her sound.
"Crap! I can't even move!" Aria cursed as she covered herself to brace for the scorching of her lifetime.
"Ice Make: Snow Tiger!"
A tiger made of ice lunged the fire-breathing head, altering the trajectory of its flame breath by just a hair.
"Holy crap!" Aria's eyes widened as she traced the tiger's path back to its caster.
She turned her head over her right shoulder to see a now shirtless Lyon clad in cobalt pants, a mahogany belt, and white boots standing over some of the frozen rubble of the rampart. Despite the moderate burns to his body, it was truly reassuring to see Lamia Scale's ace was still in one piece.
"Lyon-san! Y-Your-You're alright!" Aria gasped while blushing a shade deeper than Erza's hair. Staring at this icy hunk's ripped upper body made her feel like passing out faster than her lack of magical energy.
Coyly touching her fingertips together while shifting her eyes shyly to the side, she asked "What um...happened to your coat and your shirt?"
"Oh, those got charred when I got hit by those six breath attacks. There was no point in keeping on those tattered rags on anyways, so I just tossed them," Lyon scratched the back of his head.
"Holy Lord...he's just like Gray..." Aria quietly muttered to herself.
"I have ears, you know..." Lyon put his hands on his hips disappointed, "And it's not flattering being compared to that stripper at all. Really irks me."
"Pfftt..." Aria stifled a giggle, "Whatever you say."
But their comedic moment would last briefly in their circumstance.
"RAAAAHHHHH!" The Orochi's head bellowed another deafening war cry. It served as a cruel reminder of its perilous presence.
Relying solely on sound, the rest of the Orochi's offense-based heads directed their elemental breaths towards their targets. Save for fire, a flood of water, electricity, and wind undulated towards Aria.
"Oh no..." Aria barely managed to get herself up.
Quickly, Lyon sprinted scooping Aria up princess style before leaping out of the combined breath attack. Hiding behind a pile of icy rubble, Lyon set a mildly rosy-cheeked Aria down.
"Are you alright?" Lyon asked the pinkette.
"I-I'm fine..." Aria looked away from the Ice Make Mage...'s bare musculature, "Shinji...please forgive me..."
"You're redder than a tomato..." Lyon observed, oblivious as to why Aria was so embarrassed.
"Ah-! I- I was just thinking...Um...Oh darn! If only I had a spell to deafen this thing..." Aria balled her hands into fists to express faux frustration.
"You did more than enough blinding every eye and keeping its main body locked in place. Unfortunately, snakes have inner ears posterior to the mandibles, so it would be nigh impossible to deafen it without piercing through it's skull or jaw bones," Lyon pat Aria on the head which only made her face even more red than it was moments ago.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAA! Sherria, I understand! I completely understand what you see in him!" Aria kept her internal squeals to herself, "Be gentle my heart!"
"Let's just stick to aiming for the heads like usual," Lyon stepped out of their hiding spot, facing the Orochi directly.
Lyon turned himself aside 90 degrees to his right while holding both hands back just as Ur taught him. Bright teal light shone from the space between his hands, "Ice Make: Swan Wings!"
Unleashing his hands, a flurry of rime swan wings darted at four of the Orochi's agape heads. The sharp iced feathers repetitively slashed the four heads disrupting their breaths.
"Nicely done, Lyon-san!" Watching Lyon's magic in action close snapped Aria out of her fangirl reverie, "Now the healers should show themselves real soon!"
Just as anticipated, the two hind heads could sense there were heads from the frontlines that were out of action: albeit without the visual means to assess. Jade light phosphoresced from their opened jaws and flowed onto the incapacitated heads. Under the benevolent green brilliance, damaged tissues, bones, blood vessels, neurons, and other organs lost in the fray slowly reassembled themselves to recreate the structure of the once-incapacitated heads.
Lyon entered another Ice-Make stance. Teal light illuminated again as he prepared to cast another spell.
"There's no need for that, Lyon-san," Aria waved the back of her palm to Lyon to signify his measures weren't necessary.
"What do you mean?" Lyon asked still keeping his stance intact.
Aria conjured a crystal dagger.
Sherry's words reverberated through Aria's head.
'The innate desire to survive is a form of self-love...Regardless, that regeneration ability feels like cheat skill to go up against...'
"This time, we'll use its need to heal against it!" Aria grinned as she threw the crystal dagger upward into the sky.
The dagger exploded.
...
"Did you hear that babe? I think it's time we show everyone how Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale mages serve," Ren grinned to his spouse.
"Without leaving any crumbs behind," Sherry pursed her lips, "Let's go!"
On cue, the two mages jumped from the top of the left sector of the rampart. Ren immediately activated his Air Magic to slow their descent. As they scaled down the barricade, Ren and Sherry witnessed two of the Orochi's heads in the backlines trying to resuscitate two of the fallen heads. The other four were unsuccessfully firing their magic breaths at these bladed ice wings fluttering around them.
"What on earth are Ren and Sherry doing jumping off of the wall?" Lyon was astounded by his comrades questionable re-entrance into the fray.
"Sssshhhh!" Aria hushed the Ice Make mage with a finger placed right on his lips, "You're ruining their moment!"
Weaving around the rotating streaks of lightning, water, and wind, Ren and Sherry both channeled their magic energy into delivering the coup d' grace. Sherry activated her dark magenta Doll magic circle in tandem with Ren's Air Magic circle.
"Unison Raid: Atmos Doll!"
The air sphere that encapsulated Ren and Sherry morphed into a translucent exoskeleton with claw-like limbs. Every developing joint and appendage was aided by one of Sherry's magenta magic circles until its formation reached completion. Kicking off of the iced wall, the Atmos Doll launched itself towards the gradually self-mending Orochi. Just as the Orochi was about to regain their octet, the Air Magic entity landed right behind it.
