"…Repeat what you just said." Goldmine said with a blink of his eyes as he tilted his shades down to look directly into Eric's eyes while Bacchus & Guy just blinked in shock at the young mage's words.
"I want to go to Ca-Elum to train."
"Oh, so I wasn't imagining you acting like a suicidal imbecile." Goldmine hummed with a nod and both Bacchus & Guy just plugged their ears while Eric reeled back as Mt. Goldmine exploded.
"Are you fucking insane?! Did you hit your head as a child, huh?! There's a goddamn reason Ca-Elum is sanctioned as an S-Class Grand Magic Zone. The strongest beasts there are capable of playing around with Bacchus like he's a toy and last I checked, you can't even fight him for long when he's actually taking you serious!"
"Well, I thought that I would be able to train there to grow to S-Class in power while also gathering real-life experience fighting different opponents."
"…Is he deaf? Are you deaf? Did you not listen to a single word that just came out of my mouth?"
"Not really, no. I ignored it." Eric answered truthfully with a shrug and Goldmine just stared at him for a long, awkward silence before he spoke.
"If you think that becoming an S-Class is all about power, then perhaps I made the wrong choice in nominating you."
"Then how do you expect me to train & prepare myself? My magic is powerful enough that if I lose control, I could potentially annihilate city blocks. That's not adding my Dragon Slayer magic that likes to rampage without extensive control and put those together, anywhere I train is going to look like a wasteland after. So, why not train in an ethernano-rich area where I know the fauna & flora are not only durable enough to resist my spells, but can adapt to it?" Eric proposed and Goldmine just stared at him before he answered.
"Fine, fine, but! You're not going to Ca-Elum."
"What? Didn't you just agree?" Eric asked with a frown and Goldmine rolled his eyes as he pressed a button on his desk, Eric's eyes widening as a large holographic map of Ishgar appeared on top of it.
"Here." Goldmine spoke after scanning the map, pointing at a desert area just past the mountains where Eric remembered Sun Village being.
"What's 'here'?" He asked and Goldmine snorted as the map disappeared.
"That's the border area between Seven and Fiore known as the Deadman Badlands. While both countries have patrols & outposts stationed along this border, none of the two countries control it since the area itself is too rich in ethernano to let any normal mage walk into it. Not to mention that the beasts there are a bit more…powerful than their regular counterpart and they are more resistant to ethernano-based attacks."
"In other words, it's a no man's land with beasts that are absolutely stronger than their regular variants?" Eric said before grinning as Goldmine nodded.
"It's still dangerous, but a lot safer compared to Ca-Elum. I still don't want to send you there, but the other seven have already left for their training trip, so I can't keep you here just in case your stupidity wins out."
"…Okay, I accept it. How far is it?"
"If you want to take the trains, there is only one station that goes out that far, which is also the one you took for that butcher mission, but I wouldn't recommend it."
"I see." Eric muttered, stroking his chin as an idea formulated in his mind which the others noticed but didn't comment on.
"Okay, then. I'll see you guys in two months' time."
"Wait, what?" And before they could ask, a purple glow coated Eric's body before he flew out the open window of Goldmine's office, the three S-Class mages watching the purple streak that flew in the direction of Eric & Flare's apartment before Goldmine groaned as the other two chuckled.
"Never a dull day with him around, huh Master?" Guy said and Goldmine just rolled his eyes as he sat back down in his chair.
"I knew he was going to cause me stress, but did I listen to my gut? No, I just saw a kid that would get strong and decided to snag him up before anyone else could. Hah, this is what I get for being greedy."
"Flare, I'm back from trying to negotiate with the master." Eric called out as he entered a rather large apartment, taking off his shoes & putting them on the shoe rack before putting on his favourite red house socks.
"Really? What did he say?" The redhead asked as she walked out from the kitchen/ living room, Eric chuckling at the dark green & gold blotches on her face & apron.
"Well, he didn't give me permission to go to Ca-Elum since it's too dangerous, but he did give me another spot to train. The border between Seven & Fiore, which I think he called-!"
"The Deadman Badlands? Wow, I didn't think there was a place more messed up than it." Flare interrupted him, surprising Eric before he remembered that Sun Village was not too far from the spot.
