A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry it took me so long to upload this chapter! I've been a little distracted. :3 Anyways, I hope you enjoy this exciting new installment. x)
Chapter Seven – Elme
Sting
I glanced over at Rogue, disbelief mingling with alarm. A mind controller? That meant that at any minute we could all be mindless drones—or worse, we could turn on each other against our will. My oldest (human) friend gave me a grim but determined nod. We would fight this mage, even if it cost us our lives.
With a flick of her wrist, Elme sent the horde of empty-eyed townspeople after us.
"Try not to kill them if you can avoid it!" Ultear shouted above the clamor.
"Leave it to me!" Sherry replied, turning to face the onslaught. "Rock Doll Special Move: Rock Cradle!" The cobbled streets started bucking and lurching as a giant wall rose up, hedging in the mass of people. I could hear their cries as they pounded against the unyielding wall.
"Nice one, Sherry!" Ren smiled with pride at the pink-haired woman, and a faint blush rose in her cheeks.
Laughter rang out from above, and we all snapped our gazes to the woman on the roof. "Foolish mages. Didn't you hear me? I am in control…of everyone. Now, let's make things interesting, shall we?"
Angry, I took a step towards her to show her that no one controlled us. However, in the next instant, I found myself pitched into Rogue as the ground shook and groaned around us. Before I had a chance to right myself, darkness swallowed us.
"What's going on?" I demanded, putting a hand out to feel around. My fingers grazed something cold and solid—a rock wall. Lurching to my feet, I cocked my arm for a punch. "White Dragon's Punch!" I unleashed the power, blinding light illuminating the confines of the giant dome of rock we were apparently trapped in. A smirk curved the corner of my mouth. This will show that woman not to underestimate the power of a Dragonslayer.
After a moment, I pulled my hand back, an orb of light wrapped around my fist. My jaw dropped when I saw that not so much as a speck of dust had been removed from the wall. "What is this?" I asked in horror. There was no way that a pitiful wall could hold up against the power of my punch! Unleashing a furious roar, I assaulted the wall with a barrage of attacks. Finally, I pulled back, panting and dripping sweat from the exertion. And still the wall remained undamaged.
"Stand back," Rogue said, coming up beside me. I ground my teeth but complied, knowing that this was not the time to let pride get in the way. "Shadow Dragon's Crushing Fang!" We both pulled back, stunned, when again nothing happened.
"Kitten Blast!" Millianna shouted, bombarding the wall with her magic.
That annoyingly smug laughter rang out again, this time sounding inside my mind. I yelled and fell to my knees, holding my head. Judging from the others' expressions, they could hear her, too. "No matter how many times you attack that wall, it won't give unless you attack the source of the magic itself."
"What do you mean?" Millianna demanded, clutching her ears. The voice made no reply, but it didn't need to. We all turned to look at the woman standing in the center of the enclosure, a double-layered laugh bubbling up from her throat. Her eyes were rolled back, revealing only the whites of her eyes.
"Sherry!" Ren cried, reaching desperately for her. She jerked her hand up, catching him in the jaw with enough force to knock him back a few feet.
"You'll have to kill her to break down this wall," Elme said in amusement.
I growled, my hands balling into fists at my side. We may once have been enemies, but now we were allies, and I never attacked my comrades. "You're crazier than I thought if you think I'm going to hurt my comrades."
She laughed again and I ground my teeth in anger. "It matters not to me whether you perish now or later. But it would be awfully boring to let you all starve to death in there. So for the sake of the show, I will have you fight."
A blast of power sent me flying into the wall with a crunch. Gasping, I fell into a crouch, looking around for the enemy. However, when the top of the enclosure suddenly crumbled, letting light stream in, I saw that Kagura was facing me, her eyes blank as she held her katana in both hands, parallel to the ground. Slowly, she started sliding the sheath off, sending a raspy whisper of steel into the air.
"Kagura-chan," Millianna said, gasping. She held out her hand and took a step toward the swordswoman, and I reacted not a second too soon.
"Get back!" I yelled, throwing myself at her and knocking her back. I saw a burst of light and felt the hiss of the air above my head as Kagura's sword barely missed us, cutting through the air we'd occupied just a moment ago.
Gray leapt between Kagura and us, a giant ice scythe held in his hands. "She's not in control of herself right now," he called over his shoulder at Millianna. Tears slid down her cheeks as she nodded her understanding. "Don't let your guard down; in this state, she could kill us all without hesitation."
