Welcome back!
So this chapter is alternatively titled "The One Wall Wrote" XD. I think I got a little too excited about the airship but oh well.
Hope everyone enjoys!
Actual chapter title came from the song of the same name by Stratovarius
KEEPING SECRETS CHAPTER 25: HIGHER WE GO
Back in Natsu's room, August sat on his uncle's bed waiting for him, holding the file folders with the reports he and Jacob had found. Jackal remembering part of the name of the Grimoire Heart mage was proving to be a turning point in their search.
The door to the room opened, and Natsu entered, followed by Jackal. Jackal stopped suddenly, offering a small bow to August, who chuckled. August thought Jackal attempting any type of formality was comical. At least he's not as insufferable as Larcade.
"Hey August, what have you got?" Natsu said, voice full of enthusiasm.
August smiled. "I believe I've found your man." Pushing himself off the bed, and walking over to Natsu's desk, he laid out the two folders, one marked 'Rose Family of Crocus, Fiore' and one marked 'Grimoire Heart'.
"I found Jacob down in the intelligence division," August "When I told him what we were looking for, he pulled files on the Rose family and Grimoire Heart. We then noticed a very interesting overlap- the only son of Lord Alexander Rose and Lady Tarja Rose was a young boy, named... Rusty Rose."
Jackal's grin grew and he snapped his fingers. "That was it, Rustyrose!"
August nodded, a smirk slipping onto his face. "Indeed, there was a member of Grimoire Heart's Seven Kin of purgatory named 'Rustyrose'. When you shared that name with me, I knew it couldn't be a coincidence." He handed the folder on the Rose Family to Natsu. "I recommend reading the section focusing on Rusty Rose. Though... I should warn you; its contents may upset you."
Natsu nodded, picked up the folder and began to read... only for his face to contort in anger as he did. "Why am I not surprised..." He said through gritted teeth.
"What is it boss?" Jackal asked, curious at Natsu's mood souring.
"Just our old pals at the Magic Council up to their bullshit again." Natsu shook his head, and opened the report marked 'Grimoire Heart'. As he did, his eyes widened and darted back and forth between the two reports. "Yeah, it's him. No question about it. Comparing the pictures between the two confirms it, if nothing else."
As an amused smile formed on the etherious's face, Jackal said, "Wait, Rusty Rose and Rustyrose? Seriously? He used his own name as an alias? What a genius." Jackal laughed loudly.
Hand on his chin, August offered, "In his defense, it makes sense. With his entire family reported dead, who would suspect a child who 'died' years ago? Perhaps using his own name was his only way of holding on to what remained of his identity."
Jackal brought his own hand to his own chin, nodding at August's explanation, looking uncharacteristically in thought. "That's uh… deep. Real deep."
"Well, whatever his reasons, that's definitely him, and we need to find him." Natsu said, turning to Jackal. "You said when he came to Tartaros, he wanted you guys to help him rebuild Grimoire Heart?"
"Sure did. He and those two other guys with him. But when Kyoka used her curse on him, his pals vanished into thin air."
August's eyes widened slightly. "If he's skilled enough with Arc of Embodiment to recreate another human being with it, he is without a doubt the man we need. And the most logical place to begin our search would be the ruins of Grimoire Heart's airship. Based on his apparent attachment to the past, he's likely not far from it.
"Wait, Zeref might know something! He rode off Tenrou Island on their airship, but it was all wrecked and stuff." Natsu said.
Natsu quickly called his brother and explained what they had discovered. However, when he asked about the airship, he felt his excitement deflate on hearing Zeref's words.
"It became pretty evident that thing wasn't making it back to the mainland, so I teleported off of it. I have no idea where it went down. Sorry, Natsu."
He ended the call and relayed the bad news to August and Jackal.
"Hmmm." August looked slightly bothered for a moment, but determination re-entered his eyes and they made contact with Natsu's. " If that airship was Grimoire Heart's home, Rustyrose wouldn't have let it go so easily. If he's skilled enough with Arc of Embodiment to recreate his deceased guildmates, he could most certainly make something that could pull the wrecked airship off the ocean floor. It's safe to assume they were headed for land, so the crash site would likely be around the closest point on Ishgar's mainland to Tenrou Island."
