Erza waited behind the derelict building, pressed against the shadows. She crouched amid a ruin of fallen stonework, one armored hand clasped on a rock for support, the other gripping the broadsword at her side.

With keen eyes, she watched.

By dusk, they came, a silent procession of hooded figures in a somber line, snaking out of the gloom and into the building. Each member held only an orange lantern in his or her hand for as much ceremonial reasons as practical ones. Though their voluminous cloaks hid whatever form was inside, Erza heard the sound of metal boots crunching on the gravel, and the groan of iron joints.

There's no doubt about it. These are obviously not your ordinary group of priests.

The last of the hooded figures entered the building. Without the parade of lanterns, the night was swallowed in darkness once more.
Once she was sure she was alone, Erza stepped out of the shadows, a slim figure in silver armor chased in gold. Her long, red hair glowed faintly in the night. The broadsword in her hand winked in the moonlight.
She stalked inside the building and saw a massive group of people ringed around a platform. Their hoods were thrown back, revealing a wide variety of faces. Erza thought she spotted nearly sixty people, short and tall, young and old. They had not noticed her yet – though Erza had already found what she needed.
A man on the platform, tall, young, with a shock of black hair, grinning wildly at his audience – but more importantly, a black lightening tattoo ran from his forehead to chin.

No mistaking it now. It's Far Sight's mark…but what's a dark guild like that doing here?

Erza grimaced and clenched her weapon tighter.

Recruiting new members?

Most of the people here looked like mages of some sort. Now that they were in a light, Erza could see countless trinkets and baubles glittering from wrists and necks. Toys mostly, no match for her.

"Thank you, brothers and sisters, for coming here tonight! Tonight, on the full moon, when the tides are high and magic runs deepest in our veins; we shall complete the ceremony of initiation. My guild, Far Sight, has recognized you all as capable minions for lord Atlas. Step forward onto this platform and I, Creed, shall brand you the mark that will pledge your allegiance!" Creed raised his fist to the crowd, "Hail Atlas!"

"Hail Atlas!"

They were ecstatic, cheering and stomping their feet. Erza grimaced; did Far Sight really gain this many members on a routine basis? What were they trying to do, raise an army?

"But before we commence this exalted ritual, a statement must be made." Creed's voice took a cruel turn. Behind him, two more members of Far Sight dragged between them a chained figure whose face was hidden under a hood. The prisoner was shoved roughly onto the platform and made to kneel. Creed faced the audience and said, "This person was caught spying on us a few weeks ago. Take heed! Our guild may be a new one, but it seems we are already being targeted by official guilds already. We will execute this spy and send her head back to her guild as an example and a warning!"

Wild cheering. "Hail Atlas!"

"As a testament of our power!"

"Hail Atlas! Hail Atlas!"

Creed grinned and yanked the hood back. The brown sack fell away revealing a pretty face framed under a curtain of yellow hair. Erza's eyes widened and the pillar she'd been gripping suddenly cracked audibly under her grip.

"Lucy?!"

Many heads turned at the sudden sound. Creed paused and squinted into the darkness. He took a step.

"What-?"

A flash of steel flickered impossibly fast though the room and suddenly a massive broadsword impaled itself in the chest of one of the Far Sight members that had dragged forth Lucy. He collapsed and someone screamed. Chaos broke out and people were pushing and shoving each other in all direction – their imminent ascension forgotten in the panic.

Creed frowned and snapped his fingers. Boom. The doors slammed shut.

He walked over to his fallen companion and grasped the hilt of the sword. He pulled it free, and a fountain of blood spurted out of the open wound. Blood splattered his face.

"Um, Creed-sama?"

The other Far Sight member looked nervous.

Creed brandished the sword. "Hold the girl. I'm going to kill her."

Lucy struggled fiercely, but rough hands grabbed her shoulders. "Let me go you freak!"

There was a brilliant flash in the darkness. This time a second sword flew out of the air. Creed ducked, and the sword smashed through the stone behind him. The pillar exploded.

He looked down at his hand. The sword he'd been holding was gone.

He cursed under his breath.

"Reequip magic. Don't tell me…"

A figure with red hair bounded past the crowd of panicking people, silver armor covering her body from neck to toe. She held out her hand and suddenly a golden lance appeared.

The Far Sight member leapt forward to meet her, green fire dancing in his hands. It was too late for Creed to stop him. The female knight easily dodged a poorly aimed fireball and neatly struck him down. She didn't even break her stride.

