And here it is, the final chapter of Ringo's story. I told myself that I would end it at 10 chapters and look at that, I did! To be honest, this is my first time every completing a story and it actually makes me feel really happy. I'll write more at the end so please read through all the way.
Silent Thunder
Arc IV
Chapter 10: Poisonous Endings
Ringo looked between Laxus and the gray-haired man, eyebrows knitted together in confusion and caution. Laxus knew that the man before them was powerful which made Ringo even more conscious of their situation. However, he did not seem ready to fight, and only wished to talk. Laxus on the other hand seemed to dislike the conversation in which they were about to have; his fists were clenched and teeth bared, eyes glaring daggers at the man.
"I have no interest in returning there." he finally said. The gray-haired man's eyes twitched at the response; it was not what he was expecting.
"Now Master Ivan will not be happy to hear that." he said, his voice sounding like the purr of a wild cat. "He expected you to come to his side right away after your expulsion from Fairy Tail."
"I learned my lesson." Laxus said. "I'm making my amends and have no intention of going over to a dark guild."
The gray-haired man glanced at Ringo, narrowing his eyes at her, judging her. "Are you making amends by flirting?" he asked, lifting his chin in her direction.
Laxus moved between them even more, blocking Ringo almost completely from sight. "She has nothing to do with this." He said blatantly. "You can tell my old man that I won't be going to Raven Tail."
The man clicked his tongue and clenched his fist. His arm raised slowly before whipped faster than either of them could see. Ringo's ears barely caught the sounds of what he threw and warned Laxus in time for him to dodge. Both of them managed to avoid the knife that he had concealed, but missed the needle that grazed Ringo's arm.
Blood barely trickled from the small wound, but to Ringo it felt like the wound was on fire. She covered it with her hand, putting pressure on it in hopes that the pain would dull. Laxus noticed the pain she was in and turned to the gray-haired man.
"What did you have on that needle?" he asked, anger growing in his voice.
"Poison of the Desert Rose." the man said, grinning through his mask. "It's a bitter poison, its effects run slowly, first burning and then slowly goes through the entire body until reaching the organs. A slow death, but quite easy to cure since the amount is so small."
"Why did you poison me?" Ringo asked, steadying her voice the best she could.
The man looked at her but turned to Laxus. "I'll give you the antidote for her, if you come back to Raven Tail." he said. "At this rate she'll have five days before she's beyond saving. Be happy the needle only grazed her."
"I can just take it by force." Laxus stated, crouching down in order to attack.
"And risk breaking it in the fight?" he asked, holding up the small bottle. "Well the town below also has the venom since many people try to pick the roses that it comes from. But the I just burned their supply house."
"You had this planned." Laxus stated. He hated people like this.
"Well of course." The man said, putting the vial away. "Master Ivan stated that I need to bring you back no matter what. And though it is easier to bring you back dead, bringing you back broken is a lot better."
"You think you can beat me?" Laxus smirked. This man was strong, but he was Laxus.
"I may have trouble in a fair fight but you have a solid weakness." the gray-haired man pointed to Ringo. "You got attached to something weak and now that weakness will be used against you."
"I'm someone not something." Ringo corrected, a bit insulted by his choice of wording.
"If she was as weak as you say, would she be able to survive coming along with me?" Laxus asked him.
"Of course, since you are protecting her." The man shrugged.
Laxus couldn't exactly say anything about that. Ever since he met the girl he had been fighting the fights and even allowing her to hide behind him. It wasn't that she was useless overall, but when it came to fighting, Ringo was undoubtedly weak.
"I think I'm a bit stronger than the average person." Ringo said. "I mean how many people can be fine after being poisoned?"
"You are taking this rather lightly." The gray-haired man said. "Someone in your situation should be panicking or reveling over their own weakness."
Ringo smiled at him. "I have Laxus on my side." she said confidently. "We won't lose."
The man stared at her before laughing loudly; his husky voice ringing throughout the desert. "So this is why you chose a woman like her?" he asked. "She's got guts, I can say that. But that seems to be it."
Laxus didn't respond. He lifted his hand and quickly shot a bolt of lightning in the direction of the man. Before it hit him, however, he disappeared, sinking into the sand. "I will be at Thorned Lake, a two days journey from here." his voice echoed, muffled by the sand. "I want your answer then and there. Remember, come with me and I get you the antidote, refuse and she dies."
