Hey, folks! Another chapter up. Hope for people to review my work! It has heavy dialogue, but the next chapter should have a lot of action. Enjoy!
"Palva…" Dori's voice spoke up. Her sister's voice echoed as she slowly started to come around from her sleep. She raised one eyelid as she contemplated where she was right now. Dori was standing there, with Lucy, Gray, Leon, Happy and Pastry behind her. Gray and Happy were still trying to wake up due to being woken up so early. The firm padding on the side of Palva's head indicated she was resting on Natsu's chest, with the said Fire Dragon Slayer dead to the world.
"Come one, Palva. Time to wake up." Dori ordered, crouching towards her face, "We have to get going on the mission. Natsu, you wake up as well."
Palva yawned deeply as she moaned, "Five more minutes, please…" She closed her eyes, and tilted her head away from the sunlight.
"Well, those two were probably up late." Lucy stated. "Should've guessed. They did have a lot to say to one another." Dori sighed, then her face went serious as she muttered, "Looks like I have no other choice…"
She formed her hands in front of her like she was holding a ball from above and below, and magic energy formed from in between. "Lacrima Release: Water!" The energy surrounding her hands became blue, and water shot out in a large stream. The sleepy Dragon Slayers were doused in the water, causing them to wake up and sputter as the water entered their mouths. Once she knew they were fully awake, Dori stopped her attack.
"DAMMIT! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" Natsu demanded angrily. "You know I hate it when you do that!" Palva argued.
"Sorry, but it was the only way to wake you two up." Dori apologized in an unconvincing manner. Grumbling, Natsu and Palva got up and stretched themselves, prepping for the day.
Once they were gathered outside of the village, Natsu, Gray, Palva and Happy groaned at how early it was. Pastry and Leon weren't too disturbed, as they had short sleeps many times before.
Lucy turned to Dori and asked, "How were you able to do that?" "Do what?" Dori questioned.
"You said you're a Crystal magic wielder." Lucy recalled, "How could you use water magic?"
"Oh, right. I didn't explain that part." Dori realized, "You see, my magic doesn't just fully focus on crystals I can produce. I can also absorb all kinds of crystals inside of my body to use for later. That also includes lacrima, which are basically crystalized magic. So when I absorb a lacrima that contains a certain magic in it, I can unleash it's energy at a target."
"Wow! That's a really useful kind of magic you have there!" Lucy exclaimed in amazement. Dori smiled, but almost seemed a bit sad as she stated, "Well, when the whole continent wants to kill your little sister, you tend to go beyond your limits to protect her."
Lucy looked sympathetically at Dori, then to Palva, who was stretching herself and smacking her cheeks in order to wake herself up. After hearing the two's story last night, she couldn't help but feel sorry for Palva's situation.
"Can we get moving here?" Leon questioned, approaching the two girls, "We all didn't wake up this early for you two to talk so much."
"Jeez, I was just curious about her magic!" Lucy barked, then she pulled out a silver key from her satchel as she stated, "Let me show you a bit of what I can do." She waved her key as she chanted, "Open! Gate of the Clock: Horologium!" A magic circle appeared, and with it came a grandfather's clock. Two black hands, feet, and a head suddenly appeared, displaying it's living capabilities. "It's 7:48 AM."
"What the heck is this?" Leon questioned in a confused manner, looking at the clock with a tilt.
"I see. You're a Celestial mage." Dori realized, watching at Lucy opened up the spirit's wooden door. "Yep. Pretty cool, huh?" the blonde questioned, hoping to be praised. Dori shrugged, causing Lucy to look a bit crestfallen.
Later on, the crew ventured into the forest of the island, pretty much getting the lay of the land. They all agreed that the best place to start would be the area where they saw the shining light two nights ago.
"You really think we can lift the curse without destroying the moon?" Natsu asked. "We don't have a choice, do we?" Gray answered.
"Destroying the moon is out of the question." Dori told the two, "Do you even know what would happen if we would destroy it?"
"Yeah. No moon-viewing festivals (Tsukimi)." Gray pointed out. "You're right! Then we couldn't eat any more of the limited-time specialty, Fairy Tail Tsukimi steak!" Natsu exclaimed. "I don't know what I'd do if my Tsukimi salted fish would suddenly be gone." Happy added.
"I was thinking less 'moon-watching specialties' and more of the greater effects it had." Dori muttered, finding it disbelieving they would go to food first, "Such things like causing the waters to go crazy, animal migration, not to mention it would be a lot more darker in the sky from now on."
"Oh yeah…" Gray and Natsu realized, looking into the air obliviously. "I feel sorry for Lucy to deal with you two, suddenly." Dori muttered, then turning around with a bemused expression as she added, "Although…" She and Palva were watching as Lucy was curled up inside the belly of Horologium, while the clock was walking in the same pace as the others.
"'What? Why are you guys looking at me that way?' she asks." Horologium translated. "Why the heck are you in there?" Palva questioned, "Get out here and walk with us instead." "Seriously, it won't kill you to walk in this jungle." Pastry assured her.
"But, we're dealing with a curse." Lucy reminded them, with Horologium translating, "It's even more scary when you can't see it."
"As expected of an S-rank quest!" Natsu stated eagerly, "I'm really fired up!" "I'll just freeze the curse." Gray decided, "It's nothing to be afraid of."
"I don't think curses can be frozen." Dori muttered. "'You guys really are idiots.' she says." Horologium translated. "Aye." Happy agreed.
Palva watched Natsu, who was still eager about the S-class quest. Thinking back on his promise last night, it's obvious he was a helpful person. However, based on all she got from him so far, he was undoubtedly an 'eager for adventure' idiot. While it was not exactly encouraging, it did make Palva feel a bit jealous. She was never given a carefree life, since she was constantly on the run.
Just then, the crew felt the ground starting to rumble. Footsteps. Something large was coming their way from behind. "What's that?" Natsu questioned. They all turned, only to find a shocking sight. A monstrous figure with glittering eyes was glaring down at them from afar.
"Holy crap!" Pastry exclaimed. "It's huge!" Gray stated. "'Hurry up and take care of it!' she says." Horologium translated.
"Leon!" Dori called out. "I'm on it!" the blue-haired man answered, pulling out his greatsword and leaping up at the monstrous being, who inhaled deeply.
"I don't think so!" Leon barked, raising his sword flat in front of him, "Aegis Blade!" The blade of the sword suddenly folded out, taking a shield-like form as a magic circle formed in front of it.
The monster exhaled a spew of gas at Leon, who repelled it easily. However, the gas went around and fell towards the group down below. Natsu, Gray, Dori, Palva and Pastry all exclaimed in agony upon inhaling the gas. "Crap. Guys!" Leon shouted, looking down below, fearing his friend's safety.
"'Hey, what's wrong?'" Horologium translated Lucy, who had the company of a certain blue cat as she also asked, "'And when did you get in here?'" Then with Happy, he translated, "'Aye' they say."
Horologium then couldn't handle the gas anymore, and disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Lucy and Happy to inhale the gas. Now they knew why the others were in such agony; the gas was extremely disgusting.
"So it's not poisonous, but fowl." Leon muttered, relieved to see the others still okay, apart from the smell. He then heard the monster cackling, and turned to get a good glimpse of it. Turns out, it was a giant rat of some kind, light blue-furred, and wearing a sort of Gothic Lolita maid outfit.
"A mouse?!" Lucy exclaimed. "Looks like a rat, to me." Dori corrected as Leon landed back with the group. "Natsu, Palva, this isn't the time to be on the ground!" Gray scolded the two Dragon Slayers, who passed out from the stench.
"Natsu does have a strong sense of smell, after all." Happy pointed out. "Same with Palva." Pastry added, "Must be a Dragon Slayer thing."
