"Eric!" Eric turned to Lucy as she said his name, giving her a soft smile and a nod.
"Lucy. I see you and Natsu couldn't wait until the games begun to fight, huh?"
"It was mostly him." She responded bluntly, to which he chuckled before turning to the dragon slayers, with Natsu smirking and Sting & Rogue glaring & frowning at him respectively.
"You know, with the stories I've heard about you, I should have realized that you would be too restless to not fight someone on the first day."
"I wasn't going to fight them." Natsu spoke with a grumble and Eric chuckled before Sting interrupted.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Oh, you don't know who I am?" Eric asked with a raised eyebrow, to which Sting just stared at him before snorting.
"No, you're not important enough for me to remember."
"Hmm, I could say the same for you. Are you perhaps a grandchild of Makarov Dreyar or something?" The gravity mage asked with a smile, an amused glint in his eyes as Sting's smirk disappeared.
"Don't you compare me with these washed-up relics from Fairy Tail."
"Just saying. They may have been missing for seven years, but most of the members from Fairy Tail are still popular than you are right now. Unfortunately, it's because people think they are weak now compared to their peak years ago, but they are still popular."
"I suppose you believe yourself to be on the same level of fame as them?" Rogue asked with a raised eyebrow only to frown as Eric chuckled and shook his head.
"Oh no, I'm far more popular than they are. After all, I am the mage who defeated Zash Caine and saved Princess Veronica from an S-Class mage on my first real job."
"…You're Eric Creed, S-Class mage of Quatro Cerberus." Rogue spoke with a knowing frown, Sting frowning in confusion and Eric smirking as he bowed with a flourish.
"The Hell Flame Dragon Slayer and Third Generation Dragon Slayer. Pleased to meet you."
"Wait, you're a third generation, too?" Natsu asked with a shocked face, which Sting & Rogue mirrored as Eric just nodded.
"I did learn my dragon slayer magic from a real dragon and his Lacrima is currently linked to my heart, so yeah, I am a Third Generation. However, I can't help but be disappointed at my fellow Third Generations." Eric said as he looked at Sting and Rogue, who stuck out an arm to stop Sting from lashing out as he frowned.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Well, you two started a fight with scrubs from a random guild that no one knows and instead of just beating them & walking away, you decided to flaunt & strut around like a peacock desperate for attention. A dragon does not need to show off as its very presence is a sign of its power and yet, here are two so-called dragons that have a need to show their strength. Hence, my disappointment. Truthfully, I was expecting better."
"You know, you're talking a lot of shit for a guy that's outnumbered two to one here." Sting growled as he walked closer, Eric chuckling as the two stood chest to chest before he spoke as he reached up to his blindfold.
"Look into my eyes."
"What? Is that supposed to-!" Sting was cut off as Eric pulled off his blindfold and opened his eyes, surprised at the scarlet eyes staring back in amusement.
However, as he looked deeper, his body went cold and a chill ran down his spine as a burning rage stared back, the sound of roaring echoing throughout his bones before he gasped as Eric closed his eyes and pulled up his blindfold.
"What the hell?" Eric smirked at Lucy's whispers as Sting stumbled backwards, falling on his behind as the Hell Flame Dragon Slayer crouched in front of the White Dragon Slayer.
"Sting!" Lector exclaimed as he rushed towards his dragon slayer, Eric glancing down at the cat before back up at the pale Sting and then to the shocked Rogue.
"You think you're hot shit, but you were nothing more than a big fish in a little pond. Welcome to the big leagues, little lizard. Now let's see how good you really are."
'Not that I can talk with how weak I am still compared to the upper echelon of this world, but they don't need to know that.' Eric thought with an amused smirk as he stood up, nodding at the shaking Rogue before turning and walking away.
"We both descend from Fire Dragons, but now we're going to see who's the better dragon. Do not disappoint me, Natsu." Eric spoke with a smirk over his shoulders, Natsu's shock disappearing as he gave an excited yet anxious smile and nod that made Eric chuckle as he walked back to his inn.
'Oh, this is going to be glorious.'
"Where were you?" Guy asked as soon as Eric walked into the room, the dragon slayer looking around the room to see the entire team sitting around it before smirking as he closed the door behind him.
"Walking around. I met a few dragons and spoke to them to pass the time."
"…I blame his troublesome behaviour on you." Guy spoke as he turned to Bacchus, who chuckled as he was lying on the far right bed while drinking a cup of sake.
"I take full credit for it." Bacchus responded, making Guy sigh as Leo spoke.
"Dragons…you mean the other dragon slayers?"
"Dragneel and the two from Sabretooth, yeah." Eric clarified as he walked towards the wall and leaned against it.
"And?" Warcry asked, to which Eric looked to be in thought before answering.
"Myself, Guy & Bacchus. I'd say we can fight against. You & those two on the other hand are not the best offensively, but I believe if there's a timed event, you two would be able to keep them at bay long enough for a draw or beat them."
"Damn, they're that good, huh?"
"Yeah, I was bluffing a bit when I told them that they're weak, but they're really strong."