Kagura's katana seemed to be glowing as she swept it up in an arc towards Gray's head. He threw his scythe up to meet it, barely blocking her strike in time. However, with only a second's pause during which we all held our breath, her blade cut cleanly through the ice. Gray jumped back, the katana nicking his shoulder instead of his neck.
A field of air suddenly closed her in then, and I saw Ren standing up next to Sherry. Kagura fell to one knee, clutching her throat as she gasped for breath. After a moment, she sank to the ground, unconscious.
Suddenly, the reality of our predicament descended on me with ice-cold fingers. I gulped, staring at Kagura's prone form. That could be any of us. And likely would be if we couldn't figure out how to defeat this insane bitch. Guilt filled me, even though I hadn't even raised a hand against Kagura. Guilt, and concern. At least the force field of air had been lifted. It gave me small comfort to know that at least she wouldn't have to watch the rest of us fall and become tools. Millianna rushed over to her side, sobbing. I knew I should probably tell her to stay away, just in case Kagura woke up and was still under Elme's control. And yet, I didn't have the heart to watch them both suffer by themselves, so I said nothing.
"Isn't this fun?" Elme laughed gleefully. I snapped my head up and saw her reclining on the rim of the crumbled dome. Baring my teeth, I sent a burst of power into the ground to propel me up towards her. I wanted nothing more than to wipe that arrogant smirk off her face with my fist. However, before I could reach her, the air around me grew heavy, deprived of oxygen. A vortex sucked me back down to the ground, and I felt my lungs crying out desperately for air. A pounding headache took root behind my eyes, but I slowly and agonizingly got my feet under me and stood up.
"Sting-kun!" Lecter cried out, racing over to me.
"Lecter, no! You have to stay back, or she could use me to hurt you," I gritted out, my back stooped beneath the weight of the air. Lecter looked up at me with tears gathering in his eyes, but nodded and scurried over to a darkened edge of the enclosure, huddling down next to Frosch. The green Exceed was balling her eyes out, using her pink frog suit to wipe her nose.
I turned my attention to Ren, who was standing beside Sherry with the same blank look in his white eyes. It looks like I might really have to attack him…. I shook my head violently to clear my mind. No. I can't play into her games. If I fall for her tricks, then there will be no chance of victory. Unfortunately, it looked like the air mage had no such qualms while he was under Elme's control.
"Aerial Phose!" he yelled, swinging his hands in a circular motion to create a cyclone of air.
"Holy Blast!" I aimed the magic at Ren's cyclone, careful to angle it so that it wouldn't hit him. His magic exploded apart, and I felt a brief moment of relief to know that I could still defend myself without harming the others.
"Ice Make: Ice Wall!" Gray sent a tower of ice rushing at Ren, freezing him within its icy confines. But the next instant, it became a wall of water, crashing into the ground. I was swept up in the currents and slammed into the wall as the enclosure became a flooded bottle. There was so much water that I couldn't touch the ground with my head above the water. Gray cursed, and we looked around to find Ren.
Along with Sherry and Ultear, he was standing in a bubble of mist within the water. I gaped at them in disbelief before realizing that Ultear's Arc of Time was causing the water to go forward in time to its state as a vapor. She must have also been the one to turn the ice into water. Which means that…. Sure enough, I saw that her eyes were blank white orbs.
I cursed and spat water out of my mouth, looking around for the others. Frosch was carrying Rogue above the water, and Lecter had Kagura and Milliana.
"Ice Make: Kite!" A large ice kite appeared in the air before the Ice-Make mage. He sent it zooming towards me, and I prepared to smash it before it could hit me. However, instead of attacking me, it dove through the water and came up beneath my treading feet. My eyes widened in shock as I was born upwards, out of the water. I looked at Gray, and he smirked at me, his blue eyes dancing with amusement. I released a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding. Thank goodness he's still himself. For now. Then, without warning, Gray submerged himself. A moment later, the pool of water beneath us turned to a solid block of ice. Gray burst through the surface, sending shards of ice flying in every direction. We all peered at the spot where the others had been. All I could see through the ice was their hazy outlines. But then, a column of ice above them suddenly vaporized, and Ren used a cyclone of air to lift them out of the hole.
"Doll Make: Ice Doll!" A giant golem rose from the ice, taking a swipe at the Exceeds with their loads in the air. Frosch was able to dodge the attack, but Lecter, weighed down by the load of two people, wasn't quick enough.
"Kyaaah!" Millianna shrieked as they plummeted to the ground, tucking in the air to land with cat-like grace. Kagura was still unconscious, and I ran forward, throwing myself under her and catching her just in time. Lecter landed in Millianna's outstretched arms, and I knew that he'd be okay with her. However, we didn't have time to relax, because the ice golem was already swinging its arm back for another hit.