"…Titania…"

Creed felt panic stirring in him. How did they find him so quickly…and of all the guilds in Fiore, why did it have to be that one?

He looked over at the blonde-haired prisoner. "Don't tell me that you're…"

Lucy flashed him a grin and then twisted to one side to show him the Fairy Tail mark on her hand.

Erza dove onto the platform and brandished her lance at Creed. "Don't even think about escaping. I won't forgive anyone who has harmed my friend!"
She leapt forward, red hair flying behind her like a fan. "Prepare yourself!"

There was a clash and sparks flew. Erza's golden lance stopped a foot from Creed's face. He grimaced with concentration and then Erza was picked up by the wind and tossed several meters away. She landed on her feet smoothly, unperturbed.

"A wind user? I see."

Creed pointed a finger at her and yelled, "Wind Bullet!" Streaks of grayish air shot out towards Erza. She dodged them, and ran towards Creed. The wind projectiles tore apart the building behind her.

She held out her hand. "Reequip! Purgatory!" Her whole body glowed in intense light and then her silver armor was replaced with a black, spikey set, accompanied with a long onyx sword nearly twice the length of her own body.

Erza swung the massive sword at Creed and this time he didn't even bother blocking. He knew that one strike from that armor and he'd be roasted. Instead, as the blow came, he yelled, "Wind Tunnel!"

A tunnel of wind covered his body and twisted and grew, coiling through the air. Erza's sword struck and the wind dispersed, but Creed had disappeared.

"White Serpent!"

Erza twisted and blocked just in time as a pillar of white wind slammed into her. The pale twister battered against her, whipping her hair back. Erza dug her heels in and swung her sword. A midnight blast tore from the blade and exploded against one of the pillars. When the dust cleared, Creed's limp body fell.
He lay in the dirt. Then he heaved himself forward, face bloodied and furious, and roared at Erza, "White Dragon!"
White air rushed in front of him and coalesced into a serpentine mass of coils. The attack lashed out, ripping apart the stonework beneath it as it raced.

"Reequip! Adamantine!"

A diamond-like armor encased the red haired knight, and Erza brought her forearms in an X. The blast of wind slammed into her, but she didn't budge. Erza gritted her teeth. This Creed person wasn't just some average mage. An attack of this scale was beyond impressive.

When the wind died down, Erza lowered her shield. Creed had disappeared. The double doors were now open and the rest of the crowd had fled as well.

Erza turned and freed Lucy. The celestial wizard rubbed her wrists and hugged Erza. "Thanks for the rescue!"

Erza asked, "Where's Natsu and Gray? I thought you three and Happy were together."

Lucy sighed. "We were. But on our way to the village, a bunch of Far Sight mages attacked us. We fought back, but there were so many of them. In the end we were separated from each other. I was summoning Taurus when I got hit from behind. Next thing I knew…"

Erza nodded. "So you're saying that Natsu, Gray, and Happy are out there as well?"

"Yeah."

"Then we should find them as quickly as possible. I have a feeling this new dark guild is a bit more than it seems."

"Well?"

The man perched in the tree did not move, in fact he couldn't move since he'd been dead for six days. His corpse hung on the branches like some bizarre ornament. Moss and small insects now crawled around his clothes and face. His jaw began to move, and through his mouth, a strange voice grated, "Beyond impressive. It seemed that Creed and the two others were no match at all."

"Hmm, well that's to be expected I suppose. What a shame we lost so many potential members though."

"Our guild has no need for weaklings."

The young girl with blonde hair in a blue dress and floppy hat giggled next to her companion. "Speak for yourself Nero. Someone who's never even stepped outside our guild walls has no right to condemn the weak."

The corpse's mouth moved again. "My minions are more than enough. My place is with the Master."

"If you say so. In that case, how are you going to report this incident?"

"Fairy Tail has its sights on us. We must crush them before they can gather their forces."

The girl whistled in appreciation. "Bold, Nero, very bold. Alright then, I suppose I'll continue tagging Erza-san for the moment. If anything gets out of hand, I'll just kill her."

The corpse was silent for a second and then: "Very well. I shall now report to Master Atlas."

The girl bared a grin. "Tell daddy I said hi!"

The corpse went still again, becoming just a regular corpse. The girl gave it a little push and it toppled from the branches, landing on the ground in a sickening crack. The girl giggled.

"My, my, things are certainly heating up, aren't they?"