(Edited 22/02/24)

(Edited 14/03/24)

I do not own Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima does.

Felling The Forts

***POTD***

The sun had just risen over Scarlione, as Natsu and Elise emerged from the forest, both caked in blood and guts.

Having being attacked by numerous wild creatures in the darkness, the pair had found themselves constantly suffering setbacks, leading to them deciding to take a break at a nearby lake to clean themselves off.

"You really weren't kidding about the creatures of Scarlione being so annoying," Elise sighed, shaking her head. "Don't they ever know when they're outmatched?"

Nope. From what I've found, they'll just keep coming until either they're dead, or you are," Natsu replied with a shake of his head. "Its good training, but it does lead to situations like this."

"Well, as much as I enjoy fighting, I don't like wandering into towns covered in blood and gore," Elise replied, as they stopped at the lake's edge. "I'm washing this shit off."

Both Mages stripped down, tossing their clothes into the lake, before stepping in themselves. Natsu used his Fire Magic to heat up the cold water, eliciting a soothing sigh from the War God Slayer.

"How the heck are you so damn useful?"

"I get that question a lot," Natsu chuckled in response, as they both dived underwater, washing their upper bodies as best they could.

Rising back up, the pair looked toward each other, with the God Slayer looking between herself, and Natsu.

"What?"

"No I-I just realized that we're both naked, y'know?"

"Yeah…"

"Sorry," Elise muttered, as she lowered herself into the water to better conceal herself. "You probably didn't even think twice about it, but for me, I've kind of got an issue with being nude in front of guys…"

"Oh," Natsu hummed in reply. "Do you want me to get out-?"

"Nonono, its fine! I just-!"

The War God Slayer fell silent, as Natsu lowered himself further into the water, a concerned look on his face.

"Come to think of it, you've always been a bit weird about stuff like this, haven't you? You don't have to tell me why if you don't want to, but if you want to talk…?"

Elise sighed, slowly paddling toward his position, before looking over to where their soaking clothes were located. Clearly, the War God Slayer was mulling over what to say, and Natsu wasn't about to push her on the subject.

"You're someone close to me now, and I know that if I trust you like Mira and Erza have, you'll have my back… Right?"

"Of course," Natsu replied seriously. "Whatever you tell me in confidence, I won't tell anyone."

"Okay, thanks… I did tell Erza when we had that training trip before the whole Edolas thing happened, and now, I'm going to tell you," Elise sighed, steeling herself. "You know how I hate Lahar, right?"

"Lahar? You mean that douche with the glasses that we've run into a few times that's a Captain in the Rune Knights?"

"Yeah…"

"What about him?"

"When I was younger, I'm talking like … fifteen or so, I met him. He's a year older than me, and back then, I thought he was the greatest thing since sliced bread."

Natsu didn't even crack a joke, understanding the importance of just letting her speak.

"Back then, I was training up for the Third Custody Enforcement Unit after being retired from the Assassination Corp, and it was there I met him," Elise began to explain, a faraway look in her eyes. "I'd never really had experience with relationships before, but Lahar was … my first …"

"You mean…?"

"Yeah. We dated for a bit and he took my virginity," Elise responded stiffly. "And that was where the cracks in the facade of Lahar began to show themselves…"

"What do you mean?"

"A girl wants her first time to be special Natsu, to share something real with their partner. Lahar… Lahar didn't give me that experience."

"Elise-?"

"Let me finish explaining it, before I chicken out," the God Slayer replied shakily. "My first time with him, he just took me until he came. Then… Then he just got up and left…"

Natsu winced, knowing full well just how disrespectful that was in any sexual relationship. However, he kept his mouth shut, sensing that there was more to it.

"Two days later, he demanded sex from me again," Elise sighed, raising a finger to his lips before he could ask the obvious question. "Yes, he demanded it, Natsu."

"What the fuck…?"

"During this time, Mother was preoccupied with affairs in the Higher Realms, and she had no idea what I was doing. So, when I refused Lahar, he…hit me."

Natsu's jaw dropped, with Elise obviously feeling extremely vulnerable and embarrassed at the admittance. He didn't move, however, sensing that doing so now would cause her to clam up.

"I wasn't as strong as the girl you and Erza met. I had power, but Lahar was good at destroying a person mentally, you see…"

"I get it," Natsu muttered, already envisioning all the things he was going to do to Lahar the moment he got back to Fiore.

"When he hit me, I froze up. I couldn't believe that the guy who I had been crushing on, who I thought was so great and perfect, could actually raise his fist at me," Elise sniffed, gritting her teeth. "And then, he started insulting me… He called me terrible things… He said my muscular body made me look like a man, that my scars ruined my chances with anyone else, and that I should be grateful to even have him want to … use me."