August paused for a moment, and a knowing smile spread across his face. "And I know just the man- or macias, rather- who can help us."
Jackal's ears perked up at August's final statement. "Good thinkin, Lord August! If anyone's got some doohickey that can figure out something like that, it's Lord Wall!" Turning to Natsu, Jackal continued, "He's gonna be so excited you're staying, boss! He's got that anti-motion sickness airship to show you- hang on, I'll go grab him!" In his excitement, Jackal practically bolted out of the room, leaving Natsu and August behind.
Natsu chuckled a bit. "Well, that takes care of that. I think Jackal's more excited for that airship than I am."
Smiling, August added, "If you think he was excited, wait until you see Wall- that contraption is all he's been talking about for months."
Natsu laughed again, before the smile slipped from his face and he sighed. "Thanks for the save earlier, in the council room, when Zeref asked if we were hiding something. If you couldn't tell, I kinda panicked."
"I could." Came August's immediate reply. Natsu was going to apologize, but then saw the smirk on his nephew's face, causing him to laugh a little. "Hopefully, the answer we gave him was enough to satisfy his curiosity for now. And it wasn't exactly a lie, either." August added.
"Right. That said, me being the one keeping a secret from Zeref instead of the other way around seems wrong at this point." They both chuckled at that. A spark of realization ran through Natsu's mind, and he said, "Hey, I just realized... if... or when this war is over... not only are you getting your parents back, but your grandparents too. Suddenly, this deal doesn't seem fair!" Natsu's tone became teasing with his final sentence.
August laughed too. "Truly, I never thought a day like this would come."
Natsu smiled. "It's certainly something..."
August frowned, noting how his uncle's voice wavered, and eyes had a very faint flicker of sorrow in them. "Is everything alright, Natsu?"
Sighing, Natsu said, "It's just... don't get me wrong, now that I know this is even a possibility, to see Mom and Dad again, I've been ecstatic all day... but it just hit me. For years, I convinced myself I didn't care about who my real parents were because I had Igneel. Now though… I feel like I robbed myself of something. What I do remember about them, it's all so clearly there... but I was only four when we all died. Then I had my memories sealed for like, a decade... and now... God, how much have I forgotten? What if I've changed too much? Will they still recognize me?" Natsu put his head in his hands and let out a shaky breath. "Much as I hate to admit it, I guess I do get where Zeref was coming from when he seemed nervous about this at first."
He felt August's hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he found his nephew smiling down at him. "You have nothing to fear, Natsu. If the memories I have from His Majesty are accurate, and I have no reason to doubt them, your parents will be thrilled to see you again- and not only that, but they'll be proud of everything you've accomplished. The same goes for His Majesty. And if it helps, you can repeat that to him, if he begins to doubt himself again."
Natsu smiled. "Yeah... you're right. Thanks, August." Natsu chuckled, before he added, "It's funny, I had almost this exact same conversation with Zeref this morning... except he was the one afraid, and I was the one reassuring."
"I'm quickly learning the challenges of life are much easier to deal with when you have someone to talk to about them. It's really no wonder His Majesty's mood has improved so much with you around, uncle."
"Hey, it's easy to cut through his mopiness- It makes him stupid, and thus, easy to solve his problems." Natsu said, causing both of them to laugh. "But thanks for having my back, August."
August took his hand off Natsu's shoulder and smiled again. "Thanks for having mine, Uncle Natsu. Hopefully, the day is coming where we won't have to keep these struggles to ourselves."
Natsu nodded and went to say something else, but before he could, there was a knock at the door, and a second later Jackal had flung the door open, with Wall in tow. "Hey, got Lord Wall for you!" Jackal exclaimed with a wide smile, putting his hands on his hips.
"Hey Lord August, Natsu!" Wall flashed a wide smile of his own. "Gotta say I was real happy to hear you were staying with us, I worked real hard on this airship for you!"
"I'm just happy I'll get to see it without having to worry that the next time I do, we'd be on opposing sides." Natsu said, his (minimal) excitement on seeing the airship mixing with the knowledge he'd be using said airship to attack the place had called home for the past decade. "Still though… don't wanna get your hopes up too much, I've not seen a vehicle that doesn't give me motion sickness yet. Might have just been a big waste of time."
