34 Chapter 34: Recovery

Beta read by Shigiya and Darklord331

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-???- 

Terror…

That was what Ultear felt the entire time. Her eyes stared at the scene before her, no… calling it a nightmare would be more accurate. She couldn't understand it, unable to predict it or even make heads or tails of anything. 

A stranger whom she didn't account for waltzing inside the cave with little to no problem and eating the ice right before her eyes. At first, her mind didn't know how to react to that, in complete denial that such a thing was even possible. A spell using the complete life force and body of the user to entomb their enemies in an eternal prison — until one of them dies first. A woman whom she despised, pitied and looked down upon for years, where even the sight of the glacier brought a complicated emotion from her heart. Was it rage? Sadness or denial? She couldn't tell. 

But what Ultear at that very moment was that she needed to get out of there as soon as possible. Curse this plan of hers, curse the identity of Zalty, and curse Lyon for attracting this… thing here! 

"You are all annoying." 

With a single word, he transformed before them. Her heart stopped as he grew taller, and bigger, his teeth elongating and turning into fangs. The blue tattoos around his body behaved like snakes, moving all over making way for dark scales that covered his body within seconds. "A dragon," she knew instantly what it was and how impossible this scenario turned out to be. 

A creature long thought instinct to the point of becoming legends and fairy tales. "—!"

A large gust of wind pushed against her body, and as wings jutted from his back a tremendous amount of ethernano gathered around his jaw, the pressure alone rendering many of Lyon's allies immobile from fear. "Zalty! Get us out of here now!"

Beneath the rubble, an injured Lyon shouted, casting a giant wall of ice between him, Sherry, and the collapsing volcano. His legs caught beneath a large boulder, a small pool of blood forming beneath it. Yuka was gone, his body crushed beneath the creature's hind legs and Tobi was nowhere to be seen. Ultear tightened her jaws, knowing that saving anyone burned her escape route so without much of a thought — she only pushed the rock over before running away. "That's all I can do, if you can or not is up to you." 

"W-Wait! Zalty! Take us with you! Lyon-sama's leg… h-he can't!" Sherry shouted, supporting Lyon as he couldn't keep up easily. 

Foolish idiot, no one in their right mind would stay behind any longer than necessary and get killed. Forgotten magic or not, that level of magic just surpassed anything she was capable of putting up and felt more suffocating than Master Hades himself! "Gah!" 

She wasn't fast enough, the bright light flashed before her ears bled from the loud noise of the dragon breath blowing off the top of the mountain. The shockwave impacted her body with enough force to send her flying, forcefully breaking the transformation magic and revealing her true face for the world to see. Not that it mattered with no one next to her. 

The white kimono clothing was stained from dirt and ripped apart, dozens of orbs surrounded her body to stop any incoming projectiles. Disoriented and having trouble breathing from the ever-growing presence of the dragon, the woman rushed to the very edge of the island where Lyon's ship resided. 

"▂▂▃▃▅▅ーーー!!" 

Despite her damaged ears, she felt the roar shake her body, eyes turning back to find the shocking scene of Erza Scarlet confronting the dragon on her own. "That crazy woman, wishing for death."

Ultear never thought of Erza as weak, quite the opposite in fact. Mastery over her Requip magic and Telekinesis, she time and time again showed her prowess with the numerous quest-given battles. An S-Class wizard ranked as the most powerful female member in Fairy Tail. But even all of that mattered little from what she saw, the constant strike and slashes never once cut through the scales of the dragon. Though she managed to throw it around a couple of times, it became clear to her that this thing was probably playing with her. 

"Here!" Finally reaching the other side of the island where the boat was anchored, the earth beneath her shaking with each clash getting worse than the last. A quick look showed Erza forcing the dragon back beneath the mountain with all the earth and rocks around crumbling with the use of her magic. Hoping on board and starting the engine, she released a sigh of relief as the vessel slowly drifted away from the island. 

"Wah!" However this sense of peace did not last long as another force swept across the island, nearly tipping the boat over as the waves grew bigger. "Damn it, now what!?" 

