I have so much to say about this chapter but can't do so without spoiling things. I will say that we have made it to the final stretch and there will be only 2 or 3 more chapters after this one. I'm currently editing that next chapter and am hoping to have it finished before my semi-hiatus. Starting on Thursday, I will be attending a convention for 4 days and will be taking a break from writing. If I'm able to get the next chapter done you can expect to see it over the weekend but if not, then it'll be posted in about a week.
I also wanted to remind you guys about the writing challenge that I've also been working. It's full of random little drabbles, many of which I intend on turning into longer and more complete works. So, if any of you are interested in seeing what I have planned after completing this piece feel free to check it and tell me what you think! I'd love hear which ones are your favorite since I'm having a hard time decided on which one to work on first lol.
Please enjoy this installment of Finding the Words and don't forget to drop a review since they really help me get these chapters written and updated for your enjoyment! Till next time!
~Mistye
Days had passed since Laxus and his team left Magnolia and in that time, they'd met with their client in a town located on the southern edge of Waas forest. There were rumors of a dark guild lurking in the forest attacking merchants and travelers passing through. The same thing was happening to those coming from the north end of the forest. With that information, the four easily assumed they'd find these mages in the heart of forest not too far from the road.
They spent a day traveling along the road and easily took out the guilty mages that ambushed them. However, the group felt a strange energy settle over the forest and were convinced that there was something sinister at work around them. They were compelled to investigate it before leaving.
Laxus had no trouble sniffing out whatever it was they headed toward but the moment he got close to it, they realized that they'd been caught in a misdirection spell. A powerful one. The lightning slayer felt like he'd get them a little closer each time, but then the scent would suddenly change directions before they could reach the source.
"This is getting us nowhere. We've double backed how many times now?" Evergreen inquired agitatedly.
Beyond frustrated with the situation and other things, Laxus spun on the woman with a glare that made her flinch. "Yeah, I know Ever," he growled. "Everytime I think we're close to getting out, this shit shifts around."
"I wasn't blaming you," she asserted. "I was just thinking that maybe we need to try something else since we've been stuck for so long that it'll be getting dark soon."
"By all means then, think of something," he snapped. "I've got a fucking headache." He stomped off ahead of them, beyond caring if they got separated.
Bickslow placed a hand on Ever's shoulder and she shook her head at him. "I'm good Bix. I could have said that better with tensions running so high," she confessed. "You should go check on him. He's been irate since the master called him the other night."
"We still have a few hours before it's completely dark, so Ever and I will try to look for a weak point," Freed offered. "Separating isn't an option."
"Right," Bix nodded. "I'll make sure he doesn't get too far ahead. You guys pay attention though and don't fall behind."
The two nodded and watched him catch up to Laxus. Freed wondered aloud if it had really been a wise choice for the guildmaster to inform Laxus that Jaice had not been apprehended. Ever didn't quite know how to answer. but she thought the master had to have had a good reason to bring it up while they were in the middle of a mission. She also offered the idea that maybe he had called as his grandfather rather than the guildmaster, reminding the rune mage that the call between them had been a rather long one.
Freed thought about Ever's words. The relationship between the lightning slayer and the guildmaster had slowly mended since Gildarts reinstated his status as a member, but to call them close would be an exaggeration. If anything, Laxus just respected his grandfather properly now. But maybe she was right and they had spoken about something of a more personal nature.
The fairy mage and rune mage for silent for some time after that, trying to feel a break in the spell surrounding them. Freed thought that since the spell only shifted once they got close enough to it's edge, that it was possible for there to be a rune surrounding them. If that were the case, then all he would need to do was locate a weak spot within the rules, and then rewrite it because a rune of large size could very easily have multiple weak points if it had been rushed. The remaining hours seemed to drag on until Ever and Freed felt the air change again, this time far more subtly than before that they expected Laxus and Bickslow to miss it since they'd not been looking for it.
"My hair is starting to frizz up," Ever complained.
"It's gotten humid." A heavy mist had settled over the two making it hard to see more than three feet in front of them as the sun was already low in the sky. "Fog?"
