(Edited 17/02/24)

(Edited 14/03/24)

I do not own Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima does.

Return To Scarlione

***POTD***

After six long months of traveling, the group had finally made it to the Scarlione border. At the request of Gildarts, the group stopped for lunch in order to discuss the journey so far, as well as what was to come.

"So… Now that you kids made it here, what did you think of the trip? And be honest about it," Gildarts asked with a small grin.

"Longest trek of my life… But I'll live," Elise sighed, as Erza shook her head.

"I should have Requiped into something lighter," Erza noted, before glaring in Natsu and Gildarts' direction. "Why didn't the two of you mention we'd be climbing SIX mountains in a single day!?"

"You really want to know why Erza," Gildarts asked, eliciting a nod in response, as Natsu answered her question.

"Because Erza, the journey here was just the tip of the iceberg. Scarlione isn't just the beautiful fields of green and stuff I told you, you know? It's also got some of the most dangerous creatures running around in it, and equally as dangerous terrain."

"The environment is also suited to their advantage, making it easy for them to pick off unsuspecting Mages who think they can handle a bit of heat or a bit of snow. Try saying you can handle it when an Ice Drake comes and tries to freeze you to the bone? The point is, if either of us thought one of you were struggling on the way here, we were gonna send you back," Gildarts added, surprising the group. "Where we're going, you can't screw around like you do with Fiore's dangers."

Natsu looked over at Wendy, who seemed to be sad, and gave her a reassuring pat on the head.

"You know, that means you did well too, right?"

"Really? You think so Natsu?"

"I know so. If anything, you reminded me of my first time getting here," Natsu replied honestly. "You've gotten pretty strong Wendy!"

Wendy smiled at the compliment, as the group began to eat their lunch in relative silence, before packing up and walking once more.

"All right… We're about a few hundred meters from the border to Scarlione now, so remember what we said about the dangers lying in wait. As soon as we cross that line, Natsu and I won't be playing around. We see something we don't like, you all need to pay attention, or it could cost you your lives," Gildarts warned the girls, who all nodded stiffly. "Good."

"By the way, if we come across any Drakes, leave them to me. Not even Gildarts can crack one of their hides with his Crash Magic. Now I know you three are going to say something about your own Slayer Magic," Natsu said, as he explained his point. "Let me put it to you this way, you have never seen or fought a Drake like the ones in Scarlione before, nor do you understand how vicious the bastards can be. Erza and Elise, I'm not sure if your Magic would work on a Drake, though we'll test it out once we're able to do so in a more controlled environment."

"What about me Natsu? I'm like you when it comes to my Dragon Slayer Magic?"

"You fall under the inexperienced category Wendy, though that's not a bad thing. If I do end up fighting a Drake, then I expect you to be paying close attention, alright?"

Wendy nodded with a look of determination as the group crossed the border, and almost immediately, Natsu and Gildarts sensed something was wrong.

"The forest up ahead … Natsu, do you sense it?"

"Yeah. There's something dark… And I smell decay all around, though it's faint, which is odd? Do we go through still?"

"You know as well as I do it's either that, or a ten-day trek around the mountains," Gildarts replied with a knowing sigh, eliciting a stiff nod from the Dragon Slayer.

"What's wrong," Elise asked, as Natsu motioned to the forest ahead.

"See that forest up ahead? The last time we were here, it was a symbol of nature and harmony. But now … all I can sense is a foul darkness all around it for miles. Unfortunately, we don't have any other choice but to go through, since the mountains would be too time consuming and dangerous."

"So, what exactly is, or was, the forest?"

"Pilgrim's Woods," Gildarts replied, moving to stand ahead of the group. "Legend says that a Pilgrim got lost in there around five hundred years ago and died, her spirit becoming bound to the place. In truth, she did die in there, and became something else after death. Since that day, she would prevent anyone else from being lost in there, and protected the woods from outside forces seeking to do it harm…"

"Looking at it now though, you would say it'd inspire nothing but despair," Natsu added grimly, as their eyes fell on the forest itself.

