Chapter 4: Marked Prey
Levy awoke with a start, looking out the window, seeing that it was sometime after noon. The door opened and Gajeel walked in. In his hand, he had a book by the name of Gorgantuis. Wordlessly, he tossed it to her. She caught it, about to reprimand him about throwing old books around, but saw a strange look on his face. It was a mix between worry and aggravation.
"Gajeel?" Levy questioned quietly, walking over to him. There was fear in his eyes.
"What?" He looked down at her, his eyes clouding over and masking the mixed emotions.
"What's bothering you so much?"
"Ehn, nothing. Just wish I could fight Salamander," He muttered. Levy wanted to believe him; it would've been easy to believe him-should've been easy to believe him-if he wasn't shaking. He liked fighting with Natsu, but not this much. Not enough to shake like this.
"Don't lie; honesty suits you so much better." Levy crossed her arms, using Gajeel's words against him. He turned to her, a scowl gracing his features.
"Just read your book and find out what we're up against, Shrimp," He snarled, picking up Pantherlily, who'd been sharpening his shape-shifting sword.
"Gajeel_" Levy started, but just like that, Gajeel left the room. Levy looked down at her book, confused. Why was Gajeel so...so cold?
o0o
"Gajeel, what is the meaning of this?!" Pantherlily demanded as he and Gajeel walked the streets. "You can't leave her in there alo_"
"We shouldn't have let her come, Lily!" Gajeel suddenly burst out. Pantherlily arched an eyebrow at his trembling friend. I've never seen him like this...Are his eyes watering?!
"What do you mean?"
"It wants her. Gorgantuis wants...wants Levy."
"Why do you_"
"A pure hearted virgin sacrifice," Gajeel snapped, forcing himself to choke out the words. "Levy...Droy and Jet once told me that Levy had never even had a boyfriend...It was one of those 'don't you dare hurt her' talks..."
Pantherlily regarded Gajeel in silence for a few moments. "Which is even more reason we shouldn't leave her in there alone."
"But her magical pressure isn't enough to Gorgantuis' goons to her presence...It's us that they're following and since they see Levy...We lead them right to her, d*****! If she goes back now_"
"They'll easily be able to follow her," Pantherlily pointed out, interrupting Gajeel's tyrade. "All we can do is stay as close as possible. All those years ago, on Tenrou Island, you told her not to leave your side. Yet you are doing that very thing to her."
Gajeel sighed, nodding. "Yeah...Sorry," He muttered. "C'mon." They walked back inside.
"How did you find this out?"
"The shadow. I found it outside the back of the inn, about to climb the window. You should've sensed it."
"Was it a shadow?"
"Huh? Oh...Uh, well not exactly. Actually, I don't know what the h*** that thing was. It was almost like live goo; kind of like something that would be in those s***** goosebump movies, but way smaller. It was black with red eyes like burning coals. Anyway, it told me all about the pure one that I accompanied and how she was perfect for its lord." Gajeel fell silent as he opened the door. Levy was pouring over the book that Gajeel had brought, oblivious to their presence.
Pantherlily caught sight of something peaking just out of her bra-like top; it was ink black and shaped kind of like a star. Right over her heart. That wasn't there before we walked out; but how did it get there? Gajeel saw it too and cursed. Levy didn't look up, muttering to herself as she turned a page in the book and scribbled something onto a notebook, checking another tome and muttering some more. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration and she was oblivious to the fact that she'd apparently been marked.
What did we drag her into? Pantherlily mentally berated himself. He knew that Gajeel was thinking the same thing. Suddenly, Levy looked up, a broad smile on her face.
"I figured out where to find him!" She informed them brightly. "We need to go down to Marindallia and search cliff-side caves. They have tunnels that lead to under the ocean and apparently lead to the lost city of Atlantis. It was actually real, guys! Can you believe it?!" She giggled excitedly, bouncing up to them and hugging them tightly, eyes dancing with a giddy, eager light.
"Atlantis? Isn't that a fairytale?" Gajeel muttered doubtfully, crossing his arms.
Levy giggled, eyes dancing. "Aren't we a fairy tail too?"
"Don't be a smart ***, book worm."
"Better than being a dumb *** like a certain dragon slayer we all know."
"Oi! I ain't a dumb ***!"
"Gajeel, Levy could have meant Natsu."
"I did mean Natsu."
"Oh...I hate you both."
Pantherlily and Levy looked at each other. "No you don't," They informed him in unison. Joking aside...This is bad. Gorgantuis has already marked Levy for his own. Who is in more danger? The sick or Levy?
o0o
After they had discussed plans as to how they get to Atlantis and how they combat the sickness once they get there, Levy stepped into the bathroom and turned the water on. She just happened to glance in the mirror as she was taking her top off and gasped. A black star-like mark on her breast just over her heart. It had a smaller tear-shaped mark in the middle of it that was the color of fresh blood. When had it gotten there?!
Levy touched it and a sharp pain shot through her body, causing her vision to go completely white for a second. The agony didn't last long, but it still left Levy breathless and a head ache lingered. The room spun slightly as well. I've been marked! She realized, looking at the bathroom door that separated her from Gajeel. She hadn't told him that she'd be a candidate for the pure one. Well honestly, she didn't think she was. She may have been a complete virgin, but she wasn't sure she had a pure heart...Apparently she did.
Levy sighed, undressing the rest of the way and starting the water. Right before she stepped under the drops barreling from the showerhead, she remembered to take her headband off. Without regarding it in another thought, she threw it on the floor with the rest of her clothes. She and Gajeel had two more days to map their way to Marindallia before they needed to hit the road.
