"You okay?" Flare asked instantly as Eric landed back on the ground while wrapping him in a hug, the dragon slayer smiling as he nodded while placing the now shaking trio back on the ground while Bacchus looked at him with a slight frown.
"Did you…?" He trailed off before letting out a slightly relieved sigh as Eric chuckled and shook his head.
"No, I just scared them a bit and they agreed to tell us everything." He said with a shrug, to which he just smiled & nodded before Screecher hummed as he squatted down in front of the Three Stars.
"Now then, tell us everything we need to know Zash, Altair, the artifact and his army." He said, to which the three looked at each other before Doll sighed and nodded.
"Fine. Zash is currently holed up in a bunker forty stories below the dungeons of the Castle of Altair, with the artifact usually stored within a vault on the far left corner of the upper right wing. He has about 150 of his Quartum Army guarding this town with 50 staying at his side in the Castle of Altair and the final 10 guarding the entrance of the vault."
"And how do we get into the vault?" Eric asked, to which Doll frowned before he continued speaking.
"The only entrance is at the tallest right tower at the upper right wing. Follow the steps down to the fourth floor and take the door to your immediate right to follow another series of steps down to the entrance of the vault. In there, you will find the ten Quartum Army guards with the treasury and as you head deeper, you will find the artifact stored away."
"I'm guessing that these guards have the best sensory hardware of the entire Quartum Army, correct?" Flare asked, humming as Doll nodded before the Quatro mages turned to Swan as she snorted.
"It doesn't matter what plan you concoct up and it doesn't matter how much power you throw at the castle. The guards are designed to be as strong as an S-Class mage and they would see you coming from a mile away."
"Oh, that's what we're betting on. Screech, you ready for a heist?" Eric asked as he turned to the mage, who stood up before smirking as he shrugged.
"Depends. How fast do you want me to steal it?"
"So, everyone get the plan?" Eric asked as the four mages floated in the air above Altair, Bacchus & Flare nodding as Screecher frowned.
"Again, depends. Are we sure this is the best plan? I could just sneak in and get it back."
"That's if it's in the vault like those Three Stars said and not with Zash or placed somewhere else, which reminds me. Are we sure they can be left with the captain? She's still weak from her time being imprisoned." Eric asked as he turned to Bacchus, who smirked as he nodded.
"Yeah, they'll be fine. She might be a bit weaker, but Riana was once an S-Class mage of Mermaid Heel before she became the captain of White Tiger and is probably the best swordswoman I know about besides that new ace from Mermaid Heel and Erza Scarlet."
'Oh, so she's that skilled with the blade, huh? Damn, now I wish I had watched the movie.' Eric thought with a sigh before he nodded.
"Then the plan will go as discussed. Bacchus & Flare will go down to the front gate and distract the main guards and the Quartum Army while Screecher & I go to the throne room and either capture or kill Zash Caine."
"If capture isn't possible, feel free to kill him. We can't have him using the artifact to kill us…if it can do that. We really should have asked what the hell this artifact does." Bacchus muttered with a shake of his head before turning to Screecher who was frowning.
"Something on your mind?"
"Nothing much. It's just…weird to talk about killing so casually on jobs."
"Eh, you get used to it. You would be appalled by how many Dark Mages I've had to kill in order to stop them from destroying cities and countries."
"I've killed one, I think. I wasn't sure if he was alive after our fight since we left as soon as I won." Eric said with a shrug, Flare just rolling her eyes at her boyfriend's bluntness while Screecher just sighed and nodded.
"Okay, it just took me a moment to get used to it."
"Glad to hear. Now, drop us, kid." Bacchus spoke to which he nodded before Eric turned to Flare.
"You okay?" He whispered as he pulled her closer softly, Flare smiling as she nodded while wrapping her arms around him.
"Yeah, just need a moment to catch a breath before I'm going to fight an entire army."
"Hey, we used to do that for fun in the Deadman Badlands. This is going to be a piece of cake for you compared to that." Eric said with a smile, to which Flare giggled as she nodded before quickly giving him a soft kiss.
"Kids, I love the relationship, but we're on a tight schedule here." Bacchus spoke with a smirk, Screecher chuckling as Eric rolled his eyes while Flare giggled as they pulled away.
"Don't worry, old timer. We know you're not getting any younger." Flare spoke with a smile, surprising Bacchus and Screecher as Eric burst out laughing before Bacchus glared slightly at Eric.
"You've corrupted her."
"Yep. Now, good luck." Eric said with a smile as he snapped his fingers, the violet glow around Bacchus & Flare dissipating as they began dropping towards the ground, Eric watching them leave before turning as Screecher placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Time to disappear for us, then?" Eric spoke with a smile, Screecher nodding as he snapped his fingers and they disappeared from view.
