Earth Land, Ishgar, Stella, Altair.
October 9, x791.
After breakfast, Alfonzo led Elicia, Cana, Ultear, and Sun back to their room in the hotel. He then focused on his [Magic Power Detection] to find the other members of Fairy Tail scattered throughout the city. Then, once he found the other six members of the guild, he initiated a [Telepathic Link] with his [Archive Magic].
{"Yo! Is everyone awake?"} Alfonzo asked, projecting his thoughts loudly through the [Telepathic Link].
{"Damn it, Kid!"} Gildarts barked back immediately. {"You just startled the hell out of me. I fell out of bed because of you!"}
{"Not only that. *Sigh*"} Ur added in an exasperated tone. {"He fell through the floor... And the three below us. Ugh! The guild is gonna have to pay for this later."}
{"Dad is such a menace."} Cana said, sounding just as exasperated as Ur.
{"You know, of all the people on this quest, you are the only one who has no right to say that, Cana."} Ultear pointed out. {"I mean, on our last quest, you destroyed an entire central plaza, remember?"}
{"That wasn't my fault."} Cana protested. {"That Thunderbird fell there after I shot it down. How was I supposed to know that it would land in the middle of that plaza?"}
{"Would you all shut up?"} Evergreen asked angrily. {"It's bad enough that you woke me up just after I got back to sleep after Elfman and I... *Cough* I mean after I finished my lookout shift. But now you're making me listen to you argue, too?"}
{"Yeah, I just got to sleep, too."} Bickslow added. {"Ever and Elfman were so loud last night... My room isn't even on the same floor as theirs."}
{"Bickslow~~~~~!"} Evergreen squealed in embarrassment.
{"OH, looks like Elfman was putting it down like a real man."} Alfonzo said in a teasing tone. {"Good work, little brother-in-law. Does that mean Amar'e, Bianca, Calvin, and Miyako are gonna have another cousin soon?"}
{"That's right, I'm a real man!"} Elfman bellowed through the [Telepathic Link]. {"And I'm doing my best, brother-in-law!"}
{"Elfman, you shut up, too!"} Evergreen shouted once again.
{"Okay, okay."} Elicia said, a hint of a giggle in her tone. {"As much fun as it is to embarrass Ever..."}
{"Don't call me Ever!"} Evergreen shouted.
{"... we have something serious to take care of."} Elicia continued while ignoring Evergreen's outburst.
{"Lici's right."} Sun said, sounding much more solemn than usual. {"Alfonzo said he was able to put a tracker on the girl he found yesterday. So, what are we gonna do about the Phantom Troupe?"}
{"What do we actually know about the Phantom Troupe?"} Ur asked, her tone turning solemn, as well.
{"Honestly, not much."} Alfonzo said. {"But does it really matter?" Their circumstances really don't matter to us. Even if they all have some kind of tragic backstory. The fact of the matter is they've been killing people and ruining lives for a long time. And we've been hired to put an end to that."}
{"It sounds like you have a permanent solution in mind."} Bickslow said, though his tone did not suggest that he was uncomfortable with that arrangement.
{"Although I'd rather not kill, I don't think we really have a choice this time."} Alfonzo replied solemnly. {"The quest sheet clearly says that the client wants the Phantom Troupe eliminated. Meaning, just bringing them to the authorities isn't enough."}
{"*Sigh* I don't' like jobs like this one, either."} Sun said, sounding a little sad. {"But they've done so many bad things. If they were to get out of prison, they would keep doing bad things."}
{"On top of that, if they ever got out, they would definitely come after the guild for revenge."} Ur pointed out, her tone much harsher than earlier. {"So, I'd rather put them down now than let them get the jump on some of the members of the guild in the future."}
{"I agree."} Ultear said, her tone just as harsh as her mothers.
{"Oh, um… Then, did I go too easy on that guy from last night?"} Gildarts asked, the image of him scratching his head sheepishly appearing in everyone's minds based on his tone.