"Jaice wielded a type of mist, didn't he?" Ever asked, panic in her voice.
"Laxus! Bickslow!" Freed shouted. He'd only just realized that they'd gotten out of sight and prayed that they hadn't gotten too far, leaving the group separated. A second later, the men came into view.
"Why'd you stop?" Bickslow questioned. "You find something?"
"I don't feel the misdirection spell any longer. Instead this mist has settled in it's place."
He was right, none of them could feel the effects from before. However, when Laxus inhaled to catch the scent of something he could use to lead them back to the main road, all he could smell was the moisture in the air.
"Dammit. I can't smell anything past this mist. How are we gonna get out?"
"Well the spell changed for a reason. I also don't feel like my magic is being suppressed so I might be able to do something about the mist."
The group made a fire to give Freed a little bit of light as he and Ever worked on adjusting the spell around them.
"How's cosplayer?" Bix asked, hoping to get the lighting slayer talking since he been silent after his little outburst.
"Irritated to hell."
"Can't say I blame her. Weeks ago, she's told that she can't work solo and now she's gotta have a babysitter."
Laxus sighed and shook his head. "I don't think I helped to improve her mood any."
Bickslow eyed the blonde as he ran a hand through his hair. "Good lord, what did you say to her?"
"That I was glad to know that she was safe," he mumbled.
"What else, Laxus?" Bix prompted.
"I tried telling her that the old man is just looking out for her."
What he didn't tell his friend was that his grandfather had been speaking to Loke before he'd called him to inform him about Jaice the other night. They'd spoken at length about protecting Lucy and while both the spirit and his grandfather seemed against the idea, they were considering it simply because they didn't know what might happen to her once Jaice was near her again.
Laxus didn't want to consider the possibility of Lucy losing her memories so he decided that there would be no chance of it happening. The celestial mage might end up hating him, but if he wasn't there to help protect her he wasn't going to risk her losing everything because of her pride.
"I'm sure she knows that. But she's a mage in her own right," Bix explained.
"And a prideful woman that doesn't need anyone," he scoffed.
"Hey. Doesn't mean that she don't want someone around."
Laxus knew Bix was right. If Lucy didn't want him, she'd say so. This whole situation was just fucked up and he wanted to do nothing than just go home to her and try to make it better, not that he knew how to make things better. They continued to talk for a little longer. Lucy had finally found a new apartment and was starting to move in. Bickslow assured him that the distraction was a good thing for her. It would let her feel normal and lot like some crazed loon was possibly hunting for her.
Ever came back to sit with them as Freed made a few more adjustments to the enchantment. The lightning slayer apologized to her for snapping and she just shook her head offering her own apology. She rested with them for a little bit and asked about Lucy's new apartment. He told her that the celestial mage had found one that she was finally happy with even though it had more space than she could use up. The fairy mage joked about maybe moving in with her and Laxus said that all she had to do was ask.
The place had two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The selling point for Lucy had been the jacuzzi in the master bathroom. Evergreen was definitely going to consider asking her friend for the spare bedroom since she was getting tired of Fairy Hills.
When Freed walked over, Ever nodded at him and stood up motioning for the other two to follow. They returned to where he'd been working and she made sure they were prepared for whatever was waiting for them once the mist was cleared. The rune mage recited the incantation and the mist was lifted to reveal a small clearing surrounded by at least twenty mages. One of the mages stepped from the crowd and pulled back his hood, a smug grin on his face. His hair was black and fell over his gray eyes.
"So these are the four you've been so concerned about?" he mocked. His were held open to them as though her were extending them a warm welcome. "Well I must admit, to be able to clear the mist in such a short time and with little effort, it would seem that you all were rightfully afraid." The man narrowed his eyes at Laxus. "Leave all but the lightning mage alive. I have uses for their magic."
The man turned away and the others started attacking. Freed called out to Bickslow who moved to cover the rune mage as he began crafting another rune to give them control over the fight.
