(Edited 20/09/24)
I do not own Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima does.
Ryordan Prime
*POTD*
"Another one at two o'clock," Natsu called out, as he lazily dodged a punch from a large troll-like creature.
"Remind me again why you three keep making me fight everything," Wendy whined, as she smashed the troll in the face with her elbow, which was surrounded by vicious winds that shredded the creature's face.
"Because we want to see what you're capable of Wendy," Erza replied, as the troll staggered backward, clutching its bleeding face as it roared in pain. "You vanished years ago, and we haven't got a clue about what Porlyusica taught you?"
Launching herself at the beast, Wendy performed a low sweep with her right leg, knocking the toll off its feet, before swiftly kneeing it in the gut as it came down. The beast was knocked high into the air as Wendy started running on the air itself, quickly reaching the beast.
Passing it by, she spun around and kicked it in the neck, its head being blasted clean off its shoulders and off into the distance, before she kicked its body into the nearby cliff face. Landing just ahead of the group, Wendy huffed, glaring at the trio.
"These things aren't even that strong, so why should I have to waste my time on them!?"
"Because I said so, that's why," Natsu smirked, eliciting an annoyed huff from the woman. "Don't be a brat."
"Shut up Dad!"
"What was that? Sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of all the troll things running around that someone hasn't defeated?"
"Ah, leave her be guys," Elise snickered. "Pretty sure we've finally made it anyway?"
As the group moved around the bend of the mountain path, the stunning view of Ryordan Prime's exterior hit them. Having been built into the mountain, only part of the city was visible from the outside, but that part certainly had a unique charm to it.
From the numerous carts running back and forth from the entrance, to the numerous stairs and businesses carved into the side of the cliff, it certainly had a unique feel to it.
However, as Erza, Elise and Wendy all marveled at the city, Natsu's eyes were focused elsewhere. Looking past the extravagant entrance, and the beauty of the city, he could immediately tell there was something more to the place.
And, he quickly found it.
Lining the mountaintops above were rows upon rows of massive cannons, far larger than a Jupiter Cannon. Just at a glance, he counted at least fifty of them, all lined up nice and neatly.
"You three, stop gawking before you attract any attention," Natsu hissed, surprise the trio at his suddenly cautious and tense demeanor. "I don't like this… The place is way too militarized?"
"What are you talking about Natsu? I think it's beautiful-!"
Natsu grabbed Elise's face and directed her head to a spot he'd been gazing at earlier, as the War God Slayer struggled to figure out what he was trying to show her.
"Focus in on that spot and tell me what you see," Natsu said firmly, as Elise narrowed her eyes, before promptly taking in a sharp breath.
"That… is a lot of firepower. Why the Hell would they need all that for a place like this?"
"Who knows? But we need to be on our guard here. All of you, make sure not to speak about anything sensitive in a public area, alright? We don't know who or what me might run into here," Natsu replied, motioning for the group to follow him to the entrance.
As they drew closer to the gates, Natsu stopped in front of a board with various notices and quickly found the name of the city.
"Well, this is definitely Ryordan Prime? Guess the place is highly militarized?"
"So, what's the plan," Erza asked, as they stood outside the city gates.
"We need to stock up on supplies for the journey to Vistarion. We each get a quarter of the money from the Babanana job. I don't know how much this is worth, so don't go wasting it!"
"Would never dream of it Dad," Wendy replied, rolling her eyes.
"Come on, let's go inside," Natsu smirked, ruffling Wendy's hair affectionately, as the trio made their way through the main entrance.
*POTD*
Upon entering Ryordan Prime, the group were surprised to see just how well built the place was. Despite being a city carved into a mountain, the place was incredibly spacious, and the sheer number of people walking around was mind boggling.
"It's almost like the place is hollow," Erza mused, as they stopped just after the checkpoint to take in the sights. "I wonder what kind of technology they used to so perfectly hollow out this mountain without it collapsing?"
"I'd say that would be your answer," Elise replied, pointing to an area below the railing where ten robots marched along, piloted by people sporting strange metal attachments on their bodies.
"Machias," Natsu muttered quietly, drawing the attention of the trio. "They're a race of synthetics forged in the image of their creators. Unfortunately, they turned on said creators, slaughtering them to the last, leaving the Machias race to do as it pleased until they were brought under the flag of Alvarez."