Her frustration lasted a moment before being replaced with surprise and wonder. Erza was nowhere to be seen, whether the dragon killed her or not remained to be seen. Instead, the mighty beast confronted the man whose power captivated him for years. The following class remained engraved within the deepest depths of her mind, forever ingrained as finally glimpsed beyond the realm of power she was familiar with and stepped into the domain Master Hades always spoke about. 

Where even the largest sword failed to pierce a scale, a series of punches and kicks not only cracked them but drew blood. His body exuded a beautiful, almost flame-like blanket of emerald energy that matched the white dragon's breath attack. Such monsters existed in this world, her worldview really was shallow before to believed that she had seen everything. No wonder even Master Hades called her naive… was this the kind of power had he witnessed in the past? Or, lay there a world, a might beyond this one? 

"—!" Ultear's eyes widened as the dragon suddenly turned its head to fire another breath attack. Heading straight for the boat she spotted Erza, the other members of Fairy Tail, and the villagers — all about to be blown away if that landed. Her hands twitched, as for a moment, a small instance where a part of Ultear considered saving them. Why save them? They were her enemies, her guild's enemies who would sooner or later clash and be destroyed eventually. She knew full well it wasn't out of selflessness.

No, perhaps she just wanted these wizards to survive and make sure to kill that dragon. The memories of the mysterious man from before consuming the ice once again coming back to haunt her. Iced Shell was a technique that used the spirit and the physical body of the user to freeze the target into a block of ice, but the Caster was not "dead", just alive in the form of ice. She learned the moment her Arc of Time encompassed the glacier, trying to melt it with no success, so at that moment, she knew the woman was still living. But now… now she not only died once again but instead got consumed as food. 

It infuriated her, making Ultear feel that even after so many years, that woman still managed to find a way to disappear. 

"What?" At the very last second, another group arrived just in time to diverge the blast with what looked like a Unison Raid. Fire and ice working in conjunction, and working so perfectly together, how ironic. 

"Ah!" Ultear grabbed onto the wooden pillar of the ship as the waves got bigger. A large wave of emerald energy erupted from the epicenter of the island and spread outward, causing her ship which was the closest to start crumbling apart. "Arc of Time: Restore!" 

Activating her magic, all damages on the boat disappeared, restoring itself to its prime condition within seconds. At the same time, Ultear's jaw dropped at the familiar scene, one that momentarily witnessed all those years ago before her crystal ball exploded. A torrent of power, endless emerald energy bursting from his body like an endless avalanche. 

"..."

Her hands stretched forward, absentmindedly gazing at the emerald light that condensed into a giant sphere hanging above the island. Yes, this was what she desired back then, power beyond belief capable of fulfilling her every desire. An endless source of energy that would allow her to use Arc or Time to its fullest extent and accomplish her one goal. What hope had been destroyed by the dragon before now came back stronger than ever. Her resolve to acquire it surpassed the fear of said power as it came crashing toward the island. 

"No matter what method," before it reached the dragon, a bright flash of white light covered the space around as she continued to stare at the tiny dot floating in the sky. Rageful green eyes and a body that seemed to have grown bigger than before. "I'll get you." 

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"He's still alive." 

Watching from the dark depths of her study, Irene Belserion spoke with a hint of curiosity and worry evident in her tone. As she was looking over Heine Lunasea and Juliet Sun's training as usual, one of her longtime running spells activated. A sensory magic, made to sense and find the source of the magic she sensed a few years ago and one she also built to track Acnologia — without much of a success as the Dragon King somehow could mask his presence from her. However, the Queen of Dragons had to remind herself that there was no reason for him to do so as the creature neither feared Zeref nor even knew about her existence. So either her little experiment was a failure or there was more to Achnologia's powers. 

Then again, given how it failed to even locate the source of the unknown power, she went for the former option. But lo and behold, after years of collecting dust it finally gave a response, a weak one but one nonetheless. Safe to say, the power she witnessed surpassed her expectations by a large margin. Having only seen the latter parts of the battle, her mind kept replaying both the enormous amount of magic and the white flash. 

The connection wasn't stable as the explosion cut the live footage. But from what little she'd seen, Irene was certain that Achnologia lived. "Badly wounded and overpowered, how could I have survived? I can't exactly come to this conclusion without any proof supporting my claim." The redhead muttered to herself, twinkling with her staff whilst going through different possible answers and theories. 