Ever leapt up and summoned her wings to hover over the group that had surrounded her. She shot them down with her fairy machine gun but was knocked out of the air by someone behind her. She managed to recover fought beside Bickslow as Freed finished writing his rune.
Laxus teleported after the man that had been speaking, cutting of his path and forcing him to jump back away from where he struck.
"You don't get to dish out orders and then walk away."
"Normally I do, but you seem to be an interesting sort and I've been rather bored since evading imprisonment by the council." Laxus furrowed his brow at the familiarity of the man's words. "I need this to end quick I have someone I need to be looking for."
"Oh? Maybe I can help when you're face first in the dirt," he taunted.
Laxus surged forward, his fist connecting with the mage's jaw. The lightning slayer showed no mercy but the mage was able to find some ground and tried to ensnare Laxus within his mist. He was easily able to teleport from it before he was physically trapped but the mage had already tapped into his mind.
"You seem to know the individual I'm looking for," he said, sounding genuinely surprised. Laxus fell to his knees and clutched his head after landing as the mage tapped into his mind. "Why don't you tell me where she is."
"Laxus!" Evergreen jumped between the men, devoid of her glasses and looked the man she now knew was Jaice. She'd already suspected as much with the mist but his mind melding confirmed it. Jaice looked away and fled before she could gaze into his eyes that had been glowing.
"Done!" Freed shouted as he finished his rune. Any mage that continued use their magic would find it hard to breath. "Bickslow, you and Laxus get back to Magnolia now," he ordered.
"Freed and I will clean up things here. Hurry up," she added.
Bickslow knelt down beside his friend and pulled him to his feet, dragging him away from the fight. With Laxus' lightning they could be back home in no time, but Jaice had done a number on the man when he looked into his mind. Bickslow only hoped that he'd come to his senses soon so that they could get to Lucy first.
Two days later, a strange fog settled over Magnolia when the sun was peeking over the horizon as Jaice tried to find the celestial mage within. Lucy was fast asleep in her bare apartment and woke up, feeling a familiar tug on her mind. Before she came to, Horologium's gate was opened and she was taken to the spirit world.
She looked down at herself and recognized the clothing as something Virgo had once brought her. Still half asleep she watched Loke offer his hand to help her stand, a sad smile on his face. All of her spirits were there, each happy to see that she was safe but also a bit saddened. Loke would be the one to take her wrath and anger since he'd been the one that sent Horologium to get her, but they each felt a bit guilty about bringing her here to protect her.
"Loke, what's going on? Why am I here?"
The lion spirit just shook his head. "I'm sorry, Lucy. I waited as long as I could."
"Loke," she whispered, placing her hand on either side of his face and forcing him to look at her. "Waited for what?"
"Jaice just arrived to Magnolia."
He could see that she was confused and lead her over to the fountain where they watched over her on occasion. There, she looked down at the water and saw her home blanketed in the familiar mist.
"Loke, you have to take me back," she said shakily. Now was not the time to lose her cool because he;d never let her go back if she wasn't calm. "I need to warn the others."
"I'm sorry, Lucy. We can't risk that."
She spun on him and glared. It hurt that she was looking at him like that but this was what had been agreed upon. They were doing what they could to protect their mage, consequences be damned. "Loke, take me back this instant," she fumed.
"You're as obnoxious as ever, girl," came a familiar voice.
Lucy turned around to see Aquarius on the other side of the fountain, a rare gentle smile gracing her face. "Aquarius," she sputtered.
"You have to stay here until this passes," she commanded bluntly.
Lucy tried to argue but the sad look in the water spirit's eyes made her think of the day she broke her key. She walked over to the spirit and collapsed, tears streaming down her face. She'd missed the spirit so much and if Aquarius was honest, she missed Lucy as well. But now was not the time for an emotional reunion. She explained to Lucy that bringing her to the spirit world had been her idea in the first place. She told her that if she wanted to be mad at or hate anyone, that it needed to be her.
Lucy pleaded her case to Aquarius. She needed to be there to fight with her family if it came to that. She didn't need to be hidden away and protected. She was perfectly capable of doing that herself. The spirit just chided her and reminded her that she'd grown too prideful in wanting to do everything on her own.
