Gray, Juvia!" Makarov called from the door to his office.
"Coming master!" The two mages got up and headed to the guild master's office.
Once they were inside and sitting, Makarov leaned forward.
"I'm going to make this as quick as possible. You two need to get to the location that Cana's going to without her noticing that you're there."
"You want us to follow Cana on a drinking request?" Gray said.
"No questions. There's something very wrong going on right now. Think about it. In the past week, we've had 3 requests show up that paid highly for a job that should've been simple. That may be a coincidence, but Lucy also hasn't returned yet from her request…"
"You think someone's trying to lure us out?" Juvia said.
"That's what it looks like to me," Makarov said. "Which is why I need you to go undercover. Don't look like you're there with her. Get there at a separate time. Find out what's going on, and if there is an enemy, do not engage until you've reported back to me. I'm giving you a communications lacrima, so make sure to use it as soon as anything suspicious happens."
"Why not send Laxus? If someone is targeting Fairy Tail members, he'd be able to deal with them quickly," Gray said
"Laxus is out on Tenroujima for training… I don't want to recall him unless it's absolutely necessary."
"Juvia will be happy to go," Juvia said. "And Gray-sama will too."
"Good," Makarov said. "Cana's probably already on a train, so there's no time to waste. I'm going to have one of those new magic cars get you to this point here…" He pointed to a sharp turn on the railroad. "You should be able to board the train easily at that point. Make sure you spot Cana, and make sure she doesn't spot you."
With that, the two mages departed.
~~~Natsu's party~~~
"Take Over: Eligos!" Natsu shouted. His transformation was instant, horns sprouting from the side of his head and a pale, skeletal winged steed beneath him. A lance appeared in his hand, and armor that was blacker than midnight.
"Natsu, you've already used a lot of magic power…" Mirajane said. "That form will burn through magic power fast…" She chose to use her Halphas transformation.
"Then we'll just have to take 'em out fast!" Natsu grinned. The others were gaping, never having seen him use take over magic.
Maybe you should fight using dragon slayer magic…" Erza said, but before she even finished the sentence he was gone.
Mira sighed, rolling her eyes. "He likes that form because he thinks the horse looks cool…" Then she was on the attack as well.
Natsu's lance, though it moved too fast to see, was blocked by the steel mage. Mirajane's attack knocked back an opponent, but he was up again quickly. The two mages were already exchanging blows by the time Erza and Wendy joined the fray.
Mira dodged as her opponent sent an enormous blast of fire in her direction. Natsu also dodged as the steel mage produced swords out of nowhere and began attacking with them in rapid succession.
Suddenly a blast of water came in from his right, and he was forced to dodge again. The water mage shot another jet of water at him, which he also easily dodged. In the meantime, Erza requipped to her adamantine armor and was engaging two sword-bearing mages, fighting them defensively.
Wendy just had time to cast strengthening magic on her comrades before she was flanked by two other mages. One summoned forth a serpent, nearly twice Wendy's size, and a large bear. The other caused a flower to grow up out of the steel floor that spewed poison at the sky dragon slayer. She blew it away with a quick breath attack, and then dodged an attack from the giant lizard-like creature, which was exceptionally fast for its size.
Natsu was pressing the steel mage again when a third attacker joined the fray. Pieces of the floor began moving and warping, grabbing at him as though to hold him securely in place. Natsu loved his agility in this form, but he was beginning to miss his fire magic. A blast of water hit him across the chest.
He dove in with his lance again, connecting with the metal opponents chest and knocking him back, making a huge indent in the steel wall. Taking that instant, he pressed the attack on the water mage, quickly dodging the metal hands reaching up from the floor to grab him. His lance connected just to the right of her, but the force of the explosion knocked the water mage back 5 feet and bruised her in various places. He quickly turned back to the steel mage, who was getting back up, and rushed him, hitting him with the full force of the lance and the dark magic. The man went flying back, crashing through the steel wall and into the next room. He didn't get up this time.
And suddenly Natsu's form reverted to human. "Shit!" He said. "I think I used up all my magic power!"
Mirajane leapt past him, intercepting an attack from the water mage. A steel hand grabbed Natsu from the floor, and another, holding him in place.
"Now to finish you!" One of the mages fighting Mirajane leapt forward. "Raging Inferno!"
Mavis, who had been watching the scene unfold with increasing anxiousness, laughed as Natsu was enveloped in an enormous sphere of flame. Mirajane also smiled, quickly dodging an attack from another of her opponents.
The smirk disappeared from the fire mage's face as the fire slowly disappeared. He watched, shocked, as their destination became visible. They were getting sucked into the dragon slayer's open mouth! Once all the flames were gone, Natsu grinned, easily melting the metal hands that were holding him.
"Thanks for the meal! Now that I've eaten, I'm all fired up!"
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu directed the attack at his two remaining opponents. Both were hit, but neither seemed to take much damage. Natsu leaped out of the way as another metal hand came up from the floor. "Damn you're annoying."
~~~Erza~~~
Erza requipped to her heaven's wheel armor. A shower of swords rained down on her opponents. Both were very skilled with their swords, and took very little damage from the attack.
