A/N: Chapter 21 of Fairy Tail: Earth and Phantom. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima
Special thanks to the reviewers, I truly appreciate it.
Chapter 21: Faust
Edras...
"So you're saying you guys came from another world by the name of 'Earthland'...and you're here in Edras on a mission to save you friends?" The entire Fairy Tail members were looking at each other with concern when Lexi and Wendy tried to explain their situation. It was a complete shocker to know that the Erza from this world was a bad person.
"Yes, that sums it up." Charle spoke.
"Aye." Happy agreed with her. Meanwhile Edona Wendy was trying to get along with Earthland Wendy.
"So yeah...could you tell us the best way to get to the capital?" Lexi asked. The rest of the members just gave her a very disappointed looks or actually looks of fear.
"Our friends have been absorbed into this world by your king. We have to go and save them, or they'll be turned into pure magic."
"Well, I'm sorry to break this to you little me," Older Wendy shook her head. "but you'd be better off giving up. Nobody stands up to the King of Edras and lives to tell the tale. The power this kingdom wields cannot be overstated."
"In this world, magic is a limited resource. It can't last forever." Elfman added.
"And in fear of that, the King has been trying to keep all the remaining magic for himself." Gray spoke before turning to Juvia with a blush on his cheeks. "Isn't that right, Juvia–?!"
"As a result...a royal decree was sent out ordering all mage guilds to disband. To begin with, everyone tried to resist but, the royal army's magic militia crushed all the other guilds one by one...until the only one left was us."
"It's not like we've escaped unharmed either!"
"We've lost half our members already..."
"Even the master was killed!"
The guild members wept angrily at the bitter memories that hung over their heads like a stubborn rain cloud.
"Please, you have to tell us the way." Lexi looked at them sympathetically. "Being a member of Fairy Tail is not about running away from your fears and abandoning your comrades. To me, Fairy Tail is a family and we stick together! So please! Tell us the way so that I may save them, save my friends no matter the cost!"
The rest of the Fairy Tail members looked at her with shocked faces, even Lucy was stunned at this display of faithfulness and spirit for fellow members.
Royal Capital...
Within the inner walls of a nearby town, one towering structure looms above all others. The king of Edras resides in this massive building as well as his many staffers. "Oh, wow!" A hyper-active voice gushed out as its owner stared happily outside the castle window. "Have you seen it, Erza?! That huge Lacryma!" The scarlet haired woman nodded slightly.
"I saw it when I arrived, Hughes. A beautiful thing it is indeed." The man named Hughes turned to flash an enormous grin.
"That's the magical power of tens of thousands of humans from Earthland, you know!"
"Hmm to be precise, it is the magical power of approximately one hundred mages, and the lives of a multitude of people besides–"
"Do we have to sweat the details, Lexi?" Hughes cut in. "All I'm trying to say is: This thing is amazing! You get it? I'm not just talking about your average "Amazing"! I'm talking Super-Amazing!"
"Hm super-amazing."
"Erza-san, have you still not succeeded in eliminating Fairy Tail?" An old man slowly hobbled over to where his guests were. Even though he does not have much facial hair, he had a few patches here and there.
"Byro." She greeted him.
"Ngushushushu...! And to think they call you the "Fairy Hunter"...Fairy Tail is the only guild remaining to be eliminated. Shertainly, they are adept at running away, but I feel his majesty would like to shee some results shooner rather than later." Erza didn't even bat an eyelash at the comment.
"Do not fret. The day when this goddess will rid us of those Fairy pests is soon at hand."
"That's right! Erza's sword skills are amazing! So amazing!"
"Ngushushushu..."
"Enough of that ghastly laughter, Byro." A voice spoke in a growling manner. All four of the gathered members turned to look at the approaching figure. Clad in armor with a billowing cloak, this beast is the commander of the first division. "I don't appreciate people making excessive noises...Hughes that goes for you as well."
"Pantherlily." Erza spoke as she watched the scene in front of her.
