Chapter 3: Monkey Business

"Condense your magical energy and create a mental image of space within your mind... then project it outwards."

Sweat rolled down my brow as I dug deep, focusing on my magic container and drawing upon the ethernano within. There was endless potential within a sea of energy, formless and in need of direction. I reached out and coaxed it, feeling it flow throughout my body. I took another breath, focusing the power into my hands. My lips twisted into a frown, and I hissed, as magic sparked in my hands.

"Mental image...!"

I inhaled and exhaled. A screen came to mind, like a TV. I shaped the energy, slowly and meticulously. The air shifted, and then it stilled. I paused and cracked my eyes open. A tear in space, rippling like water. A smile of satisfaction bloomed across my face, and I sighed.

"Finally..."

I'd been practicing Requip all morning. It was a lot harder than the book described, with y'know, forming your goddamn POCKET DIMENSION out of magic energy. Erza took to it like a fish in water. It was... frustratingly easy for her to grasp. I could only assume she was just naturally adept or attuned to that kind of magic. And considering she was one of the main examples of Requip Magic in the series, I was very inclined to believe in that theory.

Wizards can learn more than one magic. That's a common fact, but they have one magic they excel at. A magic that their container is attuned to. A Fire Wizard could learn Water Magic, but their Fire Magic will always be far more potent than Water because they are simply more accustomed to Fire Magic. That's probably why the cast only stuck to one magic throughout the series, with exceptions like Gray and Laxus, who obtained Devil Slayer and Dragon Slayer Magic respectively, and acted as a power boost to their base magic.

Should I look into those? I mean, I don't know about Devil Slayer Magic, but God Slayer and Dragon Slayer Magic are surely on the table... the issue is I'd need to find a dragon lacrima or grimoire. Easier said than done.

Wait. Wasn't Atlas Flame a ghost or something somewhere? Sun Village, right? Surely a ghost should still be able to TEACH you Dragon Slayer Magic...

Bah. Forget it. One thing at a time. I've got 8 years before the canon timeline starts. I've got more than enough time to train and get strong enough...

I picked up one of my books and aimed it towards the Requip space. Then I pushed. It was like I was pushing against an invisible wall, as I tried forcing the thing in there. But no matter how hard I pushed, I just... couldn't... GET. IT. IN-!

"GAH!" the space sparked and exploded in a flash of light, sending my book flying and embedding itself in the wall. I growled, shaking the numbness out of my hand. My patience was growing thin. "SCREW YOU, BOOK! YOU NEVER BELIEVED IN ME! I WILL CRUSH YOU UNDER MY HEEL!"

"... oh."

I stiffened and slowly turned towards Erza, who had made her appearance known. I suddenly felt the distinct urge to curl up into a ball and hide in the darkest corner of the room as I stared at her dumbstruck expression. She now wore an armored chest plate for protection, though. Looking far more similar to her appearance I was used to seeing her as a child in the flashback sequences.

All she had to do now was grow her hair out and tie it into a braid... and get that artificial eye.

... I was getting sidetracked.

"... Uh, hey," I muttered, hopping off my bed and tearing the book out of the wall.

"... Hi," Erza replied, shifting on her feet awkwardly. "Are you... feeling well?"

"Yeah? Why wouldn't I be?"

She glanced at the hole in the wall.

"... Ah." I winced, sheepish. "Hehe, that. I'm just having trouble with Requip."

"Ah," Erza hummed, nodding in acknowledgment and walking over. She took the book from my hands and smiled. "You shouldn't force the item you want into your Requip space. You have to ease it in. When you force it, you lose focus, and your control over your magic energy begins to waver. Making the space unstable."

I stared at her dumbly, my eyes wide with shock. "... how do you know all of that?"

Her cheeks turned pink as she pushed the book back into my hands, crossing her arms with a huff. "It's an interesting magic."

"But... but you've only read it for a couple of hours?!"

"Perhaps you didn't read it thoroughly." Erza closed her eyes and huffed again. "If you paid more attention to the context, maybe you'd have a better grasp on the magic itself."

"THAT'S JUST COLD!"

"In any case," Erza ignored my sulking, walking over to her bed and grabbing her sword. The redhead strapped the weapon to her hip and threw her bag over her shoulder before looking at me. "It's 10:50, it's almost time for us to leave."

I sighed, rubbing the back of my head and stuffing my book into my backpack. "Yeah, right. Just give me a few minutes."

X-X-X-X-X-X

After throwing on some new threads, Erza and I hit the road. A black sleeveless vest with brown fur trim and a dark blue T-shirt underneath. Dark grey cropped trousers with several pouches, and black steel-toed boots. The leather arm guards remained but came with a new pair of fingerless gloves. And of course, my sword was kept strapped at the hip. I held a map in my hands, lips twisting into a contemplative frown.

