The sun shone brightly down on Fiore, the start of a normal day just like any other, the streets of Magnolia brimming with the usual chatter and excitement. Really, what could've gone wrong on a beautiful day such as this? Of course…such a beautiful peace couldn't last for long, this was just a given in Fiore. Fairy Tail was busy as always, though some members were out and about doing various things such as Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Erza, etc. Business as usual was still occurring, but things were shaken up as Freed suddenly dropped into the guild. "What the…!?" Elfman's eyes widened as Freed suddenly dropped into the guild with no word or warning.
"Freed?!"
Laxus, Evergreen, and Bickslow were the first to react and rushed to Freed's side. "Freed!" Evergreen cried out. "Are you okay! Freed!" Surprisingly, Freed was actually unharmed. There was not a physical wound on his body.
"He's breathing okay…" Bickslow said as everyone started to gather around. "He doesn't look hurt…but something seems different about him."
"Ugh…" Freed came to, realizing exactly where he was after a few seconds. "Back here…?"
"Relax, Freed. Tell us what happened." Laxus said while crossing his arms. "Does it have anything to do with that mission that needed you?"
"Y-Yeah…" Freed nodded slowly. "It…it all happened so quickly…he…he stole my magic…and the rest is a blur."
"He stole your magic…!?" Lisanna gasped.
"Slow down…" Makarov said. "Explain it slowly. What happened, Freed?" Oh, that was a question that was going to get answered quickly.
Jet ran into the guild, panting heavily before relaying an important message. "G-Guys…! There's something outside in the sky!" The speed mage pointed outside and everyone ran out, only to see a lacrima screen floating in the sky.
"Another one of these…?" Gajeel scoffed, growing annoyed with the number of lacrima screens that appeared in the sky whenever something bad was going to happen. "What psycho wants to take over the country this time!?"
The Client appeared on the screen, his face mostly hidden by the shadows of whatever room he was in, but there was no hiding the grin on his face. "Good morning, Fiore! Wonderful to see you, all of you. Especially you, you glorious mages!"
"What's this guy's deal…?" Levy mumbled the question with a small sweat drop forming on her forehead.
"That's the one…" Freed panted.
"I'm so sorry to have intruded on your morning, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to be keeping you within my grasp for the remainder of the day." The Client said while throwing up his hands. "Wizards have gotten the best deals on life for the longest time. They effectively decide everything that happens in this land. Despite making up less than 10% of the population, they have so much power. Where does that leave those without magic? Forced to obey the whims of those far stronger than them. I intend to do something about that. To level this playing field you all call life. You see, I'm conducting an experiment, one that involves every wizard within the borders of this country. We're going to play a game; you have no choice but to play along with me." These words alone caused an audible murmur to echo through the town.
"Who does this guy think he is…? What the hell does he have against wizards?" Cana grumbled while taking a sip of her beer. The audacity of a man who wouldn't even share his name!
"I have captured mages from Fairy Tail, Shaman's Haven, Blue Pegasus, Sabertooth, and even from the Council, and I have robbed them of their magic." To prove his point, The Client brought forth the lacrima that were brimming with the magic of others. "Not only this…but this will continue to spread unless someone dares to stop me. You mages are all fond of your magic right? Then FIGHT for it! Fight to save and protect the mage that is dear to you and all those you hold dear, because if you don't, you'll never have any magic ever again!"
"This guy is insane…!" Gajeel grunted.
"Here's how this game is going to work…I see all of you mages are scattered across Fiore, which is perfect already. I've set up runes all over the country, and you're all going to try and find me. However, the runes will pop up and you will be forced to fight one another, and the loser will lose their magic and it will be added to my lovely collection. If the last person standing can make it to me and win, all the magic will return to everyone. If not…they Fiore will fall from within. You have 12 hours to reach me. Otherwise, if no one does, the runes I've placed around the country will sap everyone's magic and funnel it straight into me, regardless of who's left! Do you think you have what it takes to defeat a man who has all of the magic in this country? This is the Fight for Fiore, and I'm anxious to see who will climb to the top! Come tomorrow, this country will be vastly different!" With that, the lacrima screen cut off and Magnolia, along with the rest of the country went into a panic.
"Is that his plan?" Levy was surprised. "To greedily obtain as much magic as he can?"
"A shitty plan if you ask me!" Gajeel scoffed. "But since he went ahead and used our guildmate as a stepping stone, I'm lookin' forward to giving him a good beat down."
Laxus scoffed before beginning to walk off without a word. Makarov noticed this and shouted towards his grandson. "Laxus! Where are you going!?"
"You know where I'm going, old man." Laxus replied without turning back. "I don't care about the other people he's hurt, but that bastard had the audacity to hurt one of my family members. One of my team mates.. So for that, I'm going to bash his skull in. I don't care who gets in my way either, I'll take them all down." With that, Laxus turned into a bolt of lightning and sped off from the scene.
