There was a lot of aftermath to deal with. Mystogan needed to be found. Selene had been, as she put it “displeased”, by the anima being opened in an attempt to turn her into lacrima. As such she had struck at the machine. She would have killed them all, except for her recognition of Wendy’s nature as Grandeeney’s child. Arthur had called it right when he had suspected she wasn’t willing to mess up that plan when it still had a chance of bearing fruit.
She had sent the Earthlanders home. She had spared Mystogan and the exceed on the basis that they were obviously fighting the no longer functional automated defenses, along with Wendy. That and there had been a second anima sending something from Edolas to Earthland.
Still she had been unhappy, and as such she had teleported them into Elentear mostly at random. They were somewhere in Elentear. This wasn’t for the best, as Mystogan was sort of necessary. Arthur felt responsible to Wendy to bring Carla back. And Mystogan was a rallying figure who Edolas could accept and who was suitable for running a state. To maintain stability in Edolas he was ultimately essential; Selene’s creation of lacrima from her own magical energy was at best a stop gap and one which would force her back to Elentear quickly.
Second, Selene couldn’t pump magic into Edolas. Well she could, but it wouldn’t stick. In Elentear or Earthland the humans would absorb the ethernado and produce more. On Edolas only the exceed did that. Transplanting Alta Face - as the hands creature was apparently named - from Elentear to Edolas could potentially do the job.
Third, there was the exceed. He’d picked a religious front for Selene since it sort of made sense. She had the power to play a god, and it fit the persona of one who’d serve as a source of magic. But the exceed were the angels of God in this world, and while the God they served was if anything even more false than Selene, it still was definitely creating friction which would have to be resolved.
Then there was still the mess in Earthland to deal with, and the need to stop Grimoire Heart from causing Acnologia to attack Tenrou Island.
Faust was still alive. Though after handing him over to Selene, Arthur didn’t know what had happened to him. She said she’d deposit him where he’d never return. Arthur didn’t ask questions past that point.
And then there was the one Arthur couldn’t stop thinking about no matter how hard he tried. His missing hand. He’d only lost half of his tricep. But it was gone, and he wasn’t certain Wendy could heal it. If he ever got back to Earthland.
He was in a sour, and unhappy mood. There was a desire to brood that was overtaking him, and only growing worse as he was forced to sit through talks between her and Queen Shagotte of the Exceed.
He wasn’t a diplomat. He had skated by this far on pluck, audacity, and otherworldly knowledge of what Selene wanted. Thankfully all he had to do was stand there and look respectable; Selene was handling the negotiations. It felt like sitting behind a mafia godfather demanding protection money. Maybe encouraging a dragon to rule the world was a bad idea. But it’d been the only card in his hand at the time.
His hand. His missing hand. It was what bothered him most of all. He kept feeling like he should feel it. Like he could wriggle his fingers. It left him fidgeting. He’d got some really awesome armor. But he’d lost his hand. He was certain there was a point of view where he had gotten the better end of the deal. But he was quite literally missing a piece of himself.
And with hours of nothing to do he was left alone only with thoughts about that. He considered his territory magic. If he could somehow territory a hand into existence. Maybe Archive? No. Neither would work. He might create a manipulative force, some sort of telekinesis through a force-field waldo, but not a hand. He wanted to go and do something about his hand. Or rest. Just sink into a bed and sleep. Or deal with Earthland problems.
“My knight, here, will quest to reclaim those of your people who were lost in Elentear by my actions,” Selene said, waving towards Arthur. “Do not fear.”
Arthur straightened with a jolt. “What?”
“Of course, we can’t just abandon them to the monsters of Elentear,” She said.
“This is going to cost you one of your commands,” Arthur thought to her through his Archive’s telepathy.
“No it’s not. For your plan to succeed we need Mystogan back here,” She countered.
“It would be a travesty to abandon them,” Arthur said, even as he bickered with Selene mentally. “For my plan to succeed I need to go back to Earthland and strike at Grimoire Heart before it’s too late to get their knowledge. You have other servants who can do it.”
“I don’t keep useless things about. Besides I’m supposed to be teaching you moon dragon slayer magic. And for you to really understand my dimensional magic you need to experience other worlds. If you won’t follow my lesson plan I will not teach you.”
Arthur breathed a deep fuming breath. One which got the exceed to look at him questioningly. They were obviously missing something. Why was the knight so unready to go with the plan?
“He will be going immediately, in fact I will send him there now,” Selene said.
Arthur looked at her. “Shouldn’t I get the armor?”
“No,” She said with a smile. “It shouldn’t be necessary.” And telepathically he received a chilling message. “If the monsters of Elentear can kill you without it, you’re worthless to me. A student has to be able to pass his entry examination.”
Arthur wanted to swear. He had one hand. One. And he was exhausted. And now she expected him to go to a dangerous dimension effectively naked.
“Fine,” He said.
“Then let me show you all the magic of a god. Bring me a glass of water,” Selene said. She was going to show him her main dimensional transference magic: Aqua Aera, which used water as a medium to open a dimensional portal. And Arthur was going to open his archive fully to record every detail.
Arthur found himself in Elentear. It was, ironically, less alien and fantastic than either Guiltina on Earthland, or Edolas. The flora were more earth-like and less fantastic, there were no floating islands. It could have been a place on Earth.
Except for the feeling of being overcharged with ethernado. He could feel it filling him to the brim. It didn’t instantly restore his emptied reserves, but he was drawing in energy at several times the speeds he would in Earthland, much less Edolas. He could have summoned a host of Celestial Spirits, or Enif and multiple others, and still be recharging magical energy.
He was only going to go for two at the moment, though. Enif and Altair. They appeared almost before he pulled out the keys. And within moments they were going out, searching for Mystogan, Carla, and any signs of the exceeds.
Selene had returned to her temple in Elentear. She didn’t need X-Balls the way a normal human would; she had experience in the varying ethernado concentrations of different dimensions, and her body knew not to shut down her ability to tap into her origin because of environmental lack or excess. She even had enough ethernado to influence a world, but she still didn’t recover it as efficiently on Edolas and she had been making shows of her power, providing the planet with enough lacrima that it was certain to cause some distortion.