"Alright. So, Shirotsume is located at the base of Mt. Hakobe. We're gonna have to cut through the mountains and head East. Then we'll arrive at Oshibana." I muttered, Erza peeking over my shoulder to eye the map herself. I could catch the faintest scent of strawberry from her proximity.

... gonna ignore that weird thought. "I'm pretty sure there, we can take the train to Magnolia. And BOOM! Fairy Tail."

"A sound plan." Erza nodded in satisfaction. "How long will this trip take us?"

"2 weeks at best. Maybe 3. We're traveling on foot, so it's hard to properly gauge the distance." I shrugged, rolling the map up and stuffing it in my bag. "In any case, Mt. Hakobe is known for its perpetual blizzards and snowy terrain. There's also an abundance of monsters lurking about, from what I could gather from the locals."

"Monsters..." Erza frowned, cupping her chin. "What can we expect going into this?"

"Well...-"

"H-Help! Someone help me, please!"

Erza and I stilled. Shooting one another a glance before rushing towards the edge of the forest and blinking in surprise. A stocky man with dirty blonde hair and peach fuzz stumbled wearily, dressed in tattered robes and cradling a mangled, bloody arm. He seemed frazzled, frantic. His eyes were bloodshot and wide. He was almost like a shambling corpse. Erza gasped and rushed to his aid just as he was about to collapse, catching him in her arms.

"Sir! Sir, are you alright?!" Erza barked in alarm. She turned to me. "Taruko!"

"Right," I stammered, running up to them and digging through my bag to pull out some medical supplies. The man didn't seem too bad. A broken arm, and lack of sleep. His lips were blue, his body pale. Likely suffering from hypothermia. It was a miracle he made it this far on his own, to be honest. "Erza, be quick and make a fire. We need to warm this guy up, fast."

The redhead nodded and bolted off into the woods. I focused on preparing a splint for the man's broken arm and nursing the rest of his wounds. "Please..." he mumbled deliriously, wheezing painfully.

Shit. I wish we had Wendy right now. "Breathe in, sir. You'll be just fine."

As I inspected the man further, I could tell from his attire that he was a merchant. A merchant, all the way out here... and he came from Mt. Hakobe.

I'm beginning to piece together what might've happened.

"M-My daughters..." the merchant wheezed, and my eyes narrowed. Erza came back just and time and got to work on the fire. "We were... ambushed by Vulcans! They... they took my daughters!"

He weakly gripped my shoulders. His eyes filled with anguish. He pleaded, "Y-You're both warriors, yes? Wizards?! Please, save my daughters! I beg of you!"

I called it.

Vulcans.

From what I can remember, they were ape-like creatures that could use Take-Over Magic, and Take-Over the bodies of other people. They were also massive perverts and obsessed with women. Going as far as to kidnap them and claim them as their mates. While not particularly threatening, they were still plenty stronger physically, and always typically came in packs. Capable of taking down wizards like Macao through sheer number, and thrashing around Natsu for a time.

So if they could give wizards some trouble, imagine what they'd do to people without the ability to use magic...

"Taruko." I turned and locked eyes with Erza. Her expression was firm and determined. I sighed. I was gonna plan on helping anyway, but her giving me that look just meant I had no choice in the matter.

Not even two days into our friendship, and she's already strong-arming me...

I looked back at the merchant. "What's your name?"

"D-Davian..." he muttered, staring at the fire with a soulless look in his eyes.

I smiled, placing my hand on top of Davian's and giving it a firm squeeze. "We're going to get your daughters back, Davian."

As the man's eyes lit up with home, I felt my resolve strengthen. I knew I didn't make the wrong decision here.

X-X-X-X-X-X

"GODDAMN! IT'S FREEZING!"

I sneezed, clenching my jittering teeth as I tugged my cloak tighter around my body in an attempt to stave off the blistering cold.

I think I made the wrong decision.

"You're making a big deal out of nothing... please, stop whining."

I slowly craned my head in Erza's direction. Contrary to her calm voice and stoic demeanor, she was actually shivering just as much as I was.

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT! YOU'RE COLD TOO, DAMN IT!"

"I don't know what you mean," she replied back with that same, infuriating blank stare.

I scowled, letting out a shaky breath and rubbing my gloved hands to provide myself some more warmth. It was hard to make anything out past the blizzard, much to my frustration. The crunch of the snow beneath our boots is hardly audible through the raging winds. Through the veil of snow, I could make out giant, jagged mountain peaks and the faintest howls of wolves. Or maybe that was the wind. I don't know.

I remembered what Davian told us before crossing into the mountain.

