"Yeesh…" Lucy stormed into the Fairy Tail with a frown on her face. Her first stop was the job board, glancing around for something suitable to pay her rent. "I can't believe that stupid hot headed idiot…!" She grumbled loudly, catching the attention of a few of her friends.
"Uhm…is everything all right, Lucy-san…?" Wendy questioned from her seat, giving a somewhat uneasy smile.
"She looks a little worked up…" Cynthia whispered, though this caused a comical tick mark to appear on Lucy's forehead.
"I'm fine!" Lucy replied with a huff. "Natsu's just an idiot, that's all."
"Tell me something else we already know…" Gray commented from the sidelines with a chuckle.
"Juvia loves you, Gray-sama!" Juvia exclaimed while throwing her arms out, immediately coiling them around Gray for a near inescapable hug.
"I know…" Gray responded with a deadpanned sigh.
"Don't worry about it…" Lucy replied while snatching a job off the board. "This is just enough to pay my rent, and have a little left over…" She then walked over to Mirajane, placing the flyer on the bar countertop. "Mira, I'm taking this one."
"Oh, alright!" Mirajane nodded, giving Lucy a smile. "Good luck!"
"Thanks…" With a small smile, Lucy nodded to Mirajane and made her way to the front doors. Natsu happened to come in at the time, but the two merely just stuck their tongues out at each other childishly while passing by. "Hmph!" And with that, Lucy was off.
"Geez…" Natsu let out a sigh before taking a seat at a table. "I completed the job with my last attack!"
"...And he blew everything up in the process. So we didn't get as much money as we needed." Happy snickered. While he and Natsu didn't exactly have too much of a need for money, Lucy's rent was coming up. So it was understandable that Lucy was a little stressed about making the deadline. The problem was that this was a reoccurring issue lately...
"Those two haven't been getting along at all lately…" Mirajane said with a worried tone. "I hope everything will settle over soon…"
"They'll be fine! It's Natsu and Lucy after all!" Cynthia exclaimed while throwing her arms out. "If not…I'll uh…eat my shoe." She said while pointing to her sandal.
"I don't think you need to do that…" Wendy said with a sweat drop on her forehead.
"Did Lucy just leave?" Erza asked while walking down from the second floor. "I didn't think she'd take a mission on her own…I suppose I should've asked sooner…"
"What's up, Erza?" Gray inquired.
"As you know, I've been investigating some odd activity here in Fiore…it's been in a slight large scale, though just under the radar of the Council to where they can't act without solid evidence." Erza explained. "They've been moving in from Fiore to Seven back and forth, and while I can't pinpoint their exact location, but I've been given a rough estimation of where they may be."
"Are you gonna bring us along!?" Natsu hopped from his seat, looking rather excited to fight once again. It had been some time since the incident involving Tartarus and Dealer and all that.
"Slow down, Natsu," Erza demanded.
"Yeah, we don't even know where she got this information from first, hothead…" Gray said while still attempting to push Juvia off of him.
"I received contact a few days ago from a little spy in their rankings…" Erza spoke while crossing her arms. "They've informed me of a base just near the border. If we hurry, we can stop their plans."
"Alright, I'm down!" Natsu said while pounding one fist into the other.
"Let's see…Natsu, Gray, Wendy, Cynthia, and Juvia…we'll be going." Erza listed the roster while nodding to herself. "I would've asked Lucy, but it appears as though she's already gone."
"Good…" Juvia murmured. Her mind then began to wander on another possible scenario of what would happen if Lucy was around Gray instead of Juvia.
{Oh Gray-sama, you saved my life! Let's get married and have 10 kids!}
{Of course! I love you, Lucy!}
Just the very thought caused Juvia's face to turn red. "No love rival!"
"I sometimes wonder what happens in her mind…" Carla glanced away with a shake of her head.
"Anyway…we should get going. Our contact said they would meet us at the entrance." Erza spoke before leading the way out, the others following right alongside her.
