Author's Note: Hello! No extra note today. Here's chapter 12 and enjoy!
Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.
Chapter Twelve - Time to Make our Move
Natsu looked up with confusion as the man named Jellal walked around him to untie his restraints. The pink haired boy then looked up to the red haired girl and noticed she now had her own Marshal's Badge pinned to her chest as well.
"Whoa, who are you guys?" Natsu looked very impressed with their stealthy disguises.
The female Marshal smiled. "My name is Erza Scarlet, and this is my partner Jellal Fernandes. We're known as 'undercover marshals' and we've been hiding inside the lesser Spriggan gangs for almost a year now trying to pin them down at just the right moment."
Jellal then smiled as he finished helping Natsu. "Yes. Over the course of the year the Spriggans have been surprisingly low-key, and they haven't really done anything too dangerous. However that changed after they murdered the Heartfilia patriarch."
Erza then grinned as she helped Natsu stand. "We were so close to ending their game, but we had to take a slight detour to ensure your safety. And so here we are."
Natsu scratched his head and asked a very simple minded question. "Wait, how many different kinds of Marshals are there!?"
Erza and Jellal both laughed, and the latter spoke first. "Well, with all the pandemonium back in Magnolia we figured you would ask us something about that, instead. No matter, we can go ahead and explain it as we set up our camp fire."
Natsu did a double-take and noticed the sun had just crept down over the horizon. "Man, I guess it is late. We probably should just stay here for the night."
As time passed, the three of them sat around a cozy campfire, and Natsu began to ask about the town, to which Jellal answered.
"Well, ever since you killed Serena, the entire Spriggan gang has been monitoring you and Magnolia nonstop. They were also originally there to take the Heartfilia's funds anyway, but they figured they could kill two birds with one stone as long as they played their cards right."
Erza then continued. "As we speak the Spriggan have probably begun to show their faces around town and most likely have started taking people hostage. Last time we stopped through we noticed the Sheriff was pulling all his men away from the north end of town and situated them all around the bank. The good thing is that this helped salvage the bank and its surrounding west side buildings, the bad news is that all the buildings on the north and east sides have been completely overrun with Spriggan guns."
Natsu then scratched his chin with a heavy thought. "So the whole town is in danger cause of me…?"
Erza sighed. "Please, don't look at it like that, Natsu."
Jellal then nodded. "Yes, after all they originally came here in search of the Heartfilias, so it would seem that Lu-…"
Erza jabbed him in the chest before he could continue, but Natsu already caught the gist of Jellal's comment.
The pink haired boy then held his head down with a lot of weight on his mind. "Yea, that's my fault too. I could have saved her. She just bought Happy for me, and I could have taken us out of town and far away from this mess…But no, I chose to betray her. No wonder everyone calls me a moron…"
Jellal shook his head and tried to make up for his loose words. "I'm afraid it wouldn't have been so easy. The Spriggans had you two cornered, and if you tried to run they would have chased you down. Also the train station has been out of commission due to their sabotage on the inside tracks, so you were both completely stuck in town."
Natsu took a gulp and chuckled after hearing the train station was still down. "Ahehe, yea…it's a shame the train station was broken."
Natsu then asked another question while he had the chance. "So how'd you guys get stuck following the Spriggan's for a whole year, anyway?"
Jellal sighed. "We weren't actually assigned to their case, we chose it."
Erza then joined him as she pulled up her sleeve. "We use to be standard Marshals, but we got captured by some of the Spriggans' younger members a few years back. They had use ready to be executed, but we got out before they did anything too drastic. However, since we were open enemies with their cause they branded us with theses."
She then pushed up her left sleeve to reveal the exact same brand mark on Natsu's arm.
The pink haired boy then put his hand over his right arm. "Whoa, you guys have it too!? What does it mean?"
Jellal continued. "Usually, if the Spriggan 12 take you hostage they mark you with that logo to 'tag' you in case you escape. Usually when they tag you with this mark, it means they've targeted you for death. In your case I imagine they just marked you as a young boy with hopes that it would make you stand out as you grew older."
Natsu looked over to his right arm with an angry look in his eyes. "Well, looks like I've escaped them twice…"
Jellal then grinned and shrugged as he began poking the fire again. "We apprehended our first Spriggan member over in Onibas, a man by the name of Larcade Dragneel not long after our infiltration."
"..." Natsu sighed. "He's just a cousin or something. Pretty quiet, wasn't much of a bandit when I was in the gang."
Jellal laughed. "I suppose that's why we caught him. Anyway I've been on the Spriggans for years now, but Erza only joined in on account of some unfinished family business of her own."