The giant rat suddenly had a glint in her eye, signaling the group it was ready to attack. Fortunately, Natsu and Palva were able to wake up in time to realize the situation, and they all took off as the rat began sprinting after them. Twice, it tried to slow them down with the putrid gas, but they held their noses and avoided it as best as they could.
"We can't just keep running like this!" Pastry exclaimed, "Let's stop this thing in its' tracks!" He did a U-turn as he began picking up speed in his wings, charging at the giant rat's face. "Taste my Mach Spike!" He declared, dashing at high speeds. He almost got in close enough to beat him, but the rat spiked him instead with one of its' front claws, sending him flying and screaming. "I thought cats were suppose to beat rats!" Lucy exclaimed.
Frustrated, Gray turned around and pounded a fist into his open palm, casting a magic circle. "Ice Make Floor!" he roared, and he created a sheet of ice on the ground behind him, causing the rat to slip up and fall flat on its' back.
"Ice Maker magic, huh?" Dori noticed, "That's a handy power." "You should've used that from the start." Palva huffed. "Stop complaining!" Gray barked back.
"Guys, look!" Leon pointed out, seeing where Pastry landed. He, Lucy and Dori looked to see what looked like an ancient temple with crescent moon-like emblems on it. A door was also present for them to enter in.
"There's a building over there." Lucy noticed, then to the rest of the team, "Let's get in there while we still have the chance!"
Natsu and Gray, on the other hand, were pounding the rat's face in vigorously as they exclaimed, "That's right! Let's beat it up while we still have the chance!" Palva was watching them, pointing out, "I think it's unconscious, guys…"
"We don't have time for this." Dori stated, and she stepped forward, clapping her hands together, forming a magic circle, then slamming the ground with them. A magic circle appeared right underneath the rat as Dori shouted, "Crystal Launcher!" A large piece of crystal suddenly protruded out of the ground, sending the rat flying skyward and making the two boys spin out of control from the recoil, making them fall flat on their backs. The rat flew through the sky and crashed a good distance away from them.
"Nice going, Dori!" Lucy cheered. "You really sent that thing flying!" Happy gasped. "And she hadn't used her full strength yet." Leon pointed out.
Dori turned to the two boys as they rose up, groaning a bit in pain. "Ow! Why did you do that?" they moaned simultaneously.
"Because you were being distracted from the mission at hand." Dori answered promptly, "Now, if you are done fooling around, let's head to that temple." With that, she walked towards the temple, with Lucy, Leon and Happy following her lead.
"Man, what's with her acting all high and mighty like that?" Natsu questioned as he and Gray joined Palva's side. "Seriously, it's not like we weren't thinking about this mission." Gray added.
"She takes all tasks at hand seriously." the little sister explained, "But don't be so harsh on her. After all, since we had no parents, she pretty much had to become the leader for us. And after everything we've endured, no task set out for us should come with distractions, according to her."
Natsu and Gray looked to Palva, then at Dori again, slightly understanding what she was talking about, although that didn't disintegrate their annoyance towards it. They followed the team as they entered into the temple.
When they got inside, they found what they expected from an old temple; old and crumbling, with walls full of writing and drawings.
"Oh, it's gigantic." Lucy gasped. "It's a mess." Natsu added. "Way to point out the obvious." Pastry stated. "I wonder when it was built?" Leon asked.
"Huh, what's that?" Palva asked, pointing near the ceiling, where they could see a red crescent moon emblem.
"Looks like the moon." Gray answered, "This island was originally called 'The Island of the Moon'."
"The Island of the Moon, the moon curse, moon symbols…" Lucy listed out, "These ruins looks really suspicious." "And everything here points to the moon." Dori added, "I wonder if the people here were moon worshipers? Maybe it contains clues to the curse the people of this island have."
"But it's in a terrible condition." Natsu pointed out, walking over and stomping on the ground, "Is this floor even safe?" "If it is, you shouldn't try breaking it!" Pastry barked.
Just then, one stomp from Natsu suddenly caused the ground to cave in on his end, along with every other place the group stood. They then fell down through a hole, with Dori screaming, "YOU IDIOT! HOW CAN YOU BE SO DUMB?!"
When they stopped falling, they found themselves in an underground cave. While most of the crew managed to avoid the falling debree, Palva and Natsu ended up covered in it.
"Palva! Are you okay?!" Dori asked in a scared manner. The rubble shifted, and Natsu and Palva emerged, the latter irritated by the former.
"Hey, is everyone okay?" Natsu questioned. "Not really, thanks to you!" Lucy growled. "What's the point of noticing the weak groundwork when you're gonna break it anyway?!" Palva questioned harshly, "Seriously, think before you act!"
As soon as everyone recovered, they all looked upwards, barely seeing the daylight at the end of the long-distant tunnel. "Jeez, we fell pretty deep." Leon noted.
"Happy, Pastry, can you fly us all out?" Lucy asked the two cats. "That's impossible." Happy answered.
"Palva, can you go check up there?" Leon asked. "Sure. Shouldn't be a problem." the young Dragon Slayer answered. The Fairy Tail wizards looked to her questionably. How was she gonna check things out up there?
Palva found where to stand so that she could go up the center of the hole, and bent her knees in preparation to jump. "Fire Dragon's…" A magic circle appeared at her feet as they ignited, "…Pounce!" Leaving cracks on the ground, she shot into the air like a fiery rocket, causing Lucy and Happy to fall over from the shockwave of the jump. They saw her reach the top of the hole quite easily.
"Wow, I didn't know about that move!" Natsu gasped. "Because she infused her Dragon Slayer magic with tricks she learned from an ancient group known as the dragoons." Leon explained.
"Dragoons?" Gray questioned, "Who are they?" "An old group of warriors, sometimes known as 'dragon knights' because their combat was solely based around the beasts themselves." Dori explained.
"Cool! So they were Dragon Slayers, just like us?" Natsu asked. Dori shook her head as she answered, "I doubt it, but from what we discovered in ancient ruins a long time ago, the dragoons were incredibly gifted in their jumping skills, aerial hand-to-hand combat, and skilled in using lances and spears. They even used their magic to be able to unleash breath attacks like the dragon."
"Sounds pretty awesome guys!" Natsu stated eagerly, "So where can I find them? I wanna meet them so I can show 'em what a Dragon Slayer is made of!"
"Unfortunately, they died out a long time ago." Dori stopped him, "However, we found records of their combat skills, and Palva decided to imitate their skills, especially since she uses a lance, too."
Just then, Palva landed back down on the ground again, landing neatly on her feet. "So, what's it like up there?" Dori asked. "Thanks to Natsu, the front entrance got crumbled." Palva stated, "I tried getting the entrance cleared up, but I saw through the gap that darn rat up there. I decided not to draw attention, in case it fumed the room with that gas. Ugh!"
"So we're stuck in this underground area." Lucy muttered. "There do seem to be some pathways down here." Leon pointed out, "We should see where they lead to."
"Cool! It's a secret cave!" Natsu stated eagerly, dashing off like an excitable kid, "Since we're already here, let's explore!" "Wait up, Natsu!" Palva barked, pursuing him, "Can you please take our situation a little more seriously?!"
"I keep questioning why he had to be the Salamander we were searching for." Dori muttered. "He's an idiot, but he knows how to fight when the time comes." Gray pointed out.
"I'll believe it when I see it." Dori retorted, leading the remaining group as they followed Natsu and Palva.
As they rushed, they couldn't help but noticed the cave becoming colder and colder. What could be causing such a chill? The question was in everyone's mind. Well, everyone except for a certain pink-haired idiot.
Natsu and Palva rounded the corner in the cave, and stopped in a big open room. However, it wasn't the area in particular that made them halt. It was a giant piece of ice that was in the center of it all, with a mist from the cold atmosphere it gave spreading about the floor. That wouldn't be at all interesting, though, had it not had something within. A giant monster of some sort, frozen in the ice.
