Whoever it was following them wore a particularly earthy smell. Natsu and the other Dragon Slayers didn't truly pick up on it at first, given how musty the rest of the group had become, but after a chance to catch a bath by a river and wash away their own grime, the scent became of particular interest.

Especially because it belonged to a Second Generation Dragon Slayer.

It maintained a fair distance from the group, still. At times, Natsu caught it on the wind ahead of them, other times it was level with them but at a distance to the east or west. Wendy was the last of the Dragon Slayers to notice it but was incredibly wary of it when she did catch it. Natsu easily determined that it wasn't Axel or Kiyl, this was one of the other six new Dragon Slayers.

"Let me go find him," Natsu said during one of their designated walking breaks. Erza shook her head. "Come on, Erza! Let me catch this guy and we can get some info out of him."

"At this point, it's more beneficial for us to let them go about their mission as if we don't know," Erza said quietly. "It'll clue us into their next move. Will they call for help or only maintain their distance? So far, the Empire hasn't seemed interested in stopping us. For the moment, I'd hedge my bet that we're being watched if only to see if we recruit allies or clue the Empire into some hidden rebel bases."

"Boy are they going to be disappointed," Gray muttered.

"For now we'll let the tail keep track of us," Erza said. "Undisturbed."

Natsu frowned but relented. It'd been days of nothing but walking and idle chit-chat. Nobody bothered to scout ahead or see what was going on. The Empire was going to sneak-attack them anyway, and the Dragon Slayers could probably pick up on it if that were the case.

The walk to Crocus was fraught with mostly plains, hills, and some mountains. They found refuge in a few abandoned villages, the chains of Imperial servitude lain across all of them. They followed a stream that Erza knew would lead them to Crocus so they didn't get lost along the way. Time was still of importance, as the Games were set to start in a week. If they weren't on time, the Empire would probably try and force them into getting there, likely leveraging Lucy in some way to do so.

On more than one night, Natsu considered getting up with Happy and bolting to Crocus to rescue Lucy, then abandoning the Games altogether. Sure, he wanted the chance to fight Erza, and their fight would be a great distraction for everyone else to get Lucy away and cause a bit of mayhem, but it'd be better to see what the rest of Fairy Tail was up to.

But Erza kept vigilant watch of the rest of them. She wasn't afraid of fighting the Empire, but against an enemy this large and powerful, she was being careful. Natsu couldn't relate. But, out of respect for Natsu and Gajeel, they also weren't taking the trains to Crocus, so Natsu wasn't going to start raising complaints any time soon.

"When we get to Crocus," Carla said as they got walking again, "what sort of a host do you think we can expect?"

"What do you mean?" Erza asked.

"I'm simply wondering if the Empire views us as a micro army marching on their gates and if they'll respond in kind with their own," Carla said, "or if there will be a bit less hostility."

"So far the Empire doesn't seem keen on allowing things to escalate explosively," Erza said.

"You weren't around when Sting came for the rest of us," Gray said.

"No," Erza said, "yet I can't help the feeling that what he did was an exception, an outlier." She glanced at Natsu. "Something a Dragon Slayer would do."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Now that everyone is corralled and under incredible scrutiny and supervision, it's unlikely they'll attack us unprovoked," Erza said. "If at all. It seems they have a vested interest in attempting to puppet Natsu and me as some sort of redeemed warriors falling under Imperial jurisdiction."

"But the rest of us?" Juvia asked.

Erza grimaced. "We'll see. We have time to come up with a plan to either sneak you into the city or…"

"Perform a full-on assault like real men!" Elfman roared.

Natsu nodded. "That's right. I better see everyone here showing the Empire what's what!"

Erza knocked the two of them on the head. "Absolutely not. We're not here to see how fast we can get caught by the Empire's offensive radar."

"They're already tracking us," Natsu grumbled.

"Just one person isn't going to be much," Erza said.

"We're going to just let them go?" Gajeel asked. Lily was riding on his shoulder.

