ASS 15

Ha," a chuckle escaped Will's mouth. "Hahahaha," which shortly turned into a cackling akin to that of a villain's.

The trip had been a harsh one, especially at the start. Erza's sudden disappearance due to the Ancient One whisking her away, followed by the Destroyer's arrival and the subsequent destruction it left behind.

The latter, in particular, still weighed on his mind. Will had been practically powerless to do anything about the Destroyer and would have run away if it hadn't been for Erza, leaving even more people to die. Though he did end up helping in whatever way he could, saving as many as he could manage and even freezing the Destroyer long enough for Erza to finish it off afterward.

That fight was his first time experiencing what could be described as a life and death situation, and it had been a jarring one, to say the least. Seeing so many people dead left a deep impression on him, and he would've been in a bad mental state if he hadn't locked away those memories for the time being.

He'd have to confront those memories at some point and probably speak with someone about them. Erza was a good choice for that, but Makarov also came to mind. The old man more than likely had seen similar scenes in his life, considering the many threats that existed on Earthland. He had been an adventurous young man, going on dangerous quests at one point in his life, after all. Seeking some counsel from Makarov seemed better the more he thought about it.

Will's apparent weakness was also put on display. Sure, he knew magic, but both of the ones he knew were of the supportive type. The only reason Super Archive even worked - especially with its low level - was due to the Destroyer being an automaton, and he was able to hijack it in a sense. If it had been any other enemy of the same strength, he would've been practically useless.

Though maybe his poisons would've been helpful in that case. Those were his current strongest weapon, but he did have a hard time using them in a fight. Most people - those not named Natsu - would dodge the obviously suspicious bottles if he threw them at his opponents. He did, however, gain the knowledge of creating portals, and that could potentially help him resolve that problem.

"Will?" Erza worriedly said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He just wrapped her in a hug in response, pulling her close as his lips sought hers, excitedly kissing her. Erza was confused only for a moment before grabbing onto him, returning his advances with passion.

Will's hands roamed her body, hungrily grabbing her ass, but out of the two, Erza was the more handsy one. She was pulling on his robes given to him by the Sorcerers at Kamar-Taj, trying to get him out of them as quickly as possible, her own clothes disappearing in a flash of light, leaving her in the nude.

"Wait, stop," he took a step back as a saddened pout formed on her face.

"But why?" Erza asked, her lips trembling in disappointment. "I-I haven't done something wrong, have I?"

"No," Will muttered, his gaze moving up and down her body, enjoying it as if it was the first time he saw it and savoring the sight. "No, no," he repeated as he shook his head. "It's just... there are a few things that I'd like to deal with first."

"Okay," Erza replied, her words coming rapidly out of her mouth. "What are they?" She asked, clearly intending to help him deal with them as quickly as possible.

"Well, put some clothes on first," he chuckled as he went towards the bedroom to get another pair himself. "I need to go to the other building," he added while quickly putting on the first clothes he grabbed. "And we can talk about what we got."

"I..." Will paused as he turned to Erza, who had followed after him, with an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry, princess," he stepped closer, pulling her in for a gentle hug. "I wanted us to spend some alone time, just the two of us, but things turned out hectic from the get-go."

"It's okay," she patted him on the head before lacing her fingers with his hair and giving it a few scratches. "We helped save people and did good; that's what matters."

"Yeah, I guess," Will murmured as he leaned into her touch. "Though we didn't get to go on dates. Good thing I've already prepared for one here."

"You have?" Erza pushed him away, both hands holding onto his shoulder as her eyes quivered in surprise while a bright smile formed on her face.

"Yup," he grinned at her, "and I do believe you will enjoy it."

"And Mira? What about her?" Erza asked as she worriedly bit her lower lips.

"That's a good question," Will slowly nodded. "When I planned the date, I hadn't taken her into consideration," he paused for a moment, thinking it over. "How about you and I go out together tomorrow, and then we can meet up with Mira, maybe have her over for dinner?"

