Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism

Strider awoke with a sudden gasp, covered in a cold sweat. Trying to get his breathing under control, his mind soon drifted again to the nightmare he had. Gulping, he looked at his left shoulder and touched it gingerly. As his fingers connected, he winced in the most severe pain that trailed him all this time.

'Damn it. Still feel it,' he cursed himself lightly. Feeling a pressure on his chest, he looked down. Mira was still fast asleep, her breathing gentle, even, and pleasant. He felt the pain suddenly start to drift away as he inhaled deeply, taking in her scent.

'Huh. She smells really sweet,' he thought, before fluttering his eyes closed yet again, trying to get a few more hours of sleep. As the hours passed, however, he figured that that would not be happening. Strider began to gently weave a hand through Mira's hair; she shifted slightly at the touch and got even closer, almost clambering onto him at one point. Finally, as he saw the first signs of light shine through the tent, he began to get up. Slipping himself from under her as quietly as he could, he stepped out and stretched. Natsu and Gray were still snoring sleepily and he heard Happy mumble something about fish. Reigniting the fire that had died out, he sat down on a log and looked out ahead.

The snow had let up overnight and the clouds had parted, allowed the sun to begin to shine through the mountains. He took in the beauty of the nature around him, warming his hands over the gentle flame; while it wasn't necessary, it felt nice to sit in such a pleasant place with a wonderful view to gather his thoughts. The snowcapped mountains glowed lightly in the sun, some of them given halos around their peaks. It was a vast difference from the nighttime; visibility was poor and the snow subtracted from it; but in their glory, the Blue Mountains were magnificent to behold. He sighed deeply, taking in the fresh air. Closing his eyes, he let his surroundings fill him.

A few minutes later, he heard a soft movement behind him. Losing her comfortable pillow, Mira had woken up rather quickly. Stepping out of the tent and yawning, she saw Strider sitting in front of the fire.

"Hey, you. You're up early," she said, taking a seat beside him.

"Good morning. You know what they say; the early bird catches the worm. Or, in this case, perhaps monster would be more apt," Strider said with a lighthearted smile. Mira giggled and rested her head on his left shoulder, yawning again; no doubt she was still sleepy. Strider felt the pain in his shoulder reignite before it died down again, quicker than before.

"That view is amazing," Mira said, looking out as well.

"It sure is. More beautiful with present company," he said, looking sideways at her. Mira smiled and blushed at the compliment before snuggling a bit closer; the cold was still biting.

As the two sat in comfort and silence, they heard the rest of their team begin to get up.

"You two are up before me?!" Erza asked in shock. They waved at her, Strider taking great interest in the fact that she was wearing pajamas with strawberry cakes on them. Erza began to rouse Wendy, who mentioned something about getting five more minutes. As she realized that she was speaking to Erza, however, Wendy immediately jumped up and out, taking a seat on Striders right. He smiled and put his arm around the bluenette, keeping her warm. Seeing her chance, Wendy gently dozed off for a few minutes.

"That's adorable," Mira cooed, eliciting a chuckle from him.

"Lucy! Get up this instant!" Erza chided her.

"I'm up, I'm up!" Lucy whined, taking her sweet time in doing so. She shivered as she felt the cold yet again and proceeded to wake Natsu and Gray up.

"Ugh, come on Luce! Ten more… ten…," Natsu began before falling into slumber again. He and Gray regretted their choice as Erza was next in the tent, beating the life back into them. Bruised, the two soon joined the rest around the fire.

"Talk about a view," Lucy said breathlessly.

"So pretty," Wendy agreed.

"Enough about the view! Let's go fight this thing!" Natsu exclaimed.

"We'll need to strategize first," Erza said, deflating the Fire Dragon Slayer. Natsu grumbled and nodded; it was far to early to be fighting Erza.

"From what Mira and I could make out last night, the cavern is extremely dark. We didn't venture to far for fear of waking up whatever might be lurking inside. I think splitting up might be the best way to go about this, however; there are three entrances. Happy, Carla, and Wendy can take the highest, Natsu, Gray, and I can take this one; and Mira, Erza, and Lucy - you three can take the one that's a bit up the path," Strider said, splitting them up.

