WebNovels

Chapter 30 - Chase

"He's alive… What ridiculous luck." A man with medium length gray hair was currently observing the family at the distance. He was wearing a gray collared shirt and black pants, alongside a guild mark on his left shoulder.

If one looked closer on his figure, they would notice lingering streams of transparent energy similar to that of mist. His eyes narrowed as he contemplated on what to do next, since there were fellow wizards who were probably assigned as guards.

He glanced at the spot on where they were resting, but froze as he noticed their disappearance. Faint rustles were approaching closer towards his location, instantly alerting him to fully activate his magic afterwards.

"Found ya!" A pink-haired young man appeared with a flaming fist that was ready to knock anyone out. Natsu applied his fire on his feet to swiftly dash towards the intruder in explosive fashion.

"How the hell did they sense me---!"

BOOM!

A resounding blast echoed throughout the tranquility of the forest, attracting the attention of the family and even some villagers below the slope.

Trees fell down or shattered in succession, showcasing the usual scene of destruction thanks to the dragon slayer who was a bit too eager.

"Hm?" Natsu missed his strike as the man vanished within the cloud of smoke. What followed were small trails of mist that floated around peacefully. "Tch! He dodged then went poof!"

Kagura and Happy arrived just as he initiated the offensive. The swordswoman sighed in exasperation. "Natsu-san, we had the element of surprise."

"It's just Natsu being Natsu." Happy stated as he was already used to his partner's gung-ho approach.

"Err… sorry about that, from the way he looked, the guy was probably being careful to not get caught." Natsu saw the man glanced at the place they were previously staying at, so he might as well go for the knock out.

"It's fine, I understand your reasoning. But we need to search for him now." Kagura scanned the area for clues, pausing her gaze as she observed the mist that was out of place under this sunny weather.

"That won't be a problem! His scent is still here, meaning he never really left." Natsu tapped his foot on the solid ground. "Hehe, if he ain't out in the open…" He clenched fist as he aimed downwards.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, it's useless." A voice interrupted the dragon slayer, making him stop at the right moment. The trio heard the sudden sound that echoed from everywhere, yet his figure was nowhere to be seen.

"Hah!? Were you just a damn ghost or something!? How can I even hit you if that's the case!" Natsu's eyes widened incredulously, crossing his arms as he brained stormed strategies to make contact with an incorporeal concept.

"Aye! You can't knock out a person who's dead. Maybe he's a poor sap whose filled with many regrets, the house could be one of those." Happy's imagination could be random at times, immediately giving this so-called ghost a sob story.

The duo didn't flinch at the possibility of meeting a ghost, treating the encounter as if it was a casual stroll. They only saw it as a minor inconvenience at most, which was not surprising for people who knew them.

Kagura suppressed her small grin as she was amused at their reaction. The calm and stoic demeanor she practiced throughout her life failed her at certain times, thanks to their countless antics.

"I believe it's his magic that is concealing him." She shook her head while locking in on the suspicious mist that was suspiciously moving.

"Looks like I can't escape that easily." The man's tone of resignation now came from this inconspicuous bundle of haze, gradually forming the shape of a human.

After a moment, they finally saw him clearly, his expression one of cautiousness and annoyance. He looked at the trio with no hint of panic. "You're an interesting bunch… And I'm not a ghost by the way."

"Ehhhhh!?" Natsu and Happy synced in disappointment.

"I was already makin' plans in my head, beating up a ghost sounds fun."

"Yeah! If they had lingering regrets and all, we might as well take on the duty of sending them to the other side."

"Ghosts can't be physically touched or seen according to common knowledge, you two."

Their comments made the man sweat drop speechlessly, although such fearlessness to tackle the unknown was admirable to say the least…

But before the confrontation could continue, all of them heard footsteps hastily going towards this location. They turned their heads to see a small crowd of villagers who were curious yet hesitant.

Mack arrived from the other side, shielding his wife and daughter who also wanted to take a look. The moment he spotted the man, he instantly became motionless, as if he encountered an enemy.

"May I ask as to what's going on here? We witnessed and felt the explosion from a distance, so most were worried about a potential monster around these parts." An elderly man stepped forward from the crowd, his eyes landing on the section that was destroyed.