"Laxus!" Makarov tried to call out to him, but it was too late. This was a situation unlike any other.
.
.
Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla were with Chelia just outside of Lamia Scale when the message from The Client was radioed to everyone in Fiore. The four girls stared with shock before looking at each other with widened eyes. "W-What's this all about!?" Carla shouted. "We can't fight each other, that's absurd!"
"Fighting everyone…" Wendy mumbled. She didn't want to think of running into someone horribly bad…or even fighting against someone from her own guild. "I wouldn't run into Natsu-san…"
"That would be rough…" Cynthia agreed before glancing at Chelia. "You should…"
"Don't worry about me." Chelia cut Cynthia off before pulling out a bow. "I've got this!"
"W-what is that?" Carla said while tilting her head.
"Raven made this for me." Chelia said while pulling on the bowstring, a wind arrow forming in the bowstring and she released it into the arrow. "I can't use magic…but he made me something that could use magic!"
"He's so sweet, what the heck." Cynthia gasped and squealed at Chelia's little story. "So we don't have to worry too much about you…but we should stick together. Who knows what could happen in this kind of setting."
"She's right…" Carla nodded in agreement. "If we stick together perhaps things won't be as bad."
"What should we do?" Wendy looked to the others. She could already feel that it was going to be a mess in Fiore within a matter of moments.
"I think we can use Lamia Scale's communication device!" Chelia turned around to the guild, only to find that the entrance to it was blocked off by runes. "Wha!?" She was blocked outside!
"That isn't going to work then..." Cynthia said with a sweat drop. "What now?"
"We should head back to Fairy Tail immediately." Carla said. "It's too dangerous to wander around the country like this. We can regroup with everyone else and figure out a plan there." It was safer than engaging in combat with everyone they came across. Maybe even each other.
"Right! Let's go, follow me!" Cynthia was determined to lead the way with the others following right behind her. But things weren't going to be as simple as the three young girls thought; as soon as Cynthia crossed an invisible line a rune wall popped out behind her, sealing the way back. "Ahh!?"
"Cynthia!" Wendy and Chelia ran up to the wall and attempted to break it down, only to be bounced back by the rules of the runes. "Oof…!"
"We can't get through…!" Cheila groaned. "Cynthia, are you going to be okay…!?"
"I'll be fine!" Cynthia reassured Chelia, Carla, and most importantly Wendy. "No one's getting my magic!"
"Cynthia…please be safe okay…?" Wendy placed her hand on the barrier, which didn't try to blow her away this time.
Cynthia placed her hand on the barrier where Wendy's was, giving a soft smile and a nod. "I promise. I won't be going anywhere…and if I do, I know you'll come save me. I'll see you at home."
"Like I promised." Wendy said with a soft smile, now giving a silent nod.
"I'll see you guys a little later, okay!?" With that, Cynthia ran off.
Still…Wendy couldn't help but have a knot in her stomach. In a situation like this, she was more than worried about Cynthia. "Cynthia…"
"Come on Wendy, we should get going…" Chelia patted Wendy on the shoulder, trying to ease the notable worry on Wendy's face.
.
.
"Huh…?" Reiss was on the balcony of White Eclipse, staring up at The Client was delivering his message. "Fight For Fiore…? What the heck is this all about…?"
"People are fighting…?" Micaiah started up at the sky. "Why…? Should we get involved…?"
"You're to watch the kids." Mary stated. "But if you really want to fight, I won't stop you. I won't intervene with your journey as a mage, but be mindful that your journey doesn't end before you have the chance to begin." She wasn't saying no, but she was warning them of the risk.
"E-Eh…?" Evelyn blinked at Mary's orders. Anyone could sense the urgency in Mary's voice and knew it was better than to disobey her orders. "W-What about the veterans…? A-Are they…"
"They'll be fine." Mary had no worries about them. "They're all out and about as usual. The kids are the ones who are not allowed to step out of the guild right now. And I need some of you to watch them. If anyone comes to the guild during this time, I'll take care of them myself, depending on how strong they are."
"Aw man..." Shinji said with a grunt. Some of the rookies were going to have to stay behind, while the kids just weren't allowed to fight at all. They were a little disappointed, but they understood all the same.
.
.
"Milady, are you okay?! Sting rushed over to Minerva who was thrown into the guild suddenly, during The Client's announcement.
Minerva slammed her fist into the ground, scowling heavily. "That bastard…he took my magic as well." She snarled, standing up immediately. "Under the guise of a job tailored for me. Before I knew it, runes appeared and sealed off my magic. When I get my hands on him...!"
"No way!" Orga gasped. He pulled one over on Minerva...! And she was not happy about it.
"I see this man is truly a forced to be reckoned with." Rufus grabbed the tip of his hat. "Such an offense will not be allowed to pass."
"H-He did!?" Yukino's eyes widened and her hands covered her mouth to hide the shock. "T-That's terrible…! W-We have to get it back."