"Wait… Those people down there are robots," Elise gasped, before covering her mouth. "Sorry."
"Don't ever call a Machias a robot to their face, they really don't like that," Natsu replied, thankful no one was around to hear Elise. "But you are technically correct. Yes, they are synthetics who look Human."
"I'm guessing then that they can interface what whatever those machine things are," Erza asked curiously, eliciting a curt nod from Natsu.
"Those machines are Magitek, which is basically short for Magical Technology, and it was created by the Machias. They can interface with it, even merge with it if need be. I'd say that's how Ryordan Prime came to be?"
"We should definitely be careful then," Erza muttered, as they watched the Machias and their Magitek march off out of sight. "I assume you want to do some research about this place, right?"
"Yeah," Natsu nodded in response. "You've got the money we earned from the Babanana job, so go and secure us some supplies. I'd rather not stay the night here if I can help it…"
"Agreed. We'll meet back here in three hours, okay?"
"Alright," Natsu nodded, waving to the trio before walking off on his own. "They should be fine together. I've got some investigating to do…"
Spending the next ten minutes moving past all sorts of interesting people, Natsu came to realize just how big the mega-city truly was. Rail lines spanned much of the outer ring of the circular mountain, with smaller trams and lifts moving about all over the place.
It was obvious that Ryordan Prime was built primarily for the Machias, as much of the public transport had various spots they could hook into with their synthetic bodies. One could almost call it a futuristic city, if it wasn't for the fact that it also appeared to be a mining city at the same time, with all efforts seemingly focused on boring downward.
As he explored, Natsu could sense the faint presence of someone following him. His eyes narrowed slightly as he changed up his movement, acting like he was looking for a specific rail line.
And, sure enough, the presence he felt kept following him in a rather unsubtle manner. This led Natsu to believe that, whoever it was, they were a complete amateur at tailing someone.
Deciding to test that theory, Natsu slipped down a deserted side passage, quickly moving behind a stone pillar, and waited for several moments. Sure enough, a teenager around fourteen or fifteen years of age rather comically crept past his hiding spot.
Rolling his eyes, Natsu picked the teen up by the scruff of his neck, the teen almost immediately beginning to flail about wildly.
"Hey! Hey! Put me down ya jerk," the kid shouted, trying and failing to hit Natsu. "Damn it!"
"You're pretty rubbish at sneaking kid," Natsu chuckled, tossing the kid to the ground, before crouching down to his level. "But then again, I suppose it was me you were trying to follow?"
Taking in the teen's appearance, he had short, shaggy dark blue hair with matching blue eyes. He wore a baggy brown coat that was clearly rather dirty, a pair of faded blue jeans and a pair of dirty brown work boots. He also wore a pair of brown leather gloves and a wine-red scarf, the only thing on him that surprisingly wasn't dirty.
"Jeez kid, you smell like dirt…"
"Shut up old man! You're half the reason I'm like this!"
"Wait… What?"
"Don't act all innocent, you know why I'm like this," the kid shouted, scrambling to his feet. "You Alvarez scum!"
Natsu's eyes widened a bit as he rose back to his full height, seeing the sheer hatred in the young teen's eyes. Natsu couldn't help but take an interest in him, especially seeing as he hated Alvarez.
"Why do you think I'm a part of Alvarez kid? Actually, aren't you a part of Alvarez too," Natsu asked, which only seemed to anger the teen further. "I mean, you live here in Ryordan Prime, right?"
"I would NEVER be a part of your blood-soaked Empire," the kid spat venomously. "You just conquer everywhere and kill anyone who doesn't want to conform to your ways! And don't act like you aren't an Alvarez Officer! All of you dress all fancy like that!"
"Okay kid, let's back it up a second," Natsu sighed, deciding to take pity on the teen who had clearly seen some messed up stuff at some point. "You're a bit of a brat, but I'll let that slide for now, since you don't actually know me. I'm not from Alvarez, or Alakitasia for that matter either."
"Y-You aren't?"
"I'm from Ishgar. The Kingdom of Fiore to be more specific."
"H-How do I know you aren't lying," the teen asked slowly, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You could just be lying to gain my trust!"