{"You don't have to worry about that, Old Man."} Alfonzo said in a somewhat helpless tone. {"By the time I plucked the guy out of the air, he was dead with his neck broken. *Sigh* If you could control the destructive nature of your magic power, you would have been able to use [Magic Power Detection] to see that."}
{"Hahaha… Oh…"} Gildarts said in an awkward tone. {Although I don't' really feel bad about killing that young man based on what I know about the Phantom Troupe, I do feel bad about doing it on accident."}
{"That's not like you, Gildarts."} Ur said, a hint of worry in her tone. {"Although you usually destroy everything you come in touch with, that's usually limited to inanimate objects. I've never heard of you killing someone by accident before."}
{"There are actually two reasons for that."} Gildarts said. {"First, the guy wasn't as strong as I thought. I mean, he could hit me so hard, I thought he would be tougher than that."}
{"Seriously, Dad?"} Cana asked in an exasperated tone. {"You're one of the strongest wizards on the continent. Why would you think someone could take a hit from you when you're going all-out?"}
{"That's the thing."} Gildarts said, sounding a bit unsure of himself. {"I did hold back. Quite a bit, in fact. Even so, that guy ended up like that. It's almost like I've gotten stronger without realizing it."}
That statement brought everyone on the [Telepathic Link] up a little short. However, there were two people who had an idea of what was going on.
{"Hey, Gildarts."} Elicia said in a curious toen. {"Have you been training with your [Soul Armament] a lot lately?"}
{"Not as much as I'd like."} Gildarts said. {"Calamity is too destructive. If I use it all willy-nilly, I could destroy a whole mountain if I'm not careful."}
{"But you have been training it, right?"} Elicia asked pointedly.
{"Yeah, I have."} Gildarts replied.
{"Well then, you have your answer."} Alfonzo said. {"It looks like you're getting closer to the next level. And as you get closer, your power will keep on increasing."}
{"I see..."} Gildarts said in a contemplative tone.
From that point, the conversation transitioned to making plans for taking down the Phantom Troupe. Meanwhile, the Dark Guild they were discussing was gathered in a cave outside of Altair.
"Is there still no word from Uvogin?" Chrollo asked calmly.
"No, we still haven't heard from him." The man with the topknot, Nobunaga Hazama, replied while sitting against a cave wall with his sword leaning against his shoulder.
"Hmm..." Chrollo hummed contemplatively.
After a few moments of thought, Chrollo turned his attention to Machi.
"I'll see if I can find any news about Uvogin." Machi replied in her usual emotionless tone before Chrollo could speak.
"Mhmm." Chrollo hummed in acknowledgement.
In the next moment, Machi vanished from sight, quickly leaving the cave without making a sound, leaving the other eleven members of the Troupe to continue their discussion.
"What if Uvogin was killed, Leader?" The blonde woman, Pakunoda, asked, her tone filled with confidence and protective feelings for the Phantom Troupe.
"Need you even ask?" Chrollo asked, a small, chilling, smile spreading across his face. "If anyone was foolish enough to cut off one of the Spider's legs, then they won't live long to regret it."
As he spoke, an enormous amount of killing intent flowed out of Chrollo, causing the other members of the Phantom Troupe to tense momentarily. However, instead of fear, all their expressions were ruthless.
Well... Most of them showed ruthless expressions. There was one man, however, whose expression was filled with a perverted level of excitement and bloodlust.
Feeling the one different emotion in the cave, Chrollo turned to look in its direction. When he did, he was not surprised to see a tall, muscular, fair-skinned man with white face paint, a blue star painted on his right cheek, a yellow teardrop painted on his left cheek, yellow eyes, and red hair staring at him with enough fervor that one might think the man was in love.
Chrollo was not the only one who noticed the red-haired man's gaze, either. And his obvious desire for battle caused many of the other members to show signs of anger.
"Hisoka!" A short, pale-skinned man with black hair and grey eyes barked. He then launched into a tirade in an unknown language. And although no one could understand what he was saying, the fact that he was threatening the red-haired man, Hisoka Morow, was definitely clear t everyone.
"Hisoka, I suggest you don't do anything stupid." Pakunoda said sternly. "You'll never leave here alive if you even think about it."
"You misunderstand me." Hisoka replied after reeling in his bloodlust. "I was just wondering, if someone actually did kill Uvogin, they must be a ripe enough fruit to pick, right?"