Upon further looking through the moments her orb managed to capture, she concentrated, "That light at the end, it came from his body rather than someone else interfering." Teleportation? Not a common form of magic, someone as ancient as the Dragon King would have knowledge about it, but to learn it let alone use it when Zeref never mentioned anything about it? Unlikely. "Or maybe he never had to use it in the first place." 

So many questions without any answers, it irked her. However, her frown soon melted away and gave place to a sinister yet beautiful smile as the orb showed the image of Broly. "Found you." 

Galuna Island… Ishgar… Fiore? Not that it mattered, at least now she had a face, a clear look at what this power was capable of, and— "Oh, that mark." Her eyes squinted at the blurry images of a symbol at the back of his hand, hard to see but one she could make out the shape of.

"Fufufufu~! This might be easier than I thought." Power that could kill Achnologia, why hadn't Zeref mentioned this to her or anyone else for that matter? Irene refused to believe the man was not aware of this person's existence or at least curious about where that source of power came from in the past. "He's barely been present these last few years, most of the time sending only a mere thought projection. Just like me, he's searching for this man, then he wouldn't mind if I follow his footsteps?* 

The issue came with the General of the Spriggan, that old bundle of bones would never let her get anywhere near Ishgar where Achnologia was last spotted. Claiming that even she would be no match for the dragon, a statement she looked down upon as defeating the dragon was up to debate — she still wasn't a weakling that he could so easily take down without sacrificing something in return. 

With a tap of her staff, the door opened with her two subordinates entered the room. Before they could so much as greet her or offer their respect, Irene got up from her seat, leaving behind a copy of hers. An action that confused both girls. "I'll be gone for a bit, make sure to keep this place clean and well. August will not visit anytime soon as he's too preoccupied with that new disciple of his. This matter shall not be shared with any of the Spriggan, understood?" 

"Understood!" Heine replied without hesitation, though still confused by her rather sudden decision, Juliet gathered the will to break their following silence and speak. 

"Eeehh? You're leaving~!?" 

Irene chuckled, "It won't be for long, a couple of days at most and I'll be back. There is something that caught my attention and I'm planning on investigating further." A magic circle came to life beneath her feet as she finished her sentence. Within seconds, her body slowly disappeared, leaving both girls alone in the study and the copy left behind. 

{Break}

-???-

Painful, that became how Achnologia's body felt for the last few days. Breathing, let alone walking hurt more than anything he experienced in the past. His lungs felt like they weighed more than a mountain, where each inhale took a considerable amount of effort while burning at the same time. As if thousands of knives cutting through his inside with the slightest move. 

His chest partially caved in, his cape drenched in dried-up blood, and a swollen face he marched. 

"This is… pathetic." What a shameful display for a Dragon King, one that kept chipping away at his pride with every passing moment. Angered at his own weakness, furious against the one who put him into such a state, and helpless at the remnant emerald magic he absorbed before still ravaging his very core. No attempts at removing it helped or even diminished the effects, he almost wanted to claw out his guts to make it all stop. "It can't… it can't end like this!" 

Using a cane as support, the weakened former Dragon Slayer walked through the jungle, a dense fauna located on a faraway island away from any of his enemies. "They'll try to find me, take advantage of my state, and kill me." 

During the battle, he felt multiple gazes upon him, not from the humans below or the weak Re-equip wizard — but from beyond. Watching him and his opponent with evident curiosity and hoping to see him die most likely. 

"This will suffice." Carrying over his shoulders, Acnologia held onto a bag full of fresh fish and the cut-up pieces of a bull-like creature he found nearby. He needed to recover quickly, and for that, he needed to eat and consume despite the rampaging energy inside his stomach. 

A loud crash echoed across the area as he dropped the bag of meat near a campfire. "Hurgh!" Another jolt of pain forced its way into every fiber of his muscles and pushed him to his knees whilst clutching his guts. Clenching his jaws hard enough to nearly crack his teeth, fists clenched as he endured. Seconds turned into minutes and after the sun dipped below the horizon he managed to get used to the sensation, barely. 

"This… this isn't magic, it looks like magic and he even used it to get that powerful but it isn't magic!" Never in his life did he experience such a strange phenomenon, making him question if this was one of Zeref's secret etherious creations. "Unlikely, they are made of ethernano and he smelled different…k-kuh!"