"Works for me!" Natsu and Gray said excitedly. They looked at Strider with a glint of competitiveness in their eyes; Mira and Lucy rolled their eyes at the look while Erza sighed.

"That works well, I think. We will need to communicate incase one of us comes across it, however," Erza said.

"I've an idea on that, if you guys are up to it," Strider said.

"What i-," Erza began before he answered her question.

'This,' Strider thought. They looked on in surprise; while they clearly heard his voice, it was as though it came from within their minds - they most certainly did not see his lips move.

'Telepathy?' Mira wondered.

'Yup. Warren gave me lessons,' Strider answered.

"That's amazing. How did you pick up on it so quickly?" a bewildered Mira inquired.

"It seems as though it's just an extension of my telekinesis. Both require a considerable amount of focus and thought, so I was able to adapt it easily enough. I can only use short bursts of it for now, though, so keep the messages short and sweet. Express more with less," Strider said.

"That solves that problem, at least," Erza said.

"What do we do if we come across it?" Lucy asked fretfully.

"Call out to the rest of us for assistance. This thing seems to be quite deadly, so it'd be best to not engage it alone. I'm not sure what the difference is between S-Class and SS-Class, but I imagine it's probably going to be stronger than the bird," Strider said.

"That's a safe bet. Anyways, let's move out. We have the light on our side, at least," Erza said, looking back.

-o-

"See anything?" Gray asked quietly.

"Not yet. You?" Natsu asked Strider.

"Mmm… we're not alone," he said, narrowing his eyes.

"Le-!" Natsu began before Strider clapped his hand over his mouth. He shook his head and continued to lead them in. Strider recalled the last time he had ended up in a cavern such as this one. The experience did not go well overall and he had little desire to go through something like that again. Pushing the memory out of his mind, he continued. Having gone just another twenty feet, they suddenly heard the sounds of rocks falling as something moved around the cavern. Gray and Natsu were ready to attack, but held their ground for the moment.

"Think that was it?" Gray said.

"I do. It appears as though we're being hunted," Strider said. The thought was enough to send any reasonable person scurrying for the exit.

'Perhaps we've found it,' Strider thought to Erza.

'We're hearing something here,' she replied.

'Two creatures?' Strider asked.

'Possibly. Could be something else,' she replied.

'Stay on edge,' he said.

'Likewise,' she replied.

As they continued to press their luck and went deeper, they soon came upon a lack in the cavern. All three were surprised by the sheer size of it; it appeared to go on for a good mile ahead. Not to far away, however, Strider made out a small island. Concentrating his focus on it, he grimaced. A few decapitated heads and bodies lay strewn about the island, ripped to shreds with grisly holes in the torsos. While he couldn't tell completely, it was a good guess that the bodies were likely missing vital organs; they appeared to be the meal for the beast. As Gray and Natsu saw the carnage, they nearly doubled over in disgust. Strider looked amused by the reaction.

"You two alright?" he asked softly.

"Alright!? Are you seeing that?!" Natsu asked. He tried to look at it again but found himself unable too. Despite all the fights he had been in, he couldn't recall seeing bodies left in such a state. Gray fared a bit better - knowing what a monster can do - but it had been so long, that he reacted much the same when he tried to look again.

"Poor souls," Strider said.

"Hell… it's eating them," Gray said in surprise.

"Should we tell the others?" Natsu wondered.

"No, it's not pertinent. We'll inform the mayor once we get back. Until the-," Strider was cut off by a screech that made their on his neck stand up. He withdrew his sword completely and looked around for the source, eyes narrowed as he tried to focus his senses. The sound echoed throughout the cavern and likely throughout the mountain range, down to the town. Everyone would be on edge for whatever might happen next.

