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"Normal Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
[Year X788]
~ With Shisui ~
One year had passed since Shisui agreed to take on Warrod's backlog of S-class missions. In that time, he'd eliminated dark mages, recovered stolen artifacts, and protected diplomats from assassination attempts. All while sending forty percent of his rewards to the struggling Fairy Tail guild.
When Warrod's urgent message reached him, Shisui had been resting in a small village near Crocus after completing his latest assignment. The Wizard Saint's normally playful tone had been replaced by something more serious, requesting his immediate presence for a mission of "utmost importance."
Within hours, Shisui was making his way through the familiar path leading to Warrod's forest home.
Shisui arrived at Warrod's residence, the trees around the dwelling parting slightly as it always would whenever he visitted. Over the past year, he'd traveled this path often enough that the forest itself seemed to recognize him, no longer showing the cautiousness it had during his first visits.
Before he could knock, the door swung open to reveal Warrod already standing behind the door, his expression showing grave concern.
"Ah, Shisui! You made excellent time, as always." Warrod stepped aside to let him enter. "I hope you did not mind the urgent call."
"Of course not. I was hoping that maybe today would be the day where I would be given a much more challenging S-class mission than usual, seeing as to how urgently you required my assistance. The missions you had given me over the past year have been… lacking to say the least." Shisui replied with a small smile as he stepped into Warrod's home.
"Yes, yes," Warrod abashedly agreed, closing the door behind them. "But I'm afraid what I have to share with you today is almost certainly on the same level as the first mission."
He gestured for Shisui to follow him through the house and out to the back garden, where a single tree stood apart from the others, a wooden bench waited beneath its spreading branches.
"Please, sit," Warrod said, lowering himself onto the bench as Shisui joined him.
"The Obsidian Fang has resurfaced," Warrod stated without preamble.
Shisui's eyes narrowed slightly. The name was familiar from his reading on dark guilds. "Weren't they disbanded by the Council several years ago?"
"Supposedly," Warrod confirmed. "Their leadership was imprisoned, their resources confiscated, their rank-and-file members scattered. But it seems the roots ran deeper than we thought." He sighed. "They've reemerged with a new purpose, one far more dangerous than their previous activities."
"Which were?" Shisui prompted.
"Artifact smuggling, primarily. Occasional theft of magical research." Warrod's fingers tapped against the bench. "Concerning, but relatively mundane compared to what they're attempting now."
His voice dropped lower. "They've obtained fragments of Zeref's work."
The name sent a wave of tension through Shisui. In his year of working S-class missions, he'd encountered Zeref's name in various contexts. It was always associated with forbidden magic and calamity.
"What specifically are they trying to do with it?" Shisui asked.
"They're attempting to resurrect Khathros," Warrod said grimly.
The name meant nothing to Shisui, and he waited silently for elaboration.
"An incomplete Etherious demon," Warrod continued. "One of Zeref's earlier experiments, predating the more well-known demons like Deliora or Lullaby. Khathros was never finished. Zeref abandoned its creation when he realized it was developing in ways he hadn't intended."
"What happened to it?"
"It escaped." Warrod sighed. "From our ancient records, almost two hundred years ago, Khathros ravaged the kingdom of Bosco before a coalition of mages managed to seal it away. The seal has held all this time, but it's location lost to time. And yet, the Obsidian Fang has discovered its location and believes they can not only free it but complete Zeref's work."
Shisui processed this information, mentally cataloging important details. "What are Khathros' capabilities?"
"Sound-based destruction," Warrod answered promptly. "It could produce sonic vibrations powerful enough to liquefy stone and rupture internal organs from a distance. Historical accounts describe it as having a vaguely humanoid upper body with a crystalline structure that amplified its sonic attacks."
"And if the Obsidian Fang completes it as Zeref intended?"
"Best case? A demon with greater power but the same capabilities," Warrod replied. "Worst case? Something new entirely, perhaps with abilities even Zeref never anticipated."
He met Shisui's gaze directly. "Either way, it cannot be allowed to happen."
Shisui nodded once. "What exactly is my mission?"
"Three objectives," Warrod stated, raising wooden fingers to count them off. "First, eliminate the Obsidian Fang's presence completely. Their knowledge of the resurrection ritual is too dangerous to allow any survivors who might attempt it again. Second, prevent Khathros from being resurrected at all costs. Third, if you encounter any remains or sealed portions of the demon, destroy them utterly."
"Location?" Shisui asked.
"A mining town on Fiore's southern coast," Warrod answered. "The Obsidian Fang has been operating under the guise of a mining company, using the tunnels to access ancient chambers below where fragments of Khathros are believed to be sealed."
"Timeline?"
"Immediate," Warrod said gravely. "Our intelligence suggests they're close to completing preparations for the resurrection ritual." He slid a folded map across the bench. "This will guide you to the town. I've marked locations where dark magic signatures have been detected."
Shisui accepted the map, tucking it inside his vest.
"Any other information I should know?" he asked.
Warrod hesitated, then nodded slowly. "The Obsidian Fang is led by a man called Veran the Bonecaller. His magic allows him to manipulate skeleton structures. Both external and internal. Be cautious if you confront him directly."
Shisui stood, his expression calm. "I'll leave immediately."
Warrod rose as well, placing a gnarled wooden hand on Shisui's shoulder. "There is something else you should know. The Council has only just recently gotten word of Obisidian Fang's movements. And that too only because an anonymous tip had been sent to the Council."
Shisui nodded, understanding the hidden meaning in Warrod's words. "In other words, either someone in the Council is hiding their activity, or they've got the whole town isolated from the rest of the world."