With great effort, he sat on the ground with his back pushed against a large boulder. Grabbing onto a fish and eating the raw flesh without much care, he didn't have the luxury or time to cook it with how shitty his body felt. Chewing and swallowing, repeating those words dozens of times as to ignore the sensation in his guts. 

"Hah…" taking a deep breath after his meal, the dragon closed his eyes and concentrated. He had to do something about this energy within his body or else… sooner or later someone or something might find him and take advantage. That black mage surely searched for him maniacally at this very moment, if he stumbled upon him now then Achnologia had to begrudgingly acknowledge that his chances of survival were non-existent. "Can this be a new form of magic?" 

Having no other options, he could only do the one thing he knew to potentially alleviate his pain. Opening his mouth, blue and white particles of ethernano gathered around as he steadily consumed the magical energy to combat the emerald energy within him. "A-Argh!" 

He needed to remove it, and extinguish this foreign energy as quickly as possible—"No! I refuse!" The man shouted with defiance when realization dawned on him about his actions. This was no different than admitting complete defeat, proving himself a weakling to a person who could barely control his powers and just lashed out wildly. A person who didn't even use his full powers in the Dragon's opinion till the very end. 

He abhorred that thought, hated it with every cell in his body. "I'm no weakling!" He screamed with all his might, destroying any thoughts of taking the easy way out and purging the energy like a coward. "If I can't beat you, then I will find a way to devour this energy instead!" And so, Achnologia continued to slowly eat more of the surrounding Ethernano, consuming everything without slowing down and steadily increasing his pace as he got further used to the pain. 

Sooner or later, this tiny ember would grow weak enough for him to devour it. Even if it wasn't magic, he'd find a way to do so. 

{Break}

-Magnolia-

The sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm, golden hue over the town of Magnolia. The guild as usual was a bustling hub of activity with the members going about their day as usual with the never-ending supply of quests or just getting hammered from alcohol. Though one table in particular did not share the same bright atmosphere, instead a gloomy air hung around each member which even affected those around who wondered what happened to these people. 

"So you encountered a dragon, huh… never thought there'd be any more of them left alive," Makarov muttered, no longer wearing his jester hat, his hands tapping onto his knee as he pondered upon the report given by the team. Natsu, Erza, Cana, and Lucy all sat quietly, some patiently waiting for him to finish speaking and others like Natsu lost in their thoughts. "I want to ask again whether you're certain it was a real dragon but having nearly lost your lives coupled with the destroyed island makes it obvious."

"Black scales, white eyes, and can even talk from what Broly mentioned." 

Makarov nodded at Erza's answer, trying to recall any beast fitting this description but finding none so far. He made sure to carefully look at Natsu, the boy had been unnaturally quiet so far and didn't even react to his previous phrase. Though it seemed he sensed his gaze but didn't bother to look at him, instead spoke quietly with an annoyed tone. 

"It's not Igneel. He was red and white in color, wasn't violent nor ever tried to hurt people." It became obvious to the old man that this encounter affected the boy just as much as the rest, never had he seen him so gloomy ever since… Lisanna. "I don't understand, why did he attack you? That stupid dragon even tried to kill Erza and the villagers for no reason! Igneel would never do that!" 

"We don't know," Cana answered, chin resting on her palm. "We didn't even make it angry in the first place. Got to the island, and said hi to the villagers who we found out later were demons. Then out of nowhere, the ground began to shake and the mountain top got blown off before that… monster came crawling out." She felt goosebumps just from recalling that scene. 

"Speaking of villagers, for some reason it seemed they changed their attitude after we left the island. Previously they mentioned that everyone was afflicted with some curse, then for some reason, the village head said that this is not the case and that they were demons from the beginning." Lucy added this whole quest turned out to be a major disaster in every way. 

Makarov shrugged his shoulders, "Without an island to investigate we can't say for certain what happened with them. Perhaps the dragon's presence was affecting their memory? Though I highly doubt that's the case."  The chief Moka took the members of his tribe and set off to another location outside of Magnolia, setting off to find a new home to rebuild. He was grateful that all of the villagers survived the encounter and even wanted to repay the guild somehow to which Erza declined. The redhead stated that they never could complete the particular quest and they ended up losing their home — so better to focus on the essentials first. "The Magic Council has sent word that they've sent multiple agents to investigate the area. They'll most likely summon you all for further questioning I reckon."