"Look at it this way. If I were an Alvarez solder, or one of their higher ups, then you'd have already been sent to jail," Natsu countered easily. "Also, considering the fact that Alvarez will soon be at war with Fiore, do you really think I'd just drop that bit of information so freely, without a good reason?"
"W-Well I don't know," the teen replied slowly, still clearly on guard. "You still seem pretty suspicious old man."
"Well, you may suck at tailing people, but at least you know not to trust someone on sight," Natsu joked lightly. "How about we start fresh and give our names? I'm Natsu Dragneel, what's your name?"
"Jason…Jason Pyronix."
"Nice to meet you, Jason Pyronix," Natsu smirked, testing his last name in particular. "Pyronix huh?"
"Shut up! Dragneel is just as dumb!"
"Heh. You're amusing. So, how about you tell me why you were following me Jason?"
"Well, I thought you were an Alvarez solider," the teen replied slowly, avoiding direct eye contact. "So…I was gonna…y'know…"
"Kill me? Capture me?"
"Yeah! Er-! Yeah… That."
"That's cute," Natsu smirked, stepping forward and ruffling the kid's hair in an affectionate manner, as Jason brushed his hand off.
"H-Hey! And what's that supposed to mean!?"
"Do you honestly think a kid like you could take on a solider of the Alvarez army," Natsu asked plainly. "Judging by what you told me earlier, you thought I was a Commander, or possibly one of the Spriggan or Leichart Twelve? Are you stupid, or do you simply have a death wish?"
"You don't know me, I'm plenty strong! I can easily kick your ass!"
"No, you really can't," Natsu sighed, shaking his head. "Why are all teenagers such brats?"
"Oh yeah, watch this then," Jason said cockily, as the teen's hair was suddenly set alight in dark blue flame. "I'll turn you into ashes!"
"Seriously," Natsu half chuckled, somewhat surprised as the kid smashed his fists together, before firing a large torrent of dark blue fire at him that quickly engulfed his position.
"Heh! Not so cocky now, are ya-WHAT!?"
Jason stumbled backward, falling onto his rear, as Natsu emerged from the attack completely unscathed. The fire clung to Natsu's body, yet it appeared to be doing no damage, undoubtedly a first for the teen, who could only watch in horror as Natsu grabbed some of his fire and ate it.
"Dude… You can't be serious…?"
"Hmm… Not bad," Natsu muttered, licking his lips as a small smirk wormed its way onto his face. "You know what, I take it back. Those flames actually tasted pretty good, which means you clearly aren't some weakling."
"Y-You just-!"
"Yeah, don't stress about it kid, you've hardly seen anything impressive yet," Natsu replied casually, whilst internally wondering why he himself was able to eat the flames, if his Fire Dragon Slaying Magic was supposed to be cut off?
The teen's hair returned to normal as Natsu walked up to him, hoisting the teen to his feet. The pair both then looked behind Natsu, hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, as Natsu half dragged him along.
"We should get out of here? You generated quite a bit of Magic with that attack just now, and it won't go unnoticed," Natsu spoke quickly, with Jason only capable of nodding dumbly in response.
The pair ran down the end of the side alley, only for a group of Machias guards to block the exit, wielding strange energy blades.
"Halt!"
"Alright then, the other way it is," Natsu grinned, picking up Jason and taking off back down the alley at full speed.
"WHOA! You're crazy fast!"
"Thanks," Natsu laughed, as more Machias guards moved to block the other exit. "Oi Jason, do that attack again!?"
"Me!? Why don't you do something!?"
"I can't be discovered just yet," Natsu replied seriously. "Besides, you're a big rebellious kid who hates Alvarez, right? So… Rebel!"
"Ugh! Fine then, you stupid old man!"
"Stop calling me old you brat," Natsu snapped back, as Jason's hair ignited once more, as Natsu pointed him in the direction of the Machias blocking their path ahead. "Do it!"
"I'm doing it," Jason shouted, firing off the attack that easily punched through the three Machias blocking their path, as Natsu zipped past them. "Alright, now where do we go!?"
"You're the Ryordan native, so you tell me!?"
W-Well yeah, but-!"
"Don't you have like a house or something?"
"I-I stay at a place with some others, yeah…"
"Where is it!?"
"I'm not allowed to say!"