I lunged out of the way as its fist smashed down on the ground, shattering its icy hand. However, with Ultear's Arc of Time, the pieces came back together and reattached themselves to the icy stump.
"Nobody controls my ice." Gray was crouched in the shadows behind the golem, a dangerous look in his eyes. "Ice Geyser!" A blast of jagged ice swept across the floor to impale the monster. With a final bellow, the ice doll exploded in a hail of ice shards.
I tried to make myself as small as possible to avoid the flying shards, and used my body to shield Kagura, tucking her against my chest. I felt her stir, and glanced down quickly to see if she was still possessed. However, when she blinked open her golden brown eyes, I was relieved to see she was back to normal.
"Sting…? What's going on?" She blinked in confusion and pulled back, surveying the fighting around us. Gray was going at it with Sherry and Ren, and Rogue had landed on the ground to engage Ultear. Milliana was crawling over to us with Lecter held protectively in one arm, a smile on her tear-streaked face.
"Kagura-chan! I was so worried about you! I'm so glad you're back to normal." I took Lecter from Milliana as she threw her arms around Kagura.
"Normal? What happened?" Kagura's usually cold expression was confused as she glanced around at everyone. "Why are they fighting each other?"
"They're being controlled by the woman up there, Elme," I said gravely. "You were controlled by her earlier, but Ren knocked you out. I guess she can only maintain her hold on people when they're conscious."
She nodded, her face regaining its cold determination. "If we work together, we can defeat her. But we'll need two teams. One to distract, and one to go in for the kill. Milliana and I will handle the ones she has under her control. You get Gray and Rogue, and go after Elme. I'll let you guys figure out how you're going to take her out. Good luck." She stood, Millianna at her side. Turning to face the others, she nodded at Millianna and together they leapt into the fray.
"Oi! Gray, Rogue!" I called. As they turned to glance at me, an idea formed in my head. I beckoned them over, positioning myself so that my back was to the woman sitting on the edge of the wall. They looked at me warily, wondering why I would call them away from the fight.
During their hesitation, Kagura darted in, quick as lightning, to land a series of blows to the others without unsheathing her sword. While Ren, Sherry and Ultear were reeling from the assaults, Millianna brandished a magical rope.
"Nekosoku Tube!" The rope shot from her hands and wound itself around the three mages, binding their arms down at their sides.
Seeing that their opponents were currently unable to use magic, Gray and Rogue ran over to me. "Sting, what—"
Before Gray had a chance to finish speaking, I punched him in the stomach, my fist coated in magic. He grunted in pain and grabbed onto my arm to keep from falling.
"You bastard, what are you doing?" he demanded angrily.
"How dare you attack Kagura earlier?" I shouted, punching him in the jaw. "She didn't even know what she was doing!"
He blinked at me in shock, but then a flicker of realization flashed in his eyes as he caught on. His lips quirked in an arrogant smirk, and he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I see how it is. Don't worry, though—she would never like you anyway. Ice Make: Ice Bringer!" Twin ice blades materialized in his hands, and he lashed out at me with both swords.
I leapt over the blades, but he had a little trick up his sleeve. When I landed, I found that he'd turned the floor to ice beneath my feet. I fell back onto the ice with a crash, leaving me open to attack. Gray looked ready to leap on the opportunity, but then Rogue jumped in front of me.
"Shadow Dragon's Slash!" Rogue used his magic to increase his punching power, his fist colliding with Gray's swords as the Ice-Make mage brought them up to block. However, Rogue followed up with another cut to Gray's gut, making him bend over, coughing.
I could feel Elme's attention on us now, and I heard her amused chuckle as she witnessed what she thought was three comrades turning on each other without her help. Good. That was exactly the response I wanted from her. To keep things moving, I kicked out with both feet and swept Rogue's legs out from under him. Carrying through with the kick, I spun my legs around for momentum to stand up. Peering down at Rogue with a vicious grin, I laughed a loud, crazed laugh.
"I don't need your help, Rogue. Only one of us is making it out of here alive, and I'm afraid that it's going to be me." His eyes narrowed, and I could practically hear him wondering what was going on. But then he glanced over at Gray and his eyes widened, realization coming over him.
"We'll see about that."
With a yell, the three of us ran at each other, each trying to land a blow on the other that would look harder than it really was. My heart clenched when I heard Lecter and Frosch crying out, wondering what we were doing. However, I knew that I couldn't explain to them yet, or our plan would be blown. From overhead, Elme laughed merrily, clapping her hands together.