"What about with Dragon Cry?" Screecher asked as he sat from where he was lying down and Eric snorted as the staff appeared floating next to him.
"Apart from Jura and maybe Laxus Dreyar, none of the others are going to last long if I use this."
"Yeah, that's to be expected from a Wizard Saint and the grandson of Makarov Dreyar." Bacchus spoke with a sigh as he stood up, Eric nodding before the others were confused as his head spun to the balcony.
"Someone hiding?" Bacchus asked as he rolled his shoulders, Eric shaking his head as he stood upright and walked towards it.
"No, it's starting."
"Welcome all to the X791 Grand! Magic! GAMES!" As soon as Eric walked out onto the balcony, the others quickly jumped to attention as a large projection of a short being with a large pumpkin head floating in the centre of the city.
"Hello to everyone in the city and a special hello to every single guild that is taking part in this year's Grand Magic Games!"
"Eric?"
"Illusion. I can't sense any ethernano from it." Eric responded to Guy as the team stood on the room's balcony, to which Guy nodded before he frowned as he glanced around & saw teams of mages all waiting at their balconies.
"Beginning now, we're going to take the 113 participating teams…and have an elimination round to bring them down to just eight teams."
"Huh, I guess this year is a lot different compared to the last one." Bacchus said with a raised eyebrow, the others nodding as Eric slowly began to run his ethernano through his body.
"Unfortunately, this year, we only have enough time for eight teams to partake it and so, the rules are simple! We're doing a race!" The pumpkin trailed off and Quatro Cerberus' team stumbled slightly before giving Eric a thankful nod as the mage stabilized them.
"Damn, they're really going all out, huh?" Guy said as his eyes widened slightly, staring at the hundreds of rocky pathways running up as a gigantic sphere of paths & rubble appeared floating in the sky above them.
"Well, isn't that lovely?" Screecher muttered with a sigh as Eric smirked.
"The end goal is the games arena, the Domus Flau, and the first eight teams there win! As simple as that! You are allowed to use your magic and the kingdom does not take any responsibility for any loss of life that may occur in the Labyrinth."
"Everyone, grab onto me and hold tight." Eric said as an azure glow covered his body, the others looking at each other before shrugging as they each grabbed an arm or a leg.
"Remember, keep together, fight together and make sure you guys get at least top three." Guy said with a smirk and Eric chuckled as he nodded.
"In that case, I'm going full speed from the start." He said as he eliminated the gravity around the four clinging to him, to which all four just gave the smirking Guy a betrayed glare as Eric crouched slightly.
"Now, let the Sky Labyrinth…BEGIN!" With a deafening boom, the air trembled as Eric rocketed up their pathway, shattering it and the paths nearby.
'Archive, scan!' Eric thought as he stopped at the end of their pathway, the others falling to the ground with groans while his vision quickly spread out wide to give him a full view of the entire Labyrinth.
'Keep scanning…keep scanning…and…done!'
"Got it! Hang on!"
"W-Wait, what? W-We just…got over iiitt!" Leo exclaimed as Eric picked them all up and rocketed away once more, diving and weaving around falling teams and rubble while also repelling & redirecting any spells that came close to hitting them.
However, as he dove upwards into the sky, his eyes widened as a loud gong echoed in the sky before the world shifted and spun.
'I see. I remember that the world spun, but if I just move here and…dive!' Quickly freezing midair, Eric dove headfirst towards the ground, the others screaming and Bacchus laughing his ass off before their eyes widened as an ethereal portal appeared in front of them.
As soon as they appeared from the portal, the others' eyes widened as the world had shifted from the rocky world of Sky Labyrinth to a cheerful town that had a clear blue sky hanging over it.
"And there it is!" Eric exclaimed, drawing their attention away from the town and towards the lit-up end goal sign floating in the air, Bacchus laughing as Eric flew them over and landed in front of the smiling pumpkin man.
"You know, those eyes could be considered cheating." Pumpkin Head said and Eric chuckled as he dropped the others to the ground, Bacchus grunting as he stretched his body while the others groaned as they slowly got their footing under them.
"I…am never…flying with you…again." Screecher groaned as he stood up, stumbling a bit around as Eric just rolled his eyes.
"Guy told me to get top three at least and I did. Speaking of which, what position did we get?"
"You seriously think you're anything but first? It hasn't even been five minutes since the round started and-wait, looks like another team's coming. You guys need to get it as we want to keep the rankings private."
"Sure thing, Mr. Pumpkin. Come on, guys." Eric said as he lifted them all once more, to which they all just sighed in relief as they floated after them while Bacchus just gave the pumpkin head an amused yet knowing smirk before he followed after them.
Watching as the door closed behind them just seconds before Sabretooth's team appeared with a flourish near the town, Mato could only chuckle as he shook his head and waited for the team to come to them.
'They definitely know, but hey, at least this year's GMG is going to be fun.'
"And now, surprisingly in second place, it appears that the invincible champions have just barely missed their chance for first. Give it up for the felines of the strongest guild: SABRETOOTH!" Eric smirked as he 'saw' the surprised looks of the crowd while they cheered, turning his eyes off and reaching up before taking his blindfold off.