"Well, guess we're escaping this the Natsu way then," the Devil grinned in a way that made Jason shudder.
"W-Wait a sec-!"
"In the name of Emperor Spriggan, I order you to halt!"
A full platoon of Machias guards emerged from manholes lining the street, wielding more of the strange energy weapons. Natsu however, didn't really seem all that bothered, leaping over the first group with ease.
"There's no way we're gonna be able to escape them all!?"
"Hah! Trust me kid, this is nothing," Natsu laughed, suddenly veering off to the left and jumping off of the platform they were on, as Jason clung tightly to his arm.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU OLD MAN!?"
Natsu simply laughed as he landed on one of the rail lines, his boots kicking up sparks as he began grinding along it at high speeds. The Machias soldiers, as well as the civilians, could only gape at the bold escape plan.
"Told you we'd be fine kid!"
"Are you completely insane!? What the Hell are you doing!?"
"Escaping the Natsu way, just like I said," Natsu laughed in response. "No need to get all stressed, I do crazy stuff like this all the time-!"
Ducking, Natsu narrowly avoided an energy blast as he flipped around whilst still grinding on the rail line. Jason was now absolutely terrified, having not even sensed the attack, nor did he see anything more than a faint glimmer of light.
"Oh no… That's gotta be Commander Tan Meil, the leader of Wall Squad!"
"Wall Squad? As in Wall Eehto?"
"Yeah!"
Angling his body, Natsu avoided several more shots from a much larger Machias, as he pondered what his next move should be. Looking down at Jason, an idea began to form in his head that could benefit everyone involved.
"Hey kid?"
"What!?"
"What do you reckon they'll do if they catch me?"
"You're definitely going to jail dude. No question."
"Hmm… If I get you out of this, will you do me a favor?"
"Okay," Jason cried, as Natsu leaped from one rail line to another, narrowly avoiding multiple shots from the light weapons the Machias were wielding.
"I've got three friends here who'll be hopelessly lost without me. Could you help them get to Vistarion for me?"
"Help your friends? Why? Where are you going old man?"
"We've come to Alvarez to break a friend out of Vistarion Minar, and this is the perfect opportunity for me to get in there," Natsu replied, as Jason looked at him like he was completely insane.
"Old man, you can't be for real!? If you end up in there, you aren't ever getting out!"
"Don't stress about me kid, I know what I'm doing," Natsu replied, leaping off of one of the rails and landing back on solid ground. "Do we have a deal!?"
"I-I'll do it!"
"Good kid," Natsu said, quickly passing off a map, as well as a sizeable sack of money. "Keep the money, just make sure you get to them with that map. They'll be up at the entrance to Ryordan Prime in about two and a half hours."
"I-I'll get it to them!"
"Good," Natsu smiled, crouching down as Jason quickly pocketed the stuff Natsu gave him. "Now then, hold on, because this is going to probably freak you out…"
"Hold on? Hold on for whAAAAAAAAAAT!?"
Natsu shot straight forward, smashing through hundreds of buildings in a matter of seconds, offloading Jason into a wicker basket before he could even process what was going on. He continued on, smashing through countless buildings, until finally deciding he'd made enough distance from Jason's position.
Walking forward, he smashed his head several times into the closest wall until it started bleeding, before laying down on the ground, feigning unconsciousness. It didn't take long for the Machias guards to reach him, as he felt stone quickly encase his arms and legs.
"Inform Governess Rydia we've caught the troublemaker," a deep, half robotic voice called out, as Natsu cracked his eyes open a tad to see Commander Tan Meil standing over him. "Bind those legs! He's clearly a Speed Mage!"
"Sir!"
"Sir, Lady Rydia wants him sent to prison without trial," one of the Machias guards called out from somewhere nearby.
"Fair enough. Have him bound and prepared for transport. He's Lord Yuriel's problem now."
"We'll load him onto the next transport for Vistarion Minar at once," the soldiers saluted, as the stone quickly covered almost his entire body, leaving only several air-holes for him to breath.
'Well… Now I simply have to play the waiting game,' Natsu mused, as he felt the soldiers dragging him off.
*POTD*
After watching Natsu get dragged off, Jason had quickly hightailed it out of the area.