Finally, he saw it. Bone white, it descended on them like a nightmare. The creature had a massive wingspan of ninety feet, if Strider had to peg it. It's four limbs were outstretched towards the trio. The cavern was so large, a monster of this size could pursue them with ease, only having to dodge a stalactite here or there. The triangular head was set with rectangular red eyes that gazed at them with fury. Stride knew immediately that this thing wasn't like the bird on the previous job; it's existence was one of pure malice. It opened its jaw wide enough to swallow a couple of men whole and bared its serrated teeth and long, purple tongue. It slowly swooped over them, screeching yet again to signify that it hath come.

"HOLY CRAP THAT THING IS HUGE!" Natsu yelled. Gray was the first to stroke. Bringing his fast and palm to the side, the launched a massive ice beam at it. As it turned, the creature took the ice beam head on and shattered through it, not impeded for a second.

"It broke through my attack!" Gray yelled in shock.

"Let me take care of it!" Natsu said, grinning. Rearing his head back, he let out a massive Fire Dragon Roar that hit the creature dead on and rebounded against the cavern wall. The entire room began to shake as snow above was set lose and came down like an avalanche. Strider immediately stopped him.

"Careful! If you cause an avalanche, it's going to hit the town!" he hissed. Natsu gulped and nodded. Turning back to the creature, he was as shocked as Gray; no damage yet again.

"Are you kidding me?! Not even a burn!" he said as they leaped out of the way. Strider tried his luck next. Holding his hand out against the monster, he attempted to slow it down and bringing it a halt, landing it in the middle of the cavern. He quickly found that this would have no effect; the creature wasn't hindered in the slightest.

"I see. It's magic resistant," he said.

"Is that even possible?!" Gray asked.

"I don't see why not. I imagine living in the caverns has built its defense up impressively. We're going to have to regroup and rethink our strategy. Run. Now," Strider ordered. The trio began to run towards the exit, the creature keeping a close eye on them. They had a distance to go, Strider thought; this would play out in one of a few different ways. To his dismay, he saw snow began to pile in front of them; Natsu's attack had the ill-intended consequence of possibly locking them inside. Giving the two a push with his telekinetic magic, he forced them out of the cavern before the snow completely fell. Sighing, he turned and saw the monster land. It let out a series of low, clicking noises that filled him with distaste.

'Looks like I might be its next meal,' he thought grimly. Holding his sword in one hand, Strider began to prepare for the fight - hoping beyond hope no one else would stumble in on him and his charge.

-o-

As Natsu and Gray exited, they were greeted by Mira, Erza, Lucy, Wendy, Carla, and Happy - all of whom decided to regroup at the main entrance after Natsu and Gray alerted them that they found the monster. The cavern was a maze inside as the ladies found; it would not do well to get so lost, they couldn't find their way out. After receiving the message, they immediately exited to meet the gentlemen outside the cavern.

"Where's Strider?" Mira asked fearfully.

Natsu and Gray stopped stopped before answering. Both of their hearts were racing at a thousand minutes per second, they felt. Neither were strangers to deadly foes; Deliora the demon was a beastly one, as was Lullaby; Laxus might as well have been a monster, and Oracion Seis nearly killed them at multiple times. However, most of them were sentient enough to have their motives. The beast in the cavern was a pure animal, concentrated only on territory and the next meal - of which they almost partook in.

"What do you mean? He's ri - oh…," Natsu said, looking behind. There was Gray, panting and trying to regain control; but notably absent was their newest teammate.

"'Oh'? What do you mean 'oh'? Did you two just leave him there?!" Mira asked angrily.

"Of course not! All three of us were running for the entrance… then we felt something push us forward, through the - oh… crap," Natsu said, grimacing as he finally concluded what happened.

"What? Through the what?" Mira urged him.

"Flame brain here caused an avalanche!" Gray said, pointing at the freshly fallen snow that covered the caverns entrance so completely, you wouldn't know one existed.

"Striders in there?! With the thing?!" Lucy asked fearfully.

"It… would appear so," Erza said.

'Are you ok?' she quickly asked Strider.

'I am,' he assured them.

'What happened?! Weren't you behind us?!" Gray asked.

'I was. Extenuating circumstances,' Strider replied.

'What does that mean?!' Natsu demanded.

'Needed leverage to get you two through,' he replied.

'Are you fighting it?' Mira asked.