Pilgrim's Woods were certainly comprised of all the usual things that made up woods. However, instead of luscious green leaves, thick and strong brown trees, and nice clear water, the place had an almost sickly feel to it.

The dirt was charred black, the once brown bark on the trees now a sickly dark purple, with the leaves a combination of purple, black and dark blue. The branches twisted, gnarled, and appeared more akin to rotten flesh than wood. Even the water was completely contaminated, a disgusting greenish color that seemed to possess an ethereal glow, highlighting its sheer toxicity.

"Erza, Elise, Wendy… Stick close to myself and Natsu at all times," Gildarts commanded, as he began to take point. "Natsu, you stay at the back of the group. We're gonna have to pass through, so make sure someone can see you at all times…"

The rest of the group nodded as Gildarts led them through the entrance of the forest, his Crash Magic ripping apart the branches that had twisted their way to block the damaged path ahead.

As they walked down the path, not a sound could be heard throughout the woods. Not insects, not flowing water, not the dirt beneath their boots…

"Hard to ever imagine a place like this being normal," Erza muttered under her breath as they walked past the remains of a small carriage, the ground itself having somehow lifted up to swallow part of it. "What even is this place…?"

"I'll tell you what it is Erza, too damn quiet," Elise muttered, with Natsu humming in agreement behind them.

"There used to be animals everywhere in these woods, yet now there's not a trace of life to be seen," the Dragon Slayer replied slowly. "Its obvious that whatever happened here, its not natura-."

Within the time it took for everyone to blink, Natsu had caught a squirrel that was about to bite the back of Erza's neck. With practiced ease, he snapped its neck, leaving Erza, Elise and Wendy to openly gape at the creature.

"What the Hell is that thing!?"

"A squirrel, but something's happened to it," Natsu replied plainly as he lifted it up to examine it closer. "It's almost like it's been tainted by Dark Magic, just look at its form Gildarts?"

As the group took a closer look, they realized the squirrel had two rows of razor-sharp teeth in addition to its two large front teeth. Had the creature managed to actually bite the back of Erza's neck, it would have easily torn the entire back of her neck out in a single chomp, eliciting a shudder from the Requip Mage.

"If that thing had gotten a hold of you Erza, you'd be dead," Natsu sighed, stating the obvious, as he tossed the squirrel aside. "This is what we meant about Scarlione. Even the small things can kill you."

"While that is true Natsu, this forest wasn't always like this," Gildarts countered, adopting a thinking pose as he bit his thumb. "I'd like to say we're dealing with some Dark Mages who've set up shop here, but this could realistically be anything…"

"I suppose it couldn't hurt to check out the forest, just to see if there are any Dark Mages around," Natsu replied with a light shrug.

"Yeah, couldn't hurt," the Crash Mage agreed. "Maybe we'll find some clue as to what happened to this place, if nothing else?"

"Then that's what we'll do," Natsu nodded, turning toward the girls. "Alright, I'm taking point now, with Gildarts at the rear. Keep on guard though, who knows what an actual predator is going to look like if a squirrel is like that."

The girls nodded in agreement as they pushed deeper into the forest. For the next twenty minutes, they didn't run into anything they'd consider notable, aside from a few more tiny murderous critters that were easily taken out.

Nearing a marsh-like section of the woods, Elise shuddered, as a cold wind blew through the woods.

"Damn, this wind is pretty cold," Elise shuddered, as the entire group found themselves moving closer and closer to Natsu for warmth.

"A chill is in the air huh," Natsu replied, as he sniffed said air multiple times. "It seems something else is too..."

"Dark Mages," Gildarts asked, as Natsu shook his head.

"No, it's not them. But if this chill isn't being caused by a Mage, then it must be … ah!"

Natsu suddenly found himself frozen in place as a strange, ghostly silver being, manifested before them. It looked similar to a woman, but lacked legs. Instead, it hovered around several inches above the ground, with its silver dress flowing as it went.

"A Wispmother," Gildarts sighed, as the three girls backed away from the ghostly creature. "Not a creature you'd find in Fiore, so I'm not surprised you haven't heard of it before. Basically, you're looking at the soul of a Mother who died here in this forest, and each little wisp around her represents the amount of children she bore in her life."