She wasn’t certain she would be returning to Edolas. Oh there was that deal she had made with the knight. Arthur he’d said his name was. It really did offer her several things she wanted. If he could keep up his end of the deal. She wondered about the armor he’d found. The armor she’d brought with her to Elentear. Was it made by the people of Edolas? Or did it truly not belong anywhere?
If he was telling the truth and he really was something that didn’t belong, then he really might be the distortion she was looking for. If nothing else the chaos that would result from moving Alta Face to Edolas should be entertaining. Though it risked her plans for Acnologia.
And that was the problem. Arthur was right on many of the things he had said. The need for the defense pact with the other dragon gods was abhorrent to her. But it was necessary. Acnologia was fuming in the south, unwilling to risk battling 5 dragon gods in alliance. Eventually he would take that risk. He was likely just seeking out some magical power which would allow him to do so. The dragon gods were doing much the same. Aldoron had abandoned the defensive pact to sleep, putting them all at risk. Ignia was plotting something. Vierres had disappeared. Only Mercphobia seemed to not be seeking some greater power for himself.
Eventually Acnologia or one of her peers would follow her across dimensions. It was within their power if they just bothered to learn the magic. The Law Dragon could do it even now, not that she feared him like the others. She could, and would, crush him if he tried anything against her.
Elentear was her bet. Between its high density of ethernado, and its high density of spirior, she had hoped to create a powerful crop of soldiers for her purposes. Humans had defeated the dragon empires of old. The dragon gods were mere remnants of what had once been. She had planned to copy the Great Traitor and use humans to build her own army.
Edolas had always been beneath her notice. But what she’d seen made her wonder. The magical tool that had opened the double anima gate, and the castle’s own transformation were impressive. Even if Arthur’s armor was an anomaly from outside, she’d seen the dragon chain cannon, the lacrima weapons, the ethernado collectors. It was humanity at its finest. If she gave them the resources; they might become more dangerous than anything that Elentear could provide. And they were eager for a god. They had worshiped those exceed for centuries, and while they chafed under them, they were for the most part tame and docile.
There was of course the danger of Faust. He’d been willing to genocide their false gods. But she had him here in her temple. And none of the remaining human leaders were as charismatic. His son, Mystogan, might be a threat. But Arthur was right, she didn’t want to deal with the business of day to day administration. The deal he had offered her was tempting. It’d make a nice retirement if he could oppose Acnologia.
If.
And it’d be a boring one. Acceptable perhaps. But a bit boring. Still it’d be a world where she could have whatever she wanted. She would have to consider it. But at the moment she was bored.
She turned towards her window for viewing the moon. It was always full here at Black Moon Mountain. Always night. Her magic had done it. It had taken quite a bit of time. It was a beautiful moon, but it was not what she needed. She let the window ripple and change, becoming a viewing portal with which to watch Arthur. She had to see what sort of distortion he was.
And for that purpose she would have to throw some hurdles in his path.
Arthur was regenerating magic while he was letting Enif fly free. It was a nice feeling. He wasn’t truly at maximum ethernado output, the amount he could pump into a single silver spirit was less than the amount he could pump out in total, but it was still well past his normal regeneration of magical energy.
Still it seemed like things were going to be quick. Altair had spotted a group of exceed roosting on a cloud. Arthur could be there as quickly as donning Enif’s star dress so that he could stay aloft.
His territory magic transported him an instant later, but Carla wasn’t there. The exceed began to glance at him, looking him over and muttering. They started to spread their wings, leaping from the cloud.
“Wait! Shagotte sent me to bring you back to Edolas!” He shouted. They paused, looking at him.
He could hear them whispering to each other about whether they could trust a human. “Any proof that the queen sent you?” One asked.
“No, she didn’t give me anything. But I am the only hope you have of getting back to Edolas as…” Arthur went silent as a giant hand smacked him through the cloud island.
It was not the worst thing. He could catch himself before he fell, and his territory impact had dispersed the force across itself. He was a little shaken, but his insides weren’t being splatted. Still it was one of Alta Face’s hands.
His territory explosion blasted the hand from the arm in a single deafening roar, as he flew upwards. Another series of explosions across the arm’s length reduced the hand of Alta Face into just a dissipated cloud of magical energy. The exceeds froze in their flight, and watched him.
Arthur saw the shadow above him, and dodged to the side, a second one of Alta Face’s hands had risen up, and a third, and a fourth. He was moving through the air with his star dress. It was so much easier. Even though he wasn’t fighting with a sword, the trained reflexes and speed that was required to match Erza’s was immensely useful for maneuvering in the air. And his territory magic worked overtime, wrapping each arm in explosions and reducing it to so much magical energy.
“Come on, let's get you exceeds back home, and I’ll go look for Mystogan and Carla,” He declared.
Selene had to admit he learned quickly. He managed to send the exceed back not only to Edolas but to their floating island after having only seen Aqua Aera performed once before. He’d also defeated five hands as if they were nothing. She considered. Perhaps she should have killed him in Edolas when he was tired.
No. He was dangerous to her, but any distortion she could use would be dangerous to her. He was far more valuable than any of the pawns she had been developing in Elentear.
But she still had to see if he was worth putting up with. Oh it wasn’t the demand that she taught him. Or that she would help Edolas. It just seemed like he would be an insubordinate little ass the entire time, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to put up with an onerous mule.
If he really was liable to defeat Acnologia, maybe it’d be worth it. But she needed something more dangerous than a mere group of hands.
She switched her portal to view Mystogan and the final exceed. They’d found a cave to hide in. Maybe she should make this more interesting for them, and Arthur. Still, she didn’t want them dead. It’d be inconvenient for her. No. She’d wait until Arthur was closer to them and could conveniently appear to save them. Still she had to wonder how long it’d take Arthur to find them.
The other exceeds had pointed him to where they’d been attacked and - well Carla had stayed behind to try and save Mystogan. He called Altair and Enif back to him then, and sent them off from there, but they had no luck. Still Mystogan couldn’t have gone far; the burns he’d suffered were pretty bad.