'I am,' Strider replied.

"Is it just me or does he sound way to calm about this?!" Lucy asked fretfully.

"I imagine he's been in similar situations before. How much snow has fallen?" Erza asked.

"Too much. We can try to dig through, but it might be to thick," Gray said.

"We have to try!" Mira shouted, a shocked and terrified expression on her face. She remembered why she didn't like going in the field anymore - because that's where people died. Seeing her friend in such a state, Erza quickly hugged her.

"Don't worry, Mira. He's gonna be fine," Erza said. Mira didn't answer; holding her hands over her chest, she simply stood rooted to the spot, wide eyed and transfixed on the caverns entrance.

'He's gonna die. I'm going to lose him like I almost lost Lisanna,' she thought. While her sister had returned since then, she couldn't think of a way for Strider to get out of this. She was certain that the only thing they'd find on the other side was a freshly dead corpse, staring up at her with lifeless eyes; blood dribbling out of his mouth as his body lay split open, the blood, gore, and flesh mixing with the slime that littered the cavern. His organs would be missing, and he'd be left as carrion for the scavengers.

'You're trapped in there!' Erza shouted telepathically, still holding o to Mira.

'I'll be fine,' he answered.

'Please be careful,' Lucy thought to him.

'We'll work on removing the snow!' Wendy said. Strider didn't reply with more than a grunt of affirmation; he was in the middle of a fight for his life.

"Crap!" Natsu suddenly yelled.

"What?" Wendy asked.

"The thing! It's resistant to magic!" he cried out.

"What?!" Erza asked, shocked.

"Gray and I tried to hit it but… it just went through our attacks!" Natsu said.

"How is that possible?" Lucy asked.

"I've no idea! I just know Strider couldn't use his magic, either! How's he gonna beat it?!" Natsu asked in a panic.

Erza felt her heart sink. If the creature was resistant to magic, Striders options were severely limited. Looking at her companions, she saw that they were at as much of a loss as well. She figured he could his sword, but considering how panicked Gray and Natsu appeared, she wondered if that would be enough?

"Lucy! Call your Spirits! We gotta cut through this snow!" Natsu ordered. He began to claw it away with, coating his hands in fire. Gray began to shove it away as well; both were careful to not do anything that would result in another avalanche. Carla and Happy began to move as much as they could, while Wendy swiped away as much as she could. Summoning Taurus, he immediately got to work, taking heed of the situation; while Erza switched into her Flame Empress armor. She began swiping away a the snow with her red sword, melting as much as she could. Mira felt useless, unable to move much.

'I couldn't do anything for her. I can't do anything for him,' she thought, feeling her heart sink lower and lower.

-o-

Inside the cavern, Strider was locked in a test of strength with the beast. It wasn't something to trifle with; a single mistake would be his undoing. He couldn't underestimate it - as it stood, this beast was the only thing standing between him and the fresh outdoors. Because the beast was resistant to magic, he figured that any defensive spell he activated wouldn't work too well - likely, it would cut through. Strider began to survey his surroundings; he would have to focus on physical strikes.

'Hmm… it might be resident to my magic, but it shouldn't be resistant to environmental impact,' he thought. He began his dance with the beast, circling it as it circled him. Coal-black eyes drilled into blood red ones, sizing the other up.

The beast made the first move. It lashed out at Strider with one of its stark-white limbs, swiping with its six-inch claws. Strider was barley able to dodge the strike. As it reared its limb back, he saw his first opening. The beast was prowling directly under a massive stalactite that had an exceedingly sharp point. Strider stopped moving and the beast followed, eyeing him. With a sudden movement, Strider brought the stalactite down with a telekinetic pull. It ripped free from overhead and drilled right through one of the leathery wings and into one of its limbs. The beast let out an angry and pained roar that shook the mountain to its very core; outside, fresh snow began to fall, adding more work to what the others had to do.