"Elise…"

"I broke down, which only made him angrier. He insulted me further as he forced himself upon me… I-I resigned myself to it…"

"That was, until I found out about it," a familiar voice cut in, as both their attention snapped toward a naked Eliza, who was floating on her back along the lake's surface, a deep frown on her face. "The thing about situations like this, is that the heart complicates matters. As much as I wanted to tear that little Council peon apart, I knew Elise would become a criminal, since Lahar happens to come from an influential family."

"So, you let him go?"

"Oh no, don't be so foolish Natsu," Eliza scoffed. "I ensured that Elise got her payback on that little worm in the end…"

"What did you do?"

"Let's just say that from the day I discovered what had happened, Lahar was no longer a man," Eliza giggled darkly, as she held out her right hand, making a squeezing motion as water dripped through her tensed fingers. "The best part was, I acquired footage of him doing the same thing to other girls by peering back in his time-stream. So, if he ever tried to do anything against Elise, all the proof to bury him is right there… and he knows she has that proof."

"So, you castrated him, and blackmailed him?"

"Indeed. To this day, Lahar can't be considered a true male, no matter how much he proclaims to the contrary. The only downside to this is that as a result, this has given him an unhealthy fixation on Elise. Where he once targeted a multitude of girls, he now is solely focused on Elise."

"That's why every time I see him, it looks like we're going to kill each other," Elise spat, gritting her teeth. "In reality, I will kill him one day, once the time is right…"

"I don't blame you Elise," Natsu sighed, running a hand through his wet hair. "Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me about this Elise. I promise I won't tell anyone else."

"I know you won't," Elise smiled lightly in response. "We've been through a lot together, and I know that if I ever need you at my back, you'll be there."

"I feel the same Elise," Natsu smiled as he held his right hand out for her to take. "If you ever want to talk about the whole Lahar situation in private again, just let me know, and I'll be there for you. If you want me to help you kill him, I'll help you get rid of the body."

Elise giggled as she took his hand, rising up out of the water to reveal her large breasts and her muscular, scarred upper body.

"You and Erza, you've become my best friends… I don't know what I'd do if I hadn't met you guys on that Valtheim Job. All I do know, is that my life would be worse off without you two, and the rest of Fairy Tail…"

Letting go of her hand, the War God Slayer swam over to their clothes and fished them out, examining them for any remaining bits of blood and gore, before hanging them up on a nearby tree branch.

"Well, I think I've been soft long enough," Elise smiled, motioning for Natsu to join her. "Come and dry this stuff off Natsu?"

"Oh? Is that all I'm good for now," Natsu scoffed, moving to join her on the lake's edge as he began drying their clothes. "Is this really what you think being best friends entitles you to?"

"Yup!"

"Cheeky bitch," Natsu chuckled, looking back over to Eliza, who was still floating around in the lake. "I blame you for this."

"Noted, and duly ignored."

"You're both as bad as each other," the Dragon Slayer chuckled, as he finished drying off their clothes, as they put them back on. "Slightly damp, but it'll be fine."

"Natsu and I have to go Mother," Elise called out, as the War Goddess idly waved to the pair.

"Of course, don't mind me," the War Goddess smiled. "Just soaking all this in!"

"That was a shit joke," Natsu laughed, as the War Goddess gave him the finger in response. "You know I'm right."

"I'll speak to you both later," Eliza replied, as the pair started making their way back toward the main road that led toward Brinne Town.

"So Natsu, have you put any thought into what our identities should be once we get into Brinne Town?"

"We can either go the Brother and Sister route, or the route of a couple," Natsu suggested, as Elise mulled the idea around in her head.

"I suppose because its you, I'm willing to go the couple route. We don't really look alike, so it'll go over better if we say we're together."

"Fair enough. Now to concoct a believable story…"

"What about us being refugees?"

"If Alvarez control Brinne, that definitely won't work," Natsu replied with a shake of his head. "Alvarez don't have the concept of refugees. Believe me, it'll go down better if we say we're moving to find work. Alvarez natives love hearing all about hard work, and they especially love people with the initiative to seek it out.

"Alright then, guess we're passing through on our way to find work then," Elise agreed with a curt nod. "Hey Natsu, can I ask you something? Its not related to this?"

"Of course," was the instant reply. "What's up?"

"I've always wondered something, and I know its going to sound dumb when I put it into words… But if Mother ever created a war, and that war caused the deaths of people you cared about… Would you hate either her or me for that?"

"Well, for starters, I'd have absolutely no reason to hate you for it. You might be a War God Slayer, and have Eliza as your Mother, but that doesn't make you responsible in any way, does it?"

"True…"

"As for if I could hate Eliza, that's a bit of a complex question," Natsu sighed, as he pondered said question. "On one hand, she would be knowingly creating said war, and knowingly condemning people close to me to death. However, she is technically forced to do that as the War Goddess, so is it really fair for me to judge her for that?"

