The Fighting Death Bolt Arc will be split between two chapters- two parts. This is Part 1.
Part 2 will feature the rest of the Arc. Sorry for the premature warnings I gave in the last chappy- this one is already so long I can't make it all into one chapter on good conscience! :D
Chapter 50
We Are Stronger- Together
Death Bolt- Part 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, only my own OC's, Energy Magic, and Ideas
"Is this the Guild of Miss Frea? The Energy Dragon Slayer?"
"And the Guild of Miss Moon?"
Away from the agony flaring through her entire being, Frea managed to catch on to the two voices- and the two questions that got asked. She lift her head from the pillow a little, eyes narrowed to slits and biting her tongue to keep from wincing- eyes moving sideways to glance at the door.
There were two Energy Signatures in the Guild she didn't recognize, and two scents she managed to catch outside the smell of the rain. She blinked, Wendy seemed to have heard the questions being asked herself- because the small Dragon Slayer's head turned away toward the door.
Carla blinked in question, looking between the two suddenly attentive Dragon Slayers- able to tell she was missing something.
Frea hissed, a stab of pain searing through her very core as Porlyusica hit a nerve in her attempt at sewing up the wound- her eyes scrunching closed and attention on the two new voices dying instantly. Her fingers dug into the pillow and her body tensed up,
... D... Damn it...
"Wendy..?" Carla murmured, her and Wendy's eyes snapping to Frea as she hissed momentarily, before Wendy looked back to the door.
"... There's two people here..." Wendy replied softly, climbing to her feet. She glanced to Carla, and then at Porlyusica- who was sweatdropping heavily in her work. "... I'll be back in a little, Granny." Wendy murmured, earning a small 'humph' in return when the Old Lady refrained from taking her eyes off her work.
Frea watched Wendy and Carla head from the room quietly, one eye cracked open and already darkness beginning to dot the edges of her vision again. She couldn't let herself fall back into unconsciousness now... But the exhaustion pulling at her battered and heavily broken body was relentless.
But none the less... She wondered who was here, and why were they asking about herself, and Moon...?
Her eyes narrowed to slits when her vision started nothing in and out against her will, and she let out an aggravated sigh- before wincing again at the new stab of pain raging through her body.
Damn Tomaru...
No One POV
Wendy and Carla made their way down the hallway outside the Infirmary toward the Main Hall, Wendy's eyes glittering in question and Carla glancing ahead with narrowed eyes.
"You said there were two people here, Wendy?" Carla asked lowly,
"Mhmm... Laxus-San is talking to them now." Wendy replied softly,
"Who could be showing up at the Guild now?" Carla muttered,
"They asked about Frea and Moon." Wendy replied, earning a shocked look from Carla.
"What on earth would they be asking about the two for?" Carla muttered, sweatdropping slightly. Wendy shook her head a little, as they entered the Hall and they looked toward the gathered group of those left behind- all huddled around those two new arrivals, of whom they couldn't see clearly from where they were at.
"What the hell do you want to know that for?" Max muttered,
"Why are you here?" Levy asked softly, eyes glinting.
"If you're looking for trouble, you better turn back around." Wakaba warned lowly,
"Please, that's not why we're here." The first voice replied evenly,
"We're here to help, that's it." The second voice elaborated.
"What do you mean, help?" Laxus grumbled lowly, face neutral and much more restrained than everyone else- but eyes glinting in slight distrust. Wendy and Carla broke through the crowd, finally able to see who it was that was speaking to the Guild.
"And who the hell are you, while we're at it." Laxus grumbled, standing at the head of the group, arms crossed over his chest and stern faced. The rest of those staying in the Guild had crowded around him, eyes glittering warily, Laxus having planted himself right in the middle of the hall- just before the door, blocking the way farther in.
Wendy and Carla's eyes went wide to see just who it was that had arrived, sweatdropping a little.
The both of the new arrivals gave the Fairy Tailers firm looks, lifting their arms and laying bare their shoulders- the emblazoned symbol of intertwined, ferocious feline heads, their mouths open to reveal sharp teeth, and tails curled about eachother stretching down- one in black, and the other in white being shown.
"I'm Uno." The first introduced herself evenly, yellow eyes scanning over them slowly, before landing directly on Laxus- whom she addressed nearly directly.
"I'm Iki." The second said lowly, his teal eyes glinting calmly.
"We're the Leaders of the Twin Cougars Guild. And we're here to help our fellow sister."
"Its been too long Moony." Lyla smiled, twirling her fingers slowly around a stream of Black Magic before her, head tilted and settled in Master Tomaru's chair, feet propped on the desk. "I really have missed having you around the Guild, there's been nobody to work all the cooking and cleaning... And of course, nobody to play with." She chuckled lowly.
Her red eyes glinted in the sickly light filtering from the candle on the desk, "Where have you been anyway? Father tells me you joined a cute little Light Guild." She grinned, her fingers slowing as the Black Magic picking up in speed. Lyla leaned forward a little in the seat,
"Fairy Tail was it..?"
Moon hissed, hardly able to breath for the pressure that Lyla's Magic was placing on her throat- now suspended in mid-air, upside down by it. Her body was paralyzed, but she wasn't numb- being in contact with Lyla's Magic was pain in itself, it was agony- but she couldn't move, and couldn't hardly find her voice enough to yelp let alone answer the question.
Lyla frowned a little, closing her fist as her Magic tightened around her neck even more- nearly cutting all oxygen off and making her body burn brighter in pain.
"Well?" Lyla asked lowly, dangerously- a certain... Hateful yet intrigued look coming into her eyes. She looked truly interested, and it was almost as if Lyla knew Fairy Tail... She was familiar with it in some way.
But how? Lyla's never come in contact with Fairy Tail, so why does it look like in her eyes, that she knows the Guild..?
"...y... Yes..." Moon stammered out breathlessly, body tensing as her vision started to swim and turn black at the edges.
"They're a rowdy bunch, hmm...?" Lyla muttered, twirling her fingers again to make her Magic move- it loosened slightly around Moon's neck, enough to catch a few shallow and painful breaths. "Lots of strong little brats... Always persistent... Especially about their ideals and 'love' and all that utter crap." Lyla grinned a little unhappily, red eyes closing as a sneer pulled at the edges of her lips.
"They were always damned annoying... Never let anyone have any fun... Always hated that..."
Moon stiffened, her blue eyes sparkling in confusion as she heard Lyla begin muttering to herself- at the disgusted look that grew on the girls face, and the way in which she talked about Fairy Tail... Like she really did know the Guild.
But... She can't... She's never been to Fairy Tail... No darkness like her as set foot in the Guild, I would have known...
Lyla's eyes opened, the red seeming to glow in the dim ever brighter as she turned her sights on Moon- the rising look of utter hatred, and hardly masked hunger for... For wrath and pain making its way into her eyes, it was enough to make her heart stop.
That look... Its the look... Of murder...
Lyla flicked her hand, Moon was jerked forward by the Magic holding her aloft- quickly coming to a halt just in front of Lyla as she reached a hand out toward her, hooking a finger and one of her long black painted nails under her chin, the point parting her fur and pricking the skin. She leaned in, her hot breath hitting Moon's face and unusually pointed teeth poking from her lips.
"And you Moony... You went there, you joined... And who did you become Partners with?" Lyla asked lowly, Moon stared, blue eyes glittering in fear, question, and grief. Lyla didn't wait for an answer, instead she dug her nail under Moon's chin a little harder, a small, twisted, lustful yet hateful grin on her face- red eyes flashing in blood lust, in murderous intent, intrigue... And dark interest.
"Yes... That infernal, cowardly, stubborn, and arrogant little Energy Dragon Slayer, Frea..." Lyla hissed, a pang of sadness rushing through Moon at mention of the name. "... I wish I could have eaten her too... Too bad daddy killed her..." Moon's eyes shut against the new prick of tears beginning to creep up on her. "Anything to get payback on that little bitch..."
Moon's eyes snapped open, payback...?!
"I wonder... If and when those wretched Fairy Fools come looking for you..." Lyla grinned, leaning in a little closer so her lips were right next to Moon's ear.
"... Will devouring and killing the lot of them be as much fun as killing Frea would have been?"
Moon went still, hardly breathing now as her eyes feet her wide- feeling the Magical Pressure flowing from Lyla increase as the potency of her blood lust rammed into her, chilling her to the core.
Is it possible? That someone changed this much? Became a completely different person? Became a monster? Someone once so innocent and pure of heart?
Is it possible a white and pure heart could turn dark, become the blackest and most evil heart of this Guild... All on its own...?
She started sweating, the cold drops moving down her back as what little breath she took in hitched in her throat- not only at the threat, not at the fear of being in the presence of someone so evil... It was fear, because the thought suddenly struck her... The impossible thought.
She's talking about Fairy Tail... About Frea... Like she knows them, knew them... But Lyla can't, she's never met them. Lyla hasn't.
... Dark heart...
'... Warning... Warning...'
Its not possible... It can't be...
'... warning... shadow... Is... Coming..."
Such darkness inside of her...