"It is nothing but a false alarm, Sir." The man swiftly responded. "Me and my friends here were just sparring to test our strength. I apologize if we caused a disturbance." Smiling as he assured that nothing was wrong.

Natsu was about to retort, but Kagura tapped his shoulder to stop him. "We can't have more complications, Natsu-san." She discreetly glanced at Mack who looked tense after seeing the man.

"Judging from Mr Devala's reaction, this person is probably from Paramount Tide." Kagura whispered as she reminded him. "This is an investigation, remember? Attracting more attention than needed right now is not a good idea."

Natsu calmed down and nodded, letting the man speak on their behalf. Happy also understood as he stayed silent.

"Ah! So you must be wizards." The elderly said in realization. "Anyone is welcome in our village, especially acclaimed individuals such as yourselves." He slightly bowed. "You may continue with your spar, however, I have a request if it's fine to speak out."

"It's not a problem, Sir. We are the visitors, so respecting customs is mandatory." The man didn't mind and urged for him to tell his request.

The elderly sighed in relief, looking at the display of destruction afterwards. "May I ask if it's possible for your spars to be more… controlled? Calio Village rarely gets sudden explosions like that, which was mostly from accidents."

"It already caused a mass panic below." The elderly gazed at the crowd that accompanied him. "The ones who came with me had the courage to check out its source, even if it frightened them."

"I see… We are extremely sorry for scaring the residents. Toning down the intensity of our spars is easy, Sir." The man glanced at the trio while responding, his eyes narrowed as if he was taunting them in the process.

Natsu gritted his teeth in irritation. "That guy! What's the point of annoyin' us right now!?" He made sure to not raise his voice too much, although he was itching to smack that smug expression directed at them.

"He's resorting to mind games." Kagura already guessed the man's intentions. "I overlooked this possibility… Steering the topic under his grasp so that he could gain an advantage." She clenched her fists.

"If we don't follow the promise he just made to the villagers, we would be the ones who will be shamed." She explained in simple terms so that the duo could understand.

"That's sneaky! We got baited into letting him talk first." Happy said.

"Che! I can hold back my strength no biggie." Natsu scoffed as he looked at his companions who had skeptical expressions. "W-What? I won't mess this up!"

"Right…"

"I trust you in that regard, Natsu-san. But I will still make sure to remind you just in case."

The dragon slayer grumbled in agreement while the two gazed at him with amusement. The man in front of them was still talking to the elderly person to dispel the doubts for their current actions.

They waited for a few minutes before the crowd dispersed, leaving them alone with satisfied expressions. Mack never removed his sight of the man, staring at him with high vigilance.

He gestured for Lyra to bring their daughter back to the house, making her hesitate for a moment. Seeing her husband being so wary towards a known acquaintance confused her.

Although she noticed during their conversation that he wanted to share something with utmost urgency, yet didn't do it in consideration for their child who was simply happy to see him.

Lyra firmly nodded and didn't want to worry him too much. She speculated that the trio that came with him must be wizards that can guarantee his safety. The mother carried her clueless daughter as they quickly returned to their home.

Once everything was settled, Mack finally spoke up with a tone of full hostility.

"Why are you here in this village, Rale? You can't simply say this was pure coincidence, right?" The Founder of Devala Commerce only felt raw anger, remembering all those deaths that were in vain due to his presence.

The man named Rale raised his hands in peace. "Woah! Slow down with the aggressive questioning, Mack." He simply looked at him with a small grin. "We're still friends, are we not?"

"Hah! Friends? After what had happened? There's no use in playing dumb, being one of the core members of Paramount Tide grants you the privileges to have knowledge regarding Vandis' motives." Mack's expression was ice-cold.

"I'm still not following---!" Rale's relaxed demeanor faltered after Kagura instantly arrived before him, receiving heavy pressure that weighted down on him like a guillotine.

She forced him to kneel, cracking the ground in the process. Kagura applied her gravity with an iron clad grip on the man's right shoulder, lifting her sword just hovering against his neck.

"It appears you do not understand your current predicament. Your facade of bravado is nothing but a measly trick." The threatening tone of her voice made Rale flinch, his features wincing in pain.