With those words he was gone and Laxus relaxed his pose. "Can't we get the antidote somewhere else?" Ringo asked, sitting down with her legs crossed. "Cactus Rose has to have more than just what was at the church."
Laxus shook his head. "The poison is from Cactus Rose Thorns. It's very common for people to get poisoned by it and just a little can kill. It's hard to make the antidote though but the church gives it for free. The man who could make it died in the fire." he said.
"Did you overhear that?" Ringo asked.
"When you were absentminded about the brats." he said. He sat down and put his hand to his forehead, trying to figure out a way to solve the situation. The easiest solution seemed to be getting the antidote and then attacking on his way to Raven Tail, but how would he know if the antidote was the real thing? This man is a member of a dark guild. Attacking straight on risked losing it.
Ringo calmly wrapped her arm, tying over the wound tight to help prevent the poison from spreading. "Walking with this isn't a good idea." she told him. "Should we get a cart?"
"No." Laxus said, standing up. "I'll go there myself and get the antidote."
"Are you really going to go back to Raven Tail?" Ringo asked, her voice was sad. "You don't want to go, I know that."
"I have no intention of watching you die because of this." Laxus said simply. "Stay here and don't move at all, we should have enough food to last you over a week."
Ringo stood up and walked in front of him. She frowned and puffed out her chest defiantly. "Laxus, I have no intention of just staying behind as you go off and do something that you'll regret." she said.
"I'm not regretting this decision." he said. "I have a plan in mind."
"Then involve me in it." Ringo stated.
"It involves you staying here." Laxus said.
"What happened to training me to fight better?" Ringo asked.
"That was before someone had your life in their hands." Laxus argued. "Why are you suddenly so stubborn?"
"Because I've kept quiet enough." Ringo said. "I never asked you a thing when the man in the mansion mentioned Raven Tail because I figured you didn't want me involved and now I am so I want to know."
"You didn't tell me about Kalor." Laxus said.
"Because you weren't on Kalor's hitlist." Ringo retorted. She put her hands on her hip and kept her defiance strong.
Laxus grounded his teeth. "Years ago my old man was expelled from Fairy Tail and created the guild Raven Tail, a dark guild." he said sharply. "Now I've been expelled and he wants me to join to fight against Fairy Tail."
"Why did you get expelled?" Ringo asked.
Laxus stayed silent and drew in a sharp breath. "I used to think Fairy Tail was weak and hated it. So I forced the members to fight each other and made my own team attack them as well. I took hostages and threatened the lives of the whole town." he said it in one breath, pushing past Ringo as he finished. "Happy now?"
Ringo moved her hands to her side, this was the side of Laxus that she didn't know. The side from before they met; a different Laxus. The shock of what he had done weighed heavy on her mind, even if she believed that the past was in the past. She took a deep breath.
"You said that you used to think that." she said quickly, causing Laxus to flinch. "But that means you don't think it anymore. It's not something you would ever do again." She turned to face Laxus who was staring at her, eyes widened.
"That Laxus wouldn't be trying to save me because I was careless and got poisoned." she said. "But the Laxus you are now is and that's what matters, right?"
Laxus slowly gave her a small smile. "For someone so weak, you sure do have a lot of guts." he said.
Ringo smiled brightly. "I have to have something, right?" she asked. "I'm coming with you, we can figure out something but I won't just sit back and let you do something against your will."
Laxus sighed in defeat, sometimes Ringo could not be beat. "We have to find a different form of transportation." he said, not wanting to ride in a cart. However, a desert animal was not a vehicle, therefore it would not be an issue.
(*A*)
Several hours after the gray-haired man had disappeared, Laxus and Ringo were slowly riding through the desert on the back of a Giant Bearded Lizard. They had finished setting up their camp and rested for the night before Laxus captured the creature and forced it to give them a ride.
Ringo sat next to Laxus and even though the sun was beating down on them, he knew her sweat and feverish face were from the poison and not the heat. Though the toxins were slow, it still affected her and the harsh conditions of the desert were not making it easier. She had put on a hat to block the harsh rays from hitting her face and though Laxus made her drink water often, she could never feel cool.
Laxus glanced around their surroundings and found a large cluter of rocks. Commanding the lizard to go there, they made their way into a shaded area. Ringo sighed a bit when the cooler air hit them from the large cluster that almost created a risen valley. Laxus helped her off the scaly creature and she sat down in the sand relieved. Fanning herself still, Ringo pulled at her cloak and uncovered her bare skin.