"Guys, wait up!" Lucy cried out as everyone joined them. "What's up?" Gray asked, seeing their startled expressions.
"Hey guys, what's that?" Natsu asked. "Is it a…monster?" Palva questioned. Everyone looked at the monster in the ice, and while they were all shocked to see it, only one of them was both shocked and afraid.
"T-This is…Deliora." Gray stammered, too shocked for words. He started walking forward as he spoke in a petrified tone, "Impossible. Why is Deliora here? I can't believe it! There's no way it could be in a place like this!"
The team looked startled at his reaction to the monster, especially Natsu and Lucy. They had never heard Gray speak in such fear and anger. Dori, however, felt as she heard the monster's name before, but where?
"You know what this thing is?" Natsu asked as everyone gathered around the Ice-Make mage. He tried to start, but he was too terrified and angry to even begin explaining.
"Calm down, Gray." Lucy told him, placing a hand on his arm. "Take a few deep breaths." Dori ordered, "You can't explain it to us unless you get ahold of yourself."
After a few deep breaths, Gray was able to calm down a bit, but his anger and fear towards the beast in front of them still showed on his face.
"So what is this thing?" Leon echoed the question again. "Deliora. The demon of disaster." Gray answered in a low tone.
"Demon of deserters?" Natsu questioned, confused. "Disaster!" Happy and Pastry corrected him.
"It hasn't changed at all." Gray noticed in a growl, "What the hell is going on?"
Just then, Dori and Leon sensed something, and they turned to the tunnels they just came from. "Someone's coming." Dori informed the group. "There are some rock formations over there." Leon pointed out, "Lets hide there."
Everyone hid behind the rocks and watched in secrecy as two individuals appeared on the scene. One was a short young man with blue, feathery spiky hair and bushy black eyebrows, wearing a green and light green coat that went down to his knees, and a black belt at his waist, black pants and shoes.
The second one had a dog-like face, including pointy ears in his brown hair. He was bare-chested, wore blue jeans with a black belt, and wore a black and silver-spiked collar on his neck.
"Are you sure that the voices came from here?" the blue-haired man asked. The dog-faced man could only moan as he held his belly like he was hungry.
"It's noon, I'm tired." the blue-haired man complained, "Toby, you've been exposed to the Moon Drip, haven't you? You have ears and everything."
"I haven't!" the man called Toby answered angrily, "This is just decoration, you know!" "I was only teasing you, idiot." the blue-haired boy scoffed. "Yuka, you meanie." Toby grumbled.
"Moon Drip?" Dori questioned, hearing yet another name that sounded familiar. "They're talking about the curse?" Lucy wondered.
"We got more, incoming." Leon whispered. Sure enough, a third individual appeared, only she was a girl. She had red hair tied in pigtails, and was slightly well-endowed, though not as well as Lucy or Dori. She wore a black, pink and white-trimmed spaghetti dress, black leggings, and high-heeled sandals. She also had long and thin wings at the back, starting from the choker on her neck.
"Yuka, Toby, I have sad news." The girl started. "So it's you, Sherry." Yuka noticed, while Toby just waved in greeting her.
"Angelica was beaten up by someone." the girl, Sherry, informed. "It's just a mouse! Don't give it a name!" Toby barked.
"It's not a mouse!" Sherry snapped, "Angelica is a hunter who travels the darkness. And, love!"
"So that giant rat belongs to her?" Palva questioned, "What's with calling it 'love'?" "Some really weird guys showed up, right? Especially the last one." Lucy added.
"They're not from this island." Natsu noticed, "They smell different." "And they don't seem to have been affected by the curse either." Happy added. "Depends if that dog face and huge eyebrows are normal." Pastry sassed.
Just then, the group heard them question 'intruders' on the island. "And just when we're almost finished collecting the needed moonlight. How sad." Sherry sighed, "Let's get rid of the intruders before the Cold Emperor hears of them. Yes. Before the moon shows its true form." "Yeah." Yuka agreed, while Toby growled in agreement.
"We can't let them live if they've seen Deliora." Sherry warned her companions, "Eternal sleep for the intruders. In other words, love!" "You mean death, right?" Toby questioned with a sweat-dropped expression.
Suddenly, the trio heard a rock fall from within the tunnel they entered in, and they went to investigate it. However, it was nothing more than Happy and Pastry throwing a couple of rocks far into the tunnel in order to distract them. They hid themselves in the ceiling as they passed, leaving the team alone in the cavern with the demon frozen in ice once more.
"Well done, you two." Lucy commended the flying cats. "No problem." Pastry answered. "Aye." Happy agreed.
"What? Why don't we catch them and interrogate them?" Natsu questioned. "Usually, I would be in agreement with you." Palva responded, "But we still don't know much about the situation, right now." "Agreed. Let's look about a bit more." Lucy agreed.
"This is getting really complicated." Natsu grumbled. "I wonder who this Ice Emperor is." Leon wondered.
"Why have they brought Deliora here?" Gray questioned, "And how did they find out where it was sealed?"
"Where it was sealed?" Leon echoed. "This thing was sealed in a glacier on the Northern Continent." Gray explained, "This immortal demon who terrorized the region of Isvan ten years ago. This demon that my master Ur, who taught me magic, gave her life sealing. I don't know what it has to do with the curse on this island, but this thing shouldn't be here!"
He started to emanate icy energy from his fists out of fury. "Ice Emperor, who the hell are you?!" he barked, "I won't let you sully the name of Ur!"
Suddenly, Dori gasped, getting her little sister's attention. "I just realized! Now I remember where I heard the name 'Deliora'. It was in a book within the archives of a large city I visited."
"It was told about in the Western Continent?" Lucy asked in amazement. Dori nodded. "The archives I visited held a lot of historical moments throughout Earthland. This particular book I read was about large-scaled demon attacks. Deliora was among that listing, along with who stopped it, Ur."
"But why were you looking up demons, sis?" Palva questioned. "The demons all had incredible powers, so someone had to at least have the ability to suppress them." Dori explained, "I figured one of them might help me figure out how to suppress your powers without the lance." Palva looked down, saddened at how much time Dori took to help her instead of her own freedom.
"I wonder if this thing is responsible for the curse on the island?" Leon questioned. "That's certainly possible." Gray answered, "It is still alive in there, after all."
"All right, then!" Natsu declared, winding his fist, "All we gotta do is bust up this demon!" "Is force always your first choice?" Dori questioned him. "Just watch me!" Natsu told her.
Before he could act, however, Natsu was stopped by a fist in the face from Gray, sending him crashing into the ground. "Hey, why did you do that?!" Pastry questioned incredulously. "It's not uncommon, but…" Lucy muttered, looking at Gray.
"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Natsu barked angrily, but he stopped at the expression of fearful anger Gray showed.
"Don't get near it, you Fire Wizard!" Gray snapped, "If that ice melts, and it's freed, no one would be able to stop it!"
"Hold on! I doubt that ice would melt easily if it could seal a demon." Palva considered, stepping in between the two boys, looking to Gray, "Is it really possible for Natsu or I to do that?"
Gray came to the realization of her words, then calmed himself. "No…" he answered, knowing he was acting out of term.
"Are you okay?" Lucy asked Gray. "Hey! I'm the one who got punched! You barbarian!" Natsu roared. "Like you're one to talk." Leon pointed out. "Aye." Happy agreed.
"My master, Ur, encased the demon using an Iced Shell spell. That's ice that can't melt." Gray explained, "No matter what kind of magical fire you use, you couldn't melt that ice. If they knew they couldn't melt it, then why move it here?"
"I don't know, but maybe they're trying to melt it somehow?" Lucy assumed. "But why?!" Gray demanded angrily, scaring Lucy.