Her body started trembling as a fear unlike any other gripped at her very heart, tears of horror appearing at the corners of her eyes despite herself. She felt cold, she felt her heart drop, she felt it stop, she was horrified... It couldn't be true... She'd never felt anyone so evil, she couldn't believe it... She didn't want to... Her breathing was becoming harsh in her rising terror.
Death Bolt wasn't the danger, Tomaru wasn't the danger... That true danger, that warning... It was worse than she could ever have imagined, the true danger was something much worse than the Guild knew, than she had known... The tears spilled out as her words came in terror-fractured pieces, the power around her growing thicker, choking.
"Y-you... A-aren't... L-Lyla... A-are... Y.. You...?"
"Stick close!"
"Everyone! To Gajeel, Natsu, or Chase!"
"Quickly!"
The tunnel was closing in on them quickly, gaps opening in the walls and the floors- sections falling from their feet, invisible forces pushing and pulling the massive battle party of Fairy Tail apart. It was as they feared, the safeguards of the Death Bolt were trying to split them apart, leaving them cornered and in weaker numbers. Trying to get them lost so they could be picked off and hunter down the moment the Mages of Death Bolt became aware they had set foot in their domain- if they weren't already aware.
Chase hissed, jumping backward to avoid the gap that opened up under his feet, jumping back into the nearest crowd of Fairy Tail Members to him- he wanted to keep as many people as he could close, knowing it was up to him to lead the rest of his fellow Members who didn't manage to go with Natsu and Gajeel. Aisha skidded to a halt beside him, purple eyes glittering in the dim as things started to shake.
Everyone's heads snapped down the tunnel as wind started to rush out toward them- and the overwhelming feel of Magic rushing toward them quickly- at least, the group that was left with him as nearly half the members of the warparty fell from sight.
"What the hell is that?!" Gray grumbled,
"Geez...!" Lucy stammered, eyes wide. "It feels so powerful..."
"Tch..." Chase hissed; eyes narrowing as it hit him the feeling that was approaching him- pure, raw, dark power... Power in the form of...
"... Shadow Magic.." He growled, light blue flaring up around his fists. White and pale blue sprung up around Aisha's person,
"Seriously...?" Lucy stammered, sweatdropped. "That's a lot of power in a Magic that's usually used by second rate Wizards..."
"You said it.." Gray growled, placing a fist in his palm.
Lucy suddenly lift two keys ahead of her, one glowing gold the other of she as her chocolate gaze, a confident smile appearing on her face despite the situation. Chase blinked, noticing immediately that among their group now- including himself, Aisha, Lucy, Gray, Bixlow and Freed- Neither of Lucy's Spirits, Solana or Loke were with them.
"Open! Gates of the Lion and the Sun Dragon!" Lucy wiped the Keys sideways, a bright blaze of Gold and Orange lighting up the corridor as a flood of Shadow Magic rounded a corner in the tunnel, reaching toward them like a great, massive, powerful flood of darkness.
"You guys think you can handle it?" Lucy asked, the duo of Loke and Solana appearing before them, fists clenched and eyes narrowed toward the oncoming flood of Magic.
Solana slammed a clenched fist into her palm, while Loke lift a hand and both if them smirked, eyes glinting.
"Hell yeah." Solana replied,
"Even Shadow Magic of that caliber can't handle the combined force of Regulus and Sun Magic." Loke told them,
The pair stepped toward in unison, fists reaching back as their Magic Egan to blaze around them. Loke clenched his fist while Solana let her fist open, her fingers curling over her palm.
"Regulus Impact!"
"Sun Dragon's Fiery Blaze!"
Their arms swung forward in the same instant, nearly chest to chest as a large blast of Gold charged from Loke's fist and a swirling beam of yellow and of orange erupted from Solana's hand- the two converging to form a spinning torrent of orange and gold that tore out through the tunnel toward the floor of Shadow Magic, the brilliance of the light nearly dazzling them as they squinted against it.
The combined Magic of Solana and Loke crashed into the wave of Shadow with a resounding boom that rattled the tunnel itself. The Shadow Magic split apart, melted and obliterated by the ferocity of the Magic, the torrent fading as the light fell to the tunnel in glittering pieces before disappearing altogether.
"Damn." Gray smirked,
"Impressive you two." Freed murmured, letting out a small sigh.
"Totally cool!" Bixlow grinned,
"Cool! Cool!"
"Thanks guys!" Lucy smiled, "I knew I could count on you two!" Very much so, with Solana and Loke's skills and Magics being so similar- they truly made quite the pair, as Lucy had quickly been figuring out.
"No problem." Solana smirked slightly,
"Anything for you my princess." Loke smiled, bowing slightly at Lucy as Solana simply rolled her eyes at him a little.
"Well, looks like we're all we have." Chase murmured, his Magic fading as he took a breath. The tunnel stopped shaking and things fell silent, he glanced backward toward the now solid wall behind them, "I hope everybody else managed to stick together..."
"... Anybody being split up here would be very, very bad." Aisha muttered. He silently agreed, the feel of evil inside of these tunnels was nearly overwhelming, there was some sort of pulsing power deep inside of this Guild- a power he knew wasn't a group of Wizards, it was something else, something deeper, something... Old.
"Alright," he murmured, "Everybody, stick close- lets start again."
"Watch it!"
"Look out!"
Shouts and warning were being thrown out around them in the dim and the dark- the rumbling of the tunnel and the sound of cracking stone nearly drowning the voices out. Sections of the roof were caving in on them- threatening to crush those who didn't move out of the way, and more particularly- split up to avoid being buried.
Lily growled under his breath, changing into his Battle Form in an instants time and sprouting wings- swooping upward and forward as he brought his sword around, slicing clean through a large boulder- the pieces falling apart and harmlessly around Lisanna and Evergreen.
"Thanks, Lily!" Lisanna called, rushing toward the large group of Fairy Tailers- lead by Gajeel.
The tunnel came to a sudden standstill as the path behind them was covered over in debris to heavy and too much to move- completely losing sight of several of their other Members, and most notably- Master Makarov.
"Huh?" Happy breathed, floating not far off to Lily's right. "Everything suddenly stopped..." He was noticeably lacking Natsu, who seemed to have been split off with everyone else. Lily's eyes landed on the familiar sight of his own Partner, who was scowling slightly in unhappiness- but at least they had someone with a nose to find Moon still with them.
"It was probably only meant to split us up." Erza spoke up, a sword in hand and eyes scanning the now unmoving tunnel, "Just as we expected... And now we lay in wait to be confronted by the Wizards of Death Bolt."
"Walking these tunnels may lead us into a trap." Mirajane said softly,
"... I ain't gonna be leading us into any dead ends." Gajeel grumbled, noise twitching slightly as he glanced down the dim dark of the tunnel ahead of them. "Not as long as I can smell the she-cat anyway."
"But there is no telling how long these tunnels really are." Evergreen muttered, pushing her glasses back up her nose.
"Then lets quit wasting time and start moving." Lily grumbled, still in his Battle Form and tone lined with tenseness- he caught the red eye of Gajeel a moment, seeing a sudden look of question on his Partner's face.
Gajeel was very much aware how tense Lily was- he's been that way since they had got to the Guild and seen Frea strung up like she had been. Everyone was tense yeah... But Lily was a bit more, he was angry and unusually quick to snap now. For his Partner- who was usually very level headed and patient, seeing his patience running so thin, and seeing the sudden flare in anger was somewhat surprising.
Why was Lily so worked up like this? He was a lot more bugged with all of it than Gajeel would have guessed... And he had the feeling he wasn't really worked up about Frea, so much as he was about Moon.
"Right, better not to waste any more time." Erza murmured, "Stick together everyone- and be on alert, the Wizards of DeathBolt are bound to know we're here by now." She received firm nods from everyone around them, before briskly following Gajeel's lead down the dark and winding expanse of the tunnel.
"Don't worry Moon... We're gonna save ya..." Happy murmured, eyes narrowed in determination. Lily silently agreed, knowing he himself would stop at nothing to ensure she was safe- and he would make any person in this Guild that may have hurt her would have hell to pay.
These bastards are gonna pay...
"Oi! Gramps!" Natsu's voice rung out in the dark, flames erupting about his fist to illuminate the sudden darkness and she'd light in who was left- many of them still picking themselves off the floor after having fallen quite a ways down a dark hole that had opened up in the floor.
His eyes landed in the Old Man, who was dusting himself off. "Ya ok?" He asked, earning a nod.
"Just fine."
"Happy?" Natsu asked next, sniffing the air a little to try and scent his Partner when he couldn't see him. His eyes widened a little to realize Happy was nowhere near. "Luce?" The blonde was absent too. "Ah man, no fair..." He grumbled.
"You alright Cana darling?" Gildarts swept up toward his daughter as she helped Juvia to her feet, she turned an annoyed glare on him.
"Back off old man!" She snapped.
"Gray?" Juvia mumbled, looking slightly distraught that her 'beloved' was nowhere near. "Oh no! What ever shall I do without my Darling Gray..?!"
"I'm sure he's fine." Cana told her, sweatdropping a little. "You'll be fine too, you don't need him to fight ya know..."