"Can't I go without the cloak?" she asked, accepting the flask of water from him.
"You'll get burned." Laxus reminded her, waving his hand in front of his face.
"I don't think I can get much tanner than this." Ringo stated, holding out her darker skin.
Laxus shook his head and the girl huffed slightly. She was trying her hardest to stay the same, but he knew that the poison was started to affect her more due to their travels. Cursing to himself he pulled out his map and made sure that they weren't off course. The man had stated that it would take two days to get there on foot, meaning they would arrive later that night. If they camped out a safe distance away, they would be able to make up a plan before he attempted to get the antidote.
He nodded to himself as he ran over his plan in his head once more. When it came to the end, he closed the map up and looked at Ringo. "We'll be there tonight." he said, standing up. "We'll camp out a few hundred meters away and make our way before the sun gets too high. I want you to stay hidden behind a cluster of rocks and wait for my signal."
Ringo nodded and stood up. Laxus helped her back onto the lizard and once again they rode off towards Thorned Lake.
The hours passed slowly as they continued to make their run, stopping occasionally to rest from the sun. Ringo had only fainted once from the heat and fever, nearly falling off the lizard and causing them have to rest for over an hour before she woke up. By the time they arrived at their designation, the moon was high in the sky and the desert was freezing.
Laxus allowed the lizard to scamper off, watching it disappear into the sand for warmth. Ringo was sprawled out on a rock, resting her cheeks on the now cool stone. Her shoes and socks kicked off to get as much of her bare skin on the cooler surface as possible. Her unorthodox position and bliss filled face was almost humorous if the reason behind it wasn't so bad.
"Get off before you make yourself sick." he told her, picking up her shoes and tossing them next to his bag.
Ringo slowly climbed off the rock and moved over to the tent that he had built. She sat down in front of it but Laxus tossed a blanket onto her and pointed to the tent. "Go to sleep." he ordered. "The sick rest."
At this time, Ringo didn't even feel like arguing; sleeping sounded like a good idea and she was not going to refuse rest. She crawled into the tent and only gave herself enough time to remove her pigtails before burying herself in the blankets and following asleep. That night was spent with Ringo tossing and turning from the fever and Laxus waking up the smallest of movements. Neither got a good night sleep, no matter how hard they tried.
The next morning, Laxus had to shake Ringo awake and practically drag her out of the tent. Her whole body felt heavy and the injury now swollen and purple. It throbbed greatly and Ringo's eyes were dazed, barely able to stay open let alone allow her to function. If this was how she was on day two of a five day process, he did not want to see what would happen to her beyond it.
Ringo rested against the rocks and it was decided that she would stay here. It was a bit further away than what he had originally planned but he couldn't even get Ringo to stand up and carrying her to a closer position would be too risky. With no choice in mind he left her with water and food, telling her to try her best at staying awake. Ringo gave him a faint smile and a nod.
Laxus gave the girl one last concerned look before leaning down and giving her a kiss. His hand cupped her cheek, fingers tangling in her still down hair as he pressed her closer. Her lips were dry but she kissed him back. Breaking the kiss, Laxus stood up and walked out from behind the rocks and towards the lake.
When he arrived, no one was there. Glancing around, he sniffed at the air and found the man's sent. Feeling for the static, he found him to be right in front of him, under the sand. "Come up, I know you are there." he said coarsely.
"As expected of the Lightning Dragon Slayer." the man's voice came. He emerged from the sand as if he was a part of it. The grains fell from his shoulders as he became the gray-haired man from two days before. "I must say that I did not expect you to come this early, or this easily. Does she really mean that much to you?" He gave Laxus a sly grin that could be seen under his max.
"I'm here to make a deal." Laxus said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Give me the antidote first and then I'll come."
"That won't work." the gray-haired man stated. "You could simply run afterwards."
"You have my word." Laxus said.
"And we both know what that's worth." the man chided. "I am Zeto, a mage of Raven Tail who specializes in dealing with difficult people like you. Do not think your petty tricks will work."
Laxus clicked his tongue. He had thought he could outsmart the man in some way. "So you expect me to simply go with you and expect the antidote to be the real deal?" he asked.
"You have my word that it is." Zeto stated.
