Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is not mine. Mashima is responsible for all the frustrated shippers out there. Not me.
Chapter 4: Beneath the Mountain's Peak
The ground was cold and hard. The ropes binding her wrists held her arms at an uncomfortable angle. Lucy had regained consciousness to find herself trussed up and gagged, her captors talking nearby, hidden from her line of vision. Her cheek throbbed dully, the pain from the rounder man's strike slowly ebbing away.
Curse them for catching her off-guard! They had paralysed her, making her unable to reach for her keys. Lucy had been completely at their mercy, it had left her feeling utterly powerless. She noticed the weight up her whip and keys missing, and she realised she was completely helpless.
Where were the others? The sun had sunk down below the horizon, the last traces of light steadily leaving the heavens. Surely Erza and Gray had noticed her absence by now. She could only hope they would come looking for her. She heard footsteps approaching, and knew no more.
Gray crouched nearby, watching as the two mages from the dark guild took off with Lucy once again, the stockier one of the two hauling her over his shoulder as he had done before. Gray took off after them, shadowing their footsteps. He found it difficult to remain hidden upon reaching the mountain path. Trees dotted the side of the treacherous slopes, but the dramatic slant of the ground beneath his feet made it difficult for Gray to find a solid foothold. He feared that he would slip and reveal his presence to Lucy's captors. He watched with some amusement as the one burdened by Lucy struggled to keep up with his companion. He was sure it would not be long before they reached their destination.
"Psst," a voice hissed from the trees surrounding him. He surveyed his surroundings, looking for the source of the noise. He failed to spot anyone, the fading light melding everything into shadows and swirls of dark, earthy hues. It was only when Erza had positioned herself a mere few feet away that he noticed her.
"Erza!" he whispered in relief, glad that his teammate had re-joined him. She was still clad in her Nighthawk armour, making it challenging to separate her form from the surrounding wilderness.
"I spotted those two while I was waiting for you. When I saw they had Lucy I prepared to attack, but before I could do so I saw you slinking around in the bushes behind them. I followed you for a while to see what you would do. I soon realised you were following them to uncover their base, which was when I decided to make myself known," she quickly explained in a hushed tone.
Gray looked over towards the two dark mages, panicking as he realised how much distance they had covered. If they didn't catch up to them quickly, they risked missing where their camp was, meaning they could potentially lose Lucy.
"We have to keep moving," Gray hissed, looking back over to the path.
"I'll follow from the other side and meet up with you once their hideout is revealed. We'll plan our next move from there." Gray nodded and she slipped into the shadows, disappearing in the time it took him to blink. He turned back towards the path and took off after his prey, careful to remain unnoticed.
Gray's footwork became even more treacherous as his surroundings finally faded into an impenetrable wash of black. He found himself fumbling his way around, which didn't agree with his definition of 'stealth'. Luckily, he had hung back far enough that his small rustling noises wouldn't reach the ears of the dark mages, who were making plenty of noise of their own.
Just as Gray was beginning to grow tired of stumbling around in the dark, Lucy and her captors disappeared into a cave. Gray quickly ducked across the path to crouch behind a cluster of bushes that provided a clear view of the opening. Erza soon joined him, her sudden arrival causing him to leap a foot into the air.
"Don't sneak up on me like that!" he complained. Erza frowned.
"Not all of us enjoy crashing around through the bush like you." She pointed out.
"It was dark," he protested, "How was it that you managed to move so quietly without seeing?"
"I wore these," she explained, pulling out a pair of glasses. Gray took them from her and tried them on.
"Whoa!" he exclaimed, shocked by the sudden visibility. Everything was as clear as day. The entrance to the cave was easily located, a mere crack in the surface of the mountain, covered mostly by the surrounding scrub. Gray would have missed it completely if he had not seen the two men slip inside with Lucy. Following them had been the best option after all.
"I need a pair of these," Gray said, passing the glasses back to their owner.