Pressing his advantage, Strider shot forward with his sword and lopped off the injured limbs with a vicious slice. It went through like a hot knife through butter and soon, purple blood began to spray like a geyser. He was barely able to dodge, but the pungent smell soon reached him. He retched, thankful that the creature was still nursing its wounds. Looking at the stalactite, he saw the limb squirming, some life still in it. As it became still, the creature refocused its hate on Strider and let out a screech as it began to rush him. Strider flew back as far as he could, squirming inside a crevice large enough to fit him. Despite the discomfort, it was preferable to being eaten alive by the creature. The cloak was durable enough to protect him from catching his clothes or skin on the jagged rocks, although they bored into his back hard enough to cause some blood to begin oozing. The creature tried its best to make its way in, but the pillars in front of the crevice stopped its entry. It opened its maw wide and the elongated, purple tongue jutted forward. It founds its way to Strider and licked him slowly, but was unable to do much else. The creature had gotten a taste for its prey, which certainly wouldn't do him any favors.

'Could've cut the damn tongue off,' he thought as he edged back just a bit further to escape it. The tongue followed, continuing to coat him in its saliva; the smell was more disgusting than the blood that continued to pour from its limb.

'That much blood loss and it's still going. This thing is impressive,' Strider thought. Finally, the creature pulled away in anger and drew itself to full size, showing off its might and trying to impress fear upon its prey. Looking up, Strider noted that it hadn't learned from the previous mistake; it was under another stalactite. Moving a bit quicker this time, he brought the stalactite down with another downwards motion. Before it connected with the wing, Strider got out of the crevice and launched forward so he could make it on time. Immediately after it tore through another wing and limb, he sliced it off. The creature, however, wasn't as foolish as he initially thought it was. Taking the attack head on, it quickly pivoted - faster than something that size should've been able to - and smashed another limb directly into Striders stomach. The Wizard flew back, pelted deeper into the cavern at a mile a minute. It took have a while to get his bearings straight. The attack left him slightly winded; despite putting up his protection, his earlier hypothesis proved true - the attack simply cut through it. He was barely able to dodge the beast that was flying his way, struggling to keep afloat with the two vicious holes in its wings. Launching himself up, he came down just as quickly and landed on its smooth back, digging his sword in to keep composure. It let out a might screech as it felt the blade pierce easily through. Arching its back, it tried to shake him off but Strider held on for dear life. The vicious movements had an impact on his left shoulder; the pain was unlike any he had experienced in a long, long time. It felt as though someone was jamming a hot iron rod into his shoulder. He bit hard on his tongue to quell the pain, tasting his own blood in the process.

Strider began to wiggle the sword around, desperately hoping to find and connect with a vital organ that could put an end to the tortured flailing of the monster. Looking at the hole his sword was making, he suddenly had an idea. He continued to widen the cut as much as he could before the blade out and sheathed it in the black matte sheath around his waist. He plunged his right hand into the cut had made, ignoring the geyser of blood that rushed out as he removed the sword. Some of it found its way into his mouth; the taste was more horrific than the smell. He felt around its pulpy innards and began to release wave and wave of telekinetic bursts. While the hardy exterior of the monster deflected magic, the internals were a different matter.

The monster roared in pain as it began to feel the effects of the bursts. Another hold ripped open on its stomach as its insides began to be forced out. Over the screams, Strider heard soft plops down below as blood and organs poured into the lake; the still beating heart on its last pumps, the ruined lungs, a long string of slushes that were the large and small intestines rippling in. It kept crying in pain as the innards were continually pushed out. Over the duration of the bursts, Strider created a gaping cavity in its chest. Slowly but surely, the wings stopped flapping as its jaw was affixed open. The creature and Strider plummeted into the lake. The cold waters overtook him; opening his eyes, he saw that the creature was descending to the deepest parts, trailing blood and minced organs as it went, finally dead. He swam out of the lake and flew to the sure, coughing out blood and water. Strider ran his a hand over the hilt of his sword and sighed in exaltation; the fight was much more difficult than he could've anticipated. He brushed off whatever gore that remained on him before heading towards the caverns entrance, still caked in snow. With a mighty telekinetic pull, he sucked dozens of feet of snow into the cavern.