"Does that mean three kids died here too," Elise asked, as Gildarts shook his head.

"No. The wisps only represent the number of children she's had, not the children that were with her. The strange thing is, Wispmothers are born from cruel fates, so this isn't something I would've expected here. Still, we need to get moving," Gildarts replied, as he motioned toward Natsu, who nodded in turn.

Suddenly, cracks appeared in the air around Natsu, as the Wispmother was pushed back. Stepping toward the Wispmother, he extended his right hand outward.

"Crash Arts – Crash Repulse!"

The Wispmother was suddenly covered in cracks, before it shattered into a dozen cubes. The cubes then shuddered momentarily, before fading away, leaving the small group alone once more.

"If you three are wondering why he did that, it's because it's a better alternative than it being alive. Wispmothers suffer on an endless search for their children, never knowing happiness, and they kill anyone who gets in their way if they even suspect you know something."

"In other words, they're insane," Elise sighed, eliciting a grim nod from Gildarts. "Damn, that's pretty sad actually…"

"As dark as it is, what worries me more is the fact that a Wismother was haunting the area in the first place. I already wasn't happy with that squirrel thing, but this only confirms something dark has taken root within the forest," Natsu sighed, as he motioned for the group to continue onward.

***POTD***

After another fifteen minutes of walking in silence, Gildarts finally decided to speak after having noticed several of the mutated critters of the wood actively avoiding them.

"It seems that after Natsu took out that Wispmother, the creatures are re-evaluating us in terms of how tough we are…"

"Good," Natsu scoffed, using Crash Magic to unblock the path ahead. "I'd rather not be attacked by more killer squirrels or raccoons."

Blowing through another section of corrupted trees, they came across a sizeable lake. The group stopped at the water's edge, idly peering into its murky depths.

"The water is purple," Erza muttered curiously, as Wendy sniffed the air.

"Its poisonous, but it smells natural?"

"Natural," Elise chimed in, also sniffing the air. "Hey, she's right, it does smell natural?"

"Do you smell anything off about it Natsu," Gildarts asked, as the Dragon Slayer stepped forward and began to sniff the air.

"Not much else, other than the few dead creatures that have either tried to drink this stuff, or swim in it-wait…"

"What is it," Gildarts asked, as the entire group tensed, with Natsu pointing across the lake to what appeared to be a purple Human.

The Human's skin was rotted, their body shuffling about, and they were barely recognizable. The only obvious sign was that they were most certainly dead, and being controlled somehow, a sight that had Wendy shuddering.

"This is seriously a messed-up place," Erza frowned, eliciting a tired nod from Natsu.

"Just be thankful we're about half way through," Natsu replied, before turning back to Gildarts. "You know what this means if there are corpses shuffling around, right?"

"Yeah," the Crash Mage nodded in reply. "A lot of the things in the forest are covered with this same purple color, aside from the Wispmother of course."

"Rampant mutations in both the flora and fauna," Natsu sighed, shaking his head. "We're so stupid…"

"What are you two going on about," Erza huffed. "Have you figured out what caused these woods to become like this?"

"We have actually, yeah," Natsu replied with a firm nod, surprising the girls. "It's been a fair number of years since either of us have had to deal with shit like this, so it slipped our minds."

"This forest has been corrupted by a creature known as a Flan. To be more specific, the one we're dealing with is a Dark Elemental Flan, or just Dark Flan for short."

"What's a Dark Flan," Wendy asked curiously, as Natsu pondered a good way to answer her question.

"Alright. So, you know how there are elements of Magic, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, Flans are creatures that embody a singular element, and they come in many elements, shapes and sizes. The one we're looking at, a Dark Flan, spreads darkness wherever it resides. As a result, it corrupts its environment just by simply existing."

"So it just simply being here is what caused this," Elise asked in disbelief. "That's crazy!?"

