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[X784, Akane Beach]
— Laxus Dreyar —
"What the hell happened here?"
Laxus narrowed his eyes, stepping over a splintered bench as the crash of waves and chaos filled the air.
He and the Thunder God Tribe had only just arrived—planning to catch a boat to the island they'd been tracking. But when they arrived, the entirety of Akane Beach was in chaos. There were people running around, screaming about an attack in the casino of the hotel.
"Laxus-sama, look." Freed gestured subtly toward the far end of the beach, where a narrow path led toward the docks.
"Is that…Natsu and Gray?" Bickslow questioned. "What the hell are they doing here?"
It sure as hell was. From the looks of it— Natsu, Gray, the new blonde girl, and another blue haired girl were running around in search of something.
His sharp eyes followed the group's movements. Natsu was leading the way, head snapping left and right as if scent-tracking something in the air. Gray was following with a scowl on his face. The girls kept up with them. Laxus couldn't see Natsu's cat anywhere.
He took a few steps forward, arms folded. Laxus made sure to limit his magic as much as possible. Natsu would definitely feel it if he let loose even a fraction of it. Dragon Slayer senses were a pain in the ass.
This couldn't be a coincidence could it? He doubted they were to search for Ivan since Gramps specifically said he gave him that mission.
"Ya think they know about Ivan?" Bickslow asked, a rare note of seriousness in his tone. "Cause if they do, this is gonna get messy fast."
"Doubt it," Laxus replied. "Gramps gave us that mission. Natsu's probably chasing after a lead and doesn't even know who he's really chasing. Though judging by their expressions, something must've happened that made them mad."
He cast a look towards the harbor where Natsu's group was busy arguing with a boat captain, trying to negotiate passage to the island. In the end, they merely jumped on a stray boat and started rowing.
"We follow them. Keep it discreet," Laxus ordered, tone sharp and commanding. "Natsu's a Dragon Slayer—his nose and ears are better than mine. One misstep and he'll know we're shadowing him. Keep a wide distance."
"Yes, Laxus-sama," Freed affirmed, instantly casting a low-level sound and scent suppression field around their group.
Evergreen adjusted her sunglasses and smirked. "You sure you don't just wanna say hi? A little reunion with a fellow dragon?"
Laxus gave her a deadpan look. "If I wanted a damn reunion, I'd send a lightning bolt through his face and say 'surprise.'"
Evergreen raised her hands in mock surrender, giggling as she fell into step beside Freed.
"Come on. We'll tail them until they hit the island. Then we figure out what they know—and if they're about to blow our entire mission to hell."
…
— Dannis Martell —
Dannis' wings unfurled as he landed on the edge of the small island. Gajeel and Levy followed from behind as Levy's platform vanished underneath them.
Just like all the others, Dannis truly underestimated how powerful and versatile Levy's magic was. When they arrived on Hargeon, the town was bustling as usual.
The port of the town was still amid repairs after Natsu and Lucy trashed it when they met here months ago, but enough of it was fixed that sailors busied themselves amongst their boats and ships.
Dannis had sought the client that requested the mission.
However, after scouring for an entire day, no one admitted to sending the request. The three of them were perplexed at that and Dannis narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
He debated whether or not to use his left eye to peer into the future, but opted not to since they were still quite a ways away from the island. The amount of magic that it would take to see that far was too much.
When they asked around for a boat to take them there, they were further surprised to hear that none would take them. Apparently, rumors aplenty coiled around the island that they sought.
A towering structure in the heart of the island. Unnatural storms that churned endlessly. Sea currents that pulled ships into jagged rocks. Some swore they saw lightning strike the water repeatedly at night, without a cloud in the sky.
"At least that means that the mission's real." Gajeel said, arms crossed as his red eyes scanned the far-off shape of the island on the horizon. "The weather getting fucked up that much means there's plenty of magic at work at that tower. The bad kind."
"Agreed," Dannis murmured, wings folding behind his back. "We're heading in regardless. I can fly ahead, but I can only carry one of you."
"Don't worry about us." Levy said with a smile. "Solid Script: Boat!"
A small platform in the form of a boat made up of the words 'boat' was formed in the water in front of them. It floated above the water barely disturbed by the rolling waves.
"Damn." Dannis whistled. Even Gajeel looked impressed. "Can you keep it up until we make it there?"
"Yeah don't worry." Levy assured. "Words like this don't take much anymore and I can keep it relatively small since it's only me and Gajeel."
"This thing sturdy enough to take us all the way?" The Iron Dragon Slayer questioned.
"As long as you don't jump around too much," she teased. "Yeah."
They departed quickly. Dannis flew overhead, silent as a shadow with his black wings beating strong. The boat drifted below him, moving unnaturally fast thanks to Levy's control over the script. Within an hour, they reached the cursed island.
The island was small—maybe only three times the size of Magnolia—but dominated by the looming tower that jutted from its center. Its black, spiraling architecture stretched high into the sky like a dagger thrust into the clouds, casting a massive shadow that sprawled across the rocky terrain below.
"So that's it?" Gajeel said, his voice low. "Gotta say, whoever built this did it without the Magic Council even noticing. Hell of a feat for a bunch of Zeref cultists."