"And we both know what that is worth." Laxus repeated. "Then how about this; I give her the antidote and wait twenty-four hours for it to take effect, if it does, I go with you, if it doesn't, we fight till you give it to me."
""Oh I do like that idea." Zeto said. "However, you have to wear magic-refraining hand cuffs the whole time." He opened his trench-coat and pulled the pair out.
"You were prepared." Laxus noted. This man was smart.
"I've said it already, Laxus Dreyar, I specialize in working with men like you." Zeto stated. "But what will you do if my antidote is false and she dies?"
"I'll kill you." Laxus stated, his voice a growl and eyes showing that he was serious. He was no longer a mage of Fairy Tail and even if it was looked down upon by the guild, he would do it to someone who killed someone he cared about.
"What a frightening man you are." Zeto said, trying to hide the fear that grew in the pit of his stomach. "But we have a deal, hold out your hands."
Laxus did and as Zeto placed the antidote in his hand, he also attached the cuffs. Laxus could tell right away that his magic was cut off and a feeling of vulnerability washed over him. He quickly shook it away and proceeded to turn around and go back to where Ringo was waiting. Zeto followed behind him, knowing that Laxus could make a run for it and get the cuffs off without him.
Laxus ignored Zeto's presence behind him and knelt down next to Ringo when he arrived at the rocks. Once again she had passed out but this time she remained in the shade of the rocks. Zeto hovered above them as Laxus injected the antidote into Ringo. A bit of colour returned to her face but the fever remained. Laxus laid Ringo down, using her cloak as a blanket and resting her head on a folded sleeping bag. He then moved next to her, making sure that he could keep an eye on both her and Zeto who had moved to sit across from Laxus.
"Since it seem that we have a whole day, let's start by getting along." Zeto suggested, his voice full of confidence. Laxus sent him an untrusting glare, crossing his arms over his chest and resting against the wall again. "I guess not." Zeto muttered.
The rest of the day was spent in silence. The only movement came from when they were following the shadows created by the rocks in order to try and stay out of the heat. Laxus kept a constant eye on both Ringo, who had still not awoken, and Zeto who seemed to be keeping himself busy with objects in his jacket. By mid afternoon Ringo's fever broke and she was resting more peacefully. The swelling around the original wound had gone down but the sickly purple colour remained.
"That should be enough proof that it's the antidote." Zeto stated, growing bored of waiting.
"Only the fever and swelling were affected so far." Laxus stated. "The poison is still inside of her."
Zeto growled slightly, he was a patient man but sitting around in a blasted desert would test the patience of any man. Having a man like Laxus, a strong mage and user of lightning at that at his throat also didn't make for the wait to be comfortable. Zeto knew his own strength very well and though he could play an even match with Laxus, he had heard rumors that Dragon Slaying Magic was special compared to normal magic. Dragon Slaying Magic intensified with emotion and right now, Laxus was angry, very angry.
The night passed by quietly with both men refusing to sleep. Laxus was fighting off his urge to rest, having spent the last two nights awake to keep on guard and with his magic blocked, that vulnerable feeling washed over him. When the morning came and there was enough light to see, he checked Ringo's condition.
The purple had disappeared and all that was left was a still healing wound. Zeto smirked and stood up, stretching and popping the nighttime kinks. "I kept my end of the bargain." he stated. "Time to go to Raven Tail."
"I refuse." Laxus said, standing up and preparing himself for a fight.
"Do you think you can fight me?" Zeto asked. "You haven't slept properly in two days and your magic is sealed."
"Are you going to come or not?" Laxus asked, raising his hands. Zeto grounded his teeth and disappeared into the sand.
Before Laxus's instincts could react, he appeared in front of him, punching him through the rocks they had been taking shelter in. "I am a mage powerful enough to be trusted in making sure you return to Raven Tail!" Zeto shouted. "Even I can handle you in your state."
Laxus sat up, wiping away the blood from his cut lip. Even he hated to admit that in his current situation things were going to be a bit tough. Zeto vanished again, however this time Laxus was ready. Clenching his fists together the blond man swung at Zeto, slamming into his gut and sending him flying across the sands. He slide past the rock that he had sent Laxus through moments ago and grumbled.
Laxus stood up straight and started to make his way towards the gray-haired man. Zeto stood up, coughing and cursing to himself. He had never thought that Laxus could still hit him with such powerful attacks. The muscle that the dragon slayer had surely wasn't just for show.