The celestial mage wanted to argue but the spirit was right. Loke had been telling her so for some time now and she hadn't listened. Instead, she'd acted like a child and ignored him saying that she needed to stop relying on others to solve her problems.
Lucy looked to the pool and saw Laxus approaching Jaice, who was standing on the cliffs that overlooked the city. She looked up at Loke who looked truly regretful that he'd brought her here. She reached out to him and tried to reassure the lion with a smile before looking back at the pool.
"She's vanished. Hmm, maybe I can wait until those spirits bring her back," Jaice mumbled with a shrug.
"What do you plan to accomplish? What's all this for?" Laxus barked out.
Jaice turned to look at the lightning slayer, annoyed at his persistence. "You mean the ritual? Hell, I don't even know if it'll work. I was just curious to find out."
"Curious?" he scoffed. He couldn't believe it. This prick was going to use Lucy asa fucking sacrifice just because he was curious. "Is this a fucking game to you? Playing with people's lives?"
"I wouldn't say easing my boredom always included someone dying," he sighed. "But she's eluded me again and I'm quickly losing interest, which is never a good thing."
Laxus saw nothing but red and as he did two days prior, the lightning slayer charged at the man. Lucy was forced to sit back and helplessly watch as the two men traded blow after blow. Jaice was physically weak, but the celestial mage was afraid to see what he would do when he was pushed into desperation. And Laxus, she hardly recognized him and realized that she'd actually never seen the man when he was in dragon mode.
It reminded her of Natsu, how uncontrollable and feral he seemed when he was pushed that far. Was Laxus this way because of her? Was he fighting purely on instinct because her life had been threatened? It was clear that he wasn't going to let up until Jaice was dead. However, the mind-melding mage didn't look like he was giving up easily either.
There's was something different about him. Just as Laxus could become part of his lightning, Jaice had become part of the mist and Laxus' attacks had ceased to do anything to him. Lucy was starting to panic as Laxus started to fall behind. Jaice was able to get in a solid blow and knocked him back and he didn't immediately get up.
Laxus shouted in agony when the mind-melder gripped his mind. The mage's eyes and tattoos were glowing. The lightning mage was unable to fight against him. "I'm sorry... Lucy."
"Oh you will be," Jaice spat. "She would have died quickly, but now I'm going to make her suffer."
"Let me go back!" Lucy cried. "Please... please. Live. Laxus"
"Live. Laxus." Lucy's voice rang through his head and his eyes snapped open. That's right. He was fighting for her and she was waiting for him. He took the deepest breath he could manage, summoned his magic forth and let out that same breath with all his remaining strength before his world went black.
As soon as Magnolia was in sight, Laxus sent Bickslow to find Lucy. He had tried her old place only to find her bed empty. He didn't know where the new apartment was so he just headed to the guild praying that she'd be there.
"Bickslow?!" Mira was more than a little surprised to see the seith mage burst through the doors.
"Mira! Where's Lucy?" She opened her mouth to tell him that she hadn't been in yet but words didn't come. "Mira!" he called again. His voice was filled with desperation.
Makarov, hearing the commotion downstairs, walked from his office to investigate. He saw the seith mage leaning against the bar, out of breath. He also saw a confused Mira who couldn't seem to answer him.
"Bickslow," he called. The mage looked up at him. "Tell me everything," he demanded, narrowing his eyes.
Bickslow, remaining on the first floor, explained to the guildmaster, and everyone else sitting the hall, what had happened to them in the forest. How Jaice had organized an ambush after trapping them inside the forest. The mind-melder had tapped into Laxus' mind and learned that Lucy was here. Laxus and he had been the only ones to give chase. He assured the guild that Evergreen and Freed were fine and probably already on their way back to Magnolia.
Makarov responded by informing him that Lucy was safe, though he wouldn't say where she was. Bickslow pleaded with him, but the old man simply ignored him and asked where his grandson was. Bickslow assumed that Laxus had sought out Jaice by himself to finish this. Only then did the seith mage realize what a horrible mistake he had made leaving the lightning slayer alone..