Erza rubbed the bridge of her nose. "The Empire is aware of the party we're traveling with, and it isn't as if we've divulged any important information. As useless as their tracking is, I can't help the sense that we shouldn't let them go."

Natsu's nose wrinkled. Gajeel caught the scent, too.

"What is it now?" Gray asked.

"Someone's up ahead," Natsu said.

"Is it the same person?" Juvia asked.

"Hard to tell," Gajeel said. "Whoever's been tracking us basically has their scent matching the environment."

"But this one we can sniff out," Natsu said.

"Maybe a trap," Elfman said. "We should spring it."

"Let's keep going," Erza said. "It may be nothing."

Natsu wanted to argue but his desire to not be bonked on the head outweighed that argument. They hadn't encountered anyone on the road for days, so there finally being someone wasn't just suspicious, it was surely a trap. Still, it was just one person. Whoever it was wouldn't be able to deal with a fully rested bunch of Fairy Tail wizards.

The person was on the side of the road facing them. His legs were folded. He had no shoes on his feet; rather, some sandals hung around him like a necklace. He had tattered gray-green robes on, and long shaggy hair. His scent was also quite earthy, and musty and sweaty.

Gajeel glanced around to see if there was anyone else.

Birds and bugs chirped all around them while they approached. The stranger along the road raised an arm with no hand as if signaling the Fairies to stop. The company slowed. Erza took point, Natsu a step behind her.

"I've been waiting for you all," the man said. "You've been walking…trepidatiously."

"You can tell?" Erza asked.

"My magic is very much attuned to the land," the man said. "I can listen as it informs if there are people around, what direction they're headed. I can sense earthquakes days before their effects even strike."

"Impressive," Erza said. "And you've been sitting here waiting for us?"

"My sitting here was just a happy coincidence, to be honest. I was already taking a break from my travels and after some time I sensed you all."

Natsu got another whiff of the guy. Wendy was focused on him intently, likely trying to see if he was lying or not. The guy wore a meager smile but had a soft posture about him, plus some amount of road weariness.

"Do you know who we are?" Gray asked.

The man shook his head. "Afraid not. I was only going to ask if you had any spare food."

Wendy stepped forward, much to Carla's chagrin. She knelt. "We sure do. I can also heal that scrape you got on your leg."

The man blushed, pulling his leg in. "Saw that, huh? You're a slick one, little girl. But it's not much of a bother, I'd rather eat if that's okay."

"We're not due for a break," Erza said. "We have urgent business in the capital. You're welcome to join us and eat, but we mustn't delay anymore."

"That's fine," the man said. He got to his feet with ease, not needing his arms at all. Natsu was impressed. "I can manage."

"You're sure?"

The man grinned. "I haven't been missing my hands for just a few weeks. I'll be fine."

Juvia shuffled through her bags for the bit of food and the man took it in his arms, easily able to eat while he joined Wendy, Carla, and Gajeel at the back of the pack. Natsu hung toward the front, wanting to ask Erza what she thought of the guy but didn't seem to be having it.

After a few frustratingly silent minutes, Natsu stepped to the rest of the Dragon Slayers at the back, who'd become chummier with this guy.

"What's your name, anyway?" Natsu asked.

"Kip. You?"

"Natsu."

"Wait, maybe I have heard of you, then," Kip said. "You're that Dragon Slayer that likes to blow everything up, right? That really tough Dragon Slayer?"

"Some would say the toughest."

"Don't listen to him," Gajeel said, resting an arm around Kip. "That guy's an idiot. I'm surprised you didn't hear that about him."

"I actually heard that about everyone in Fairy Tail but didn't want to bring it up," Kip said.

Natsu sneered. "Who'd you hear that from, some Imperials?"

"Yes, actually."

Natsu groaned at that, but Kip met him with a smile. He didn't mean it maliciously at all; in fact, Natsu wasn't sure if there was even a hint of meanness in Kip. He spoke bluntly and fairly. Natsu was surprised someone could be like that. When he mentioned that, Gajeel and Wendy looked at him as if he were standing upside down.