Although at first, the young teen had considered simply taking the money and running, he ultimately didn't. Something about the older man unnerved him to the point that, just by merely contemplating betraying him, his stomach churned, as his mind remembered the man's absurd power.
Jason feared many things, but that old man's eyes were something truly terrifying in that single moment. They promised great pain should he not follow through with what he promised.
And so, now he was loitering about at the entrance to Ryordan Prime, looking for the three ladies he came with. He remembered their appearance from when he'd first spotted them, but he'd been paying far more attention to Natsu at the time.
"Come on Jason, you got yourself into this mess… Time to get yourself out of it!"
Searching around, the young teen almost felt ready to give up hope, when he suddenly spotted one of the girls Natsu had arrived with. Sprinting toward her as quickly as he could, he accidentally ran into her, only to bounce off of her and land on his rear.
"Ow," Jason groaned, feeling like he'd just hit a brick wall.
"You okay kid," the woman asked, turning around and kneeling down to help him up. "Is your nose alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine Miss," Jason muttered, rubbing his sore nose. "Why are you built like a brick wall…?"
Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Jason clamped his hands over his mouth, looking up at the black-haired woman with a fearful gaze. However, the woman simply smirked at his comment, pulling him to his feet.
"Since you're a kid, I'll let that one slide," the woman smiled.
"I'm not a kid!"
"Sure you aren't," the woman giggled, ruffling his hair just like Natsu did. "You're a big man, aren't you?"
"I'm-! Argh! Wait a second, this can wait," Jason huffed, moving her hand away from his head as he shook himself back to his senses. "I need to tell you something important about your friend! The pink haired guy!"
"You mean Natsu," the woman asked, her entire demeanor shifted in an instant, somewhat surprising Jason.
"Uh, yeah. Pink hair with a whole heap of scars and stuff…"
"Alright, what's going on?"
"Um… He gave me this map and his money, told me to come find you three," Jason replied quietly. "He said you guys would need help getting to Vistarion without him-."
"Without him? What do you mean by that," the woman asked with a curtly raised eyebrow. "Where is he?"
"Well, uh… You see, Natsu kind of got himself arrested, and-."
"Okay," the woman sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Was he taken down, or did he let himself be captured?"
"He let it happen," Jason replied instantly, which had the woman's stern demeanor soften ever so slightly. "He said you guys came here to save someone from Vistarion Minar, and that this would work out?"
"I see. And why exactly did he trust you to tell me all this? No offense…"
"Well, you see, we kind of got into a fight, right? I fired off this super strong attack at him, which got the attention of the guards, and-."
"I think I get the picture," the woman sighed, shaking her head. "Did he say anything else?"
"Nothing really important. He just made me promise I could get you guys to Vistarion in exchange for saving my ass from Machias Security."
"Okay," the woman sighed, massaging her temples as she seemed to mostly understand Natsu's thought process. "I guess we'll have to grab the others and head out quickly. If Natsu was willing to trust you to help us, then I will too. Just don't expect me to be able to protect you from the other two when they find out about this?"
"Uh… Why?"
"Well, one is his adopted Daughter who has a few screws loose. The other is his fiancé, who he seems to constantly find newer and stupider ways to avoid."
"Oh…"
"Relax kid," the woman smiled, giving him a pat on the back. "Honestly, its not really your fault. If Natsu planned this out, it'll all work somehow? Now come on, let's go find Erza and Wendy?"
"Do you know where they are?"
"Yeah, just stick close to me kid, and we'll be out of here in no time," the woman grinned, as the pair walked back into Ryordan Prime, making their way onto the main street. "So, what's your name?"
"Jason."
"Well, nice to meet you Jason. I'm Elise," the woman smirked, as they navigated their way through the throng of people. "So, why'd you pick a fight with Natsu?"
"I thought he was an Alvarez soldier by the way he was dressed, so I tried stalking him, but he easily caught me."
"Of course he did," Elise snorted in response. "Honestly kid, you really shouldn't try stalking anyone from the Alvarez army as you are now?"
"Natsu said something similar… But why do you say that?"
"The more powerful a Mage is, the easier it is for them to detect the presence of someone following them. Doubly so if the person following them has some sort of malicious intent," Elise explained. "Plus, you clearly haven't got a clue how to truly suppress your Magical Power, so he'd have sensed you pretty quickly. If not instantly."
