Yay I am back! Sorry for the long wait I had the quarter from hell followed by the best Vacation ever! Unfortunately, though- that vaca kept me away from the internet. =(

Good news is that I am planning on having the next chapter after this one out very soon! Or as soon as I can!

Thanks for the reviews and patience from-

-Asuna11

-Pyun

-Deboo

-Enjali

-Guest

-Guest

Plz keep the reviews coming! And thank you so much for your patience!

I Hope you enjoy!

...FT...

Story so far...

Sometime after Games Natsu has somewhat recovered from the events during the Games and his team takes a job nearby thinking that it will be an easy start back into the working life.

On the way back to the guild, Team Natsu is attacked when everything goes pitch black- after some man tried to kill Natsu and some unknown man (Koroku) shields him Team Natsu wakes up in some unknown forest. (Koroku is now gone)

Back at the Guild Hall, Team Natsu, The Thunder Legion, and team Shadowgear (plus Gajeel and Pantherlily) are all missing.

The Unknown Man in the white robes seems to know what is going on- and it has something to do with Natsu- what could he be after?

...FT...

Last Chapter

A breeze rushed past them and Lucy looked back, a small gasp escaping her lips as her eyes widened in shock and horror. "Hey guys?"

The other's peeked back and looks of shock/ horror crossed their faces as they watched the forest next to the destroyed trees get caught up in a twenty-foot radius of swirling black smoke and Natsu shivered as he watched the trees within the smoke quickly die off.

I've seen that before.

The group stood in silence for a moment before the white Exceed in Wendy's arms broke the silence. "I would believe that whatever that is was our cue to leave." Carla spoke up- not liking that magic. It was evil.

Wendy shivered at the dark magic swirling like a slow tornado before fading- she clutched Carla tightly as her little knees shook- her face going pale. "That magic- I've never felt anything so dark." The little girl whimpered.

Erza nodded and looked back to the others. "Let's go." Erza ordered- urging the others to move ahead. No matter how curious she was of what had happened in that area she knew that Gray was right- whatever- whoever that was had to be incredibly powerful- and one of their own was in nor shape to fight yet.

She looked back at the destroyed mountain behind them. If that truly is an enemy- getting back home is going to be even more dangerous than ever. Erza looked ahead.

Because Wendy had spoken her thoughts exactly. Not even Hades's magic had been that dark and powerful.

...FT...

Present

The man let out a curse as he looked around. "Damn idiot." He growled as he stepped on the log- easily hopping over the log to continue his travels. Listening for any sign of what she was looking for- but getting nothing but silence. The man knelt down- eyeing the ground in front of him, where he was just barely able to make out a footprint and he cursed. "So, you were in that area." He scowled and stood back up- looking around. "Damn idiot just had to disappear the one goddamn time I look away."

He growled and continued looking around, half expecting the guy to pop out of the trees and grumble about not needing a stalker. "Typical Dragneel- his kids must be a nightmare." He growled as he walked forward. "Hey idiot!" He yelled- his frustration quickly growing as he walked forward, glaring through the trees as he did so.

The man halted in his tracks as he heard a voice ahead of him, "Somebody's over their-"

"The hell are you talking about?" A second person asked, and the man let out a curse- ducking down- watching the people ahead of him. There were at least ten people ahead of him- and judging by the feel- they were all Mages, luckily for him it seemed that the majority of them hadn't heard his yell earlier.

The man scowled as he snuck forward- getting a better look at the Mages. "I can never catch a break, can I?" He muttered as he crouched down once more- this time hiding behind a bush as he watched the group of men walking through the trees- getting a good look at who they were.

It's those guys again... The smoker realized with a scowl.

One of the Mages let out a laugh. "I wonder how many other groups that idiot guild will send out?" He asked with a sound that almost sounded like a badger.

The smoker frowned, moving silently and quickly hid behind a tree- nearer to them, but still staying out of their sight. Looks like the old man's warning didn't quite cut it. He thought with a scowl, watching the group make their way through the trees. Now what are these guys up to?

Someone in the front of the group peeked back to the badger sounding man. "It doesn't matter. We caught the one we were after." A deeper voice spoke. "Who knew that he would be taking a job so soon?" The man's voice said with a chuckle and the smoker frowned.

That can't be good- not too many guilds these days this kind of Dark Guild mess with. The smoker reasoned. And with everything going on these days, it's safe to say that I know who they are talking about.

The man up front shifted and the smoker's eyes widened as he saw the object in the lead's hand. "No way-" He muttered. Double checking to make sure. He let out a small curse as he backed away a little- keeping low as to stay out of their sight. "Dammit Koroku." He growled- eyeing a palm sized grey orb in the Mage's hand.

The smoker focused on the orb and he was able to faintly pick up several different magical energies. To think that these bastards have that kind of power! He cursed as he recognized his own teammates. "So, they were able to nab you too? Seriously you people are a magnet for trouble."

"Our plan is simple." The man with the deep voice spoke up, and the smoker listened in. "We will rid those fools of this world- make them regret their decision."

Sounds simple enough- although you're missing a few details. The smoker scowled as he shifted, checking his arsenal. Good to go.