Kip was indeed a warm presence among the bunch. Though he spoke shortly, he spoke firmly and earnestly.

"What're you doing all the way out here, anyway?" Natsu asked.

"Same as you," Kip said, "by the sound of things. I have to go to the capital, but I'm not in as much of a rush. There are some friends there I have to meet, though I'm not sure they're expecting me."

"You didn't send word ahead?"

Kip shook his head. "It's hard to communicate with anyone in or around the capital. Most of the time, you're just expected to show up at arranged times."

"You don't look like you belong in the capital, though,"

"Really?" Kip looked at his clothes. "Oh, I suppose I have been on the road for some time. Oh well. I'll find a way to get in if I have to." Kip nudged Natsu. "So, are you excited for your fight with Erza? She sounds tough."

Natsu forgot to be skeptical and instead focused on the fight ahead with Erza. Getting Lucy out was going to happen, but what wasn't a guarantee was his victory over Erza. He had to start strategizing, and describing Erza's fighting style to a complete stranger, breaking it all down for him, was the best way to get started.

Laxus was getting so sick and tired of staring at Lessio's smug face. He had a lofty attitude that befitted only the most annoying wizards in the world, the ones who thought themselves invincible. The truly annoying part of it all?

He could back the talk.

Jacob Lessio sat perfectly still in the uncomfortable wooden chair while his arms and legs floated away in small boxes crafted by Fried. He'd used a jutsu shiki to dismember Lessio each time the man refused to answer a question about the Empire. Using the magic didn't necessarily cause his body any trauma, as he was simply taking the body apart bit by bit.

However, he never flinched nor seemed to care. What remained of his stumps were completely stone, thanks to Evergreen. Ichiya had given him so many truth parfumes that would have anyone singing their deepest, darkest secrets with glee, yet still, he was able to keep his mouth shut about the Empire. Sure, he told them all about how his magic worked, but couldn't say a damn thing about the Empire, the Emperor, nor even its structure.

Laxus folded his arms. They hadn't resorted to violence yet, but Laxus had to imagine that megaton volts of Lightning Dragon Slayer magic would be enough to get anyone talking.

Makarov strolled into the room, snarling at Lessio, who met Makarov with a satisfied sneer.

"Good day, Makarov," Lessio said. "How's the weather up top?"

"Finer without you there," Makarov said. The old man addressed his grandson. "Anything?"

Laxus shook his head. "Give me five minutes with him, gramps."

"No," Makarov said.

"Are you afraid I'll kill him?"

"No. I know you can restrain yourself, and I trust you. I don't want that torture on your conscience."

"What? Gramps, I saw them cut his arms off, I saw Ever almost turn him into a damn statue."

"Oh, come on, Laxus, did you really think he'd fall for any of that?" Makarov said. "I mostly did it to show we'd at least try."

Lessio chuckled. Laxus's expression flushed. Why was Makarov being so brazen about this in front of the Assassin? What was the purpose of diminishing their efforts? That it was just procedural, going through the motions?

"I see in your time recovering you also gave yourself a little mental refresh," Lessio said. "I'm glad. Maybe now you and I can have a decent conversation."

"We don't have much to talk about," Makarov said. "Trust me, we'll still extract information from you like a rotten tooth. But the softer, gentler hands are gone. You're now left with a geriatric old man with no time left to live and all the time to die."

"Is that a threat?"

"Call it surgical prep. But I'll let you see my forgiving side. I have to remind my grandson of that before I do what I must. So, in honor of that, from one wizard to another, I must ask you: What has become of Fairy Tail's First Master?"

Lessio shook his head. Laxus balled his fists. Makarov wasn't even trying to use any magic, didn't have anything even telepathic going on. Was he trusting Laxus to do something, then?

"What are Zeref's intentions with the remainder of Ishgar?" Makarov asked.

Nothing.

"How many other people in the Empire know of our location?"

Nothing.

"Is there anyone in the Empire capable of healing a Broken wizard?"

"Of course."

"Who?"

Nothing.