Erza never made a reply as she looked out to the setting scarlet sun.
Natsu stopped them their however and snapped his finger. "Wait, you were in Onibas? Do you know if Acno took any other hostages? Like a brown haired girl who looks my age?"
Jellal shook his head. "No I'm afraid I have no knowledge of that person. Apologies if she's important to you, and hopefully she's alright."
Natsu sighed and lowered his head, and just the a silence fell over the camp fire.
Erza then smiled and changed the subject as she looked right at Natsu. "By the way Natsu, I must say it's very admirable to see that you care for Lucy so much. As I recall you barely knew her not too long ago."
Natsu smiled and nodded to his new friend. "Yea, well she's just pretty fun to be around…I mean you guys obviously know what I mean, right!?"
He smiled with a quirky grin as he gestured to both of his new acquaintances' "close relationship."
Jellal raised his eye brow and looked over to Erza, and she lost her words as her cheeks began to flush with red.
The latter spoke first. "Um, I'm not sure I follow…?"
Natsu then scratched his head. "Well to be completely honest I was surprised you two had different last names. After all you guys came in wearing scarfs that match each other's hair, I sorta figured you guys were some 'bad ass' bandit couple or something!"
Jellal turned away with an awkward but satisfied smile, and Erza looked in the complete opposite direction to hide her blushing cheeks.
Nastu then silenced his laughter and looked back their way. "Alright, now that the fun's over, I'm gonna need your help savin' Lucy."
Meanwhile, it was now pitch black over Magnolia, and only six or seven buildings were being occupied.
The town was in the middle of a complete and total stand-off as the Spriggans commandeered the Northeast side of town (Train station, Town Hall, Sheriff's Office), and the local citizens rallied inside the buildings on the western side (The Vermilion Hotel, The Magnolia Bank, and the Fairy Tail Saloon.)
If you were a local you were either in one of two places; either you had a gun and managed to join the ralliers on the west side of town, or you were stuck without protection and locked inside one of the other buildings as a hostage and prisoner.
Here, we find most of Natsu's friends standing right inside the boarded doors of the Fairy Tail Saloon as they all kept their eyes on the windows.
"Man, this is some real crap. How could we let those punks take our town right out from under us?" Gajeel hissed as he held a pistol in one hand and Levy's hand in the other.
Levy sighed with discomfort. "I just hope the library will be okay. If that place catches on fire I'm done for."
Gray and Juvia stood on the other side of the doorway and the latter spoke back. "Oh Gray, I hope we can make it out of this alive." She wrapped her arms around his muscular upper body as he looked out the window and sighed.
"Yea, this isn't gonna end well. We just need to make sure they don't take any more of our guy's hostage."
The Strauss siblings all sat at the bar, and as the all looked down to the ground, Mirajane sighed. "I just hope Sheriff Laxus knows what he's doing…"
"Ah, come on. When have I ever let this place down?"
They whole group looked up as Laxus Dreyar came in through the ally way door that connected the bank to the saloon. He was also joined by Mayor Makarov and his two deputies Freed and Bickslow.
Makarov shook his head as they entered the building. "While I'm not very fond of seeing my town in complete chaos, it seems we have no other choice. We need to end this here and now."
Mira smiled and the whole room cheered as Laxus then addressed the crowd.
"Okay, now stay quiet and listen up. We have a little plan that take them by surprise in the morning."
As Laxus explained his plan, the three quiet members of the Spriggan looked out the window of the Train Station. The first was the eldest member of the clan and master of strategy, August the Wizard; and the other was his younger son, Invel the General. Finally, Irene the Beauty stood with a sly grin like a fox as she turned to join the others.
August spoke up as he turned around to greet his leader, Acnologia. "So, all the hostages are inside the Town Hall? You better hope they stay put, or else the whole party's over."
The white haired Invel then added on his own thought. "I agree, was it very wise for use to put every prisoner in the town hall? I understand we have the train station sealed off, but putting all those people inside one building is bound to end badly with chances of escape."
Irene shrugged with amusement. "Well I personally love a challenge every once in a while. I'm sure our Boss thinks the same way...?"
Acnologia laughed and ignored their concern as he looked out the window to the Sheriff's office. "Don't worry, we'll draw that foolish Sheriff out one way or another, and that will end this little game we're playing. As for the prisoners? Sure, the pawns are all stuffed inside the Town Hall, but our queen has been taken to a much more suitable location…"
As all of this was unfolding, we then find ourselves inside the Magnolia Sheriff's Office. Two Spriggan guards watch inside as the fallen Brandish sits in a jail cell just adjacent to the newly heartbroken prisoner, Lucy Heartfilia.