"And what of the ones that we caught?" One of the weaker members spoke up and the smoker looked back. Ones, huh? So how many people did you guys grab anyways?

The leader grinned at the orb in his hand, and the smoker tensed up. Don't you dare. "That's right. Whatever should we do? Such a difficult decision. So many lives in the palm of my hand- and to think that I only have to break it." The leader said as he seemed to ponder over it- even though the smoker was already sure he knew what he wanted to do.

One of the men snickered. "There's two Dragneel's in there as well." He pointed out and the smoker scowled.

Dammit- two? Doubt it's the older one. So, they got the kid as well? The Smoker shifted forward- "We're so close."

The leader nodded and looked up, seemingly had made up his mind. "I'll think I'll have them all watch in despair as so many of their own are slaughtered helpless-"

A gunshot as a blur of movement later the leader stumbled back. "What was-" He looked at the orb in his hand and realized that is was gone. "Where did it?" He turned, and his eyes widened at the man standing behind them, casually tossing and catching the orb in his hand as he looked back at them- a clearly bored expression on his face.

"You're-"

"And you're as slow as ever- to think that after all these years you haven't changed a bit." The smoker sighed as he turned to face them. "Sorry- but, it's my job to keep an eye on the idiot- and his kid. I'm not just gonna stand around and let you do away with them." A gun appeared in his free hand and he raised it up. "Let's just say that I'm a little tired of your bull."

The leader snarled at the man before him- who didn't even flinch at the leader's glare. "And let me guess." The smoker continued. "You're planning on attacking the Fairy Tail guild, aren't you?" He asked, "After all- a man of your status wouldn't bother with any of the weaker main guilds." He held up the orb. "And not to mention that you have a few of them in your possession." The smoker smirked. "I practically caught you red handed."

The man raised an eyebrow. "And what if I do?" He demanded- watching the smoker for any reaction. "It's not like you people to give a damn about things that don't help yourself. So then, why would you people care? Last time I checked your only priority is-"

"There's a lot of Mages in that guild that we need believe it or not." The smoker cut in, starting to get a little annoyed- this has been too damn long of a day. "Now how about you undo this spell and go on your merry way. I can promise you I am not in a good mood right now."

"Neither am I you fool." The Leader snarled, "Nor am I as weak as you seem to remember me as." He turned to one of the men next to him. "Kill him- but bring that orb back to me unharmed." He ordered.

The smoker smirked, "Not as weak eh? Then pray tell me why you're having one of your grunts fight me." He gestured to the man stepping up. "You know he won't last a minute against me."

This time the Leader smirked. "I have far too many things to prepare for to worry about one of his grunts- besides, this man here has been looking for quite some time now."

The said man smiled as he stepped forward- cracking his knuckles and the smoker had to resist rolling his eyes at the man. "Lucky me. I get to kill a legend." He snickered. "Today must be my lucky day." He spoke as he stalked forward, coming within a clear range.

The smoker's eyes narrowed, as the man's magic aura seemed to radiate off him. This feeling- it could only mean. His eyes widened as the man took in a deep breath. "Thought so."

Some kind of a Slayer-

"Sound Devil's Rage!" The man yelled, and a pulse of sound came out.

The smoker cursed as he jumped to the side- the sheer loudness of the attack making the smoker flinch as he landed farther away, sliding back a bit- looking up in time as the lanky man appeared in front of him. Faster than lightning the smoker flipped up the gun and fired three times- moving to the side as he did so.

"Devil Slayer Magic?" He scowled, "That explains a lot." He said as he watched the Slayer move around and he was able to move out of the way of another attack. "Damn." He cursed as he looked up just in time to see another attack and dodge. Slayer type Magic is always a pain in the ass to deal with.

The smoker's eyes glanced over at the leader of the Mages and scowled. Then he looked at the orb in his hand before looking up in time to dodge another attack from the lanky man- his fist missing him by inches, another pulse ringing out.

The smoker slid to the side once more and glared up at his opponent as the man laughed. "No point in trying to escape." The lanky man snickered, "Even if you do run I will be able to hear you. We're not gonna let you get away." The man spoke as he stalked forward. "Well actually- I might just let you run. If- and only if- you leave that orb right there. I'll give you a ten second head start. Sound fair?"

The smoker looked around- eyeing his surroundings. I'm fighting sound- not much to work with here. That'll have to do- The smoker nodded to himself quietly, standing up and sighing once more- a frown of pure boredom on his face. "Now, you see? That's the problem with you type of people."

His opponent frowned, and he stopped walking- eyeing the man and the area around him for any traps- he listened to the man's heartbeat and took a step back. It was calm- to calm, like a hunter about to strike. "The hell are you talking about old man-" He stopped- his eyes widening as he let out a curse and jumped back.

Except the smoker appeared in front of him- both of his guns next to his enemy's ears- pointing to the air behind him. "Listen well brat- that kind of trick won't work on me." He glared into the lanky man's eyes. "Even if you can hear my very thoughts themselves- it won't mean a thing if you can't move fast enough to protect yourself."

The man's eyes widened, his body tensing up- about to jump back.

