656"The ocean!" Natsu declared as he barreled towards the water.
"Last one in's a rotten egg!" Gray was hot on his heels.
The two of them kept engaging in all sorts of contests; swimming, eating, sun tanning, even building sand castles. It was amusing to see them act like children who've never experienced the beach, but I sighed slightly. I'd hoped that they'd get straight to training, but they were insistent on having 'fun' first.
Ymir and I sat near Lucy, who was smiling as she laid on a towel, soaking up the sun in her bikini. Ymir wore a sundress, and though she and Lucy went shopping for a swim suit, I doubt she'd get in the water.
Does she even know how to swim? I suppose that's another thing I can teach her.
To avoid causing a scene with the public, I've shrunk myself to the size of a small cat. I figured that seeing a small lizard that acts like a pet will cause less panic than seeing a large-winged reptile big enough to bite someone in half. With my MP regeneration rate, maintaining this form with Alter Size is no big deal. It doesn't even drain my reserves.
Maybe I should look into other ways to disguise myself…
I stood on Ymir's shoulder while the others were goofing around on the beach, and was instructing her on the techniques she'd need while meditating.
"So how will this help me learn magic?" She asked as I finished my explanation.
"A phenomenon we call ethernano is naturally absorbed into the body," I stated, "Which gives rise to arcane energy, which is the energy used to power spells. Learning to shape this energy with your mind and body is how spells are cast."
"So absorbing this energy is what gives people magic?"
"Essentially, yes," I nodded, "Meditating enables you to synchronize with your environment, expands your senses, and thus starts the process that enables your body to increase its capacity for ethernano."
I leapt off her shoulder, then turned to face her again, "Find a secluded place to practice for a while. I'll monitor your progress."
"Okay," Ymir nodded. She rose from the sand, turning to Lucy, "I'm going to go practice; I'll meet you at the room later."
"Sounds good," Lucy smiled, turning to me as Ymir walked away, "Doesn't she already know magic? How come you're going over the basics with her?"
"She…didn't obtain her power through normal means," I explained, "And she can only take on that gigantic form you witnessed. She wants to learn more so she can qualify as a wizard, and officially join the guild."
"Really? That's awesome!" Lucy grinned, "She'd make an amazing member!"
"I agree," I nodded, "Which is why I'm helping her with magic."
"How do you know so much about magic and meditating, anyway?" She asked, thinking back to the explanation I gave Ymir.
"I read a lot of books after you all disappeared," Was the explanation I gave, and it's true. Study and practice is how I learned about how magic works in this world.
"Dang…I always knew you were smart, but that's…crazy," Lucy looked up at the clear sky, "My mom was the one who taught me, and it took me a while to learn anything. You must be some kind of genius; And you're a freaking reptile!"
"I won't claim to be any kind of genius…" I grunted, "I've made more stupid decisions than I care to count."
"Still, knowing enough about magic to teach it is impressive," Lucy countered with a slight smile.
"I'm no teacher, but I'm confident enough to teach the basics," I replied. I wonder if there's a teaching skill I could acquire… "But yeah, I know a thing or two."
My Meditation skill is maxed out, so I'm experienced with that, if nothing else.
"Considering Natsu raised you makes it all the more impressive. Say…I've been thinking," She said slowly, "I always seem to run out of magic at the worst times…Natsu and I would've died if you and Ymir hadn't shown up when you did at Tenrou, or wherever we ended up. I'm going to have Capricorn help me increase the amount of power I can use, but do you think you could help me out as well?"
"I can do that," I gave her a small nod, "Just let me know when."
"Thanks," Lucy smiled at me, before she tilted her head at my smaller form, "Ya know, you've changed a lot from the cute little lizard that clung to my shoulder."
"Seven years is a long time," I nodded, smiling slightly at the memories, "Though I suppose it's really only been about three years for me, and a few months for you."
"Yeah…" Lucy trailed off again; She looked up at the sky with a sad smile, "It's been so long…"
"ICE MAKE, OCEAN!" Gray suddenly shouted in the distance as a blanket of cold froze the sea solid.
