Mermaid Heel Guild Hall; Ultear's Office.

"Well, I'm glad to hear you're all okay, despite the unforeseen predicament." Ultear would say, as she looked over the three mages. Kagura and Mira would be sitting on chairs, in front of Ultear's desk, while Natsu stood off to the side a little, leaning back against the wall. "Though I'm still quite confused by… whatever it was, you described." Ultear finished, with a comical expression, as she tilted her head to the side lightly.

"I'm telling you, Master! It was like an alligator snake drill wyvern!" Mira exclaimed, cringing lightly at how ludicrous what she was saying sounded.

"I really don't know how to describe it better, myself, Master." Kagura continued, as she looked lost in thought; her usual stoicism showing, in full display.

"I'd describe it as a freak of nature, personally." Natsu chipped in from the side, as he crossed his arms across his chest. "Except - I don't think it was natural." Natsu finished, with a serious expression on his face.

"What do you mean by that, Natsu?" Ultear asked, her expression turning serious as well, as she eyed the dragon slayer with a quizzical expression. "You're not suggesting that it was man-made, are you? Gene Splicing is a serious crime, and has been outlawed for decades." Ultear finished, as she pondered.

"Now that you mention it… that wouldn't be too surprising." Mira perked up in her seat, as she thought back to the creature and how it behaved. "Its legs all looked a little different. They definitely didn't match with its body - and whenever it ran, it was really clumsy, like." Mira muttered, as if talking to herself.

"Not only that, but when it was trying to eat me, I noticed something. The back of its throat, and really the inside of its mouth in general - they were scorched, from the fire it shot at Mira, earlier in the fire." Natsu said.

"Wait - it could breathe fire?" Ultear said, a surprised look on her face.

"Mm, yes - and quite a lot of it, at that. I'd say it rivaled Natsu's firepower." Kagura chimed in.

"Tch. Don't lump me in the same category with that thing - it wishes it could breathe fire half as well as I can." Natsu scoffed, giving Kagura a look of mock annoyance.

This little action elicited a small giggle from the stoic swordswomen, as Ultear and Mira looked on at their banter with curiosity.

"Kagura cracking a joke? Hell must've frozen over." Mira thought, with a shake of her head.

"Oh? Did Natsu perhaps pique your interest, Kagura? My my, you sly dog, Natsu." Ultear thought, with a little giggle of her own.

"Regardless - that thing wasn't natural, that much I'm sure. It also had this strange energy around it… it was black and foul, like it was corrupted, or something. The few wyverns had the same energy, too." Natsu said

"Oh yeah, I remember that now - definitely dark magic, that much was obvious." Mira responded, as her hand began to glow with a malicious, almost evil looking, black energy. "Sorta like this, if I had to say so." She finished off.

Natsu examined the energy that Mira was presenting, with a small nod of his head. "Yeah… sorta. It felt a lot more ominous, though." Natsu remarked, before shaking his head. "Either way, if I had to guess – it's something that should be brought up with the council. As much as I doubt those bastards really care, it's better to inform them than not." Natsu said, with a scoff, before going back to simply resting against the wall.

Ultear's face would be presenting a grave look, as she thought of the implications behind what she's just found out. "If DNA splicing is really involved…" the woman thought, with a shudder. Regaining her composure, the master of Mermaid Heel would give a small smile to Kagura and Mira. "Right. Well, you two did a good job! Your payment has already been secured, and will be presented to you two shortly. Thanks for the debriefing - you may leave." Ultear stated, with a warm smile.

Kagura and Mira would give their guildmaster a nod, before they both stood up and made their way out of the office. Though as the door shut, they noticed a particular lack of a certain dragon slayer.

"How come Natsu didn't leave with us?" Mira asked, with narrowed eyes.

"Perhaps he's waiting for his payment? His cut would be coming from the guild, and not the client, after all." Kagura explained.

"Hmm… makes sense." Mira nodded, with a satisfied expression, before she and the swordswomen went their separate ways from one another.

Back in Ultear's Office

"Ultear, there's something I've been wanting to talk about." Natsu stated, as he stopped leaning against the wall, instead making his way to one of the chairs and sitting down.