"Where the fuck are those bastards?!" Zash growled as he paced in front of his throne, golden & bronze armour with a matching crown adorned on his body with a large, gold-trimmed white shoulder cape covering his armour.
The Quartum Army guards around the throne room didn't say anything as they watched their creator pace around, Zash coming to a standstill as he took a deep breath before smirking as he reached out to the side of his throne.
"It doesn't matter. Red Knife, come here!" He exclaimed whilst picking up a crooked red & blue staff with a scaly design reminiscent to that of a dragon, smirking as a vicious red wolf-like, bulky dog with a spiked collar around its neck walked out from behind the throne.
"I have a feeling those bastards have probably betrayed me and are currently giving up information, so we'll be leaving for Krista where I shall unleash it and finally get rid of that damn Fiore & its rulers."
"Really? The 'Destroy the World' plan? Man, Dark Mages really aren't that creative these days, huh Screech?" Zash's eyes widened as he heard an unfamiliar voice at the far entrance, his head snapping up to see Eric smirking & waving at him while Screech just chuckled and shook his head.
"Most of them don't have any bright ideas other than 'I hate society so I'm going to destroy it'."
"Hmm, Eric Creed. The prized protege of Quatro Cerberus. I should have assumed you would come after me."
"Because you have connections to the Zeref Cultists that kept me captive for 12 goddamn years?" Eric asked with a smirk, though Screecher felt a bit nervous as he felt Eric's ethernano raging when Zash chuckled while standing up.
"Ah, so you found out? I must say, the only reason we transferred you away from the R-System all those years ago was because of that special Gravity Magic of yours. We couldn't have you setting it off before our deadline and before it's even fully completed."
"So, Master Goldmine was right, huh? You're the reason for that large explosion last year and you were the one who killed the Zeref Cultists." Screecher spoke with a hum, Zash snorting as he spat to the side.
"Those damn cultists wanted to use you and your large ethernano reserves to activate the staff and bring back Zeref, but I couldn't let them." Zash spoke while pointing with the Dragon Cry at Eric, who frowned as his mind rushed before his eyes widened.
"You…you're the reason I nearly lost all of my memories." He growled, Screecher slowly taking a step backward as Zash gave him a malicious grin.
"You're also the one who committed the massacre. I couldn't kill them all even with the Dragon Cry and my skills, but since you were the strongest person in the camp bar none, it was simply a case of taking off your cuffs, using my magic to make you go wild and powering you up with the Dragon Cry before rushing away as fast as I could. Oh, you should have seen the looks on your friends' faces when you increased gravity around the entire camp by fifty times and crushed them all like a boot crushing ants. It was glorious."
'He's just trying to get you to make a mistake. Keep calm, Eric. Keep calm. Keep calm. Keep calm.' Eric repeated in his mind as he clenched his fists at his sides, taking deep yet slow breaths as he closed his eyes.
"Go!" Red Knife was a blur as it rushed forward at Eric, Screecher quickly moving in the way to stop the beast before his eyes widened as the dog froze midair.
"Piss off." Eric's growl echoed throughout the room as Red Knife exploded into a bloody gore, the Quartum Army rushing forward before they were all forced face first into the ground.
"Chains." The next moment, Zash's and Screecher's eyes widened as dozens of vivid crimson chains shot out from the ground and wrapped around the mechanical guards, the temperature in the room spiking as the chains tightened before ripping them all apart.
"Dragon Cry!" Zash exclaimed as he pointed the staff at Eric and Screecher, who quickly moved out of the way as Eric lifted his hands while a pitch black orb appeared in between his hands.
"Gravito Secret Art: Hollow Flash." For one moment, it was silent and tense. The next, the world cried as intense gravity compressed to a singe point flew forward while a beam of ethereal golden light tore into reality.
Eric heard the castle groaning & rumbling around him but didn't care as he rushed forward, Zash frowning as he couldn't see past the gravity orb & light beam clashing in front of him before his eyes widened as Eric appeared besides him and gripped the staff tightly.
"Evil Eye!" Zash's eyes glowed crimson as he tried to control Eric's mind but his eyes widened as Eric just grinned at him, his eyes still closed as he pulled him closer.
"You need eye contact to take control of my mind, right? You made me kill the only family I had left in this world. Now, let's see how you feel when gravity around you is turned up by fifty times, motherfucker!" Eric growled as he ripped the staff away, Zash quickly reaching out before he wheezed as an invisible force sent him crashing back into his throne.
"Gravity Shift!" Eric growled as he lifted his free hand, the Quartum Army severed parts being lifted from the ground before he flicked his hand at Zash.
The man shook his head as he quickly dove out of the way while metallic parts slammed into the throne, bringing it crumbling down as he quickly hid behind the wreckage.