As she was washing her hair, Levy heard several small thumps and laughing. She rolled her eyes. The guys were most likely sparring. She chuckled, then stopped. Sparring. In a run down inn on its last legs. Darnit! Levy was not going to have to pay a property bill when there wasn't any real reason for them to fight! She stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself and slammed the door open. Pantherlily and Gajeel looked up from fighting on the floor.
"What part of 'this inn has seen better days and is basically falling apart' do you two not understand?" She seethed. "I know how rough you two can get and this is the only inn this village has! So settle down!"
"Whoa, calm 'yer nips, Shrimp, we won't do any real damage!" Gajeel argued. Levy stomped over to him and smacked him.
"What is Fairy Tail most known for? If you're going to fight or spar or whatever, then take it outside!" Levy demanded.
"Gajeel, she does have a point."
"Am I really supposed to be threatened by a midget in a towel, Shorty?" Levy blushed deeply, glaring at him. Smirking, Gajeel plopped down on the bed, smirking, his hands behind his head.
"We're just gonna' resume sparring when you go back in the bathroom," Gajeel said smugly, stubbornly.
"I don't agree_" Pantherlily began, reverting back to his tiny exceed form. Gajeel cut across him.
"I'll make you, cat."
Seeing that this wasn't getting anywhere, Levy tried a different tactic, walking over to Gajeel. She placed both her hands on his knee cap, pulling the big puppy dog eyes and a pout as she leaned into his face. His confidence immediately faded as she came inches from his face, her big eyes locked on his.
"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease settle down Gajeel?" She pleaded, her bottom lip poking out and quivering like she's about to cry.
"Uh..."
"It would mean so much to me, Gajeel..." She cocked her head to the side, regarding him with watering eyes. "You don't want to deal with a crying shrimp in a towel...I'm sure the managers would love that..." Just for good measure, she let a tear fall, inwardly enjoying the panic in Gajeel's eyes.
"Oi, don't cry, Lev!" Gajeel quickly wiped the tear away from her eye. "We'll settle down, 'kay?!"
Careful of her towel, Levy immediately perked up. "'Kay!" She cheerfully skipped to the bathroom, smirking as she heard Pantherlily mutter to Gajeel.
"Dude, she's got you wrapped around her pretty little finger." Humming to herself, Levy closed the door. She loved Pantherlily; not in the way she loved Gajeel of course, but she loved him all the same.
"Shut the f*** up, cat," Gajeel muttered. Levy giggled, dropping the towel and rinsing her hair before applying conditioner. Too easy. He's just a big teddy bear on the inside! After rinsing her hair, she quickly washed and rinsed her body, cutting the water off and stepping out. Grabbing her towel, she dried off and got dressed, coming out of the bathroom and stuffing her clothes back in her bag.
Levy noticed that one of her books, Stephen King's Pulse, is missing out of her bag. She looked up to where Gajeel was sitting in the window, reading it avidly. Hehe, I'm rubbing off on him. Levy crept up behind Gajeel, her hands on his shoulder. "You're adorable when you read horror, you know," Levy giggled.
Gajeel jerked upwards, his shoulder digging into Levy's mark. Levy stumbled back, agony raging through her body. She stumbled backwards, vaguely aware that she'd smacked against the wall.
"Levy! I..." Gajeel's words slurred together as the room spun into whiteness and then faded out.
o0o
"What happened?!" Pantherlily flew through the window, landing on the bed, seeing Gajeel cradling an unconsious Levy.
"I was reading and she snuck up on me and I jumped and...I dunno', she just fell against the wall..." Gajeel's words came in a rush. His eyes were full of cold fury, directed at none other than himself. Pantherlily flew to Gajeel's shoulder, looking down at Levy. He noticed that the mark was bigger.
"Gajeel, you're not the one who hurt her. Look at the mark." Pantherlily pointed to it. Gajeel did, gritting his teeth.
"Well what the f*** are we supposed to do now, Lily?! We need to figure out how to get that d*** mark off of her!"
"Yes, I know that, Gajeel. I suppose our only option is to leave early. If Levy is correct and the Atlantians are real, they're most likely the ones who know how to help us," Pantherlily reasoned. "Tonight I'll go to the library and look for information on the mark. Meanwhile, you need to watch over Levy."
Pantherlily flew out the window, heading to the library. He himself was well trained in ancient languages; not as well as Levy, of course, but he was alright enough. He was at least good enough to find what he was looking for.
"Do you need help_ Lily?!" That voice!
Lily whirled. Shagotte! "Your Majesty!" He dropped to one knee.
"No, you don't have to bow, I-what are you doing here?"
"We're, that is Gajeel, Levy, and I, are on an unofficial mission." Pantherlily explained the situation back at Fairy Tail and then the situation back at the inn. "What are you doing here, Queen?" He inquired.
"I'm following a lead on a group of 10 exeed children. That would bring us up to having found 50..." Shagotte sighed. "I just hope they're still alive. However, now is not the time to dwell on that. Come, I will help you find what you need."
The two walked down through the aisle. "How is Charle doing?" Shagotte asked Pantherlily as she pulled down an old red tome with a black star-like mark in the middle of it. The star-like mark had what looked like a fresh tear drop of blood in the middle of it. Levy's mark; I haven't seen the entire thing, but I know that that's got to be it.
"I don't believe she's come down with the sickness, but she's extremely worried about Happy, who has succumbed."
Shagotte sighed. "I see..." She opened the book, shifting through the pages. "This is an ancient language; very old. But it did originate in Edolas. That leads me to believe that this Gorgantuis is from our world. This world's Gorgantuis was a famous hero, but that legacy was erased even before the time of Zeref; no one would remember that now."
"How much information on Gorgantuis and the mark do you have?"
"Quite honestly, precious little." Shagotte sighed. "There is one thing you should know, though Lily."
"What is it?"
"Gorgantuis...was the first king of the exceeds."