'She lived there for most of her life, so of course she knows about it.'
"So, can I come with?" She asked and Eric blinked at her question.
"You…want to come train with me?"
"Yeah, it sounds like it would be fun and this way, we get to learn about each other's fighting styles, do some outdoor camping together. Oh, we can even go on a few trips to the village & catch up with the others."
"…Eh, sure. I could use the company." Eric agreed with a shrug after a long pause. Her proposal was actually good since fighting against powerful beasts, while a good learning experience, was going to get old since he could just predict their attacks after a few battles.
This way, he also got a good cook to come with him and Flare wants to spend time together, so it's a win-win for everyone.
"Great! I'll go & pack my clothes and make a few extra food bags! Wait a few minutes!" Eric chuckled as he watch her quickly wipe off the food stains on her face with her apron before throwing it back into the kitchen & rushing towards her room, shrugging as he walked towards the large sofa they had & fell face first into it with a satisfied groan.
'Buying this thing was the best decision of my life.'
"Flare…where did you get that?" Eric asked as he stared at Flare's outfit, the girl in question looking a bit concerned as she looked down.
"Is it too much? Guy went shopping with me & said it would look good on me. D-Do you like it?" She asked as she adjusted the straps of her dark crimson dress, the front of it dipping lowly to show a lot of cleavage while a slit rang up to her lower thigh on the left side of her dress.
'Either she bought that thing in Oak Town in the original universe…or fate really wants that to be her battle outfit.'
"Oh, I like it, but you don't have to buy something just because someone else said it would look good on you. You have to buy it because you think it looks cool or nice or good or cute."
"I did think it looked cute, but it was a bit too…risqué for my taste, so I asked if they could tone it down."
"That's toning it down? How bad was it before?" He asked and she blushed slightly before answering.
"The slit came up to my upper thigh and…my entire back was exposed."
"L-Like…the entire back?" Eric asked and Flare blushed even further as she nodded, the mage just staring at her before he shook his head.
"Well, that's a thought for another time. Let's just go before the discussion takes a wild turn." He said and she gave a thankful smile before blinking in confusion as Eric held out his arms.
"The train would take too long, so I wanted to try something."
"Does it involve carrying me?" She asked, sighing as he nodded before walking forward & wrapping her arms around his neck.
'Focus on your ethernano, Eric. Don't focus on the melons pressed against your chest. …Man, they really are big, huh? Nope! Focus!' Eric quickly banished any stray thought as he shook his head, Flare having resorted to hiding her face in his chest before she gasped as a sense of weightlessness flowed around her body, looking up to see both her & Eric floating a full meter off of the ground while a purple aura coated their body.
"Hang on. It might get a bit shaky." And before she could ask, a yelp escaped her lips as they rocketed upwards, taking to hiding her face again as they flew away from Oak Town & in the direction of Sun Village.
"You didn't have to scream back there, you know?" Eric said with an amused smile as they landed in the rocky mountains surrounding Sun Village, chuckling as the lady turned to give him a cute glare before huffing as she looked away.
"A warning that we would be accelerating would have been nice."
"Then I wouldn't have been able to hear your cute squeal." Eric answered, smirking at her bright red face before Flare decided to not answer him by stomping away.
'Man, it really is easy to tease her.' He thought as he followed after her, looking around as Flare didn't answer to his first few questions before sighing.
"Okay, I'm sorry about not warning you. I should have told you & let you be ready for the shift."
"I went from feeling the wind caressing me to it slamming into me as if it was trying to push me into the ground." She said and he gave a sheepish chuckle.
"Yeah, I should have warned you about that. I still have trouble with trying to get the air currents to not affect you."
"So, what you're saying is that you knew about it and didn't tell me?" She asked with a frown, glaring at Eric who looked in thought before sighing.
"You're going to ignore me for the day, aren't you?" Flare didn't answer as she turned & continued walking, Eric groaning as he followed after her.
'…Her squeal was worth it.'
"Eric! Flare! Welcome back!" Druwat exclaimed as soon as they walked into his office, Flare smiling as her hair quickly shot up & pulled her onto the desk he was sitting at while Eric nodded as he flew up & landed next to the redhead.
