From the Ashes, Part 29

Each group went directly for their assigned task. Juvia kept a close, worried eye on Gray as their team made it down into the dungeons. Erza let Juvia lead, as she was the last to be there and entrusted with the layout. She took them to the room she least wanted to ever see again - the chamber where they kept the slayer type mages. As Erza sliced the thick door down, a putrid aroma drifted out. No one had bothered to clean up the corpses from when Sting and Sahara had died. Several mages were still alive inside, so they had no choice, but to enter. One by one, the chains were destroyed and people were carefully removed from their torture devices. Only physical force could bend the metal. Any magic was instantly absorbed. Thus Erza broke locks and links alike while Juvia and Gray helped the poor souls from their cell. Once everyone had been taken to the hall, it was time to move on. Erza thought it strange that no guards were present; Not a single shred of defense could be found. Gray said nothing, silently fighting off his memories of this hell while Juvia had her own ideas about what was really going on. The dungeons were vast. It would take hours to fully free everyone. One cell block at a time, one floor at a time, was all they could do. With luck, they might find the princess alive.

Mira's team headed for the throne room as fast their legs could carry them. The door shattered into flaming pieces. Striding into the gloom, Natsu kept a sharp eye out for any signs of trouble. He couldn't see, hear, or smell anyone. "Where do you think they are?", asked Lucy, carefully scanning the shadows. "Where's anyone?", added Mira. They, too, had seen no guards inside the castle. Natsu held his nose, a look of disgust on his face. "What is it?", inquired Happy. "Blood", he replied. The entire chamber reeked of the stuff. The floors shined cleanly, but the scent remained. A slow clap emanated from the far end of the room. The fairies stood ready to defend themselves as someone approached. He was tall, muscular, and over all unafraid. "Welcome", grinned the man. "Who are you?", demanded Mira. "My name is Gobi. I serve the empress", he replied calmly. He'd ceased his mocking applause. "You're late. I expected you half an hour ago", he stated coolly. Natsu stared at him in wonder. He knew that scent, but how?

"I see our paladin chose a different path. Smart girl. The empress has no mercy for those who desert their posts", said Gobi cynically. "Paladin?", repeated Happy. "He means Juvia", supplied Mira. "It's a pity the former knight bailed, as well. I was looking forward to speaking with him", he said, cracking his knuckles. "Gray", uttered Lucy, still unsure what they had done to him and afraid to ask. "Don't worry about them. We're more than enough to keep you busy", smirked Natsu. "Is that so?", grinned Gobi, eager to take on the challenge. Natsu wasn't the only one who noticed something odd. The voice was a little off, but still close. "It can't be", ventured Lucy. "Sure smells like him", said Natsu. "He does sound close", offered Mira. Gobi narrowed his gaze. "What are you babbling about?", he inquired keenly. Even Happy stared at him in thought. "Earthland Lily", stated Lucy. Gobi glared at her, waiting for a better explanation. "It's possible. Just look at Nichiya", grinned Natsu, moderately amused at this discovery. "Whatever your little game is, it's over. I won't be distracted by your childish prattle any longer", stated Gobi, taking on an aggressive stance.

He sized up the trio with a confident smirk. A quick flex of his wrist and flick of his fingers sent something flying toward the fairies. "You missed", taunted Natsu. "Did I?", replied Gobi. "Natsu", uttered Lucy as she fell to the floor. "What did you do?", seethed the dragon slayer. Mira hovered over her guild mate. "She's been shot", she stated. "I can't feel my magic...", said Lucy, looking at the blood seeping over her clothes. Mira's eyes widened. Could it be? Gobi laughed, "Where did you think all of that 'special' ammunition came from?" Natsu's already burning fist grew even more brilliant. He darted forward, furious. His blows seemed to do little damage against this strange opponent. Mira had seen wounds like this before. Thinking quickly, she had to take action. The longer the bullets remained, the weaker Lucy would get. It would hurt, but there was no choice. They had to come out. The sound of Lucy's screams distracted Natsu briefly. He glanced back when he should have been blocking. Gobi hit him hard, sending him rolling across the stone floor. "Go", pleaded Lucy. Mira nodded, taking on her Satan soul and diving into the fray. Happy stood beside his fallen friend with worry. "Just hold on, Lucy", he said, praying it wasn't as bad as it looked.

Mira and Natsu fought Gobi with the kind of intensity only Fairy Tail could bring. He was lithe, easily dodging their attacks. Those that hit made little impact. On the contrary, it seemed to drain the mages. Gobi seemed to grin at their distress. He knew they were worried about their friend and used it to his advantage. Sending another flurry of anti-magic bullets Lucy's way, he knew one of them would block. Natsu defended his love fiercely. His activated scales stopped the projectiles from doing any major damage. He glared at Gobi, flame spouting from his lost eye. "Happy, get Lucy away from here", ordered the dragon slayer. The exceed nodded, dragging her with all his might inch by inch. A pillar had collapsed during the fight and he managed to pull Lucy behind it. Natsu had returned to the battle, sending huge bouts of fire in every direction, livid at his opponent's tactics. Mira's kick missed. Gobi grabbed her tail and flung her across the chamber.