"Acnologia was the final monstrosity we saw before time and the world broke. What has become of the beast?"

"He's dead."

"Killed by?"

Nothing.

Makarov nodded. "Final question. What has become of Fairy Tail's First Master?"

Lessio opened his mouth to speak, then laughed and shook his head.

"It's much more fun to think of you squirming around in my pocket than answer your questions, little Saint. Believe me, Makarov, I would love to continue this. But you can only hide here for so long. Minerva is a vengeful enough witch that she'll be back, bearing down a stronger force than you've ever thought capable of on you. Whatever you have planned for me as torture? You'll be begging for it before August or Invel get their hands on you. Perhaps, for someone of your stature, you'll even get to meet—."

"Enough drabble, then," Makarov said. "You won't prove your point to me but perhaps you can prove it to the rest of the world. Your kind made a symbol of my family, Fairy Tail? I'll repay the favor."

The ground beneath Laxus shook as Makarov slowly brought his hands up and to the center of his body in an all-too-familiar pose. Lessio grinned at this, keeping his pose.

"Fried, Evergreen, return him to normal," Makarov said. His voice had a slight echo. His eyes glowed a brilliant white. "Laxus, standby, son."

"That's right, lapdog," Lessio said.

Laxus thought about lurching even as Fried and Evergreen brought Lessio back to normal, arms and limbs attached and not a trace of stone to be found.

Bob and Ichiya rushed downstairs at the trembling of this awesome power. Laxus glanced over his shoulder at them, unsure of if they were in on this plan. Ichiya's awe dropped at the sight while Bob merely nodded.

"Do what must be done, old friend," Bob muttered.

"Gramps, you'll kill him," Laxus said.

A magic circle appeared before Lessio, whose eyes then widened, and at last, that smug expression dropped.

"This—is…"

"No, he won't die," Makarov said. "No one actually ever does. But their soul, their very essence? Oh, that is wiped away forever. I think death is a favor at that point, don't you?"

"You won't," Lessio said. "You don't have it in you."

The light in the room increased. Dust billowed around everyone.

"I wouldn't think to hesitate," Makarov said, power continuing to build. "Your life is meaningless to us as a hostage. You are only as valuable as the information you provide, and if you shall provide none, your life has no value. Let your death inform the Empire that even one of their great Captains can fall to one of the three Great Fairy Spells!"

Lessio sat straighter in his chair and tried to push himself back. But Evergreen had latched the seat to the ground. His anti-magic shackles remained taut while Lessio attempted to break free. He had nowhere to run as the magic circle's power and light only became more intense.

Laxus folded his arms, watching the wheels turn in Lessio's eyes.

"Fairy L—!"

"What am I supposed to tell you when I ain't seen the Emperor in a year?"

The power in the room plateaued. Makarov retained his stance. Laxus balled his fists while his grandfather, and everyone in the room, stayed in place.

Standby.

Wait for action. Wait for the proper moment.

Laxus strode forth, lightning crackling in his hands. He had no need to fear Fairy Law. But the fear lacing through Lessio's eyes did certainly bring a nice smile to his face.

"What," Laxus said, grasping Lessio's collar while sweat poured down his balding head, "do you mean you haven't seen the Emperor in a year?"

Minerva's gloved hand curled around the arm of the chair as she tapped her toe impatiently in August's office. The man was incredibly dull in his decorations, despite being the most well-respected wizard in the entire Empire, possibly as much if not more so than the Emperor or Queen.

He had no trophies, only books, and quite old, musty ones at that. The shelves were as ancient as the old Dragon Wars, had to be. A small clock ran silently behind Minerva.

It was also, incredibly, quite small. Fit enough for August's chair, his desk, the bookshelves, one small tree, and the seat Minerva was in. Were all Twilight Division offices like this?

She stood, reaching for one of the books on the shelf, curious about what sort of droll thing someone like August would need to read. Her finger touched one of the spines, and at once, the office expanded in size. Minerva became an ant in the dwelling of a library the size of a castle, with row upon row of desks filling the space. At each was a student, unique, scrawling away, silently.