"While I believe in the good of my fellow mages in the Council, unfortunately, even I cannot tell which of the two possibilites are true." Warrod admitted.
"In the end, it wouldn't matter. Don't forget who I am." Shisui replied with a grin before he disappeared from Warrod's home.
Warrod could only let a small smile escape from him. "That boy… Shisui the Teleporter, an interesting moniker he has managed to earn throughout the year. And one that fits him so well."
~ Later that night ~
The mining town appeared in the valley below as Shisui climbed the final hill. He had not wasted his time and had made use of his abilities to arrive to the remote town much quicker than he normally would have. Even from this distance, Shisui could tell something was wrong. Less than half the chimneys released smoke, suggesting many homes stood empty.
As he watched, a tremor shook the ground, subtle but unmistakable. The buildings seemed to shudder for a moment before stillness returned. It wasn't the normal rhythm of mining operations; there was something erratic about the way the earth moved beneath the town.
Shisui made his way down the hillside path as the sun begun to set. The town's entrance stood unmanned, its welcome sign tilted at an awkward angle. Streets that should have bustled with miners returning from their shifts were nearly deserted. The few people visible hurried along with hunched shoulders and wary eyes, glancing nervously at the darkening sky.
A woman yanked her child indoors as Shisui passed, the door slamming and lock clicking into place with alarming speed. Windows shuttered closed at his approach, not out of fear of him specifically, but as part of what seemed to be an evening ritual of self-preservation.
Another tremor rippled through the ground, stronger than the one he'd observed from the hilltop. A stack of crates near a storefront toppled, their contents spilling across the dirt road. No one emerged to collect the scattered goods.
Shisui spotted what appeared to be the town's only tavern. A squat, stone building with a weathered sign depicting a pickaxe crossed with a mug. Unlike the other establishments, light spilled from its windows, and the low murmur of voices suggested it still served as a gathering place for those who remained.
Inside, conversations dimmed momentarily as Shisui entered. A dozen or so faces turned toward him. They assessed him briefly before staring at him as he walked deeper into the tavern.
Shisui approached the bar, where a broad-shouldered man with a shock of gray hair was wiping glasses.
"What can I get you?" the bartender asked without looking up.
"Information," Shisui replied, placing a few jewels on the counter. "And whatever's warm."
The man glanced at the money, then at Shisui's face. "Stew's all we've got tonight." He ladled a portion from a pot behind the counter, sliding it across with a chunk of dark bread. "As for information, depends on what you're asking."
"Well, it's my first time visiting this town and as I walked around earlier, everything felt… strange. What's happening to this town?" Shisui kept his voice low, matching the subdued tone of the tavern.
The bartender's movements stilled. "Nothing good," he finally said, leaning closer.
"Started about two months back. New mining company took over the abandoned eastern tunnels. Said they found a rich vein no one had tapped before." He shook his head. "That's when the tremors began. Small at first, barely noticeable. Then came the noises."
"Noises?" Shisui prompted, breaking off a piece of the bread.
"Howls. Not like any animal around these parts." The bartender glanced toward the windows, now covered with thick curtains. "Then people started disappearing. First just miners from the eastern tunnels. Then others. Shop owners. Children."
A miner at the end of the bar spoke up. "They're coming up from below now. Not just taking people down. They're coming up."
"What is?" Shisui asked, turning toward the man.
"Beasts," the miner answered, eyes wide. "But wrong. All wrong inside and out."
An elderly man in the corner raised his voice. "I've seen 'em. Closer than anyone still here."
He gestured for Shisui to approach, pulling folded papers from his coat pocket as he did.
Shisui moved to his table, noting the tremor in the old man's hands as he spread out crude sketches drawn on scraps of paper. The drawings were rough but disturbing. Wolves with exposed bone structures that seemed to grow outside their skin, deer with too many antlers sprouting from unnatural places, birds with crystal formations instead of feathers.
"This one killed my son," the old man said, pointing to a sketch of a bear-like creature with what appeared to be crystal spikes protruding from its back. "Caught us at the western creek three weeks ago. I only got away because it was busy with..." He trailed off, staring at nothing.
Shisui memorized each drawing, forming a mental catalog of the corrupted wildlife. "And the mining company? Where are they based?"
"Old cathedral, up on the eastern ridge," the bartender answered from across the room. "Used to be a holy place. Not anymore." He made a warding gesture, surprisingly superstitious for a man of his stature. "Nobody goes near it after dark. Not if they want to live."
As if punctuating his warning, another tremor shook the building, stronger than before. Dust sifted from the ceiling beams. Glasses rattled on shelves. Everyone in the tavern froze, listening intently as the vibrations faded.
"They're getting worse," someone muttered. "More frequent too."
"What about the guild stationed here? Surely they could have done something?" Shisui asked.
"They are all either dead or missing," the old man answered, "When the first sighting of the beasts appeared, they went to investigate. And by the next morning, the whole guild just seemed to vanish."
Shisui's brows furrowed. He suspected that foul play was involved. "If that's the case, why haven't the rest of you evacuated? And did the Rune Knights not come to investigate?"
The bartender merely sighed. "We tried. But that new mining company… The stopped every attempt at reaching out for help, and they stopped people from leaving the town… They even killed those who rebelled. The fact that you, an outsider made it inside the town is a miracle in itself."
With that, Shisui connected the dots. 'Obsidian Fang is doing everything to keep their activities hidden from the rest of the world. It's only by some miracle that the Council even managed to get an inkling of whatever is happening here.'
~ End of Chapter 26 ~
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