Bickslow turned on his heel and ran outside, looking for his best friend's lightning. Seeing the strikes on the far west side of the city, he took off hoping that he could get there before this was all over. It wasn't that he wanted a piece of the action per se, but they had no idea how to protect themselves from Jaice's mind-melding. The only way they could prevent him from even attempting to use it was keeping him on the defense.
He ran past Natsu who was shocked to see him and called back to the fire slayer to follow him. Picking up on the urgency in Bickslow's voice, he ran after him. When the two reach where Bix had seen the lightning, they find both men collapsed and unconscious. The seith knelt beside Laxus and rolled him to his back. He was pretty beat up but Jaice looked ten times worse. Seconds after Bix looked over the lightning slayer, Lucy appeared.
"Bickslow!" she called and ran to kneel opposite of him.
She cradled his face between her hands and leaned over him, pressing her forehead to his. She felt Bickslow lean over and rest his head against her back as he let out a shaky breath.
"You're okay," he sighed. "Where the hell were you? Master wouldn't tell me?"
"I was taken to the spirit world," she admitted sadly.
"Did anyone know?"
"I can only assume that both Laxus and his grandfather knew," she answered.
Loke would never have brought her there without seeking advice from the guildmaster. And if he did go to the master, then she knew that he would have told Laxus. Had he given Loke the okay to just take her while he fought to protect her?
"If he knew, then why would he send me to find you?" Bix choked out.
His weight left her back and she say up to look at him. Why would Laxus fight alone if he knew that she was already safe. Her eyes grew wide and filled with tears as she looked back down to her unconscious boyfriend. She wanted to be upset with him for sending her away but knowing that he'd fought alone to protect his best friend as well, knowing the risk.
"Bix," she sobbed. "What if he did something to him?"
He reached over and wrapped his arms around her as tightly as possible, given how they were sitting. "Shhh. He's gonna be okay. He's just a little beat up is. Everything's alright now." She wanted to believe him but she just had too many questions.
"Lucy!" The two looked behind the celestial mage to see Wendy run past Natsu and directly to them. Lucy hadn't even realized that he had been there.
The girl knelt beside Lucy and made sure that they could move him to the guild. He had several fractured bones and she could definitely tell that there was some brain damage, but she couldn't say that. Looking at both the seith and celestial mages, she tried to think of what she could do to help them. They were grief-stricken and lost in their heads with uncertainty and self-doubt. They needed something to keep them grounded and focused on the now.
She turned to Natsu who was hovering over the other mage.
"Natsu, is he alive?" she inquired.
"Yeah. He's in bad shape but he'll live." Laxus had done a number on him but it was clear that he was still alive. Natsu's instincts raged and he had half a mind to take the mage to finish him off, but that wasn't going to help anyone.
"Good," she acknowledged and nodded. "I need you to get Laxus back to the infirmary at the guild. He's fine to move, just be careful please. And send for Porlyuscia when you get there." She stood up, holding Lucy close and stepped aside for him. She thought the blonde might fight her but the woman was limp and allowed herself to be moved while clinging to the healer.
Wendy watched the fire slayer carry Laxus away and then turned back to the seith mage. They needed to get Jaice back to the guild as well, but she wasn't going to risk anyone touching him and falling under his influence. She sat Lucy back down and asked for Bickslow to follow her. She explained that she was going to heal him just enough to be conscious and able to move.
Without needing an explanation, Bickslow agreed to go along with her plan. She would heal him and he would use his figure eyes to bring the man back to the guild without ever having to come into contact with him. While doing so, he'd be able to see into his very being and see if there was something he could possibly glean from the man.
Wendy felt ill at the idea of healing this man but they needed this man alive just in case he had done something to Laxus. When he opened his eyes, Bickslow removed his visor and looked down, reaching for control. When he had it, he lead the mage back to the guild with Wendy and Lucy following just behind her. Both prayed that nothing serious had happened to the lightning mage or there would be hell to pay.