"Hmm? What is it? Oh! I know! You must be finally admitting your love, for me!" Ultear clasped her hands together excitedly, with a dreamy sigh.

"Keep dreaming." Natsu deadpanned, as he shook his head.

"Only of you~!" Ultear purred, with a giggle, as she leaned against her desk, her Kimono slipping a little, revealing a tad bit more of her cleavage than Natsu would've appreciated.

"A-Anyways…" Natsu coughed, trying his best to cover up the faint blush on his cheeks, despite knowing how futile it was in the presence of the witch. "God I need to get out of here before this woman kills me." Natsu groaned, internally. "I was wondering… how did you know my last name? Back during the fights, you announced my last name - but I don't recall ever telling you it." Natsu asked, a curious expression on his face, as he looked at Ultear.

Caught off-guard by the question, Ultear would stare at him for a moment, before giggling a little. "That's what you wanted to know? Here you were, making me all excited. Such a tease~" Ultear giggled, as she stared at the flushing face of the dragon slayer. "Oh well, I suppose I can tell you. I worked for the council, for a little bit, as a member. I remember you back from when you had that little debacle with the Oracion Seis." Ultear said, with a suddenly serious expression.

"Ughhh. How many times do I have to say it - I was just in the area. The Alliance between Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, Fairy Tail, and Cait Shelter handled the whole thing." Natsu groaned, his head falling forwards as a result.

"I don't think you're gonna fool anyone with that story, y'know. Jura was very insistent that an independent mage played a big part in handling Cobra and Zero." Ultear giggled, batting her eyelashes innocently at the man, as she did so.

"You ever think the mage and I just looked similar?" Natsu sighed, with a raise of his eyebrow, as he crossed his arms. It was obvious he was just grasping at strings, at this point.

"Maybe. I suppose it's possible he had the same height, physique, hair, scarf, and magic - oh, and name, as you." Ultear giggled, once again.

"Woah woah I never gave anyone my name!" Natsu said, as he raised his hands - his eyes widening at what he just said.

"You did now." Ultear laughed, as she shook her head; surprised her little trick actually worked.

"Ugh. Whatever." Natsu grumbled, with a blush - embarrassed at falling prey to such a simple tactic.

Ultear laughed at Natsu's reaction, finding the dragon slayer as adorable as ever. "Well, that was how I knew your name." She finished, with a gentle smile. "Oh! I was curious… what are your plans now?" Ultear asked, a quizzical look on her face.

"My plans? Oh, nothing crazy, honestly. I'll probably head back to Sacchia… take it easy for a few days, y'know? After that though, I'm going to look into our little matter. That creature we fought - it really wasn't much of a threat. The only reason we got injured was cause we were all so surprised and confused." Natsu lamented, leaning back in his chair.

"Sacchia? I don't think I've ever heard of that town." Ultear muttered. "Though are you sure you should be investigating this matter? I'll be making an official report to the council, after all." Ultear said.

"Yeah, it's a small town, about a day's train ride from here. It's where I pick up all my jobs, through an independent guild." Natsu brushed over the topic, Re-Quiping a map and showing it to Ultear. "As for the other matter… well, no offense, but the council are a bunch of idiots. They're not gonna do shit, unless the threat becomes public information, or endangers their assets." Natsu scoffed, as the map vanished back into his Re-Quip space.

"Well - I can't say you're exactly wrong.." Ultear sighed, rubbing her temple gently, while thinking about all the times the council has done something to prove Natsu right. "Oh! Before I forget!" Ultear suddenly shoved her hand down the front of her Kimono, rummaging around in her bosom for a few moments, before taking her hand out; her fingers wrapped around a piece of paper that she held out towards Natsu. "Here! Your reward for helping Mira and Kagura, out. I kept it nice and warm, just for you~!" Ultear purred, as she winked at the dragonslayer.

Watching Ultear as she did this, Natsu would blush and look around embarrassedly - eyeing the piece of paper in the mages hand, with a look of disbelief. "There is no way you're expecting me to take a piece of paper that was stuffed between your-" Natsu's mouth clamped shut, as he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

"Oh just take it, Natsuuuu~!" Ultear exclaimed, a playful pout on her face as she waved the piece of paper around in front of the dragon slayer.