Wall looked genuinely hurt. "Waste of time?! No way! Do you know how much alchemical innovation, how much of my genius went into building this? It ain't just an airship- it's a flying work of art!
"He's serious, boss, he even put his name on it!" Jackal chimed in.
Wall grinned. "Yep! The Wall Eehto Mk IV Alchemical Command Cruiser- working title- is the culmination of years of my hard work, research, experiments, and a couple catastrophic meltdowns…but I'm gonna have you admit it's the most amazing thing you've seen before we even take off, Natsu!"
Natsu snorted. "We'll see about that. You've seen one moving death trap, you've seen 'em all." Natsu paused and said, "But alright, let's go see it.
"Hell yeah, it's gonna be great! You'll see! I'll get you to admit how cool it is before we even hit cruising altitude! Now come on, let's get a move on!"
"Wall, don't you think His Majesty should see the airship as well? After all, from what Invel said, the cost of building it alone will make it our flagship." August asked.
Wall, who had already started back towards the door, evidently ready to show everyone his new creation, suddenly stopped and turned back, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Oh yeah. Probably not a bad idea. Good thinkin, Lord August. Hang on, I'll give Lord Invel a call."
After meeting up with Invel and Zeref, who teleported the six of them to the shipyards, Natsu and Zeref were looking up at Wall's newly constructed airship with wide eyes.
"Wow... you weren't kidding when you said the newer ones looked way cooler..." Natsu said in awe.
Next to him, Zeref nodded. "I know I said spare no expense... but I never thought you'd build something like this, Wall."
The airship was unlike anything Natsu and Zeref had ever seen. For one, it dwarfed even the biggest of the older models. The behemoth of a ship towered over them like a mountain of steel and shadows- its dark, weather-treated, multi-layered metallic plating reflecting a dull sheen under the early afternoon sunlight. The bow extended forward like the skull of a dragon, the ornate horned crest at its tip casting looming, jagged shadows across the ground.
The engines, clustered at the massive ship's flanks and rear, could be likened to gigantic dormant beasts, their sheer size alone overshadowing some of the airships Wall had shown Natsu on his 'welcome tour' months ago. Towering above it all, the ship's superstructure bristled with antennae, arrays, and more artillery than Natsu could count in a single go.
Barely visible from their vantage point, atop the horned crest at the tip of bow was a group of angular, panoramic windows- no doubt the bridge.
"Ain't it sick looking?" Jackal asked from behind them. "Not gonna lie, just looking at it scares me a bit- I'm happy it's ours! Wall took me on a tour inside this past week, you're not gonna believe all the awesome stuff it can do!"
"I'd hope it can do more than just look intimidating, with the amount of jewel it took to build the thing." Invel said, a hint of irritation in his voice.
"Of course it's more than just looks!" Wall exclaimed, offense clear in his voice. "This is my masterpiece- I meticulously designed everything for both aesthetic purposes and utility! I wouldn't be the elite of the macias race otherwise! Come on, lemme give you the tour!"
Wall ushered them under the massive ship, and up a large ramp extending down from its underside that was wide enough to drive several vehicles down at once. "Everything here is top of the line, from its cloaking/ sensory jamming equipment to its 50 double barrel magic convergent cannons! Of varying sizes, by the way, allowing us to easily take down a target of any size! Ancient fortress city that's not been breached in centuries? Dust! A pesky single person airship that's laying waste to the rest of our fleet? Smithereens! Hell, there's cannons with targeting systems so precise you can blast a guy thousands of feet below on the ground. Even Acnologia will think twice before he tangles with this beast!"
Jackal looked particularly enamored by Wall's descriptions of the ship's arsenal, the etherious's eyes practically glowing at Wall's descriptions.
Invel, meanwhile, adjusted his glasses. "That sounds useful…If we can afford the fuel to lift this hunk of metal off the ground…" he muttered.
Wall glared at Invel. "Of course we can, Lord Icicle." Natsu burst out laughing, drawing the rest of the group's attention. Struggling to catch his breath, he attempted to explain through his laughter how much it reminded him of the nickname he used for his guildmate, Gray. Unfazed, Wall continued, "Like I was saying, this baby's propulsion system actually runs on a hybrid lacrima- fossil fuel interface. Revolutionary, I know- it's my invention after all! But the fossil fuel is basically backup, the system actually converts raw magic energy into kinetic force 87% efficiency- 89% if you're not hauling a bunch of useless cargo."