"Ah, trouble in paradise, eh?" The giant asked with an amused smile as he watched Flare turn away from Eric, the mage smirking as he nodded.
"Yeah, I was being an idiot and now she won't talk to me for the day." He answered, Druwat chuckling as Flare rolled her eyes.
"So, what are you two doing here? Visiting for a while?"
"Oh, for a bit. Then, we're heading out to the Deadman Badlands."
"Oh, are you going there for training? That's the only reason I can think that someone would go to that place."
"Yeah, I was going to go to Ca-Elum, but the master denied that offer, so I'm going there as a second option."
"A good choice. You must have lost your mind if you were thinking of going to that hellhole." Druwat said with a shake of his head, Eric groaning as Flare giggled.
"Why does everyone say that it's a hellhole? I've read the books on it and they don't make it out as bad as you all do."
"That's because books are written by people who've only heard stories about it. Those of us that have been there, it's literal hell."
"Wait, you've been there?" Flare asked in surprise, Eric mirroring it as Druwat nodded while looking out his window at the distant mountains.
"Yes, when I was younger. If the Deadman Badlands is bad, then Ca-Elum is a hundred times worse. Its islands are divided into different territories, with powerful beasts ruling over each territory like lords. The strongest is crowned as the King of the Island and lives in the middle & largest territory of the island."
"And how strong are these beasts?" Eric asked before his eyes widened as Druwat just smirked & pulled his collar down, revealing a scar that ran from shoulder to shoulder across the top of his chest with a jagged like pattern on its edges.
"This was by the weakest of the Beast Lords. Fourteen giants & twenty humans went to explore the island. Myself and two other humans were the only survivors."
'…I owe Goldmine an apology. Visiting Ca-Elum can be left for 'If I need to die'.' Eric thought in shock as Druwat let go of his shirt collar before smirking down at him.
"You're strong, Eric, and with your two different types of offensive magic, you have potential to become even stronger, but let me tell you something. The way you are now, you'd get eaten up & shat out by early midday before even knowing you're dead."
"…Yeah, Flare. Remind me to apologize to Master Goldmine." He said before sighing as the redhead just huffed & looked away.
"Right. You're still mad at me. Well, I want to go say hi to the Eternal Flame. Is that okay?"
"Sure. The guards know to let you through. What about you?" He asked as he turned to Flare, who shrugged as her hair formed into a chair below her.
"I want to spend more time talking with you." She said and he chuckled as he nodded while Eric shrugged.
"Okay. I'll see you guys tomorrow then." Eric said with a nod before leaping off of the table, his gravity magic covering his body & helping him float as he turned & flew out of the door.
"So, now that he's gone. What's with the attitude? Usually, you'd have forgiven most of us giants before an hour had even passed."
"Most of you didn't let the wind pressure of going at mach speeds bombard my entire body."
"I've thrown you high enough to the point that you needed to use your hair as a cushion and that's never bothered you." He said, to which she just pouted & turned away as Druwat chuckled.
"You like him that much, huh?" He said, smirking as a blush crept across her face and she didn't answer.
"If I can give you my advice, tell him. We men are idiots that don't understand the subtle coded language you ladies like to use, so you have to spell everything out for us & speak honestly or else, we think that you're just teasing us for fun."
"I thought giants don't have a gender?" Flare asked with a smirk and Druwat rolled his eyes.
"You know what I mean and also, Giants do have a gender. We're Giants."
Eric smiled & nodded at the giants he passed as he walked towards the small hill in the back of the village and they nodded back before continuing with their work.
"Man, it's still as bright as the first time I saw it." Eric muttered with a smirk filled with awe as he watched the Eternal Flame roaring its life for all to hear, the blaze as bright as it has ever been.
"Hey, guys." He greeted the giant guards stationed at the flame, the giants smiling as they nodded back in greeting.
"Hello. Are you here to see the flame?"
"Yep. Figured I'd come & say hello." Eric answered and the giants nodded as they gestured for him to pass, Eric nodding in thanks before making his way up the stairs that led to the flame pit.
Before, the flames would have felt as if he was walking into a burning hell that would melt the flesh off his bones & turn his bones to ash, but now, it was a comforting & soothing warmth, caressing him from head to toe as he sat down in the middle of the pit while the hell flames raged around him.
