Part 1: s/11064991/1/Titan-s-Grasp
Part 2: s/11074012/1/Titan-s-Grasp-Part-Two
Part Three
Levy took a step back, heart pounding against her ribs. "What the heck is that?"
The Imp's flame tipped tail shot up and he crossed his arms. "Lamiad, your friends are so mean," the Imp pouted.
"Uh," Levy said. This creature wasn't what she had in mind when Lamiad spoke about terrifying creatures from another plane existence.
"Quiet, Razgorol," Lamiad said, a frown creasing his face.
"Quiet, Razgoral," the Imp mimicked.
Levy giggled and she felt Gajeel's arm fall from her shoulders and the Iron Dragon Slayer relax. So much for the powerful being from this mysterious Primordial Plane, Levy thought, regarding the Imp who had his arms folded.
"So what exactly did you need our help for?" Gajeel said. "You promised Levy a look at that scroll."
"Troj's compendium," Levy supplied, looking up at Gajeel with a wink. He smiled back.
"Give me Titan's Grasp," Lamiad said.
"Eh, what's that? What did you say?" Razgoral said.
"Show me the compendium." Levy countered, her right hand tightening on the scroll called Titan's grasp. She didn't trust this so called scholar.
"M-master," Razgoral began.
"I said shut up, Raz," Lamiad said and backhanded Razgorol. The Imp flew off the desk and landed on the floor in a heap where it hopped to his feet
"Hey watch it," Gajeel said.
"Shut up, Iron head," Lamiad said. "I know what I'm doing."
Raz the Imp regarded Lamiad, tail limp on the floor, hunkering like a dog caught tearing up furniture.
"I think we should leave," Levy whispered to Gajeel.
"Yeah, I'm gettin that feeling too," he said.
"Lamiad, I have to decline your offer," Levy said.
The scholar whirled to face them, eyebrows rising. "You don't want a look at Troj's compendium? Really? That surprises me, well I've got a buyer lined up in any case."
"A buyer?" Levy said.
"That's right. He's from the south, well, that's where he is staying in Fiore. I don't know much about the country across the sea."
Levy's heart sank. If the compendium was sold to a collector from another country, she would never get another chance to study it. This was a one time opportunity. She gritted her teeth. She didn't approve of Lamiad's conduct toward Raz, but the scroll was too priceless to pass up. She simply had to work with it. It would mean the elevation of her status from just a Fairy Tail wizard to a respected and sought after scholar. All her hours spent in the library while others were out on jobs making money would finally pay off. She'd be able to prove to them that she had something valuable to contribute to the guild. Something that nobody else in Fiore had.
Knowledge long thought lost. All unlocked by Troj's compendium.
"Wait Gajeel," Levy said. "I just want a quick look."
"You sure?" He grunted.
"Yeah," she said after a moment. She pursed her lips into a thin line, nodded and said,"I'm sure."
She held out the scroll to Lamiad and he snatched it from her, a wicked smile on his face.
"Thank you," he said and then handed her Troj's Compendium.
Levy's heart thumped so hard she thought it would burst. She couldn't believe it, she had it, she would be the envy of every scholar in Fiore!
Lamiad was hunched over the desk with his back to her. Raz had hopped up beside the strange scholar and was also leaning to look at Titan's Grasp.
Gajeel's head suddenly whipped towards Lamiad and his arm morphed into an iron saw blade.
"What are you doing, Gajeel? What is it?" Levy said.
"I sense magic power. A lot of it. More than even Makarov and Jose combined," his voice had a slight tremor.
Levy felt her throat dry up. Was Gajeel afraid?
"Don't do it, master," Raz piped up.
Lamiad ignored Raz and was still hunched over the desk.
Gajeel stepped forward. "Drop the scroll, book-brain." He revved his iron saw blade.
Lamiad turned around.
Levy gasped. Lamiad's eyes were orbs of fire. Wisps of smoke curled from them and a wicked grin split his ugly face.
"It's too late, the power will be mine!" Lamiad laughed and raised the Titan's Grasp scroll. It glittered with fiery runes. "Come forth, Primordial Spirit Wo-"
Gajeel ran and slammed his shoulder into the crazed scholar, tackling him over the desk.
The scroll remained suspended in the air after Lamiad let go. Levy watched the runes swirl, move and begin to form a rectangle. Raz was moaning on the ground, rolling like a dog trying to scratch its back. "They're coming, they're coming!"
Levy rushed forward and reached out towards the scroll. Intense heat burned her fingertips and she yelped, snatching back her hand. Her face contorted, the pain made tears spring from her eyes. "Gajeel! We need Lamiad to tell us how to close this."
Gajeel appeared from behind the desk. "He's out cold."
Levy cursed. "What are we going to do? I can feel something on the other side of the scroll!" It was true. Levy's magical senses felt overloaded by the amount of power washing through the portal.
Raz ran.
"Catch him, Gajeel, he might know something," Levy said.
"Right." Gajeel took after the Imp who bounded on all fours through the shop. They disappeared among the dusty shelves.