Invel didn't miss the subtle glance Wall threw at him as he said that, but the Winter General said nothing.
"But between those of us who're intellectually advanced," Wall continued, "the exact specs read 86.7% efficiency; but I'm rounding up cuz it sounds better."
The group was making its way down a pipelined hallway, the sound of said pipes' hissing with unknown matter echoing in their ears. "Impressive." Zeref said, a smirk forming on his face. "Tell me more about the cloaking/ sensory jamming hardware you mentioned."
"Oh, sure Your Majesty! Don't matter how skilled the mage or high tech their scanning equipment- you want stealth, you got it! They won't know you're after them til we're right on top of em! It's interesting how it all works. It senses the natural magic energy signals in the air and-"
"Does it got something for anti-motion sickness, like ya originally said? Or was that just a sales pitch?" Natsu grumbled, bored by Wall's overly technical explanations. On the other hand, when Natsu had cut Wall off, Zeref's eager smile had been replaced by a look akin to if someone had kicked his puppy.
"Sure does! You won't feel a thing. I guarantee it!" Wall declared. After navigating through the maze of hallways, the group stood before a set of large metal double doors. "Now, come see where all the magic happens!" Wall pulled a small object shaped like the Alvarez crest out of his pocket and pressed it against a pad of some sort attached to the wall. The red light on the top of it flashed green, and the doors slid open, revealing the ship's massive bridge.
The glimpse they had caught from the ground didn't do the room justice. Massive windows lined the walls and ceiling, letting natural light fill the command center, and also providing incredible visibility along the ship's bow. Crew stations lined the edges of the room, made up of advanced looking consoles and interfaces. In the center of the bridge, flanked by two massive crew stations was the navigator's chair and the wheel, resembling a steel version of one that could be found on their wooden ships. Several feet in front of the navigation area was more seating, including a throne, that all faced a large panoramic window, providing an awe-inspiring view of what was directly in front of the airship.
"Color me impressed, Wall." Zeref said. "This exceeds my wildest expectations."
"It all looks cool enough, but I'm not saying anything else nice til I know I can ride in it without getting sick." Natsu said.
Wall cackled. "Well, how about a little field trip then? We got the engines prepped and the champagne on ice! You just say the word, Your Majesty, Your Highness!"
Zeref looked at Natsu, who shrugged. "Might as well get it over with."
"Haha, yes!" Wall was practically jumping for joy. "Strap in gentlemen, next stop- glory! Or possibly an untimely demise. Either way, it's gonna be an adventure!"
The group walked over to the seating by the window at the front of the bridge. August muttered an incantation and suddenly, it seemed as if their group in the seating area was surrounded by a box of powerful magic energy.
"What's this?" Jackal said, looking intently at the magical energy that now surrounded them.
"A safety enchantment." August said. "Since this is the maiden voyage, I don't intend on jeopardizing the lives of His Highness, Invel, or myself in case the engines explode upon ignition or something like that..."
"Hey! What about me?!" Jackal cried.
"Hey, that 'untimely demise' part was just a joke! You really think I'd build this airship so poorly it'd explode on takeoff? Come on, give me some credit, Lord August!" Wall said, offense clearly in his voice.
Natsu and Zeref snickered while August ignored Jackal's and Wall's complaints against him.
Still fuming, Wall said, "Oh yeah, well I'll show all of you!" He plopped into the navigator's chair, and pressed a button on one of the chair's armrests- "Disconnect all fueling lines and external power sources, roll back all portable catwalks, and clear all personnel from the landing bay, we're taking off!" Hitting another button, everyone on board the airship could hear the excitement in the macias's voice as he declared over the intercom, "All crew, report to your designated stations, and prepare for immediate departure!"
Natsu, Zeref, Invel, August, and Jackal watched as the crew on the bridge scurried about, rapidly and intensely hitting buttons and switches at their stations. The group heard and felt as the airship's massive engines kicked on, sending slight vibrations under their feet.