"Did you tell them about the dragon?" Erza asked to which Makarov sighed. 

"I did, though a few doubted my claims and yours. Saying that this was just an elaborate story to conceal Fairy Tail from causing so much damage. But fortunately, they were a minority and most of the Council sided with me…anywho, we can continue this conversation later on. I don't need to tell you all to rest for the moment and not go out for any quests yet — especially you, Natsu." 

"What!? That's not fair! If Erza and the others found a dragon then that means there should be other dragons somewhere nearby! Maybe I can—"

"ENOUGH!" The old man shouted, his voice loud enough to render the entire guild hall quiet. "You'll have your chance to go out and search for Igneel, but for now, we need to stay calm and wait for the Council's answer. I'm being serious about this, Natsu." 

"Damn old man!" The salmon-haired Dragon Slayer gritted his teeth, glaring at Makarov before storming out of the place with Happy following along. 

"Hah, that boy and his temper. Though I know he won't disobey me and get himself in danger for now. If he by sheer bad luck encounters another dragon all by himself then I fear the worst." 

"Another d-d-dragon?" Lucy spoke with a trembling tone. "Y-You think there are more of them out there!?" One was bad enough that even Erza couldn't scratch its scale let alone injure it. Having more out there was a frightening thought! 

"Who knows, you already came across one, so what's stopping there to be more out there? Dragons are not a myth or fairy tale creatures, but they genuinely existed many centuries ago. It's very possible for a handful to have survived and are hiding somewhere. Natsu for example was raised by one dragon, so that makes two of them already. Also, I'm certain the Magic Council will keep the encounter with a dragon secret to the public, so don't expect this to become widespread as only the Wizard Saints and selected S-Class wizards may have access to it." 

No one around the table could deny his word. 

"By the way, where are Gray and Broly?" Cana asked, wanting to visit the gentle giant who had been very quiet — quieter than usual — when he woke up from his slumber. She was worried about him, even Lucy and Erza knew that he was very affected by something. 

"Gray is with Porlyusica," he answered. "She's looking at the two wizards. One of them is gravely injured and in a critical condition, while the other just needs some time to recover. As for Broly, I've gotten word he is spending some time alone near the river."

"He's someone Gray knew from his childhood." Cana give more details. "Gray once mentioned that he learned Ice magic with another student, and when we found the two people they were within a ball made of ice. So it's a large possibility it's the same person. Hah, all this talk has made me want a drink or two, where is Mira?" 

"Oh her?" Makarov weirdly stared off into the distance, avoiding their gaze as he answered in a cheeky tone. "She wanted to have a break and go fishing so I let her. The girl has been working non-stop for the past month along with her modeling career, so she deserves it. 

Her words brought a great sense of confusion among the three as all looked at the Master. 

"Since when did Mirajane start fishing?" They said in unison.

{Break}

"Nothing yet," sitting near the river, Broly, surrounded by the familiar environment of nature and the sound of running water, patiently waited with a fishing rod in hand. 

For the past few days, this had become his favorite spot, temporarily away from the guild and everyone for that matter. Ever since waking up from his last battle, he no longer knew what to do anymore or how to face the others. His actions have not only destroyed an entire island but one the Galuna resident called home. Even the realization that he managed to hold himself back and retain consciousness until that flash of light brought little sense of comfort to the Saiyan. 

His progress just wasn't fast enough and he still struggled despite all the confidence he accumulated with time. Was he doomed to forever be a slave to his own powers and lust for battle? He hoped not, or else even staying here any longer endangered not only his friends but the planet itself. 

"Hm?" His ears twitched as he heard the leaves rustling, soon a shadow appeared which revealed itself to be Mirajane holding onto a picnic basket. 

"Heya~" she greeted him cheerfully, "where have you been these last few days? It's been getting kind of lonely without you coming over to the guild." 

"Mirajane?" He didn't know what to say, seeing the item she held in hand, he could already smell the fragrance of cooked meat and more. His stomach decided to act before he could and release a loud grumble. "Ah…" Oh right, he hadn't eaten anything since this morning, having plans to just snack on some of his catches which turned out to be unsuccessful so far. 