They came at her again, coordinating their attacks. She dodged a direct thrust, simultaneously slicing her sword up and across to parry the other mage's blade.
She quickly summoned well over 200 blades around her again, putting her opponents back on the defensive. "Dance, my blades…"
Instantly the blades began moving toward her opponents in a disc shape. As metal clashed against metal in the first parry, the swords abandoned their circular structure and flew rapidly at her opponents from all directions. The sword mages dodged and deflected many of the attacks, but some of the swords made it through their defenses, leaving more abrasions.
But the moment the shower of blades ended the two were pressing her again. Their swords were beginning to penetrate her defenses, leaving lacerations on her sides, legs, and arms. She quickly gathered her swords to her again.
I wish I could go to my Clear Heart Armor, but against two opponents I can't just sacrifice my defense… She kept her blades close, holding off her opponents while she took the time to think.
I can't use my Nakagami Armor… I'll burn through all my magic power. She deflected another attack from one of her opponents who managed to get through her blades for a moment.
"Requip: Armadura Fairy!" The pink-colored armor appeared instantly on her, her circle of 200 blades replaced by a mere two swords. The other mages, thinking themselves to have the advantage, renewed their attack with vigor.
~~~Mira~~~
After successfully baiting the fire mage into attacking Natsu, Mirajane renewed her attack on her opponents. She remained in the form of Halphas, not wanting to burn too much magic power by fighting in the Sitri or Sayla forms.
She dodged a huge blast of fire, then snuck inside another opponent's hand-to-hand combat techniques to deliver a powerful blast of dark energy directly to his chest. Behind her, a third opponent took the opportunity to fire a thunder bullet at point blank range. Even with Halphas's enormous speed, Mirajane wasn't able to completely avoid the projectile. It hit her hard, knocking her to the side and bruising her ribs.
She was up again in an instant. The martial artist wasn't getting back up, much to her relief. She quickly dodged another bullet, which flew past her head and into a far wall. Then charged the fire mage. She was at his side in an instant, hitting him with all the force she could muster. He managed to partially block her attack as another bullet sped toward her. She was able to narrowly avoid that one, partially because she'd anticipated the attack, but she was put on the defensive again as the fire mage tossed an enormous fireball at her.
She jumped back again. Two bullets came in rapid succession. She barely dodged one that was aimed for her head, and the other caught the back of her leg. She was thrown all the way to the nearest wall, crashing hard against it. As she got up, there was already a stream of fire, and another bullet, headed her way.
~~~Wendy~~~
Wendy leapt back again from the lizard creature, wishing the space weren't so enclosed. The bear-like creature was easier to avoid. It's movements a little slower. But when she had to worry about the lizard creature and the poison flower mage, she often found herself perilously close to its claws.
"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy blew away another cloud of poison that had come perilously close to hitting her. She had to do something about the poison plant user fast. She sighed. What would Natsu-san do?
She leapt out of the way of a swipe from the bear-like creature's claw. Then barely dodged the lizard-beast, its rough skin grazing against her and knocking her sideways.
What would Natsu-san do?... Suddenly she had it.
"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Shattering Light: Sky Drill!" A vortex of wind appeared around the poison flower user, closing in on her rapidly. Wendy saw a beast charging in her peripheral, but knew she had to finish the spell before she could move. Finally the winds converged, and the plant user was thrown to the ground.
Wendy tried to leap out of the way of the oncoming beast, but it was too close. It's claws slammed her across the shoulder, drawing blood and knocking her to the ground. The second creature was on her instantly, and it was all she could do to roll out of the way of its furious swipes.
~~~Natsu~~~
Natsu growled as another arm came up from the ground, grabbing his leg mid kick. "I'm getting tired of this shit! Fire Dragon King Mode…"
He vaguely heard Mira protest next to him… something about magic power. But he was already in action. "Fire Dragon King's Roar!"
A new tunnel was created, and the two mages who were attacking him were thrown back into it. Both were down from the count.
Now for the next…" Natsu collapsed suddenly. "Oh…"
~~~Mirajane~~~
Mirajane scowled as the dragon slayer collapsed. Sure, he took out his enemies, but their odds weren't any better than before. And she'd already tricked the fire mage into recharging the dragon slayer once.
She dodged another fireball, watching it explode on the wall behind her. Then suddenly she had an idea.
She couldn't make her move right away.. it would be too obvious. So instead she waited patiently, trading blow for blow with the fire mage and gun wielding mage she was fighting.
~~~Erza~~~
Erza's opponents were pressing her hard, but the skilled requip mage had been fighting them long enough to recognize their patterns. Unlike her, they didn't have a wide variety of weapons and styles to choose from. Battered and worn as she was, they were no longer able to land a hit on her.
Her swords worked in perfect harmony, driving their thrusts, slices, and chops away. Slowly she began to turn the tide, putting her enemies on the defensive. From the corner of her eye she saw Natsu go down after using up all his magic power – again – and groaned inwardly.