Lucy had exhausted her tear ducts and was virtually unable to cry at this point. She sat there in the middle of her lone cell with hand cuffs keeping her hands secured in front of her body, and Brandish was located right beside her in the neighboring cell with a frown on her face as she laid out on her sleeping cot and looked up at the ceiling.
The rogue Spriggan then sighed with discomfort. "I'm sorry about your father. I told Ajeel he was in over his head…"
Lucy ignored Brandish's sympathy and looked down to the ground.
The female sharp-shooter continued. "Yea, I get it. You're dad's dead, and I'm the friend of his killer. I understand if you…"
"He lied to me."
Lucy spoke up with pure depression in her voice as Brandish looked puzzled.
"Ajeel? What did he…?"
Lucy continued. "Natsu…he made me believe he was my friend. Then he told me he used to be an outlaw. That was right before my dad died, and then he betrayed me…"
Brandish shot up from her prison cot and looked over at Lucy. "No…what happened?"
Lucy thought she was done crying, but somehow a single small tear crept out from her right eye as she explained her situation. "He told me the town was in danger and that I needed to take my dad's money and hide. Then he said he'd find me a nice place to stay, but he lied…we got to his house and you people were waiting for me inside."
Brandish chose not to believe it. "No, that's not Natsu. Sure his brother may have been that way…" The Spriggan paused to remember Zeref's face before she continued. "But, not Natsu. He's a good kid. It had to be that creep, Acnologia."
Lucy looked over at Brandish for the first time and wiped away her tear. "What do you mean?"
Brandish didn't want to explain, but she had no other choice. "Look, I barely know anything 'cause they only took the Sheriff's office right before you and Natsu got jumped. Apparently Natsu promised to give them the money in order to get you out alive. But Acnologia betrayed him and took you prisoner anyway. Knowing Natsu I'm sure he was outraged…"
Lucy looked away as a new form of guilt filled her eyes. "So, Natsu's gonna be killed all because he was trying to protect me?"
Brandish nearly choked as she yelled out with a panicked yell. "THEY'RE GONNA KILL HIM?!"
"Yep, and that really ain't none of your business."
Brandish and Lucy both turned their heads over to the door to find Wahl and Ajeel enter through the door way. The two women both forgot about their troubles and looked on with anger.
Lucy then stood up and yelled with rage. "Alright, where's Natsu!?"
Wahl laughed and looked over to the Desert King. "Huh, I dunno? What do you think Ajeel, how long does it take your boys to kill a man?"
Ajeel was too busy laughing and couldn't answer. Lucy lost her words as Brandish roared with anger. "YOU COWARDS!"
Ajeel marched over and grabbed her collar though the bars and slammed the woman into the back side of the cell door. "Ya know, you use to be a pretty little thing, but I may change that…"
Brandish scowled back at her former colleague as he began to laugh, and the creepy gunman continued as he held her collar high.
"Besides, it's all your fault. If you had any brains you could've lied about hating us, followed him out to the execution and saved him yourself. But no, you had to be the rebel and curse our name. So we decided to leave ya in her to rot, just like you wanted."
Lucy then yelled out from her cell. "You're wasting your time! I bet Natsu's not even dead, yet!" She tried to sound tough, but deep down she had no idea what his chances of survival were at this point.
Ajeel then laughed and pulled a gun on her.
He aimed it right at her face and smiled. "Really? How's about I kill you and you can try to find him yourself!?"
Lucy never even flinched as she kept her eyes right on his. "You don't have it in you."
Wahl and Ajeel both roared with laughter as the latter man holstered his gun and let go of Brandish. "HAH! You're right! Acnologia specifically told us to keep you alive…but he also wanted us to give you a little tag in case you got loose."
He then looked over to Wahl as the Adjudicator pulled out an unlit branding rod that was tipped with the same bizarre logo on Natsu's right arm.
Brandish screamed with protests as Lucy's eyes widened, and as he opened her cell door, Ajeel continued.
"Normally our guy Bradman was the one who did this sorta thing…but since your little cowboy killed him when he was just a baby I guess Wahl will have to step up and take his place."
Wahl grabbed Lucy's shackles and yanked her to her feet as he continued.
"I just hope his aim isn't as bad as it used to be…"
Boy, Brandish and Ajeel really don't get along! And Nastu and Lucy both found out what the brand mark means...only Lucy's finding out the hard way.
Chapter 13 tomorrow.