With a sigh, Natsu would reach his hand out, gingerly taking the piece of paper before examining it closely. As he did so, his eyes suddenly widened, as he realized what this was. "This is…" Natsu muttered softly. All of a sudden, a tick mark formed on his hand, as his hand closed into a fist, around the piece of paper. "THIS IS JUST A PIECE OF PAPER SAYING THAT YOU OWE ME!?" Natsu shouted in disbelief. "No way I went to that town and back, fought some freak, and am ONLY GETTING AN IOU!" Natsu finished, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance.

Ultear simply scratched the back of her head, a sheepish smile on her face, as she looked at the dragonslayer. "Eheh… well, I was gonna pay you- but the guild is a little tight on funds currently, due to some renovations that are happening within the next few days.." Ultear trailed off, as she looked away from Natsu, a small blush creeping up her face. "Maybe I can pay…some other way~?" She asked, a sultry tone to her voice, as she shot a quick glance at Natsu.

"No." Natsu deadpanned, before sighing. "I'll just keep the IOU." He said, as the paper vanished in a golden light.

Ultear, who was now pouting, would cross her arms. "You're no fun~!" She whined.

"Yeah yeah, whatever you say." Natsu replied, sarcastically, as he rolled his eyes at the woman's antics. After a second, he'd crack a small smile, before standing up. "Alright. I gotta get heading back, now. It's already gonna be pretty late, by the time I get back to Sacchia." Natsu explained, as he made his way towards the door.

"Wait!" Ultear suddenly cried out, as she quickly stood up, and made her way towards the dragonslayer. Just as Natsu was turning around, Ultear would wrap her arms around the man, pulling him into a hug, as she did so. "Thank you, Natsu. I really do appreciate the extra help you've been." Ultear spoke softly, a sincere smile on her face, as she looked at Natsu.

Natsu would just blush lightly, being taken about by the stunning woman suddenly pulling him into an embrace. With a soft sigh, he'd give her a smile, awkwardly returning the hug, for a moment, before breaking it. "Well - what are friends for?" He responded, rather awkwardly, as he did so.

Ultear would let out a laugh, breaking the hug, as she took a few steps back, leaning against the front of her desk, as she did. "You're such an interesting person, Natsu. I hope you come by, again." Ultear finished, with a smile. Giving Natsu a small bow, as he'd leave.

"Yeah? Who knows. Maybe if I'm ever in the area again, I'll stop by." Natsu responded, giving the woman a nod of his head, as he turned around and walked through the door.

Ultear's smile, which was sincere and happy, would turn a bit sadder, as the pink-haired mage walked out of the door. "You still don't recognize me, Natsu?" Ultear thought, as a sad sigh escaped her lips. "Oh well, back to work." She whispered to herself, as she sat back down at her desk, and began drafting up a report for the council.

Gracia Train Station

Walking up to the train station, still using his sword as a makeshift cane, Natsu would take in the sight of Gracia, one last time. He was only here briefly, but he enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere that the town offered - finding it quite relaxing, alongside the kind and hospital residents. With a little longer until the next train arrived, Natsu would sit down on a bench - already not looking forward to the multiple trains he'd have to take, to get back to Sacchia.

"Did you hear the news? Some strange monster was spotted in Hargeon." A random man said, off to the side.

"Yeah! People say it looked like a wolf mixed with a spider, right?" The person next to him responded.

"Mhm. Apparently there've been a few sightings of it in the surrounding areas." The first man said.

Hearing this conversation unfold, Natsu would suddenly sigh, as a train pulled into the station. "How convenient." Natsu thought to himself, seeing that it was a train heading for Hargeon. Standing up from his seat, Natsu would walk over to the train, handing a small bag of Jewels to the person standing by the entrance, as he boarded the locomotive; making his way to a secluded spot, as he already felt his stomach churning. After a few minutes, Natsu would buckle over and groan, as the train set in motion - his stomach doing loops, as he curled up and just waited for the journey to be done and over with.