And in a fraction of a second, the smoker fired- the lanky man letting out a howl of pain as his eardrums seemed to explode from the sound on the gunshots barely an inch away from his ears and he fell to the ground- howling in pain and holding his now bleeding ears.

The smoker watched the man for a moment before one of the guns vanished into mid-air, and he pulled the orb out of his pocket- checking on it. Still there- and still unharmed. "Even a normal person would be in agony with a gunshot so close to their ears." The smoker spoke- peeking down at the man without a trace of sympathy in his eyes. "While it can be useful to hear even the slightest of a heart beat a mile away there is a major downfall as well. Something that your type of people seems to be forgetting all too often."

He turned and looked back at where the Leader was still standing. "Who you gonna send in now?" He snickered as he put the orb back in his pocket and held up the gun with his other hand. "Bring it on- with a day like this, I could really use a good warm up."

The leader scowled, "So this is war." He said, and smoke started to appear around them- as the smoker watched the dark guild members seemed to fade from view- the leader himself being last.

"Oh, you have no idea." The smoker said as he lowered his gun.

...FT...

At least a day's walk away from the fight between the smoker and the Dark Guild, the Poison Dragon Slayer let out a sneeze. Letting out a soft growl at the annoyance after the fact- and looked around as the others stared at him. "What?"

In front of him the pretty white haired Celestial Mage peeked back. "You alright Cobra?" She asked- despite not sounding all that concerned. "You better not be getting sick on us now." she said in a very distinct mocking tone.

The Dragon Slayer glared up at the Celestial Mage. "Shut up Angel." Cobra growled and frowned even deeper as the young pink haired Mage peeked back. "What?" He snapped once more.

"Maybe someone's talking about you?" She asked, and Cobra rolled his eyes.

"Does it really matter? We're all criminals- of course someone will be talking about us." Cobra said with an annoyed sigh- for once wishing that he couldn't hear everything-

Anything would be better than having to listen to all the others annoying voices thinking of some ridiculous story on why Cobra had sneezed.

"God dammit." Cobra growled, and marched ahead.

This is going to be a long damn day. Cobra scowled in annoyance.

Behind him Jellal frowned silently- the bluenette looking up at the cloudless sky, a bad feeling stirring in his gut. Something is about to happen- soon.

...FT...

Natsu let out a small growl- glaring up at the sky above him as they walked, which was void of any clouds- not giving him much to look at. We haven't even been here a day and I already hate this place. The Fire Mage thought with a growl- not noticing the Ice Mage peeked over.

Gray peeked back once more- watching as Natsu stared aimlessly up at the sky as he walked. Almost impressed that he hadn't fallen yet- almost, not quite. "Oi Flamebrain, you okay?" The Ice Mage snapped- sounding irritated- but still worried for the pink- haired Fire Mage, who had been acting off since the moment that they had arrived. He looked up at the sky above them- trying to catch a glimpse of whatever the Dragon Slayer was looking at, finding nothing- he frowned before looking back at the Fire Mage.

"Great." Natsu scowled- his tone full of sarcasm as he walked- his eyes peeling from the sky to looking at the forest around them once more. "It's just that I can't shake the feeling that we're being watched." The Fire Mage spoke- keeping his voice quiet as if someone was listening in and looking back at the Ice Mage once more. "I've been feeling it since we've arrived."

Erza peeked back at the Dragon Slayer, looking at the trees around them before calling back to the pinkette. "Does it seem like it's coming from a specific direction?" The Requip Mage asked- earning a shrug from the pinkette.

"Not really- it's just there." Natsu mumbled and Erza nodded.

The redhead looked ahead once more- So I'm not the only one.

Lucy frowned as she noticed something off- immediately stopping in her tracks. "What was that?" She asked- catching the groups attention. However, she was a bit more preoccupied with the odd feeling under her feet. Like a vibration.

"What's up Luce?" Natsu asked- then the group jumped as thunder clapped overhead and the ground pitched at their feet, throwing the group off their feet and hard onto the ground.

Wendy let out a small shriek and covered her ears as another thunderclap roared to life and the ground pitched once more- barely giving the small girl a chance to grab ahold of her Exceed friend so that she didn't lose her- then the small bluenette rolled over and hugged a tree next to her that despite the ground moving, barely had any effect on it. Over to her left she heard the familiar voice of their Requip Mage order, "Stay down, and hold onto something solid!"

"Like what?" Gray yelled as he looked around- but the pitching ground made it nearly impossible to spot anything clearly. The Ice Mage growled as he tried to move over to a tree- which for some reason only rode the waves, seemingly not about to fall over anytime soon. He attempted to crawl closer- but by the next clap and pitch he was thrown back and farther away- finally (after the third try) his own impatience getting the best of him and he rolled over- the Demon Slayer markings making their way up his arm and he slapped the ground next to him- creating a pillar of the indestructible Ice and held onto his own creation.

Over to his left Natsu tossed Happy to Lucy. (Who let out a yell as she caught the Exceed- holding him close as they were pitched in the air once more.) Natsu let out a curse as he hit the ground hard, then rolled over and grabbed ahold of the Celestial Mage (who was still close by) and pulling her close as she clutched the Blue Exceed in her arms, feeling as Natsu dragged the three of them closer to a tree that he had slammed into a few times before- which seemed to be steady enough to keep them from being pitched in the air.