"Bravo! What a marvelous performance! Keep this up, and I won't even have to interfere!"
Inwardly, I smirked, knowing that we weren't even doing that much damage to each other. But to an outside observer, it looked like we were pummeling each other to within an inch of our lives.
Gray swung his swords at me, but I dodged so that his momentum carried him past. As he went by, he whispered in my ear, "When I come at you next time, I want you to kill me."
I jerked and spun to look at him, my eyes wide. Kill him? What was he saying? However, in a movement almost too fast for my eyes to follow, I saw him dart off into the shadows along the edge of the wall. And yet, Gray was still standing before me, breathing heavily and holding his swords at the ready. "Ready, Dragonslayer? I'm coming at you now."
He lunged towards me, his swords raised high for an overhand strike. Deciding to trust Gray and that brief instant in which I'd seen two Grays, I cocked my fist back and sank into a crouch.
"Holy Nova!" With a blinding flash of light, I slammed my fist into Gray's gut. The thick column of light surrounding my arm exploded, sending Gray flying backwards. He crashed into the wall with a crunch and slid to the ground, his clothes completely charred around his chest.
"Well, that's one down," I said offhandedly, cracking my knuckles as I turned to face Rogue. "Sorry, Rogue, but I'm afraid it's your turn now."
Behind the Shadow Dragonslayer, I saw Kagura scream and run towards us with her sheathed katana held aloft in her hand. "How dare you?!" she shrieked, flying towards me.
Suddenly, a rope wound around her body, and she crashed to the ground, her hair falling over her face. Standing behind her was Millianna, a scared look on her face.
What's going on? I thought, returning my attention to Rogue. Whatever it is, I'm sure they know what they're doing. I'll trust them as they trusted me. With a savage grin, I held out a hand and beckoned Rogue toward me. "Feeling scared?"
"You wish." His face remained impassive, his red eye pinning me with a cold stare. "However, as much as I'd like to go at you with full power, I'm not as heartless as you. If we used our full power, we would bring this wall down around us, and likely injure or even kill everyone else. I won't be responsible for the deaths of my allies, even if you don't have a problem with killing one of our own."
I scoffed, flashing a cocky grin. "Fine, have it your way. We'll fight with hand-to-hand combat." And then I lunged for him, sucker-punching him in the stomach. Even without backing it up with my magic, I knew that I was strong. That would leave a bruise for sure.
Rogue grabbed my shoulders and slammed my body down on his knee, smashing my nose. I pulled back, cringing. Blood dripped from my nose, but I ignored it. Coming at him again, I reached for him, aiming to grab him around the throat. However, he brought his own hands up, clasping mine in his. Our fingers interlocked as we grappled for the upper hand.
"Sting," he snarled, catching my gaze.
"Rogue." A slight smile curved the corner of my mouth, and he gave an almost imperceptible nod. We were positioned so that our sides were facing Elme, who was busy laughing and jeering at us from atop the wall.
In a move as quick as the blink of an eye, we turned our heads to face her and threw our arms out to the side, our fingers still interlocked. "Holy Shadow Dragon's Flash Fang! UNISON RAID!"
A blast of light erupted from our joined hands, shadows slithering around and mingling with the white light. Elme shrieked, disappearing within the blast of power. When the light faded, we all looked up in loaded silence, straining to catch a glimpse of her. There was no sign of her.
After a tense moment, when she still didn't appear, I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "I told you I don't attack my comrades," I said softly, looking up at the spot where Elme had disappeared.
A chuckle sounded from the shadows behind me, and I turned to see Gray appear. "Oh really? Tell that to my jaw." The other Gray I'd sent flying still lay in the shadows against the wall, but it was now a block of Gray-shaped ice. After a moment, it shattered, coating the ground with fine shards of ice.
Millianna sank to the ground, a shaky sigh escaping her. "Kagura told me to tie her up when she ran at you, but I didn't know what was going on. You guys really had me convinced that you were trying to kill each other." A silvery tear slid down her cheek as she held her arms around herself and shook. Kagura, shaking free of her restraints, walked over to the other girl and pressed her to her chest, holding her as the tears she'd been holding from all the tension were released.
"You were excellent," Kagura grudgingly admitted, looking over at me. "If I hadn't known better, even I would've assumed that you were fighting to the death." Then her eyes narrowed and a slight blush crept across her cheeks. "Though you could've left me out of it."