"Ending Asphyxiation"
Opening its diaphanous claws, the Air Magic exoskeleton materialized a colossus axe made of condensed atmosphere. It rose its pellucid blade over its right shoulder, then swung across all eight heads in one clean swoop. Eight heads toppled down like eight apples rolling from a torn basket in the market. At long last, the Orochi was slain.
Lyon slowly removed Aria's finger from his lips. Nonetheless, he was still in awe by his former guildmate's and her husband's feat. He looked to Aria to agree with what she said earlier, "You were right."
"Of course I was!" Aria lightly punched Lyon on the shoulder, where there was incidentally a second-degree burn mark.
"Ack! Ouch..." Lyon flinched from the stinging pain, "I'm still hurt you know."
"Ooh. Ooh. Sorry," Aria bowed politely before running towards Sherry and Ren.
When the Air Magic exoskeleton dispersed, both Ren and Sherry landed softly onto the charred park grass. Even after their safe arrival, they were still holding hands.
"Never in my mind did I think we could pull something like this off..." Sherry said aloud.
"Combat-wise, we're not the flashiest. But..." Ren put his free hand on Sherry's face, "Together we make a pretty damn good team."
Ren leaned in and kissed Sherry on her lips.
"Ren-san," Sherry blushed, "Once is not enough."
The Doll Mage kissed his lips back. Ren reciprocated.
"Sherry-san! Ren-san!" Aria was running towards her idols to congratulate them on their successful Unison Raid, but stumbled upon...
"OH MY GAWWWWWW~!"
Aria passed out from excess levels of joy.
"Geez...this one is a handful," Lyon sighed as he dragged the frothing, rapturous Aria away from her guild-crossed lover's PDA.
~Back Alleys, Margaret~
"GRoooooOOOOHHhhh!" Toby gave yet another victory howl for his audience of two in celebration of his successfully enacted vengeance. With the main intruder out for the count, the waters resumed their tranquil flow through the canal. It as if there was no disturbance in the first place, save for the scattered wooden planks from broken crates and the debris from tarnished buildings.
"Is he going to stop at some point?" Shinji sweatdropped, turning to Yuka - the only other rational-minded person in their group.
"Probably not," Yuka, too, sported the sweatdrop of embarrassment as his guildmate cherished his win, "Most likely, I'll be hearing about this over and over in the weeks to come."
The cerulean-haired Wave mage drooped his head. Shinji patted the back of his shoulders, "There, there...there, there..."
"More importantly," Shinji subjected his gaze upon the konked out body of Kurohebi, "Who is this guy? And why does he want to disrupt the Thanksgiving festival?"
"That would be Kurohebi, a former member of Raven Tail," Yuka clarified.
"Raven Tail...that was the guild formed by former Master Makarov's son, Ivan," Shinji pondered aloud, "They were Fairy Tail's biggest rivals during the Grand Magic Games, no?"
"How does a former mage from Raven Tail know who Arvesque is? And how does he know that Arvesque knew me...I thought Arvesque was dead...Freaky..." the raven-haired swordsman was briefly lost in thought.
"Yes, it seems you did a lot of brushing up on your guild's history since joining, "Yuka noted.
"Ha...Information is power, I guess, "Shinji shrugged, "Still, we need to figure out what to do with this guy. Do you know if anyone has informed the Magic Council about what happened?"
"I'm positive Master Ooba made sure to directly contact Jura," Yuka replied, "Knowing his former guild's base of operations was attacked would surely rev him up to mobilize the Rune Knights. I guess all that's left is rope and smidgeon this guy while he's out cold so he can be taken by the Council for interrogation."
"Oh no, we can't have that!" a feminine voice from above called out.
Shinji and Yuka traced the voice to a lilac-locked lady adorned in a black bodysuit and magenta, elbow-length gloves sitting atop one of the building roofs overlooking the site of skirmish.
"Rooooh?" Toby tilted his head inquisitively at the sight of the unfamiliar challenger entering the field.
"Delphinium..." Shinji's eyes became icy-cold sapphires as he stared down the femme fatale who poisoned him with her serpents. Regardless of his personal feelings, the young swordsman knew he wasn't in optimal condition to take her on.
"You know her?" Yuka observed Shinji's reaction to the stranger's presence.
"You could say we met through a quest my team took on," Shinji explained, "She used to work for the corrupt Magistia Lacrima Company."
Delphinium leapt from her perch, landing next to Kurohebi and by proxy, Toby, without breaking her knees. Her cerulean eyes gifted Shinji's cold glare a jesting expression as if to dare him to fight her at his own peril, "Awwww, you remember me? How sweet to know you've been doing your research. I happen to have learned a few things about you too, Tsukiya..."
Shinji's eyes widened. Knowing he did not have enough magic power to dawn on a new set of armor, he summoned a sword from space and pointed its blade towards the serpent-conjuring mage, "Guys, this one is really dangerous. Be careful!"
Heeding Shinji's warnings, Yuka imbued his now clenched fists with aura.
"Grrrrrr..." Toby growled as he brandished his viridescent claws, "Wanna a taste of my Mega Mega Jellyfish Paralysis Claw?"
When Delphinium laid eyes on Toby, she clicked her teeth and lowered her eyes at him with disgust, "Eww...Get lost, Fido. I'm more of a reptile person."
Effortlessly, she raised her right palm at Toby. A black magic circle with a snake insignia formed parallel to her palm.
"Black Viper!"
Just as the spell stated, a large, black-scaled serpent with red eyes sprung from the circle. The snake lunged at Toby ready sink its sharp white fangs into his tender flesh.