(At least it hadn't broken when a Dragon Slayer slammed into it on multiple occasions.)

Erza had used one of her countless larger blades- stabbing it deep into the ground and holding on as the ground continued to jolt. The scarlet haired Mage looked around she rode the pitching ground- glad to see that the others had grabbed ahold of something solid- or at least solid enough to keep themselves from being thrown into the air.

What is going on? This is no normal earthquake. Erza glared up at the sky as another burst of thunder swept through- signaling another pitch in the ground and the scarlet haired Mage gripped her sword a bit tighter to keep herself from being pitched in the air.

Then as suddenly as it started it stopped. Leaving the area eerily silent and still. "Stay where you are." Erza ordered- watching as the others looked up from their holds and after a moment the Requip Mage took the risk and stood up- stepping away from her blade and looked around- testing the ground's steadiness. "Ok. It's safe now."

Immediately Gray stood up. "Ok- what the hell was that?" Then he turned to Natsu. "Didn't you sense that coming or something? You know like most animals?"

Natsu scowled. "I have Dragon Magic- not Dog Magic."

"Sometimes I wonder if there's a difference." Gray looked away as he muttered to himself- but Natsu obviously still caught it.

"Of course there is! Dogs don't breathe fire!" Natsu snapped.

"Although that's true- I'm fairly sure that there's more differences than that." Lucy said with a sigh as she stood up- still holding onto Happy, looking around. "Back on topic though- that was no normal earthquake."

"I'm going to have to agree." Carla spoke up as Wendy stood. "Since when does thunder have anything to do with earthquakes- it's almost as if someone was hitting the ground and that was the sound reverberating from it."

"Strong punch." Natsu muttered, looking around and sniffing the air- a look of shock passing his face before he turned towards a thicker part of the trees behind them. "Come out whoever you are!"

...FT...

Makarov frowned as a familiar presence approached his Guild Hall- not one of his children however, the old man realized as he stood up- glaring at the doors. The rest of the guild became quieter- all of them noticing the sudden change in their Guild Master's dimenar.

Mira peeked back from washing one of the plates as the familiar feeling came over her- she knew that aura, but that didn't give her a good feeling.

Soon the whole guild was able to hear the footsteps slowly approach the door and several members stood up flashing their magic- or weapons as the doors slowly creaked open and a man dressed in a nice white tux walked in. The Guild Master's eyes widened in shock as he recognized the man, despite the last time he had seen him the man had a mustache. However other than that the man looked the exact same- still greying hairs- brown determined, but cold eyes- nice white tux, and a stature of high power.

"Backenstall." Makarov growled, glaring at the "Lord" Standing in the doorway to his guild. "I thought that you were a part of that illusion.

"No-no I am quite real- I can assure you of that. Backenstall said as he looked around the guild hall. "Quite the friendly little place you have here. When I called you for the games I was hoping to have the opportunity to see this place sometime- as you can imagine I hear quite the interesting and entertaining stories of this guild."

The old Guild Master shifted on the counter. "Enough of this- get to the main point already." Makarov cut in. "If you're here then what have you done with Natsu?" He asked watching as Elfman made his way behind the man, and raising his eyebrows as the man held up a palm sized orb and peeked back at the Beast Mode man.

"You all can relax- I am not here to fight. Quite the opposite exactly." Backenstall spoke and tossed the orb to Elfman- who easily caught it in his large hands- staring at it quizzically for a moment before looking back up at Backenstall. "What is this thing?"

"That thing- is something that you should be very careful with, assuming that you want your friends to survive." Backenstall said as he peeked back for a moment- eyeing the orb before walking forward- sitting down at a table that had cleared itself- making himself quite at home. "That- my friends is where your friends are."

"What are you talking about?" Makarov asked- gesturing Elfman to bring the orb to him- in which the Take-Over Mage did so, and the Guild Master studied the orb carefully in his hands- being extra careful not to drop it. "What is this thing?"

"A world."

The entire guild was silent as they stared at the Lord- unsure how to react to his statement. Until Makarov spoke up. "A world?"

Backenstall nodded. "Yes. A fake world created by the enemy to trap their target. Currently they have several members of your guild and a couple of my own in that thing." Backenstall spoke- pointing to the orb.

"Natsu's team is in there?" Cana spoke up- looking over at the palm sized orb. "How the hell did that happen?"

"A powerful spell." Backenstall stood up. "Our current problem however is if that orb is broken everybody trapped inside will die."

And the guild was silent once more before Elfman spoke up. "Ok then the simple manly way to fix that problem is that we won't break it- how do we get them out?"

"There is no way for us to break the spell from the outside." Backenstall answered almost immediately- fairly sure of himself. He looked around the guild as the guild members looked at each other worryingly.

Cana scowled, "So what? We're supposed to leave them in there!" She snapped.

The Lord calmly looked back at the brunette. "I'm sure those on the inside will find a way out. Currently we need to worry about the enemy that is heading this way." Backenstall stated. "The enemy an ally of mine stole the orb from is on its way here to finish their job."