"Mt. Hakobe is dangerous... not because of it's abundant monsters, a-although that is a factor. It's the Ether Shroud that encompasses it. You must tread with caution... or you m-may get lost in the storm, like me and my daughters did."

My expression softened. From what Davian told me, Ether Shrouds were areas densely packed with ethernano. They possessed so much magical energy that they permanently altered the landscape entirely, affecting all that lived within it. Over the years, this would eventually form entirely new ecosystems. The abundance of ether could cause some creatures and magic beasts to mutate or develop stronger magic containers.

The main reason why Mt. Hakobe was constantly snowing, even in the sweltering summer heat, was because of it's Ether Shroud. Ice Magic permeated the entire landscape, and I could feel the chilly energy buzzing in the air without having to use my own energy to sense it. That's how much ethernano was packed in this place.

Ether Shrouds were so dangerous that even most Wizards wouldn't dare step foot in one without proper preparation. So it boggled me why Davian would take him and his daughters through such a dangerous place. I didn't have to think hard about it, though. Despite how dangerous Mt. Hakobe is, it functioned as a shortcut between Shirotsume and Oshibana. It cut several weeks worth of travel down to only one or two, depending on how smart you were about traversing the area, in comparison to walking around the mountain.

And right now, Erza and I were walking aimlessly through this place. Two fledgling Wizards. Two kids. However, I approached this smarter than charging in head first. At the start of the mountain, I... stomached my grievances and used Blades Magic, stabbing sword constructs into the ground to form a trail as we continued our trek through the mountain.

This way, we won't get lost and will have a way to get off the mountain safely. And no matter the distance, as long as I tethered my magic power into the blades, they'd remain where they were until I ran out of energy. And I didn't have to worry much about that for a couple of hours at most.

Turns out, I'm an actual freak of nature. Maybe it was due to my parents being two accomplished S-Class Wizards from what my memories told me, but I had utterly ridiculous ethernano reserves. Really, if I had to make a comparison, it'd be like if I were an Uzumaki from Naruto. They were known for their absurdly large chakra reserves. I was much the same.

I couldn't properly gauge myself in comparison to anyone else, but right now, the only capable of matching me in sheer quantity of magic power was Erza... and I'm not exactly surprised by that, considering who her mother is.

It... it feels SO weird knowing who her mother is while Erza herself doesn't. A part of me wanted to tell her, but that was stupid of me to do so. Why would I, some random kid from a village in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, know about the Mother of Dragons.

Suspicious as hell.

"We've been walking for a while now... do we know where we're going?" Erza snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned to her, taking notice of her frown.

"No, not really." I shrugged, shaking my head. "Not much to go off of. Davian doesn't know where the Vulcans took his daughters, so we're pretty much going into this blind. I'd say they have a den somewhere, but we have no idea where that could be."

I thought of the cave that Natsu fought the Vulcan that possessed Macao in years later, but I have no idea where that is either, so I immediately banished the thought from my mind.

"We're wasting time wandering aimlessly. And if your magic runs out, we'll end up lost." Erza's expression turned severe. "Will the Vulcans kill them?"

I paused to think about that, then shook my head. "No. Not really. Vulcans are obsessed with women. They'd rather make them their mates than kill them. Men on the other hand... aren't as fortunate."

Erza's face scrunched up in disgust. "How could creatures be so... so perverse?"

Asking the right questions, sister.

"Beats me. As we are now though, we aren't gonna get anywhere." I mentally commanded another blade to stab itself into the ground. Then I blinked, pausing in my steps as an idea came to mind. I heard Erza let out a surprised squeak as she bumped into my back. "Actually..."

"What? Why did you stop?"

"...Vulcans are obsessed with girls... so, if we use a girl to lure them out..."

I grinned and turned in Erza's direction slowly. She blinked in confusion. I could visualize her brain blue-screening as she tried to process my words. When she did, her lone eye widened in horror and she grabbed me by the hood of my cloak, shaking me violently and shouting at me with shark teeth.

"YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY MEAN TO SAY THAT YOU INTEND TO USE ME AS BAIT TO LURE OUT THOSE THINGS?!"

I averted my case with a cheeky pout and even more obnoxious whistle. Man, fucking with Erza is hilarious. "I didn't NOT say it..."

"YOU... YOU FIEND! LECH! JERK! PERVERT!"

"WOAH! You can call me all those other things, but I am NOT a pervert! I'll have you know I'm a refined gentleman!"

"COULD HAVE FOOLED ME!"

"You need ta' take a chill pill, Erza! I was just jokin'~!"

Erza glared at me in frustration and embarrassment, her face a healthy shade of red. She closed her eye and took in a deep, calming breath before letting go of me. She opened her eye and punched my arm. Hard. "You owe me a slice of strawberry cake once this is all over,"

I laughed softly, wincing in pain and nursing my arm. "Ahaha... sure thing,"

We needed that money for that train, though...