Strider recoiled as the sun blinded him. As he let his eyes adjust, he suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around him. Looking down, he saw a head of white hair; Mira was clinging onto him tightly, lightly crying into his chest about not being able to do anything. Strider wrapped his arms around her and gave her a tight hug, whispering that it was ok. As she drew away, she smiled and wiped away tears. Mira took a good look at him; he was soaking wet, with large splotches of purple here and there. Noting the two limbs on the floor that oozed purple blood, she came to the sudden realization that it belonged to creature, which was at last dead.

Erza was next, hugging him tightly, although she wasn't crying as Mira was. Nonetheless, Strider hugged her back, doing the same for Wendy who threw her arms around their waists in worry. As Erza began to look at the limbs, Lucy dove on as well; and much like Mira, she had tears in her eyes, thankful that he was ok. Natsu and Gray gave him a thumbs up before joining Erza.

"The monster?" Erza asked.

"Dead. It's at the bottom of the lake now," Strider replied, hiking his thumb behind at the body of water.

"How'd you beat it? I thought it was resistant to magic?" she asked in intrigue.

"It was. Took a little ingenuity," Strider said, nodding at the stalactites. Erza nodded and drew the conclusions. With one last glance at the lake, they began to head back to the town.

-o-

As they continued to the town, Mira and Lucy held on tightly to either of Striders arms while Erza led them. Looking between them, he could tell that the two were likely something like sisters to the guild - always looking and caring for the other members. The realization brought joy to him; Fairy Tail was indeed like a family as Master Makarov told him on his first day there.

"How did the job go?!" Elias, the mayor, asked as they finally arrived in the city hall.

"We've successfully completed it. The monster is dead. Its body is at the bottom of the lake," Strider told the mayor.

"Truly?! Thank you, Wizards! Come, come! Your reward, and then some rest - you seem to be soaked in particular, young man!" he said to Strider. He led them towards a hotel where they received their reward, which totaled a decent five million jewel for each of them.

"We'll keep the same arrangements as last night. Get some rest, Strider," Erza said, giving him a tight hug before leaving with Lucy, Wendy, and Carla; while Natsu, Gray, and Happy went off to their own room; leaving the last for Mira and Strider.

"You wouldn't happen to have a fresh pair of clothes I could borrow?" Strider asked the mayor.

"Of course!" Elias said. A moment later, Strider had a fresh set of lavishly designed clothes prepared for him; blood red with a royal gold trim on both pieces. Smiling and thanking the mayor, Strider and Mira finally went to their room. As they entered, they saw that it was fairly spacious; with two beds and a wonderful view of the mountains. Strider went outside to change and dry off, closing the curtain behind him as he went.

As she watched him leave, Mira gulped. Slowly, she edged over to the balcony and rested her hand on the curtain. She was wondering how much damage he had sustained because of her inability to do anything. Breathing deeply, she opened the curtain imperceptibly and saw him unlatch his sword and lay it off to the side. Strider took off his hood and cloak, laying it out on the balcony to dry in the warm sun. He removed a torn black vest that he wore underneath and tossed it to the side, taking a moment to crack his neck and stretch. Then he removed the wet, black shirt that clung tightly to his frame. As he did so, Mira looked on in horror.

Scar after scar littered his back. She brought a hand to her mouth to stop herself from gasping or shouting in fright, as tears began to well up in her eyes. Some of the blood was fresh, obviously from the fight that he just been in. But a significant portion of his back was covered in ancient scars, suffered years ago. They were healed to varying degrees; some were even imperceptible unless you looked long and hard enough. Others appeared to be the obvious result of torture - the spacing, grouping and size were too perfect to be anything else, inflicted for maximum pain. But the most horrific were three massive, jagged cuts that ranged from the nape of his neck vertically down his whole back - several feet in length. They appeared to be the work of a claw or something of that effect. To the side, she saw burns and brands of symbols that were foreign to her. Quickly, she closed the curtain and ran to the bed, pulling the blanket over and crying herself to sleep.

A few minutes later, after nursing his stomach, Strider came back into the room fully dressed. Mira was lying on the bed, already fast asleep. Walking over to his own bed, he let out an exalted sigh and laid his head down, looking at the ceiling. Gently, he began to close his eyes and let a soothing and peaceful dark wash over his weary body.