"I sometimes worry about what the rest of the Guild thinks of Mother, knowing that she orchestrates the wars that impact the lives of so many," Elise sighed, as they saw Brinne Town peeking out over the treetops ahead. "Am I being stupid thinking about this?"

"No. I completely understand why you're worried about it, because there are definitely people in the Guild who would blame both yourself and Eliza. What matters though is that you know that not everyone would share that opinion, and you would have support."

"Right," Elise sighed, as they reached the nearby gates to Brinne Town where a checkpoint had been set up by Alvarez soldiers. "I'll try and keep that in mind Natsu."

The Dragon Slayer nodded silently, taking her hand as they inched closer together, walking toward the checkpoint, as one of the soldiers approached them, a bored look on his face.

"In the name of his Excellency, please state your names and business?"

"My name is Nile, and this is my Wife Stelly," Natsu began, squeezing Elise's hand a little tighter. "We're moving North from the town of Prist to find work."

"Oh? Yeah, I heard that place got trashed quite badly during the last blitz," the soldier nodded, writing something down. "Where are you headed?"

"Probably Fleetz Town or Mephira Village, depending on how they're going."

"Either of those should have work for the both of you, both are back up and running," the soldier replied with a curt nod. "You're both clear to go on through."

"Thanks," Natsu smiled, as they walked into Brinne Town.

Once the pair were far enough from the Alvarez checkpoint, they collectively released a sigh, as Natsu led them into a side alley.

"Seems like Alvarez have guards posted all over the place," Natsu muttered with a frown, as he looked up toward the nearby hill, noticing a fort. "They must have a garrison in nearly every town they've taken?"

"We're going to have to wait until Erza and Gildarts kick off their part of the plan, right?"

"Right. I'm thinking we'll rent a room and rest for a bit."

"That's a good idea," Elise nodded in agreement. "The Alvarez troops are going to go berserk once those two kick things off in earnest."

Natsu nodded as they went back out onto the main street, making their way toward the nearest hotel. The place wasn't anything fancy, but, the pair didn't really need anything luxurious anyway.

"You ready to embarrass yourself?"

"Huh?"

"I need you to act like you know we're about to rent a room to fuck in it."

"What!?"

"Trust me, we'll get what we want if you do it."

"…I swear, you'd better not be screwing with me," Elise hissed, as they walked into the lobby of the hotel.

The moment they walked inside, Natsu extended his right hand for her, and Elise's personality completely flipped. She began giggling, as well as blushing profusely, as she hugged his arm. For added measure, Natsu would periodically lean in and whisper things to her, to which she would giggle in an almost obnoxious way.

The clerk at the front desk sighed, clearly not wanting to deal with them, as he pulled out a book.

"Let me guess," the clerk sighed. "A room for two Sir?"

"Yes please," Natsu replied, inserting an air of superiority into his tone as he spoke. "My friend and I are going to need some privacy, if you don't mind? Money won't be an issue…"

"Understood Sir," the clerk replied, clearly not caring at all, and just wanting the entire interaction to be over, as he handed them the room key. "Payment is to be deposited into the small Collections Lacrima by no later than five in the afternoon. Please, enjoy your stay…"

Natsu grinned as he took the key, as the pair made their way up to the room whilst keeping up the act. The moment they were inside, Elise immediately groaned, letting go of his arm as she kicked her shoes off.

"That was so damn embarrassing!"

"It worked though, didn't it?"

"Doesn't change the fact it was embarrassing as Hell," the War God Slayer huffed. "But I have to say, you seem to actually be pretty good at getting around behind enemy lines Natsu. How'd you get so good at that kind of thing?"

"One of the requirements Gildarts set for me before we came to Scarlione, was that I had to be able to infiltrate and operate within hostile territory," Natsu explained, grimacing slightly. "Unfortunately, that translated to him tossing me into a Bandit Village, and forcing me to either blend in, or fight my way out."

"Gildarts really was a hard teacher, wasn't he," Elise replied, shaking her head.

"Hard, but fair I'd say. Just look at how those skills paid off just now for us, eh? Anyway, we're stuck in here for who knows how long, so we might as well find some way to pass the time until Gildarts and Erza do their thing…"

"Lovely. I'm sure time is going to absolutely fly by," the War God Slayer replied sarcastically, as the pair looked out the window, mentally preparing themselves for what was to come.

***POTD***

Several hours after departing the Scarlione Outpost, Gildarts and Erza had reached their assigned position, and were currently waiting for signs of Deputy Commander Dio's forces and their attack.

"Any minute now," Gildarts muttered under his breath, as he looked up in the general direction of the sun.

"We've been waiting here for around twenty minutes now," the Requip Mage huffed in response, as she looked down toward the valley below. "I wish we got told more about how their plan was supposed to work?"