"Is everyone alright?" Master asked, his eyes sweeping across them.
"Yeah." They nodded, standing up.
"Master? Anyone there? What happened?"
The sudden voice invading their heads caused many if them to jump slightly, not expecting Warren's voice to be pounding their minds so suddenly- nor it to be as loud as it was.
"Lower the volume man..!" Natsu grumbled,
"Sorry... But what happened? Is everyone alright?" Warren asked,
"We've arrived inside of DeathBolt- but the Guild has been split up." Master replied, "Is everyone else alright? Did everyone manage to find either Gajeel or Chase?" He asked to the open Telepathic Link between all Fairy Tail Members.
"This is Erza- I'm with Gajeel, Mira, Evergreen, Lisanna, Lily, Elfman and Happy. We're all alright, and currently heading father in after Moon's scent."
"Ah, it's Chase, Master. Lucy, Aisha, Gray, Bixlow and Freed are here with me. Everyone's fine, and we're heading out too." Chase's voice floated across their minds then,
"Very well, everyone stay on guard and stick together. I don't want anyone getting seriously hurt." Master told them firmly,
"You got it Gramps." Gray replied,
"Yes Master." Mirajane and Lisanna said at once.
"Yo, Happy, Lucy- you two he careful ok?" Natsu murmured aloud.
"Aye sir!"
"Sure thing, Natsu." Lucy replied back, he smiled slightly.
"Lucy'll be just fine, she's got me here with her after all." Solana's voice broke in, sounding slightly enthused, and a little jokingly.
"With her Loyal Lion here as well, there isn't anything to worry about." Loke broke in,
"Oi..." Lucy sighed.
"You'd better be careful too, Natsu. Don't go doing anything stupid, alright bro?" Solana suddenly said, sounding serious. "Goes for you too, my favorite fuzz-ball, ok?"
"You got it!" Happy grinned,
Natsu grinned widely, chuckling a little. "Of course!" He answered, "I'll be completely fine!"
"He's totally gonna do something stupid..." Happy and Lucy sighed,
"Leave it to Natsu to be an idiot." Gray commented lowly,
"Hey!"
"You be careful too, Gajeel." Levy's voice suddenly spoke up,
"Hmmph... Whatever you say, Shrimp." The Iron Dragon Slayer grumbled,
"Please be careful too, Lily." Levy went on.
"We will, Levy." Lily replied firmly.
"Gray my darling! Please stay safe!" Juvia cried, Gray sweatdropped, looking slightly flustered.
"Yeah..." He sighed, "Same for you, Juvia..."
"Warren, how's Teach?" Chase asked, breaking the conversation between the lot of them- and sending a small moment of silence over the Telepathic Link. Natsu visibly stiffened and perked at the question, his smile fading as everyone waited for the answer.
"She's still out of it." Warren replied, "Porlyusica and Wendy are still working away... And they haven't come out, or said anything..." Most everyone listening sweatdropped a little,
Warren silently added to himself that it wasn't as if anyone had tried approaching the Infirmary anyway- with Laxus standing outside the door and looking so brooding, they hadn't wanted to risk ticking the already bad tempered Lightning Dragon Slayer off- they already figured he was already pissed about being forced to stay at the Guild, they weren't going to press their luck.
"Its been a long time since we left the Guild... And they're still trying to fix her up..." Lucy mumbled, eyes glinting. "... She looked bad... But how bad were those wounds really...?"
"... Yeah, seriously..." Gray mumbled, eyes closing a moment.
"Well. We'll just pay these bastards back tenfold for all the pain they've caused Frea them." Natsu growled, "And Moon too."
"Right!"
"Be careful you guys, all of you... Bring Moon home, ok?" Warren murmured. "I'll let you know if Frea wakes up, Master."
"Thank you Warren." Master Makarov murmured, eyes glinting in anger and seriousness. "Natsu, we're counting on you and your nose." The Old Man said, earning a small firm nod from the pinkette.
"Yeah, you got it."
They began to head off, following Natsu as he sniffed at the air- setting off at a brisk pace. Master moved to follow, but came to a halt- noticing from the corner of his eyes the flash of dark purple that appeared in the corridor to his right.
"Jynx." He murmured, her red eyes focused not on him- but on the roof of the tunnel, narrowed and glinting in the dim.
"I will move about between the groups as much as I can, Makarov." Jynx told him softly, "The warding inside these tunnels and Guild are making it hard to remain here for very long, given my Astral Form." His eyes narrowed slightly,
"What is it?" He asked, recognizing the grave look on her face.
"... What Energy Dragon did not mention." Jynx murmured, "The reason she lost to Tomaru- was not at fault of her own strength, or lack of Power. She lost because something tailored the situation for her to lose." Master stiffened slightly, Jynx sweatdropped. "There is something outside of Death Bolt, and Tomaru working here. Something dangerous."
"... The Thing going after Frea..?" Master asked slowly, eyes narrowed. "I had felt some great power the moment we arrived here, "
"... Perhaps." Jynx replied, eyes closing and looking a little unsure. "It could be that whatever is after Energy Dragon may be the one pulling the strings here, it may have been what tailored things so Frea would lose in her initial fight against Tomaru... However, I am not entirely sure of that. This... Whatever sleeps here in this Guild... It feels different somehow. I don't believe that Thing- whatever it is, is what we can both feel here now. What we feel is something different."
He just looked at her a moment, eyes narrowed and sweatdropping heavily. He recognized the look of concern on the Ghost Girl's face, and the look of uncertainty.
What else would have been looking to make Frea lose against Tomaru, other than that Thing? What else could this power inside of Death Bolt be, if not that?
Jynx herself was unsure, she couldn't stop thinking about it- because it was all so strange to her. There was no doubt in her mind something intended ill-will to Frea, just based off what happened. It was plausible that that Thing had caused Frea's Magic to implode, and for her to lose. It was the only thing they knew of that had the motive, and the power to do such a thing... But Jynx had reservations on the how.
When she had brought Frea to the White Plane, that dark spot she had felt on Frea's being... It was not the work of that Thing, it was something else- something more wild, something more powerful... Something more complex and ancient than even that Thing.
Lets say that, it was that Thing. It made Frea lose... But now it was absent among the conflict? Jynx was very sure what slept in Death Bolt was nothing to do with that Thing- but perhaps... Had it meant to less to this? To least he Guild to coming here, into the heart of such evil and darkness they felt now?
If she were to keep believing that whatever had caused Frea to lose meant her harm through any means possible... What would that sleeping evil in Death Bolt be then?
She simply did not know
Master Makarov easily saw the uncertainty in the girl, and he could tell she was truly worried about it- as was he, now knowing the threat on Frea had been increased. He was very glad that she was at the Guild still- if it had been a threat to Frea before that had caused her to end up as wounded and nearly killed as she had been, having her here with the threat inside of Death Bolt itself surely would have amounted to distaste. And it still could- but he was happy Frea was not a part of it.
But it was that threat that set him in edge again- because now it was facing everyone here inside of Death Bolt, everyone d his children and his members fighting to being back Moon. Frea may have been missing the threat by remaining at the Guild- but very other Fairy Tail Member here was suddenly thrown into the middle of it.
"Tread lightly, Makarov." Jynx said at length, her red eyes opening to rest on him steadily.
"Whatever evil that is at work here- it will be very dangerous indeed. Those in the Guild, fighting now- they're lives could be in more danger than you or I had originally thought."
Lyla grinned darkly, eyes filling with undeniable pleasure at the overwhelming terror now gripping Moon.
She didn't bother to answer the question, and in Moon's mind- she didn't have to. The answer was clear... Clearer than anything had ever been for her...
Lyla snapped her fingers, and Moon was suddenly rushed backward. Her back smashed into the cold stone wall to Lyla's left, before she bounced off and away from it- the metal collar about her neck lifting and starting to put pressure against her throat as Lyla's Magic slowly trapped the end of the chain into the roof, crumbling the stone and sending bits of dirt down on her. Moon struggled, her paws suddenly released as she grabbed at the collar, muscles straining as she tried to keep as much pressure off as she could.
"While I wait for those Fairy Fools to show up, playing with you will have to hold me over." Lyla grinned, still sitting at her Father's desk. "You've been very resilient over the years Moony, you can take lots of damage and still keep at it- understandable, seeing how much the Guild loves to play with you."
Torture me... Moon thought bitterly, her fear still gripping at her heart as she struggled to catch breath, kicking and and squirming. She could almost feel Lyla's blood lust growing thicker and more violent, if that was even her name anymore...
"I wonder how long you can keep yourself from being hung?" Lyla smiled darkly,
A small boom, an explosive burst of Lyla's Magic sprung up next to her- ramming into her side with surprisingly cold heat, she yelled as she felt skin tear and bone begin to break- already fractured from the beating session not long before. The impact caused her body to swing loosely on the end of the chain, her paws scrambling at the collar as she tried her best to keep her full weight from falling on her neck.
Her arms burned, slowly closing slashed running along her arms beginning to open and bleed as she desperately dug her claws into the metal of the collar, eyes shut right and wheezing.