"Groooohhhh, my name is NOT Fido! It's TOBYYYYY!" foolhardy and seemingly fearless, Toby swiped at the sinister serpent. His nails made contact with the snake's keratinized hide but could not penetrate into its dermal layers.
"Crap!" Toby cursed as the black snake nearly clamped onto his left shoulder.
A sword whizzed the canal, piercing the snake and pinning it to a lumber wall on one of the alley's houses before it could bite Toby. Shinji sighed form across the canal as he and Yuka crossed the other side.
"Hmph...how boorish," Delphinium curled her lips, unsatisfied she could not poison the loudest nuisance of the bunch.
"Hey! You could've poisoned me ya know!" Toby hollered with veins popped left and right on the sides of his head.
"That was my intention," the lilac-locked vixen expressed her dismay as she picked up Kurohebi's body, "But whatever...I don't have all day. I have something else I need to procure."
Another black magic circle appeared beneath her. From its confines, spawned a giant, draconic maw that surrounded her and the unconscious Kurohebi.
"Toby get back!" Yuka shouted after her careless guildmate.
Before the maw closed, Delphinium sneered as she teasingly waved goodbye to Shinji, "Oh, by the way, Arvesque sends you her cruelest regards. Sweet nightmares, Tsukiya!"
With deafening finality, the sable maw clamped before sinking back into the abyss.
"Are we really just let them escape?!" Toby stamped his foot repeatedly on the floor, "Goddamnit!"
"Calm down Toby, this outcome is way better than any of us getting poisoned," Yuka sighed, "Our healing experts are most likely not in the city."
This perked Shinji's curiosity, "What makes you say that?"
"A while ago, I saw the Sky Sisters leave the city with that white flying cat and the Fire mage from your guild, " Yuka recollected, "I think they mentioned something about an army of monsters approaching the city and something about finding the one controlling them."
"But we just took him down..." Shinji expressed his confusion.
"That's where I'm stumped, "Yuka tried ot organize his thoughts, "It had something to do with that cat's intuition."
"Carla's foresight..." Shinji's eyes widened momentarily, "What on earth did she see that led her to make Wendy, Sherria, and Romeo leave the fight in front of them?"
~ Crater, Ravine Depths, North of Margaret~
"Whew...seems like he's doing better already," Wendy wiped the sweat off her forehead after a job well done, "Even if he doesn't wake up, it should be safe to move him."
Wendy, Sherria, and Carla all kneeled beside a soundly resting Romeo. Minutes prior, the three repurposed his maroon dress shirt and vest as a rib cage brace essential to stabilize his internal organs. After Wendy and Sherria switched between healing him, Romeo was now in much better shape than he was when they had found him.
"Carla," Wendy turned her attention to her Exceed companion, "Do you think you can carry fly him back to town? It would be better if he could rest on an actual better instead of rocks."
"I'll do what I can," Carla responded as she activated her Aera. White, feathered wings sprouted from her back as she picked Romeo with her paws and tail, "But I'm not going to leave you all behind."
"Fair enough," Wendy agreed, "We'll come with you."
"On that note, we should get going too!" Sherria smiled to Wendy and Carla who nodded in turn.
Just as the three were about to run back towards the city, a sudden loud crash resounded through the crater. Panic refilled Wendy's gentle heart. The threat she knew was far stronger than her would not have simply been outdone, even by her best maneuvers. A powerful, invisible force sent her sprawling in towards a wall in the crater.
"Gah!"
"Wendy!" Sherria and Carla called out to her in unison.
Battered and scraped up very badly, Bluenote Stinger arose from the rubble with a murderous glint in his periwinkle eyes, "This fight...is far from over. I refuse to be outdone..."
After using Gravity to slam the Sky Dragon Slayer into the crater wall, he used gravity on the nearby rubble to send them at the pinned down bluenette one after another.
"Oghhhh!"
"Aaaaghhhh!"
"AHhhh!"
Wendy, not having the luxury of magic power to access her Dragon Force or four plus enchantments, was totally outmatched by this Bluenote, "I knew it...Even after taking a direct hit from Sky Drill...I knew he would still come back...At this point, I don't even know what to do..."
Tired of flinging rocks at the girl, Bluenote gestured his right hand as if to beckon her to come towards him. Following his command, Wendy's now bruised body levitated towards him.
"You did not disappoint. You were fun actually...but I'm not going to take a beating like that and stay lying down. What I'm about to do to you is a form a respect. Acknowledgement that you were a good fighter..."
With a swipe of his hands, Bluenote started to distort how the natural forces of gravity acted on Wendy's body. He started by twisting her left ankle. Wendy screamed a bloodcurdling scream as the neurons connected to the socket in her left ankle blasted burning action potentials that coursed throughout her body.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Let go of Wendy! You brute! This torture isn't necessary!" a teary-eyed Sherria charged at Bluenote, launching black-plumed winds from her hands towards the Gravity Mage, "Sky God's Boreas!"
"Stay down insect! Fall!" Indifferent to the second girl, Bluenote moved his right hand in a downward motion. Gravity parted and dispersed the divine, sable winds until reaching its caster. Sherria was forcefully pinned to the ground as a result, "Gahh!"
"Sher...ria..." Wendy could barely muster the words to express her worry for her comrade.
"I-I'm sorry...Wen...dy..." tears trickled down Sherria's cheeks at how quickly the odds of their escape were obliterated.
Watching this turmoil unfold, Carla trembled with great fear. In front of her, Wendy and Sherria were at the mercy of a really pissed off Bluenote. Watching her allies get beaten so badly time and time again, stirred something in her heart.
Time and time again, she always felt there was something more she could do. In all her weakness, surely there was something she could do.
Knowing what she had to do, the white-furred Exceed set Romeo down. Carla's brown eyes flickered gold.