"Remember Erza, it takes a fair amount of effort to organize an army the size Dio is commanding. It takes even more effort to get said army to execute a strategy they aren't familiar with, mere hours after receiving said strategy," Gildarts replied with a shake of his head. "Honestly, if Dio weren't in charge of the main force, I'd have my doubts if this would work at all?"

"Why am I not surprised that you would take part in a plan that sounds as reckless as this one does," Erza replied, a small smirk etching its way onto her face. "No wonder Natsu is so reckless, he got it from you!"

"Natsu was already reckless, actually. I merely amplified it," the Crash Mage grinned, as the pair shared a quiet chuckle. "You know-?"

Gildarts was cut off as a massive explosion ripped through the valley below, the sound of hundreds of troops screaming as they were blasted apart, wrenching Erza back to reality.

"That's our cue," Gildarts said sharply, as he motioned for Erza to follow him. "We don't have long!"

Erza looked back toward the valley, and could see the Scarlione and Alvarez forces clashing, a surprising amount of mid to high tier Magic being tossed around, as Dio tore through their ranks.

"Erza!"

"R-Right," the Requip Mage replied shakily, as she sprinted to catch up to the Crash Mage.

Gildarts was waiting by the perimeter wall of one of the many forts scattered along the mountain range, idly tapping the wall with his index finger, humming to himself.

"Did you find the spot you were looking for?"

"Almost," the Crash Mage replied quietly, still tapping away idly. "Aha!"

A rectangular shaped gap appeared in the wall, as Gildarts used his Crash Magic to create an entrance for the pair. Looking back to her, he motioned for her to follow quickly, dashing inside and out of sight.

Dashing through what appeared to be a mess hall, they quickly started clearing corridors, not having run into a single enemy solider. Their luck was short lived however, as they rounded the corner that led to the courtyard, finding twenty troops in the process of exiting the building.

"We've got hostiles!"

"Alert the Commander!"

"Kill the intruders!"

"For the Emperor!"

"All right Erza, you're on crowd control," Gildarts yelled out, as they took cover behind one of the back walls. "I'm gonna need a few minutes to charge up!"

"Understood! Requip – Heaven's Wheel!"

A bright white light engulfed the entire corridor, forcing the Alvarez troops to dive into side rooms, assuming they were being fired upon. Once the light died down, Erza emerged, fifty blades manifesting behind her, with an additional two in her hands, as she began to rain down steel death upon the enemy.

"Requip Mage! Requip Mage!"

"Get down!"

Erza marched forward, firing a seemingly endless barrage of blades at the Alvarez troops who were forced to retreat outside. As she stepped out into the courtyard, she was surprised to see there weren't actually a lot of troops present.

"Looks like Dio's distraction is working," Gildarts noted, as Erza took out several more troops. "Quickly take the rest of them out and meet me up on the rampart walls."

Gildarts vanished, leaving Erza to continue to mop up the stragglers who were unable to even tag her with their attacks. As she fought them, the scarlet haired Mage couldn't help but ponder just how much stronger she'd gotten to be able to take out so many soldiers at once.

It was a testament to both her hard work and training, as well as the efforts of her closest friends who saw her reach these new heights. This much, Erza knew for certain.

Several minutes later, the courtyard had been completely cleared out. Every Alvarez soldier had either been slain, or had fled the fort to find help. Sighing, she shook her head at all the blood that had to be spilled, though she understood the necessity of it, it still felt like a waste.

"Good work Erza," Gildarts called out from the ramparts, as Erza flew up to join him. "I just need one more minute to charge up."

"Are you sure we can just stand here Gildarts? I mean, don't you think there are still more soldiers in the base somewhere," Erza asked cautiously, looking around the bloody courtyard. "We haven't even run into their Commander yet?"

"The Fort Commander isn't important in the grand scheme of things," Gildarts replied with a shrug. "The tough ones don't start until you get to the Spriggan or Leichart Division Commanders and the squad they commander under the Spriggan or Leichart Twelve.

"I've heard both you and Natsu give high praise to these Spriggan and Leichart people, but are they really that strong," Erza asked, genuinely unsure. "Have you fought them before?"

"Yeah, both Natsu and I have. Though their overall power and skill varies, they all possess unique Magic and equally as varying personalities to go along with them," Gildarts replied, looking out across the horizon as explosions rocked the valley below. "You remember how Natsu mentioned he'd killed a Demon prior to Lullaby, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Skkard The Quiescence, Twelfth Sword of the Alvarez Empire…"

"Wait, seriously!?"

"Yep. Why do you think Natsu is so well respected by people across Ishgar? He actually took out one of the top officers of Alvarez and lived to tell the tale. Not that he actually does tell anyone, mind you."

"Wow…"

"Skkard aside, there's been a few others we scrapped with in the past, some of them were really damn powerful."