He’d summoned his nikora spirit. It had a good nose, and it knew Carla and Jellal. It thought it’d found their scent, but just ended up leading him into the woods and losing it. The sun had set, leaving him in the dark, wandering in the woods.
He seemed to be some sort of magnet for monsters as well. Giant spiders, giant snakes, and more kept attacking him. He was exhausted. He was consuming the darkness of the woods; where it was deep and dark enough for him to consume. It needed magic or intensity; thankfully Elentear’s nature ensured the former. It was all that was keeping him going after the blood loss of this morning and afternoon.
His arm hurt. He’d held it back with adrenaline at first. And then his body’s natural pain killers. But they were starting to fade. He needed to rest for several days really.
The nikora’s head rose. “Puru puru!” It’d found the scent again. Carla and Mystogan had hidden in a cave, but by the time he got there something else had as well. It was a troll, not that he knew it immediately. To him it was just a large, powerful, rocky giant. It was trying to get into the cave, or, failing that, bring the cave down on them.
Arthur’s magic teleported him into the cave, and then he took the other two and teleported them out. It was easy enough to avoid it.
Mystogan was not pleased with Selene’s new interference in Edolas’s affairs. But willing or otherwise he had to accept that the dragon god did what the dragon god wanted and that no one in Edolas was powerful enough to stop her.
Arthur for his part wanted to go back to Earthland. He had loose ends to deal with, and he wanted medical attention which Wendy was the best to give him that he knew of. This time Selene allowed it.
With his new knowledge of Aqua Aera reaching Earthland was easy enough. His reception once he had appeared in the royal castle was to a bunch of soldiers who wanted to have him arrested.
He cooperated. It wasn’t worth fighting them. He was soon awakened by Draculos being called, Wendy was reunited with Carla, and with the help of the castle physicians his arm was finally properly treated.
It was nearly dawn before he could get some real, proper, restful sleep.
When Arthur woke, well into the afternoon, he found that he was staying in the palace somewhere between ‘honored guest’ and ‘dangerous prisoner’. His freedom of movement was curtailed. But the king was also sending for people to have a prosthetic arm made for him, and he was allowed to talk to Wendy, Minerva, and to go visit the Oracion Seis. Their house arrest was somewhat less comfortable. They still had magic sealing cells, but they were better furnished, the food was better, and they were allowed out under guard.
Hoteye seemed to be accepting it easily. Midnight - MacBeth - was ready to complain his ear off. Still Draculos was putting in a good word for them. Their new hearing would be in 3 days; along with Arthur’s.
Draculos also got it cleared for him to take Minerva out of Crocus to teach her about magic and to practice on his own. Oh, he had to bring his guards with him, but, as Draculos put it, “The guards are just for show and monitoring. I, and King Toma as well, understand that if we clash with you, it will be closer to a war than fighting an individual. I have little doubt that even one armed you’d not find some way to surprise me and defeat me.”
Arthur had taken it with a smug smile until Draculos had added: “You killed Serena, didn’t you?”
“I teleported him from the castle before it changed to ask him to join me in saving the abducted individuals of Crocus. He tried to kill me with my own sword. He seemed to have decided that he could do what Selene is doing.”
Arthur had expected to be grilled for proof of this. Instead Draculos took it in stride and had grilled him on what exactly Selene was doing. And then he’d let him take Minerva out for some training and practice. Well, he invited himself along as well. “I get the feeling I could learn a thing or two about magical combat from you myself. So I hope you don’t mind me sitting in on the lesson.”
Draculos’s presence made the lesson more awkward. Arthur might have tried to ask her what had become of Serena’s lacrima through his Archive magic if Draculos hadn’t been there. But the Wizard God was the only person in Ishgar he really feared at this point.
Orion was inaccessible. He could maybe summon him without a key, it was an experiment he’d have to see about before going up against Grimoire Heart, but Arthur was still exhausted and didn’t want to strain himself thus.
Minerva kept staring at his new stump as if she couldn’t believe it. Arthur hated those eyes. They accused him of weakness, but mostly they just pointed out the absence. Still he had magic to test. He spread out his territory magic, creating little distortions of it all through the air. And his challenge to Minerva was to use her magic at all.
It was what the castle had done to him. At least in general principle. He liked to think he’d made some general improvements upon the basic theory. He would need more work, and it wasn’t good for his portal cut, but it was a means of spreading his territory to its maximum extent quickly, and then coalescing it where he needed it. Or using any of the little, microscopic particles of his magic as a portal for more of his space and magic.
He talked to her more than he used magic or sparred, though. He did summon his celestial spirits, he observed her with his archive, but he was not looking for a work-out here. He had too much to do. And then there was his arm.
Still Aries gave Minerva a good work-out, before he gave her a message to deliver to Scorpio and Gemini. Hopefully Angel would summon one and receive it.
The next two days were ones of medical care, rest, good food, and somewhat pampering. He was expected to keep the authorities aware of his general activities and location, and to allow knights to escort him, but he was otherwise mostly unrestricted. He got a chance to talk to Erza, and record her use of requip with his Archive. It was enlightening. He modified his technique. The change would not be too extreme but it would be noticeable. It took about an hour of work, and it had managed to check off another bounty in the process as well.
His shield was returned to him. It took them more than a day to find where Serena had ditched it, but the shield was given back to him. That was when he was fairly certain that Toma’s vote was for him. And so was Draculos. Who was against him?
And then came the new hearing. To Arthur’s relief it wasn’t actually about charging him. He was granted a pardon for any and all past crimes committed within Fiore on account of his great service. Draculos was less able to make such a blanket relaxation for the council, but existing charges were being dropped.
The Oracion Seis were given a choice. They could serve out their sentences, with reductions for their service in this time of disaster, or, in recognition of the great dangers they placed themselves under by continuing to fight against Edolas for the sake of the kingdom, they would be given the chance at a special form of community service. There was just the matter of Jellal. Gran Doma, who had been selected as the head of the reforming magic council even if he was not officially in power yet, considered it an unacceptable breach that he would not be made an example of. He argued about the need to restore the people’s faith in the council, and Jellal’s role in the previous council.