"Thairis Aer."
The world became overlayed with trajectories of what was to come. These projections showed Wendy and Sherria writhing and flailing as Bluenote sadistically tore them apart limb by limb with his Gravity Magic. Their bloodcurdling screams were akin to that of a rabbit's death scream after being twisted by boa constrictor before it took the final bite. The arrows guided her next steps accordingly. Without realizing it, Carla shifted into her human-esque form and followed them.
In all her weakness, there was something she could do.
She pixelated like a glitch in the system along the arrows' path. Instinctively, she drew out her claws. Time seemed to flow differently when she was superimposed like this. The dilation between how quickly she perceives herself moving in the world overlayed with possibilities versus the present moment perceived by everyone else was yet to be determined. Still, the difference was enough such that Bluenote could perceive her bolted towards him until it was too late.
Carla glitched in front of the Gravity Mage- who didn't even perceive her as a threat- with both claws dripped in holographic magic energy.
Sometimes, when fighting a cruel enemy, one must become crueler.
"Cait Sith!"
Carla crossed her claws slashing Bluenote's eyes.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! YOU...BITCH!" Undoing his Gravity Magic, Bluenote let out a yell of agony as he covered his eyes. Still, multiple streams of blood trickled down from crevices between his fingers.
Even as Wendy and Sherria were set down, neither could believe the sight they were witnessing. Upright and strait-laced Carla, of all people, attacking her own enemies in such a gruesome manner.
"Carla..." Wendy could only stare at disbelief at her partner whom she thought she knew entirely.
"I'm sorry," Carla blankly apologized. Whether she was apologizing to Bluenote whom she blinded or Wendy for showing her this unsightly side of her, "It was the only way I could stop this madness."
She propped Wendy up, putting her left arm over her shoulder in an assisted walk, "Is this comfortable enough?"
"Yes..." Wendy's voice was still choked up.
The two girls trudged towards Sherria who was also in shock by Carla's actions.
"Do you think you can stand Sherria?" Carla asked the Sky God Slayer.
"Um..." she paused for a moment before standing back up," Yeah...I'll be fine."
"Carla, let me take Wendy off your hands," another voice entered the fray, but at least this one wasn't an enemy.
The three girls turned to Romeo who was fully awake and standing without difficulty.
"Romeo...you saw that didn't you..." Carla drooped her head downwards, ashamed of traumatic sight she showed all these young children.
The young Fire mage nodded, "Yeah, I did. I'm kind of at a loss for words. But we'll talk about this later. For now..."
Romeo squatted down, preparing to carry Wendy, "How would a piggyback ride sound, Lady Wendy?"
Amidst these oddly morbid circumstances, Wendy's face turned a shade deeper than Erza's hair before she limped onto his back, "W-Why thank you, Sir Romeo..."
Wrapping his arms around her the back of her thighs, Romeo lifted the bluenette. Wendy secured herself by holding onto Romeo's shoulders, burying her face into his neck.
"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! It's happening! Not quite the way I imagined, but still..!" Sherria was internally ecstatic. The current mood was just not right for an outburst of fangirling.
"Let's get out of here," Romeo calmly smiled at the three.
Oddly, his words were the only reassurance they needed as they made their way back from the ravine to town as early morning inched its way into the waking world.
...
...
...
""My eyes...I can't see anything anymore...How dare...you cut up...my eyes..." Bluenote was profusely bleeding form the newly formed gashed in his eyes. Grieving this unpredictable turn of events, the Gravity Mage silently cursed the one who inflicted this unwanted impediment upon him, "Damn you...white cat...Of all the people who could've done that to me...how the hell could it have been you?!"
"She is an odd one, that cat. Fairy Tail is full of oddballs. But her case is the most intriguing." A silky, feminine voice crept out from nowhere. Delphinium emerged from the shadows with a paralyzed Kurohebi strapped to one of her pet serpents. Her heels clacked with each step she took to approach the now vulnerable Bluenote. Her serpent pet quietly meandered over the craggy terrain behind her.
Only able to rely on sound, Bluenote was startled by the unfamiliar voice, "Who goes there?"
"Me? I am no one of importance," the lilac-haired beauty responded, "I'm just a pawn in someone else's game. Maybe the truth is, we all are."
~Central Park, Margaret Town~
Dawn greeted everyone equally with its gentle light and promise for a better, more beautiful tomorrow. Fortunately, the town was no longer in a chaotic state. The Magic Council's forces had just arrived with Jura leading the troops, but the source of the strife within town had already been resolved hours before. At the very least, the Rune Knights set up a medical triage area with tents, beds, and blankets in the park to provide aid for the injured, supplied for those whose houses were caught in the crossfire, and guidance for the lost.
On the amphitheater, Ooba Babasama was giving Jura a stern lecture with Lyon, Yuka, Toby, Shinji, Aria, Sherry, and Ren in the background.
"Damn you, Jura! Why I ought to make you spin down into yer own grave for showing up so damn late!" Ooba Babasama was piping hot with anger as she scolded her former guild member for his late arrival.
"Oh man, she is freaking mad if she could say that straight to Jura!" Lyon, Yuka, Toby, and Sherry were sweating bullets. Having been accustomed to their Ooba's scolding, the four knew she was no to be trifled with.
Councilor Jura Neekis, ranked fifth among the Ten Wizard Saints, bowed his head apologetically, "I'm sincerely sorry that I couldn't arrive earlier Master Ooba. I had a hard time re-allocating personnel to the area."
"Excuses, excuses, excuses!" Ooba Babasama fumed in unamusement.
"Now now, Master Ooba," Lyon presented his guildmaster a tray endorsing a porcelain cup of green tea for amnesty, "While many of our guild members were seriously injured, we did not suffer any casualties from this mishap."