But even with that, he endured the agony as he glanced upwards. Rale didn't expect to encounter wizards of this caliber in a small village like this, especially when he saw Natsu's guild mark

"Fairy Tail… To think Fiore's former strongest guild would take a dip into our affairs. Are you even aware of the consequences for initiating a conflict between legal guilds?" He attempted to threaten the fairies.

Natsu raised an eyebrow while crossing his arms. "Nice try, pal. But that was already done with Phantom Lord. You ain't slithering your way outta this."

Rale sighed at that. "That's a pity." He looked downwards as if he accepted his defeat. Mack glanced at them with gratitude, then sharpened his gaze at the immobilized man.

"You haven't answered my question, Rale. What are you doing in this village?" Mack inquired with a stern voice.

Rale raised his head slowly. "Vacation." As soon as he said that, he seamlessly turned into mist as he escaped towards the bustling village.

Everyone was startled at the transformation, Kagura in particular was caught off-guard at how he managed to slip away from her hold.

"What the hell!? He's just like Juvia!" Natsu chased after him after recovering from his surprise. Happy and Kagura followed quickly, matching his pace in no time.

I must report my findings to Master Vandis… The newspaper mentioned his death under the list of names. Only a few could fabricate such information. Rale weaved through the trees along the path, leaving small parts of mist to delay his pursuers by at least a second.

Unfortunately for him, Natsu completely locked on his scent, making sure he won't be confused this time.

"Natsu-san, since there's a possibility that we wouldn't be able to touch him in that state, I'll try to restrict his movement first." Kagura sprinted alongside him as she shared her analysis.

Natsu agreed. "Alright! Once you're done with it, we'll knock the living daylights outta him!"

The swordswoman smiled as she lightened herself, gaining momentum while speeding up. Natsu shouted directions as a guide, so that she wouldn't be tricked by the numerous fake outs throughout the pursuit.

As soon as she reached closer to the mist, she invoked her spell with maximum output.

"Gravity: Earth."

"Kghk!"

Rale felt the full brunt of such force even with his incorporeal form. If I wasn't in my Mist Transformation, I would've been kissing the ground by now. Luckily, he was not planning to turn back into his human body during this chase.

He could maintain the spell for a while, which created opportunities for various escape routes. But that doesn't mean he can brush off the pain that was applied on him. His entire being felt like a boulder slowly skidding across.

"Yield." Kagura instantly overtook him and blocked his path. She managed to catch up in time, still sustaining the output of her gravity. Natsu arrived shortly alongside Happy afterwards, surrounding the mist wizard from both sides.

"It's a good thing Kagura's magic is incredible, or else we would have lost him by now." Happy glanced at the road just outside the forest. They intercepted the cunning mist wizard before he could employ another one of his tricks.

Rale's attempt to maneuver around the trees to throw them off failed. Their chase was an unpredictable, spontaneous, mental battle of wit that could have worked if it was any other foe.

Natsu was one of the few exceptions, courtesy of his dragonic senses. He couldn't pinpoint his exact location the first time… but now? He won't make a mistake like that again, honing on his scent persistently.

"You ain't goin' nowhere!" Natsu grinned as he cracked his knuckles. "There's definitely a way to hit you, and I won't give up until I find out." His magical pressure ran rampant due to his eagerness.

The temperature around them has risen a little bit, which was noticed by the other three. Happy floated farther away to cool himself, while Kagura was getting used to it thanks to her frequent spars with the dragon slayer.

Rale gazed at him warily. Pink hair, scale-like scarf… So he's the famous salamander. He recalled the known information regarding the physical descriptions of Fairy Tail's famous wizards.

This is bad. I could tell he's almost as strong as Master Vandis. Escaping under his watchful eyes is simply impossible. He thought in despondence while comforting himself. The only positive I have is my elemental advantage over his fire.

Well, risking it all has its perks.

"Mist Ring!"

WHOOOSHHHH!

A bundle of mist instantly expanded with him as the source, engulfing the trio in a circular blockade. Kagura instantly swung to cleave the overlapped spell, yet it only parted before repairing itself.