"FIRE DRAGON WING ATTACK!" Natsu's flames blossomed on the horizon, melting and shattering the ice. The resounding explosion sent large chunks of said ice flying over to the shore line.
People began screaming and running to avoid being hit with the frozen debris.
"Those two…" Lucy slapped her forehead.
"Never a dull moment," I smiled as I raised my talon. Time to see how far I can push my new Arcanomancy magic.
Red orbs of pure magic power materialized as I raised my talon. My eyes darted back and forth, memorizing the location and size of each chunk of ice as it fell from the sky.
I launched the orbs with all the force I could give them. I felt the drain of my MP as each orb hit its target, decimating the frozen onslaught. A few of the smaller chunks made it through, but I destroyed the bigger ones.
Natsu, Erza, Gray, Wendy, and the others destroyed the smaller chunks, and as a result, the beach and its commodities remained undamaged. That's one repair bill Fairy Tail won't have to foot.
"Woah…" Lucy looked down at me, "Is that your magic? It's not bad!"
"Thanks," I responded as I lowered my talon, bringing the subject around, "Now then, better get to training. These four months will be over before we know it."
"Let's do this," Lucy stood up as she brandished Capricorn's key while I took to the sky.
I'm going to spend the first few days observing everyone. After I've evaluated their magic, their training methods, and their techniques, I'll be…putting them in certain scenarios. They need to be stronger. We all do.
I don't know how the Grand Magic Games will go. So far, we haven't deviated from canon events very much, but as more time passes, I can't exactly rely on any meta knowledge I have, as useful as it'll still be.
Which is why, during the nighttime while everyone rests, I'll focus on leveling up myself. I haven't explored this side of Fiore too much, so there should be dungeons lurking around here somewhere.
I'll make sure we're ready for the battles to come. The upcoming dragons we'll face worry me. Seven isn't much in the grand scheme of things, but it was enough to overwhelm everyone when it happened in canon. They're dragons for crying out loud!
Not even Laxus left so much as a mark.
Although, I may be able to stop the dragons from showing up to begin with. All I have to do is find the future Rogue…maybe even destroy the Eclipse gate early? I don't know how I'd do it, but it's possible.
I could find the future Lucy and work with her, if it comes down to it…gah, thinking about it all makes my head spin.
Darn time shenanigans.
Regardless of everything, I have to make sure we get stronger as individuals and as teams. Even if we don't end up facing seven dragons later on, there's always Acnologia.
Quest Received!
How to Train Your Fairies
Objectives:
Ensure the Fairy Tail wizards breach level 150
Successfully instruct Ymir in magic
Rewards:
250,000 XP
Skill Orb: Teaching
3 Gacha Tokens
Time limit: 2,919 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds
Quest Received!
How to Train Your Dragons
Objectives:
Ensure the Dragon Slayers breach level 175
Ensure the Night Furies breach Level 150
Rewards:
250,000 XP
Unique Skill Orb: Dragon Slayer Magic
2 Gacha Tokens
Time limit: 2,919 hours, 59 minutes, 58 seconds
Quest Received!
Solo Leveling
Objectives:
Level up 50 times
Obtain 3 new Skills
Level your current skills up to a total of 50 times
Rewards:
250,000 XP
250 Stat Points
?
1 Gacha Token
Time limit: 2,919 hours, 59 minutes, 57 seconds
Woah…250,000 XP is around twenty-five levels…if I complete all three of these, I'll gain a minimum of seventy-five levels. Not to mention the 50 level ups from the first objective of the Solo Leveling quest.
And I'm sorry, a skill orb for Dragon Slayer Magic? That makes absolutely no sense…Dragon Slayers learn their magic from dragons. It's literally just humans wielding magic given to them from dragons. I'm already a dragon! Any spell I cast already has draconic properties!
Right…? I'll have to look into this more later.
Doing the math in my head, the amount of time that time limit gives me is just under four months. Not a second to lose, then.
And what's with the Solo Leveling quest having a hidden reward? Hold on…
Hidden.