It was Draculos who arranged the backroom deal. Jellal would be given the same offer as Angel and Cobra; the chance to enter into the new Thunderbolts Program, but his identity would have to be disguised during it. The deal had other parts. The Thunderbolts would have 3 months to prove themselves. If they did not show significant results in that time they would have to serve time. Also, as the only individual who the Oracion Seis and the government could agree on, Arthur was expected to serve as their leader during that period.
It was this last that Arthur had to object to. He needed to get back to Guiltina after a month, which was seeming to be more and more something that just would not happen, and more pertinently he had promised Selene he would return to Edolas for training in 6 weeks. He could not guarantee his presence beyond that point.
Gran Domo objected that Selene was a myth. When Arthur volunteered to take him to meet her, but warned that it would likely incur her wrath, he accepted it.
Until Arthur’s 6 week deadline he would be leading Jove’s Thunderbolt as its interim guild master. And his first task was to find, and recruit Cobra, Angel, and Jellal.
Arthur met Jellal and Angel in Crocus later that day. They had snuck in during the aftermath of the Anima Incident. Gemini had even snuck into their hearing and observed it first hand. Meaning that Angel had added another case of abduction of a government official to her rap sheet, but also that she was prepared for what was to come.
It was Gemini who delivered him the note that said where she, and Jellal, were. An inn on the outskirts of the city. When Arthur arrived Angel was waiting there. She’d gotten a new, flashy, feather cloak, and an outfit which was practically a bikini. There was no attempt from her to hide who she was.
She was sitting in plain view, basking in the glances from other patrons. She was beautiful, and there was something glowing, and beaming about her that hadn’t been there before.
Arthur for his part felt like something the cat had dragged in. King Toma had provided him with good clothes. Honestly probably the fanciest suit he’d ever owned, even including his original life. But he didn’t feel it. Partially it was that having only one hand made things awkward, and the fact that it wasn’t his dominant one led to even more annoyances. He’d tried to open the door with his stump. That and having a sleeve awkwardly hiding a bandaged stump made him feel awkward.
Angel was waving him towards her. “So Gemini tells me you’ve got goo-” She cut off her eyes at his arm. “What happened to your hand?”
“War wound,” Arthur answered.
“War wound? Your hand is missing!” She said, reaching for his arm. She turned upwards a bit to look him in the face. “Gemini hadn’t mentioned that detail.”
“Can we not talk about the arm,” Arthur said. “I have something for you.”
“They got news of my sister so quickly?” There was pain and hope mixing in her voice. He’d asked the court to look into Yukino for her; Gemini must have informed her of that.
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Arthur shook his head. “No. This is more of a souvenir,” He said, letting the Astra weapon form in his hand. “It’s linked to the Celestial Spirits, I thought you could use it.”
“When they try to charge you an arm and a leg for a souvenir, Arthur, it’s not worth it even if you haggle them down to just an arm,” Angel said. She didn’t reach for it. Not yet. She was processing what she saw. No. She was processing what she had felt all through this.
“I didn’t lose my arm getting this,” Arthur said, then he flinched. He sort of had.
“You realize how worried I was about you?” She began. “You gave me hope and then you disappeared like that.”
“I delivered, didn’t I?”
“You got yourself arrested and put on trial twice. I didn't know if you were going to sell us down the river because we weren’t useful to you anymore or…”
Arthur dropped the golden staff on a table and placed his hand on her shoulder. “I promised to help you. This isn’t about the point or the bounties. If it ever was, it's not at this point. I wasn’t just going to abandon you.”
She moved forward then, arms wrapping around him. She was crying a bit, not that he could see, but he could hear it a little. “Jellal said you’d go to hell and back for us,” She said. “It’s because I’m beautiful, isn’t it?”
Arthur felt distinctly uncomfortable there. “That’s a loaded question,” He said awkwardly.
She gave him a smile, a playful look on her face. “I was just teasing. Answer like that and you’ll make a girl think it might be tr… It is, isn't it?”
Arthur’s face turned away flashing red. “I’m a guy. I have a weakness for beautiful women.”
“So why don’t you try anything?” She asked.
“I’m your parole officer.”
“I’ve not agreed to the deal yet.”
“That doesn’t make things better. I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
She giggled. “And this is why you’re just going to stay a virgin loser,” She said. “You’ll never get the dating bounty complete at this rate. Still I’ll go along with your little lightning bolts plan.”
“Thunderbolts.”
“Why are you so insistent on that naming?”
“Erm… because where I came from there was this story that had redeemed supervillains called that.”
Angel shook her head. “You’re a silly creature. Still, I’m glad you’re not dead, even if you did something stupid like lose your hand.”
“Where’s Jellal, anyway?”
She pouted, making a show of puffing out her cheeks. “You have a beautiful girl all to yourself and you want that pretty boy? You really know how to make me feel beautiful.”
“He’s been the most wanted man in the continent, I’m just a little worried about him.”
“I had him stay in the room. So we’re really getting back together sans Brain?”
“If we can find Cobra. Until we can it’s time to make a list of dark guilds to target. Angel… I want Grimoire Heart made a top priority.”
“We can’t handle Grimoire Heart. Out of the Balam Alliance it was the top guild. Even if you included Raven’s Tail it was the top guild.”
“I can defeat Scorpio without my magic.”
“You couldn’t do it with both hands, how am I supposed to believe you can do it now with just one?”
“I got some new skills while I was gone.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Fighting Scorpio without using his magic was not easy. The Celestial Spirit was holding back, but he was still strong, fast, experienced, and possessed some substantial magic. But Arthur was stronger, and now he was faster and more skilled.
The Oracion Seis, no Arthur should get used to thinking of them as the Thunderbolts, including Lilith, watched the battle. Jellal was not in attendance. He was being tested for veracity that whether he was possessed or not - they lacked the means to reliably test that - he was at least actually an amnesiac. The others were placing bets, and chatting, though there was definitely an awkward bubble around Lilith. No one quite knew why she was there, except that Draculos had insisted. There was an awkwardness around Minerva too; and unsurprisingly between the two of them. They weren’t the only onlookers. Wendy had come, as had Makarov Guild Master of Fairy Tail. There was even a growing contingent of knights.