"Hmph..." Ooba turned her head away from the Earth Mage and snatched the cup from tray. After chugging her green tea like a shot, she turned back to Jura, "Perhaps I will forgive you...if you agree to stick around for one- no, two weeks...You hear? Be a dearie and help your old guild get back on its own two legs, no?"
Jura sighed, "I see...so that's your angle."
"Ooba-sama!" Toby interjected, "That's a tall order to make of a Councilman, groahh?"
"And who asked you?" A vein popped on the forehead of Lamia Scale's guildmaster as she ominously moved her fingers in circular motions, "I'll make you spin!"
"WROOOOOOAHHHH! NOOO I'm SORRYYYY!" Toby begged for mercy as he suddenly spun around like a dreidel.
"Reminder to self, don't get on Master Ooba Babasama's bad side, ever..." Aria shuddered at Toby's fate.
"Make a note for me too please," Shinji chimed in.
"It's a good thing Sherry agreed to join Blue Pegasus instead of it being the other way around," Ren sighed in relief.
"Um...Ren," Sherry shook her head," You were not supposed to say that out loud."
"I heard ya, you playboy brat!" Ooba's eyes glinted at Ren as she made spinning motions with her fingers, "I'll make you spin too!"
"Oh shi-IITTTTTTT!" Ren wailed as he, joined Toby in mutual suffering by spinning to their deaths.
"Pfft..." Yuka stifled a giggle at the comedic scene before turning to Jura, "It's good to have you back again, Jura-san, even if only for a bit."
Jura nodded to the Wave-Mage before returning a grin, "Every now and then, I do miss the nostalgia of being back here with everyone; Ooba's fits, Toby's rowdiness, Sherry's obsession with love, Lyon and you trying to play the straight man. But time changes so many things. To think I would one day come to a Thanksgiving Festival in shambles like this..."
"One more thing, if you don't mind," Yuka quietly relayed, "Kurohebi from Raven Tail and an unknown woman named Delphinium...do you think you or someone from the Council would be able to ask him about them. Assuming he's still in confinement."
"Hmmm, I'll see what I can do...I'll have to discuss this with the others Council members," Jura nodded, "Thank you kindly for the intel."
Yuka shifted his pupils to Shinji and subtly nodded. The Sword mage nodded back and gave the Wave Mage a grin to express his gratitude.
"Well, that's one thing out of the way...Delphinium, Kurohebi, Raven Tail...and Arvesque...Something fishy is going on...One day, we'll have to get to the bottom of this," Shinji sighed before cleansing his mind from the rabbit hole. There was a time for conspiracy theories, but that was not now. What the town of Margaret needed was all every possible helping hand to help refurbish her into the safe haven she was meant to be.
Shinji turned to Aria, "By the way, do you know where Romeo, Wendy, Carla, or Sherria went? I heard they left in the middle of the battle with the Orochi?"
"Yeah, they did...I don't know why exactly..." Aria stated in confusion.
"Ah, along the way, some of my troops spotted an army of defeated monsters and their tamer laying on the canyon path on the side of the ravine. They gave word to me that they detected traces of Fire Magic and Sky Magic of the Dragon Slayer and God Slayer varieties" Jura clarified, "Your friends must have taken them all out before they could even set foot into town."
"Wow..." Aria's eyes sparkled, "I hope they're okay at least."
"I thought Kurohebi was the tamer?" Shinji expressed his confusion.
"Kurohebi is capable of using a rare magic known as Copy Magic," Jura explained, "Although the mechanism for how he acquires other peoples' magics is not known..."
"Sometime after he revealed himself to us in the park, he landed a hit on Ren-san while he was trying to suffocate the Orochi's heads, "Shinji recalled his experience tailing the elusive Copy Mage, "Thereafter, he was able to mimic Ren's Air Magic perfectly in combat."
"No way!" a slightly dizzied Ren, now freed from the wrath of Ooba's punishment entered the conversation, "So are you saying this creep can Copy other's magic based on touch?"
"It's the only thing consistent with my observations, " Shinji stated.
"Duly noted," Jura nodded his head in approval, " I will be sure to call my staff update the criminal and magic databases with this intel."
"More importantly, wouldn't this also mean Kurohebi came into contact with the Orochi Head's beast tamer?" Sherry added, "If he was able to use his Beast Tamer Magic, surely he would have needed physically touch him to acquire if for later use."
Everyone grimaced.
"That would also mean that Orochi Head was in cahoots with these mages. I can't say for certain that Raven Tail is behind it because they've been disbanded as a legal guild anyway," Lyon lowered his face, "But as a dark guild..."
"Groh? Why are y'all brooding so much over the sad stuff!" Toby broke the cynical sadness with an oblivious outburst, "We just beat the stuffing out of a bunch of bad guys! Most importantly, I got revenge for my sock!"
Taking the hint from silly Toby, everyone giggled.
"Maybe we should give all our enemies your socks so you can send them packing in case they rip those to pieces, " Sherry joked.
"Why I ought to let them taste the wrath of my Mega Mega Jellyfish Paralysis Claws! GROOOOOOOOHHH!" Toby howled.
"Hahahahaha!" Laughter once again returned in the aftermath of the chaos.
...
"Everyone! We're back!" Sherria's cheery voice echoed from the other side of the park. Romeo, with tattered dress slacks and a maroon-cloth rib brace, held Wendy with a cloth bandage tied around her left ankle called out to everyone. Carla, in her human form, looked away from them momentarily before sweeping her white locks to the side of her head.
Overjoyed their comrades came back intact, Shinji and Aria sprinted towards their teammates.