Hargeon, six hours later.

Stepping out of the train, Natsu would grumble to himself - handing a medium sized bag of Jewels to the cleaning staff of the train, as he left; feeling guilty for the extra mess of throw-up, they'd have to clean. As he walked out of the train station, Natsu's sensitive ears would suddenly be bombarded by the sounds of the bustling streets, already missing the quiet and peaceful atmosphere that Gracia provided, in comparison to the loud and chaotic atmosphere of Hargeon. "Alright! If I was a wolf-spider-thingy, where would I be?" Natsu muttered to himself, as he started to walk around the city.

Walking through the bustling streets, Natsu would examine the area thoroughly; trying to overhear any bits of information that he could, from the locals. Despite this, he found himself coming up pretty empty. Apparently spreading news about a freakish monster is bad for business, in a tourist city - who would've thought?

After trying to find information discreetly by walking around the streets for an hour didn't work, Natsu decided to change his approach. Finding himself in the main plaza of Hargeon, he'd turn down a street pointing East, which he followed for a few minutes before turning down an even smaller street. He'd do this process, until he was eventually walking through a series of alleys, each one being smaller and shadier than the last, before he finally reached his destination. Looking up at the sign, Natsu would give an exasperated sigh. "Can't believe I'm resorting to shady info brokers, all for some stupid creature." Natsu thought, as he entered a shady and decrepit tavern, which had a sign reading it out as the Captains Quarters.

As soon as Natsu entered the building, he'd look around the tavern, noticing the few figures spread around, all dressed in dark hues of blacks and browns, with cloaks hiding their faces. "Yep. This place is just as edgy as I remember." Natsu groaned internally, before walking up to the bar, sitting down on a stool as he did so.

"What can I get for ya?" A short and stout man asked, as he looked at Natsu. The man would have a large thick beard, decorated with intricate knots and braids. In contrast, his head would be nearly bald, with only little tufts of hair remaining. His face was rather unremarkable, besides for an overly large and crooked nose.

"I'm looking for information. Heard rumors about some weird creature around here? Looked like a wolf mixed with a spider… ring any bells?" Natsu asked, as he looked at the bartender.

Hearing this, the man would narrow his eyes, as he stared at Natsu. "Maybe it does. What's it to you?" He responded.

Almost the second he was done speaking, Natsu would have a bag sitting on the counter, the jewels inside of it clinking together. "It's worth about 10,000 Jewels, to me." Natsu stated, calmly.

Slipping the bag of Jewels off the counter and into his pocket, the bartender would give him a curt nod, before looking around the room. After a few seconds, when he was convinced enough it was safe to speak, the bartender would whisper in a hushed tone. "Look, I don't know much. All I know is that someone going by King is paying big money for all sorts of exotic creatures. Not only that, but he's hiring tons of dark mages to act as bodyguards, and hitmen. Rumor has it that he's been taking these creatures to some facility, to do experiments on them, revolving DNA Splicing. If I had to guess, that's what the weird critter everyone is talking about is." The bartender said, never once breaking his hushed whisper.

"Where is the facility?" Natsu whispered back, having given his full attention to the bartender.

"I don't know, lad. No one does. Only the messengers might know. And even then - each time it's a new one." He responded.

After a moment of thinking, Natsu would speak up again. "Where can I find these messengers?"

"Lad, you don't find them - they find you. Your best bet would be to try finding information, from whatever dark guild you're a part of." He said, once again.

Not having any more questions, Natsu would give the man a nod, before standing up from his seat, turning on his heels, and starting walking away.

"Wait!" The bartender said, a little louder than previously. "Before you go - I've got one more piece of info to share. There's been a recent break in, at the Prison of Thanatos. The councils kept it under wraps, but whoever this King fellow is, he was behind it."

Hearing this, Natsu's eyes widened, before he'd force them to return back to normal. Turning around, he'd toss another bag of Jewels to the bartender. "Thanks for the help." He'd mutter softly, as he turned back around, and exited the tavern.