I laughed, the sound filling me with relief. "Sorry about that. It was the first thing I thought of."
A soft sound from behind me made me spin around, alert for any sign of attack. However, all I saw was my small mahogany Exceed approaching me hesitantly, tears lingering in his wide brown eyes. "Sting-kun?" he whimpered. "You mean, it was all for show?" He hiccupped as another tear slid slowly down his furry cheek.
I felt my heart breaking as I knelt and scooped Lecter into my arms. Pressing him to my chest, I buried my face in his fur. A few tears of my own escaped, falling on his head. "I'm so sorry for scaring you, Lecter. Please, forgive me. Yes, it was all part of the plan to take out Elme."
"Rogue!" Frosch ran into Rogue's waiting arms, tears spilling freely from her rosy cheeks. "Fro was so scared for Rogue," she sobbed, clinging to his chest. The Shadow Dragonslayer closed his eyes in a pained look and held her tightly. I smiled, glad to see their safe reunion.
"What happened?" Sherry asked, sitting up. She was still bound with the magic-nulling rope, and she looked down at it in confusion. I sighed in relief when I saw that the three mages had been returned to their right minds. As Millianna saw that they weren't going to attack us, the ropes fell away from them.
"Sherry!" Ren said, pulling the pink-haired woman into his arms. "Are you hurt?"
"Ren!" she said in surprise, resting her hands on his chest. "No, I'm alright. How are you?"
"I am also uninjured." Sherry smiled in relief, and the two embraced each other tightly.
"That woman…" said Ultear, slowly getting to her feet. "She was controlling us, wasn't she?"
I looked at her in surprise, impressed that she was able to figure it out with no memories to confirm it. "Yes. But she's defeated now." I looked around at the others, feeling a grin stretch across my face. "We're safe. It's over."
"Just one minute," a voice said, echoing over our heads. I felt the blood drain from my face as I looked around for the source of it, already knowing in my gut who it was. The dangerously calm voice shook with barely suppressed rage. "You think such a pitiful attack could defeat me?" She laughed, a low, menacing sound. "Well, aren't we arrogant. I can assure you, darling Dragonslayer—nothing's over. In fact, it's only just begun."
Frosch cried out, and Lecter hid his head in my chest as I tensed, my gaze finally landing on the shadowy form of Elme. She was crouched in the shadows at the base of the wall, her dress dirty and torn. A wide, crazy smile gleamed in the darkness. "I will make you pay, Dragonslayers!" she shrieked, throwing her hands out in front of her.
"Lecter, go!" I shouted, throwing the Exceed into the air behind me. His wings snapped out as he caught himself and soared up above my head. "Take Frosch and go find the others! Tell them our situation and see if you can get help."
Rogue tossed Frosch into the air as the green Exceed sprouted wings, her eyes wide and fearful. Lecter paused at the mouth of the enclosure, looking back down at me. "Sting…."
"Go!" I slashed my hand through the air, willing Lecter to go before it was too late.
"Oh, I don't think so." Something about Elme's tone made my blood run cold, and I turned to look at her with wide eyes. "I think I've just found the perfect way to get revenge." She looked right at me and smiled.
I heard Lecter and Frosch scream in agony. Blinking in what felt like slow motion, I realized that I was now facing the two Exceeds, my arm extended in front of me in the finishing stance of Holy Ray. Shock and horror filled me as I saw them fall to the earth, their wings tattered and torn. All I could see was Lecter hitting the ground, his eyes squinted in pain as he looked at me, a brave smile curling his lips. And then his eyes shuttered closed, his small body motionless.
"Lecter!" I screamed. "LECTER!" Tears blurred my vision as I spun to face Elme, and for a moment, a haze of red descended on my surroundings.
"You…bitch. YOU WILL PAY!" I screamed, charging her with a hatred so strong that I was shaking with it. "YOU MURDERED LECTER! YOU WILL SUFFER A DEATH SO PAINFUL THAT NO ONE WILL EVER BE ABLE TO COME CLOSE TO SO MUCH PAIN IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD!"
She just smiled calmly at me, a vicious look in her black eyes. "Come."
A/N: I've always thought the friendships between Sting and Lecter and Rogue and Frosch were beautiful. :') I was almost crying when I was writing that last bit.
Don't forget to review, as always! Let me know what you think. Are Lecter and Frosch really dead? And who do you think will win this deadly dance?
And also, what did everyone think of the latest chapter of Fairy Tail that was released? Rogue looks so scary! D: This could put some major cricks in my storyline if he becomes evil... O.o