"Natsu-san! Can you still track him?" She looked at the spot where he disappeared, probably within the wall of energy that was created.

"Yeah! The guy didn't move away, he's right here!" Natsu targeted that one scent and never lost focus. Both of them could see hints of movement as they readied themselves to counter.

Happy was behind as he also wanted to help, observing all angles within this sphere. After a moment, he noticed a few areas that were forming fists. "Look up, you two!"

As soon as he warned them, dozens of transparent strikes shot towards Natsu and Kagura with strong momentum. They parried them easily while looking around for openings.

"You are quite the nuisance, talking blue cat." A section of mist opened and swallowed the Exceed seamlessly.

"Happy!" The dragon and swordswoman shouted in worry. Natsu went towards the location and punched it. Nothing happened as he gritted his teeth, activating his magic to blast this annoying mist into bits.

"Wait, Natsu-san! We'll fall right into his trap if we lose our composure now." Kagura quickly used her gravity to keep the mist at bay. "I can repel it for a few moments, so just stay near me and continue to track their scents." She dashed afterwards.

"He better not hurt Happy, or else he's getting sent into next week!" The dragon slayer stated with boiling anger.

Natsu followed her as he closed his eyes, trying to accurately pinpoint the exact spots of the individuals they couldn't see. The formations of various attacks rained upon them for distraction.

Within the mist, Rale could only watch helplessly as none of his tactics worked to say the least. He looked at the blue cat who was struggling with his mist binds, continuing to keep his distance from the unstoppable fairies.

"Looks like the hostage approach is my best bet. I don't even want to know what will happen if I kill you, cat." Rale said as if taking a life wasn't foreign to him.

Happy shivered at how he acted nonchalantly after stating that. They've really converted to becoming a dark guild.

The chase went on for a while as Rale created mirage figures of himself to avoid the detection of the ridiculously sharp dragon slayer, even a few seconds will do. Yet Natsu wasn't fazed by these useless tricks, never straying from the trail.

More figures were created as it did their duties by pestering both of them. Natsu and Kagura destroyed the constructs like usual, but it actually took longer this time.

"They got stronger? He's really gettin' on my nerves!" The dragon slayer anxiously remarked, seething at the fact that this happened because of Happy being kidnapped.

"We can only keep on moving at this rate." Kagura increased her output, giving them more space to work with. The mist tried to repair itself, but it was completely denied by her magic.

She also needed to be careful since Natsu was here, because her gravity doesn't distinguish from friend or foe.

Parts of the barricade slowly turned into fists again, but there was a slight difference. They were bigger and felt more condensed, soaring towards their intended targets with renewed vigor.

Natsu welcomed the challenge and clashed against the rain of blows. He tilted his head to dodge one, elbowed another that was aiming for his back, then punched the next that was charging in front of him.

Kagura expertly maintained her repelling force of her gravity, slicing the incoming strikes with precision. She scanned the sight as she checked for any change in structure.

She narrowed her eyes to observe the shifts within the mist, noting the discreetly overlapped layers that were stacked over each other. 

"The mist got denser." Kagura informed Natsu who was just behind her. "Our vision will slowly become even more limited while we're chasing him fruitlessly." She tightened the grip on her sword with slight exasperation.

"Really!? Damn it! We need to reach him in one go somehow!" Natsu didn't detect the change due to him fully focused on tracking their scents. He immediately infused his flames on his hands.

"Leave it to me! I might as well blast the whole thing into bits!" Although he was aware that it wasn't a good idea, thinking was not his strong suit anyway.

"Wait, don't be too eager, Natsu-san! I have the perfect solution for it already." Kagura wryly smiled at his usual direct approach. But she was surprised that he managed to restrain himself throughout the entire ordeal.

Natsu took the promise of the villagers seriously, considering the reputation of the guild. Even he understood that the importance of running it with the aid of job requests. This was something he realized further during his efforts of keeping Fairy Tail afloat.

"I will maximize the effect of my gravity. Do your best to stay put." Kagura's magical pressure flared.

"That ain't a problem! I can tank it just fine." Natsu gave the go signal while tensing his footing a little bit.

The stoic woman nodded and stopped sprinting. She paused for a moment as the mist took this opportunity to separate them. Natsu observed the wall that was forming between them.