"Excuse me."

A small woman with blue hair approached Minerva meekly, one hand over the other. She uncomfortably wore Imperial liveries over a dress flowing about her knees.

"August shall see you now. Follow me."

Minerva leered at the woman and followed. Yet, even as they walked, it was merely the illusion of movement. They had to still be in that small office in the tower. August couldn't have, possibly, teleported Minerva to a completely different place, could he?

They arrived, with Minerva truly having a sense of going anywhere, at a massive set of doors. The woman pushed them open, revealing the exact office Minerva had been in before, yet this time, there dwelt August.

Minerva stepped through. August acknowledged her with a single glance and gestured to the woman. He handed her a note and spoke to her, but Minerva hadn't heard. She clenched her teeth.

"You have one final opportunity, Minerva, and I will not hear of this again," August said. "Invel won't be bothered by it because he has lost patience but I have recently been given reason to see my patience boosted, if minutely."

Minerva cast aside the riddle. "Orga will lead our division into the dirt with his thickheadedness. I can take the name of the Hunter's Division to its most honest degree."

"What would you do then?" August said. "With leadership?"

"I've created a formal plan for how we designate, and deal with, our targets," Minerva said. "Dobengal and I have been concocting new ideas for training, too."

She had the papers all ready to go if August wished to see them, but he had little more interest in Minerva than he did another stone in the wall, it appeared.

August stood and the room once more lurched. At once, Minerva was brought back to the same room. She stumbled back into the seat, and at once noticed how real it was. How real it all was compared to just a second ago.

"I had to see if you would divulge critical information, and therefore had to summon you to my mind," August said. "Apologies for the disturbance it may have caused you."

His…mind?

"Prove yourself first that you not only have the ability to lead this Division but the skills to do so," August said.

Minerva's heart hardened. Finally.

"There's one who has evaded all Imperial targets for years, one I believe you are best suited to eliminate," August said. "Find and kill Rufus Lore. Confirm the kill and I will grant you full leadership rights of the Hunter's Division."

Her grin came so easily to her lips. Rufus? That traitorous, pampered welp?

"Oh," Minerva said, coiling her hands together, "consider it done."

Hisui spread her hands over the display table. Laxus, Makarov, Bob, Ichiya, and Mest stood around her, waiting for her to say something while she mulled the information. It was thin, but its impact was like a meteor.

A Captain of the Empire hadn't heard from nor seen the Emperor in a year. The easy question was where Zeref had gone.

The more important question was: why had he gone anywhere?

"How can we try and track him down?" Mest asked. "There must be some way."

"And if there is then it's in the Capital," Bob said.

"We can go looking for info, then," Laxus said. "The Thunder Tribe. I think we've caused enough problems here, already. We have to take the heat off your backs."

"I agree on that front, but not on hunting down information," Hisui said. "It'll lead us down constant dead ends, I believe. If we can't get anything out of someone this close to the Empire's military then we won't be able to find some straggler who we can break."

Damn it. Who in the Empire would even know this? Invel, August, Irene, Sonya? They had no way of breaking through to any of them. August would only turn the tables on them, Invel was too heavily guarded, Irene was also missing, and the queen remained locked away in the palace at all times.

There had to be hints scattered around the castle.

And Hisui had no visibility into anything going on even in Crocus, let alone Mercurius. Where once the entire backstory of a single servant was a mere question away, now it was as if she had to perform fifteen intricate and impossible maneuvers, putting countless lives at risk, to get that same level of information from people in her castle.

Except it wasn't some servant. It was Zeref, Emperor Spriggan himself.

"What I need," Hisui said, "is a mole. Someone in the city who can get me all the information I need, someone who is willing to risk their life for even the slightest bit of knowledge."

Makarov sighed. "I'm sure one of my children would be foolish enough to do that but there is no way the Empire would ever believe them.

Hisui balled her fist. How could she let this happen? She had a network all around the country but Crocus remained impenetrable.