Makarov frowned as he handed to orb to Mira- who was extra careful with it as he hopped off the counter. "They wish to destroy it?"

"And kill everybody inside." Backenstall said with a nod.

The Guild Master seemed to think it over for a fraction of a second before nodding and turning to Cana. "Cana try to see if you can get in contact with Laxus's, Gajeel's or Natsu's teams. If you cannot we will assume that they have been caught. Are any other teams missing?" The Master called out and watched as his children looked around and shook their heads. Then he turned back to Backenstall. "I will trust you for now- but if this is another attempt to harm Natsu do not think that you will be leaving this place unharmed."

"I am not the one aiming to harm your boy. Currently I also have a friend trapped inside." Backenstall calmly spoke, despite the threat being shot his way. "That is all that I am interested in."

Makarov slowly nodded, seeing no lie in the man's words- he would still have to keep an eye out for Natsu's safety- after all Backenstall had been the one to request Natsu participate in some games that had almost got him killed, and to disappear right afterwards- was almost screaming guilty. "This enemy- what should we expect when they arrive?" The Guild Master asked.

Backenstall frowned. "A war."

...FT...

The Iron Dragon Slayer sniffed the air. "Dammit." He growled once more. Frowning confused, as a child that was clearly not from their era ran by- waving a muddy stick in the air, a child that he could not pick any scent from despite being right next to the damn thing. "What the hell is going on?"

Gajeel, with team Shadowgear- and of course Pantherlily (who was being held by Levy) were coming back from a relatively easy job when they had spotted a hooded man on the trail ahead of them.

The Iron Dragon Slayer frowned as a bad feeling swept over him and immediately he stopped- turning his arm into an iron club as he got into battle position. "Who the hell are you?" He yelled at the unknown person before them- judging by the size Gajeel assumed it to be a man.

The rest of the group took that as a cue and tensed up- getting ready for a fight- Pantherlily hopping out of Levy's arms and drawing his sword as both it- and himself transformed into a more threatening size, standing protectively in front of the smaller girl.

The hooded man in front of them made an annoyed sound as he looked at the group- examining each one of them for a moment. "Dammit- wrong Dragon Slayer. Just my luck." The man sighed. "Oh well- Master did tell me to grab as many of you fairies as I could."

Then everything turned pitch black- followed by a bright flash of light.

And now here they were in the middle of a city that none of them had seen in their lives. Levy watched as people moved around what seemed to be a farmer's market, buying food and small trinkets as they gossiped about topics that made no sense to any of them.

"Hey Shrimp, any clue where we are?" Gajeel called back to the small bluenette- who frowned at the nickname, but said no more.

The Speed Mage looked around the town they were in- watching the people around them as an idea came to mind. "That's simple- how about we ask someone?" Jet spoke up- gesturing to a group of women approaching them. The speed Mage stepped up in front of them, looking at one of the women specifically. "Um, excuse me ma'am- do you happen to know where we are? We're travelers you see-"

Instead of getting a real answer the women gave him an odd look and continued walking. "Well that was odd." Droy mumbled and tried asking a man passing him- only to get the same reaction. The other's tried as well- Levy getting an odd look while the people Gajeel asked more shrieked out of fear and back away- mumbling more nonsense and Levy realized- she couldn't understand them.

"I don't think they can understand us." Levy called out, Pantherlily- in her arms- nodded as he listened to the people- it sounded close to their language- just twisted in a way.

"Like a different Language?" Dray asked.

"I suppose-" Pantherlily spoke up, "I'm not sure what it is exactly- but we won't be able to communicate with this people." The Black Exceed explained as he looked over at Gajeel. "Our best chance is to find that man who brought us here and get him to tell us where we are."

Gajeel nodded. "Then we'll find that bastard." He declared and turned, sniffing the air- frowning as nothing familiar came to him- and even more confused that he couldn't smell any of these people despite them being all around him.

Then a scent hit his nose and his eyes widened. "What the?"

"What is it?" Levy spoke up.

"Did you find the guy?" Droy immediately asked as he looked over at the Iron Dragon Slayer- his friend, Jet stepping up next to him as they waited for a reply.

"No." Gajeel took another sniff, "It smells like Salamander."

Jet turned, "Natsu's here?"

"That man did say that he was looking for a different Dragon Slayer." Pantherlily spoke, shifting in Levy's arms.

"It's close." Gajeel frowned. "But not exactly his scent."

...FT...

"Come out whoever you are!" Natsu yelled into the tree line, lighting his fist a blaze and the rest of the team tensed up- Gray getting into his stance, Erza reequipping her sword, Lucy tugging on her keys, Wendy getting into a good roaring stance, with Carla going into her human form, and Happy flying above them pulled a fish from his bag- ready to beat anybody with it.

Nothing moved as the group of Mages glared into the tree line- making it seem like Natsu had just about attacked a group of trees. Erza scanned the forest for a moment before calling out. "No point hiding from us now that Natsu has caught your scent." The requip Mage called into the tree line, her tone calm- but demanding.