"Whaddaya mean me too?!" Hughes asked. "Why, you...do you think you're the most amazing guy here or something, huh?!"
"Try closing your mouth for a change." was the reply as Pantherlily stormed off.
"He isn't too pleased about the arms race we have gotten ourselves into." Erza spoke quietly.
"Surely that should be a happy development for a military man...!" Edoras Lexi tapped her fingers against her chin in thought. Still, considering our country has united almost the entire world, it is true enough that there would appear to be little need for further arms development...there are still a few rebellious factions out there, no doubt."
"Your majesty! Your majesty!" A small child's voice ricochet off the walls as she screeched to a halt in front of the king, hand whipped against her head in a salute. "We have confirmation that extraction of magical energy from the giant Lacryma can begin according to play in four days' time! Congratulations!"
"Insufficient. The glorious Kingdom of Edras...cannot be bound by limitations. More..." The old man rose from his throne. "Bring me more magical power...I must have an eternity! A supply of magical power that will never die!"
Back to the outskirts...
The warm winds gently blew across the desert grounds. Lexi, Wendy, Happy and Charle trudged off to where the capital resides.
"Do you think it'll be much further to the capital?" Wendy piped up.
"We just set out not too long ago!" Charle grumbled before huffing with annoyance. "They said it would take about five days on foot, right? Well, without aera not functioning properly, walking is the only option we have."
"Can we really not use magic anymore?"
"I cannot say...but I foresee hard times ahead."
"Thank you for your visions, fortune teller. Now let's get going."
"...I'm tired." Sighing but smiling nonetheless, Lexi allowed Wendy to ride on her shoulders for a bit. The girl smiled and decided to scan the horizon for any signs of threat.
"Hey, Lexi. Can we take back some souvenirs for Lucy?" Happy suddenly asked, his eyes locked in on a tiny frog. Not waiting for a reply, he stalked forward, inch by inch. Sensing something approaching, the frog quickly hopped away with Happy right behind it. The rest of the group just sighed and continued walking before they heard Happy screaming. Turning around, they saw a monstrous frog-lizard scuttling right toward them.
"What the hell is that?!" Charle screeched as Happy ran right past her in fright.
"Tch..." Stepping back, Lexi inhaled a bit of air, puffing up her cheeks. "Chikyuryuu no..." She released the intake of breath. "Hoko!" Nothing came out. She deflated instantly, feeling sluggish and tired.
"What? Nothing happened..." Wendy looked up at the looming figure of the frog. It grinned, raised its webbed hand in order to squish them. Sensing this, Lexi straightened quickly, turned a full 180 and took off running at full speed; Wendy hung on for dear life, her hair thrashed wildly from side to side.
"This Edras place is pure torture! We can't even use our own magic powers!"
"Isn't there anything else we can do?"
"Without magic?! That's...insane!" Charle shouted back, holding onto Happy's paw for support. The group kept on running with the giant monster right behind. Suddenly a shadow descended upon the monster and the crack of an electric whip sang through the air. Growling in anger, the monster reared back and tried to grab the whip. Huge mistake. As soon as the whip touched the body a jolt of electricity fried the monster with third degree burns. The group looked up as Edras Lucy landed gracefully in front, a stern look graced her face.
"It's scary Lucy!" Happy smiled for joy.
"Scary Lucy-san!" Wendy added in with delight.
"Enough of the scary crap!" She growled angrily before looking away with a huff. "Jeez you people are so annoying."
"If we are so annoying, then why did you bother to save us from that thing?" Lexi placed her hands on her hip, eyeing her with a look of skepticism.
"Don't look at me like that Blue Eyes. It's my duty to make sure you guys reach the capital and not get lost." Lucy's face was a bit red with a blush. "Besides, it's not like I was worried or anything, all right?! You guys are technically members of Fairy Tail and you can't go on a journey with no magic to defend yourselves; that's just suicidal."
Notes:
Chikyuryuu no hoko = Earth Dragon's Roar