"The darkness that seeps out of a Dark Flan corrupts anything it comes into contact with, reverting it to its most base and primal form. The only difference is that it leaves purple everywhere," Natsu replied with a shake of his head. "That's usually a telling sign of its influence, which Gildarts and I apparently were too dumb to remember…"

"Let's hope it hasn't been here for long, or else it's gonna be a pain in the ass to kill… Natsu, start tracking for Flan scent," Gildarts sighed. "Damn pain in the ass this is gonna be..."

The trio of girls made no comment, as Natsu led them through the forest for what seemed like hours. Unfortunately for the Flan, Natsu had tracked one of its kind before, and knew exactly how they operated.

Coming across a sizeable bog, Natsu paused, sniffing the air again as he spun back to speak to Gildarts.

"It's up ahead," the Dragon Slayer said, as Gildarts motioned for the group to stop.

"Alright. Now then, before we go any further, it's time to go over a Flan's combat abilities. Melee of any kind is completely useless when fighting one of these things. If you touch it with a sword or your body, it will simply absorb you. Now, Natsu and I will face this thing alone, giving you lot a chance to see how to take one down properly."

"So, what do we do," Erza asked, seemingly annoyed that she wasn't getting to fight.

"The Dark Flan will have a connection to this place, and will likely summon creatures to defend itself if it feels threatened by us, which it absolutely will. You three will fight off any creatures that try to stop us, okay?"

"You can count on us," Elise answered for the trio with a mock salute, as the group slowly entered the bog-like clearing.

"Damn… This one has a strong connection, just look at the size of it! How many years do you think it's been here Gildarts?"

"Minimum of five, no doubt about it. The thing is bigger than a house," Gildarts replied with a stern shake of his head. "You remember the plan we had for these?"

"Joint Crash Barrier to seal it in place, followed up with controlled Crash Magic bursts so the thing doesn't detonate. "So, if you think it's around a five year connection, that's what, mid-tier Crash Magic?"

"Apply low powered high tier, just to be sure. We don't want this thing reforming while our backs are turned," the Crash Mage replied, getting a stiff nod in response. "Alright you three, spread out to a triangular formation around the clearing. The creatures it summons shouldn't be anything the three of you can't handle, but don't go getting careless."

The girls nodded as they began spreading out, getting a better look at the Dark Flan, which appeared to be sleeping.

"I can see why you said melee is useless against it, the thing is like jelly," Elise noted, as the dark purple Flan bobbed up and down, despite being inert.

Natsu and Gildarts silently moved to either side of the Flan, raising both hands upward, before looking toward the girls.

"Three…Two…One…GO," Gildarts roared.

"Unison Raid: Crash Arts – Crash Cage," Natsu and Gildarts called out simultaneously, as a cube like cage formed from Crash Magic manifested around the Dark Flan, startling it into action.

The Dark Flan began firing out globs of itself, which were ripped apart by the Crash Cage, as it began screeching and wailing audibly.

"Get ready you three, its calling in its reinforcements," Gildarts called out, before refocusing his full attention on the Crash Cage, the pair releasing controlled bursts of Crash Magic into the cage.

The Flan screeched as chunks of it were being blown clean off, the Flan unable to get out of its prison. The creature couldn't even attempt to regenerate due to the speed which they were ripping it apart.

Natsu could hear the girls fighting the mutated creatures all around them, but refocused on the task at hand. After several minutes, the once large Flan had been shredded down to the size of a small bush, as the pair released one final burst into the Crash Cage, slicing it into dozens of pieces, before the Crash Cage rapidly shrunk down, eradicating the dark creature.

The moment the Dark Flan was destroyed, the frenzied wildlife were seemingly broken from their trance, fleeing back into the woods as fast as they had come. The girls all sighed, as they met Natsu and Gildarts near where the Flan had initially been resting.

"Anyone hurt," Natsu asked, as the group shook their heads. "Good. Now that the Dark Flan is destroyed, the darkness here should recede naturally over time. We'll have to let Illyandra know that this place is far too dangerous for the average traveler to pass through though…"

"On that note, lets get the Hell out of here," Gildarts chimed in, as he motioned toward the nearby path. "We should have an easier time getting out of here without getting attacked, since we proved to the wildlife that we're far beyond them at this point. Still, keep on guard everyone."