They were met with more silence- the leaves didn't even twitch. Then the group heard a lazy sigh. "I suppose not." A man's voice spoke and not a moment after the owner stepped lazily out of the trees. "Took you long enough, actually." The scruffy looking smoking man spoke as he shifted what looked like a rifle on his shoulder holding his other hand up in surrender- his face however not seemingly caring about his current situation. "I can promise you that I am no enemy of yours." He spoke dryly.

The group looked at each other- not sure how to react, this man hadn't been what they were expecting. Natsu peeked over at Gray who shrugged in return, but all of them kept their battle stances. Finally, Erza looked back at the man. "Are you the one who's been watching us since we've arrived?" The Fairy Queen demanded- sword still drawn and ready.

"No." The smoker said as he waved his hands dismissively and looked over at Natsu, who tensed up as the smoker's eyes met his own. "That would be the people who put you in here."

"And you're not one of them?" Gray snapped- drawing the man's attention away from Natsu. He was also still in his attacking position- since none the group had relaxed.

The smoker sighed once more. "No, I am not. If I was you would all be dead. I had been on your tail for a good ten minutes now." The smoker said as he sat down. "I'm here to get you idiots- and my own pal- who got dragged in here after you, out."

"Out?" Wendy asked.

"Hold up a sec-" Natsu pointed at the man, "Did you have anything to do with that freaky earthquake a moment ago?"

The smoker frowned- puzzled as he tried to decode what Natsu was talking about. "Oh that?" He asked after a moment- receiving a nod from the pinkette for confirmation. The smoker pointed to the sky. "That was probably someone tossing this world around."

"Eh?"

Erza lowered her sword and stood up straight. "World? What do you mean by that? And what do you mean out?"

"Not quick to catch on are you?" The smoker snickered, "Not surprising- magic like this isn't too common now-a-days." His finger switched to pointing at the scarlet haired Mage. "You all have been trapped in a world created by a very powerful Mage." He said- shifting the gun off his shoulder and onto the ground. "That Mage can decide what happens here and in the meantime the world itself in real life is an orb about the size of my palm."

"Dude- you're not making any sense." Natsu frowned- his head practically spinning.

The smoker chuckled, "Not too surprising coming from you." Said the Smoker. "You're trapped in a magical orb which creates a fake world for anybody inside, think of it as an alternate reality. In short- if somebody destroys that orb we all die."

Natsu gulped, "Well uh- I get that part."

"How do we get out?" Lucy spoke up.

"Now you're talking." The smoker stood up, brushing himself off and picking up his gun. "There is one way out- like an emergency escape. The Dark Mage sent some of his own people in here- they are the ones who are keeping an eye on you in order to make sure you don't find the exit. I bet they also have guards for the exit as well. We need to get to that exit before his army hits Magnolia."

"Wait Magnolia?" Natsu stepped up- grabbing the man's sleeve, "Who? What army?"

The smoker looked down at the pinkette- but made no move to shove him away. "Before I sent myself in here I was able to retrieve the orb and gave it to an ally of mine who should be in Magnolia- your Guild Hall as we speak. Now to keep things simple-" He tuned to Natsu. "The Dark Guild that wanted you dead during the games- do you remember them?"

The Fire Mage frowned as he thought back on the games- how could he forget? He remembered Dallas's attack and his body tensed up on reflex. "Which one? I had a price on my head." Natsu frowned.

The smoker nodded. "The main one- let's just say that they are the ones that dragged you here."

Gray frowned- remembering his own take on the games. They were used to Natsu getting into trouble, but for a Dark Guild to specifically target Natsu? That had been a terrifying first for them. So, Gramps was right- that wasn't the end of it. Whoever is after Natsu is still out there. He looked over at the Fire Mage- who was paying attention to the stranger. And now they're back. "So, this entire thing is another attempt on Natsu's life?" Gray growled, looking back at the stranger.

"Exactly." The smoker looked once again over to Gray. "All the enemy has to do now is get ahold of the orb we are trapped in and destroy it. The orb that is currently in your guild hall." He looked back down at Natsu. "The man that is after you will stop at nothing to kill you. He will send everybody that he can to take back that orb. A war will break out in Magnolia."

"Who is this guy?" Natsu asked. "You seem to know a lot about him."

The smoker hesitated, "Not as much as I would like. The old man knows more. All I know is that he is a Master of a very powerful Dark Guild. And he knows a lot about you-" The smoker looked into Natsu's eyes. "More then you know."

Natsu frowned. More than I know? He looked away for a moment- staring off into space as he seemed to think the situation over, before he looked back at the man- his eyes glowing in determination. "If a war is gonna break out I'm not letting my guild fight on their own. We're getting out of here and kicking that Dark Guild Master's ass!" He declared- pounding his fist into his palm and letting the hit give off a little explosion for emphasis.

Gray smirked, shifting on his feet. "Wouldn't be the first Dark Guild Master we've dealt with. Sounds like fun."

"Fun isn't how I would describe it." Lucy sighed, "But let's do this!"

"Here we go again." Carla sighed, and Wendy nodded in determination.

"Our Guild needs us!" The small bluenette spoke up.

"Aye sir!"

Erza nodded and walked forward, "Sounds like we're all in. Where is this exit?"