"Woman?"

We stilled.

Through the snow-white veil, several large silhouettes stalked toward our location. I could make them out immediately. Vulcans. I unsheathed my sword, with Erza quickly mimicking the actions as they came into view. They were uglier in person. Large, muscular things with an elongated jaw, dark grey skin, and white fur. Their faces stuck in a perpetual grin. They locked onto us immediately, or more appropriately, Erza, and there was a gleam in their eyes that I didn't like.

"Oooh! Woman!" one of the Vulcans howled, pounding his chest with his gargantuan fists. Those first few words sent the rest of the pack into a frenzy.

"Woman!"

"WOMAN!!"

"Pretty red hair!"

I can feel my braincells dying a gruesome death listening to these guys.

"Alright." I sighed, stepping forward and pointing my sword at the Vulcans. "Listen up! We got word that two girls were kidnapped by some Vulcans! You lads wouldn't happen to know where they are, are they?!"

"What are you doing...?!" Erza hissed.

"Getting there attention so they can give us a hint on where those girls are."

"You can't possibly expect that to work."

"Got any better ideas?"

That shut her up.

The Vulcans' attention turned to me. "Man?"

"Talking about the other women."

"He wants to take our women!"

"KILL HIM!"

... Ah.

Erza glowered at me. "So much for that plan."

My lips turned upwards into a strained smile. "Admittedly not my best moment."

"We're gonna kill you and take the red haired woman!" one of the Vulcans grinned lecherously.

Erza shivered, but not from the cold. "Taruko..."

"... yeah?"

"Whatever you do... do not let them touch me."

I sighed, unsheathing my sword and twirling it in my hand. "I guess we're murdering some monkeys today. Sorry, Harambe."

"What?"

"Don't worry about it,"

The battle commenced, and the Vulcans lunged at us. We split off just in time as a massive fist crashed into the ground and shook the earth. I spun on my heel as another fist grazed my shoulder, and my eyes narrowed. The Vulcans' strength easily rivaled Rakkör's, but they lacked the versatility of his Armor Magic. They only really had brute force going for them. That, and the number advantage. So that meant we only had to do one thing.

Cut them down.

My muscles tensed and I pushed off the ground, swinging my sword and slicing through the chest of a Vulcan. Blood splattered against the snow and stained it red. I focused my magic on my sword and whirled around, swinging my blade in a downward slash and unleashing a wave of energy that cleaved another Vulcan in two.

Off in the distance, I could see Erza slicing through a crowd of Vulcan like some sort of whirlwind of death. It was inspiring how powerful she was at such a young age. I focused on the battle, raising the flat of my blade to block a punch that nearly lifted me off my feet. A Vulcan roared, leaping towards me and bringing his fists down in a telegraphed hammer strike. I rolled to the side and swung my sword, slicing through flesh and bone and severing his arm from his shoulder.

The Vulcan roared in pain, clutching its bloody stump before her angrily swinging at me. I flipped over the haphazard swing and kicked it in the jaw. Its head snapped to the side from the blow and I thrust my sword forward, piercing its heart. I swiftly wrenched my weapon from its corpse in time to block another punch from the rest of its pack. My bones rattled and I grit my teeth from the force as my back slammed against a wall of rock. I instinctively swerved to the left as a gargantuan fist drove through the stone where my head once was.

"They just keep coming!" I could barely make Erza's voice out through the heat of battle and raging winds. But she had a point, there was just no end to these things-!

My senses warned me too late. Two Vulcans jumped me at once, their fists slamming against me like a freight train. It was like being struck by two Rakkör's at once! My sword flew out of my hand and down into the canyon below, much to my horror. I hastily leaped out of the way of another devastating attack, instinctively reaching out to use my Blades Magic again, only to be driven into the snow by a hammer strike. My ears rang and my breath escaped me as I was kicked in the stomach. I coughed, scrambling to my feet and weaving out of the way of another punch. I retaliated with my own, driving a Vulcan back. But another took its place, forcing me to block another strike that made my bones quake.

"Taruko!"

I blinked blearily, Erza's scream of alarm barely registering. I whirled around and cried out in pain as a large slab of rock slammed into me. I felt my feet lift off the ground and my body sail through the air. Time seemed slow, as I used my strength to push the rock away, all for naught. My eyes were wide, as I saw the Vulcans converge on Erza in swarms. The redhead could only watch on in horror as gravity took hold, and I plummeted into the canyon below.

"TARUKO!!"

Darkness consumed me, and everything went quiet after that.

X-X-X-X-X-X

Erza shot up with a strangled gasp. Wincing deeply as pain rocked her body. She was deathly cold, frost escaping her lips as she released a tired breath. She let out a groan and cradled her aching head. "What happened...?"