"Alright, we're cleared for takeoff!" Wall's voice reverberated through the ship. As the vibrating from the engines increased, Wall began a countdown... "10... 9... 8..."
Natsu wished he would just get it over with. As if sensing his younger brother's irritation, Zeref tapped him on the shoulder, and said with a slight smile, "Wall gets excited and likes to put on a show of it every time we launch a new airship. Just humor him." Natsu rolled his eyes but offered his own small smile and nodded.
"Three...two... one!" Wall shouted, and the whole airship lurched as it lifted off the ground.
...after which, Natsu immediately felt his stomach turn and the old, unwanted feeling of motion sickness kick back in. He was able to turn and look back at Wall despite his discomfort, however, and glare daggers into the macias in the navigator's chair.
Wall seemed undeterred, however. "Keep your shirt on! I got one last surprise in store for ya!" He tapped some more buttons on the keypad on his armrest and then yelled, "Alright guys, hit it!"
Immediately after Wall gave the order, a wave of magic seemed to wash over the ship... and as quickly as it came, Natsu's motion sickness went away.
Natsu blinked, disbelief at how well he suddenly felt written all over his face. He started to stumble around the viewing area, as if testing the limits of his newfound immunity. He cautiously spun around, and when he found himself no worse for wear, his face broke into a massive grin, and he started to flip and slide around the space like an excited child.
"I take it the anti-motion sickness spell worked, then?" Invel asked. He was almost smiling.
"Told ya!" Wall came over to the edge of the viewing area, where August's barrier still remained up. "Lord August helped me make a device that senses whatever it is that disorients a dragon slayer so badly and counteracts it in real time." Wall's smile disappeared, though, and his voice became irritated as he said, "You'd think if Lord August would trust me enough to make that, he'd trust my new masterpiece isn't gonna spontaneously combust."
Natsu looked at August, who gave him a knowing smile. With a wave of his hand, his nephew dropped the barrier. "I came up with the idea of a motion sickness canceling device when you mentioned your guildmate, Wendy Marvel, had a spell that used to nullify it, but then it wore off over time. After I researched the spell, I learned to cast it myself. Then I broke down its core concepts of its functionality and pinpointed the part that you built an immunity to, and then nullified it, before recreating the new spell for Wall to replicate with his alchemy and integrate into a device, which is then fueled by a combination of magical energy the device itself draws in, as well as a minimized version of the combustion process the airship itself uses to run."
Zeref nodded along, as if everything August said was as plain as day to him. "Excellent thinking, August. Couldn't have done it better myself." If August had looked very proud of himself as he explained his new invention, Zeref's comments had him looking over the moon now.
Yep, he's Zeref's son alright. Natsu thought to himself. He tried to follow August's explanation the best he could, but he didn't quite get all of it... but he did understand it wasn't an easy process, and his nephew had likely done it to ensure Natsu's own conformability. He smiled as he said, "Thanks August. And you too, Wall. I admit, this is pretty cool!" He smiled wide.
"So, is the Wall Eehto Mk IV Alchemical Command Cruiser the coolest thing you've rode in next to a dragon, or what?"
Zeref furrowed his brow. "The what?"
Invel scoffed. "We are not calling it that."
"What? After all my hard work building it, I should get to name it! I already engraved it on the side!" Wall exclaimed.
"Then I suggest you paint over it or otherwise remove it somehow. This is to be the flagship of the Imperial airship fleet, so it should have a name that fits that- not one of your backyard machine shop experiments, Wall." Invel smiled a little. "Besides, this airship is for the prince so he can travel comfortably, right? Perhaps he should come up with a responsible name for it."
Wall frowned. "Yeah, I guess so." He turned to Natsu, his usual unhinged grin returning to his face. "So Natsu, what do you want to call it? Come on, Wall Eehto Mk IV Alchemical Command Cruiser rolls right off the tongue, right?!"
"Eh…". Natsu smiled nervously, and Wall's face fell.
However, as soon as the Macias's excitement seemed to die, it suddenly rose again. "Wait, wait, I almost forgot! You've not seen the best part!" Wall exclaimed. He turned over his shoulder and yelled, "First mate Wright! I'm taking these guys up to the observation deck. The bridge is yours!"