By the end of the fight Arthur was tired and winded, his body exhausted. Arthur didn’t feel exuberant. He’d won but it was a hollow victory. He’d bought the skills, and the fight had brought home just how much he missed his dominant hand.
A dark rage had settled upon him by the end of the fight. A bubbling mixture of frustration, and what he personally identified as his dragon seed. Oh, he knew some of the rage came from him. They were probably torturing Jellal at that moment, at the least interrogating him. He didn’t like having to keep Lilith on the time; she’d attempted to kidnap Minerva, it was just asking for trouble.
Angel made a show of sighing as she approached. “You’re really hellbent on this whole death wish thing, aren’t you?”
“It’s not a death wish,” Arthur said in a tone that was harsher than it should be.
“Arthur, you managed to pick a fight with something that burned your hand off completely last time. You’re being reckless.” Her hand was on his shoulder - of what had been his dominant hand - as she looked at him imploringly.
“The agreement with the council demanded results. I’ve always said we’d have to do something like take down Grimoire Heart to make this work. With Cobra on our side we’ll be a team of 6, no, Jellal, Lilith,” his eyes flicked to Minerva. “Nine. We’ll be a good deal stronger than the old Seis.”
“And Grimoire Heart was massively stronger. We were enough of a threat that we might have taken out their Seven Kin of Purgatory, but that’s only one team that works for them. Out of the Balam Alliance they were the strongest.”
“That’s why it’s our big score,” Midnight, no MacBeth, said stepping forward. “And I mean if you don’t tell him what you know it won’t stop me from doing it. You always were a coward, Angel. Me, I always wanted to see if Grimoire was really as tough as everyone thinks.”
“I’m not a coward, I’m a pragmatist,” Angel said with a pout. “I don’t want to die when I have a real hope of meeting my sister again.”
“I don’t intend this to be a suicide mission,” Arthur said. “It’s one reason I need every scrap of info any of you can give me about Grimoire Heart.”
“Fine,” Angel said with another sigh. “Just we’ve got to be careful about how we actually do this.”
“She’s right about that, boss man,” Racer said, stepping forward. “Grimoire Heart is nasty, and wherever they go things get real brutal fast. They lack our sense of style.”
“The woman who was on the council with Jellal, the one pulling his strings, was one of the Seven Kin. We bring down Grimoire Heart and we might clear his name.”
“So what? Why should we care about that bastard?” MacBeth asked.
“Because he was running the Tower of Heaven. And she was running him. I don’t know how far back their manipulation of that goes; it’s entirely possible the entire Tower of Heaven was one of their schemes.”
That made them all stop. Except for Brain every member of the Seis had gotten their start as a child slave in the Tower of Heaven. Brain had made a deal with Jellal to get them freed as his personal enforcers and muscle squad, choosing them because - after Erza’s escape from the Tower - they were the strongest children there. The Tower of Heaven had destroyed all of their lives.
“If we can bring down Grimoire Heart’s airship with its records and information intact we might be able to learn their relationship to the cult of Zeref, and do an untold blow to its activities across the continent.”
“Shit, boss man, that’s…” Racer said. It was obvious that he was no longer on the fence about the mission. Neither was MacBeth or Hoteye. They wanted to go. Angel though shot him a withering look.
“Now, I need to take a shower, and lay down, still recovering a bit,” Arthur said. “Probably best everyone get back to their quarters in the barracks for now.”
The Thunderbolts began to disperse, but Angel followed him almost to the showers. It was only once they were alone that she spoke. “You’re bullshitting us,” She said.
“What?” Arthur asked.
“I know you. The Tower of Heaven isn’t your reason for wanting to fight Grimoire Heart. You didn’t have your normal embarrassment.”
“It’s true, though. I can’t remember the details, but Hades is a Zeref cultist, and Ultear manipulated Jellal into the recent incident.”
She looked at him. “Is it really true?” Arthur nodded. She looked at him, “But it’s still not your real reason is it?”
“Sort of kind of. There’s a lot of reasons. It started with the fact that it is a bounty,” He began.
“Knew it,” She said in a dark tone.
“But even then there was the hope that it would provide some sort of clue to fixing my guildmates,” Arthur could see her flinch at that word.
“I thought we were your guildmates now.” Her tone was bitter and jealous. Arthur hammered his hand through the wall leading into the men’s bath causing her to jump back.
“I promised them I’d help them. They helped me. I still have to repay them.” He wasn’t sure where his heart and loyalties lay. He’d stayed aloof with Diabolos, at least as much as he could. He’d always really intended to leave them. But some of them had made their ways into his heart. “I don’t think I can have guildmates anymore, regardless. Not while I’m indentured to Selene.”
“You’re still going to need to explain that to me in detail,” Angel said.
Arthur growled out a sigh. “Later. Let me finish answering your question first.”
“Sorry.” Angel’s eyes were scared. Something had changed within Arthur; she wasn’t sure what it was but it hurt her to see it. And made him scare her. It made her think of Zero.
“At this point the main reason for fighting Grimoire Heart is what MacBeth said. It’s the best chance to help you guys. No. That’s the secondary reason.”
“If none of these are the primary reason what is?”
“In 7 to 8 years time Zeref, and Acnologia are going to both try and destroy the world. In the manga they’re stopped, barely, due to a lot of coincidence and luck and things happening exactly as they need to be. But I’ve already been told this isn’t the world of the manga. It’s one on a more chaotic path. There’s no guarantee that they’ll be stopped, but Grimoire Heart sets those events into motion before the end of this year. I want to stop them before they do, and hopefully improve our odds of beating Zeref and Acnologia.”
Angel stopped and looked at him. There was a hesitancy in his voice. The little haltingness that came when he was serious about something he’d been keeping secret. “Why didn’t you tell me this?”
“I don’t know,” Arthur said. “I didn’t want to burden you with fear of the apocalypse. I will stop it. I will do what’s in my power to stop it. It’s why I’m stuck with Selene now. It’s more important than any promises I can make.”
“When you say apocalypse?” She asked.
“Zeref wants to erase history, rewriting the past, destroying the present and replacing it with something so radically different no one, at least no human, alive would be in it. Acnologia wants to become a god of space and time and destroy or torture everything ever.”