"Yeah, the exit to the woods shouldn't be too far from here," Natsu agreed, as he once again took point, leading the group out of Pilgrim's Woods.

***POTD***

Another hour of traveling later, and the group found themselves exiting the other side of Pilgrim's Woods. Elise, Erza, and Wendy were glad to be out of there. Natsu and Gildarts on the other hand, they appeared almost devastated.

"What's wrong with you two," Erza asked, before actually stepping back and taking a look at the landscape before her. "Oh…"

"Scarlione used to look so beautiful from here you know," Natsu whispered, gazing out across the area, seeing something that the girls couldn't. "It seems the war finally made it to Scarlione proper…"

Before the team was a barren set of hills and valleys, many covered in scorch marks, abandoned weaponry, discarded equipment and destroyed vehicles. Long trenches lined each hill, with Natsu counting over forty just from where he stood.

Gildarts placed a firm hand on his shoulder, though he appeared equally as disheartened by what they saw. The two men shared a grim look, before nodding.

"We should get to the Capital as quickly as we can, things are looking pretty grim," the Crash Mage sighed. "I highly doubt Illyandra is dead, she's far too strong, but it remains to be seen if the Ichor Throne is under siege…"

"Or if its fallen," Natsu muttered, as the two men quickly shook their heads.

"Let's head over to that town over there and see if we can't find out what the situation is," Gildarts suggestion, motioning toward a small town in the distance that appeared to be lightly damaged from the war.

The group nodded as they made their way toward the town via the main road. After several hours of uneventful walking, the group was suddenly stopped by Natsu, pushed well off the road, finding themselves crouching behind a crashed vehicle.

"Gildarts, over there," Natsu hissed, as the Crash Mage's eyes locked onto what Natsu had spotted, a deep frown etching its way onto his face.

"Those aren't Scarlione soldiers… Don't tell me they managed to actually take land here?"

"I can tell that they're Alvarez troops," Natsu snarled, as one of them turned around for a brief moment, giving him a clear line of sight on the insignia on his Armor.

"When we were last here, the war wasn't even close to being this bad for Scarlione. In fact, aside from border patrol, you really couldn't call it a war unless one of the higher-ranking officers were dispatched, which never really happened. And even then, Gildarts and I never really had to face them directly…"

"If Alvarez are here, then that means something big happened while we were gone the last seven years? It seems Illyandra's recall was warranted after all… Now, Natsu and I have a duty to kill every last Alvarez soldier here. So, while we do that, Erza and Wendy, go scout the surrounding area and get us a lay of the land."

"What about me," Elise asked, as Natsu shot her a small grin.

"You are a War God Slayer, right? Where else would you be but the battlefield?"

Elise grinned as the group split up, with Natsu, Gildarts, and Elise walking out from their position of cover.

"Elise, don't hold back against these guys," Natsu muttered as they walked down the road. "Remember our conversation when we first met. Even the weakest Alvarez soldier shits on a Rune Knight Captain back home."

"Don't worry, I won't hold back," Elise replied with a curt nod, as the trio came into view of the Alvarez soldiers.

The moment the Alvarez soldiers spotted them, they immediately took up arms, moving to surround them.

"In the name of his Excellency, Emperor Spriggan, I order you three to halt and prepare yourselves for detainment!"

"Sorry, we don't recognize outsiders," Natsu replied coldly, as the man felt the space around him shift. "Gravity Dragon's Crushing Gaze."

The man was lifted into the air, as Natsu's eyes glowed purple, before being crushed into a meaty ball, which was then flung at another guard so hard, it blew off the top half of his body, shocking the rest of the soldiers into action.

"Alert the garrison! Inform the Commander that the rebe-!"

Before the man could even finish, Elise appeared behind him, having slit his throat as she turned to face the soldiers with him. Before they could even fire off a single spell, one was cleaved apart, as Elise seemed to weave around a lightning spell, before stabbing the other one through the roof of the mouth, the tip of her sword piercing through the top of his skull.