Could there be hidden objectives in all three quests? If the pattern continues, then yes, there absolutely will be.
A faint magical presence made me pause in the sky, interrupting my thoughts. I abruptly came to a halt, flapping to keep myself hovered in the air.
Following the strange presence, my eyes trailed upon the beach until I saw a young girl with long blonde hair. She sat in the trees, her legs swaying back and forth.
She paused, looking up as she noticed me staring. She gave me a smile and a wave.
Looks like Mavis Vermillion has shown up.
"Man, I already feel stronger!" Natsu grinned as he pumped his fist. They were walking back towards the cheap hotel they booked, preparing to rest for the night after their first day of training.
"I can't believe we've made so much progress on just the first day!" Lucy smiled as she walked beside him.
"Don't get too complacent," Erza also had a small smile, "This is just the beginning for us."
"We know," Gray nodded, "It's just nice to see so much progress already."
"Aye sir!" Happy declared.
"By the way, where's Ymir?" Levy asked, "Isn't she staying in the same room as us girls?"
"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her since the beach this morning…" Erza responded.
"She went to meditate a while back," Lucy said as she looked back over to the forest near the beach, "I think Kilgara went to go get her."
"Dang, she must be working hard!" Natsu said, as he looked over the dark sky, "Her magic is already crazy! I wonder what her training will be…"
"You mean her gigantification magic?" Erza asked, "I suppose practicing that near town would be rather inconvenient."
"It sure would," Lucy cupped her chin in thought, "Although, I hesitate to call it gigantification," She thought back to the towering giant that saved her and Natsu in that weird portal thing, "It's more like a transformation…but anyway, she's actually looking to learn new magic."
"Like a whole new branch of magic?" Gray raised a brow, "That won't be easy. It usually takes years to learn a new kind of magic, much less master it."
"I don't think she plans on becoming a master in four months," Lucy rolled her eyes as she smiled, "She just wants to diversify herself. It'll definitely make it easier to practice magic, since she won't have to turn into a giant to use it."
The thing that she becomes…it reminded Lucy more of a monster than a giant. A massive feminine form, with protruding ribs and a skull face with blonde hair…
She was snapped from her thoughts when Natsu commented, "I just can't wait to see it in action again! I wouldn't mind challenging her to a fight sometime!"
"Maybe when we want a mountain destroyed, sure," Lucy rolled her eyes.
"Is her magic really that powerful?" Wendy asked, wise to how strong Natsu already is, "Would a battle between him and Ymir really destroy a mountain?"
"I'm…not actually entirely certain, but her magic is impressive," Lucy tapped her chin before stretching, "But for now let's get in the room and relax! I can't wait to try out the hot springs!"
"I just hope there's food!" Natsu started drooling.
"Maybe we'll even celebrate our training with a drink…" Erza said under her breath as she thought out loud.
Ymir's really determined.
I located her in an isolated area near a cliffside. She chose a place to meditate that's near the shore. I found her on a plateau overlooking the sea; the ocean was getting darker as the sun went down, but it painted a beautiful picture nonetheless. I see why she chose it.
She was fascinated by the sea. When we arrived at the beach earlier today, she spent a good moment looking out at the horizon before asking me about magic training.
Currently, she sat a ways away from the edge of the cliff, her eyes closed as she strained to keep a meditative pose.
"Have you eaten anything yet?" I asked, making her jump.
"Wha-! Oh," She sighed, relief flooding her as her hand hovered over her heart, "You've really gotta stop scaring me like that…"
"Apologies," I bowed my head slightly, amusement in my eyes, "I'm impressed with your determination; but while meditating you must keep your mind open to your surroundings. It's not just about sitting with proper posture while your eyes are closed for long periods of time. You must learn to feel the world around you; in a way, it is learning to see what you are looking at without physically seeing it."
"...Huh?" She blinked at my explanation.
"You'll understand, I promise," I smiled, "Now how about we get you to the inn? We'd better hurry before the food is gone."