"So what if they're powerful? You, Natsu, and Queen Illyandra are absurdly strong too, right? So, what's the big deal?"

"There are three that puzzle me more than any. The first is Irene Belserion, who was only sighted once while I was here. She came to discipline a Legion that suffered an overwhelming defeat, killing all of them on the spot in an instant."

"Surely you're exaggerating right," Erza asked weakly, as Gildarts shook his head firmly.

"I wish I was, but that's how it happened. Fifty thousand men and women, gone in a blink of an eye. It was something none of us had ever seen before. Natsu said that she smelt strangely familiar, like a Dragon, but also something else."

"You don't think she was a Dragon Slayer, do you?"

"I highly doubt it. Dragon Slayers are strong, but I've never seen nor heard of one doing something like that before? No, that woman is something else entirely. But if you think she's bad, then August takes things to a whole new level."

"August?"

"Yes. That guy is worth at least three Legions worth of soldiers, and that's putting him lightly. After Irene shook the ranks, she sent August in to show the rest how a real soldier of Emperor Spriggan should conduct himself. That man walked right into the Scarlione and just ran rampant for the entire month of August, before heading back on the first of September."

"And no one could stop him!? No one!?"

"No one. The man is a monster, and he's at a level that I'm training to reach one day. Before I'd heard and seen the deeds of August, I thought I was already too strong. After that, I resolved myself to grow stronger. If a guy like that waltzed on into Fiore, he'd take the entire Kingdom in a day…"

"But that was years ago, right? Surely he couldn't be that much stronger than you… Right?"

"Incorrect Erza. In fact, he's probably even stronger than when I was last here. Remember, he's got an extra seven years on me since we were sealed inside the Fairy Sphere. The only reason Natsu has become even more powerful is because he was the one maintaining the spell, and it was placing a constant strain on him. So, if anything, he got seven years worth of training done."

"But you're strong Gildarts, so surely you could find a way to become much stronger and close the gap?"

"There is one way, but it requires me to go out traveling again," the Crash Mage replied with a stiff nod. "And the thing is, I don't know how Natsu would react to that?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Think about it Erza, the man has been at my side since he was barely in his teens. Even if there was a continent between us, he always knew where I was. But if I up and leave like I used to, he might get worried, right?"

"Never thought I'd hear this from you," Erza replied with a small smile.

"Hear what?"

"You sound like a concerned parent Gildarts, you realize that, right? Admit it, you see Natsu like a Son, and you don't want to let him down or have him worried about you!"

"You're completely right Erza," Gildarts replied with a firm nod, surprising Erza who had expected him to deny her claims.

"Wait, you aren't even going to try arguing that!?"

"Why bother when you're right? I do see Natsu as a Son. I've put my blood, sweat and tears into that kid to make him who he is. I used to always think of him as a sort of little kid Brother, but the more I really think about how we've always been, the more I realize that he really means so much more to me. To have him worry over me isn't something I want, you know?"

"You had to expect that was going to happen when you took Natsu with you all those years ago though, right? You can't just spend that long with someone like Natsu and not form some sort of attachment to him? I mean look at Wendy, she is the definition of confident when she knows Natsu is there. The moment she knows he won't be at her back, she doubts herself."

Gildarts' body began to glow a faint yellow color, as the Crash Mage began to stretch, his Magical Power exploding outward like a beacon.

"You know, maybe I'll have a talk to him after all this Scarlione stuff is over and see what he thinks? But anyway, enough of this for now… I'm fully charged!

"Alright, I'll unlock the gates," Erza replied, Requipping into her Purgatory Armor and blowing them clean off their hinges in a single strike. "You're all good!"

"Alright then, get ready to run," Gildarts grinned, a pillar of orange light erupted around his position as he raised his right hand into the air. "Crash Arts – Crash Eruption!"

Clenching his fist, Gildarts swung downward, striking the ground. Erza braced herself for what was to come, only to find herself thoroughly confused when no tremor of any kind was generated.

Before she could even begin to question what he was doing, Gildarts started sprinting toward her position, prompting her to quickly start sprinting as well. They quickly descended down the main path, getting about half way down the mountain, when both of them were violently thrown off their feet.

The pair tumbled slightly, before regaining their footing, as Erza's attention snapped toward the veritable storm of orange lightning that was shooting out of the mountain they were on, before looking back to Gildarts who was grinning like a madman.

"What the Hell have you done," Erza screamed, as the quakes became more violent with each passing tremor.

"How do you take something out and assure the enemy won't have access to it again? Simple. You destroy it, and everything surrounding it," Gildarts replied with a grin, as Erza's eyes widened in shock.

"What the Hell!? You don't seriously mean-!?"

"Oh yeah, you bet I do! I'm bringing down this whole mountain," Gildarts laughed. "And you're along for the ride!"