"Guys, arguing with ourselves is not gonna solve this problem." Dori interrupted them, "Let's list out what we do know; This demon, Deliora, was brought here for a purpose. The three people we saw before need it, along with this Cold Emperor they spoke of. They mentioned something about gathering moonlight, though we don't know why. Based on all that, we could assume the curse on this island is here because of their actions or this demon, or even both. But this is all conjecture. We need more info."
"Right, then let's go find those guys we saw before and beat it out of them." Natsu suggested.
"No." Gray retorted, "We wait here." "For what?" Happy asked. "We wait until the moon comes out." Gray answered.
"We wait?! But it's still noon!" Natsu exclaimed, "No way, no how! I'd be bored to death!"
"Actually, Gray has a point." Dori stopped him, "The fact is all things here point to the moon. The curse, Deliora, and what those guys said before. If we need to find any answers, it has to be when the moon comes out." "I get it." Lucy agreed.
"I can't stand it!" Natsu roared, "I'm gonna go after them!" WHACK! Leon hammered Natsu over the top of his head with the flat of his giant blade, slamming him into the ground, forcing him to go unconscious. "He's really annoying me." he growled.
"Well, that was pretty abrupt." Lucy muttered fearfully. "You really left a lump on his head." Happy noticed the oversized bump from where he was struck. Leon didn't care, as he walked over to the rock formations once more, placing his blade next to him and resting his back on the wall.
"In any case, we should wait until nightfall, when the moon comes out." Dori told her, sitting down on the rocks.
"I should get some shut-eye." Palva added, "Wake me up when the moon appears." She walked over behind the rock formations, and laid down on the ground. A few seconds later, she fell dead asleep.
"That was fast." Lucy gasped, hearing her snore away. "Aye." Happy agreed. "Quick to sleep, slow to wake." Dori chuckled, "That's my little sister for you."
While Gray sat near the edge closest to where the frozen demon was, Dori dragged Natsu near where Palva was, and gathered herself next to Lucy, Leon and the two cats.
"Since we have nothing else to do now, let's get to know one another better." Dori started, looking to Lucy, "So how long have you been part of Fairy Tail?"
"I've only recently joined." Lucy answered, "I've been on a few requests so far, so being on an S-class request is kinda nerve-racking."
"Have you made any other friends there? Besides Natsu, Gray and Happy, I mean?" Dori asked. "Sure. The guild members are fun to be around, and we do get along. Although, they do have the occasional fights." "Sounds like a rowdy bunch." Pastry stated.
Dori looked down, smiling in a sort of sad way as she stated, "Must be nice, having friends you can laugh and fight with. I tried making some a lot of times, but they're hard to keep around when they fear your little sister and her uncontrollable powers."
Lucy and Happy both looked sad at Dori's statement. It made them realize even more how much more lonesome her and Palva's lives were.
"What about Leon and Pastry?" Lucy asked, "Do you consider them friends?" Dori and Leon looked to one another before the former answered, "I guess we are, though it's kinda moved on towards family and comrades."
"So did you guys wanna help out Palva or something?" Happy asked Pastry, "When did you guys meet one another?" "For Leon and I, we met these two about two years ago." Pastry answered, "As for Leon and I, it was about four years ago. He took me in when I was alone, so I consider him the greatest friend anyone could have!"
"Natsu and I are the best of friends, too!" Happy compared, "He's been with me since I hatched." "Since you were hatched?" Pastry questioned, then pondered, Does that mean he was born here?
"So what were you doing before you met Palva and Dori?" Lucy asked Leon. "That's what I'm trying to find out." he answered, confusing the blonde mage, "Before meeting Dori and Palva, I had no memories of my life before that. All I do know is my name and my magic, which I don't even know where I learned it."
"So you have amnesia?" Lucy asked him. "We're not sure." Dori answered, "It's more like his memories have been suppressed by his own will, and he hasn't been able to recall who he was before that."
"But it sounds like Pastry seems to know about you before." Lucy assumed, turning to the ginger cat, "Can't he tell you who you were like?" Pastry looked away from everyone's gaze, watching Gray with a concerned look.
"Pastry does know, but he won't tell me." Leon answered, "What he has told me was that I became friends with him four years ago, and that I was part of a dark guild."
"A-A dark guild?!" Lucy gasped. From what she remembered, dark guilds were basically guilds that were not recognized by the Magic Council, due to the fact they refuse to fall under the restrictions other magic guilds had. She and the others had faced was a group called Eisenwald, and they almost killed the guild leaders with a cursed flute called Lullaby.
"So do you know what the guild's name was?" Happy asked Leon. "No, and Pastry won't tell me." Leon answered, looking to his companion, "He only told me that I wasn't ready to hear the truth just yet."
"And you still ain't ready." Pastry said abruptly, turning to him, "Besides, I only know about you based on the two years before meeting Dori and Palva. Knowing about it now will confuse you more than ever. So until then, I won't say anything."
Leon and Pastry glared at one another for a moment, and Dori, Lucy and Happy could see Leon was wanting to know what Pastry knew, even if it would confuse him. However, the intense moment quelled as soon as Leon turned away, looking at the ceiling. He trusted Pastry all this time, so if he wanted to hide what he knew, it must be for a good cause.
The hours went by as the group fell into silence, apart from the snoring coming from Palva and Natsu, who went from being unconscious to asleep. The chill in the air from the giant ice in the center of the cave wasn't bothering them much, but having a large demon incased in the ice, its' shadowed eyes looking down on them, was a bit scary, so they avoided looking at it as best as they could. Even so, the fact they had nothing else to do until nightfall was dull.
"Waiting is pretty boring." Lucy moaned everyone's thoughts. "Wish there was something here that could entertain us while we wait." Pasty moaned.
"Oh, yeah!" Lucy exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention. She pulled out one of her silver Gate keys, and waved it. "Open, Gate of the Harp: Lyra!" A summoning circle appeared, and out came a young girl with long chestnut hair, wearing blue dress with hearts printed on her waist, a pink bonnet, small white wings, and a large aqua green harp on her back.
"Heya! Long time, no see, Lucy!" Lyra greeted, waving her hand excitedly. "Hi, Lyra." Lucy greeted back.
"Speaking of which, why don't you call me more often?" Lyra huffed, "I want to be lots and lots more helpful to you! Lucy, you are such a meanie." "A meanie?" Lucy sighed, "But I can only call you three days a month!" "Oh, really?" Lyra questioned in surprise.
"So she's another spirit of yours, huh?" Dori noticed, "Why summon her now?" "Because I thought she could pass the time by singing a song to us." Lucy answered her.
"So she's basically entertainment, and that's all, huh?" Leon questioned, confused at the point of keeping a singer Celestial Spirit among her arsenal.
"So, what kind of song would you like me to sing today?" Lyra asked. "Whatever you want. Your choice." Lucy answered. "I'd like a song about fish!" Happy suggested. "Not exactly an atmosphere to sing about that." Pastry retorted.
"Then I'll play whatever comes to mind!" Lyra decided, giving a thumbs up. "Lyra is very good at singing." Lucy explained. "Mira is also a good singer." Happy added, "She sings me songs about fish, too."
"Mira?" Leon questioned, hearing the name. For a second, a sharp pain shot through his head, and he grasped it with a groan. "You okay?" Dori asked. "I'm fine." he answered, "Don't know what that was all about."
Lyra then pulled her harp out and started to play. It was clear she was an expert at playing the harp, because the moment she started to play, everyone became calm and peaceful. She then began to sing a song to them as she played, and her voice was just as pleasant, if not more so, than the harp.
Lucy, Dori, Leon and the cats were smiling as they closed heir eyes, listening to the song happily. Even Palva and Natsu stopped snoring, hearing the song in their sleep as they became more at peace, smiling. Dori looked down at her little sister, and felt relieved to see her smile. It was rare for her to show one, considering she was always in worry of her powers. So whenever she showed it, it was like a glistening crystal in the sunlight.