“Oh…”
“Can I take my shower now?”
She nodded gently, still somewhat numb and shocked.
Arthur wasn’t just taking a sower. He was fuming at his weakness. His stump. The fear of death that talking to Angel had torn the half-healed scab from. Acnologia was coming. He had no safety net. And he was broken now. Incomplete.
He hit the stall with his stump, sending a crack up through the wall, even as he grunted in pain. And then he held it out. He called his darkness magic to shape a dragon’s claw from darkness. It was in many ways a basic spell; darkness dragon’s claw was probably the second simplest spell for a darkness dragon slayer. But it was meant to wreathe a hand not create it.
The water that struck it was ‘destroyed’. Oh it was probably just turned to steam. It wasn’t destroying matter. At least he didn’t think it was. But his goal wasn’t a destructive blade in the form of a dragon’s claw. He willed it solid. He tried to cup a palmful of water with the darkness.
He succeeded. But it wasn’t as easy as he needed it to be. And it got harder. The more he worked to feel the darkness, to make it a true ‘hand’, the harder it got. He could feel the water in his palm. The unnaturalness of his long claw tips where he should have fingers. A hand of pure shadow held a palmful of water and he was exuberant.
And the moment he let that joy fill him his concentration broke. The hand didn’t vanish but the water did turn to steam as it fell through the destructive shadow. Still it was possible. He just needed to get it to be second nature to him like his territory armor.
It was then that he realized the short cut. He made the hand, the destructive claw of darkness, and he wrapped it in his armor. He’d not be able to feel as well, but he could move it like it was his hand. And his armor stopped it from destroying the knobs of the faucet as he turned off the water.
He’d keep working on it. But it was a start. And a good one at that.
When Arthur returned to his room he found Angel and a parcel waiting for him inside. He had been fairly certain that he left the door locked.
Arthur looked at her, half reclining on his bed.
“What took you so long in the shower? Were you thinking of me?” She asked in a playful tone as she sat up. She seemed more relaxed since the trial than she had ever before.
Arthur waved his stump. “Still getting used to clothing, and scrubbing and doing things with just one hand.” There was a bitterness in his tone, though the dark brooding anger of it was less. He’d made a hand of darkness. He could make himself whole again. It’d just take time and practice.
“Sorry,” She said looking down, even a little ashamed. “I wanted to talk to you.”
Arthur shut the door and looked at her. He could make a move. Did she want him to make a move? Was that why she was here? But did he have the right to? He was her parole officer. But only for 5 weeks. He was attracted to her. And she was here, in his room, waiting for him. Maybe she just wanted him to make a move?
“We should go after Death’s Head Caucus first,” She said. “It’s the strongest guild that was nominally under the Oracion Seis. It had some real monsters in it too. And there’s a good chance Cobra went there.”
“So that’s what you came here about?” Arthur asked and she raised her head and looked at him.
“What did you think I came here to offer myself up to you? Did you want me here so you could sweep me up in your arms and hold me close?” She laughed, sticking her tongue out. “Your face is so red. You really did hope for that.”She giggled a little more. “I thought it was best to discuss this in private so that it’d not come as a surprise or a challenge to your authority. You aren’t Brain. I don’t really think you have what it takes to lead a group like the Seis as anything more than a figurehead. Still, I think we need you. So I’m going to have to help you.”
“And you know where Death’s Head Caucus is?” Arthur asked.
“Racer might,” She said. “It was under Cobra’s command, but he ran deliveries. He probably has a decent idea at least.”
“Thanks, Angel. What’s the package?”
“Sorano, not Angel. We’re not the Oracion Seis any longer.” She was smiling at him. And again Arthur felt the temptation to sweep her up in his arms and kiss her. He didn’t. He didn’t need the mockery after all.
“Thank you, Sorano,” He said, and he thought he saw a faint blush on her cheeks.
“And I don’t know, it was here when I picked the lock. Came with a letter, but it looks like some kid wrote it, so I stopped reading it about two sentences in.” She held up the letter. The handwriting was barely legible, but given the princess was about 7 she had done well enough. It was a thank you for his actions in saving Crocus, and for only taking back his key and not taking any of hers.
Inside the parcel was a single silver key. Apparently acquired from a merchant out of the western continent.
“Why do you get given a silver key?” Angel asked with a face that said it was unfair. “You know, I could probably be more useful with it.”
“I just gave you a one of a kind celestial weapon,” Arthur sighed.
“Oh fine,” Angel, no Sorano, pouted out. “Going to have to show me how to use it sometime.”
The next day, Arthur played magical transportation for Erza, Wendy, and Makarov. Makarov gave him a portion of what had been budgeted for transport back, but it wasn’t why Arthur was doing it. He still wanted some of Gajeel’s blood. Besides, he had another purpose there.
He wanted to fight Team Natsu.
Natsu was excited by the idea. Gray undercut that by pointing out that Arthur had specifically included Erza, himself, and Wendy. Wendy was curious as to why. Erza was more than ready. Lucy was reluctant.
“You’re the strongest guild in Ishgar’s strongest team. I’m aiming for the title of Earthland’s strongest mage. I have to see how I shape up,” Arthur said as a lie of an explanation. “Besides, Lucy is another Celestial Spirit Mage and holds the most gold keys of anyone, I have to see how she can shape up. But…” A draconic talon of darkness formed from his stump, shadows arcing from it like lightning. “The difference in raw power makes one on one just bullying. Natsu is Igneel’s foster child; I want to see the power of the one chosen by the Fire Dragon King. Gray was taught by the greatest ice mage in living memory. Erza is Erza. And I want to make sure that Wendy is in good hands.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice to fight,” Natsu said with a grin.
“He wants to take us all on at once, Natsu, one on five,” Gray noted.”
“What? Where’s the fun in that? That’s not fair!” Natsu said.
“Do I need to tie one hand behind my back to even things up,” Arthur said with a shit-eating grin.
“We’ll do it,” Erza declared.
“W-w-what? But I don’t want to fight him!” Lucy said, only for Erza to turn an intense stare towards her.