Ymir's stomach grumbled, causing her eyes to widen as she blushed, "Good idea…"
I chuckled as I leapt on her shoulder, "After you."
How did this slip my mind…?
As she opened the door to the room at the inn, Ymir stood with a mixture of shock and confusion plastered all over her face as she watched the scene before her.
I just smacked my snout.
The girls got drunk and the boys were suffering for it.
Erza, the angry drunk she is, was torturing Jet and Droy. Wendy was passed out (why'd they let her drink again?). Carla was being mean to Happy and declaring him her personal horse (shouldn't she know better than to drink like this?).
Levy was laughing her butt off at everyone, without a care in the world as she giggled between hiccups. Lucy was…flirting (question mark?) with Natsu and climbing onto his back. Juvia was…melting as she did her best to envelope Gray in her…water. Yeah…uh…kinky, I guess?
Ya know…I'm just gonna go look for dungeons.
"I've got stuff to do, so…good luck," I flashed Ymir a thumbs up, before dashing down the hallway.
"Hey-wait! Kilgara!" She huffed at me.
"You wanna join the guild? Then you've gotta get used to this!" I called out behind me, grinning as I flicked my tail.
"Then why are you running from this…" I heard her sigh as Levy came up to her.
"C'mon-hic-Ymir! Let's play!"
I smiled to myself as I leapt outside, taking off into the sky.
The Young Apprentice sighed as he opened the door to his new bed chamber, which was more like a dorm room than anything else.
He sat on his cot as he took a deep breath, his body sore from the day's activities. He looked over at the cot next to his, where his fellow apprentice slept.
She was breathing evenly, which was a bonus. He knelt next to her, hovering his hands over her head as he prepared to perform another healing spell.
They weren't his forté, but he'd gotten better at them due to having performed them on her every night since what was essentially the apocalypse.
As he chanted the incantation, his mind trailed over all that had happened.
Months have passed since the fall of the Kingdom, the fall of his homeland. The dragon and the skull giant decimated the capitol, thousands died, and the military was ruined.
There was no order, only chaos, since the dragon attack. All the royal family and central nobility had been killed or gone missing.
The Younger Apprentice barely managed to keep him and the Elder Apprentice alive. The barrier he cast after the manifestation of the "Skull Giant" and his master's nuclear spell barely kept them safe from the debris and fire that reigned destruction upon his people.
The people of the Kingdom, those few who still lived, were divided and thrown across the world by now. Citizens of a once great nation, were now reduced to nomads.
Several of the regional nobles formed together in their factions to create what were essentially tribes, but they were largely absorbed into neighboring nations that were once vassal states of the Kingdom.
It was not a peaceful transition, and some were still at war. Once news had spread, those vassal states, now independent nations, immediately converged on the fertile land of the capital to claim it for themselves, though due to the massive magical explosion insured by the late Archmage, the land itself is currently volatile and will be unlivable for years to come.
The Younger Apprentices' muscles tensed at the memories, the memory of the real dragon invading the castle.
He finished his incantation, and the Elder Apprentice breathed deeply in her sleep, her unconscious body slightly relieved once more of pain.
She had taken a hard hit. She's been comatose ever since. Magic and luck were the only things keeping her alive.
After the attack, he had dragged her body away from the chaos of the ruined capital city, and traveled for days afterward, constantly using his feeble healing spells to keep her alive. His restoration magic has definitely improved since then, but it still wasn't enough.
He looked around as he sat back on his bed, which was made of straw in contrast to the mattress he scrounged for her. Luckily, the…people they were with allowed her more comforts due to her condition.
Those people were known as The Sages.
The Young Apprentice still couldn't believe his luck. Weeks after the fall of the Kingdom, he had collapsed from exhaustion. During his exodus, he'd resorted to pulling the Elder apprentice in a makeshift handcart filled with grass that he put together, and after being lost and unable to hunt or track down food for so long, he thought they were going to die; starve to death, lost in the wilderness.
But just as he lost consciousness, footsteps had approached him.
He later woke inside the very room he was in now.
