[Erza runs out the door of the smithy as soon as she hears that familiar voice. Upon arriving outside, she skids to a stop, immediately spotting her nakama standing on the fountain.]
Oh, there you are. [ He moves his hands away from his face and perches atop the fountain. ] I didn't feel like it. This place, it... [ He sniffs the air once. ] It smells all wrong. The only familiar scent in the area is you.
Well, it's good to see a familiar face here, even if I wish it were under different circumstances. [In case no one's explained what's going on to him yet, she calls up the guide on her own journal and tosses it to Natsu.]
Read that. The short version of it is that some things called the Malnosso have kidnapped people from other worlds and brought them here. The journal that should have been near you when you arrived is used to communicate with people. Also, if those wings on your back are pulled off, you'll die. Thankfully, death doesn't seem to be permanent here; you'll just come back a short time later.
Yes. That's really everything you need to know, aside from the fact that time works differently here. A few months here can mean a few years back home, or just a few days.
Speaking of which, did I miss anything? Last I saw, we were getting ready for Gildartz's return.
Ha-ah..? [ He scratches the back of his head in confusion. ] You know I'm not very good at these complicated things...
[ A confused blink. ] Gildartz? Erza, he's been back for over a week now. [ A pause, and then he's reduced to thoughtful muttering. ] Or was it less than a week..? Man, so much happened lately, I can't figure it out...
[She nods.] That's what I'm talking about. It's been several months since I was brought here, yet about a week has gone by back home. It's quite confusing, and I don't know how it works if we're brought back home - not many have returned to tell the tale, and fewer have done so with their memories intact.
So, did he have much to say about the mission? It must have been easier than expected, if he's back this early.
The mission? Oh, you mean the ten-year job? Well, he... [ Natsu rubs the back of his head awkwardly. ] He pretty much failed it. Lost an arm and a leg too. But...
[ This is where he gets excited. ]
Erza, he found a dragon! There's still a dragon somewhere out there, in Earthland! And that means pops is somewhere out there too!
What?! How? [Gildartz was the second-most powerful mage in the guild! For him to have failed at a mission, it must have been an absurdly difficult one. And losing two limbs was unheard of for a mage of his caliber!]
[And now she's shocked for a different reason.] Really? That's great! You probably wouldn't want to head out to look for him as soon as we get back, though. It is that time of year again, and I'm sure you'll want to stay busy.
I know! [ He doesn't even try to argue that part. If anything, he's way too excited because it's that time of the year. ]
But you know... Gildartz ran into that dragon during his ten-year mission. That's who took his arm and leg in the first place. That means... [ His reasoning should be obvious by now, but he doesn't stop. ] If I succeed with that and become an S-rank mage, I can take that job and go find that dragon myself!
Well, your magic would be suited to fighting dragons, and I know that I won't be able to stop you, but be careful. If it could hurt Gildartz that badly, there's a good chance that it could kill you if you let your guard down even for a moment.
[She chuckles.] Don't get too ahead of yourself. Even if you do qualify, you won't necessarily become an S-rank mage. There have been a few years where nobody passed, after all, and there's going to be a few surprises this year.
There better be! I'm not going to get stronger from the exam if it's just some old boring thing. Master better bring out everything he can and then some!
[ Far too excited for it? Maybe. But then, he's been trying to level the fighting ground with Erza for years now. ]
Because... you know, I've already decided to definitely reach the S rank this year. I don't wanna this to be easy.
I seem to recall you saying the same thing last year... [Admittedly, Natsu had progressed an unusually large amount over the course of this year in terms of strength, but Erza still wasn't entirely sure if he was ready - his most impressive feats (which, to her knowledge, goes up to the defeat of Zero) tended to be the result of one-time power-ups which wreaked havoc on his body and left him weakened for days at a time.]
Believe me, it won't be. Mest and Cana will likely be back this year, Fried will likely be involved since he's been taking a lot more difficult solo missions than usual, and who knows? Gray could be a candidate this year. I've heard rumours that he stands a good chance at qualifying. [Deliberately pushing his buttons? Of course not!]
Natsu?!
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Oh, there you are. [ He moves his hands away from his face and perches atop the fountain. ] I didn't feel like it. This place, it... [ He sniffs the air once. ] It smells all wrong. The only familiar scent in the area is you.
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... Can I settle for the short version?
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Speaking of which, did I miss anything? Last I saw, we were getting ready for Gildartz's return.
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[ A confused blink. ] Gildartz? Erza, he's been back for over a week now. [ A pause, and then he's reduced to thoughtful muttering. ] Or was it less than a week..? Man, so much happened lately, I can't figure it out...
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So, did he have much to say about the mission? It must have been easier than expected, if he's back this early.
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[ This is where he gets excited. ]
Erza, he found a dragon! There's still a dragon somewhere out there, in Earthland! And that means pops is somewhere out there too!
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[And now she's shocked for a different reason.] Really? That's great! You probably wouldn't want to head out to look for him as soon as we get back, though. It is that time of year again, and I'm sure you'll want to stay busy.
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But you know... Gildartz ran into that dragon during his ten-year mission. That's who took his arm and leg in the first place. That means... [ His reasoning should be obvious by now, but he doesn't stop. ] If I succeed with that and become an S-rank mage, I can take that job and go find that dragon myself!
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[She chuckles.] Don't get too ahead of yourself. Even if you do qualify, you won't necessarily become an S-rank mage. There have been a few years where nobody passed, after all, and there's going to be a few surprises this year.
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[ Far too excited for it? Maybe. But then, he's been trying to level the fighting ground with Erza for years now. ]
Because... you know, I've already decided to definitely reach the S rank this year. I don't wanna this to be easy.
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Believe me, it won't be. Mest and Cana will likely be back this year, Fried will likely be involved since he's been taking a lot more difficult solo missions than usual, and who knows? Gray could be a candidate this year. I've heard rumours that he stands a good chance at qualifying. [Deliberately pushing his buttons? Of course not!]
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[ He sounds more excited about it than anything. ]
That means that by the time I'm done with the exam, I'm gonna become even stronger.
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