For some reason, she was recalling back to the old day, when she was a lot younger, learning to use Crystal magic. She remembered how hard it was when all she had to work from was a book she read and an old man she and her sister met long ago. However, no matter how many times she failed, all she had to do was think about why she wanted to learn magic in the first place. All for the sake of her sister. She wanted to protect her from the people who wanted her dead. She wanted to make sure others wouldn't harm her, nor would she accidentally harm them back. And according to what the old man said, her magic was special and strong enough to protect Palva. That's why she kept training herself, both in her magic, her physical strength, and even researching all that she could in order to find a cure for her. She devoted so much of her life for her sister, that she barely ever had time for herself. Which was why she kept asking herself one question; What would she do after she helped her sister? Would she continue to protect her, or would she find a new path in life to take? What did she want to do for her future?
Just then, she heard sniffling from Gray. She looked at him sitting from afar, his shoulders shaking. Dori thought she saw a tear drop falling from his face. "Hey, uh… Gray?" Lucy called to him, Lyra stopped playing as everyone looked to him. "What?" he asked, hiding the fact he was crying.
"Are you crying?" Pastry asked. "It's true that Lyra has the power to sing songs that reflect what's in people's hearts." Lucy realized.
"Gray was crying." Happy noticed. "No, I wasn't." He denied, though it was obvious this retort was forced.
"Maybe you sing a happier song there, Lyra." Dori suggested. "Oh! Then tell me that before hand." the spirit answered.
"Now that I think about it, what if someone comes along?" Gray realized, "Be quiet." "I guess…" Dori sighed, turning to Lyra, "Sorry about that. You are a beautiful singer, so thanks for singing to us." "Sure! No problem!" Lyra answered happily.
Since singing was out of the question, the team decided to rest themselves until nightfall. Everyone but Dori and Gray fell asleep, keeping watch over everyone else.
"You sure you don't need any sleep?" Dori asked Gray, sitting right next to him, "You look emotionally drained."
"I'm fine." Gray answered with a slightly firm tone, "You can sleep if you want." "Thanks, but I'm use to this." Dori answered, "Leon and I usually take turns on watch to protect my little sister from nighttime attacks."
Gray looked to Dori, then back at the demon in the ice. As much as he knew how hard his early life was, he could tell Dori and Palva must've had it worse than him. From what he heard about her sister's powers, to mentions of people trying to kill them, friends they could not have, and everything Dori did to get stronger and smarter to help Palva out. Gray couldn't understand how hard that must've been for them.
For a long time, they sat in silence, watching the mist past along the ground near the ice. Then as they were starting to doze off, the ground started to shake beneath them, and the cave ceiling started to shake loose some rocks. Leon was the first to wake, grabbing his blade immediately.
"What's going on?" Lucy asked. "It's night?!" Natsu exclaimed. "Why is it shaking in here?" Palva questioned.
Just then, a purple magic circle suddenly appeared on the ceiling above the demon, and with it came what looked like rain falling on top of the ice. "Light's coming down from…" Lucy started. "…the ceiling!" Leon finished. "Why is it raining?" Natsu questioned. Everyone was too startled to figure out how it appeared, but they could tell, based on the hue, what it must've been.
"That purple light… It's the light of the moon!" Gray realized. "What the heck?" Pastry gasped. "What's going on?!" Happy questioned.
"Guys, we need to find the source of the magic circle!" Dori ordered everyone, standing up quickly, "Palva, Natsu, can you sniff out where this is coming from?!" "Leave it to us!" Natsu answered, and they raced back into the tunnels, the Dragon Slayers sniffing for where the fresh air was coming from.
They found some carved stairs that led back up to the ruins once more, and they could see the magic circle on the ground before them, along with on top of the ceiling. "A magic circle is spread over the center of the ruin!" Gray noticed. "Quick, to the top!" Dori ordered, and they all raced to find a way upwards.
They went up a few more levels, and found themselves outside again. It would've felt relieving to be back in the fresh air again, but their minds were too focused on finding the source. Still, they could easily tell their hypothesis was true; It was nighttime, and the purple moon was out. They also found the source of the magic circle ahead of them. A group of purple-robed individuals, with their faces covered with cloth, were standing in a circle, chanting a magic spell as the moonlight gathered and focused down upon them, entering the magic circles they summoned from the sky downward.
Everyone gathered behind a ruined wall, watching them as they were chanting. "What's that?" Natsu questioned. "Looks like they're gathering the moonlight, alright." Leon noticed, "Just like those guys said before."
"What are they trying to do by shining it on Deliora?" Lucy wondered. "It's a spell in Belianese… Moon Drip!" said another voice. For some reason, Lyra was still about, and was within their group.
"Wait, you're still here?" Lucy questioned her spirit. "I see. So that's it." Lyra understood. "What? What is it?" Lucy asked.
Dori suddenly gasped as she remembered something. "Hold on! I just remembered where I read about Moon Drip before!" she realized, drawing the team's attention, "This is bad…" "Why? Why is it bad?" Palva questioned.
"They're using Moon Drip to resurrect that demon!" Lyra told them. "You're kidding me! Iced Shell is ice that can't be melted!" Gray barked back.
"Unfortunately, there is a spell that can diffuse any form of magic, and that's Moon Drip." Dori retorted, "By gathering the magic of the moon, they can surely melt that ice, too." Lyra nodded in confirmation at her words.
"These guys don't know the horror of Deliora!" Gray growled. "I think the curse that the people believe is on this island is a side-effect of the Moon Drip." Lyra stated, "The collected magic from the moon is contaminating their bodies. That's just how powerful a magic it is."
"Of course! It must be the reason why they turn into demons!" Palva realized, growling angrily, "These jerks are attempting to free Deliora, and in the process, they're affecting the rest of the island with their consequences!" "Damn them!" Natsu growled.
"Look! Someone's coming!" Leon warned them, placing his hands on the Dragon Slayers's shoulders. Sure enough, they saw people approaching the scene. They recognized three of them as the ones they saw before in the cave, but the fourth one was new. He wore a demon-like knight helmet, hiding his face. He also wore a white and brown-trimmed cloak over his clothing, which was a blue coat that reached his knees, black pants, and steel leggings and feet. As they entered in onto the scene, the heroes were able to tell that this guys had an air of importance on him, meaning he might've been the Cold Emperor the other three spoke of.
"Damn it, I'm all sleeping after waking up at noon." Yuka complained, while Toby started to sleep as he walked, "And we never did find the intruders." "If they even existed!" Toby abruptly woke up and argued.
"It is saddening, Cold Emperor." Sherry stated, "There seemed to be intruders around noon, but we failed to catch them. I cannot express my love like this." "Intruders…" the Cold Emperor echoed. His voice sounded familiar to Gray, who expressed a look of shock.
"So this guy's the Cold Emperor." Leon confirmed. "What a big shot…" Lucy scoffed, "He's even wearing a funky mask. "Really? I think it's cool." Happy retorted. "Does that really matter, right now?" Pastry questioned the two, "We found who's in charge here!"
"Has Deliora been revived yet?" the Cold Emperor questioned, "At this rate, either today or tomorrow…" Sherry answered. "Which one is it?!" Toby demanded.
"Finally…" the Cold Emperor spoke, "As for the intruders, I will brook no interference." "Yes. The only other people here should be the villagers on the far side of the island." Sherry recalled.
"Destroy the village." the Cold Emperor ordered. Yuka, Toby and Sherry responded in confirmation.
"What?!" Natsu gasped. "But the people in the village had nothing to do with it!" Lucy pointed out. "Yeah. We're the intruders, not them!" Pasty growled.
"I would rather avoid bloodshed, however…" the Cold Emperor started. Gray was petrified to hear him speak. "That voice… It couldn't be…" he realized. Dori looked to Gray, realizing he was recognizing the voice. However, before she could question on it, someone else took action.