Another burst of Lyla's Magic erupted beside her, and she yelled again- feeling hot stickiness begin to stream down her back, her lungs ached and her chest seared in agony, along with her arms, her paws and her legs. It was almost as if she could see bone shattering when she got hit... But she refused to let go of the collar, the only thing keeping her from choking.
I can't die... I can't let her kill me... I don't want to die in this damned Guild...!
"You always were stubborn, Moony." Lyla chuckled, snapping her fingers as several more small explosions erupted around her, causing her to lose her grip and her throat to be crushed a moment, spluttering and coughing as she quickly lifted her heavily bleeding arms again- grasping the collar, her paws and arms were so numb it was agonizing... She was so tired, she was losing strength fast, and now she could hardly take a breath in- the agony of doing so was enough to bring tears to her eyes.
... What if Fairy Tail comes for me...? Will they...?
Stupid! Of course!
Or would they assume she was dead, like Frea already was?
Her heart dropped, in her struggle to breath and the searing agony and pain dancing through her being she was beginning to lose sense of things around her. Her hearing was being lost to the sound of her own, harsh and wheezing gasps- to the sound of her bones breaking and fracturing as Lyla's Magic continued to pound her. Her eyes couldn't make out snugging around her anymore- it blurred and darkened to where she couldn't see anything, she thought maybe Lyla had said something else- but she couldn't hear it.
Her mind was slowly being consumed in emptiness, in utter black... She felt herself beginning to slip away, her body beginning to stop responding to her, and her grip loosening more and more as the pressure on her throat increased- she didn't have the strength to keep thrashing and squirming. She knew she couldn't let herself pass out, if she did she was done for- and she couldn't let herself get killed damn it!
Thinking the Guild wouldn't come for her was stupid- utterly stupid. She knew them well enough to know the power of their wrath when it came to those in the Guild getting hurt- especially by people such as those of Death Bolt. For what happened, to her- and especially with Frea... They wouldn't let Death Bolt, Tomaru's or anyone's actions slide over anything. Deep down in her heart she knew Lyla was right- that Fairy Tail would be coming, the question was when..?
She couldn't even feel hopeful about the Guild coming here, all she could feel was pain, sadness, regret, numbness... And complete fear. Terror even.
At this rate, she may not be left alive when the Guild finally got here- though she was trying as best she could. She was afraid for her life, yes- but mostly she was afraid for the lives of those in Fairy Tail who would be coming here.
This was Lyla in her element, ever since she had changed into this monster. And even so, what she was doing to Moon now- it was nowhere near all she could do, or would. Lyla's murderous blood-lust knew no bounds, she had no hesitation nor qualms with causing pain, in killing. She wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone in the Guild- in fact, she would revel in it. And she had the power to wipe out everyone in Fairy Tail if she wanted too...
... But knowing Lyla- she wouldn't just kill the Guild. She'd torture them, much worse than she was torturing Moon now. That thought, of what Lyla may do- that scared her most of all now.
Deep down she somehow had the sinking feeling that it wasn't even Lyla... Not entirely.
No, it was someone else- someone truly evil and dark and twisted... Something. Something with a purely evil heart.
Her paws slipped further from the collar, the pressure on her throat increasing as she began to feel even more numb, and her senses fell almost into nothing.
... The Guild... Has no idea... What they're going... To... Be... Facing...
One of her paws fell away completely, and she hadn't the strength to lift it back up- she couldn't breath now.
... E... Everyone in... Fairy Tail...t... They... Lyla... S... She'll... K...i...l...l... t...h...e...m... I...c...an...t... I... H...ha...ve...t...t...o...
Her other paw fell dead at her side, all her dead weight suddenly on her throat, no breath making it past her lips, no strength left to squirm as she suffocated slowly, agonizingly... Everything is black...
... warn... them... please...
The pressure on her neck was suddenly released, just as she felt herself falling away- teetering on the edge of nothingness.
She gasped in air, coughing and spluttering a moment- before her body slammed into the hard ground hard enough to shatter the stone underfoot- and her attempt at taking in air turned into a gut wrenching scream of pain. She clenched her jaw, gasping and wheezing, eyes scrunched closed in agony as she recognized the metallic taste of blood on her tongue.
Slowly the world around her came back into some focus- enough that the defending silence brought on her ears was lifted to allow her the hazy and muffled sound of... Of booming echoing through the Guild...
She cracked an eye open halfway, just barely enough that her blurred and swimming vision could look out across the main hall- the figure of Lyla standing in front of her, her back toward her and the chain connected to her neck wrapped about the girls hand.
She strained to make out the noises she was hearing, them being nearly frowned by the sound of her harsh breathing and the strained beating of her heart in her chest.
To her it sounded as if... There was yelling, the sound of things rumbling, of explosions... Shouting...
"Hehe..." Lyla chuckled lowly, fists clenched at her sides as Moon glanced up weakly- seeing her fingernails suddenly lengthen and start to turn a darker color.
"So... The feast starts now, eh?" Lyla murmured to herself, even through her pain and the waves threatening to pull her under- she could feel Lyla's Power begin to strengthen to new heights, streams of black swimming up around her slowly, stretching out across the empty hall she and Moon remained alone in.
The... Feast...?
Her eye opened just a little more, fear dancing across the pale blue expanse- now glazed in pain and exhaustion.
... N... No...! Everyone... They... They don't understand... They don't know... About... About Lyla...!
For a moment she felt resentment flash inside if her for the Magic Nullifying chains wrapped about her, she would give anything to he able to send a Telepathic Message out- to be able to warn the Guild about Death Bolt. To tell them about Tomaru's Power, and about Lyla.
Lyla isn't Lyla.. And she will kill all of them... They need to be.. Prepared...
But even without the chains, she probably wouldn't have been able to manage it... She had no Magic Energy left, and she had no strength. Simply hardly hearing Lyla and the wounds around her was a challenge, her bison was growing so bad she couldn't hardly see anything either... She as too hurt. She couldn't even move, she could hardly breath.
I don't want... Anyone in the Guild dying for me... Not like Frea... I have to warn them.. I need to do something...
Her eyes fell closed as she took in a rattly breath,
... I can't let anybody else... Die for me...
'... warning... warning...'
... Those voices... They had tried warning her about this... About Lyla...
"Come Little Fairies! Let me consume your souls!" Lyla laughed darkly, he voice ringing through the Hall as her power increased exponentially, ramming into Moon and chilling her to the core, the pain all over her body starting to flare again.
"...p...pl...ease..." She breathed, too low for anybody to hear- she hadn't even enough strength to talk anymore. The black on the edge of her mind was creeping faster and faster now,
She was suddenly lurched forward painfully, Lyla making her way across the center of the Hall- the chains in hand and dragging an unmoving Moon behind her.
"... W...wa...rn... T...th...e...m..."
She felt a small, slight breeze curl about her- ruffling her fur slightly, just as her consciousness fell away entirely, and everything was lost to her.
'... warn... warn...'
No One POV
A sudden burst of wind suddenly swept out through the tunnels and halls of the expanse of the Death Bolt Guild- the noise and shouting of Fairy Tail as they continued to charge in toward the ranks of Death Bolt coming to meet them. They had been running through the tunnels for at least an hour since moving inside of them in the first place, tearing through Wizards and unleashing all their fury on those who raced to meet them, making their way trough steadily and relentlessly. Of every Mage they met- they had yet to come across Tomaru, of which many of them hoped to meet in hopes of laying into him.
All of their action and movement was suddenly interrupted by a low, dull roar of indiscernible noise. The sound of hundreds upon hundreds of softly spoken and unintelligible voices filled the air about them- everything seeming to grown colder as the hearts of the Fairy Tail Mages leapt in sudden shock and question.
In the moments of them sending their Magic out, connecting fists and tearing down walls and clashing head to head with the swarming mass if Death Bolt Wizards- they faltered, their attentions catching on to the sudden chill wind, to the sudden, hardly perceptible whispers and words they couldn't make out. Their eyes grew wide and they stiffened at the low, wispy roar of hundreds upon hundreds of far off and bodiless voices- the voices curling about them and sounding urgent, almost frantic.
"W-wha...?!" Lucy stammered, eyes wide and sweatdropping- the unwarranted noise and the etherealness of it all causing her to tremble slightly.
"What... Is that...?" Gray murmured, eyes narrowed. Beside him, Chase had grown still- blue eyes narrowed and sweatdropping heavily. He felt as if there was a sudden surge of power in the air, something cold, something old... Something powerful. It wasn't the sense of evil he had already been feeling, it was something else- and it was everywhere, swirling, floating... He'd never felt anything like it. And the innate, nearly sleeping power behind all that noise... It was stifling.
"... Tch..." Aisha hissed lowly, eyes narrowing to slits. She recognized this feeling- the feeling of something dark moving, and fast. It was the same feeling she had gotten the moment they set foot in Nvindorr- though the noise was new.
"C-creepy!" Happy stammered, shaking from head to tail.
"They... They sound like voices..." Natsu mumbled, ears straining.
"... Hundreds of voices..." Solana whispered, green eyes wide and glancing around warily.