"You're insane," Erza screeched, as she Requipped into her Black Wing Armor, picking up Gildarts, and flying the pair across the battle-scarred valley, landing on the opposing mountain.

Watching the effects of Gildarts' Magic unfold, Erza couldn't help but watch in a mixture of awe, and fear. The mountain shook, as it began to split into large cubes, continually dividing smaller and smaller until only a massive pile of dust remained in its place.

It was a stark reminder of just how absurdly strong Fairy Tail's Ace truly was. In one attack, he had reduced an entire mountain, and all the matter on it, into dust.

"And you're telling me that this August guy, can easily do something like that," Erza muttered, her thoughts spiraling into territory even she knew they ought not to.

"There's a reason Illyandra assigned me to this mission, and its because I can remove obstacles without much effort," Gildarts sighed, noticing Erza's shocked stupor. "The reason why you're here, is to make sure I can pull it off without being distracted. Being distracted leads to mistakes, and with Magic of that scale and level, you can't afford any,"

Erza simply nodded in response, unable to verbally reply to what Gildarts just said. Looking out over what was once a mountain, Erza finally realized just how strong people can really get.

"Are you ready for the next fort," Gildarts asked, as Erza nodded silently. "We've got about an hour to take it out, so get ready."

"What about Dio and his forces?"

"They know what they've got to do," Gildarts replied sternly, motioning for her to follow him. "Even if they all die, they know their mission. Its up to us to make sure we finish ours."

"You're right," Erza sighed, looking up to the sky for a moment as she took a deep breath, steeling herself for the coming battle. "Let's go."

Gildarts nodded as the pair took off into the forest, scaling the woody mountainside as they prepared to repeat the process once more.

***POTD***

Night had begun to fall across Scarlione, as Gildarts and Erza stood at the front gates to the final fort. Behind them, four mountains had been erased from existence, reduced to dust by Gildarts, leaving only one final Alvarez Fort to purge, buying Lanstar City valuable time.

Despite their successes at the prior four forts, the duo felt rather off about the final one. The place was silent, the gates wide open, and not a soul could be seen anywhere.

"Did they abandon the place," Erza muttered, with Gildarts shaking his head.

"There's no way. A Squad Commander wouldn't be caught dead fleeing unless one of the Spriggan or Leichart Twelve ordered them to. They're definitely up to something," the Crash Mage hummed. "The question is, what is it?"

"Only one way to find out," Erza sighed, as Gildarts took point, the pair walking right through the front gates of the fort.

Once the pair arrived in the courtyard, it quickly became apparent why the place seemed deserted, as Erza fought not to gag.

"Guess that explains where the regular Fort Commanders were," Gildarts muttered, as he scanned the rest of the area.

Before the pair were four Alvarez Commanders, impaled on large metal pikes jutting out of the ground. Their bodies had been brutalized beyond recognition, their throats slashed, and their eyes wide and fearful.

"It seems like someone in the chain of command wasn't happy about them letting us destroy those forts," Erza replied, only for the pair to snap their attention toward one of the nearby guard towers. "Up there!"

"You are certainly on the mark about that, Scarlione trash!"

Sitting atop the roof of the guard tower, was a tanned young woman with long spiky black hair, piercing green eyes and a tattoo of the Alvarez insignia on her forehead. She wore an open, long flowing officer's coat with the sleeves cut off, exposing her arms in their entirety, a black sports bra, a pair of form fitting black slacks with a matching pair of combat boots.

The woman grinned, resting her chin in her hand as she examined the pair.

"So, you're the ones who've been destroying my forts? Didn't think Illyandra even had any competent help left!?"

"Why would you slay your own comrades in such a brutal way," Erza snapped back in response. "You were all allies, weren't you!?"

"Comrades? HAH! As if," the woman scoffed. "The only allies I have are my fellow Squad Commanders, and the Spriggan and Leichart Twelve! Anyone else is expendable!"

"You do realize that you would've stood a better chance against us if you had of kept them alive though, right," Gildarts chimed in, seemingly not threatened by her in the slightest.

"The moment those four abandoned their forts to be destroyed was the moment their Fate was sealed. To flee without permission is to defy the will of his Excellency, Emperor Spriggan! To defy our Emperor is to welcome death!"

The figure jumped down to the courtyard, landing across from the pair, as she cracked her neck to relieve some pressure. Upon closer inspection, Erza realized that the woman was covered in the blood of the Fort Commanders, which brought a sneer to her face.

Commanding Officer Of The Siege Of Lanstar City

Captain Of Dimaria Squad

The Malicious Morphmatician

Leyana Fortescue

"I hope you Alvarez scum are prepared for this," Leyana smirked, as she began to release her Magical Power. "Unlike these fools, I'll be carrying out the will of our Emperor to the letter!"