"A garrison," Natsu muttered, as Elise yanked her blade free from the soldier's head. "Gildarts, I'm going to take Elise and distract the garrison to draw out the Commander!"

"Fine by me, you know what you're doing," the Crash Mage nodded, as the two younger Mages vanished in a burst of speed, leaving Gildarts alone with the last Alvarez soldier, who was now terrified.

"Please spare me!"

"Looks like I got left with the shitty job… Listen, I think you'd better tell me exactly what Alvarez has done here in the last seven years," Gildarts muttered in reply, as he released a sliver of his power, frightening the man further. "Because if you thought those two were frightening, then I'm gonna show you my favorite way to get information out of someone…"

As he slowly advanced toward the man, he tried to scramble back, but found himself unable to move, seemingly rooted to the spot in fear at the monster approaching him.

"Talk… Now."

***POTD***

As Gildarts extracted some information, Natsu and Elise had managed to sneak into the small town. Luckily, their brief skirmish on the outskirts of town hadn't managed to set off any sort of alert, which meant they had some momentary breathing room.

Looking around from their vantage point atop one of the houses, the pair noticed that there was indeed a sizeable force protecting this small town. Alvarez had even built a fort of sorts atop a nearby hill.

"Maybe we should infiltrate that fort?"

"Yeah. We could kill a whole bunch of them in one fell swoop, possibly even the Commander too."

"Let's do it," the War God Slayer nodded, as the pair made their way through the town, managing to scale the least defended section of the fort's outer walls, as they peaked over the edge to see what lay within.

"Coast is clear," Natsu whispered, as the pair quietly leapt over the wall, as Elise summoned a small Ebony dagger, vanishing and reappearing behind the only nearby soldier, covering his mouth with her hand as she slashed his throat open, dragging him behind cover.

Once the pair had a decent position, they began to look around, noticing that patrols of the fort were unusually light for it being a military garrison. The reason became quickly apparent, however, as they laid eyes on the center of the fort.

Erected at the centre of the main yard, was an execution platform. Both Natsu and Elise shared a look, sneaking a little bit closer to see what was going on. The moment Natsu was close enough to see who was getting executed however, his blood began to boil.

"We've got to get down there Elise," he hissed through grit teeth.

"Why? What's going on?"

"That person they're executing… I know them," Natsu replied, surprising Elise, as she looked back toward the platform. "We have to save them!"

"Okay Natsu… I get it," the War God Slayer nodded, as they did a quick count of enemy troop numbers, as their eyes fell on a figure seated on the platform itself. "That one…"

"Yeah. There's no doubt about it, that's the Commander," Natsu nodded, as the executioner moved forward, wielding a mighty axe to execute their captured prisoner.

Raising the axe, the executioner just started to bring it down, when his body suddenly pulled a complete one eighty, his legs now up in the air, as his head was smashed through the platform, Natsu's hand gripping his face hard enough to crack his skull.

Rising to his full height, everyone in the yard was frozen for a brief moment, not having expected anyone to just pop out of nowhere to save their prisoner.

"You," the Commander snarled, rising from his seat. "Seize him!"

Just as the Commander gave the order, he had flipped off of the platform, right as Elise came down at him from directly above, showcasing that he wasn't one to be underestimated. As he was forced off of the platform, Natsu fired a controlled burst of Crash Magic at the stocks holding the prisoner in place, shattering them, and allowing them to see their savior.

"No way," the prisoner gasped. "NATSU!?"

"Long time no see… Alyssa."

A Former Member Of The Old Crew

Former Overseer Of The Scarlione Adventurers Guild

Knight Commander Second Class Of The Scarlione Empire

The Infamous Trap Mistress

Alyssa Fawley

Standing at six foot two with tanned skin, long brown hair that was a complete mess, and wearing a pair of dirty faded blue jeans, worn leather boots with a notable heel, a slightly torn white t-shirt with a brown leather jacket with matching gloves, Alyssa clearly had seen better days.

"Am I dead?"

"No Alyssa, once again I've saved your ass. No need to thank me," Natsu replied, as he leaned to the left to avoid a lightning bolt. "Would love to catch up, but as you can see, we've got a bit of a situation here! Can you fight!?"