"They're useful to have. They came with the Nighthawk armour," she explained, slipping them back on.
"Do you have a plan?" Gray asked, looking back towards the small opening. Without the glasses, it was nigh impossible to see the entrance that he knew lay only a few strides away from where they were crouched.
"We sneak in and use the advantage of surprise against them," she said in her I'm-not-mucking-around tone. He couldn't see her face very well, but he knew she would have her scary-Erza face on. He almost felt sorry for the poor bastards that waited within. His blood boiled at the promise of a fight, as well as at the thought of finally rescuing Lucy.
"Ready?" he asked as his shirt was quickly discarded.
"Let's go!" she cried, leaping out onto the path and slinking silently over to the opening. Gray followed after her, nearly tripping over a branch that he hadn't seen. He released a small amount of magic from his hands which provided him with enough light to see where he was going. As they entered the cave, Gray struggled to maintain a visual of Erza. Her armour made her almost indistinguishable from the dark earthy walls, and the small amount of light from his hands did nothing to help.
They followed what they soon realised was a tunnel, heading further into the depths of the dormant mountain. A faint light became visible ahead, steadily growing in strength until they had reached the inner cavern. Part of the tunnel had collapsed, resulting in a pile of rubble that covered part of the opening. Erza and Gray ducked behind the convenient cover and observed the scene they had stumbled upon.
A group of about thirty mages crowded the large opening. Tents and supplies were dotted around the area, all of which seemed to be positioned in accordance with the blazing fire that stood firmly in the centre. Those that occupied the space were spread out, with the exception of a group that had gathered near the fire. They seemed to be interested in something.
"Lucy!" Gray hissed quietly upon seeing his teammate dropped heavily to the floor by her captor. The short, rounded man rolled his shoulders and stretched.
"She's heavy that one!" he complained.
Gray saw red. Only Happy was allowed to understandably complain about Lucy's weight. He was only a small cat after all. This oaf had no reason to complain.
He almost threw himself at the mob, however he found himself being held back by Erza's armoured hand. She shook her head at him, her expression deadly serious. As much as he wanted to pulverise the lot of them there and then, Gray knew better than to disagree with his scarlet haired friend. Gray wouldn't have to wait long to unleash his anger anyway. Fighting the dark mages was the only way to both rescue Lucy and complete their mission.
"What have you brought me Turgen?" an unseen voice asked. The crowd around Lucy and her two captors parted to allow for a tall man to make his way through. He was clad all in black, save for the silver chain dangling on his hip, glinting from beneath his cloak in the firelight. Dark, spiky hair framed his face, accentuating his sharp features. His eyes were a brilliant shade of blue. Any female back at Fairy Tail would have found him attractive.
"Found this one 'ere wonderin' aroun' the forest we did boss," the rounded man, Turgen, grumbled.
"Let me see her," the man asked. Turgen complied, stepping back to allow him access to Lucy's crumpled form. He examined her, tilting her head slightly. He made a tutting noise and stood, clearly disapproving.
"She is a beauty indeed, but nonetheless she's not the girl we're looking for. Once again you two have failed to return with her. The village is growing intolerant of us, and we will soon find ourselves hunted by mages from one of the official guilds. I want results! Must I take things into my own hands?" he asked venomously. Gray noticed a hint of desperation in his voice. Who was this girl they were searching for?
"We're very s-sorry boss," the lankier of the two men stammered.
"Pathetic," he hissed, walking away. "The others can use her as they see fit, but you two will be denied any such privileges as punishment for your continuous failures. I can only hope that one of my other teams had better success."
Before their leader could leave, a man bolted into the cave past Erza and Gray's hiding place. He may have seen them if he hadn't been in such a hurry. Sweat glistened on his brow, indicating that he had probably sprinted all the way up the side of the mountain.
He came to a flying halt before his boss, not bothering to notice Lucy's unconscious form on the ground beside him.