Noticing Wendy and Romeo were busted up pretty badly, Aria held back from tackling them into a full-on hug, "Where have you guys been?"
"Up the mountain," Romeo answered, "You could say we followed Carla's keen intuition."
Shinji and Aria switched glances to their white-haired Exceed friend, "Hmmmm..."
Feeling uncomfortable by their stares, Carla's cheeks sported a rose hue, "Um, could you guys stop analyzing me?"
"Nope," Aria replied.
"Nope," Shinji joined in.
"Aw geez..." Carla pouted before crossing her arms overher chest, "You guys know I can see things...Ugh, that was a horrible way to put it. Just to be clear, they are not hallucinations."
"We know, we know," Aria nodded, "Shin-kun and I witnessed your premonition powers firsthand back at the Exceed Village."
"It's amazing to be honest," Shinji praised Carla, patting her on the head," You were able to foresee and convince a few others into stopping that approaching a whole army of monsters from ransacking the town. We would not have stood a chance with the Orochi and Kurohebi lurking in the alleys."
"Kurohebi...?" Carla was confused, "You mean that black-lipped creep from Raven Tail? What's he doing here?"
"That's what everyone would like to know," Shinji replied, "It seems he was in contact with Orochi Head from the banquet the night before. That;s how he was able to control the Orochi, supposedly."
"That thing was pretty messy in its own right," Aria recalled, "As if it lost control at some point."
"That's because Toby mopped the floors with Kurohebi after I got my ass handed to me...haha," Shinji laughed.
"Damn...Guess you and I both have more training to do," Romeo sighed, "I got my ass handed to me by someone else earlier too."
"We all did..." Sherria frowned, not at all fond of the associated traumatic memory of the incident.
Romeo lowered his head. Wendy buried her head into the back of Romeo's bare right shoulder. Carla heavily sighed before tightening the grip of her arms over her chest.
Sensing the sudden shift back to apprehension, Shinji held his silence.
"What happened...?" Aria asked, more so out of concern than curiosity.
~Lamia Scale Guild Hall, Margaret Town~
Half a week following Orochi Head's failed assault during the Thanksgiving Parade, the guild, festival guests, and Council poured effort into refurbishing the town. From reconstruction of damaged property to replacing the charred greenery on the park, Margaret was soon returned to her normal state. A day after all reparations were complete, Lamia Scale hosted a banquet in their guild hall.
"Let us raise a glass!" Ooba Babasama stood atop a big wooden throne at the head of a long table, hoisting a glass filled with red wine in the air, "To victory and to Margaret's enduring grace!"
"Cheers!"
The sound of glasses clinking symphonized throughout the guild hall. Once the feast commenced, conversations flooded the guild halls as if no disaster occurred in the first place. Sitting with Carla, away from the crowd, Romeo placed a plate stacked with meats and other protein-rich foods before gobbling them down one by one.
"Ugh...Do you have to overdo it with the food?" Carla frowned at the Fire Mage's overindulgence which reminded her of a certain Fire Dragon Slayer at previous buffets she attended.
"Ryyeee mreed mryeee mrrroooorreeeein (Translation: I need my protein)!" Romeo spoke while stuffed.
"Gross! Where are your manners, child?" Carla chided the boy, "Did no one teach you not to speak with your mouth full?"
Romeo gulped his food down, before resuming speech, "Ah~ that hit the spot! Sorry about that Carla. After this meal, I'm going to work out and build more endurance."
"Don't be too hard on yourself," Carla knew exactly what Romeo was referring to. That one-sided loss from his battle with Bluenote must have left a deep impression on the young mage.
"I won't be," Romeo clenched his fist," But you could say, that this loss has fired me up somehow."
Carla grinned. Among other things, Romeo's determination was the quality she most admired about her teammate. She placed a paw on the Fire Mage's clenched fist, "There there, I know you'll get there one day. You have you're whole life ahead of you."
"Thanks," Romeo smiled back at his teammates encouragement, "But what about you?"
"What about me?" Carla tilted her head in confusion.
"Care to explain how you just so happened to get in front of Bluenote without even being noticed?" Romeo asked.
"Well...I can't." Carla shifted her pupils to the side, "This power of mine that I inherited from my mother...This ability to see all kinds of futures. It's been evolving as of late. I don't entirely understand it. I've been seeing things that happened and things that didn't. Bluenote and that army of monsters heading towards the city were things that I saw. But oddly, Natsu was there in those visions. You weren't"
"Natsu-nii?" Romeo took Carla's account into consideration," Well if Natsu-nii was here, he would've kicked Bluenote's ass."
"Who knows how that would've gone down?" Carla questioned but decided not to invest pondering over what may have happened after a hypothetical vision that didn't come to fruition, "Moreover, I've been seeing possibilities in every move my enemies make. What you saw when we were fighting the ambassador from Orochi's Fin was attributed to that."
"Oh, your slick moves?" Romeo's head perked up at that recollection, "Darn, so I guess you can't teach me. If I could glide like you, I'd be much stronger than I am now."
"Oh come on, now," Carla sipped from her cup of sparkling cider, "We all are just doing what we can..."
"By the way...do you know where Sherria and Wendy may have gone?" Romeo asked the white-furred Exceed.
"Mmmmm...I have hunch," Carla confirmed, "But I don't think they want to be disturbed. After all, we have to go back to our guild too. Can't keep everyone waiting."
"Gotcha," Romeo grinned,"Want me to serve you something?"
"Oh, so you do possess etiquette after all," Carla teased offering Romeo her empty glass, "In that case, I would appreciate a refill of my refreshment. This cider is simply delectable."
...
Elsewhere in the guild hall, Shinji, Aria, Lyon, Yuka, Toby, and Jura sat around the table. Ironically, next to the celadon bust of Jura that was commemoratively placed in the guild.