He glanced around and noticed that Ringo still hadn't woken up, laying where she had the night before. Grinning to himself, Zeto disappeared into the sand again and appeared next to her, knife in one hand. "I can always kills her a different way, Laxus Dreyar!" he shouted.
"Tails get up!" Laxus shouted.
The loud voices around her and Laxus calling for her caused Ringo's eyes to open. Her mind processed that something was coming towards her faster than what the object actually was. Her hands reflexively reached out to catch it before she realized that it was a knife.
The sharp blade went through both her hands but she caught it at the hilt, preventing it from penetrating her throat like it had intended to do. Her hands felt like they were aflame as blood trickled down her arms and dripped onto her. Her arms shook from the pain and fear that was knotted in her stomach. She still didn't understand what was going on.
Zeto cursed and tried to force the knife down more. He was so caught up, he didn't notice Laxus coming closer until his foot contacted his face, sending him flying once more. Laxus knelt down next to Ringo and removed the knife from her hands. She hissed at the pain that shot through them and continued to shake, fingers curled slightly as the continue to bleed.
Laxus placed his hand on her shoulder but his eyes never left Zeto. "I need you to tell me when he's going to appear." Laxus said. "I know you are still sick and now injured but my magic is cut off."
Ringo looked up at him and then down to his wrists. Though she didn't understand how or why, she did understand that the cuffs were the cause of it. She gave him a quick nod and when Zeto disappeared, she closed her eyes. Doing her best the ignore the pain in her hands and the still lingering stinging of the poison, she listened for his movements in the sand. She traveled through the small grains until she heard it, the slithering shifting of something the same size as Zeto.
"Behind." Ringo said clearly. Laxus instantly turned and back-fisted Zeto in the cheek, catching him off guard and sending him spiraling. Ringo watched him land, becoming half-buried in the still loose sand.
"Give up." Laxus stated. "You can't win, even if I don't use magic."
"I refuse." Zeto said, standing up. "I can't go back without you. Master Ivan will get rid of me."
"Isn't this his way of getting rid of you?" Laxus asked. Zeto looked at him with wide eyes. "If you struggle this much against me without my magic, how would you fair if I could use it?"
Zeto stumbled slightly. He had everything planned, he was a genius at deceiving others and could control his blood lust to make it more intense than his actual intentions. Was he really not needed?
"My father never liked guys who didn't show results." Laxus stated. "You hit the bottom of the list and he probably decided to amuse himself by trying to get you to get me."
Zeto gritted his teeth and cursed, causing Ringo to wince at the loud sound. He shoved his hands in his pockets and tossed it in their direction before disappearing into the sand once more.
Laxus leaned forward and picked up what he tossed towards them, showing a small key. "He's running away." Ringo said, nursing her hands.
"Compared to the type of men Raven Tail has, he's too soft." Laxus stated, removing the cuffs and placing them in his bag along with the key.
"How was he soft?" Ringo asked. Laxus took the bandages out of her hands and started to wrap them for her.
"Most members wouldn't have given you the antidote and kept their promise." Laxus stated. All of the colour had returned to Ringo's face and she showed no signs of still having the poison in her. "We'll rest here for another day." Laxus stated bluntly.
Ringo sighed, not wanting to spend another day in the same area. Laxus leaned against the rock and sighed, deciding to catch up on the precious sleep he had missed. Ringo watched him and small smile crept on her face.
"Laxus?" she asked, leaning closer.
"Hm?" Laxus grunted, not opening his eyes.
"I'm happy I met you." she said, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips.
"...Yeah..." Laxus replied. "Me too."
I do apologize that the ending is rather abrupt, however I have never completed a story like I said so it's not something I have practice with.
If you find this ending a bit rushed, please hear me out: I have grown tired of the Fairy Tail OC fandom and though I am still a fan of the series, it is not giving me the same drive as it used to. If you have even peaked into the fandom on DeviantArt you may understand my reasonings as well. However, I did not want to leave this series hanging since it grew to be quite popular so I decided to finish it. I was going to add one more chapter for where Ringo and Laxus arrive at Tenrou but I decided not to.
I do hope that you enjoyed this story and I thank each and every one of my readers, whether you commented or not, faved or not but still kept up with this series. It means a lot to me.