Chapter 17: Worries

                                    

                                          
Team Natsu entered the newly refurbished guild hall with smiles on our faces. We had just gotten off of a job that included giant monsters terrorizing a village, and we got double what we were promised again with how Jolteon and Flareon both roasted them with no sweat at all. Erza and Natsu helped by turning them to ashes and cutting them to pieces after they were immobilized.
                          
I stretched, feeling the familiar surroundings of home. "Aahh!" I let out. "Another S-class job in the bag!"
                          
"Seems like they're not even regular jobs when it's us doing them!" Wendy commented.
                          
"No kidding! It's like we could buy a whole house for ourselves with all of the money we get for them!" Lucy put in.
                          
"Now, let's not get too cocky. Remember that most of it is Elena's work." Erza grinned with her sharp eyes. "Without her we would never have finished this many in such a short time."
                          
"I guess you're right," Lucy agreed.
                          
"Which makes our team more awesome than anyone else!" Natsu grinned with his dragon teeth sticking out.
                          
"Aye, sir!" Happy put in.
                          
I laughed at the sudden compliments. "Please! The only way I do it is with you guys! Get some credit!"
                          
"Elena." We all stopped laughing then, hearing Papa call out to me. I stared into his intense eyes, and felt a rush of dread go through me.
                          
"Uh...I better go see what Papa wants." I spun back around. "Natsu, can you and Lucy make sure that Flareon and Jolteon are in good condition? Eevee can help you."
                          
"Sure." Lucy grinned in sympathy, and I gave her the pokéballs along with Eevee who hopped onto her shoulder. Eevee cried her name, and I kissed her forehead.
                          
"I'll be right back. Don't evolve on me!" I messed up her fur on her head while smiling, and turned around to walk towards Papa's room.
                          
"Ellie!" Natsu called. I blushed hearing my nickname from him. "Don't let Gramps die on us, okay?" He laughed, putting his hands behind his head. He was so carefree. "Nah, just kidding!"
                          
I grinned, and winked at him before going back to where Papa disappeared. I slowed down when I got to his room, and knocked on the door calmly.
                          
"Come in, Ellie." I had gotten used to the whole guild calling me that now, and I really like it anyway. I opened the door and stepped into the dark room, slowly closing it behind me.
                          
"What's wrong, Papa?" I asked, taking two steps forward. "Why is it so dark in here?"
                          
"I want to make sure you know how serious of what I'm about to tell you is." His back was turned to me.
                          
I looked around the room, and it was starting to creep me out. "Yeah, I think I got that."
                          
He cleared his throat. "Ellie, there have been reports of dark guilds being seen interacting with each other. It's only been a few at a time, but there have been more sightings in the past two months."
                          
I lowered my head. "What's this got to do with me?" Even though I asked this, I already knew the answer.
                          
"Broken Soul is at every meeting," he answered, making me widen my eyes in fright. Of course they were! Now that they've seen what my team could do, they'll do anything to grab Eevee and everyone else!
                          
"So, they're building an army..." I clarified. "Or rather, an alliance."
                          
He nodded. "I fear that our family will be in one of the biggest fights before long."
                          
"So, what do we do?" I thought about one thing to do, but it was the last thing I ever wanted for me and my team, let alone my guild.
                          
"I will let the Magic Council know of what we've seen, however I think you should lay low for awhile. I don't want you to attract anymore attention than you already have. And that means no more jobs until we can sort out the situation."