"Yes," Erza smiled brightly. "I'd like that."

"Now," Will grabbed her hand and started walking out. "We do have to discuss what we returned with."

"The metals?" Erza questioned as that was the first thing that came to her mind since they were stored in her pocket space. She also seemed quite interested in those and their potential.

"Yeah, let's start with those," he nodded and took a deep breath before grinning. "Both of them are magical with incredible effects."

"What kind?" Erza asked, a tinge of excitement in her voice as they left the building.

"The one that we got from the bald lady," Will started, seeing her frown from the corner of his eyes at the mention of the Ancient One. "It's called Vibranium and is a very durable metal. Its toughness stems from its ability to absorb and even discharge kinetic energy."

"Kinetic energy?" Erza replied with a tilt of her head just as they entered the shop.

"Kinetic energy is the energy an object has due to its motion," Will explained simply. "You can think of it as physical attacks if it's easier for you. Punches, kicks, slashes with a sword, and the likes will be absorbed by the metal."

"Ohh, I got it," Erza nodded rapidly.

"It might even be able to absorb some magical attacks, but I'm not completely sure about that. It will definitely lessen any physical impact from them, though," Will added as he licked his lips. "All in all, it's perfect for making armor, and it could potentially be even better when combined with the other metal."

"The one from the metal construct," Erza said, looking at him in interest.

"Yes, that one is called Uru. I can say that it's even better and perfect for you," Will said, his voice growing excited at the end. "It can fit as many enchantments as you can throw at it, and it grows the more you use it. The more magic power you feed it, the stronger it will get."

Uru was just incredible for a magic user, and the best part was that they had plenty of it. Erza could get armor and a weapon made out of it, and they would still have enough for Will to get something as well. Hell, they might even have leftover Uru even after that.

"Really?" Erza exclaimed as he released her hand after they entered the alchemy room. "As many enchantments as I can throw at it?" She asked in wonder, all kinds of ideas already swimming in her head.

"Yeah, the hammer you used to turn the automaton to scrap is made out of Uru," Will replied as he stored some of the potions from his pocket space before looking through the materials he had on hand.

"Come to think of it," he paused and looked at her. "How did you even get your hands on the hammer?" He still didn't know how she ended up with Mjolnir.

"Oh, I just flew over and got it while you froze the construct," Erza replied as if it hadn't been obvious.

"Huh?" Will muttered with a confused look.

"Well, you told me where it was, and you are strong, so I trusted you to keep the construct frozen until I got it," Erza nodded to herself, looking at him with a smile as if that made perfect sense.

"Oh, princess," he stepped closer as she tilted her head. "You have no idea how happy it makes me knowing that you have such confidence in me," he said as he pulled her for a hug. "But I'm really not that strong," he finished with a depressing shake of his head.

"But you beat Natsu?" Erza replied in obvious confusion. Natsu was strong, and there was no doubt about that. The Dragon Slayer was definitely one of the more powerful members of the guild, yet he had managed to defeat him. Surely that made Will strong, right?

"That's..." he paused. "Well, it's not wrong, but I didn't beat him in a straight-up fight," he tilted his head to the side. "Well, that might be wrong as well," he shook his head with a chuckle. "But I didn't beat him with pure strength alone. You could say that I outsmarted him."

Or that Natsu beat himself. That could've worked as well since the Dragon Slayer hadn't bothered to dodge the thrown poisons, and instead, he had decided to smash them apart, which led to his defeat.

"I see," Erza replied as he watched her, biting his lower lip in anticipation. A small part of him feared she would change the way she looked at him, but his worry was for naught.

"Then I'll make sure you can defeat Natsu without needing to outsmart him," she added with absolute confidence, assured she could and would do it.

"You. Are. The. Best," Will kissed her with every word. "Never change, okay?"

"Mhm," Erza just nodded, lovingly smiling at the praise.

"And," Will said as he licked his lips before taking the Vibranium-infused herb out of his pocket space. "I have this little thing that will help me get into shape."