A uniformed soldier saluted and said, "Of course, Lord Wall."
Turning back to Natsu, Zeref, and the others, Wall, ushered them to follow him. "Come on, you guys are gonna love this! Especially you, Natsu!"
After boarding an elevator near the bridge, Wall pressed the button for the top floor and the elevator shot up. As it stopped and they exited the elevator, Wall led them to another set of double doors. Flashing his badge at the control box again, the doors slid open- and the group was met with the afternoon's intense sunlight and a strong blast of wind.
As Wall led them outside onto the open deck sitting on the airship's hull behind the bridge, he yelled at Natsu over the wind, "I told you it might not be as great as being on the back of a dragon, but it has to be a close second, right?!"
"How is this great? This wind's gonna blow my face off!" Jackal complained.
Natsu didn't hear Jackal's complaints though. A big smile formed on his face as he strode to the guardrail, letting the wind whip through his hair and clothes. It might have felt stinging to some, but to Natsu…
It's not exactly the same... but it almost feels like I'm on Igneel's back again... this is amazing. It was a familiar rush- a feeling of freedom. In fact, it reminded him so much of Igneel it sent a pang through his chest- his eyes watered, but the tears were carried away by the wind before they could fall, or anyone could really notice. Turning back to Wall, he flashed a big grin at the macias. "Definitely a close second! I admit it, this airship is awesome!"
Wall's grin grew and he cackled at Natsu's statement. "Yes! Wall Eehto, elite of the macias race strikes again!" He declared.
Meanwhile, the others, minus Jackal, who had already fled back inside, watched Natsu with amused looks on their faces. Zeref nodded at Invel and August, who all turned to go back inside as well.
As the airship seemingly finished its ascent, Natsu took in the afternoon sunlight. Looking over the guardrail, he could see Vistarion sprawling below him, even the massive Imperial Palace dwarfed by their altitude. His gaze shifted to the landscape beyond the city- the dense forest where he, Zeref, and Invel had gone fishing months ago, the desert that surrounded the city, and to the east, the ocean.
Across which lay Ishgar. Where they'd be invading soon.
But before they did, Natsu still needed to venture back and track down Rustyrose.
He then realized he had almost forgotten why he'd asked Wall to see the airship in the first place.
"Hey Wall!" He said, turning to the macias. "How fast can we make it to Ishgar in this thing?"
Wall grinned. "You ain't gonna believe it, but from my calculations we can make it to Ishgar's coast from Vistarion in about five hours!"
"Really? That fast?" Natsu asked, eyes widening. Zeref had told him shortly after coming to the empire that even in their fastest airship, it would take almost an entire day to get to Ishgar... This new capability would change everything.
"Yep! Told you everything was state of the art!" Wall said proudly.
Smiling, Natsu said, "Well, in that case, I'm gonna need to borrow it... I have an errand to run."
It seemed Wall truly had thought of everything with this airship, as when Natsu described what he was looking for, the macias had eagerly taken him back to the bridge showing him a cutting-edge navigation interface that pinpointed the coordinates of the Ishgarian coast closest to Tenrou Island in seconds.
That said, they weren't able to leave right away, as Wall said he had a few more tests to run before taking the ship out on a long journey. Plus, August said they needed to be mindful of when they left to ensure they could use the cover of nightfall to their advantage... advanced systems or not, it would be trouble if someone from Fiore saw a massive Alvarezian airship hovering on the coast.
So, after awakening early in the morning, before the sun rose over Vistarion, the new flagship quietly rose into the sky and made its way east, to the ocean... and Ishgar.
Natsu spent several hours of the voyage sleeping in his quarters- which were small, but still comfortable for being on an airship, containing a bed soft enough to rival the one in his room in the palace and even his own private bathroom. Upon awakening, well rested and eager to reach their destination, he made his way to the bridge.
"Prince on the bridge!" A soldier yelled upon seeing Natsu enter, causing the whole room to snap to attention.
Natsu groaned inwardly. "At ease, everyone." Even though he had been in the empire a year now, he still found the formalities that came with his title awkward. He made his way to the seating at the panoramic window at the front of the bridge, where both August and Jackal were waiting on him.