The smoker nodded, shifting his gun and gesturing towards the direction they were heading in. "Before you go there you need to meet up with the others that have been taken here. You'll need their help in order to fight the guards in here. As for the exit- the enemies will know. They'll need to, or they'll be killed when the orb is destroyed as well." The smoker explained. "First thing is first. Go to the city, you'll meet your friends there." He ordered. "I need to go find the guy that I came here for- I'll meet you guys there. If you meet up with your friends before I get there- go ahead of me, we'll catch up."

Team Natsu nodded. "Got it." Erza said, "Is there a name we could call you by first?"

"Just call me Smoker." The smoker said as he showed his cigarette. "I'm used to it." then he pointed. "Now go- the city is in that direction and we don't have any time to lose- some powerful enemies will show up soon when they realize what you are up to." He said and looked over at Natsu. "And most of them won't wait for the orb to be destroyed to kill you. They'll want to do it themselves- expect anything to happen." the smoker explained and Natsu slowly nodded.

"Got it!" Then they spit off- Team Natsu running towards the city as the Smoker turned and rushed in the opposite direction. Peeking back at Natsu's pink head as he rushed out of view.

Then the smoker looked ahead. "Like father- like son," He snickered as he rushed through the trees.

"Now- where are you, you idiot?"

...FT...

He came out of nowhere, "Laxus!" Evergreen yelled as she flew out of the way of the bulky- but sharp black blade swung in her direction.

Laxus slid back some ways- taking a deep breathe, "Lightning Dragon's Roar!" He yelled and attacked, but the man in the bulky black armor- large enough to take on Elfman's beast mode was somehow easily able to move out of the way.

"Come on Laxus!" The man yelled, "I know that you can do better than that!" the Requip Mage taunted. "You're on solid ground this time! You can't blame Dragon Slayer motion sickness!"

Laxus scowled watching the familiar man. "You're Gazumaki correct? From Death Cloud?"

"What's this I thought we were so close? It took you this long for you to remember me? I'm hurt." Gazumaki fake pouted.

"Somebody like you is hardly worth me remembering." Laxus scowled. "And let me guess this is what you meant back then?"

Laxus sighed and looked over at Gazumaki- who was still lying on the ground. He frowned and turned away, stopping in his tracks when he heard Gazumaki snicker.

The Dark Mage must've known that Laxus could hear him because he looked directly over at him. "Even if you somehow manage to beat us this still won't be over-" He chuckled. "That boy is going to die."

Laxus walked up and glared down at the man, "You better hope he doesn't- if that kid dies then you and your guild will be the ones to suffer Fairy Tail's wrath over and over again." Then he turned away and left.

Gazumaki snickered. "Yeah- pretty much, not exactly but this'll work." He said and looked around his arms spread as if he was showing off the world. "Yup! This is it- all we need to do now is tear that pathetic guild of yours to the ground then you're all dead." He made a throat slitting motion as he grinned from ear to ear. You're gonna wish your Master never found that kid."

"This doesn't make any sense." Evergreen spoke from her spot high in the air, "That price was only for the games. Why are you people still after him?"

"Cause of what he is." Gazumaki spoke, "But none of that matters. For now, I'm just having a bit of fun." Gazumaki requipped a second large sword. "Cause in about one day- you'll all be dead." He said and attacked- appearing right in front of Laxus and caught him with the blunt side of the blade- throwing him back. "Oh, and just to let you know, I am stronger than back then." He looked up with an insane grin on his face. "A lot stronger." He chuckled, his eyes practically glowing.

Freed's eyes widened. No- they were glowing, a bright yellow. "I don't remember that from last time." He muttered then called down to Laxus, "Careful! Looks like he's got some sort of power up!"

"Very good!" Gazumaki cheered then once again appeared before Laxus- this time Laxus using his lightning speed to move out of the way of the sword- which left a deep crack in the ground for as far as the eye could see. Then he swung around with his other sword and Laxus was barely able to dodge once more. "The Master gave me a special gift for me to play with! All I have to do is tear you fairies to shreds!" He yelled as he continued to attack- trying to hit the three airborne Mages.

Then Gazumaki whirled around and rushed towards Laxus- blade raised once more and smashed into one of the barriers that Freed had put up in defense-

And broke through it.

Laxus's eyes slightly widened in surprise as the man rushed towards him. What? Before too many questions could pop into Laxus's mind he was forced to dodge once more.

Up above Freed could only stare as the others tried to attack Gazumaki- but was moving far too fast for Bickslow or Evergreen to hit and Laxus was a bit busy dodging. "How?" Freed muttered, "My barriers don't just shatter like that."

This is not the time for that! We need to defeat this man! Freed held up his sword, "Dark Ecriture-" He swooped down- whirling around and was barely able to catch Gazumaki's side, "Pain!"

It wasn't much of a hit- but it was enough for Gazumaki to curse in pain and stumble- which gave the other three a chance to attack- Evergreen hitting him with her Fairy Magic- Bickslow his "Babies" Blast and finally Laxus appeared in front of him.

"I warned you people didn't I? Anything happens to that kid and you'll deal with the Fairies Wrath." He growled, then struck him with an electric fist into the gut- throwing him high into the air and back several hundred yards.