".. But where the hell are they comin' from...?" Gajeel muttered, sweatdropping heavily. All three Dragon Slayers suddenly looked visibly tense, while everyone else in the Guild seemed able to tell there was something amiss- and the rumbling sent chills through them.
The Dragon Slayers visibly stiffened, being able to hear more clearly the whispers with their heightened hearing- but not enough to make out the words.
"Voices?" Several people echoed, having heard Natsu and Solana murmur about it through the Telepathic Link. To them it sounded nothing like voices, just whispering and rushing noise- like a breeze.
"This feeling.." Erza muttered, eyes glancing about as she felt the chill begin to fall.
"Its foreboding..." Mira replied, having come back to back with the red-head.
"Juvia... Does not like this..." Juvia said lowly,
"Definitely gives you the creeps, huh?" Gildarts grumbled, looking serious.
"Lily?" Gajeel grumbled, glancing backward to see that his Exceed Partner had stopped dead, his back facing the Iron Dragon Slayer and not moving a muscle- he didn't even seem to be breathing. Gajeel's red eyes narrowed, frowning slightly as he moved closer- sending a a crowd of Death Bolt Members flying with a swing from his arm grown into an Iron Club.
"Lily!" He snapped, not happy at not being answered. He sweatdropped, eyes growing wide to see the dark look across his Partner's face, the heavy sweat dripping down the side of his face and the tenseness and sudden flashes of worry sparkling in Lily's eyes. Gajeel himself faltered, mouth slightly agape at such a look on his Partners face.
"What the hell...?"
"... These voices." Lily murmured lowly, head suddenly falling a little as a shadow passed over his face to keep his eyes from view. "... These voices... I heard them, back in Nvindorr..." Gajeel stiffened,
"You mean...?"
"... Right before everything went to hell, and Frea unleashed that dark power." Lily said gravely,
.:+:.
"... Woah..." Bixlow breathed, having come to a pause beside Freed- balancing atop one of his Dolls- suddenly seeming very thrown off by the voices, his other four dancing about his head, muttering-
"Weird, weird!"
"Rather disconcerting, isn't it?" Freed mumbled, his sword glinting in the half light of the tunnel as he swept it out before him- an array of booms following the path of the sword and sending the advancing line of Death Bolt Mages flying.
"... Disconcerting?" Bixlow murmured, his eyes narrowing under his visor as they glowed green. "More like freaking insane!" Freed paused, the light of Chase's and Aisha's Magic glinting not far off from where they were working away. Gray and Lucy were working side by side with Solana and Loke not father down the corridor- which had widened significantly since they had been moving quickly.
Freed glanced toward Bixlow, easily able to see the disbelieving look on his friend's face- and noticing immediately they way in which his eyes seemed to be moving about them, as if actually seeing something that Freed couldn't- and for all he knew, that might have been the case. Bixlow's Seith Magic usually allowed him to see things most people couldn't,
"What's the matter?" Freed asked immediately,
"There are hundreds of spirits floatin' around in here... So much so they're making all the noise." Bixlow replied, earning a shocked look from Freed and a heavy sweatdrop.
"Spirits?" Freed echoed, "... Usually wouldn't you being seeing souls?"
"... Well, right now I'm seeing both." Bixlow replied, "Hundreds upon hundreds of them... A lot of 'um angry." He sweatdropped heavily, looking a little confused and concerned all at once. "... I've never seen so many at once... Nor so many with so much power..."
"What could they be doing here...?"
"... They're trying to say something, but its all jumbled to me." Bixlow replied, shrugging slightly but looking slightly disturbed none the less. "Hey... I'm good at possessing them, but such powerful and free wandering ones like these... I can't understand them too well." Freed sweatdropped,
"Well... This feeling with them, it doesn't spell anything good." Freed murmured, eyes narrowed.
"Totally." Bixlow murmured, ready to start sending blasts toward the incoming Black Wizards- before he paused, something Freed noticed, and quirked an eyebrow at the questioning and slightly confused look Bixlow had on.
"... Hey, isn't that Jynx girl supposed to be a Master Spirit Mage?" Bixlow murmured aloud,
"So I've heard..." Freed replied, lifting a hand as Runes began to dance on the air before them. He glanced sideways at Bixlow, "Why do you ask?"
"The only thing I can make from all these Spirits and Souls is one word..." Bixlow replied, green flow of his eyes flashing under his visor.
"And they're totally saying 'Master'."
Master POV
"Master Makarov? What do you think of all this?" Erza asked allowed to the Telepathic Link, the conversation between Bixlow and Freed never making it across the Link for everyone to hear- it seemed to be fading in and out with all the new noise, though no one could explain why.
Master Makarov grimaced slightly, his enlarged fists slamming down on top of a small groups of Dark Mages, his eyes glancing about warily as he sweatdropped. He himself was highly disturbed by the sudden rush of noise and the chill that and with it- easily able to feel that foreboding sense that everyone else seemed to catch on to.
"I'm not entirely sure." He replied to Erza, "... This is familiar... But never in this large a magnitude."
"Familiar?" Mira asked, "You've had this happen before?"
"Like, before you were Guild Master, before?" Gildarts asked, glancing toward the Old Man from across the room they stood in. Particles of an adjacent wall streamed out as projectiles toward a band of Dark Mages, the successive boom causing the floor to shake nearly as much as Makarov's heavy fists hitting the floor did.
"Yes, before I was Guild Master." Makarov replied lowly, sweatdropping heavily as the memory came back to him.
Of the wind suddenly changing and all other noise dimming- to where the only thing he heard for moments that seemed like eternity- the not thing he heard was this, the low whispers too indiscernible to make out. The woosh of the breeze, the ethereal feel of it... The sudden cold, as the foreboding. But those 'Voices' as the Dragon Slayers called them, they had never been this loud- not when he had heard them the first, and what he had hoped would have been the last time.
It was these Voices that had reached a high, a certain urgency and potent power in the slow movements- the seconds before... Jynx had defeated that Demon from the Book of Zeref.
He had watched in transfixation, watching as the Girl's Power grew to eights he beloved unreal- as the world around them seemed to grow colder, slower- the flash of Dark Purple and grey lit up the sky, flaming across the clouds above the Beast- before suddenly flaming a bright golden and white color. Jynx, who was bleeding and broken from the numerous hits she had taken in contending with it-'floated just before it, her black hair streaming in the wind she brought up- and the hot, putrid breath of the Demon glaring at her- its maw open as it threatened to swallow the whole of Magnolia, and everyone in it.
Buildings and streets around them were shattered and turned to rubble, injured townspeople and those of the guild who had been trying to fend it off littered the streets- glinting in fear and pain, and wonder.
"The hell... Is she doing...?!" Goldmine growled, standing beside Makarov, holding an injured arm.
"Oh dear..." Bob murmured,
"... She's... Sacrificing herself..." Makarov murmured softly, eyes fixed on her person. Goldmine and Bob's heads snapped around toward him,
"What?!"
"But she... She can't be, why would she even do such a thing...?"
Makarov's eyes narrowed, he had tried several times since Jynx left the Guild to try and stop her in whatever it was she planned to do. Her, and her Magic had always been a mystery to him- but at that moment, seeing her Magic flare up so brightly, as she poured every ounce of Magic she had into it- he didn't know what Spell she planned to cast, but he knew it was this Spell... That she would cast to save the town, and everyone in it.
And in his heart, in his very being he knew- this Spell would only end her life.
As if to agree with him, the wind and the whispering on the breeze seemed to reach a climax- just as Jynx's Spell suddenly streamed down from the clouds, a massive Magic Circle appearing under the beast and the streams of Magic seeming to catch it inside a cage.
'... Down... Down...'
'... Shred and... Destroy...'
'... Guardian... And Master...'
His body seemed to freeze as the words whispered about him, swirling on the air and nearly out of earshot- distant and detached.
"Move no further, wicked beast!" Jynx's voice rose among the whispers, ringing around them a the Demon roared, the noise shaking the town and its people to the core. Even from here, Makarov could see the scarlet liquid dripping past Jynx's lips, but there remained a burning fire in her eyes... Something odd, a certain light, a certain power- the light of knowledge and deep innate wisdom seemed suddenly to churn inside of her then. The sort of wisdom and knowledge no one so you g should hold, it was as if Jynx was centuries older than she really was just then.
He stiffened slightly, eyes growing wider as a crack appeared across her face, as if she were made of hardened clay- she flinched slightly at it, pain flashing across her gaze. Another long crack appeared across her upper arm, as she held them out toward the Beast. She... She was shattering...?
"You're an incredible, foe... There is no way around that." Jynx growled, we Magic slowly spiraling up around the Beast- it began to struggle, moving against her Magic, trying to break free of if. Another crack spread up across her cheek,
"As to be expected, Zeref having created you." Jynx growled, eyes closing a moment as her jaw clenched in effort and pain. Her body was trembling with the effort, "You've devoured so many... Innocent, defenseless people... Destroyed countless lives... Taken so many..." Her eyes snapped open, red and burning. "Its despicable!"