"She's awake!"

"Oh, thank God..."

Erza jolted in alarm, instinctively reaching for her sword and only managing to grasp at air. She frowned in confusion and looked toward the voices. She stared at two young women, 3 or 4 years older than herself, on the cusp of maturity with pale skin and bright blue eyes. One had blond hair, while the other's faded into brown. Erza paused, inspecting the robes they wore. Torn and worn from travel, with frost clinging to the fabric. Both women were shivering, hunched together in an attempt to stay warm by exchanging body heat.

"W-Who...?" Erza cut herself off with a groan, cradling her head and trying to ignore the throbbing pain bouncing around in her skull.

The smaller woman, the blonde, let out a sigh of relief. "We thought you were never going to wake up."

"Those ugly brutes have absolutely no idea how to treat a lady..." the brunette grumbled haughtilt, hugging her cloak around her body to stave off the cold. "And this dumb cave is HARDLY hospitable!"

"I feel like that's the least of our worries right now, sis..."

Erza's eye widened. It all came rushing back to her now. She and Taruko had ventured into My, Hokabe in search of Davian's daughters, who had been kidnapped by a group of Vulcans. In their search, they had alerted the pack and were quickly swarmed. While fighting them off, however, their numbers proved far too much. And then... and then... Taruko was thrown into the canyon below. The swarm of Vulcans proved too much for Erza, even with her strength, and she ended up getting knocked out somewhere during the fight.

That meant her sword was either confiscated or destroyed. Rather smart of those perverted apes, she had to admit.

Erza sucked in a shaky breath, squashing down the painful emotions twisting in her stomach. She'd already experienced loss before, it was nothing new to her. She instead focused on the young woman in front of her. "... Lisa and Natalia, right?"

The brunette, Lisa, paused in her hushes discussion with her sister, shooting Erza a small look of surprise. "Y-Yes, but... how do you...?"

"Your father, Davian, sent me and a friend to come search for you." Erza answered as she began inspecting the interior of their 'prison'. They seemed to be in some sort of cavern, the walls and floor covered in solid ice, with snow scattered about. At the end of the cavern, she can make out the bustling sounds of Vulcan, and could vaguely see two shoulders peeking out the doorway. Meaning they had two Vulcans stationed near to guard them so that they couldn't escape.

Again, rather smart for a bunch of dumb apes.

Relief washed over the two sisters' faces. Natalie laughed quietly. "Dad's alive. That's a relief... that must mean you're a wizard, then," she asked, curious. "No ordinary child would come to these parts. It's far too dangerous,"

"I am." Erza nodded, clenching her fist in frustration. "But we were overwhelmed. And my friend... I don't even know if he..." Erza sighed, shaking her head, her expression tight. "No. The point is, I'm here to get you both out and back to your father."

Lisa frowned her expression a mix of skepticism and hope. "But you said there were two of you, and both of you were overwhelmed. You can't possibly take on all of these Vulcan on your own."

"Probably not," Erza admitted, frowning. She blinked, palming her fist. "... you both were here far longer than me, yes?"

"About a day or so, maybe. Kind of hard to tell considering we've been stuck here without having to go outside." Natalie shrugged.

"I still haven't used the restroom..." Lisa whined quietly.

"Do you know the layout of this cavern?"

Lisa paused, glancing towards the entrance, then back at Erza. "It's all comprised of ice and rock. Staglamites keep the entire structure from falling apart outright. But that's pretty much it. We couldn't see much before they threw us in here, and we stopped trying to escape after the 10th attempt."

Erza hummed, then smirked as she stood to her feet. She held a hand out and called upon her magic, summoning another sword from her Requip space. "I might have an idea, then."

X-X-X-X-X-X

...cold...

...so... friggin' cold...

"S-Shit..." I groaned weakly, my entire body felt numb and cold to the touch. The only thing that felt warm was the sensation of a warm liquid running down the right side of my face. As my vision regained clarity, it was glaringly obvious that I was bleeding. Probably a severe blow to the head during my fall. Possible concussion... it was hard to think straight. Hard to move... "Erza..."

I probably failed that little promise to keep them away from her. Man, she's gonna kill me...

I rolled onto my back, staring up at the sky. I took in some slow breaths, ignoring the throbbing pain ringing through my skull. "How long was I out for...?"

I sat there in silence before shaking my head slowly. No. That doesn't matter... I've gotta get outta here and find Erza... she needs my help. Davian's daughters, too...

"Urgh..." I groaned as I climbed to my feet and stumbled, a wave of nausea washing over me and my vision swimming. I propped myself up against a nearby rock and clenched my eyes shut as I tried to gather my bearings. "Damn...!"