"Is the old man really that strong?"
"He's probably one of the strongest people I know of," Elise shrugged in reply. "I'd wager that at full strength now, he'd be about on par with Irene Belserion?"
Jason's eyes nearly shot out of their sockets at that statement, knowing full well who Irene was. Her moniker as the Scarlet Despair was known all across the Empire, and for Natsu to possibly as strong as her…"
"No fucking way that old geezer is as strong as Irene Belserion," Jason blurted out, which elicited an amused giggle from Elise upon hearing Natsu be referred to as such.
"Anyway, I won't try and convince you kid. Just know that he is one of the strongest Mages out there, and leave it at that," Elise concluded, noticing a tinge of scarlet hair nearby. "Ah! There's Erza now!"
"She's the fiancé, right?"
"Yep!"
As Elise approached the scarlet haired woman, which prompted her to turn around, Jason felt like he was about to have a heart attack. The woman looked almost identical to Irene Belserion, from the body shape, to even her hair.
It was almost as if his nightmares had manifested before him in an attempt to punish him for misdeeds in a past life.
"Erza," Elise smiled, which shattered his momentary panic attack. "About time I found you!"
"What's up Elise," Erza smiled, before noticing the teen who was hiding behind Elise, trying not to be noticed. "Who's the kid?"
"I'm not a kid!"
"Heh. He seems to say that a lot," Elise giggled, pushing Jason in-between them. "Natsu sent him to find us."
"Natsu did," Erza replied with a curtly raised brow, as she looked down at the teen. "Let me guess, he did something reckless?"
"Um… Well, we both did," Jason replied slowly, as he explained what happened from when he'd first met Natsu, to when he'd found Elise.
"Well… I feel sorry for whichever prison has to house him," Erza snorted, as both she and Elise shared a laugh.
"How can you be so calm about this? Isn't he meant to be your fiancé or whatever?"
"Yeah, but he can take care of himself," Erza shrugged in response. "I know he wouldn't have allowed himself to be captured if he didn't have a plan in mind."
"You do realize where we are though, right? This is the Alvarez Empire! He doesn't stand a chance of escaping Vistarion Minar!"
"I give him three days tops," Elise said casually, as Jason's jaw hit the floor.
"Three? O ye of little faith," Erza smirked. "I give him twenty-four hours before he kills the Warden."
"You willing to make a bet on that, Scarlett?"
"Three thousand jewel."
"You're on!"
"What are you two on about," Wendy yawned, coming into view carrying a bag of groceries. "Who's the kid?"
"I'm not a-!"
"His name is Jason," Elise cut in, much to the teen's chagrin. "Natsu sent him to find us. Apparently, Natsu's already gone and got himself arrested."
"Seriously? So, what, he's going to prison now?"
"Fortunately, it seems like they're sending him to Vistarion Minar," Erza replied, placing her hands on her hips. "So, I'm guessing we need to be in position when Natsu inevitably goes to break out?"
"Sounds about right," Wendy sniffed, as the groceries vanished into her Requip Space. "So, what's the plan?"
"Jason here is gonna lead us to Vistarion apparently," Elise replied, as all eyes looked toward the teen.
"You want to go home and let your parents know what you're doing?"
"I-I don't…"
"Don't what," Erza asked, only for Wendy to quickly put two and two together.
"Don't worry about it Jason," Wendy smiled kindly. "How about we pay to get you something to eat and a bath?"
"…Are you sure?"
"Sure I'm sure! I'll pay," the Sky Dragon Slayer replied, before looking up to Elise and Erza with a sterner look. "We've got enough time for that if we get a move on."
"Okay," Jason smiled, blushing slightly as Wendy ruffled his hair gently, a move that had both Elise and Erza narrowing their eyes, though they made no comment as Jason led them to the nearest public bathhouse.
The teen went inside almost as soon as Wendy paid for him, leaving the trio outside to wait for him.
"What was that all about," Erza asked, her hands on her hips as she stared up at Wendy. "Why were you being all nice and tender to that kid?"
"So, neither of you figured it out yet?"
"Figured what out," Elise asked, which elicited a loud groan from the Sky Dragon Slayer.