She continued to mount an offensive attack, now striking more often than she was parrying. She was beginning to see patterns in her opponents' defensive maneuvers. Patterns she could make use of…
~~~Wendy~~~
Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" It wasn't huge, but it was enough to knock both beasts off her long enough to regain her footing. The petite bluenette was bleeding from multiple lacerations in her side and shoulders, Natsu's vest also being torn to shreds. But she was far from done fighting. With only the beast summoner to worry about, she was sure she could win this.
She dodged another straightforward charge from the lizard-beast, only to find herself nearly under the bear-creature's claws. She jumped back quickly, then sensed a charge coming from her back right. She jumped up in the air. "Sky Dragon's Claw!"
The lizard-beast was blown backward into the wall and lay stunned for an instant as Wendy leapt out of the way of another powerful sweep of the bear-creature's claws. She was quick to press her advantage on the lizard-beast. "Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!"
She smiled as the lizard creature disappeared, turning to take care of the bear and the beast summoner.
Two of the lizard beasts appeared next to the bear-creature, and Wendy groaned. The only way to end this battle was to get through the creatures to the summoner. And she was already feeling exhausted.
~~~Erza~~~
Erza was in the flow of her motions now. With one hand she aimed an agile thrust at one opponent's side, not really hard enough to damage – just enough to make sure he had to block it. With her other blade, she swept down toward the other's head. The mage raised her sword to block, and Erza's second sword came in at that instant, impacting her hard under the blocking arm. Her other sword glanced down off the block and came across just in time to intercept a blow from the second mage.
Behind her, she sensed the appearance of the new beasts. But she didn't have time to help Wendy yet. Wendy was a Fairy Tail wizard. She would have to hold out a little longer.
Erza's opponents were getting their second wind, working furiously to turn the tide in their favor. Erza allowed herself to give a few steps, shifting the flow of her blades to a defensive wall that allowed nothing through. She simply had to wait out this fresh surge of energy before going on the attack again, and one of her opponents was already weakening…
~~~Mirajane~~~
Mira dodged another stream of flame shot from the flame mage's fingers, only to hear a gun cock directly behind her. With a quick turn of her head, she dove quickly toward the gun wizard, the projectile grazing her cheek and knocking her slightly off course to the right. Even as she rose, an enormous ball of swirling flame was flying at her…
And as she leapt out of the way, it landed on the dragon slayer who was behind her.
You'd better not waste it Natsu… I'm not going to be able to get them to hit you again. She quickly dodged another lightning bullet as the fire behind her disappeared into the dragon slayer's mouth.
~~~Erza~~~
Their attacks were slowing again, and Erza shifted her movements to the offensive. A thrust here. A slice there. Then her weapon chopped down on her opponents shoulder with great force. The mage's block wasn't enough to fully stop the blade, which glanced down to cut a large gash in her bicep.
Blocking the other mage's slice, Erza pressed the advantage, thrusting in hard at the female mage. She barely blocked the straightforward thrust, and a sweep across with Erza's other weapon caught her full in the side. She was thrown to the ground with the force of the blow as another huge gash appeared in her ribcage.
The other mage was moving intensely again. He was now beyond the power of his second wind, but not beyond the power of fear. And that was exactly what was controlling him now. Erza didn't press her advantage yet. His movements were more erratic, less predictable. She kept in a mostly defensive posture, getting a strike in where she could…
~~~Natsu~~~
"Thanks for the meal! Now that I've eaten, I'm fired up!"
Looking around he saw Wendy, on her heels as she tried to defend against the three beasts. The beast summoner was watching in amusement, ready to summon more.
"Fire Dragon's Talon!" Natsu's attack knocked the surprised beast summoner across the room and into the wall, taking out one of his beasts in the process and narrowly missing Wendy.
"Sky Dragon's Secret Art: Shattering Light: Sky Drill!" Wendy took advantage of the attack to finish the beast summoner off. Their master defeated, the summoned beasts instantly disappeared.
"Good work Wendy!" Natsu grinned.
"Don't look!" Wendy shrieked, covering herself the best she could with her arms. Natsu's vest was ripped to tatters, leaving her nothing to cover herself with.
~~~A few minutes later~~~
"It's a good thing at least one of the female wizards had clothes that actually didn't get burnt off…" Mira observed as Wendy adjusted the clothes as well as she could. The gun-toting mage lay knocked out on the floor in her bra and panties.
"Hey, I just realized something…" Erza said, looking at Mira who was clothed using transformation magic. "You could've done that the whole time."
"Yep, but what fun would that have been? I had to punish Natsu for burning my clothes off, after all."
Erza's face turned red as she recalled the "punishment," which had consisted mainly of the silver-haired mage rubbing her naked breasts against the dragon slayer's arms as they walked, and his face when they were stopped.
"Anyway, what do we do with these?" She asked, motioning around them.
"Cuff them and leave them here for now." Mavis said. "They won't be waking up for a while anyway."
"Alright! Let's get going!" Natsu said, starting forward.
"Not yet," Mavis said. "Everyone needs to rest for a few minutes. And eat whatever food survived Natsu's rampage earlier."
Erza pulled a few charred loaves and some charred meat out of the pack. "It's a little roasted, but it'll have to work…"