One of her hands clenched into a fist, the arm swiping backward behind her, the other remaining before her- plan open and facing the creature. The Beast roared, more of her Magic streaming up from the ground, creating another set of barriers between it and the world around her. The ground shook with the tremendous force her Magic came with, the sky continued to grow darker and dusky- turning to grey and stretch ing out past the horizon.
"W-woah!"
"I never knew that kid was so freaking powerful!"
'... Guardian... Master... Yes... It is... Possible...'
"There are many who would believe, that being a creation of Zeref- he is the only who can unmake you." Jynx hissed, eyes closing again as a large crack appeared across her chest- bits of grey and purple flashing through from inside of her. The whispering voices on the wind continued to grow louder, they sped up, murmuring over and over the words he had already heard... As if they were hanging.
The air itself was shaking, and his eyes grew wider than ever to see the buildings around the spot in which Jynx and the Demon were- everything around them was starting to fade, as if their existence was slowly being cleaned away, and left with smoky grey-white light.
The pain on Jynx's features was easily seen, the error and the strain- the agony of using her Magic in such away was clear. But despite that, she seemed resolute on what she was doing... But what was it she was doing?
Her eyes opened, a shadow over passing her eyes and seeming to make them glow- her Magic reaching an all time high as it seemed to seep into everything around it, chilling everything, making it shake and rumble. Powerful waves of immense, focused... Almost ancient power...
"But even the likes of Zeref cannot contend with this Magic."
Her steely and firm words sent a wave of cold over him, his heart leaping a moment at such a bold statement- completely shocked at the utmost certainty in her voice- the knowing look, for a moment- he truly believed it.
But what kind of Magic could be stronger than that of the Legendary Dark Wizard...? It... It was impossible...
The Demon roared, the noise shaking the town to its roots- as Jynx slowly closed her other hand and returning seemed to slow down around them.
"For the souls of the damned and the Demonic, there is only one place left for you!" She snapped loudly, voice rising in an authoritative and dictating way. "You shall not remain in this existence any longer, a being as evil and tainted as yours tips the balance of life and destroys what life there is left- lives meant to stay living!"
Hundreds of sharp streams of her Magic rose up from the ground and drove down from the sky- which, both having turned a milky grey and nearly white color by now as the building and the destroyed remnants of Magnolia around Jynx and the Demon disappeared from all view.
"Being of Dark Magic and Evil, be punished for the crimes you have committed here among the plane of the living, and suffer an eternity in pits of darkness and emptiness- ripped of your own life, and destroyed of what Zeref so carelessly created for you!"
Her outstretched fist suddenly swung down ward, and the earth itself shook violently, the air bouncing and the whispers becoming a dull roar. The cracks stretching across her body grew larger, pieces chipping off as purple and grey shown through, slowly encasing her entire being.
"Being Rend and Destroy!" She shouted, the streams of Magic rushing down toward the Demon, its roar was louder than enough in he had ever heard- a roar of pure and utter pain.
"Soul- Shatter!"
The Demon howled, its body suddenly ripping to shreds and flesh breaking down into flirting pieces of pitch black light- the center of its body suddenly glowing an incredible purple, red and grey- as cracks appeared across its entire person, and it shattered into hundreds of pieces with hundreds of resounding booms and the incredible loud sound of down thing shattering.
The people around him stared in utter shock and astonishment, frozen to their places as the Demon that had been tearing across Fiore relentlessly was suddenly destroyed in a massive series of booms and waves of intense Magical Energy.
No one had ever known.. That Jynx was that powerful, no one knew the things Jynx could do... And seeing her do this, it was insane, unbelievable... Impossible.
Amongst the booms and the noise, the whispers died on his ears- leaving with a last word;
'... Fallen...'
Time came to a stand still, just a moment- as Makarov's eyes trained to the figure of Jynx above them, glowing with the light pouring from the cracks spreading across her person, and she too began to fall away into pieces, and disappear.
In a small moment, her red eyes met his- and he held the look, his eyes shinning in wonder and disbelief, and perhaps even slight fear... Fear at such incredible power, power he as never felt before, power he had no idea precisely what it was.
'... Hope... I never return, Makarov...'
His eyes swept about him, the memory fading as he strained to the rush of disjointed Voices around him- unlike that day, he could not make out what it was these voices were saying. And there were clearly more now, them there had been before- which he could only believe had been a few dozen- the ones sweeping about DeathBolt now must have been hundreds.
In her day... Before she had died... Jynx had been an incredibly powerful Wizard... And no one had known until that day.
But now, he came to realize that those Voices- they spelled something huge, something dangerous, colossal... And the beings hundreds of them now, he felt his heart drop a little.
In the midst of the sudden tumult of voices, those DeathBolt members attacking them drew back a little- glaring darkly as they receded for a moment, leaving the Fairy Tail Wizards alone in the dark of the tunnels.
His eyes landed on who it was he was looking for, and he felt his heart atop beating altogether for a moment.
Jynx had reappeared not long ago, standing off to the side as she watched the battle progress for the group Natsu lead- moving between groups as she explained she would. Suddenly she had come to a dead stop, a shadow falling over her face, her red eyes wide and sweatdropping heavily- the look of utter fear crossing her features.
Unlike the rest of them- she heard those voices easily, and what they told her in frantic, urgent words... She felt herself fall cold, her blood, her heart, everything stopped and she could only stare aimlessly ahead- a large bead of sweat dripping down her face as her body trembled slightly. Seeing such a look of horror on her usually expressionless face, Makarov faltered- eyes wide as his heart began to race.
"Jynx..!" He said quickly, "What is it?! What is the matter?!" He demanded, feeling slightly panicked.
"I-it... Its not... Possible..." She stammered, "... That... That one was destroyed... Erased from this plane... It cannot be here... Its impossible..."
'... Possible... Possible... Guardian... Warning...!'
'... Darkness is here...!'
'... Light is falling...!'
'... Warning... Master... Master...!'
"JYNX?!" Makarov roared, very unhappy she was not answering him- especially seeing as how he could tell it was something very important- and probably very dangerous for those fighting here now.
Her face fell, her overshadowing her eyes as she clenched her fists- fighting to regain her bearings and force her horror away.
It could not be possible! And yet- if she truly looked, truly reached her mind out.. She knew immediately it was possible. It was here.
The danger was so very much real... So much more potent then they could have ever believed...
She swept an arm out, red eyes snapping up as she glanced around her- eyes fixed to what no one but Bixlow could see.
"You are correct- the warning is received." She said to the air, voice stern and strong now. "Wandering and tortured, I ask you lend your anger now- to destroy what cannot remain amongst the living any longer! Lend your strength to those here, those wrapped in the Light and fighting the Darkness!"
'... Yes... Yes...'
'... We will... Give Master...'
'... will give... the Light...'
'... Our power...'
Jynx's eyes grew hard as she turned to Makarov, her entire countenance one of muffled fear and sudden seriousness. He blinked, sweatdropping heavily.
The tumult of Voices around them suddenly faded into nothing, and the sound of shouting and Battle grew thick on the air.
"Makarov," Jynx muttered lowly, "What sleeps here is more ancient and deep than we could have believed. The Guild is in extreme danger- remaining here would be foolish." She told him lowly, voice stony. "If we remain here, lives will be lost."
He gazed at her in shock, "What do you mean? What is it that is here?"
"A deep an ancient evil I thought had been destroyed, but I was wrong." Jynx replied, "... The darkest shadow you may have ever met." He stiffened, "... And one, that I am now sure was intended to lead us here... That whatever tailored this wanted us here so we may fall into that Demon's clutches..."
"Hehe...!"
Jynx's head snapped around at the sudden chilly laughter that echoed over the tunnels and rooms of DeathBolt, a sudden swath of pitch black rising from the ceiling and hurtling down toward her and those around her.
Jynx's arms swung up in front of her, sweatdropping heavily as Magic flashed about her person. An orb of purple light flared in front of her- splitting up down the middle as it moved, seeming to grow teeth and swallowed the mass of darkness whole- before it imploded and she was sent backwards, everyone else knocked from their feet.
"Ah!"
"Shit!"
"What was that?" Gildarts growled, slowly helping Cana back to her feet. His eyes trained to Jynx, who was floating above the ground a few inches- eyes growing wide to see the dark line torn into her arm, leaving it black and seemingly fractured. She was frowning deeply, sweatdropping.
"Damn this form of mine..." She muttered, fists clenched. "... Even a Spell like that was nearly useless..."
Master looked toward her, eyes wide. He hadn't been aware she was able to physically effect anything, or let alone be wounded- if that sudden tear across her arm was any indication, though it didn't bleed.
"We must leave." Jynx said, turning to the Old Man.
"We can't! Not without Moon!" Lily's voice snapped suddenly, able to hear what Jynx had said as the Telepathic Link opened up again with the voices suddenly gone.
"We still gotta make these bastards pay for what they did!" Natsu snapped, his onyx eyes landing on her. She frowned at him,
"Fools! If we remain here, you will all die!" She snapped back at him,
"What do you mean?" Mira asked,
"What do ya think is gonna kill us?!" Natsu snapped back,
"Jynx." Master interrupted, looking serious. "Do you really believe our lives are at true risk?" He asked her levelly,
"Entirely." Jynx replied,
"You're not seriously thinking about leaving Moon here, are you?!" Gray asked,
"What are you talking about?" Several people questioned at once.