"And then...ZAP! I hit him with my Mega Mega Jellyfish Lightning!" Toby exaggeratedly exclaimed, emulating the same electrocuted expression his oponent had before his downfall. Toby then cried a river of cathartic, "At long last, my sock, may you rest in peace."
"Correction, pieces," Jura teased.
"Hahaha," everyone clamorously laughed in tandem at Jura's jest, save for Toby. Usually his stern and serios demeanor gave the impression he was never one for making jokes.
"Juraaaa, groooh..." Toby whimpered as his former guildmate's teasing, but could not bring himself to lose his gasket during this joyous occasion.
"There, there, Toby," Yuka patted the brown-haired dog-man on the back of his shoulder, "Let's buy you some new socks at tomorrow."
"Stareeeeee..." Aria glanced at the bust, then at Jura, then back at the bust. She noticed the exquisite, polished sheen displayed by both the bust's and the real deal's immaculately shaved scalps, "Potatooooo..."
"Gah! You're not supposed to say that out loud!" Lyon and Shinji both faceplanted at the pinkette's uninhibited thoughts.
"Hmmm...an astute observation," Jura grinned fondly, "I once had a friend who told me I reminded him of first potato him and his brother cultivated on their property after much tribulation. It's a quite the touching story actually..."
Jura wiped a solitary tear that formed in one of his eyes, "Sometimes, I wonder just how he's faring these days..."
"Pfffttt...BAHAHAHAHAHAHA," Aria fell over and rolled away as she chortled from laughter.
"I am so sorry for her behavior," Shinji bowed to the Wizard Saint," I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive her. She's not a mean person, I swear."
"No worries, young man," Jura nodded, "I too find this memory to be funny whenever I look back. Sometimes, we need to remember those silly little moments along the way. It's how we find solace from all the adversity that life throws our way."
"It's the little things, huh? " Lyon smiled, "When did you get so corny, Jura?"
"I'm not corn! I'm a potato!" Jura interjected.
"Hahahah!" This time Shinji and Lyon burst out into laughter.
"Hmph...haha" Jura chuckled alongside them. When he tried, he could be pretty funny.
...
As Aria rolled away from the conversation about potatoes and "the little things", she bumped into the foot of a different round table with a noisy thud.
"Ack!" the pinkette held her side as she came to.
"Need a hand, superfan?"
Looking up, Aria saw Ren and Sherry were standing above her. The tanned Trimen offered the young lady a hand.
"Thank you kindly, Ren-san," Aria took the Air Mage's hand as he lifted her to her legs.
"What on earth were Jura and Lyon talking about that got you rolling on the floor like that?" Sherry was curious to say the least.
"After I kept saying potato in front of him, he confirmed there was someone else in his life who also told him his bald head reminded him of a potato too!" Aria cheerfully beamed as she recounted what transpired a few minutes back.
"Hahahah...That's hilarious!" Sherry giggled.
"I know right?" Aria giggled alongside Sherry, "By the way, what are your plans after the banquet ends?"
"Us? Well, we're heading back to Blue Pegasus tomorrow. I can't keep Ichiya and Master Bob waiting," Ren answered, "Also..."
"Ssshhhhh...!" Sherry hushed Ren with a finger over his lips, "Nu-uh-uh! Can't reveal that just yet."
"Wait, what? What is it?" Aria's interest was suddenly piqued by her guild-crossed lover's obvious secretive behavior.
"Oh, it's nothing. Carry on." the Doll Attack mage shut the pinkette's inquisitions down.
"Ohhh...darn," Aria whimpered just like Toby did after he was roasted about his socks.
"Okay, okay, I'll tell you since your our biggest fan," Sherry relented. She then held out a pinky to Aria, " But promise me you'll keep it a secret...at least until it's announced properly, kay?"
"I swear!" Aria locked her pink with Sherry's.
"Great, then..." Sherry leaned into Aria's ear, whispering a bunch of muffled speech.
In between whisperings, Aria's eyes widened, "Oh. My. God. No way!"
"Geez, and I thought I was the softie between the two of us..." Ren smirked at his wife.
Sherry lightly smacked his shoulder, "Oh lighten up!"
Aria squeezed Ren and Sherry in a celebratory hug, "I'm going to miss you guys so much when I go back to Fairy Tail...also congratulations."
Ren and Sherry returned Aria's embrace with happy smiles, "Us too, kiddo...Us too."
...
On a small, grassy hill overlooking Margaret, stood a lone tree. Although it had no leaves at the moment, spring would come after winter fades; bearing verdant leaves and blooming flowers. One bluenette in twin tails and one magenta-haired girl with her hair down shoulder-length sat next to each other beneath this tree. They set their plates of food and utensils between each other. Wendy held a glass of effervescent cider in her hands. Sherria twirled her spoon in the air with small, black winds conjured from her palm. Given everything that transpired before they reached this point, the two friends were at an impasse of awkward silence.
"You know, I like to come here early in the mornings," Sherria broke the silence.
"Yeah?" Wendy chimed in.
"Yeah. I would sit her and let time pass for a bit. Before I'd know it, the sun would rise," Sherria recollected with a smile plastered on her face, "The sunrises here are soo breath-takingly pretty! I could never tire from watching it for the same reason."
"I can see what you mean. This place is higher up than most of town," Wendy added, "I love sunrises. But as of recent, I've come to love sunsets more..."
"Oh-ho? When did you become such a romantic Wendy!" Sherria's eyes sparkled with excitement, "This doesn't have anything to do with Romeo, does it?"
"U-um, not entirely..."Wendy blushed a shade of pink equivalent to Aria's locks," I've made many memories under the setting sun. Sad ones too. But lately, they've been happier. Greeting and encounters I didn't expect when I first joined the guild. Changes and departures as well."