Levy bit her lip, what was she going to do? She ran around the desk and knelt beside Lamiad, he was out cold. She looked at his face and her stomach churned at the sight two red, bloody and blackened holes where his eyes had been.
She scrambled to her feet, heart pounding in her chest. Her whitened knuckles gripped Troj's compendium. Her eyes widened. Of course the compendium! She flattened the scroll on the desk as delicately as she could.
Behind her the glowing rectangle of fiery runes got hotter and hotter. She glanced over her shoulder and saw a single, black dripping claw the size of her arm start to come through followed by a guttural laugh. "Mortal world. It will all burn!" The portal to the Primordial plane was expanding, eventually whatever was trying to force itself through would be able to. All of Magnolia was at risk. People she loved would be injured or die all because of her ambition.
Levy blinked away tears and with shaking hands she forced herself to calm. Breathe. Relax. Focus on the task. Pretend it's an exam, a really hard, impossible exam with a fiery terrible death. Not helping, Levy, she said to herself. Come on. This is Troj's compendium, there has to be something here that can help.
She started to read the scroll. It was old magic. The scroll was a codex that contained a complex translation cipher allowing the reader to read anything they wanted to. All they had to do was position the compendium beside the desired text and the translation would appear.
Levy looked at the fiery portal where the gigantic claw was reaching out of. Titan's Grasp had burned up when Lamiad cast the spell and all that was left were the letter which were guarded by a being of immeasurable magic power.
No problem, Levy thought, wiping her sweaty forehead. She approached the slowly opening portal, Troj's compendium clutched tight in her hand. The claw moved slightly and she froze. It slowly withdrew and she breathed in faster. Where did it go? Why did it leave? Levy sidled around the face the fiery rectangle of runes.
A giant, dark blue eye with a vertical slit stared back at her. Her eyes widened and she let out a gasp. The portal expanded even further.
"Frightened, little one? You should be," a voice said.
Levy swallowed. "Who are you?" She eyed the portal saw it expand by a hairsbreadth. Not much time. Gotta get to work, she thought. Not waiting for an answer she held up Troj's compendium beside the fiery letters and began to translate.
"You can't stop it. It's too late," the voice said. The giant eye blinked, like an enormous curtain snapping left and then right.
Levy suddenly grinned. If it's already over then why is this thing trying to stall me? The portal constricted and a the eye disappeared.
A smell like garbage left out in the sun wafted from the portal. Levy held her breath and kept working. Almost there.
Suddenly it all clicked. The key to closing it was deceptively simple. The portal relied upon imaginative energy, the more Levy focused on it, the bigger it got. Troj's compendium gave her a spell to effectively shut out off her perception of the portal.
Levy had to translate the fiery letters and read them out loud. That was all that mattered.
"Heaven's breath, Titan's failing grasp. Time long past," Levy began.
There was a distant roar and sweat broke out on her forehead as she tried to continue translating. "...Hell's distant fire," she gritted. Her legs became heavy and her chest tight. "shall remain distant. Remain distant, and be closed."
Levy released all her magic power and repeated, "remain closed!" An explosion of energy threw her back, she slammed into a bookcase. Tomes fell on her legs and one bounced off her head. She groaned, eyes blurred with tears she looked towards the portal.
A small floating tongue of flame hovered in the air. Levy eyed it and rose, leaning against the shelf for balance she felt the back of her head and gasped at the huge bump. "That's going to hurt tomorrow." She realized her hands were empty. Troj's compendium where is it? She let out a cry. "Oh no no no."
On the floor underneath the floating flame was a half burned scroll, wisps of smoke trailed into the air from its edged. Levy picked it up, her heart sinking. It's been ruined.
A shriek pierced the air and Levy saw Raz sprinting towards her, his flame tipped tail swishing like dog's. "Don't let it close! "
Levy gaped as Raz suddenly sprouted wings from his back and he leapt, swinging into full flight diving towards the flame. He cackled and vanished into the flame. With a pop like a branch of wood snapping the portal puffed and disappeared.
Levy sank back to her knees and laughed.
Gajeel appeared. "Couldn't catch the bugger. He's fast. Where is he?" Gajeel saw the blackened floor where the portal had been and he grinned. He stuck his hands out to Levy, she grabbed them and he hauled her up, pulling her into a hug. "You did it. Closed it."
"Yeah," Levy said, resting her head against his hard chest. "What about Lamiad?"
Gajeel rushed to the desk and looked behind it. He cursed. "He's gone."
"Must have slipped away when I was closing the portal," Levy said.
"yeah, I guess. We should tell Makarov. He's dangerous. If he tried once he'll try again," Gajeel said.
"He won't have as much luck without this," Levy said and held up the charred remains of the compendium.
Gajeel winced. "I'm sorry. I know how bad you wanted that."
Levy shrugged. "Maybe it's for the best. Nobody should have access to all knowledge."
"What now?" Gajeel said.
Levy grinned. "We find Casnan, help him clean up this mess and then try and get a discount out of him for me." She winked and Gajeel.
Gajeel smiled back.