"Vang my lord, I bring you good news. We have located the girl."
Vang whirled around, his cloak whipping out around him in a spiral of shadow.
"That is indeed good news. Where is she?"
"She's fighting our men. I came for reinforcements. She's not what we expected."
"Then we must leave at once! Grald, Maristara, Echo, you're with me. The rest of you will remain here until we return with the girl. Rath, you're in charge. Make sure these two," he indicated towards Turgen and his reedy companion, "don't go near Blondie."
Vang left with the messenger down a back passage along with a red haired female and a male that seemed more wolf than human. Gray couldn't believe their good luck. They had thus far remained unnoticed, and they had three less opponents to deal with for the time being.
"Once Vang and the others are out of earshot we make our move," Erza whispered, preparing to re-quip. Gray gave her a sharp nod of understanding, his eyes narrowing with determination. He refused to even consider the possibility of leaving here without Lucy; the idea wasn't even conceivable to him.
They waited in silence for a few minutes, their muscles aching with anticipation. As they stood there, they continued to survey the cave. Erza analysed the layout of the tents and all possible routes around the area. Gray on the other hand, continued to keep his eyes on Lucy.
A tall, brunette stepped forward. His features were rugged, and his frame was wracked with taut muscles. He was dressed in an open leather vest, framing the washboard abs beneath, accompanied by ripped jeans and laced up boots. He reminded Gray of Laxus, who shared a similar aura of confidence and menace. He made his way over to Lucy and stood before her dishevelled form.
"I call first round with her!" he announced, reaching down to pick her up.
"Well at least let us watch Rath!" another called from within the group. There was a murmur of agreement, and Gray felt his stomach clench in disgust. Would Vang and the others be out of earshot now? He couldn't stand to stand by and watch Lucy be subjected to such perverted behaviour for much longer.
"Let's see if this one shrieks like a wildcat too," Rath laughed, tearing off Lucy's gag. He proceeded to slip his hand beneath her shirt to gain access to her breasts. Lucy gave a strangled cry and tried to move away from him.
"No, stop!" she cried. Rath only laughed and continued to tease her, his other hand moving to her thighs to yank them apart.
"Gray!" she shrieked in desperation, hoping he could hear her, wherever he was.
Gray didn't hesitate, leaping out into the open to make himself known. Erza wasn't far behind.
"Take your hands off her you perverted bastard!" Gray roared, his hands frosting over.
"This your boyfriend?" Rath laughed, removing his hands and standing. "Doesn't look like much to me. I could give you a much better time than what he'd be capable of."
"Wrong," Gray hissed. "She's my teammate, and you've just made enemies with the worst possible guild to piss off."
"Guild?" a few of the mages muttered amongst themselves.
"It's Fairy Tail!" one cried in horror. "Look at the emblem on his chest!"
The name of their guild seemed to have quite an effect on the dark mages. Some shrieked in fear, while others were clearly excited by the challenge. Gray and Erza didn't care much for their opinions. They'd wipe them all out either way. No one would hurt their nakama and get away with it.
"Sounds like a bit of fun. You want Blondie? Come get her!" Rath challenged, taking up what was clearly a battle stance.
Gray didn't hesitate to take up his invitation. To his frustration though, he had other opponents to get through first. "Ice make floor!" he shouted, freezing the ground before him. The dark mages went flying in all directions. Erza made her move next, striking some down with her recently equipped Lightning Empress Armour. They continued to wipe the floor with their opponents, their strength and speed clearly much greater than their enemies'. However, as they continued to progress closer to where Rath stood guard over Lucy, stronger opponents stepped forward, presenting a greater challenge for the two fairies.
Gray and Erza continued to knock down their enemies, taking a little longer to beat down all of them in turn. Finally, only Rath and a handful of others remained.
"You take care of the prick next to Lucy and I'll remove the others," Erza called over, her blade still flashing in a flurry of movement as she fended off an attacker.