-o-

As Strider woke up later in the night, he paused to say thanks that he was able to do so peacefully. Whether it was because he was so tired, the sleep had been dreamless and peaceful. Looking to his left, he saw that Mira was still sleeping pleasantly, the blanket now tucked under her chin. Strider frowned as he saw looked like tear stains across her face.

'Why was she crying?' he wondered, tucking some hair behind her hair. She grabbed his hand in her sleep and held it close, mumbling something that he didn't quite catch. Smiling, he gently pulled away and headed to the balcony to let the cool night air wash over him.

'That was a hell of a fight today. I'm going to have to start training again, though. I can't let myself get caught off guard like that more than once,' he thought with an exalted sigh. His powers were usually near absolute in their strength, but they had failed him during the fight. It was well that he was otherwise adept with the sword, else it could've been him dead at the bottom of the lake. Breathing deeply, he looked up at the sky. His eyes soon turned to one particular star that seemed to be shining brighter than the rest. Almost mindlessly, his hand went to his neck, pressing on something that rested around it. He gently pulled out a chain that lay under his shirt and looked at the black stone that hung on it. Grasping it tightly, he sighed before glancing at the star once more and heading downstairs to eat.

As he found the kitchen, he saw that Erza was already awake as well, drinking a glass of milk as she lazed around in her strawberry-cake pajamas.

"Good evening," he said.

"Oh, you're awake? I thought for certain you wouldn't be up until tomorrow," Erza said in surprise.

"I got enough rest, I think. That said, it's probably best that we wait to leave until in the morning. I know Mira's still asleep; I'm sure Lucy, Wendy, Carla, Natsu, Happy, and Gray are as well," Strider said, pouring himself some milk and grabbing a bagel.

"Lucy, Wendy, and Carla certainly are. With the weather outside and the warmth inside, it makes for a cozy setting. I agree, however; we'll wait until the morning," Erza said. Strider noted her staring intensely at him.

"What is it?" he wondered.

"What you did was really brave," she said.

"Well, we took on a job. We had to complete it, right?" he asked.

"Indeed, but you took it one on one. Gray and Natsu seemed to be a bit shaken by it, and they've fought deadly foes before. It appeared as though this thing was a monster true and through," Erza said.

"That it was. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before. Almost alien in appearance, but considering where it made its home, we shouldn't be too surprised," Strider said.

"What do you mean?" Erza asked.

"'There are old and foul things in the deep places of the world,'" he said, remembering being told that once before.

'The old man was right,' Strider thought with a frown.

"Do you encounter things like that often where you're from?" Erza asked, curious of the answer. She was no stranger to monsters - especially big and deadly ones. However, she hadn't ever come across something like that one that Natsu and Gray described to her; and certainly not magic resistant ones.

"Here and there. It's a wide and wondrous world. I don't think any of us have seen enough of it to be left unsurprised. There's always going to be something bigger, badder, and worse than the last," he said.

"Perhaps. I hope there's not much more like this one, though. A monster that's impervious to magic - how are you supposed to beat something like that?" she wondered.

"A little ingenuity goes a long way. Although, I'm curious - how dependent is this world on magic?" he inquired.

"Fairly dependent, I would say. Not everyone is a wizard. First of all, you need to have an affinity for magic - either Holder or Caster. Next, you need to be part of a guild. You're not officially considered a Wizard unless you join one and start going on jobs. Otherwise, you're just a civilian," Erza said.

"I see. So I only became a Wizard after I joined Fairy Tail?" Strider wondered.

"That's correct. How did it work in your homeland?" Erza wondered.

"Wizards were those with magical skill, but we defined it as something else entirely. We didn't have as many wizards as you do here; just a very select few. I don't know many people like me, in fact; and while magic is used, we don't depend on it," Strider said.

"I see. So are your skills considered special there?" she wondered.

"More or less," Strider nodded.