"Not going to keep it up?" Bacchus asked as he adjusted his jacket, Eric snorting as his blindfold disappeared into his Requip dimension and shook his head.
"It wouldn't fit well with my outfit and I feel like I need everything for this battle."
"Speaking of outfit…why?" Eric blinked at Screecher's exasperated question before looking down at his new outfit, his normal jacket & jeans combo having been replaced by a ragged skirt layered with wyvern scales & a thick silver fur waistline, gold-trimmed white armour on his right shoulder & his groin and silver Vulcan fur pelts strung over his upper body.
"I got it as a gift from the tribe of the Suncan Mountains. I-Is it that bad?" Eric asked with a concerned look and Bacchus was about to answer before hesitating and shaking his head.
"Truthfully, it is a bit…tacky if it was a normal guy, but on you…not bad." He said and Eric grinned as he nodded.
"Good, because I was about to say your man-bun makes you look like a drugged-up junkie, but I was glad you answered nicely."
"…Yeah, your outfit looks like shit." Bacchus grumbled as he walked away, Eric bursting out into laughter as the others snorted.
"Your outfit does fit the guild's vibe, so I'd say it's pretty good. You're also a muscular guy with tattoos covering half of his upper body so that helps as well."
"Add in the scarlet eyes and you're pretty much the embodiment of Quatro Cerberus' wild side." Leo chimed in with Screecher's words, to which Eric grinned as he looked down at his sun tattoo.
"Good, that's the vibe I was going for."
"Quatro Cerberus?" Eric turned as the door opened, the rest of the team standing up as an attendant walked in before he froze as Eric was the first he saw.
"You intimidated?" Eric asked, the attendant slowly nodding before blinking as the mage chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.
"Good, that means it's working. We up next?."
"…Yep, just walk down the hallway and someone will tell you when it's your cue. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go get a drink."
"You look like you need this more than me." Bacchus said with an amused smirk as he held out a filled sake cup, the attendant not even hesitating as he downed the sake cup before handing it back to Bacchus and walking out.
"Well, come on, Mr. Ace. You're in the lead." Warcry said as he opened the door and the drunk snorted before Eric groaned as he was pushed forward.
"I'm not the star of the guild anymore and besides, most of the people who are here for Quatro are just here for him."
"You don't know that."
"We all know that, Eric. Let's just go before you two start another argument." Warcry cut through their argument as he walked out, Screecher and Leo following after them as the two men just huffed before following after them.
'Pure confidence, Eric. You are confidence incarnate.' Eric repeated to himself as he walked in the middle of the group, taking a deep breath with closed eyes before opening them as they reached the edge of the hallway.
"Nerves?" Leo asked with an amused smirk as he watched Eric let out his deep breath, to which the dragon slayer just smirked as the attendant gave them the clear to walk out.
"Nope, excitement."
"With a record-breaking finish, this guild has rocketed from their usual seventh to first on the list! Over the past year, they have soared up the Guild Rankings and it's all thanks to their new prodigy! Give it up for the hounds from hell…QUATRO CERBERUS!"
"Wild…" Eric heard the guild's voices from above as they made it out of the exit, a grin on his face as he raised a fist to the sky.
"FOUR!" His whisper might as well have been shouted as it echoed around the silent arena before it was broken by the deafening roar of the crowd. Grinning as he saw Goldmine bursting out with laughter, Eric chuckeld as he saw Flare's & Guy's exasperated looks before smirking at them.
"Huh, not bad." Eric turned as he heard Erza speak, turning to see the red head smirking at him before chuckling as he shrugged.
"Eh, thought the silent yet calm approach would be better.
"Nothing about you looks silent." Screecher chimed in, Eric just rolling his eyes before he blinked as he saw a masked figure standing next to Laxus.
"Is that…who I think it is?"
'Damn, Mystogan is fucking strong.' Eric thought with wide eyes as he saw the ethernano exuding from the man, it being on the same level as Laxus' and nearly being on par with that of Makarov in the stands.
"Wait, you recognize him?" Erza whispered and Eric snorted as he pointed at his eyes, her eyes widening before she gave a sheepish smirk as she nodded.
"Yeah, that's him."
"Huh, good disguise. So, what position did you guys get?" Eric asked with a smirk, already knowing the answer as Erza blushed before huffing.
"Eight, but just because we came last does not mean we are going to lose you all."
"Eric! You better not lose until our fight!"
"…Does he always interrupt conversations like that?" Eric asked to Erza as he watched Natsu go back to shouting with Gajeel and Laxus, to which the redhead giggled as she nodded.
"Get used to it. He's not going to stop until he actually wins against you."
"Ah…fun."
"All right! Looks like everyone is here!" Eric turned along with the other guilds as Pumpkin Head appeared in front of them with a bright white flash, Erza giving him a nod as she walked back to her team while the rest of the guild went back to their teams.
"Now then, with the final eight teams here, let us not waste any more time and start with the Grand Magic Games' first round: Hidden!"