"I'm on it," he responded, making his way over to Rath with clenched fists. Rath hadn't moved, preferring to allow his fellow guild members to wear Erza and Gray down before having to face them himself. Even after watching the two fairies wipe out nearly an entire guild, he still held an aura of confidence that could have been easily mistaken for arrogance.
"Gray," Lucy mumbled with relief, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. She was in bad shape. Seeing her so roughed up made Gray's blood boil.
"Come to fight for Blondie, eh?" Rath taunted. "I suppose we'll soon discover which one of us is better for her through a test of strength!" With that, he flew at Gray, his fist raised to strike. Gray easily scooted out of the way, and in return landed a blow to the side of his opponent's head. While he may have looked similar to Laxus in appearance and build, there all similarities ended. Rath was slow and relied upon strength, whereas Laxus could move as quickly as the lightning he wielded. This put Gray at an advantage, allowing him to make the most of his smaller, nimble frame.
Like wolf and bear, the two leapt at each other, one demonstrating agility, the other fighting with fierce strength. Gray took a heavy blow to his stomach, winding him momentarily, otherwise he had the upper hand, moving too quickly for Rath to defend himself let alone retaliate.
Gray's opponent soon grew tired of playing cat and mouse, and decided to move onto the next round.
"Not bad, but you'll have to do better than that if you have any hope of defeating me with magic!" Rath challenged, his magic aura suddenly increasing. Gray had no idea what kind of magic he was up against. Some opponents were better suited to him than others, but either way he had no option but to defeat him, for Lucy's sake.
"Earth tremor!" Rath cried, unleashing his attack as his ands came into contact with the earth. The ground between Rath and Gray rippled with movement, the waves of earth growing bigger as they approached the ice-make mage. Gray was sent flying into the wall of the cavern as the fluid wall of stone found its target. Gray stumbled to his feet, his head still spinning from the overwhelming impact. He could tell just from that single attack that his opponent relied sheerly on strength both in physical and magical combat. Just as he had during their fistfight, Gray would have to rely upon all his speed and skill to defeat him.
"Ice make Lance!" he commanded, attacking before Rath had the opportunity to land another blow. The bulkier mage raised a wall from the ground before him and the lances smashed against the hard surface harmlessly. Gray's eyes narrowed. He would need to find another way to get around his defences. The fact that they were surrounded by Rath's element was of no advantage to Gray.
"That all you've got?" Rath laughed. "Let's see how you take this! Earthly discord!" Spikes made from rock and dirt ripped through the smooth surface of the cavern from where Rath touched the ground, making their way towards Gray in a pattern of deadly thorns. Gray leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding impaling himself upon one of the deadly spikes.
"Ice make saucer!" A fist of stone collided with the spinning disc, smashing it into tiny shards of ice. Gray hissed, seeing he had failed to land an attack once again. Rath continued to launch an array of deadly attacks, some of which found their target, while others just barely missed. Gray likewise continued to retaliate, his frustration increasing as he failed to hit his target.
"Ready to admit defeat yet?" Rath taunted as Gray clutched at his side. A gash had opened just below his ribs, allowing his blood to run free towards the earth that had caused his wound. He used his ice to stop the bleeding, although he found his movement restricted slightly by the stiff bandage.
"Not until you hand over Lucy," Gray snarled with what energy he had left. He hoped to stall his opponent for a few minutes in order to form some kind of battle strategy. While fighting, Gray had noticed a number of characteristics about Rath. As Gray had observed earlier, he relied upon brute strength. His magic was quicker than his regular attacks, although it was still much slower than Gray's maker magic. More prominent than that, was that Rath used his hands when launching an attack. Rath's magic flowed from his hands, causing the earth to move outwards from him upon contact. If Gray could somehow prevent Rath from coming into contact with the earth, then perhaps his opponent would be unable to use his magic. It was worth a try at the very least.