"So, where do you think you're hiding?" Zash's eyes widened as Screecher's voice echoed from besides him, quickly glancing over before gasping as his shoulder was tapped from behind him.
However, as he tried to turn, he couldn't as a soft melody echoed in his mind, feeling his mind slowing and his eyes drooping as he felt himself being enveloped by soft & comfortable pillows.
"Screech, duck. Burning Talon!" Eric exclaimed as he leapt through the air, Screecher quickly diving to the ground as the illusion snapped away from Zash just a split second before his world went black as a heel smashed straight into his face.
Eric watched and gleefully recorded the sight of Zash's nose shattering and his face being caved in before the man was sent flying through the air, crashing through a pillar and being embedded into the far wall as he landed on the ground with a smirk.
"Huh, that's a bit overkill."
"Better overkill than underestimating him and making him attack us from behind." Eric spoke with a shrug, to which Screecher just chuckled before they both looked at the crater in the wall to see Zash growling as he pulled himself out.
"I guess I still underestimated him."
"You fucking dare take what's mine?!" The man exclaimed as his ethernano flared, Eric raising an eyebrow as he held the staff up.
"This isn't yours. You're just a lying sack of shit that was too greedy for his own good." He answered with a simple shrug before frowning as he watched Zash freeze, the man's eyes widening as he stared at the staff.
"…Y-You're…you're not dying. H-How are you not dying?"
"What does he mean by that?" Screecher whispered to Eric, whose frown deepened as he shook his head.
"I have no clue. Hey, what do you mean by 'I'm not dying'?"
"Exactly that, you dimwitted buffoon! The artifact nearly killed me when I stole it and every person that has touched it without the necessary equipment had all of their ethernano drained out in a matter of seconds."
"Wait, what?! Eric, put that down!" Screecher exclaimed as he swiftly turned to Eric, watching as the dragon slayer looked down at where he was gripping the staff before looking back up at the shaking Zash with a smirk.
"I don't feel any of my ethernano being drained, so I guess I'm the chosen one, destined to be the wearer of the staff." Eric said with a shrug, to Zash growled before scoffing as he shook his head.
"It doesn't matter. You might be strong, but I was the Ace of Twilight Ogre and Fiore's former Secretary of State, the last line of defence for the royal family and I will damned if I let a pair of mangy mutts show me up."
"Eric, you done yet?" Zash froze at Screecher speaking, watching as the smirking Eric faded like a mirage before slowly looking down as a dim golden glow grew brighter & brighter.
"SHORYUKEN!" Eric exclaimed as he delivered the strongest & most devastating uppercut that he's done in both of his lives, watching with glee as the unconscious Zash got stuck halfway in the ceiling while the ground under him shattered.
"Was that much necessary?!" He heard Screecher exclaimed, watching as the ceiling crumbled and quickly pulled Zash out of the way before the former king could be crushed by the rubble.
"He already survived a powerful kick from me and still managed to stand up. I'm not taking any chances this time." Eric said with a shrug as flaming chains appeared from thin air and wrapped Zash in a tight cocoon, Screecher raising an eyebrow at how the man was being wrapped back before turning to the smug Eric.
"Really?" He asked after Zash had been tied up in the most obscene BDSM position that he's laid his eyes on, to which Eric scoffed as he shrugged.
"He made me kill my family. He should be glad I'm not tearing his limbs away."
"With how ruthless the King is, I would be surprised if he still has those after a month in Crocus' Torture Chambers. Can I? I want to see if that guy wasn't just talking shit for no reason." Screecher asked as he glanced at the artifac, Eric shrugging as he nodded.
"Yeah, just be careful. We don't want to lose the job because we accidentally destroyed the artifact." Eric said as he held the staff out, watching as Screecher touched it before his eyes widened and he quickly pulled it away as Screecher gasped while falling to his knees.
"Hey, you good?"
"Hah…hah…that…took nearly…half…of my…ethernano…He…He was telling…the truth" Screecher wheezed as Eric helped him up, to which the mage frowned as he looked at the staff before back at Zash, the unconscious man being pulled closer while the chains tightened around his limbs.
His eyes glowed as Eric scanned the man before smirking as he placed the staff in his Requip dimension, reaching out and lifting up Zash's right hand to stare at the scaled gauntlet with Stellanium shards engraved into the fingers & knuckles.
"So, that's how he hasn't been losing all that ethernano." Eric muttered as he took off the glove before placing it in his pocket dimension as well, nodding as he threw Screecher's arm over his shoulders and helped the man walk.
"Man, now…I really need that nap. Also…keep that thing away from me." Screecher muttered with a groan and Eric chuckled as he shook his head.
"Yeah, I've been told that going on missions with me is the equivalent of being forced to train for days on end." Eric admitted with a sheepish smirk, to which Screecher just rolled his eyes while shaking his head.
"I'm never going on a job with you again."