"Sleep well, Natsu?" August asked as Natsu approached.
"Sure did! Man, I can't tell you what it's like, waking up, realizing you're still in a moving vehicle, but you're not getting sick. I won't be getting tired of this anytime soon!"
"That's great boss!" Jackal chimed in.
"Does this mean you're refreshed enough to confront Rustyrose?" August asked.
"Can't say I'm fired up about it, but I'm ready as I'll ever be." Natsu answered. "I wanna see if all those lessons Invel gave me in diplomacy paid off."
"Is that why you told His Majesty you didn't want him coming?" Jackal asked.
"That," Natsu said, as he walked around August and Jackal and sat on the throne, "plus, I wanted the big seat."
August smiled and shook his head.
Natsu leaned back into the throne, resting his hands on the armrests as he looked out into the night sky. He really did hope it'd be okay to leave Zeref for a few hours. Last time they had split up, things hadn't gone well... but this was just a back-and-forth trip, and his brother would hopefully be asleep during the majority of it. Plus, if something were to happen, Invel said he would contact Natsu immediately, and now Natsu could be back in the palace in a matter of seconds.
Also, Natsu really did want to try and recruit this guy himself, if for no other reason than to prove to everyone, himself included, he didn't always have to throw punches first, and ask questions later...
"Attention all crew and passengers! We're beginning our descent! We'll reach the kingdom of Fiore's coast in about... thirty minutes, so buckle up!" Wall's voice came over the intercom. Natsu leaned back in the throne as he watched the airship begin to dip into the clouds, as August and Jackal took their seats beside him.
Almost there now.
As the roar of the ship's engines descended to a low hum, Natsu leaned forward, gazing out the panoramic window at the walls of cliffs that faced the sea looming before them. He wasn't all that familiar with this part of Fiore, despite it not being relatively far from where he and Zeref had grown up- but they had never really had a reason to visit it, either.
The terrain here was unique- mostly flat farmland going miles inland, until you got to the actual coast, where there was a sudden drop into the ocean below. The best part though was the cliffs, being as high as they were, offered natural seclusion, meaning no tourists or other civilians to worry about. It's possible there may be a few farm hands in the fields above, but they had no reason to be looking over the cliffs out to sea in the dead of night.
"Hey, Natsu, Lord August." Wall said, beckoning them over, pointing at something on his navigation screen. "Our sensors are indicating there's an alcove that circles around just ahead... and we're picking up a large metal object of some sort further back into it. Given its size… it's probably the airship you're looking for!"
Natsu looked at August, who nodded. "Get us close as close as you can get us, Wall. August, Jackal, you're with me." He pointed at his two comrades, who nodded and followed him as he left the bridge.
Descending the ramp, Natsu let his senses adjust to the cool mist laden air of the coastline. As August and Jackal followed behind him, his sensitive nose picked up, amongst the salty tang on the ocean, a faint wisp of rust and decay. Bingo.
"You sure about this boss? Why don't we bring some soldiers with us?" Jackal asked as the three of them stepped onto the narrow strip of rocky shoreline.
"We're here to talk, not intimidate." August said, before adding, "Well, not if we don't have to..."
The three walked along the narrow shoreline back into the alcove, their boots crunching softly against the rocky sand. All the while, Natsu sniffed the air, hoping to pick up another human's scent- and after a few minutes, he did.
"There's someone just ahead." Natsu said.
"Be on your guard." August said. "He's likely alone and not expecting company. He may attack out of fear."
Jackal nodded, readying a curse.
As they turned with a natural curve in the cliff wall, the trio came face to face with the rusting, decaying monolith that was the wreckage of the Grimoire Heart airship, pieces of metal sticking out from its shattered hull like broken bones.
But it wasn't the airship that got their attention.
In front of the wreckage, illuminated by the faint glow of the moonlight was a young man- one Natsu recognized. He was shirtless and had long, disheveled blonde hair, piercing red eyes, and greeted Natsu, Jackal, and August with an unhinged smile.
Zancrow?
So, Wall actually shows up a lot more consistently from here on out... another character I would have loved to see more of in canon (or just anyone from the macias race, actually). I probably had him go too crazy on the airship but again, oh well...
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you next Friday! Have a great week!