I think I might have a concussion. And, uh... that's better than being dead. Dunno how I survived that fall... gonna chalk it up to me running off anime world logic...

Still. I had to move. I couldn't just... let something like this weigh me down...!

I needed to join Fairy Tail. I needed to become strong to fight against monsters like Zeref and Acnologia... I needed to become the best swordsman in Ishgar... and... and...

I couldn't leave Erza all alone again.

I bit my lip and pushed myself off the rock, stumbling towards my sword, which was half-buried in snow. I picked it up with trembling fingers, letting out a breath and watching as it turned to frost.

Everything hurt. Which was nothing new. In the span of two days I'd gotten my ass beat and experienced two near death experiences, but I could safely say the pain I experienced was nothing like what Erza had experienced.

Erza had been a slave. Erza had lost a mentor. Erza had been tortured, unable to truly cry. Guarding her heart in armor. She was betrayed by her best friend. Yet, she kept fighting and ended up becoming a strong woman. She rose above her past and became one of the most powerful wizards s the world had ever seen. Someone people feared. Someone that people respected. Someone that people aspired to be.

I was in pain... but it was nothing in comparison to her's. That's why... I've gotta keep pushin'.

My eyes roamed the canyon. There were jagged rocks and snow for miles. Shadows stretched as far as the eye could see. The faint howl of the winds tingled my ears. As I took in more breaths, the pain began to become bearable, and my resolve strengthened.

I looked up past the canyon. Where I had fallen. There was no way I was going to make it up there normally. Climbing would take too long. One misstep and I'd die either from the fall or injured myself even further. So what do I do...?

"Wind Magic would be so useful..." I grumbled tiredly. Then I paused.

... then it clicked.

Magic.

I may not know Wind Magic yet, but I did know Sword Magic. I knew Blades Magic; and better yet, I knew Sword Saint Battle Arts. I never trained in the style heavily, beyond what I saw my mother and Old Man Jin perform, but I knew enough about the principals from reading over the book he wrote the other night.

Sword Magic used swords as a conduit or medium to unleash different magical attacks or enchant them with different elements and magic affinities. Likewise, Sword Saint Battle Arts followed that in a similar vein, enhancing both body and sword at once for stronger attacks and spells. It utilized a sword as a medium between body, mind, and soul, to better control the ether flowing through the body and container.

Eventually, with enough mastery, you wouldn't even need to use a sword. Your fists or legs would generate more power than any magic sword could, and each strike would be as if you were cut by a razor sharp blade. It reached a point where you became the sword itself.

I was nowhere near that level of proficiency. But I could understand the concept enough to apply the first standard application of Sword Saint Battle Arts. Reinforcement. By focusing the ethernano in my body, and flooding it into my muscles and bones, I could raise enhance my base abilities to superhuman levels. It was an upgrade to the passive ability all wizards possessed, and that was strengthening their body with magic.

Magic was based on emotion and intent, which allowed wizards like Natsu to make their fire spells blunt as to not incinerate anyone the flames came in contact with. Your magic evolved and could grow stronger through intent and desire, and most wizards instinctively generate a 'layer' of ether around thejr skin. That's what makes them so durable in the first place.

They don't want to get hurt, so their ether reaponds to that desire. Pretty simple.

What I needed to do was to focus on my intent. To properly visualize the energy coursing through my body. What did I want? Well, I wanted to escape this canyon. I wanted to save Davian's daughters... but most of all, I wanted to make sure Erza was okay.

I wanted to become a Fairy Tail Wizard.

I exhaled softly, raising one of my swords parallel to my body and placing my palm on the flat of the blade. I closed my eyes and focused, ignoring the biting cold. Ignoring the howling wind. Ignoring the seeds of doubt, the frustration, the anxiety, and faint buzzing of excitement. I drowned it all out in favor of silence.

Drip.*Drip.*

I stood in darkness, and I felt it. My container, filled to the brim with an endless pool of energy. It leaked out like droplets of water. I pulled on it and led it spread through my body; and an explosion of warmth engulfed me, making my pinch my brows together. It felt like I was going to explode... so I reigned it in.

Reinforcement was a delicate process. You needed to understand your body in-and-out. Gaps in your muscles and bone, your fibers, and dousing them in ether. If you poured too much, you'd suffer from overflow, and end up destroying the body part you're trying to strengthen from the massive amount of energy you were outputting. The same went for objects. Like swords. The blade could become brittle and frail from the raw energy coursing through it. The material was simply not made to handle that much magic all at once.

You needed to be precise. You needed to have control.

Control.

I let out another breath. The raging inferno that was my magic power quelled, and seeped into my every pore. A rush of energy spiked through me and I opened my eyes, seeing a visible, fiery blue aura flicker around my skin. Suddenly, I wasn't so cold anymore. I felt stronger. Better.