"Erza is more than a match for you," Gildarts replied confidently, as he began to slowly channel his own Magical Power, reminding Erza of their objective.

'That's right, Gildarts is going to need time to charge up his Crash Eruption so we can take this fort down. I'll have to at least hold her off long enough for him to get the job done.'

Resolving herself for the fight to come," Erza's form became coated in a bright white light, which only seemed to amuse Leyana. Several seconds passed, and Erza now stood before the Alvarez Commander, clad in her favorite Armor.

"Requip – Armor Of The Scarlet Dragon!"

"Ho? Well now, look at that! It looks like you actually can fight," the woman teased, only for several metal spikes to shoot up from the ground, which Erza narrowly dodged in time.

"So, those spikes must be part of your Magic," Erza mused, her eyes glued to the woman who began to chuckle.

"Yes. I use a Magic known as Morph Magic. It allows me to transform either myself, or an object that doesn't have Magic, into almost anything I can think of. The perfect tool to put rebellious trash in their place!

Erza Scarlett (PTS, ASD, Fire Dragon Slayer Mode) – 605,012 MPI

Leyana Fortescue (Suppressed) – 1.3 Million MPI

Erza didn't react to her words, as she began to dodge a series of spikes being hurled towards her at high speed. Darting around the courtyard, Erza noticed that the spikes varied in shape and size, and came to the conclusion that she could go much bigger if she desired.

"Morph Magic: Arms Conversion – Arm Blades!"

Leyana's arms converted to black swords in a manner similar to how Gajeel often did, as she rushed Erza with surprising speed. The Alvarez Commander smirked as she began rapidly slashing away at the Requip Mage, putting her on the defensive as she laughed all the while.

'To the untrained eye, she's just slashing away. But really, every single strike is a killing blow… I can't slip up even once, because, I don't know if this Armor is strong enough to block one of those strikes!?'

"What's the matter, I thought you were supposed to be enough to beat me," Leyana jeered, as she continued to slash away at Erza.

In response, Erza grit her teeth, as flames began to surround her form, her emotions fueling her Dragon Slayer abilities as she began striking back with armored fists. The Commander only seemed amused by this however, even as several of Erza's blows landed direct hits upon her.

"Finally! Looks like you actually do have some fight in you, Alvarez trash," Leyana taunted, eliciting only more annoyance and frustration from Erza, as she continued trying to overwhelm her foe with Dragon fire.

Erza grit her teeth and continued to fight, as the courtyard quickly became covered in slashes and small craters.

Gildarts watched the fight from his original position, feeling his power almost fully charged. He watched as Erza tried her best to overpower the Alvarez Commander, knowing full well that there was a bit too large of a gap there for her to actually accomplish such a feat.

Regardless, he also knew she'd never improve being stuck fighting weaklings, so he'd encouraged her all the same.

"Finally," the Crash Mage muttered, as a massive pillar of orange light erupted around his form. "Let's do this!"

Just like with all the forts prior, Gildarts raised his right hand into the air, before striking the ground. However, this time, as Gildarts punched the ground, Leyana suddenly vanished, reappearing next to the Crash Mage and stabbing him through the arm with one of her Arm Blades.

"Gildarts!"

"I've been waiting for you to let your guard down, Gildarts Clive!"

Leyana's grin instantly vanished, as Gildarts grabbed her by the neck. The Alvarez Commander was shocked and fearful, as the older man slowly lifted her into the air, a small frown on his face.

"Don't get so cocky kid. You should always make sure your enemy is actually wounded before you start taunting them."

"But I stabbed you," Leyana hissed. "Even if you blocked it, your arm should be in agonizing pain as metal seeps into your bloodstream!?"

"And that would be the case, if it was actually my arm," Gildarts replied, as he held up the arm that she had stabbed, revealing it was the prosthetic one.

"Well, I certainly won't miss this time," she shouted, as she began to aim for his head, only to suddenly convulse and fall limp in his grasp.

"You won't be pulling that shit anymore," Gildarts sighed, as he tossed her body aside.

"What did you do to her," Erza asked curiously. "I've never seen that happen before?"

"I sent a wave of my Crash Magic directly into her brain, killing her instantly," he replied plainly, as he tore his prosthetic arm off and threw it away, just as large spikes began to shoot out of it. "I'm gonna have to get another one of those now."

"Come on Gildarts," Erza sighed as she grabbed a hold of him, the pair taking to the skies. "Let's get out of here."

The Crash Mage nodded as they flew off in the direction of what could no longer be described as a valley. Behind them, the last, and largest, of the mountains in the area, was reduced to dust in a bright burst of orange lightning.

The duo didn't turn around, knowing that they had accomplished their goal. Their main priority now, was returning to the outpost, hoping that it wasn't all in vain.

***POTD***

Arriving back at the outpost, it became quickly apparent that Dio's troops were in high spirits. Even from a distance, the sound of their cheers could be heard.