"Mmm, I see. Magic is an important part of Fiore - and Ishgar as a whole. Everyone depends on it for their daily needs. We use Magic lacrima's - they're magical, crystalline objects - that can be imbued with magic for different purposes. They're used for things like fuel in a vehicle; as surveillance tools; as lighting and lamps; as communication tools; and several other uses. Those that can't use Magic use lacrima's and it's a part of life. I'm not sure what we'd do without it, to be quite honest," Erza said. She had never given the topic much consideration before; Magic always simply was. It didn't require any thinking, for the most part; people just used it.

"It's good to be able to adapt to a situation without Magic, however. As versatile as it is, you need to be able to react appropriately to a situation in which it's nullified," Strider said.

"Perhaps you're on to something. I've trained with swords for a long time, so I'm comfortable using them; it appears to be the same for you," she said.

"Since I was a boy," he said with a wry smile.

"How old were you when you first used one?" she wondered.

"Hmm… four or five, perhaps?" he said.

"That young?" Erza asked in surprise.

"Necessity dictated it, I'm afraid. Yourself?" Strider asked.

"Eleven," she said.

"Fairly young as well," Strider said, just as surprised.

"Perhaps. I'm thankful that I found Fairy Tail. It's… when life started to look up at last," Erza said with a light smile. She soon got up and said good night for the rest of the night; Strider left a little while after. Getting comfortable in his bed yet again, he quickly dozed off for the night.

-o-

The following morning, the sun shone through the curtains and and the rays of light landed directly on his face. Grumbling in discontent, he forced himself awake. As he sat on the edge of his bed, he heard something; a beautiful sound coming from the direction of the bathroom. Noticing that Mira was awake, he deduced that she was singing in the shower.

'Wow. I had no idea she could sing. Such beautiful voice…,' Strider thought, trailing off as he let her words wash over him, unknowingly serenading him into peace. He closed his eyes and focused on the sound of her voice, the soprano reaching its highest point. As he thought about Mira, he found his mind beginning to wander, reaching across his past and bringing to head another figure; a woman with white-blonde hair and rosy cheeks, comparable to Mira in beauty. Quickly, however, he suppressed the thought. Ten minutes later, Mira reentered the room, ready for the day. She frowned as she saw him before perking up again.

"Hey," she whispered.

"Good morning, Mira," he said, smiling back at her.

"What's up? Ready to go?" she asked.

"I am. I'm just going to shower really quickly. Forgive me if my singing isn't as beautiful as yours, however," he said, winking at her before walking in. Mira went a bright red.

'Did he hear me singing?!' she thought in a panic. She had assumed that he was still downstairs and only had walked in a few moments ago. She quickly got dressed, mind still awash with his comment. Looking to the bathroom door, however, her heart fell. The sight she had seen the day before came rushing back; the scars prominently on display in her minds eye. With a deep sigh, she waited patently for him.

'How does someone get scars like that and live? I mean… it's like his entire upper body is covered. If it's like that on his back, though… what's it like in front?' she thought. As vivid images came to ahead, she whimpered quietly and laid down, trying to suppress tears that threatened to spill yet again.

'What has he been through? Torture, for sure. He said he was in war, but I haven't seen anyone with scarring that bad. And those three big ones… what the hell could make that?' she wondered. She cycled through encounters she had had or monsters her guild mates had faced; and eventually, she could think of nothing that could cause that much damage - at least nothing in Fiore.

Finally Strider reentered, dressed and ready to go.

"Shall we?" he asked.

"Yeah. Hey, got a sec?" she asked, walking up to him.

"Sure. What's on your mind?" he wondered.

"I… I'm sorry," she said, looking at his chest.

"For what?" he wondered.

"I was… completely useless on this job. I couldn't even help get rid of the snow," Mira said, tearing up slightly. She felt him bring a hand to her cheek, lifting her face to look at him.

"Don't fret about it, alright? There really wasn't much to do," he said warmly.

"Still, I feel like I should've… done something," she sighed.

"It's fine. Relax, alright?" he said, hugging her. Mira sighed as she felt his warmth wash over her, much like it did during the night. Nodding despite her remaining guilt, the two finally left.