"Get these Suppression Cuffs off of me and I'll kill every last one of these bastards," Alyssa snapped, as Natsu dashed forward, picking her up with one arm and leaping up onto the northern wall of the fort. "Damn, you got stronger!"

"You'd hope so," Natsu smirked, as he turned to look back at the scene below. "Elise!"

"Give me a minute," the War God Slayer snapped back, as she killed ten soldiers in the blink of an eye, before vanishing and reappearing at his side. "You were right, some of them actually have some decent power behind them… Nothing I can't handle though…"

"Come on, let's get out of here. Alyssa can't fight because she's got strong Suppression Cuffs on."

"Ah, I hate those damn things… Elise Faulkner by the way," the War God Slayer grinned, as she grabbed Alyssa and leapt off of the wall with her, right as the Commander tried to strike the former prisoner, his punch being intercepted by Natsu, as the entire fort wall collapsed from the sheer power behind the pair.

Natsu leapt off of the wall, landing on the side of the small hill and skidding downward to a stop, as the Alvarez Commander stood atop the rubble, a sneer on his face.

"Rebel scum! You'll pay dearly for damaging Alvarez property, as well as interfering with Alvarez justice!"

"How about you go cry about it back across the sea in Alakitasia instead you prick," Natsu spat back, as the Commander began to power up.

"You'll pay for your arrogance," the Commander snarled. "I am not a man to be trifled with!"

Commander Of The Alvarez 212th Shock Army

A Member Of Dimaria Squad

The Unyielding Fist

Lucian Taggart

"So, that's your game is it," Natsu muttered, as the man leapt from the wall, landing before him, shaking the entire area from the impact. "Let's do it then!?"

"Foolish rebel," Commander Lucian snarled, his power skyrocketing even further. "Feel the might of the Alvarez Empire!"

Commander Lucian (Full Power) – 1.44 Million MPI

Lucian dashed forward in a burst of speed, as the entire area shook violently. The various Alvarez troops that had filtered outside, as well as the various townsfolk who had the courage to watch, were frozen in place.

Even Alyssa, who was watching nearby with Elise, could only gape in shock. Looking up toward Elise, she was surprised to find that the War God Slayer only held a raised eyebrow in response to what they were seeing, indicating that this was seemingly expected.

"No way…"

Before them, Natsu stood in an offensive stance, his right arm extended outward… holding the head of Commander Lucian Taggart. It was obvious that Natsu had intercepted him during his charge, and quite literally ripped his head off, his entire spine coming with it, as it was blown about by the wind.

All eyes shifted to Natsu himself, who held a cold, yet firm gaze. He clearly had no issue with what he'd done, nor did he appear strained at all by the feat.

He merely ripped the head of an Alvarez Commander off like it were a chore.

Natsu Dragneel (Base Form, PTS, Heavily Suppressed) – 2 Million MPI

Tossing the Commander's head aside, he vanished, reappearing at Elise and Alyssa's side, startling the latter, as she quickly shook her head.

"Natsu, how the Hell did you do that!?"

"A lot happened since I went home Alyssa," Natsu replied, as they started to move out of town whilst the Alvarez soldiers struggled to process what they'd just seen.

"Commander Lucian was the weaker Commanders in Scarlione, but I still can't believe how easily you took him down…"

"Once we get somewhere a bit safer, we can catch up Alyssa. For now, let's regroup with Gildarts," Natsu replied, surprising the Trap Mage further.

"Sir Gildarts is here!?"

"He is," Natsu smirked in reply, as they fell back to where they had left Gildarts earlier, finding the man standing there, observing the chaos. "Hey Gildarts, look who I found!?"

"Alyssa," the Crash Mage grinned, moving to shake her hand, only to pause upon noticing the Suppression Cuffs. "Why are you wearing these?"

"Oh, you know, they're the latest fashion trend," the Trap Mage joked. "What do you think you foolish old fart?"