Upon arriving at the entrance to the outpost, a drunk Deputy Commander Dio stumbled forward, grinning ear to ear.

"Commander Gildarts Sir! We won!"

"That we did Dio," Gildarts chuckled, as the drunk officer stumbled forward. "Hey, you lost your arm Commander? You really trying to one up me?"

"One up you?"

"Yeah," Dio grinned, holding up his other hand which, to both Gildarts and Erza's shock, was still bleeding, three of his fingers having been blown off.

"Dio, what the fuck!?"

"AHAHAHAHA! I lose some fingers and you lose an arm, but we WIN THE FUCKING BATTLE! YAHOO!"

"I think you need to sit down Dio," Gildarts replied, shaking his head at the man's antics, as he used his remaining arm to guide him back into camp, where several medics rushed toward him.

"Oh, Commander Gildarts, you found Deputy Commander Dio," one of the medics sighed in relief. "We turned our backs to prepare to treat him, and he ran off to the mess hall and got drunk!"

"How did he lose his fingers?"

"There was an enemy Commander on the ground skilled with Blood Magic, and he tagged Commander Dio with a Blood Bomb, blowing off three of his fingers."

"Ouch. Yeah, that could definitely have gone way worse for him," Gildarts nodded, as he delivered a light chop to the back of the man's neck, causing him to collapse into the medics. "There you go."

"Thank you Sir. Uh, about your arm…?"

"It was a prosthetic anyway, I'll just need a new one made," Gildarts replied, as the medics nodded stiffly.

"That can be arranged Sir. However, you'll have to return to base to get it, since we don't have the materials to made one here."

"Understandable. We'll wait around here, and I'll assume temporary command until Dio is up on his feet and capable of leading again."

"Of course Sir, we'll inform the other officers."

"Thanks," Gildarts nodded, as the medics hauled the unconscious Dio away. "Oh Dio, still as dumb of a kid as ever."

"At least he survived the whole thing though, right?"

"True. I'm just thinking back to when he was younger and doing the same reckless crap," Gildarts chuckled, as the pair watched the Scarlione troops celebrating their victory. "Its just an old man thing I suppose?"

"I suppose I can't relate to that, can I?"

"Heh. Not at all. Still, you can't deny that Dio gets results," Gildarts continued, as he motioned for Erza to look out across the camp. "Just look at how many survived under his command, despite his own reckless nature? You can't deny that the kid gets results."

"Speaking of results, I'm sorry about earlier…"

"What do you mean?"

"Back in the last fort with that Alvarez Commander," Erza sighed. "If I wasn't so weak, you wouldn't have lost your prosthetic arm."

"Come on Erza, you did perfectly fine. You fought an opponent who just so happened to be more powerful. It happens. What matters is that you proved you can hold your own, and you can learn from that to grow stronger."

"I know… I just feel like I'm a bit of a burden here, you know? You, Natsu, and even Elise, are all way stronger than I am right now. Its … strange, being one of the weaker ones on the team, you know? I just want Natsu to feel glad that I'm here, and not worried or feeling obligated to look out for me…"

"You know as well as I do that Natsu wouldn't ever consider your presence as being a burden Erza. You should know full well that power alone isn't what interests him," Gildarts replied, placing his hand on her shoulder. "You're Fairy Tail's Titania, the girl who today fought hundreds of Alvarez troops so I could take out those damn forts, and even held her own against a Squad Commander. Have some faith in yourself…"

"You're right," Erza sighed, looking up to the sky. "I don't really know why I feel this way? Deep down, I know that what you're saying is the truth, but my mind refuses to accept it. Maybe… Maybe I'm just scared of being inadequate?"

"Erza, I can't help you change the way you're thinking," Gildarts replied, as he led her over to some bales of hay where they sat down. "What I can tell you though, is that today, all these men and women you see around you needed Erza Scarlett here to help out. This old fart you're talking to, he needed you there to watch his back. And you were there Erza, you had my back. You had the backs of all the troops here today, and because you did, the mission succeeded."

"Gildarts…"

You did really good today, Erza. And believe me, I know Natsu or Makarov would have told you the exact same thing," Gildarts smiled, as Erza sniffed, her eyes watering slightly as she looked away. "Now let's go join the others and celebrate this win, huh?"

Erza nodded in response, a watery smile on her face as Gildarts rose to his feet, dusting off some stray bits of hay that had gotten stuck to him.

"So, this is what mentor Gildarts looks like?"

"Huh?"

"Nothing," Erza replied with a wave of her hand. "I was just talking to myself about how hungry I am after all the work we've done today."

"Heh. Well then, let's go find some grub before its all gone," the Crash Mage grinned, as the pair walked further into the outpost, joining in on the celebrations as they congratulated themselves on a mission well done.