"Do you think anyone would believe that?" Nobunaga asked disdainfully. "We all know what kind of person you are, Hisoka. And we all know you've been waiting for the chance to fight the leader to death."
"I am not denying that." Hisoka replied with a sly smile. "But do you really think I would jeopardize this mission for my own selfish desire?"
Though no one answered Hisoka's question, the way they continued to glare at him while tightening their grips on their weapons and tools made it obvious what the answer to his question was.
"Enough." Chrollo said after a few moments of tense silence. He then continued while looking straight into Hisoka's eyes. "If you are really looking forward to a fight with me so badly, Hisoka. Then, I have a deal for you."
This time, it was Hisoka's turn to remain silent. Though, the glint in his eyes made it clear that he was fully invested in what Chrollo had to say.
"If Machi finds evidence that Uvogin had indeed been killed on his way to the hideout, you'll take the frontline in killing the Troupe's enemies. And should you find and kill the one responsible for Uvogin's death, I will grant your wish after we're done with this job."
While Hisoka's eyes began to shine with anticipation, the rest of the Phantom Troupe began to clamor in protest. However, without even paying any mind to his subordinates' complaints, Chrollo simply raised his right hand, causing all the complaints to halt.
"But know this, Hisoka." Chrollo said, his tone turning much sterner than before. "Should you get the fight you've been wanting, you should be prepared to give up your life in the attempt."
"As it should be." Hisoka replied, a wide, manic, and anticipatory smile spreading across his face. "But just remember, you should be prepared for the same, Leader."
With his smile thinning into a smirk, Hisoka ignored the complaints of the other members of the Troupe. Then, under all of their gazes, he slowly walked over to an unoccupied area of the cave, took a seat, pulled out a deck of playing cards, and began performing magic tricks using the cards.
"That's enough." Chrollo said, putting an end to the complaints. "Pakunoda, Nobunaga, Shizuku, you three head to the deal site and secure the location. Feitan, Hisoka, Shalnark, Phinks, Franklin, and Bonolenov, you six split into groups of three and scout the city. Although I trust Machi, having more eyes will make finding out if there are any enemies nearby much easier."
After receiving Chrollo's orders, Pakunoda, Nobunaga, and Shizuku, full name: Shizuku Murasaki, a short girl with a large bust, slim waist, wide hips, short, layered black hair, and plum-colored eyes wearing a long-sleeved black turtleneck, blue jeans, a neckless with a cross with horns hanging from it, and a pair of earrings that usually remain hidden by her hair, made their way towards the cave's exit to carry out their mission.
Meanwhile, Feitan, the slim, black-haired young man, Shalnark, a tall, lean young man with blond hair and bright green eyes wearing a lavender-colored martial arts outfit, Franklin, a giant of a man with scars on his face, sewn-up wounds around his mouth, short, messy violet-colored hair, and brown eyes wearing blue overalls, a white jacket, and brown shoes, Phinks, a fairly tall, and muscular, man with blond hair and piercing black eyes dressed in a way that made him look like a modern-day pharaoh, and Bonolenov, a man wrapped head-to-toe in white bandages with brown eyes wearing red boxing gloves and boots, as well as a pair of orange boxing trunks, glared at Hisoka.
As for Hisoka, he only chuckled at the hostility coming from his teammates for this mission. He then put away the playing cards, stood up, dusted off the back of his pants, and made his way towards the cave's exit, the other five following him a few moments later.
Once the other nine left, Chrollo turned his attention to the remaining member of the Phantom Troupe who was still in the cave.
"Kortopi, use your magic to make copies of the eyes." Chrollo said calmly. "Depending on what the others find, we may have to accidentally let the Minister have a set of fakes. We wouldn't want the genuine article to be lost in a scuffle, after all. Of course, should we have to make such a sacrifice, we can only apologize to the Minister int he future. Though, since all sales are final, he'll never again see the payment for our services... Unless he pays to have the job completed again, that is."
"Understood." Kortopi, an exceptionally short man with long, messy, bluish-grey hair that covered his entire head, save one, bulbous, navy blue eye, wearing a light blue tunic, a light blue pair of pants, and a pair of black shoes, replied simply before making his way towards the case where the eyes of the Curta Clan were stored to start his work.