"Uh, I'm not good with this kind of stuff, but I've read that talking stuff out helps and I don't even know if you're here, so this might just be the rambling of a guy trying to find some form of peace." Eric began to speak as he took a deep breath, his lungs being filled with that raging blaze before he breathed it out slowly.
"Life has been good. Flare and I have gone on a few missions and while a bit shaky at the beginning, she's quick on the uptake and has shown to be versatile with her magic. I asked her if she could control her body hair like she could with the hair on her head, but all I got was a blush and being put in the dog box for a few days, so I took that as a 'don't ask'." He said with a chuckle before blinking in surprise as he felt amusement racing through the flames around him.
'Huh, so the flames did have some kind of emotional sense.'
"My training has been going well. Your memories were a lot to take in & very disorienting at first, but thanks to the meditation exercises Guy had me do & my awesome skills, I managed to figure out all of the basic Dragon Slayer spells as well as a few of the advanced ones. However, I'm holding off on using the advanced spells until I've fully mastered the basics." Eric said with a shrug and he could feel the flames' approval before he sighed.
"I've also been nominated for my guild's S-Class Promotion Exams and I have to say that it's quite the feeling. To be truthful, I expected it to take a lot longer than a year before I qualify for one, but from what I hear, rumours of my jobs & my skills have been spread throughout Fiore & the guild and now everyone have these high expectations from me." He muttered, smiling as he felt the flames wrapping around him in a comforting hold.
"It's a great feeling, but I'm…I'm scared. I'm scared that I won't be able to live up to everyone's expectations. I'm scared that if I lose, I would be seen as nothing more than a prodigy that's waned in power & potential. I'm scared that this…image of power that I crafted would be torn down during the tournament…and I don't know what to do. Hah, who knew that becoming a mage would be this stressful?"
"Hey, Igneel. How are you able to treat every challenger for your title as King like weaklings even though we both know some of them were strong enough to cause you trouble?" Eric blinked as he heard Atlas' voice speaking behind him, turning around before his eyes widened at the sight of a mini Atlas lying on the ground, with another dragon twice his size sitting on their hind legs right next to him.
The other dragon, who Eric now realized was Igneel, had an amused expression as he looked on at the flames before answering.
"Because if I act as if they are a threat, then my challengers would just keep on coming until one of them wins. Dragons like to think that we're superior, but the truth is that we're more like humans than we think we are. Just like dragons, humans show this mask, this visage of confidence & strength, to the rest of their species because if they don't, other humans will see it for weakness & try to capitalize on it. Just like how if a dragon shows weakness, other dragons portray it as them being weak & try to kill the dragon as some form of domination."
"So, you're faking it? Also, I can't believe you're comparing us dragons to those feeble humans."
"That Water Dragon Slayer who cracked the scales around your neck & nearly tore your throat out, was he feeble?" Eric was surprised to hear that, turning his head to Atlas to see the dragon grumbling as he looked out at the flames before speaking.
"Fine, I suppose not humans are feeble & weak."
"Just like not all dragons are strong & powerful. The world is a dangerous place and even if your visage is torn down, you only care for the words of the loved ones you've had from the point where you were seen as weak & helpless by the rest of the world, because they are the ones who will be with you through thick & thin."
"…You've changed. Where's the Igneel who used to go out on flights with me & tear through dragons & humans?" Atlas asked and Igneel chuckled as he turned & shrugged with a smile.
"He grew up & became a father. Now, he just wants to do everything he can to protect his loved ones." Igneel responded as the two dragons turned back into the flames, Eric staring at the air where they previously were before a smile spread across his face as he stood up.
"Thanks. That was just what I need." He said, smiling as he felt a clawed hand patting him on the back before it disappeared and the flames went back to its raging state of bliss.
'Yeah, I've got what I needed. To hell with other people's opinions. Eric Creed cares only for the opinion of a few and that's a fact. …Man, that made me cringe so hard. I'm never giving myself a hype speech ever again.'
A/N: I've noticed that I don't like showing the weak side of my MC's in the few stories that I've done so here we are, showing that my characters are not just some omnipotent Gary Sue...that is the right term, right? Gary Sue?
Anyway, as always, read, enjoy, review and until the next chapter...
Ba-Bye~!