"He won't get away with this…" Rogue shook his head before standing up, now turning to look at Sting and the others. "We'll have to split up. If we're going to find this man, we need to cover as much ground as possible."
"Frosch doesn't want Rogue to go…!" Frosch objected while clinging to Rogue's leg. "It's not safe."
"Heh…" Rogue's lips curved to a soft smile and he knelt down to pet Frosch on the head. "Don't worry, Frosch. I'll be back soon."
"I have faith in Rogue and Sting-kun!" Lector held up his hand before high fiving the crouching Sting. "We'll watch over the guild while you guys are out there kicking butt!"
"Of course you two will. You're in charge!" Sting gently ruffled Lector's hair before nodding to the others; Rogue, Yukino, Rufus, and Orga. "Okay guys, let's do this! We're going to get our Lady's magic back, and the magic of those that's been stolen!"
.
.
"Jellal…" Meredy tugged Jellal's arm after The Client made his announcement. It was quite the daunting one for sure.
"Are we supposed to not intervene?" Ultear turned to Jellal who looked like he was pondering for the answer.
"I think that would be impossible by this point." Cobra added with a soft scoff. "He wasn't lying when he said he set up runes all over this entire country. There's no way out." As he spoke, his lips curved into a wide grin…he wanted to fight, and he wasn't even trying to hide this desire.
"I don't care for this…" Midnight yawned while sitting cross legged on the ground, arms crossed and his eyes closed. He actually started to fall asleep in the heat of this moment.
"What a chore this is turning into." Sorano sighed. She'd rather not fight if they didn't have to, but something was telling her that wasn't exactly about to be an option.
"I can hear it." Cobra said while looking at the others. "Even if there are people who don't want to fight, there are just as many that do. That is precisely what he's banking on..."
"What a terrifying thought." Hoyeye grimaced. "Surely there must be something we can do."
"It appears we don't have a choice in the matter." Jellal shook his head. As much as he didn't want to fight like this, if they were going to travel there was almost a guarantee that they were going to have to fight someone along the way…and they were going to be separated as well. There was no way around it. "I have an idea, but it involves seeing how this game works first."
"You wanna test something out?" Racer spoke while stepping forward. "I think you can leave that part to me."
"Right." Jellal nodded. "All of you, be careful." Funnily enough, Midnight was the only one he didn't have to say this to. He had no intention of initiating a fight, and they all knew it.
"You don't have to worry about me." Cobra chuckled before waving a dismissive hand, sticking the other in his pocket before walking off. He was planning on having some fun…and that's exactly what worried Jellal the most.
.
.
This kind of announcement shocked the likes of Toma and Hisui. The acting king of Fiore needed to do something to curb this situation before it got out of hand. He attempted to make his own announcement, but found that it was impossible to even get the airways up. "What's going on? I can't broadcast!"
"Could it be...has he found a way to intercept communication waves?" Hisui surmised with a frown. This would be the most efficient way to keep them and the Council from barking orders. That was the use The Cilent had for Minerva's magic; jamming the airwaves to allow the citizens of Fiore to do whatever they pleased.
"What do we do..." Toma was running out of ideas already. If they couldn't contact anyone, least of all the Council, they had no means of intervening.
Hisui thought for a moment. She didn't want the people of Fiore to break out into combat all because of a selfish, unknown man's whims. She tapped her foot, until an idea came to her. "Father, I have an idea! If we cannot call the Council or any of their men, we must do so directly!" Without saying another word, the Princess bolted off, leaving her father and the silent Arcadios dumbfounded at her sudden sprint.
"W-Wait, Princess...!" Arcadios exclaimed, trying to follow right behind her.
.
.
"A fight!?" Natsu's eyes lit up with excitement, fist pounding together as flames flared around his body. At the same time, he heard that The Client had the gall to hurt some people from Fairy Tail while he and the others were away, so the flare of anger was visible in his eyes as well.
"This sounds a little dangerous…" Lucy remarked, but she knew whatever she told Natsu now would just go in one ear and out the other. "He's pitting us against each other..."
"A fight spanning the entire country…" Happy crossed his arms, eyes closed while his head tilted to one side. "For the sake of magic…?"
"We've had more eccentric enemies in the past…" Lucy sighed. "But I'll do my best too! So…!" The blonde turned to give Natsu some good luck, but all she could see was the outline of his body in his former location. "E-EH!? NATSU?!"
"He's already gone…" Happy couldn't help but chuckle.
"I'M ALL FIRED UP!" Natsu roared while just sprinting down a random pathway at top speed, completely forgetting about Lucy and Happy. He realized there was seriously no way back when a rune barrier appeared behind him, sealing the path off. Did this stop him? Nope. He just kept going, planning to run through whoever his opponents were. Fight for Fiore was on.
.
.
Next Time: The Fight Begins!