He wasn't really worried in the slightest, even with Kagura's figure blurring in front of him. It was a given that she will succeed, because he believed in her strength. And as if it was right on cue---!

VRRRMMMMM WHOOOSHHH!

An abundance of gravity centering around Kagura pushed the mist effortlessly, the ground under her made a small crater thanks to the sheer force it brought. Natsu was sent back a little bit, then quickly recovered.

Rale within the mist was startled by the sudden increase of resistance, doing his best to reform the ring against the repelling force that was enough to destroy his spell if he wasn't focused.

Although this was a great technique in his arsenal, Rale still needed to manually manipulate it, since it was also depleting his magic reserves. This means that the potency of the ring translates to how it was used.

Given that his opponents were Natsu and Kagura… He went all out from the jump, drawing every ounce of effort in escaping with versatility and mobility of his magic.

He was already aware that direct combat was the last option. But much to his dismay, nothing worked to say the very least.

He clenched his jaws as he strained himself by trying to counter the ridiculous display of gravity. Unfortunately, by giving his attention on his current task, he materialized alongside Happy who was relaxed in his bindings.

Natsu narrowed his eyes as he instantly spotted them.

"Kagura, keep that up until I rescue Happy! I've got the bastard on my sights!" He boosted himself as he pushed through the mist with no hesitation. Numerous shapes of mists tried to restrain his limbs, but he brute forced his freedom against each futile attempt.

Rale could only curse and disappear within the transparent wall of his spell. He left his hostage alone, knowing that it was risky to stop the dragon slayer who flew towards them with great momentum.

Natsu quickly arrived before his Exceed to remove the weak binds around his partner, checking for injuries as he sighed in relief. "You alright, buddy?"

"Yeah, thanks!" Happy pointed at a specific area. "That guy merged with the mist once you closed in on him."

Kagura also calmed down after seeing that Happy was fine, reducing her output to what it was previously. They regrouped and thought of possible ideas to break this annoying blockade.

"We're currently in a stalemate." Kagura observed the revolving mist. "Natsu-san, are we near the village?"

Only greenery filled their vision while going through this ordeal. Not once did they hear any other human within the vicinity. She already concluded that their target decided to take an alternate route of some sort.

As she expected, Natsu confirmed her hypothesis. "Nah, it's actually quite far away. But going back should be easy for the most part." Humming in thought as he scanned the peaceful mist.

Kagura nodded. "Even he is careful in garnering attention. It appears this guild is truly operating within the shadows." She glanced at Natsu beside her, who was grumbling in annoyance.

She raised an eyebrow as she asked. "Is there something wrong?"

"Yeah!" Natsu responded with a loud voice and looked around the sphere of mist. "Hey, you slippery bastard! How long are ya gonna be like this!?" The dragon slayer has finally ran out of patience. 

"It depends. Why not just let me go?" Rale's voice echoed from all directions within the mist.

"Fat chance, idiot!"

"Then I can do this all day."

"You've gotta be kidding me!"

"Aye! How am I gonna eat fish in this stupid environment?"

Kagura sweat dropped while staring at the duo who shared the same wavelength. Especially Happy, since he was fresh of a hostage scenario…

She ignored their comical bickering and contemplated on the nature of this mist. Does he really have the capability to cast a spell this wide? If that was the case, why did he struggle with my surge of gravity? Glancing up as she saw the sky through it.

After a while, Kagura slightly widened her eyes in understanding, then looked at Natsu and Happy who continued to argue with the person in the mist, shaking her head speechlessly.

She called out to them. "Prepare yourselves, you two. I have an idea that I want to put into practice." Pointing her finger upwards.

"What's up? Did you figure something out?" However, after asking that, he noticed that the mist hastily created mirages of Rale with various tendrils that were meant to contain their movement.

Kagura had a small smile as she witnessed Rale's reaction. "I was right with my guess." She swiftly dispatched the constructs while avoiding the strikes.

Natsu carried Happy as he dodged and kicked the incoming attacks. "Happy! Go carry Kagura, I'm fine on my own!"

"Aye, Sir!" Once his partner released him, the blue cat activated his Aera Magic and went towards the swordswoman.