"Actually," Bob said. "I believe there may be one avenue. It will be risky, and he'll have to agree with it, but I believe we have one ally on our side that may be pivotal to this effort."

Bob rubbed his fingers together, and the thoughts clicked in Hisui's mind. Sure, he was low-level relative to the Empire, but his trips to the capital were not only frequent but fruitful for his purposes. Now it was a matter of turning that to the good of the rebellion, if possible.

The risks were immense.

"Let me think about it," Hisui said with a sigh. Her head pounded with things to mull over, and it wasn't as if they could just sit on this information. What if Zeref suddenly returned with a move to wipe out the rebellion at once?

She adjourned the others to go about their business while she remained behind in the meeting room alone save for her many thoughts. She begged her father for answers, she begged him for information on what to do, but of course, he was never in this sort of situation. He'd been spared the burden of this leadership, of this time, in death. Hisui shut her eyes and let a tear slide down her face.

Natsu snapped his fingers and the fire sparked to life. It was low, but the flames were powerful enough to give strong heat to everyone around the fire. Gray would disagree because he apparently was always so cool, but he was dumb.

Kip took a seat between Elfman and Wendy, staring into the flames with his arms tucked into his cloak. He stared at the little dancing embers, and leaned forward.

They shared a quick meal before letting the crackling of the fire and wood take over.

"Everything okay, Kip?" Erza asked.

He hadn't taken his eyes off the fire.

"Yeah," Kip muttered. He tried to compose himself, but couldn't take his eyes from the flames. "Sorry. I, uh, I just haven't felt a fire like this in a while."

Natsu raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean like this?"

"Used to be a real talented fire wizard in my village back home," Kip said. "Born, raised, and trained in the desert before he settled. He used to make a heat so incredible you'd think you were sitting next to the sun. I thought his flames would never go out. But everything gets snuffed out by the Empire eventually."

That certainly caught everyone's attention and they all sat up.

Kip spat out a small laugh.

"Yeah. Guess that takes the cat out of the bag. Sorry, Natsu, I didn't think…I didn't think your flames would bring that all back."

"You're not an Imperial from the capital?" Happy asked.

"Nah," Kip said. "I'm from Bosco. Thought I'd live out my entire life there until the Twilight Empire came in like a hurricane. In a blink, it was all gone. My house, my friends, my teachers. I was the only one that survived, for the most part." He let his arms rest on his legs. "That fire wizard didn't stand a chance against the wizard they brought out, an old man in long robes with a staff that could summon monsters and squish reality down into dust. The Wizard King, they called him. He led the Empire's armies all around Bosco and obliterated the entire country."

"Just one man, one army?" Erza asked.

"Probably did it without breaking a sweat," Kip said, silently. "I'm an idiot for thinking I could take them out, but I can't stop thinking about it."

"So, your reason for going to the capital…" Wendy said and trailed off as Kip nodded.

"Your friends are rebels, too?"

Kip looked around at the rest of them and nodded. "Oh yeah. They can't abide what the Empire's done."

"Damn right!" Natsu shouted and got to his feet. "Kip, you should've just led with this!"

"Can't trust random strangers on their way to the capital with information like this," Kip said. "Just like you didn't lead with the fact that you're members of Fairy Tail."

Natsu pursed his lips. Okay, that was pretty fair.

"You're safe with us, Kip," Erza said. "Once our business in the capital is settled, you can stick with us."

"We'll avenge your friends and family," Gajeel said, setting his fist. "Got it?"

Kip grinned. "Got it."

Natsu balled his own fist. He was feeling fired up. Kip was the only free one left, maybe, of that entire country. He doubted he was the only one alive but…

This damn Empire! Whenever it seemed like they reached a new low, they only managed to dig their way deeper down.

Not for long. Ntasu saw the fire burning in Kip's eyes, the same as the rest of them. He was from a different place, sure, but he also had his home and life ripped away from him.

And he would stop at nothing until it was avenged. That, above anything, Natsu could agree with and get behind.

Because he wasn't going to rest until Fairy Tail had their justice, too.