Walking throughout the dark alleys once more, Natsu would currently be lost in his own thoughts. "So a dude named King is behind it, all? And he broke someone out of the Prison of Thanatos? But who? And why?" As he was stuck in his thoughts, Natsu would suddenly whip around, lifting the sheathed blade that he was still using as a cane, to block a large, serrated, metal blade - which was a dark shade of black. With a low grunt, he'd push back against the giant sword, sending his assailant backwards, as he did. Looking at the shadowy figure, Natsu would be on his guard - until his nose caught a whiff of a familiar scent.

"Sigh. What is it, Black steel?" Natsu muttered, as he went back to using his sword, as a cane.

"I saw you walking with a limp. Was just making sure you weren't gonna croak, before we could have our rematch." The man responded, as he walked out of the shadows. He would be revealed to be wearing a pair of baggy brown pants, with a zipped up vest - that flowed down and ended around his knees. He also wears a tattered black scarf, with some form of wing-like ornament covering up most of his right arm, which was in the process of turning back to normal. His face sported a few metal studs as piercings, three above each eyebrow and two on either side of his nose. He also wore a simple pair of black combat boots. His hair was long, black, and spiky - reaching the small of his back, easily. His red eyes locked on Natsu.

"You know, for someone who wants to kick my ass so badly - your outfit resembles mine, more and more, every time we meet, Gajeel." Natsu snickered, as he took a good look at the mage. "Though what are you doing, here? Wouldn't Fairy Tail kick you out, if they knew you were with shady people?" Natsu questioned, with a raised eyebrow.

Gajeel growled at this, literally, as he looked towards the pink haired mage. "You're the one copying me! And you and I both know Fairy Tail wouldn't do shit. They know I'm here, anyways." The man scoffed. "Besides, what are you doing here, Salamander? I thought you were done being a dark mage?" He asked, this time more curious than hostile, as he looked at Natsu.

"I don't know what you could possibly mean." Natsu said, through gritted teeth. "I was simply gaining information, on a lead I had. I'm chasing after some dark mages, thank you." Natsu scoffed, before he turned around and began to walk away, again.

Gajeel would watch Natsu's retreating figure, as he sighed. "Hold up." Gajeel said, while walking towards Natsu. He'd stick his hand out, a piece of paper in his fingers. "Here. I overheard your conversation, and think this will help."

Natsu stared at the paper, taking it and reading it over. With a nod, he'd slip the paper into his pocket, before giving Gajeel a weary look. "This is just a list of Dark Guild names." Natsu said.

"It's a list of dark guilds working with this King dude. You know how Fairy Tail - or I should say Makarov - has me working as a mole? I got the list from the guild I'm infiltrating." Gajeel sighed, in annoyance. "I don't know why you're after him, but be careful. He's got a lot of connections. You may have kicked Cobra and Zero's ass - but this dude is on a whole nother level." Gajeel said, his voice low.

"Damn… if I didn't know better, I'd say you were worried about me." Natsu laughed, as he saw Gajeels' ticked off expression. "But thanks. This'll help a lot. I've got reason to believe this dude is DNA Splicing." Natsu said, a serious tone.

Gajeel would just let out a low whistle, as his face contorted in surprise, for a second. "DNA Splicing? Hot damn. Didn't think anyone was insane enough to do that shit, anymore." Gajeel said.

"Yeah, well, I guess so. I just wonder why… it's not like it's incredibly destructive - there's far better ways to go about obtaining wealth of power." Natsu sighed, shaking his head. "Unless he's solely in the business for sick satisfaction. Anyways, I've gotta go. I have a lead around here, and I need to get more information on it before It slips between my fingers." Natsu said, turning around again, and beginning to walk away from the man.

Gajeel would only nod, taking a few steps backwards, as his body was cloaked in shadows once more - as he took his own retreat. "Just don't get yourself killed, Dragneel." Gajeel muttered.

"Right back at you, Redfox." Natsu responded, as they both went their separate ways.

And we're done! Sorry for the chapter being a little shorter than usual. I've been really busy as of late, and have been rushed to try and get this done. I'm trying to keep myself to a chapter a day, which I've been able to do so far! Thanks for all your continued support, and until next time!