The Sages had brought him and his fellow apprentice to their Monastery, high up in the peaks and sea-stacks of the Misty Mountains.
After he was nursed back to health, and after getting a proper diagnosis for his fellow apprentice, he got down on his knees, begging to be trained by the Sages.
The warriors they produced were the stuff of legend, and it was said that an ancient magic protected their monastery from being found by those they didn't wish to find it. It was the perfect place to train and learn.
The Archmage had told him of the Monastery before, but he didn't believe it existed. Until now.
The warriors they produced were called Ninja, and now, weeks after being rescued by them, the Young Apprentice was once again a pupil of the mystic, and now physical, arts.
Soon, he will learn to harness the energy a Ninja wields. He will heal his friend, the Elder Apprentice. And once she is cured, he will learn to kill monsters. Utilizing the magic his master taught him, and the martial and mystic arts the Sage's are teaching him, he'll hunt.
And though it may cost his life, he'll slay a dragon.
He went over to his small desk, which was little more than a table. He began pouring over the various scrolls detailing different techniques he planned to learn.
One in particular had caught his attention, and it was the one he was reading through now.
A scroll of Sealing Arts, known as Fūin gijutsu in the Sages' native tongue.
It was nearly dawn by the time I returned.
Everyone was still asleep as far as I could tell. I landed on a nearby tree, my size still shrunk down. I let out a sigh as I stretched, arching my back and extending my wings and tail.
The night had been fairly productive. I only gained eight levels, but even from those meager eight, I gained 80 INT, 64 WIS, 48 CHA, along with 16 END, STR, and DEX. Ultimate Class stat gains along with Racial stat gains are no joke!
I only found three common and uncommon dungeons, but I covered quite a bit of ground. I know where not to look now. Tier 3 wings on top of Tier 3 flight has made traveling the country a walk in the park! My speed in the air is insane; if I didn't know any better, I'd say I've got a bit of sky dragon blood in me.
"Well, hello there little one!" A soft feminine voice sounded behind me.
"Hello, little illusion," I responded as I turned to see Mavis sitting on a branch above me, "I was wondering when I'd meet the guild's first master."
"So you do speak," She tilted her head, her smile never wavering, "And you know who I am?"
"I've spent a lot of time in the guild's library," I clarified, "It would be unbecoming for me to be ignorant of my guild's own history. Though I won't claim to know how I'm able to see a ghost."
"You're certainly not what I thought you'd be!" Her grin widened as she listened to me, "But I won't say it's not an unpleasant surprise. I never thought I'd see a dragon in this era again, much less learn of its association with my own guild."
"Again…?" I raised a brow before remembering, "Ah, you're referring to the blue skeleton you and the other founders fought, right?"
"You are well learned indeed," Mavis nodded, "While that creature was technically dead, it was still one of the strongest magical anomalies I've witnessed. I can't help but be curious as to what other wonders your kind is capable of."
"I'd like to know that myself," I said, "I'm still unsure of my own origins," Outside my reincarnation, that is. I still have a draconic heritage to track down.
"I sensed you on Tenrou Island," I changed the subject, "You were the one who cast the Fairy Sphere. What other magic are you capable of?"
"You're quite perceptive then," Mavis nodded as she smiled, "Yes, it was I who was able to enact the spell. Though I only made it in time because of the strange magic that now lies within their guild marks."
She looked at me, an inquisitive gleam in her eye as I felt her…sense my own magic. Huh. Didn't know I could do that. I can tell when someone "looks" at my own magic.
"Were you the one who enchanted their marks?" She asked me.
"Yes," I clarified, seeing no reason to hide it, "I can be clingy. I feared for their safety, so before they left, I did what I could to protect them."
"I see," She turned to look at the inn where Natsu and the others slept, "It's a good thing you did. Acnologia would've killed them if you hadn't."
"What?" I blinked, "Weren't you the one who protected them with your spell?"
"Yes, but I didn't have access to the power necessary to activate such a demanding barrier," Mavis clarified, "The only reason I was able to was because of the power you stored in their emblems. Acnologia's attacks were swift and fierce."