The white-haired wizard wasn't expecting that kind of response from him. "Fufufufu~ At least someone else is happy to see me." 

She didn't hesitate to come next to him and settle down before handing him some skewers. His mouth watered at the sight and immediately ate everything up within seconds. "Thanks, I missed your cooking." He said honestly. 

"Any reason why you aren't coming by to the Guild? Erza and Lucy seem worried, even Natsu hasn't been acting himself lately. Gray is with Porlyusica and barely comes over and the only one to keep me company is Cana." She made a mock pout face. "It seems I've gotten too boring for you, how sad…" 

"No!" He answered hastily, her saddened face catching him off guard. "I wasn't bored of you, promise. Just wanted some time alone to sort out some of my thoughts." 

"Does it have to do with the dragon and Galuna Island disappearing?" Her words shook the Saiyan as he realized that of course, she would know the full story and thus figure out his worries eventually. 

"It does." He sighed, gazing at the water and seeing his distorted reflection. "I have… a problem with controlling my anger and Qi. Normally, it's not an issue, but when I get angry, it just becomes hard to control and I tend to lash out without knowing."

There was no point in hiding anything nor did he plan on doing so with the others. Better they realize the danger he represented instead of getting caught by surprise and ending up paying the consequences of his actions. 

"I take it it's not the first time this has happened. Long ago, Erza mentioned to me how her precious friend suffered a lot in order to protect her and everyone else." Mirajane spoke, her soft voice almost easing his mind in a way he couldn't explain. "it doesn't take a genius to figure out who this person is." 

To that, he nodded. "Back then, Erza and Jellal were trying to escape so they hatched a plan. Something went wrong and they got captured, the guards used this opportunity to lure me and have a wizard trap me under a barrier. Back then, I wasn't as good at controlling my powers or emotions as now, so I already started losing control. Then they tried to get into my mind, and that made me lose control." Now that he thought about it, he never actually told the story to anyone so far. Only he and Erza knew about it, even Lucy wasn't aware of the details. 

Not like he ever tried to hide anything from her, if she had asked then he would have answered. 

"You're scared of yourself," she stated with certainty, her tone much more gentler than before. "You're afraid that one day when you'll lose control, you'll cause irreversible damage to someone you love. So you're constantly living in fear and doubt." 

"That's… right." It did surprise him how on point she was with this topic. "I don't know what to do anymore, I thought I found a way but then this happened. Maybe it is for the better if I g—eh?" 

His words halted as a pair of arms wrapped around his neck, waves of white hair draping onto his chest as his back felt warmth. "You know, when I was younger, I had someone who would always hug me and Elfman like this whenever we were sad or worried. I always felt better when she did this, don't you think so as well?" 

She spoke, close to his ears, that a strange sensation spread over his skin. He looked down to find goosebumps which confused him. This… this wasn't fear, yet it was giving him a similar reaction? Yet he liked it enough to not push her away. He remembered Aquarius doing the same to him and a similar reaction occurred. 

'It feels nice,' he thought, closing his eyes and welcoming this feeling as it further pushed away his worries and stress. "Yeah, it's weird but I also feel nice. Don't know how to explain it." 

"I knew it would work on you. I even tried it on Erza before but that girl just got creeped out instead — how unfair." She said mischievously, her voice still very close to his ears and causing a tingle all over his body. "You were trying to protect everyone, you don't seem like someone who likes to hurt others and has a gentle heart like my brother. I know you are afraid, but you shouldn't be, the more you push back, the more trouble you'll experience. It's a part of you, don't think of it as an enemy, but an ally. No matter what, everyone in the guild trusts you, Macao, Erza, Master, Lucy, and Natsu all know you want nothing more than to protect us." 

He unconsciously leaned more towards her, feeling lighter with each of her words. "You're probably right." 

"You know, I have an idea that will not only cheer you up but even make you forget about all these unnecessarily troublesome thoughts. Let's go to the beach together!" She showed him a pamphlet with two words written in bold letters at the front which he read them out loud.

"Akame Beach?" 

This place sounded familiar. 

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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 1 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.