"I CAN'T STAND SNEAKIN' AROUND ANYMORE!" Natsu roared, standing on top of the broken wall. He inhaled deeply and spewed a large amount of flames upwards as he roared, "YOUR 'INTERFERES' ARE RIGHT HERE!" Only a blind and deaf person would've not seen Natsu's declaration, as it drew the Cold Emperor's, his minions and the chanters' attention.
"What a way to be subtle, Natsu!" Dori barked, standing up, seeing that hiding was clearly out of the question. "Well, I guess we have to do this now, don't we?" Lucy questioned. "Let's heat up this Cold Emperor!" Palva declared, readying her lance. "This stops here!" Leon barked, readying his sword. Lyra wanted to help, but considering she lacked combat skills, Lucy instead sent her away back to her realm.
"That mark…" Sherry noticed Natsu's guild emblem, "They're from Fairy Tail." "I see. So the people from the village requested a guild save them." Yuka summed up.
"What are you doing?" the Cold Emperor questioned his subordinates, "Eliminate the village now." Everyone was startled that he wanted to continue that order.
"Why? They're not at fault!" Natsu defended. "You wanna destroy someone, trying beating us!" Palva taunted, "Leave the village alone!" "Anyone who interferes or plots against me is my enemy." the masked man answered.
This made Natsu and Palva snap, and they rushed forward at the guy, with Gray joining them as well. "I'll stop this crazy ritual of yours!" Gray barked, creating magic from his hands, and sending a wave of spiked ice along the ground towards the enemy. They all leapt back to avoid the attack, and the Cold Emperor summoned a magic circle with one hand, slamming it onto the ground, and sending a wave of his own ice, which had a green hue to it, back at Gray's magic. They collided, rose bigger and bigger in the air, until the ice shattered into nothing.
"He also used ice?" Happy exclaimed. "Guess that's why he's called 'Cold Emperor'!" Pastry understood.
Gray readied himself to fight as he growled, "Lyon…!" The others were startled at this. He knew who his real name was?
"You bastard… Do you have any idea what you're doing?!" Gray hissed. "Hmph! How long has it been, Gray?" the man called Lyon asked, causing the team to become more startled that he knew Gray, too.
"What's the meaning of this?" Gray demanded. "I can't believe YOU were the wizard the villagers called here." Lyon stated, "Did you come knowingly? Or is it a coincidence? Well, no matter."
"Cold Emperor Lyon, you know him?" Yuka asked. Lyon didn't answer, but instead ordered, "Go now. I can handle things here myself." They understood and disappeared.
"Leon, go back to the village, now!" Dori ordered with a wave of her hand. "I got it!" he responded, and he took off, mentally thinking to himself how difficult it will be to mistake his name from their enemy's.
"You think we'll let you go so easily?!" Natsu demanded, rushing at Lyon. "Stop Natsu! Don't move!" Gray begged to him, but too late. Lyon send a blast of icy energy from his hand, surrounding Natsu. Ice started to cover his body, leaving his head and limbs out.
"What's going on?!" Palva demanded, bracing herself against the cold. She then felt her weapon hand and arm freeze up, and she looked down to see it being frozen like Natsu's body.
"Natsu!" "Palva!" Lucy and Dori exclaimed in horror, hiding behind a crystal wall Dori summoned. "Happy! Pastry! Take care of Lucy and Dori!" Gray ordered.
They understood, but Dori added, "Pastry, grab Palva, now!" "You got it!" he answered, and he rushed in and grabbed Palva back her clothing before taking off into the sky with Lucy and Happy.
"Go with them, Dori!" Gray ordered. "But what about you and Natsu?!" Dori asked, "No, I'm not leaving you here!"
Lyon attempted to attack the airborne group, but Gray stopped him with his own ice, forcing Lyon to summon a shield to protect himself instead. Dori came around the crystal wall as the ice around Natsu's body took shape and became just a big round block.
"Happy, are you abandoning Natsu?!" Lucy questioned. "He got encased by magic that freezes air!" Happy explained, "At this rate, we'll be turned into ice next!"
"But, what'll happen to Natsu?!" Lucy wondered, fearing for Natsu's safety. "Don't worry about it!" Palva assured her and Natsu, "My sister is there. She won't let anything happen to him!" "Besides, we need to be around to save the village!" Pastry added, "If we all get frozen, who'll protect them?!"
Lucy heard sniffling, and looked to see Happy holding back the tears as he flew her to the village. Realizing how hard it must've been for Happy to leave Natsu behind, she could only hope that Palva and Pastry words were right. Plus, she knew Natsu, and nothing could keep him down.
"I'm sure Natsu'll be fine! You think ice would work against the Salamander?" Lucy said with confidence to Happy. "Aye." Happy agreed.
Palva looked at her frozen arm, and tried melting the ice off with flames. No dice. "It's pretty tough stuff." she muttered to Pastry. "Let's get you out of the range of that guy's magic, then we'll see what happens." the ginger cat answered as they all flew towards the village.
Down below, Leon rushed towards the village as well, seeing the two cats carry the girls off. "Gotta get there fast." he barked, and he focused himself as he summoned a blue magic circle. "Requip! Swift Armor!" He changed his top, his leggings, his arms and his weapon one at a time, until he was in a new set of light-weight armor.
It was composed of a zipped up, cheetah-patterned and black-trimmed vest over his bare chest, skin-tight black jeans, a brown sash around his waist that trailed down in the back, steel-toed running shoes, a shoulder guard and armguard on his right arm that were patterned like his vest, black fingerless gloves on both arms that went up to his upper arms, and a black and silver-studded collar around his neck. He also carried a jungle-like spear in his right hand.
"Time to catch up!" he declared, and he made a mad dash that, thanks to his new armor, dramatically increased his speed, as he zig-zagged through the jungle.
Seeing his prey leave, Lyon looked to the trio confronting him and said, "So you bought enough time for those girls and cats to get away? No matter… Sherry and the rest should have no problems against them."
"Don't underestimate Fairy Tail mages, you!" Natsu barked, waddling angrily with his main body covered in ice. "You shouldn't underestimate my sister, either." Dori added, "Plus, our guardian is also heading there, too. So you can be sure those guys will protect the village!"
Just then, Gray looked to Natsu trapped in the ice, and kicked him. Natsu then started rolling down the hill uncontrollably, while screaming, "What are you doing?!"
"What was that for, Gray?!" Dori questioned his motives. "Go after him." Gray told her, glaring at Lyon, "I'll take care of him."
The crystal mage could see that he was taking this personally. Plus, she realized what he meant to do when sending Natsu rolling off like that. Nodding in understanding, she took off after Natsu, skidding down the rocky ground after him.
It took a bit of a while in order for Dori to reach the bottom of the hill. Looking back up at the top where she left Gray, she wondered if he was capable of defeating the guy. Considering they were both Ice mages, it was hard to tell who would be the victor. However, under his condition, she hoped that Gray would keep himself cool under pressure when facing Lyon. "I wonder how they know one another?" she muttered.
"Damn that Gray! I'll remember this!" Natsu's voice rang through the jungle. Dori turned and saw some flames off in the distance, realizing they belonged to Natsu.
"Natsu!" she called out, racing towards him. As soon as she was in visual range of Natsu, he called back, "Dori! Did Gray send you tumbling as well?!" "No, he sent me after you to make sure you were safe." she replied, "Right now, he's facing Lyon up there."
Natsu ignited his hands and attempted to melt the ice on his body, but it was proving useless. "What's with this ice, though?" he asked, "I can't melt it with fires…" "It's not your natural ice, that's for sure." Dori stated, "We should probably get out of the range of that guys' magic in order for it to disappear."
Natsu panted after his failed attempt to melt the ice, then stated, "We don't have time for this! We've got to get to the village!"