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"I don't need him to do a job…I can get some money for myself..." Lucy muttered while hopping aboard a train. She took a seat near a window, letting out a silent huff. She glanced at the flyer in her hands again, rereading the information. "A scientist is causing trouble in a nearby cave...in a town near the coast. I've had enough of scientists. It can't be Aiden, can it? No, he got captured and we would've heard about him breaking free..."
Lucy was pondering this for a moment. Eventually, she decided to not give it too much though. Whoever it was, with her new and honed Star Dress powers, she was confident she could take this! "But that's fine, I can handle this on my own!" She was determined; very determined. It wasn't as if Natsu was a bad partner, and she knew that. They were a team, but sometimes he was just so over the top with his actions, and it was costing her rent money! "I'll come back with the victorious smile!" And as she spoke, the train was headed off.
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Hours later after their leave from Fairy Tail, Team Natsu was now at the border of Fiore and Seven. There was a large border fortress, and some large scale operation was occurring; there were a large amount of armored soldiers clad in black armor moving in and out the building. They seemed to be carrying some sort of cargo in and out of the building. "What strange armor…they mustn't be from this country…" Erza deducted.
"Are people from other countries even allowed to move stuff from ours...?" Cynthia tilted her head. She wasn't an expert on foreign affairs, but this did feel...wrong.
"Let's just go in and smash 'em!" Natsu proclaimed loudly at the top of his lungs, but he was quickly shushed by Erza slapping her hand over his mouth.
"Natsu, be quiet!" Erza demanded, her gaze putting a familiar fear within him.
"We're trying to be stealthy, you idiot!" Gray whispered.
"Mmmph…" Natsu grumbled and Erza slowly removed her hand.
"How are we going to go about this? There's no way we're getting inside…" Carla said while eying the building. "They're moving all throughout the building, it's impossible to sneak in anywhere…"
"Maybe we can sneak in underground…?" Cynthia suggested, but then shook her head. "No, never mind…that was pretty stupid…"
"Our contact should be meeting us soon…" Erza said while carefully scanning around the area. "Hm…"
"Hey, who are you!?" Two soldiers shouted at the small group, causing them to turn around instantly.
"T-They spotted us?!" Juvia turned, preparing for battle.
"We've been compromised…" Erza grit her teeth while glancing behind her; it appeared that more soldiers were on the way, and the small group of Fairy Tail mages was severely outnumbered.
"Oh no…" Wendy stuck close to Cynthia.
"What have we here…?" A small, young voice spoke out amongst the soldiers. They all made a path to reveal the one the voice belonged to; Yukia of the Wizard Hunters. "Oh, looky here! Fairy Tail! Long time no see!"
"Tch…" Erza sucked her teeth. "So you know…"
"Know what?" Yukia's questioned with an innocent tilt of her head. With a shrug, she then ordered the soldiers to restrain the wizards with chains that disabled magic and follow behind her. "Ah, don't even worry about it. I'm sure Lady Nercon will be happy to see this!" The young ravenette turned and smiled to the two soldiers who found Fairy Tail. "Excellent work you two! You saved us a lot of work!"
"Of course, Yukia-san!" The shorter one spoke in a slightly off gruff tone, giving a firm nod after speaking. "Don't worry about them, we'll throw them in that little prison immediately!"
"Oh, don't worry about that. Get back to your post. I'll give them right to Lady Nercon and see what she has to say about it!" Yukia nodded, dragging the Fairy Tail bunch away.
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A tall female with thigh high boots, a plain brown shirt, a large fancy coat, brown hair and red shades stood in the middle of the largest room at the top of the fort. In her hands was a clipboard, going over the various cargo being transported. "Hmm…this is excellent…"
"Oh lady Nercooooooooon!" Yukia cheerfully exclaimed while tossing the chained group of Fairy Tail wizards down on the floor. "Look what two competent soldiers found outside!"
"A few rats?" Nercon replied while adjusting her shades.
"I swear I'm gonna beat the crap outta you!" Natsu struggled within his chains, but it was clear that his strength was something to be weary of.