"Not a chance!" Rath answered, sending another attack towards Gray. Once again, the magic flowed outwards from where Rath's hands touched the earth. Gray quickly dodged the stone vines protruding from the earth, immediately launching his own attack.
"Ice make cavern!" he commanded, releasing his magic in one great burst of power. He watched with satisfaction as everything froze over, much as it had done once before during his battle against Lyon. Soon, the floor, walls and ceiling had frozen over. The tunnels were sealed, leaving both guilds trapped within the frozen wonderland.
Over to his left, Gray saw Erza continue to fight her own battles, alternating between the last two opponents who had decided to form a tag team. She cut down both in a display of frenzied swordsmanship, leaving Rath without any allies. Now all that remained was for Gray to see if his hunch had been correct.
Sure enough, Rath was letting out a train of curses.
"What's the matter? Run out of steam?" Gray called, feeling an overwhelming rush of satisfaction as he dished back the taunts he had been dealt only minutes earlier. Rath snarled, charging at Gray in a wild frenzy of rage. "Ice make geyser!" Gray said, finishing his enemy with a single blow. Rath crashed to the ground heavily, remaining motionless.
Erza came over, dressed in her usual skirt and armour. "I hope you didn't kill him," she fussed, nudging the motionless pile of limbs with her boot. Rath let out a low grunt of pain. Satisfied that he was still alive, she went over to Gray.
"Speak for yourself," he huffed, noticing the unmoving piles of dark mages littering the frozen cavern. Erza shrugged.
"I think you're forgetting something," she hinted. Gray frowned in confusion. Upon seeing the crumpled blonde figure behind Erza, realisation dawned upon him.
"Lucy!" Having been lost amidst the fury of battle, Gray had all but forgotten his fallen comrade. Having regained his senses, he wasted no time in reaching her. She lay on her side, her blonde hair obscuring her face. Lucy's wrists were still bound. Gray made short work of the ropes, cutting them with an icy hacksaw. Turning Lucy over, he examined her closely.
A bruise covered her cheek, purpling from the blow by Turgen earlier. Other small cuts and bruises littered her body from her rough treatment. Her eyes remained closed, but her chest moved with repetitive breath.
"She seems well enough," Erza observed from behind. "The cuts and bruises will heal with time. I've seen her in worse condition."
Gray agreed with her. Lucy had been close to death at the Grand Magic Games after her battle with Minerva. This was nothing compared to what she had faced before. However, her lack of consciousness bothered him.
"I'll carry her out," he volunteered. "We should leave before the others decide to make an appearance."
Erza made her way towards the tunnel from which they had entered, Gray bringing up the rear with an unconscious Lucy cradled in his arms. The ice in the cavern had all but melted, much the same as Gray's own energy. His icy bandage remained in place, securing the gash in his side, but it would need proper medical attention soon.
They made it back out into the open without incident, to find the sky was still draped in darkness. After a brief discussion, they stopped for the remainder of the night at the base of the mountain, away from the main path.
They lit no fire, knowing it would serve as a beacon for the remaining dark guild members. Erza took first watch, promising to wake Gray in a few hours' time to take over from her. After ensuring Lucy was as comfortable as he could manage, Gray gave way to blissful sleep.
A/N: Sorry it took so damn long to get up! I've been pushing myself for the last week to get it out. I know this chapter may have seemed a little dull, but it was necessary to introduce a few things that will crop up later. I'm not sure that I'm happy with it. Let me know your thoughts!
I can promise plenty of shipping next chapter, and the name of the character you were voting for will be revealed. (Was planning to do it this chapter, but it was getting a bit lengthy.) Thank you for the reviews and follows, and for your patience (I'm going to try to increase my updates, can't make any promises) I'm working on another FT fanfic too at the moment, which set me back a little. I may do a picture of Vang and post it for your amusement. I'm feeling artistic! :D