"Another few seconds later, and Alyssa would be a head short," Natsu answered, as he looked toward the Trap Mage. "I took out the local Commander, so we should be right to get the Hell out of here once Erza and Wendy come back."

"Good work. Now Alyssa, can you explain how the Hell they managed to capture you?"

"It's a long story… But to sum it up, we've all but lost the war here in Scarlione," Alyssa sighed, clearly frustrated in admitting it. "Illy brought us all back a few years ago in a last-ditch effort to hold off Alvarez, but without the whole team, we're not faring too well. Each of us are strong individually, but against the full brunt of Alvarez…"

"What exactly happened that caused the war to go this far south for Scarlione?"

"From what little we've managed to find out, it seems that the mysterious Emperor Spriggan returned. Once he came back, there was an immediately noticeable difference and, within just a few months, we were losing ground we'd been easily holding. What made it worse though, was when he dropped a bunch of their powerhouses in to start doing some real damage…"

"Which ones?"

"Irene Belserion and August," Alyssa replied quietly, as both Natsu and Gildarts sucked in sharp breaths, knowing full well just how brutal that would have been. "Supposedly they've gone back home, but while they were here, no one could stop them. Our forces were completely ravaged during those dark times…"

"That's actually insane," Natsu muttered darkly. "How is the Queen? Is she okay?"

"Illy is alive… But Princess Serenity… She didn't make it."

There was a moment of silence as Natsu just stared at Alyssa, as if his mind hadn't just processed what she'd just said. Gildarts looked like he needed to sit down, stumbling toward a nearby rock and leaning on it for support.

"How," Natsu croaked out, his fists clenched, though no tears fell.

"Alvarez overran the Capital, despite all our best efforts," Alyssa sighed as she began to explain what had occurred. "We were evacuating the civilians as best we could, but she took an attack that was meant for a child. Despite Solomon's strongest Healing Magic, she couldn't be saved."

"What the fuck," Natsu hissed, running a hand through his hair as he processed this information.

"As soon as Princess Serenity was killed, Queen Illyandra lost it. She massacred the Alvarez forces for five days straight without rest, damaging much of the countryside in the process. She almost managed to kill Irene, but August stepped in and crushed her. We managed to get her out of there, but now she's lost hope. She fights, but you can see that her heart isn't in it anymore…"

"Where is she," Natsu asked quietly, his gaze looking almost as dead as she remembered last seeing it.

"We've got a base over in the Kaarth Mountains… I'll lead you there, since I have to report back anyway."

"Thanks Alyssa. There are two more of us though, so I'll go grab them before we head out," Natsu replied plainly, as he vanished on the spot.

"He's not going to take this well, is he?"

"You'd be surprised how much progress he's made Alyssa," Gildarts replied gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "He just needs time to process it, just like any decent Human being would."

"I know," the Trap Mage sighed sadly. "I just hope your arrival will help Illy, because she's struggling, even if she doesn't want to admit it."

"How are the others?"

"Well, Solomon is alive and back at base, since he's the best healer we've got. Shrikke hasn't been seen since he began to lead the desert campaign… Felix is … Well, that's kind of complicated… And Frollo … He sacrificed his life to get the Queen away from August."

"I see … That can't have helped Illyandra's mood," Gildarts sighed, shaking his head as he processed the fact that Frollo was also dead, with Shrikke being missing.

"No, it definitely didn't. Seeing the two of you might help though, since she always looked at Natsu like a Son. She never stopped saying that, even after Shrikke said that you were missing after Achnologia attacked your Guild's Island. She always said that the two were some of the greatest gifts she'd ever received in her entire life…"

"I hope we can help her mood, if only a little," Gildarts replied quietly, as they spotted Natsu leading Erza and Wendy back toward their position. "As you lead us to this base in the Kaarth Mountains, I'll work on getting those cuffs off for you."

"Thanks Gildarts," Alyssa smiled lightly. "It will be nice to be back in the fight again…"

"Don't worry Alyssa, you won't be the only one," the Crash Mage replied, as he locked eyes with Natsu's own, noting that he was silently pissed off, but bottling it up for the moment. "You definitely won't be the only one…"