"I'm glad for you Wendy," Sherria hugged her fellow Sky Sister, "You truly do seem like you've come to a better place."
"Mmm..." Wendy nodded, reciprocating Sherria's hug," Even though I know I'll see you again, I'm going to miss you Sherria."
"Awww Wendyy~" Sherria embraced the Sky Dragon Slayer tighter, "Wherever you go, some part of me will always be with you. In memory at least. So I hope whenever you watch the sun set again, you can look back at all the memories we made together."
"I will, Sherria," Wendy nodded.
"So...a thought just flashed in my mind," the love-obsessed Sky God Slayer slyly curled her lips as she steered the conversation, "Now the both of us have received a piggyback ride from Romeo-kun! I gotta say, he has a nice back for someone his age. And, boy, he's definitely been working out!"
"W-What are you getting at with this Sherria?" Wendy's cheeks turned a shade rosier than before.
"Haha! Oh come on, Wendy! You're so lucky that there are boys your age in your guild!" Sherria scruffled Wendy's dark blue locks teasingly, "Both of them are kind of a catch..."
"I'm a little too young to be thinking about this kind of stuff..." Wendy tried to subvert this particular topic.
"Huh...but you didn't deny earlier that Romeo was among the reasons you like sunsets more these days," Sherria jabbed.
"Got me there..." Wendy sighed in defeat," Hey Sherria?"
"What is it Wendy?" Sherria replied.
"Let's wake up early so we can watch the sunrise together!" Wendy suggested, "At least, we should do that together before I leave for the guild tomorrow."
"That sounds like a plan," Sherria flashed a thumbs-up of approval, "Your idea isn't very original though."
"Geez...give me a break!" Wendy pouted.
The two laughed as the night stars set in over the lit up town. Margaret had seen worse days. But she persevered thanks to the love her people gave her.
~Room 404, Viper Inn, Margaret~
Much later that evening, not a soul was awake. Everyone was konked out either from food commas, inebriation, or partying too much. During the additional days, the ambassadors from other guilds stayed over at Margaret, they temporarily resided Margaret's four-story Viper Inn. Although Viper Inn was located in a shoddier part of town, the owner was more than willing to let them stay so they could assist with fixing the town. Wendy, Aria, and Carla shared Room 403. Shinji and Romeo resided in Room 404.
Shinji clad only in a pair of gray joggers sat on the windowsill looking out at the sleeping town. Ironically, he was the only one who couldn't sleep. Delphinium's and Kurohebi's words ailed him with insomnia. The raven-haired mage looked back at to the room. His bed on the right side was done and left untouched. Perhaps years of discipline made it second nature for him to do his bed whenever he leaves it.
Looking to his left, he saw Romeo clad in red flannel sweats sleeping soundly in bed. After arriving to the medical triage unit at Margaret's Central Park, Romeo's makeshift brace was replaced with a proper bandage to secure his frame. It was such a shock to everyone when it was revealed a powerful mage once affiliated with Grimoire Heart was in cahoots with Orochi Fin. The fact Romeo still wasn't entirely healed up after his bout with Bluenote also worried him. But progress only comes in baby steps. In the present, he was just glad his buddy was able to enjoy himself at the banquet, stuffing himself with briskets, steaks, and legendary meat on the bones.
"Pfft..." Shinji stifled a his laughter but halted himself to regain composure, "Nope, not now...Sleep peacefully Romeo...At least, not until I get back..."
Shinji stared back into the calm night. He then stood up on the windowsill. Reaching for the roof ledge a foot above the top of the window frame, he stealthily departed the room to scale up to the rooftop without making a sound.
On top of the roof, Shinji stood and stared at the firmament above. Heavenly stars reflected their luster in his sapphire eyes. Holding out an open palm, he summoned a jade orb - a Communication's Lacrima- from his Requip storage space. Shinji looked down at his black Fairy Tail guild mark on his left oblique. Holding his left palm over it, the guild mark transiently flashed.
The black Fairy Tail mark was replaced by an insignia resembling ghoul-like face with a witch's hat.
Shinji started up the Communication's Lacrima.
After a few minutes of anticipation, a male voice responded to his call, "Shinji, it's been a while..."
"Jellal-dono...I have a report I would like to make."
Call me an Earth Mage the way I drop cliffhanger after cliffhangers on you all. Sheesh. But seriously, my adrenaline was kicking real hard to get this chapter out ASAP for you all, dear readers. I got this done in 3 days! I was enjoying typing it all as if I was watching it on my screen or reading it as a manga. Maybe it's the fight scenes. Maybe it's the touching conversations. Maybe it's really...potatoes :P
Anyways, I also have outlined the next arc entirely. It won't be that long either because we are cooking for a real feast in the next one after.
Without further ado:
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Next Arc: Wayfarers X790
Next Chapter: Inexorable Peoples
Ay what? We're going back in time? No way! Well, yes way. Canonically, in X790, Fairy Tail's core members were still missing because of the events that transpired on Tenrou Island and with Acnologia - so no Wendy, no Carla...
Any guesses on what this next arc will be about? Feel free to give me your guesses in the comment section. As always, please feel free to give me your constructive criticisms, feedback, suggestions, etc. but please don't be too harsh with me. If you chose to be rude, Jura will blind you with his polished scalp.
Jura: * finished scrubbing his scalp with specialized oil* Hmph
Jura's Scalp: *SHEEEEEEEN*
Author: * Hurriedly scrambles for shades* Oh shit, that's bright. Damn...what's your secret?
Jura: Oh me? *Holds up boujie scalp oil bottle* I use potato water!
Author: AIN'T NO WAYYYY!