"I know, but don't worry." Dori assured him, "Lucy and Happy are getting there now, as well as Leon, Palva and Pastry. I'm more worried about Gray, right now. His emotions have been all over the place since we saw Deliora. He might not be mentally prepared to face that guy."
"I'm sure he'll be fine. Gray's tough." Natsu assured her, "But just to be safe, let's go back up there and find him again." "Okay." Dori understood, and the two raced back towards the ruins again, with Natsu hobbling along, screaming, "Damn it! It's hard to run like this!"
With Natsu struggling to catch up with Dori, getting back up to the top of the temple took a lot longer than before. Natsu questioned whether Dori could break the ice with her magic, to which she answered that it would be too risky, fearing she might break him along with the ice. Still, she assured him that once they were out of Lyon's range of magic, the ice would disappear.
When they reached the top once again, they found the place completely deserted, except for one person on the ground. "It's Gray!" Dori gasped. They rushed over to him, seeing how much of a beating he took from fighting Lyon. It was obvious he lost the fight, but he was still conscious.
"Wake up, Gray!" Natsu barked at him. Gray struggled to look up at the two over him. "How lame…" Natsu scoffed, "You sure got beaten to a pulp." "I knew he was not prepared to face him." Dori stated, "Still, Natsu, show a little more tact, will ya?"
"Natsu…Dori…Why are you here?" Gray moaned. "We wanted to see if you needed backup, but I guess the fight's over, huh?" Natsu noticed, "Let me help ya! Come on, let's go."
He reached down and started to pick up Gray. "Wait! I can walk…" Gray retorted. "Don't be ridiculous. You can barely stand, let alone walk." Dori pointed out, "Now let us carry you back to the village."
"Where's Lyon?" Gray asked. "Don't know." Natsu answered, "There's no one else here, and the ceremony has ended." Gray suddenly felt his legs give way again, and he almost fell had Natsu had ahold of him. He saddled Gray over the ice surrounding his body, holding him with his arms and head.
"You sure you can carry him?" Dori asked, "I wouldn't mind carrying him, as long as he doesn't touch me in weird places." "Nah, I got him." Natsu answered, "Man, if Lucy and the others gets attacked by them, it'll be our fault!" "I'm more worried about Palva." Dori added, "I'm just hoping she doesn't do anything drastic while we are gone."
As they started to walk back the way they came, Gray thought back to the days when he was younger, and was about to set out to fight Deliora out of revenge. "Stop that! You'll never defeat something like Deliora! It's impossible for you, Gray!" Ur's last warning to him still echoed in his ears. He then recalled what he told Natsu before.
(Flashback) "As if! I'm going on an S-class mission!" Natsu barked at Gray. "You ain't got the skills to handle it!" Gray argued back.
His mouth quivered at the comparison between what he told Natsu and what Ur told him. He was no better than what he told him at the docks.
"Natsu…" Gray moaned, getting the two's attention, "I had no right to reprimand you. No right at all!" He started to tear up at how weak and pathetic he was. "Gray…" Dori muttered, seeing him in despair.
"DON'T START FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU LOST, GRAY!" Natsu roared, startling Gray and Dori, "We are Fairy Tail! The guild that doesn't know the meaning of the word 'stop'! We can't live if we don't keep running forward!"
Dori just stood there, watching Natsu waddle off with Gray, complaining about how running with the ice and Gray was a pain. She had never encountered a guy like Natsu before. Yes, he was an idiot, and acted like a child from time to time. But there was a determination deep down inside him that you rarely see from a common person. He was straight-forward and caring for his friends at the same time. Maybe she was wrong to judge him so quickly; He might just be the person to help Palva with her powers.
"You comin', Dori?" Natsu called back to her. "Oh, yeah!" Dori answered, and she chased after him and Gray.
Back at the village, Lucy and Palva were explaining to the villagers about what they discovered at the ruins. Before that, the ice around Palva's arm and hand had weakened, and it easily broke off her after a good hammering. Leon had just arrived to the scene as Lucy was just about finished explaining about their discovery.
"…So that's how it is. The guys who are coming to attack you are the culprits behind your current appearances." Lucy finished.
"They're coming here?" one of the red male demons asked. "They are." Palva answered, "Though this might be your chance to get them so you can find a way to turn back to your original selves." The villagers questioned if they were able to pull off such a feat.
"Even if you say that, those three are probably mages." Happy stated, "They won't be captured so easily." "That's true. We have more people, but our only capable mages are Palva and Leon." Lucy pointed out.
"If I recall correctly, you are a mage, too!" Pastry pointed out, irritated she wasn't planning on fighting, "Surely, you're able to fight. You have your spirits, plus you have a whip."
"Even so, we don't know what kind of magic they are capable of." Palva noted, "Plus, we're not sure how or when they'll arrive here. We need a plan of action."
Just then, Lucy gasped as she snickered, "I just thought of the perfect plan!" "I have a bad feeling about this." the cats stated simultaneously.
"What's with all the ruckus?" the demon chieftain parted through the villagers, approaching the mages. "Please hear us out!" Lucy begged him, "Enemies will be attacking this place soon."
"Enemies?" the chieftain echoed in surprise. "Right. They were staying in the ruins on the other side of this island." Leon explained, "The magic they were doing there is why you are in these forms."
"I've never even heard such a thing!" the chieftain barked angrily, "Haven't you destroyed the moon yet?!"
"That's the thing; We don't need to destroy the moon, now that we found the source of your problem." Palva argued, "All we have to do is snatch those guys and…"
"No! Destroying the moon's the only way!" the chieftain retorted. He was acting so rashly, two of the villagers had to restrain him and pull him away in order to prevent a scene.
"Well, his head's been in the moonlight for far too long." Pastry muttered as everyone watched the villagers leave with the old man.
"Please don't mind him." the red male demon assured the group, "He must still be affected from the death of his son, Bobo, after all."
"I understand that." Palva agreed, turning to the demons, "Don't worry about a thing. We'll capture those guys when they arrive."
"But how?" the demon asked. They heard Lucy chuckle, and turned to her as she declared, "Leave everything to Fairy Tail's #1 Celestial Spirit mage, the great Lucy! This will definitely work out."
"Someone's overconfident." Leon muttered. "I still have a bad feeling about this." Pastry moaned.
Lucy pulled out another key from her satchel, only this one was golden. "Open! Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!" A magic circle appeared, and someone erupted from the ground. It was a pinked haired young woman with a petite figure, dressed in a classic maid's outfit, and wore shackles around her wrists.
"Did you call for me, Princess?" Virgo asked. Due to her cute looks, all of the villagers were in love with how she looked. "What's with their reaction?" Lucy wondered in a confused tone.
"Why am I getting a different vibe from her than from the other two I've seen?" Palva questioned, looking at the golden key in Lucy's hand, "The key is a different color."
"That's because Virgo is one of the twelve Zodiac Keys." Lucy explained, "I already have three other Zodiac Keys, but Virgo's perfect for what I have in store."
Some time later, Virgo had just finished what Lucy had in store for the enemies arriving. As it turned out, the spirit possessed Earth magic, and was incredibly gifted in making holes in the ground. However, what Lucy had in mind for trapping the enemies was…well, to put it in nicer terms, old-school.
"Princess, the preparations are complete." Virgo informed Lucy. "Thanks, Virgo. You're as fast as I had expected." Lucy replied. "Are you punishing me?" Virgo asked. "I was praising you!" her 'princess' barked.
"Hey, Lucy?" Happy started. "What is it?" Lucy asked. "I seriously think that you might actually be an idiot." the blue cat stated. "You actually said that so indifferently…" Lucy growled quietly.
"Honestly, I'm in agreement with Happy." Palva added, "They would have to be stupid to fall for such a old-school trick." "What are you talking about?" Lucy questioned, looking back at her work, "It's a perfect pitfall."