“He made light of us and our guild,” She said.
“Actually I will readily admit you’re the strongest guild in the continent. Maybe even the strongest mage’s guild in the world. If you were weak there’d be no value in this,” Arthur stated. He didn’t want them too fired up. Once they had the power of friendship on their side he could say goodbye to any chance of succeeding on the bounty.
“Then what was that about one hand tied behind your back?” Erza asked.
“Oh, I was just saying that if Natsu was going to complain about me having an unfair advantage I’d hold back for him. I don’t really see why Natsu thought that, though.”
“Hey! I’m not scared of you!” Natsu said, starting to heat up - literally as well as figuratively. “I just want to fight you alone.”
“I fight you all. Your tactics are your own. If you want to draw lots and come at me one at a time that’s your business. But are we doing this?” Arthur asked, looking at them.
Natsu didn’t answer. He charged. A fire dragon’s iron fist swung for Arthur, only to miss by an arm’s length as Arthur teleported just out of range while requipping the ten commandments spear. It was in its base form as he spun it, hitting Natsu’s jaw with the butt of the spear.
Natsu’s combat instincts were excellent, though. He rolled with the blow, and counter attacked with a fire dragon’s roar simultaneously. Arthur appeared behind him sweeping his legs and then slamming him hard in the back of the head with the butt of the spear.
“Are we going to help him?” Lucy asked.
“Nah, let him get beat up,” Gray said, having stripped down to nothing but his shorts.
“I don’t see why we should,” Erza answered. “It’d not be a challenge if we all ganged up on him at once.”
“Please take this seriously,” Arthur said as he struck Natsu twice more. Keeping out of the mage’s range was hard, and he still didn’t have his darkness dragon’s hand down quite right. It was awkward for holding things, and he needed both hands to use his spear at full effectiveness.
“Hey! Don’t talk to them while you’re fighting me!” Natsu said, rising to his feet and unleashing a series of blows. Arthur’s territory armor took them all without difficulty and then the explosions began.
“Make me,” Arthur said. “I don’t think you can.”
“You’re not taking this seriously so why should we?” Erza said.
“Because I won’t until you do,” Arthur answered. “If I was really an enemy, you’d be watching Natsu die right now.” The explosions hadn’t stopped, with one hand he was hitting Natsu with one after another. Natsu could eat the fires of it, but it was the snapping force that was hitting him first, keeping him off balance. He was healing some of it, but not enough to keep it from whittling him down.
It was Gray that would cut it short. An ice hammer hitting Arthur and slamming him into the ground. “Sorry, Erza. But I can’t listen to this anymore. If he thinks he’s stronger than our team, I say we make him prove it.”
“That’s more like it,” Arthursaid rolling to his feet, his spear still in hand. His armor had taken the full impact. “You get serious and I’ll get serious. Can’t show more respect for a guild than not holding back.”
Erza smiled faintly, her armor shifting to her Heaven's Wheel Armor. Immediately blades began to fire towards Arthur. He deflected some, let others glance against his territory and he waited.
Natsu came at him from above and behind, even as Gray froze the ground beneath him. But he warped, switching positions with Gray and swinging his spear for Erza. Natsu and Gray were arguing, over the blow, but Erza had parried his spear, and began to counter attack.
Wendy and Lucy were still ultimately on the sidelines, as he began to duel with Erza. In skill he was her equal. He had the reflexes to match her. He had the magic power to make himself stronger than she was. She had both hands, but at the end of things he was edging her out.
She requipped. The silvery armored-dress of her Heaven's Wheel Armor was replaced with a light outfit of shorts and a bikini top, the latter bearing cheetah print. Pauldrons and greaves, also cheetah themed, covered portions of her arms, but the ‘armor’ such as it was was extremely light. He knew that it was her speed armor, granting her speed to overwhelm him.
Arthur had no idea how much magic the Ten Commandments Spear actually had in it. Unlike Earthland magic tools it wasn’t really holder magic; it didn’t draw on his magical energy, but an internal battery. He wasn’t sure how to recharge that battery though. Still win this fight and he should get 80 points. He just needed not to waste the energy of the spear needlessly.
He was tempted to switch it to a form that would use some of its power. To match her speed for speed. Instead he ignored her. He let her strike futilely against his territory armor while focusing on Gray and Natsu who had gotten themselves together for a counterattack.
His space formed around Gray’s body. It wasn’t in the proper configuration for a portal, but it held his arms back. He was heavily reliant on hand signs in his magic. Even as it did he swapped positions with Natsu.
Gray rolled with the blow from the spear, as Natsu took a blow from Erza. Arthur was about to follow up when the wind hammered into him. He was forced to reinforce his territory armor as the dragon’s roar sent him tumbling. Wendy had joined the fight. And he’d have to remove her first. It wasn’t her roar which scared him. It was her buff magic.
“You’ll not hurt him with that armor,” Wendy said. “Arthur’s magic is strong.”
“I’ve felt worse. This is nothing compared to Guildarts,” Natsu said.
Erza was silent. Arthur recognized the look, though. She thought Wendy was right.
A spear of ice launched into his armor while Arthur was distracted, a heavy hammer following, before a wall of ice formed around him. “Guys, don’t make me do this alone,” Gray complained.
“Ku~ maaaa!” A voice bellowed as Kochab appeared from his gate, fist already swinging towards Gray. The ice mage’s arms moved for a block, but Kochab sent him flying, tumbling head over heels across the ground to slam into - and through - a rock.
Wendy was at his side in almost an instant, as Erza rushed the bear. And high above the battlefield in his pegasus star dress Arthur observed the fight. Gray’s ice wall had given him the cover to escape. And a dragon of darkness rose up into Erza.
Natsu had spotted him, his exceed, Happy, lifting him up and starting to fly him towards Arthur. Explosions blasted the blue cat, sending him and Natsu plummeting towards the ground. Kochab was fighting Erza, Gray, and Wendy, and that was a battle he couldn’t win.
But he didn’t have to fight it alone. Even as Wendy was beginning to do her support magic, Caelum’s shot hit her. She doubled over, still standing - Caelum wasn’t shooting to kill - and Gray moved to protect her, creating an ice shield to stop the second blast.