Dannis remained quiet, eyes fixed on the tower. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up.
Now that they were closer, he didn't hesitate.
His left eye glowed red, blood rushing to the surface as its cursed power activated. Time bent in his mind. Moments twisted and unraveled into threads of future echoes. The next ten minutes unfolded like a vision
And when it ended, blood slipped from the corner of his eye.
"Figures." He exhaled sharply, wiping it with the sleeve of his coat.
"Dannis? Are you okay?" Levy questioned with worry in her tone at seeing the blood.
"I'm fine," he replied, still focused. "My left eye allows limited clairvoyance. I used it to peer a few minutes ahead." He said, purposely undermining the true strength of his ability.
"So? What did you see?" Gajeel asked.
"This mission was a setup," he said flatly. "A trap. The request was fake. But we're not alone—Natsu's group is here too."
Gajeel's brow rose. "Salamander, huh?" His mouth curled into a grin. "Now that's interesting."
"So they want us here?" Levy asked, unease creeping into her tone. "Why?"
Dannis tilted his head slightly toward her. "That's what we're here to find out."
He looked back at Levy and noticed her hands tightening around her bag strap.
'She's nervous.' He mused before realizing. 'Ah right. This must be her first S-Class mission.'
"You'll be fine," he told her suddenly, "Stick with me, and if anything feels off, don't hesitate to use that brain of yours. Your magic's one of the most adaptable I've seen."
Levy blinked in surprise, before she smiled. "Right. Thanks, Dannis."
He nodded to her. " Even if it's a trap, it doesn't change the fact that the tower's drenched in dark magic. Zeref cult or not, there's something bad going on here. And now that Natsu's group is on-site? We've got backup."
Levy nodded with a little more confidence. "Okay. I'm with you."
"Same here," Gajeel added, cracking his knuckles. "Let's see what this twisted castle's hiding."
"Come on then." He said as he led the two to the entrance of the tower they could see in the distance. "Let's see what this damn tower has to offer."
There were a few guards at the doors, but they didn't last long. His blade flashed and they dropped instantly. Normally, he would consider using a more stealthy approach, but he didn't bother with it now since the owner of the tower already knew he was coming.
They arrived at a set of large double doors, to which Dannis looked towards Gajeel.
"Wanna do the honors?"
A fanged grin was his reply. "With pleasure."
With a grunt, he kicked the doors to the tower with as much force as he could muster. The result was the doors exploding open and flying off of its hinges. The broken bits of wood and metal crashed to the floor, scaring the guards and cultists near the entrance of the tower.
…
— Natsu Dragneel —
"Urrghhh…"
Natsu let out a groan as their boat thudded against land. His stomach turned, his head swam, and his limbs felt like jelly. He tumbled out of the boat face-first into the dirt with a solid thump.
"I hate vehicles…" he muttered into the sand, arms and legs sprawled out like a starfish.
"You say that every time," Lucy muttered as she crouched beside him, rubbing his back to try lessening his pain. "Try not to die before we get to Erza, please."
Gray hopped off the boat, landing with practiced ease, shaking the seawater off his boots. "Seriously, stop whining. We got here faster than we expected. Juvia basically turned the boat into a speed demon with that water magic of hers. We shouldn't be far behind them."
"Come on, Natsu." Lucy grabbed his arm and helped him up. "We have to save Erza and Happy."
"Yeah, don't worry. We'll make those bastards pay for kidnapping our friends!"
"Juvia believes that we might have competition with that." Behind them, the Rain Woman stepped gracefully out of the vessel, the water forming a path for her until her boots touched dry earth.
Natsu pushed himself up. "Huh? What do you mean?"
Juvia raised her hand and pointed toward the hill that led up to the heart of the island. "Because those three are here. They are already at the entrance."
Natsu and the rest followed her gaze and saw Dannis, Gajeel, and Levy walking through the destroyed entrance of the tower.
"Is that…Dannis and Levy? Gajeel too!" Lucy said, her voice tinged with disbelief.
"No way," Gray muttered, eyes wide. "Why are they here?"
"They must be here to help find Erza and Happy too!" Natsu said, fist clenching with renewed energy. "That means we've got backup!"
"I don't think so," Lucy replied, placing a thoughtful hand to her chin. "We haven't even told the guild about the kidnapping yet. How would they know? They got here too fast. It's probably just a coincidence. But…" she exhaled with relief, "if Dannis is here, then we'll definitely be fine."
Juvia shook her head. "Juvia disagrees. If a mage of the Black Blade's calibre is here, then the situation must be more perilous than we think."
Lucy instantly paled. "R–right. I didn't think of that."
Natsu didn't wait for the conversation to finish. With a sudden surge of motion, he bolted forward. "Then let's go ask them!"
"Natsu, wait!" Gray shouted. "You idiot! You can't just run into the freakin' death tower! We don't even know what's inside!"
"Well." Lucy let out a long, exasperated sigh. "So much for plans of sneaking in."
She glanced sideways at Juvia, who simply smiled.
"Shall we go?"
"Might as well," Lucy replied with a tired chuckle, then took off after the boys.
…
AN: And all parties have arrived in the tower. The next chapter should dive right into the thick of it.
Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Gimme your stones if you liked it please. Thanks!