"All of you- listen." Jynx said coldly, "This was a trap. We were lead here, by the sleeping evil inside of the Guild. A darkness none of you can contend with, and one that will surely kill you all- should it get the chance."
"What evil?"
"What were those voices anyway? A warning or something?"
"A warning." Jynx growled lowly,
"What do you mean we can't beat it?!"
"Nothing's gonna kill us!"
"What he hell do you think is after us?"
"We still can't leave Moon, even if there is something powerful down here!"
"We haven't even laid into the Guild Master yet!"
"You're talking about that ancient evil here, Jynx?" Chase's voice broke through the flurry of questions. He had been listening quietly, sweatdropping heavily at the tenseness he could suddenly feel on the air- and very perturbed by the feeling of that same darkness he had felt this entire time, suddenly growing stronger. "I've been able to feel it since entering the forest... And its just getting stronger. Like its waiting to strike."
"Really?"
"You've been able to feel this since before we entered these tunnels?" Lucy murmured, eyes wide.
"Yeah... I think whatever it is- its what sent that Magic at us earlier. The one Loke and Solana blocked." Chase replied,
"But if its all that powerful, why was that attack so freaking weak?" Solana grumbled,
"It may have been playing with us." Aisha replied lowly, eyes glinting.
"What Magic?" Erza asked,
"... Shadow Magic." Chase replied, "Much more Powerful Shadow Magic than anyone would expect..."
"Shadow Magic..?" Mira mumbled,
"Seriously? I thought only low level Wizards used that Magic..?" Elfman mumbled,
"That's not entirely true though, right? Rogue from SaberTooth uses Shadow Magic, and he's pretty powerful." Lisanna responded.
"... The more I'm focusing on it... The more its starting to feel like..." Chase mumbled, eyes closing as he suddenly broke off- body growing still and sweatdropping heavily.
"... Chase?" Lucy murmured, seeing him looking so tense suddenly.
"You alright?" Gray asked,
"What? What does it feel like?" Erza asked,
Chase's eyes opened, blue and glittering in sudden worry.
"... Like... Zeref's Magic..."
"Zeref?!"
"No way..."
"Not good..."
"But what could that mean?"
Master's eyes went wide, beads of sweat dripping down his face as his eyes snapped to Jynx, whose eyes had fallen to the floor.
"... This ancient evil, you don't mean to say its...?" He stammered, that couldn't be true!
"I don't know that Demon's true name... but yes." She replied, and he felt his heart nearly stop. "This was a trap." Jynx mumbled, "A true and utter trap... We were lead here, so this would happen... So we'd be caught by it..."
"So what if it's like Zeref's Magic?!" Natsu snapped, "Doesn't matter! We knew this wasn't gonna be easy when we left, we can't just turn tail and run now!"
"Salamander's right. We can handle whatever this damned Guild has cooked up for us." Gajeel muttered,
"We still have payback to send out."
"And leaving Moon here isn't a choice! Definitely not!" Lucy said firmly,
"We can't just leave!"
"And we ain't gonna get ourselves killed either!"
Master paused, seeing Jynx turn away from him, her head bowed slightly.
"... You've never truly won against this evil, any of you.. Not together, and not on your own." Jynx told the Old Man softly. "... Whatever orchestrated all of this... It did so knowing that. Its the deadliest trap that anyone could have made."
"Leaving a Member of the Guild is not an option, Jynx." A shimmer of Gold appeared beside Jynx as Mavis appeared just behind her slightly,
"First.." Makarov murmured.
"I'm not saying it is." Jynx replied. "That doesn't change the fact... That the Guild is in terrible danger being here."
"Moon is in terrible danger too." Mavis replied, "This evil you speak of... Is it really something no one here can defeat?" Her eyes shone a little, "Even with how much they have all grown?"
"... I really doubt it." Jynx replied, "... Energy Dragon... For all her power... She didn't manage to defeat this foe..." She paused.
"But now we are aware of it." Mavis said firmly, "We are warned and aware of it- and will not be caught off guard. Even if you do not think the Guild can contend with this new Danger, you may be wrong. The power in this Guild is strong, very strong. Now that we know of the danger, we can prepare ourselves for it- and face it head on." Mavis said firmly, her eyes turning to Makarov, who nodded at her slightly. "After all- it was a warning. Not an order to retreat." She pointed out calmly,
"The First is right."
"Course she is."
"We got this! Whatever gets thrown at us we'll get past it, no problem!"
"We're gonna show DeathBolt whose boss!"
"All of you- keep yourselves alert." Mavis spoke, "Look out for one another, do not take any battle lightly."
"Got it!"
"Aye sir!"
Jynx nodded slightly, still not looking to either Mavis or Makarov. "... if that is your wish, then so be it. I have very little Power as I am now- so I may not be able to do much, but at least... I can help provide extra strength to the rest of you." She mumbled, "... This was a trap." Jynx said suddenly, her voice a bit louder, she didn't give them time to question what she said first. Mavis and Makarov blinked,
"You've mentioned that." Mavis told her softly, Jynx shook her head a little.
"This was a trap that lead us here, that was tailored to make sure we would end up meeting this evil." Jynx said, her head lifting a little, still not turning to look at them. "We were lead here, all of us... But we were not the ones fighting to keep Moon from being taken."
"What do you mean?"
"This was all a plan to wound and hurt us, but it began... As a plan to wound, and even kill someone else in particular. To bring them here and to kill them, specifically." Jynx said, sounding slightly panicked now as the thoughts began to click in her head- Mavis and Makarov sweatdropped. "Whatever it was that purposely made Energy Dragon lose... Did so, so Moon would be brought here."
Mavis and Makarov stiffened in shock, eyes growing wide as they realized what Kunx was trying to say.
"You mean..?"
"The intended purpose, was to lead Frea here, not just the Guild...?!" Mavis stammered,
"... But she's in Magnolia." Gildarts grumbled, most everyone listening in.
"... Right...?" Lucy mumbled,
Jynx had turned to look at them, her red eyes glinting as as suddenly growled.
"Warren!" Master snapped, suddenly realizing that they had heard nothing from everyone in Magnolia for some time. "Are you listening to all this?!"
"Master!" Warren's voice broke through, sounding panicked- the hearts of everybody in Death Bolt suddenly dropped. Jynx sweatdropped, looking serious as everyone else froze- not liking the panic in his voice.
"Master! I'm sorry! We had no clue, they just took off!" Warren stammered frantically, Master's eyes grew wide, Mavis froze beside him.
"They took off?" Erza questioned immediately,
"Frea took off before we could stop her!" Max stammered, his voice coming into focus.
"Didn't Laxus try to stop her?!" Master snapped, fists clenched.
"He went with her!" Warran shouted, everyone listening in suddenly blinked in shock, jaws dropping a little. "So did Carla and Wendy! They're headed straight to you!"
Master stood still a moment, the floor under his feet seeming to spin for a moment as he stared straight ahead, with whited out eyes.
... What the hell... Are those brats... Thinking...?!
"Laxus went with her?! Why?!"
"Is he an idiot!?"
"And Wendy and Carla too?!"
"How'd you manage to miss them leaving, Warren?!" Natsu asked,
"They went out the Infirmary window..." Warren mumbled, sounding exasperated and slightly ashamed.
"Frea's going to be right where they want her." Mavis stammered, her eyes flicking to Jynx- whose eyes had trailed up to the ceiling, expression tense.
"... Though we try to avoid it... Something's still happen..." Jynx murmured, eyes narrowing a little. "... Now, I'm beginning to wonder... If this is one of those times...?"
"One of what?" Mavis asked,
"... Those moments we can't alter, or avoid." A distant look suddenly coming into Jynx's eyes.
"Well then? We just gotta finish all these bastards before she gets here!" Natsu shouted, fire erupting around his fists. "Save Moon and destroy DeathBolt before she manages to get here!"
"The Pyro's right... That's the only choice we got." Gray muttered,
"If we defeat Death Bolt and rescue Moon before Frea arrives, she won't be walking into any danger." Erza murmured, "We'll have limited time."
"But we can do it." Mira replied,
"We can't let anyone or anything get their hands on Teach." Chase growled,
"And we'll get to Moon long before she makes it halfway here." Solana muttered, smirking just slightly as she watched the members of DeathBolt begin to slip from the shadows again, a new array of enemies moving to charge once more- just as a new fire began to been in the hearts of the Fairy Tail Mages, despite the Danger Jynx spoke of, and despite the worry of a trap.
"We're gonna get you bastards!"
"Moon! Fairy Tail's Here and Coming for you! Can you hear us?!" Natsu's voice rose, louder than the rest as he prepared to meet the new wave of Enemies coming their way- blocking their way.
"YEAH!"
"BRATS!" Master boomed, suddenly growing to his Giant Size an looming over the new wave of enemies. "SHOW THESE FOOLS THE POWER OF OUR FAMILY!"
"Aye Sir!"