It didn’t work completely, his magic being strained to just hold back the beam. Erza had to rush forward to stop the spirit, leaving Kochab unoccupied only for Lucy to summon Taurus the Bull to stop him. The minotaur was the physically strongest of the Celestial Spirits and it clashed with Kochab. But while the bull had superior base strength, the spirits were powered by their summoners. It’d have been a close fight before Edolas; Taurus might well have won.
Kochab and Taurus were still rather equally matched in strength. The pure magic hadn’t raised his stats. It had allowed him to be summoned in a superior form. Like he’d been promoted in some form of gacha and gotten access to new skills and abilities.
“Ku~mah!” The bear shouted as the honey pot container in its chest opened only to release a powerful beam. It blasted the spirit away with ease, though Kochab was left momentarily recharging.
But Arthur was back in the fight. Explosions blasted at Lucy, forcing Horologium out to protect her. It was only a distraction though. He’d surged down in his spirit dress striking at Wendy. Gray and Natsu both turned towards him, launching their attacks, and suddenly he’d swapped places with Erza.
Caelum, damaged by her assault, wasn’t out for the count. Its cannon flared even as Erza was teleported. It hit her even as she was staggered by their blows. She fell and Wendy rushed to her side, but another swap of position saw her take a spear to the diaphragm, jaw, then sternum and the little girl crumpled.
Caelum was repairing itself. Kochab was recharging. Natsu was already on him. He was raging. Arthur had knocked out Happy and Erza. That was a surefire way to get Natsu pissed. But he didn’t have the strength, not yet, to overcome Arthur’s territory armor outside of the dragon force. And Wendy wasn’t there to buff him.
Gray tried to help him. But the fight seemed all but decided. A surprise attack from Virgo from beneath allowed the fire and ice mages to hammer him hard, forcing him to switch his spirit dress from the speedy phoenix to the armored bear. But that was the end. Kochab slammed into Gray and brought him to the ground and climbed on him in something resembling a mount position and began hammering him into the ground. Caelum’s beam struck Lucy and knocked her to the ground. And Arthur took Natsu’s full dragon slayer combo, his territory armor reforming. And then he launched his own back.
Natsu dodged each blow, striking him in return, turning it against him and forcing him to the ground into a crater formed from his blows. Arthur roared, sending Natsu flying only to form a sphere of darkness magic around him and pull him into his dimension black. Twenty seconds later he released an unconscious Natsu.
Arthur had used more than he’d expected. He’d been pushing Caelum and Kochab to limits of energy which was normally only - wastefully - used for Enif. Still it’d been less than it would have taken him a week ago. Less than it took against Jiemma. He was a better combatant now.
He just had to wait for them to wake up. Though as he did he noticed something. Lisanna wasn’t there. He’d caused her to be left in Edolas. He’d have to fix that. Still the fight had showcased the danger of fighting as individuals. Sometimes they’d almost worked together. Erza had had a good sense of what her allies were doing, and Gray had had some. But it wasn’t enough. If this had been a real fight, if he’d been trying to crush their guild, had been really hurting people, they’d have had the power of the one magic behind them, friendship turned into a literal force to magnify their power several times over. Arthur didn’t have that luxury. He wasn’t a shonen protagonist, and his allies weren’t the main characters.
Arthur’s fingers played on his stump. He didn’t want to lead people to their deaths. His power didn’t make him invincible, and the Thunderbolts were even more vulnerable. All it took was one attack to change everything. He normally had his territory magic to armor him. But Sorano didn’t have that luxury. She was right that the team needed to train to be a team, and couldn’t just be loose agents.
He decided that he needed to make a stop on his way back to Crocus. One Aqua Aera gate later and he was in Edolas’s royal castle. Selene hadn’t been wrong about it being a much superior magic to the anima replication he’d created. The range was greater - he’d have had trouble hitting the capital from Magnolia with his anima - and cost was much much less. There were disadvantages - he needed water, and he wasn’t about to move a city’s entire population with it - but as long as he wasn’t playing mass dimensional transit it was the better spell.
Coco came running. She was the bunny-like girl who had cried over the corpse of the old chief of staff when he’d gone dragon. She did not like him, but Selene had kept her on, at least for now, to replace her boss. She knew the castle and the world, and she was an important key of power to keep the wheels turning.
“Selene would have words with you,” She said.
Arthur knew this was fairly likely. He’d only returned to get the black knight’s armor, and had hoped he could avoid Selene’s personal attention, but not only had he missed the specific room in the castle, she had obviously sensed his gate.
She was displeased when he reached the throne room. She was still dressed in the kimono-esque robe, and she looked strangely natural on Faust’s throne. Mystogan was there, a sour look on his own face. Arthur imagined Selene as Queen was not exactly the most pleasing situation.
“I should skin you alive,” She started, beginning a tirade of threats before getting to her point. “Never, never open a dimensional portal within Acnologia’s range again. He could feel it and if he does he may come here.”
“They were opening anima gates into Ishgar for almost a decade,” Arthur said.
“They weren’t a powerful dragon slayer. You go throwing your magic around and Acnologia might notice you. And I don’t think you’re distorted enough to beat him yet.” The look on her face was inhuman. It felt like her face had half-extended, changing towards the snout of a fox or a dragon, her eyes twinkling with malice.
“I still need to get back to Ishgar. If I’m going to stop him, preventing the clash between Fairy Tail and Grimoire Heart is essential; they’ll rile him up even if I don’t.”
“Go through Guiltina. He doesn’t get close to there,” She said dismissively, and then proceeded to return to chewing him out, and interrogating him on why it was so important to stop the clash. She accepted his reasoning once it was stated 3 of the 5 children from Igneel’s plan were part of Fairy Tail and he would try to kill them if they had the greatest magical clash of the century.
Still if he was going to have to go through Guiltina, he was glad he brought the ice (magic) box and blood samples from said three. He might as well stop over in Diabolos and tell them what’s going on.
And there was someone else he needed to talk to in Edolas. It was going to be awkward. He was a stranger bearing news he wasn’t given from her older siblings, but Lisanna ought to have the chance to go home at least.