A somber look came over her as she closed her eyes, bringing a hand over her heart, "The power that dragons hold…It makes me grateful to see my guild allied with one, even if it's young."
I turned my head back to the inn.
I had no idea they came so close to death. Acnologia nearly killed them? What the heck happened to the 'power of emotion and friendship' thing?
I can speculate later. The only thing that matters now is getting everyone stronger. In light of this new information, I'll have to move my plans up further.
Tomorrow, the dragon slayers will learn to become their namesake. All I need to do is track down Gajeel. Which Luxion was already doing.
"Master Mavis?" I inquired.
"Hm?" She smiled at me.
"Will you teach me the magic you know?" I asked, "You were known as the Fairy Tactician, and you were the First Master to one of the strongest guilds in history. Even if it's only a simple demonstration, I know I'll be able to learn a lot from you. Will you indulge my request, and teach me?"
"My, my, I certainly didn't expect this," Mavis looked surprised for the second time tonight, "You certainly are not what I anticipated you to be. Sure, I don't mind teaching you a few things. Though your magic is already fairly powerful; I didn't expect one so strong to be this eager to learn new things."
"I may be an anomaly among my kin," I shrugged, before bowing my head, "Thank you for your willingness."
"It's my pleasure," Mavis smiled, "Just come to me when you want to begin."
"I will," I responded, nodding my thanks again before diving off the tree, swooping into the inn.
Unbeknownst to me, Mavis continued to sit in that tree, the gears in her mind whirling at an astounding pace.
"This will certainly be interesting."
Natsu stretched as his body stirred awake. He took a moment to revel in the cool grass that he found himself in, sighing with pleasure at getting such a good night's sleep.
Hold up…His eyes shot open, coming face to face with the bright morning sky. Not the ceiling of their hotel room. He bolted upright and looked around, finding himself in a large clearing of grassy hills and large, stand-a-lone trees.
"What the heck…?" He rose to his feet as he rubbed his eyes, "Did I sleep walk or something?"
"Gah!" A deep voice called out, "Salamander! What the heck are you doin' here?"
"Wha-? Gajeel?" Natsu pointed an accusatory finger at him, "What the heck are you doing at the beach? Have you been following us?"
"Of course not!" He shouted indignantly, "And this ain't the beach! You're the one following me!"
"Huh?" Natsu looked around again, before inhaling deeply. Yeah, this smells nothing like the beach…
"Natsu? Gajeel?" The young, feminine voice of Wendy rose up, "What's going on?"
The Fire and Iron Dragon Slayers turned in her direction, before Gajeel spoke up, "The heck? You followin' me an' Lily too?"
"Huh? No…" Wendy shook her head and waved her hands, panicking and speaking very quickly, "I went to sleep at the inn and…now I don't even know where I am! It doesn't smell like the beach at all and Carla and the others are missing!"
"Woah, slow down, kiddo," Gajeel said, taking in their situation, "Come to think of it, I don't smell Lily anywhere, and I don't recognize this place; it ain't the mountain we were trainin' at."
"Were we…kidnapped or something?" Natsu's brows furrowed together, "Damn it! I'm sick of getting teleported places! HEY! WHOEVER DID THIS BETTER COME OUT, RIGHT NOW!"
Wendy plugged her ears at Natsu's yell, while Gajeel, whose senses had more tolerance, just said, "Pipe down, Salamander. Yelling ain't gonna do us any good."
"I don't see you comin' up with anything better!" Natsu yelled back.
"Shut up and fight me, moron!" The two of them butted heads as they started swinging their fists at each other.
"Please stop fighting-" Wendy started before a rumble made her pause.
A sudden, and fierce roar caused Natsu and Gajeel to freeze as they were tackling each other, while Wendy's head whirled around.
A large, fifty-foot reptile with powerful legs, large teeth, and small arms was charging at them.
"No way!" Natsu and Gajeel cried out, "Is that a feakin' dinosaur?!"
Wendy just gulped as the large Tyrannosaurus charged them down.