Happy guarded Lucy nervously as footsteps echoed from the hall. Would it be a friend of a foe? He let out a breath of relief at the sight of his guild mates. "Lu-chan!", cried Levy. She and Wendy rushed to her side, Wendy ready to heal her. Charle watched as Gajeel ran headlong into the fray. There was no way he was going to let Natsu have all of the fun. The scent only hit him when he got close, being too eager to fight. He sent an odd look to Natsu who only smirked in response. Lily guarded the doorway into the chamber, determined to fend off anyone who followed. Wendy concentrated, the exceeds prayed, and the dragon slayers battled Gobi alongside Mira. Everything ceased in an instant. Wendy frantically tried to help Lucy, but her magic wasn't working. Natsu's blazing fists had fizzled out, Mira's take over form faded, and Gajeel's hand reverted from their iron form. "What gives?", said Natsu, annoyed. "She's come", grinned Gobi. Everyone scanned the area carefully. Candles flickered on around the edges of the throne room. When the light evened out, Fathiyya stood beside Gobi. Gobi kneeled immediately. The others simply watched in horrid fascination. "What's happening?", asked Lucy, unable to see from behind the pillar. "It's her", replied Levy, a terrified stare locked on the empress.

"I think that's quite enough", said Fathiyya calmly. With a simple snap of her fingers, Erza, Juvia, and Gray appeared beside Natsu and the others. "What the - ?", began Gray. He stopped dead at the sight of his hated enemy. "Paladin, you disappoint me", said the empress. Juvia glared, standing protectively next to Gray. "So that's her", uttered Erza. "You seem surprised", said Fathiyya, "Don't be. There is nothing I cannot do. A simple teleportation spell is mere child's play." Gobi took his place by her side, a cocky smile on his face. "They know not who they stand before, my lady", he said. Fathiyya grinned faintly. "Perhaps we should teach them."

After a moment, her grin fell. Without turning, she said, "Gobi, have you been experimenting in cloning spells again?". "My lady?", he responded, confused. The empress settled her eyes over Lily. "I see. Edolas. That explains it", she said calmly. "How do you know about Edolas?", asked Erza. Fathiyya laughed. "Child, there is nothing I do not know." Natsu watched the empress carefully. She seemed to be unaware that Guildarts was also in her castle. "It's a shame you didn't make it the princess and her guardians in the dungeons. I would love to have seen your faces when you found them", said Fathiyya cynically. "What did you do?", inquired Mira, glaring. "I only preserved her beauty", smirked the empress. Something in the air shifted and an image appeared. It showed Hisui, Arcadios, Darton, and the Garou Knights frozen as stone statues. The fairies watched in horror. "And the king?", demanded Erza. "I ate him", replied Fathiyya with a wicked smile, her blood lust dancing in her eyes.

Natsu charged toward her. A mere wave of her fingers send him reeling in reverse. Getting to his feet, he wiped the blood from his lip and glared at her defiantly. "Don't overestimate yourselves", warned Gobi. "The empress is no mere mage", he added. "Who are you then?", retorted Gajeel, unimpressed. "I have seen the deaths of men and kings, of nations and continents alike", replied Fathiyya, a dreamy look on her face. "You're immortal?", asked Erza cautiously. Again, the empress laughed. "Much more than that", stated Gobi, "She's a god." As if to affirm the statement, Fathiyya's aura danced wildly, causing an intense wind in the chamber. Gray grit his teeth, thinking of how they could possibly defeat her. Juvia took his hand at the sight of his pained expression. He glared darkly at the empress. "What do you think a hand full of mortals can do? Mercurius is mine. Fiore is mine. Soon, so shall the rest of your world", said Fathiyya confidently.

She passed her cold eyes over each mage, calculating their weaknesses. Her gaze settled over the dragon slayers with a malicious grin. "I think I'll give your magic back to you two", she uttered with amusement. A moment later, Natsu's hand produced his fire once more. He smirked at first, thinking it cocky of her to make such a mistake, then he realized that his hand was actually hurting. "But isn't it more fun if I turn it against you?", sighed Fathiyya. The flame died out and everyone stared at Natsu's blistered, peeling skin. His flesh had been roasted by his own magic. He clutches his arm in agony and looked at her with chilling intent. She smiled at his hate. "That's better", she grinned. Gajeel gazed into his palm, contemplating what would go wrong. Levy waved her hands and shook her head, begging him not to try it. Determined, he transformed his lower left arm into a blade. It felt much heavier than usual and the skin that met the metal was in intense pain. He ran toward the empress, not about to give in. He, too, went flying backward at a slight wiggle of her fingers. "The pain you're feeling in that arm is your tissue dying. Lost blood vessels with nowhere to go suddenly swelling is an interesting sensation, is it not?", she taunted. He tried to change back, but it was no use. His arm was stuck in that form now. Mira and Erza exchanged glances and immediately agreed. They took off at full speed toward this demon in human skin. The empress watched with amusement as they fought against the strength of her barrier. This was turning out to be more fun than she planned.

To be continued...