"Even when chained down he's still roaring to go…" Yukia said while placing her index finger on her cheek.
"My nose itches…" Happy complained while attempting to use his tail to scratch his nose, but sadly he was just unable to reach.
"I wonder where these little rats came from…" Nercon said before lying her eyes on Juvia and Erza. "Oh…what have we here…? These two look very nice…maybe if we put them in something a little sexier than that, they'll sell great for business…"
"W-What is that supposed to mean!?" Erza didn't understand the meaning of what Nercon was talking about.
"This is Erza Scarlet, and the other one is Juvia Lockser!" Yukia explained. "They both might do well for your little business, Nercon-san~"
"Hm…throw everyone but Erza and Juvia into the dungeon down below. I want to have some special time with those two elsewhere…" Nercon nodded and snapped her fingers.
"Yes, ma'am!" Yukia nodded, dragging everyone but Erza and Juvia off.
"W-Wait! Erza!" Cynthia attempted to struggle free from the binds, but even she was unable to free herself.
"Don't you dare touch them, you bastard!" Natsu screamed as they were dragged away.
"I see you always get all the fun, Yukia…" Yumia huffed, standing alongside Weavel and Marx.
"Sorry, sis!" Yukia winked. A short time later, she finally arrived at the underground dungeon, tossing the mages into separate cells. "There we go! You're not gonna be interfering with our plans this time, you obnoxious bunch! We had to face Lady Nercon's wrath last time since we couldn't grab what she ordered…"
"Just wait until we get out of here…" Gray glared towards the young hunter, who merely gave a giggle in response.
"Erza and Juvia may already be gone by the time you even get out!" Yukia chuckled before beginning to skip off.
"Dammit!" Natsu snarled before ramming headfirst into the bars, only to bounce right off, rolling across the cell before hitting the wall, steam comically emitting from the bruise on his cheek. "Ow…"
"Idiot…" Gray shook his head while attempting to pry off the chains around his wrists. "How did we get spotted so quickly…?"
"It didn't seem like they knew about the spy either…" Carla added. "I don't understand…"
"Wait, I hear someone coming…!" Wendy shushed the others, staring at the stairs at the end of the hallway. "Wait…two people…"
"I hear it too…" Cynthia nodded. A few minutes passed before two soldiers walked down, glancing at the trapped mages. "Oh…you must be the two that ratted us out!" She huffed. "Let us out now!"
"I can see that she's still impatient as ever…" The shorter one giggled slightly as she spoke in a familiar tone. "Sorry we had to rat you out, but there was no way you were getting inside with all that security. But…I wasn't expecting Nercon to take a liking to Erza and Juvia…"
"Wait a second…" Gray narrowed his eyes at the two soldiers. He noticed something off about them now that he was getting a good look. They were female, for starters. And their tone of voice was oddly familiar to his ears, though he just couldn't put his finger on it. "Who are you two…?"
"You smell familiar…" Natsu added.
"Well…" The taller one reached up and removed her helmet. Dark blue locks fell down to her waist, and Queen Tia let out a sigh of relief. "I hate that stuffy helmet…it's so hard to breathe in there. Oh, yes! Queen Tia is here, at your service!" Tia exclaimed with a bright smile.
"It's way too hot in the place…" Diamond Ice said as she removed practically the entire soldier uniform in preference to her tank top, short shorts, and sandals. "Ah…much better."
"Diamond-san! Tia-san!" Wendy was more than happy to see the two Dealer mages.
"So, you were the spies?" Gray questioned.
"Yeah, that's us…" Tia nodded. "Sorry, but we knew the only way to get you in here was to have you captured. In order to fool your enemies, you must first fool your friends….that's the saying, right?" After that, she drew her scepter and slashed the cage open, freeing the wizards from their restraints. "There we go!"
"Alright, finally!" Natsu hopped from the cage, pounding his fists together with an excited grin on his face. Flames began to ignite around his hands; he was ready to go. "Let's kick those Hunters' asses again! I'm all fired up!"
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Next time: Battle in the Base!