I clenched my fist and smiled, looking up towards the canyon. Then I aimed my blade towards the ground and gripped it with both hands. "Now came the next step..."

With proper control over the flow of energy coursing through me, I began to channel it into my blade until we became one, so to speak. The aura that flowed around me condensed around my sword and roared to life. A smile tugged at the corners of my lips, the spell I'd created on the tip of my tongue...

... and it inspired by the King of Knights.

"Mana Burst."

Everything clicked into place. My intent was clear and vivid in my mind, and my ether responded like a loud gunshot. The spell manifested myself, and a burst of concentrated magical energy erupted from my sword, sending me rocketing through the air. The wind whipped against my face as my feet touched the surface of the wall.

I pushed. I moved.

A steady stream of energy guided me forward, leaving behind a trail of light as I scaled the wall without breaking momentum; and flipping the bird to physics. I let out a holler of excitement that echoed through the canyon just as I reached the edge. I bent my legs and launched myself over the cliff in a single bound, my body twirling through the air like a helicopter blade.

I cut off Mana Burst and landed in a crouch, scanning the area. The blizzard was blinding, obscuring everything in my path. I pulled my hood up and then used Reinforcement on my eyes with careful control. Everything became clearer to me, and suddenly, I could see through the whirling snowstorm.

I looked down, eyeing the trail of footprints that resembled the Vulcans. They'd get to be blown away by the roaring winds. Good.

I had some girls to save and some payback to dish out.

X-X-X-X-X-X

"Once I attack, you two need to make a break for it."

Both sisters glanced at each other, worry etching its way onto their faces. Lisa looked at Erza with a frown, whispering. "What about you?"

"I'll be fine." Erza assured them. "It will only be a quick diversion. Once you two are out, I will collapse this cavern and follow after you."

The two sisters went silent for a moment before nodding slowly. Erza nodded back and waited. Seconds felt like hours until the heavy thuds of Vulcan footsteps shook their prison. One of the white-furred behemoths stepped through, carrying the carcass of a mountain wolf.

"Brought food for woma--"

Erza pounced. Launching herself at the Vulcan, her sword hissed through the air and sliced into the Vulcan before it could register the attack. As it collapsed to the ground, the two Vulcan guards whirled around only to be blasted back by a wave of magical energy, digging into their skin and sending them tumbling across the ground in bloody heaps. Erza roared, "GO!"

Lisa and Natalie ran as fast as their legs could carry them. The rest of the Vulcan herd had ran in upon hearing the sudden commotion.

"The women are trying to leave again!"

"Stop the women!"

"WOMEN!!"

As two Vulcans lunged towards Lisa and Natalie, Erza rushed to their aid and sliced the beasts' arms clean off before driving a boot into their stomach and sending them tumbling into one another. Erza twirled her sword with a flourish, charging her blade with magic power, and unleashed a powerful blast of energy with a mighty horizontal swing. The cavern shook under the force as the blast erupted in a brilliant explosion. The sisters stumbled but continued to run.

The Vulcans came in droves. Erza rushed in to intercept them, hacking and slashing. Blocking and parrying blows. She coughed when a fist slammed into her chest. Her armor weathered the blow, and she dug her feet into the ground, grinding her momentum to a halt. She scowled, rushing back into battle with a valiant war cry.

"Will Erza really be okay?!" Natalie squeaked in alarm as the cavern continued to shake, stumbling over herself.

"We're just going to have to trust her," Lisa muttered, keeping the tremor out of her voice. "She's a wizard, and exceptionally strong for her age..."

Lisa squinted, staring up ahead. Then her expression brightened into a look of relief. "There! Up ahead!"

Up ahead was the exit. A light at the end of the tunnel. They hadn't made it so far since their capture, but now freedom was finally within reach. Just as they were about to reach the exit, a shadow loomed overhead. Their eyes widened in horror as a Vulcan stood in their path.

"One of them got past Erza!" Natalie shrieked.

Lisa grit her teeth and slid in front of her sister, spreading her arms out in an effort to protect her as the Vulcan charged at them, outstretching it's arms. Time seemed to slow to a crawl for them... but then it happened so fast. One moment, the Vulcan was about to grab them, and then the next, it was utterly obliterated by a blast of devastating ethernano.

They gasped sharply and whirled around to find the perpetrator. He was a young boy close to Erza's age with spikey black-and-blue hair. He held a sword in his hands, and pointed to the exit.

"Go! Hurry!"

"W-Who are you?!"

"Not the time! GO!"

Lisa bit her lip and snatched Natalie's wrist, running off. "He's right! Let's go!"

"But-!"