"Jason is homeless," Wendy replied rather bluntly, as both Erza and Elise struggled to come up with a response. "The dirty clothes, the smell, the lack of respect for authority figures. Hell, he's definitely underweight under that coat. I felt it when I put my hand on his shoulder."
"I-I didn't-!"
"…Damn."
"I suppose it's been a long time since either of you were living it like Jason probably is," Wendy sighed, shaking her head. "Let's try to be a bit nicer to him when he comes out, alright?"
"Yeah," Erza nodded, as the attendant returned and asked for Wendy to pay for his clothes being washed. "Damn… Poor kid."
"I'd say Natsu probably figured it out pretty quickly, which is why he sent him to us?"
"Either way, we'll look after him, and discuss what to do with him once we get Natsu and Master Makarov back," Erza sighed, as Jason emerged from the bathhouse, his clothes now sparkling like new, and his skin was nice and clean.
"So, how are you feeling now?"
"Pretty good," Jason mumbled, not meeting Wendy's gaze as he fiddled with his fingers. "Um… So, do you want me to lead you guys to Vistarion now? I'll even help you save the old guy?"
"Old guy," Wendy smirked, crossing her arms under her sizeable bust. "I suppose you can come along after we reach Vistarion? After all, my Dad will probably want to thank you for helping us?"
"Y-Your Dad!? That old guy is your Dad!?"
"It's a long story kid," Elise giggled lightly. "Welcome to the team."
"Thanks you guys… I won't let you down!"
"We'll hold you to that," Erza replied in a much gentler tone. "And who knows? If you do well enough, maybe our Guild Master might let you join our Guild if you impress him?"
"Your Guild Master? Who's that?"
"The old guy," Elise laughed, as the quartet started making their way back toward the entrance of Ryordan Prime.
"So Jason?"
"Hmm?"
"What's the fastest way to get down the mountain from here," Erza asked, as Jason pointed to a section of rail line.
"Well, we have to catch a train down to the base of the Ryordan Mountains. That one comes out at a station on ground level on Vistarion's side. From there, we've got to go on foot."
"Good think we've got plenty of money to pay for some tickets," Wendy chimed in, as Jason led them to the train station. "How long does this ride take?"
"About an hour, I think? It's been a few years since I last used it."
"Well, that leaves us plenty of time to get to know each other better, doesn't it," Wendy grinned, wrapping an arm around Jason's shoulders, as the teen blushed furiously, looking away.
As the group prepared to buy their tickets and board the train, none of them could have guessed the situation Natsu had found himself in…
*POTD*
"An the ol blubberboy went in and cut the pumpernickel in two! I'm tellin ya now laddie, right in fucking half!"
Natsu currently wore a blank expression as a drunk, utterly delusional man, raved on and on about watching what he assumed was some sort of whale fighting something he had no idea about?
In all honestly, he didn't really care, having blocked out most of the drunk man's incessant ramblings. After all, he was just some annoying vagrant that was being sent to jail for a violent robbery gone wrong. Not even worth listening to.
No. What mattered was fabricating a believable identify before reaching Vistarion Minar. One that would fool the guards long enough to let him find Makarov, and plan their means of escape.
"Of course, when one plans a prison break, they're usually already knowledgeable about said prison? Right?"
Natsu's eyes immediately shot open upon hearing the familiar voice. To his shock, Lord Life was sitting next to the drunk man, who couldn't even register his presence.
"One also has to be seen as a prisoner to escape a prison, don't they? Otherwise, it's more of a daring escape for the thrill of it? Right," Death added from his right, as the cart they were in hit a bump.
Just as Natsu landed back in his spot, he was flicked in the head with a marble again, and the two were gone.
"The last time they were flicking me with marbles, I got my E.N.D abilities back, as well as my Devil's Aura to a limited extent… Does this mean I'm at another stage of my recovery?"
"I had a marble floor once… Biggest tractor at the ball! We danced all night, and she used to say the sweetest things about bowling alleys! And then, after the tricycle dance, we'd retire to the great big boot in the sky for some bacon..."
Natsu just stared at the drunk guy, completely unsure as to what the Hell he just said, before ultimately giving up and refusing to even try to understand it. He then returned to his meditative state, now also wondering just how close he was to the next stage of his recovery?
'I hope I get something strong back,' he thought to himself, as the cart made its way toward Vistarion Minar…