Team Laxus watched as Gazumaki crashed into the ground- kicking up dust as he landed. "Did we get him?"

"That would be pathetic if you did." Said a child's voice behind them and the three of them whirled around, looking down at a young girl no older than eight years old, with pitch black hair and a tattered grey dress.

Evergreen backed up- a bad feeling churning in all of their guts by looking at the little girl. The girl from the games was creepy enough- but this one was much worse. The little girl puffed out her cheeks- leaning to the side as she looked past the four powerful Mages that were obviously much bigger than her- but the girl didn't seem to be worried. "Come on Maki- what are you doing?" She called out, "Do you want to fail our Master like you did your last one?"

"I told me not to call me that you brat." Gazumaki growled as he crawled out of the crater his body had made, with bruises covering his body- but other than that unharmed.

Laxus looked back at the little girl, "Are you a member of Death Cloud?"

The girl looked up, "That pathetic guild?" She giggled, "Nah- I wiped them out, well besides the ones who Master said were still useful."

Evergreen shivered, she defeated an entire Dark Guild? "What Guild are you from?"

"I'm from Black Knight!" The little girl giggled, her hands behind her back as she hopped childishly from side to side on the pads of her feet. "My name is Aia Leera! I'm a Shadow Demon Slayer!"

"Demon Slayer?" Freed couldn't help but feel a bit surprised.

"Yup- but I'm a real one, unlike that so-called Demon Slayer in your guild." She stopped, scowling to the side. "Letting one stay so close to him is disgusting. Now that's really pathetic." The little girl hissed and Freed snuck a sideways glance at Laxus. "Anyway!" She yelled and all but Laxus jumped. "Maki we have orders from Master!"

"I told you not to call me-" Gazumaki stopped, "What's the orders?"

Aia pointed at the Fairy Tail Mages. "We need to keep these guys busy." She cooed then looked up into Laxus's eyes. "Dragneel will be dead soon."

The Fairy Tail Mages shifted, Natsu!

Gazumaki sighed and shifted on his feet- the Dark Mage seemed to think it over for a moment before he grinned- his eyes glowing once more, and shadows exploded at Aia's feet. "Sounds like fun!"

...FT...

Lucy glanced up. "It's too quiet." She mumbled and looked ahead to Natsu- who was right in front of her. "Natsu? Do you hear anything?"

Natsu didn't say anything- but the small shake of his head answered enough. She watched as the pinkette glanced around the trees wearily- his eyes traveling to the sky long enough to make sure before looking ahead.

Erza, at the back of the group snuck a peek behind them- seeing nothing but the pushed aside grass that they had made in their rush and more trees. No animals, no people. Whether. It be enemies or Smoker- whoever he was. There was nothing. "Keep an eye out." Erza ordered and the others nodded silently.

Something seemed to explode to the left of them and Team Natsu jumped at the sudden noise. Natsu peeked over at the smoke rising from the top of the trees. "What was that?" He asked- behind him Gray craned his neck to try and get a look over the top of the trees- with no such luck.

The Requip Mage saw the smoke and snuck another glance behind them, "Can you smell anything?" Erza looked back at Natsu and called out to the Fire Dragon Slayer- who was still ahead of them.

Natsu peeked back and frowned looking ahead and sniffed the air- his eyes widening in shock, and he skidded to a stop. "Wait-" Then he felt a sharp pain in the back of his shoulder and his body dropped- crashing hard into the ground. Letting out a cry of pain-

Except there had been no sound.

In the corner of his eye he could see that Wendy was down. He tried to open his mouth to yell- but his mouth hadn't even moved to make sound.

Boots appeared in his vision and his eyes would widen if they could as the person rolled him over- letting the Fire Dragon Slayer see him. "It's been a while hasn't it Dragneel." The Man said- looking the paralyzed Dragon Slayer over- the chain on his side still reeking of blood.

Behind Natsu, Gray tried to struggle- but his body wouldn't move- around him the others were also paralyzed. Get the hell away from him! Gray tried to yell- but his mouth hadn't even moved, and he realized. This is that needle that he stuck Natsu with last time!

Erza tried to requip a sword- but like her body her magic seemed to be frozen as well- but the man kneeling next to Natsu was still in her sight and she had to move. She tried to close her eyes to will her body to move- but her eyes wouldn't even shut.

Natsu! Happy tried to scream- but his mouth wouldn't move. Next to him, Carla could see from her narrow view just how panicked the Blue Exceed was despite not being able to move. What is this? Wait- of course- He did this to Natsu during the games!

Wendy felt as his she was struggling like her life depended on it- but her body wasn't even twitching- Next to her Lucy could only stare in horror.

No- nononononono! She inwardly screamed. Where's Smoker! We need him- we're- Natsu's in trouble!

They were in trouble.

Because kneeling next to Natsu was Black Knight's Kirum Kortorzi.

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...FT...

Ha! Good to be back! Finally, Chapter seven is done!

Again, sorry for the extra-long wait- I hope that I'll have more time for this story this year because I really like it! But you know life is life- and it can be a jerk.

Anyways!

Hope you liked it!

Plz review!

But no Flames Plz!

'Till Next time!