Taruko watched them leave, letting out a soft sigh before dashing into the cave, sword at the ready. He leaped over the head of the herd and came down with an overhead swing, cutting a Vulcan that threatened to sneak up on Erza from behind in twain. The redhead whirled around instinctively, while swinging her sword, but halted upon recognizing a familiar face.

"T-Taruko?"

"I'm alive." Taruko said softly, "Those girls... were they Davian's daughters?"

Erza swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.

"Then let's wrap things up."

"... right!"

Taruko blocked a punch with his sword, then retaliated with another Mana Burst, annihilating a bunch of Vulcans with a simple swing of his sword. Erza gawked at the destructive power of the technique, stammering. "W-What kind of technique was that...?"

"I'll teach you when we get out of here! Let's go!"

"... wait! We need to collapse the cave!"

Taruko blinked, then nodded, eyeing the pillars of rock that offered the cavern stability. The two split off and lashed out, unleashing a flurry of magic-reinforced slashes. Cleaving through rock like a hot knife through butter. The ground shook and the cave rumbled. The Vulcans roared, beating their chests and charging. Taruko fired off another Mana Burst to deter them, as the cavern began to lose its integrity.

Sheathing their weapons, the two children spun on their heels and made a break for the exit. The ground splintered as mountains of rock crashed along the ground, kicking up dust and debris. Threatening to throw off their balance. Erza stumbled. Taruko grabbed her by the wrist and hurled her towards the exit, ignoring the redhead's alarmed shriek as he leaped right after her.

A plume of dust billowed from the cavern as it caved in. The two coughed, inhaling too much. As they waved it away, Taruko released a sigh of relief. "Holy crap, that was anxiety-inducing...!"

He blinks, noticing Erza staring at him silently. He frowned in confusion, "... what?"

She punched him in the shoulder. Hard.

"OW! WHAT THE FUCK?!"

"Idiot!" Erza snapped as the boy nursed his shoulder with a confused pout. "I thought you - I thought you died!"

Taruko grimaced, rolling his shoulder. "It's gonna take a lot more than a stupid call to kill me." he gave her an amused smirk. "Thanks for worrying about me, though~"

"Mn." Erza sharply averted her eyes with puffed out cheeks.

"Heeeeeeey!!"

They blinked in unison, turning to see Natalie waving to them in the distance. Lisa was a little ways behind her, shivering up a storm. The two young mages shared and look and laughed softly, standing up to their feet. Then, he grinned at his redheaded companion.

"Guess we've got a family reunion to settle, huh?"

X-X-X-X-X-X

"Dad!"

"Papa!"

"Oh, my girls! I'm so glad you're okay!"

After the Hakobe debacle, we returned to Shirotsume with Lisa and Natalie in tow. We b-lined it to the hospital after that to pay Davian a visit... which led to this.

Erza and I watched as father and daughters tearfully reunited. I scratched the back of my head, feeling rather awkward watching the whole thing play out. Erza was content to watch from the sidelines with a gentle smile. I couldn't deny the good feeling I felt... helping people. Even if I did almost die along the way. There was going to be a lot of that later on down the line, I could feel it, so I may as well get used to it.

... still. I couldn't help but feel a pang in my chest at seeing a family reunite like this. Jealously. Regret. Sadness.

I suppressed those emotions in favor of enjoying the moment.

"Thank you! Truly, thank you." Davian wept, sending me and Erza a tearful smile. "I don't know what I'd have done if they..."

"There is no need for you to thank us." Erza stepped up, beaming softly. "We were only doing what was right, sir."

I nodded slowly. "Yeah," I smirked wryly. "Who couldn't pass up saving some damsels in distress? Just like the old storybooks!"

There was a round of chuckles and giggles. Erza nudged by the side with her elbow and rolled her eyes. My grin widened a margin. Davian smiled, sighing. "Ah... if there is anything we can do to repay you, just say the word, and I'll do everything in my power to make it happen."

Erza was about to humbly refuse, but I cut her off. "Well, you're a merchant, right?" Davian slowly nodded. Erza shot me a look. "Think you could hook us up with a ride to Oshibana? Y'see, we're trying to get Magnolia to join the Fairy Tail guild, but walking would take a while. Especially through Mt. Hokabe."

I smiled sheepishly. "Buuuut~ with a carriage... it could get us there much faster."

Davian hummed, rubbing his stubble. "Well, it will take me a bit to be discharged and procure a new carrier. My previous one was destroyed during the ambush... but it should be no trouble at all!"

"Awesome!"

Groowwwwwwr...*

We all paused at the sound of a thunderous growl, as though some wild beast had managed to sneak its way into the hospital room. We slowly glanced at Erza, who blushed brightly with a look of mortification. I coughed into my fist to hide my laughter and turned back to Davian.

"... mind adding 'buy us food' to that request?"