"Yeah…it's thought like these that make you an idiot." Happy stated. "You can clearly tell what it is based on the grass covering the hole." Pastry pointed out.
"There's only one entrance to this village, right?" Lucy analyzed, "Which means that the enemy will surely come from there."
"They could also climb over the walls in all other parts of the village, you know." Leon pointed out, "In fact, there are dozens of ways to get into this village without going through the gate."
"I don't think there's anybody who would fall for that." Happy stated. One of the green female demons agreed to Happy, as did the red demon, and even Virgo, irritating Lucy that even her own spirits found the pitfall unsuccessful.
"Lucy, something is coming this way!" the gatekeeper called down to her. "It's them. Open the gate!" Lucy ordered.
As the gate was opening, Palva and Leon readied their weapons, prepared to fight the oncoming foe, should they obviously fail in falling into the pitfall. "Now, come on…" Lucy muttered, eagerly waiting for the opponent to fall for the trap. They could see who was arriving at the gate; Natsu, Gray and Dori.
"Hey guys! You're safe?!" Natsu called out. Everyone was startled that they were the ones arriving, especially considering that they were clearly rushing towards the pitfall.
"Stop! Don't come any closer!" Lucy begged of him, "I said stop! Stop!" Natsu skidded to a halt, wondering why Lucy would ask for that. Dori then looked at the trap in front of them, and instantly knew what it was.
"Really? You made one these to trap the guys?" Dori asked in a bemused tone. "What's this?" Natsu asked, and he stepped onto the grass, shocking Lucy. Instantly, the grass caved in, and he fell directly into the pitfall, screaming.
Everyone was in bewilderment at two things; the fact that the pitfall worked, and the level of stupidity Natsu just displayed. "Someone actually fell for it." The red demon muttered. "His resumé of stupidity just keeps getting longer." Palva added. "Failed…" Lucy sobbed.
"Are you seriously THAT dumb to fall for a pitfall like that?!" Dori insulted into the hole. "Don't blame me! I'm not the one playing pranks at a time like this!" Natsu barked back.
"Nope. That was Lucy's idea." Pastry accused. "I knew it!" Natsu barked. "You've got it all wrong!" Lucy whined.
"Well, I'm glad you guys are safe!" Happy called to the three. "Yeah, we're fine." Dori assured them, "But unfortunately, Gray's been taken down." "Did he get beaten up by that masked guy?" Lucy asked Natsu. "Yeah, by the looks of it." he answered.
Just then, Natsu noticed something had changed on him. The ice encasing his body suddenly vanished. "The ice broke!" he gasped, "Even though fire didn't work?" "J-Just as I planned it." Lucy stammered for credit.
"Princess, I believe the effect of the magic most likely weakened when distanced from the mage." Virgo informed her. "Just like what happened to me." Palva stated. "All right!" Natsu cheered.
Dori help Natsu out with Gray, settling him down on the ground on his back. "He's seen better days." Leon noted. "Gray…" Lucy muttered, worried about him.
"So how come those other guys haven't gotten here yet?" Natsu asked. "Come to think of it, they are taking a while getting here." Palva pointed out, "They clearly left before you did."
"Yeah, and with that ice encasing him, getting here took longer." Dori added, her concerns growing deeply, "They must be planning something to take such a long time getting here."
"Then this is our chance!" Lucy declared, "Quickly, cover up the hole!" "You're still betting on the pitfall?" Natsu asked. "Don't. Say. Anything." Dori sternly warned Natsu, seeing as he had no right to say that the pitfall wouldn't work.
Just then, Leon sensed something, and looked up into the sky. "Guys, we have incoming from above!" he warned the group, and they all looked up. Sure enough, they could see a shadow of something large approaching them from the sky. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was none other than the giant rat they fought before, twirling his tail like a helicopter blade, and carrying a large bucket in his hands.
"From the sky?! My pitfall's useless then!" Lucy argued angrily. "Like it was useful before." Pastry sassed. "Now's not the time for that!" Dori retorted, looking closely at the rat's back, "I can see those three mages on top of that rat. They must be planning something!"
Just then, something green fell out of the bucket the rat was holding, and it fell towards where Lucy stood. "Jelly?" Lucy questioned, seeing it draw closer to her. "Lucy!" Natsu barked, grabbing her and diving out of the way as the green goo hit the ground, causing it burn a hole in it.
"What's with that dangerous smell?" Natsu questioned, while Lucy looked terrified. "It's acid!" Palva gasped. "And worse of all, they have a whole bucket full of it!" Pastry added, looking up.
"How hideous." Palva and Natsu heard Yuka's voice as the rat was right above them, "The moon drip's effects have turned these humans into such hideous forms." "They're just like demons… Deliora's spawn." Sherry compared, "How unpleasant." Toby howled in agreement.
Palva and Natsu growled angrily after what they heard, then heard the girl order her rat, Angelica, to 'do it'. On cue, the rat swung the bucket, and the acid jelly came out, large enough to incinerate the entire village. "How do we defend against a thing like that?!" Lucy cried.
The two Dragon Slayers jumped into action as Natsu ordered, "Everyone, gather into the center of the village! Happy, shall we fly?!" "Aye, sir!" Happy answered. "Pastry, with me!" Palva called out. "You got it!" Both Dragon Slayers leapt up, and their companions caught them by the back of their clothing, taking them to the falling jelly.
"Natsu!" Lucy gasped. "Palva?!" Dori exclaimed. Everyone was moving into the center of the village, as told. However, the chieftain was not moving from his son's grave. "Damn it, old man! Get over here!" Leon barked, grabbing him by his cape and dragging him with everyone else.
"Are you all fired up, Palva?!" Natsu asked. "Let me show you!" Palva answered, "Send me flying!" "Alright!" Pastry answered, and with a circle throw, he let go of her and sent her up a bit higher.
"Flames on my right hand! Flames on my left!" Natsu chanted, summoning flames in each hand, "You put them together…" He clapped his hands together, forming a massive fireball from them, "And you get Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" he tossed the flames up at the giant amount of jelly.
"Let me burn your jelly to a crisp!" Palva barked, tightening her muscles as her whole body was encased in powerful flames, "Fire Dragon's Eruption!" The flame in her body suddenly shot into the air like a volcano, aiming in the same spot Natsu's attack was at.
Both flames combined with the jelly, and there was an intense explosion. The impact of their attacks spread the jelly outwards, creating a gap that the villagers could take shelter under.
"Did they set off a bomb?!" Yuka questioned in amazement. "They're Fire mages!" Sherry gasped.
"Everyone, get close!" Dori ordered to the villagers, and they drew close as she summoned a magic circle on the ground with both hands, "Crystal Dome!" From the ground, she summoned a half-sphere of crystal that encased the whole lot of them, including Leon and the chief, protect them from any extra jelly should it rain down onto them. Fortunately, thanks to the Dragon Slayers, barely any hit the defense.
As soon as the rain of jelly died down, Dori diffused her spell, just as Natsu and Palva landed back with the group again. They looked about as they saw the horror of what happened to their village. Apart from the spots they stood, everything else was dissolved away, including so much of the ground.
"The village has been completely dissolved." one of the villagers noted. "How disastrous…" another one gasped. "Is everyone okay?" Leon demanded. By the looks of it, everyone was fine. The chieftain, on the other hand, was looking at the spot where Bobo's grave was at. Miraculously, it remained intact. Or at least, it did remain intact until Yuka, who was on the ground with the other two mages, kicked the tombstone down.
"We must destroy all of the Cold Emperor's enemies." Sherry recalled their orders, "Even though we tried to bestow instant death upon them, it seems that a lot of blood must now be spilled."
If the threat wasn't enough to anger the heroes, the fact that they mercifully damaged Bobo's grave seriously ticked them off. All five mages were angrily looking at the three enemies before them. There was no way they either party would let the other escape unscathed.