Not only would it help him get as physically strong as the more powerful people of this world - even stronger than some - but it would also raise his pathetic magical reserves. And he was in desperate need of both of those if he wanted to survive all the future events.

Even if he had derailed the timeline in some ways, he still fully expected to have an encounter with the Alvarez Empire led by Zeref. The generals of his army were absolute monsters that easily ranked in the top 20 most powerful humans of this world.

Then there was also Acnologia, who Will was one hundred percent sure they would have to deal with. The Black Dragon had, after all, taken over the world in one of the alternative timelines. Chances were, he would try to do the same in this one at some point.

As he currently was, Will wouldn't be able to survive those events. Thankfully, he had time before both cases came to be and a way to solve his weakness.

"This plant?" Erza looked at it oddly. "How would it help you get into shape?"

"It's magical," he just shrugged, and Erza nodded in acceptance. One thing he learned was that he could throw the 'it's magical' excuse and the people of this world would accept his words almost without hesitation.

"Now, I just have to consume it," Will looked at the herb as he searched through his memories, trying to figure out what was the best way to consume it. Unfortunately, he didn't get a definite answer despite the many Marvel comics he had read. Fortunately, he was an alchemist, and he could figure it out with what he learned.

"Okay, okay," he repeated as he gently placed the herb on a plate.

Firstly, he very carefully separated the petals from the stern, making sure not to damage the herb in any way. The past few months of handling plants daily surely helped with that.

The second part was boiling some water, and while that was happening, he grabbed the stern and threw it in the mortar. He ground it nicely into powder and finished just as the water started bubbling.

The petals were then deposited in the boiling water, and he stirred the liquid for a couple of minutes until it turned into a musky green color. The ground stern was then thrown in the concoction as well while he continued stirring it.

After a minute or so of this, the liquid started glowing a faint purple color. He was either successful in making the concoction or possibly created some kind of poison. Either or, he would find out soon enough.

"Should be done," he nodded to himself, judging it to be done, and moved the liquid over to a glass cup.

"Is that it?" Erza asked as she stepped closer to get a better look.

"I believe so," Will replied as he swirled the liquid, the leaves gently floating on it. Now, he only had to consume it.

"Now... I just need to drink it, and it should, in theory, make me stronger," he said as he licked his lips. "It should also help make our sex life better," he added with a chuckle. Erza was anything but easy to handle in bed, especially with how much she outclassed him physically.

"Even better?" An audible gulp escaped her mouth just at the thought of that. Suddenly, her eyes opened wide. "Wait, we had sex... does that mean I'm pregnant?" She asked as her breathing became heavier. "Am I going to become a mother?"

"No," he chuckled as he shook his head. "Not yet."

"Oh," Erza nodded, her expression a mixture of relief and disappointment.

"I took some measures to prevent that since I don't think both of us are ready for that," he told her as he gently placed a hand on her cheek. "At least not yet, but in the future..."

Erza just smiled in response, leaning in against his palm as he stroked her cheek with a finger.

"But for now, it's time I consume this," he lifted the cup he held in his other hand. "Though before that," Will walked over to his stock of potions made out of Wyvern blood. He picked up a Health, a Regeneration, and a Poison Cure before handing them over to Erza. "In case anything goes wrong, feed me those, one by one, okay?"

"I got it," Erza nodded, pursing her lips as she resolved herself to do her best, even though it was something as simple as force-feeding him the potions.

"Now, let's go back to my home," Will said as he grabbed her hand, leading her back to the bedroom.

After sitting on his bed, he took one good look at the liquid, before downing it all in one go, including the petals as well. The taste was surprisingly not as bitter as he expected it to be, but he didn't get to savor it for long as his consciousness was whisked away.

AN: I need a name for the portal thingy madingy since it will end up on the magic status, but I really have no idea what to call it. Portalmancy? That's the best I got, but is that even a thing? I need help!