Natsu and Kagura destroyed a few more mist figures before the dragon slayer gestured at his companions. "There's an opening! Let's go!" He immediately applied flames on his feet as he soared through the air.

Happy followed along while carrying Kagura, who made herself lighter to reduce the weight for increased speed. The mist never stopped with its offensive, yet everything was easily avoided in the end.

Poof!

Natsu was the first to break through the so-called ceiling of the mist ring, regaining his bearings for a moment. He squinted his eyes as he was greeted by the clear sky, taking a deep breath.

"Finally out!" Exclaiming loudly as he spotted the village in the distance. "That guy really led us around."

Kagura and Happy were next to exit the blockade, stopping at a certain altitude to observe the medium-sized sphere of mist below them.

"It is smaller than I expected." Kagura said. "Looks like this spell moves when he moves, which made it seem vast and never ending from our perspectives during our time inside."

"That makes it even more annoyin'!" Natsu complained as he was hovering within the air. There were times where he wanted to let loose, but he understood the importance of this investigation.

Adding to the fact that it will draw the villagers' ire, he miraculously held back like he proclaimed, a personal feat for someone as destructive as him.

"Well, we just got the short end of the stick by default…" Happy dramatically lamented. "You should be used to it by now, Natsu."

"I am! It's still a cheatin' transformation, though." The dragon slayer clicked his tongue while crossing his arms.

Kagura softly giggled at the duo's banter, then heard a sudden shift of noise that came from the bundle of magical energy beneath. Natsu and Happy also noticed the pulse of animated movement within the sphere. 

The layered mist circulated in a slow manner, combining with each other seamlessly. It continued to reform itself for quite a while, before it stopped.

Whoosh!

The trio observed the completed new ring, which looked even more stable than the previous one.

"Huh? Why didn't he do that from the start?" Natsu blurted out in confusion.

"He probably factored in our strength when we traded blows against him. Meaning we could still escape no problem, even if it was stronger." Kagura said.

"You guys are over thinking it. This guy simply has a screw loose in that head of his." Happy recalled the nonchalant statement from Rale, mentally counting his lucky stars for surviving.

"Nothing wrong with---!"

WHOOOOSH!

But before Natsu could reply, the ring exploded without warning, obscuring everything within a one-hundred-meter radius. They were also caught within it, which prompted him to track his scent.

"He's moving!" Natsu boosted himself as he began pursuit, making sure to not lose the target in vain. Happy followed quickly while carrying Kagura.

Fortunately for them, there was nothing that was hindering the path this time. Rale solely focused on escaping with all his might.

Natsu's gaze darted across the foliage below, searching for the individual in question. Once he spotted that patch of inconspicuous moving mist, he deactivated his boosters for a moment, free falling as he directed his descent towards Rale.

In the next second, he invoked his flames in an explosive fashion, speeding up the process as he crashed on the ground.

BOOOOM!

"No point in bein' sneaky! We got you on lockdown, buddy." Natsu grinned while looking at the transparent yet animated mist in front of him, parting the cloud of dust with his magical pressure alone.

Rale tried to overtake the young man, but was stopped by Kagura's cold voice.

"Gravity: Earth." The expected outcome was inevitable as he slowed down once again. There was no need to hold back since they were a bit far from the village. Happy and Kagura landed behind him, denying another path way out.

Left with no other choice, Rale transformed into a human version of mist. He was still able to resist the effects to an extent thanks to the nature of his element altogether. His gray eyes were seen within, as if it was a armor being worn.

He extended both of his mist-like arms as he struck them both at the same time. Natsu caught his fist effortlessly, alongside Kagura who blocked the other with her scabbard.

"Tch!" Rale knew that it was useless at this point, aware that he was way weaker than the two fairies, but he still decided to struggle to the bitter end.

"Oh? I can hit you now?" Natsu's eyes brightened.

Rale tried to retract his arms, but was interrupted before he could get it off. He felt himself get yanked towards the dragon slayer with no mercy, making him pale in resignation.

"Fire Dragon's Elbow!"

BAM!

His consciousness faded as this persistent chase came to an end with a good ol' smack to the face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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