The bands of Fairy Tail Wizards ran back into the gray, Magic flying and Members Death Bolt being sent soaring trough the air as Fairy Tail cheated in with newfound vigor and urgency. They began carving their way through, nobody was going to stop them, nothing would keep them from making sure Moon was back and well- and keeping Frea from running into whatever danger had been set for both her, and the Guild.
Jynx remained standing where she was, her hand loving up to slowly hover about the dark line in her arm, eyes still fixed to the roof. What a foolish girl... She knew where Frea was, still very much a aware her Magic Limiting Seal was placed on the Energy Dragon Slayer. What a fool... Coming here while not being able to use Magic, and so heavily wounded no less... She could try and stop Frea from coming, knowing where she was- her eyes narrowed, she was powerless in this Form... The power she had mustered to block that Spell from earlier was just about as much as she could physically do, and it wouldn't be enough to stop Frea at all.
"... Warning, Shadow is coming..." She repeated the words softly, before she growled a little, eyes glittering as she turned and faced the sight of Master and those around him clashing with Death Bolt- Natsu's Flames dancing around, Juvia's Water spinning, Cana's cards flying through the air, Gildarts sending a large group sprawling with a simple gesture of a hand, and Elfman tearing through enemies in his Beast Form.
"Warning... Shadow is here..."
"If you're looking for trouble, you better turn back around." Wakaba warned lowly,
"Please, that's not why we're here." The first voice replied evenly,
"We're here to help, that's it." The second voice elaborated.
"What do you mean, help?" Laxus grumbled lowly, face neutral and much more restrained than everyone else- but eyes glinting in slight distrust. "And who the hell are you, while we're at it."
The both of the new arrivals gave the Fairy Tailers firm looks, lifting their arms and laying bare their shoulders- the emblazoned symbol of intertwined, ferocious feline heads, their mouths open to reveal sharp teeth, and tails curled about eachother stretching down- one in black, and the other in white being shown.
"I'm Uno." The first introduced herself evenly, yellow eyes scanning over them slowly, before landing directly on Laxus- whom she addressed nearly directly.
"I'm Iki." The second said lowly, his teal eyes glinting calmly.
"We're the Leaders of the Twin Cougars Guild. And we're here to help our fellow sister."
Exceeds...?!
Wendy and Carla sweatdropped, eyes wide as they looked over the two new arrivals. They were most certainly Exceeds- though no two that they recognized.
Uno- the first one to have spoken, she was Carla's size- her fur a pale shade of brown, her paws, tips of her ears and the end of her tail a creamy white color. On her forehead just above her nose was a marking reminiscent of a diamond, also in that same creamy white shade. She wore a long red dress with no sleeves that slit up the sides, and leather boots to go with it- about her neck was a black collar on which a small, golden hell was attached- it jingled slightly as she moved, her yellow eyes scanning the Fairy Tail Mages, and for a moment, pausing on Carla- before she looked back up to hold Laxus' gaze steadily.
The Exceed beside her was a tom-cat, Iki as he had announced. He was slightly taller than his companion, and of a darker brown color, like the she-cat- his paws, ear tips and the the end of his tail were colored in a darker chocolate brown. Along is tail rain stripes, and two stretched up his cheeks- a strip of white reaching up above his nose, very similar to the sort of marking Uno had. He wore a lavender button up shirt and tan pants, a dark colored scarf wrapped about neck- on his wrist was a black bracelet, to which a small bell was hung- the same bell the other Exceed had. His teal eyes swept over toward Wendy a moment, blinking once before he let his eyes close and he crossed his paws over his chest.
"Fellow sister?" Many people echoed, sweatdropping a little in uncertainty. Uno nodded firmly,
"Twin Cougars Guild?" Macao murmured, "Never heard of it."
"We're an Independent Guild." Uno explained, "Iki and I started it a few years back- most of our Members are other Exceeds."
"An Exceed Guild..?" Carla murmured softly, she received a nod from Iki- whose eyes opened as he glanced to her.
"Yes. Once the other Exceeds from Extalia arrived here on EarthLand, they went looking for those 100 eggs they had sent here. In that search they found us, and since then we have been working with them."
"Then... That means you two, you were a part of those Eggs sent here so long ago...?" Wendy asked,
"Yes." Iki and Uno replied in unison. "We're actually brother and sister." Everyone in the Guild hardly blinked, pretty much able to see the resemblance between them.
"... But why are you here?" Alzack mumbled, "You said you're here to help your 'fellow sister'...?"
"And why are you asking for Frea and Moon?" Bisca jumped in,
"Is it true that the Death Bolt Guild attacked both Miss Frea and Miss Moon?" Uno answered the questions with one of her own. "And that Miss Moon was captured by that very Guild?"
"... Has news really spread that fast...?" Laki mumbled, sweatdropping slightly with the rest of them.
"One shouldn't be surprised." Iki said softly, "The scene that met the people of Magnolia so early in the morning, it was... Shocking." They sweatdropped a little more.
"Why do you want to know?" Laxus said firmly, eyes glinting slightly in distrust as he faced the two. Iki glanced toward him, Uno set him with a firm stare. Laxus set the sort of daunting look on the two Exceeds that would usually make anyone quiver a little, but Uno just looked back at him in the utmost calm, her eyes glinting and not at all deterred by the look nor the distrust in his voice.
"We want to help you." She replied lowly. "Miss Moon is a fellow Exceed- and we have made a promise to help any and all fellow Exceed's when they need it. Seeing the situation she is in now, our only aim is to assist your Guild in saving her."
"You're a little late for joining the warparty." Wakaba muttered,
"Most of our Wizards already left hours ago." Macao confirmed.
"That matters very little." Uno replied easily. "If you would tell us where Death Bolt is located- we could go there and provide assistance."
"It'd take you hours to reach Death Bolt," Carla murmured.
"That is- assuming we're just gonna tell you where Death Bolt is." Jet muttered,
"Yeah, why would we? We don't even know if we can trust you two." Droy put in,
"It wouldn't take us that long to reach it, I'd wager." Iki replied, earning a confused look from Carla. "And we've heard the stories of Death Bolt- of how dangerous they are. Wouldn't your comrades already fighting appreciate all the help they can get?"
"Does that mean you two can fight?" Max asked, looking unconvinced.
"Or would you just be getting in the way?" Jet muttered.
Uno's ears twitched slightly, an unhappy look passing across her face at the comments. She glared slightly, bristling.
"Of course we can fight." She growled lowly. "Probably better than you two idiots!" She snapped, pointing a paw at Jet and Max, who scowled.
"Hey!" They snapped in unison.
"Uno..." Iki murmured, sweatdropping slightly at his siblings flaring temper.
"Even if you can fight, Death Bolt is supposed to be really dangerous." Wendy said, eyes shinning. "Why would you two risk going into such danger, for someone you don't even know?"
Iki and Uno exchanged quick glances,
"Exceeds stick together." They said at once, expressions firm.
"Besides, its our duty as Mages- Independent or not- to help protect Fiore from such Evil Guilds as Death Bolt, isn't it?" Uno pointed out, "It shouldn't be allowed to go unpunished the things people in Guilds such as Death Bolt do, especially not such awful things as they've done to both Miss Frea and Moon." Her eyes glinted slightly as her brother nodded silently. Uno's eyes swept about them calmly, before they landed on Laxus- who had fallen silent.
"Wouldn't you agree?" She said evenly, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"... That's a lot of bravado ya got there..." Max grumbled,
"... Doesn't make much sense to me, risking getting yourselves hurt on the part of people you don't even know." Droy mumbled,
"... But in the end, I think that's rather admirable of the both of you." Levy murmured, smiling just faintly.
"Foolish..." Carla muttered, "... But kind." Wendy smiled slightly at her friend, nodding slightly in agreement.
"Besides," Iki shrugged, settling the whole of the Fairy Tail Mages with a firm stare. "We ain't gonna take no for an answer. We're gonna help take Death Bolt out, wether or not you want our help." A sudden steely firmness made its way into his teal eyes. Everyone blinked in slight shock,
"So? Will you tell us where Death Bolt is?" Uno asked, paws on her hips as her tail swished behind her a bit.
"Oh, and another note..." Iki said, looking as if he just remembered something. His teal eyes turned toward Carla and Wendy, glinting in too many emotions to place. "... Having heard what happened to Miss Frea... Is she alright?" He asked, his tone soft. Fairy Tail stiffened, Laxus' eyes closed a moment.
"What's it to you..?" Max murmured,
"I'm simply asking." Iki replied calmly, "Its natural for me- being a fellow living creature, and a fellow Mage- to be concerned for Miss Frea's well being." They sweatdropped, "It's a simple question." He added again, more gently.
Fairy Tail stood in assembled silence for a few long moments, trying to let the new interruption and information sink in. It was very hard for them to wrap their heads around what was being told to them- the odd way in which these two had appeared as their odd request. It made little sense for two people with little to no stake in anything that was going on- to be so willing and driven to try and help... It didn't make any sense, as they weren't sure what to do about it.
They felt like they should remain wary and guarded, though it didn't appear that either of the new arrivals meant any harm- but the Guild itself was still tense and on guard from all the things going on, so they hesitated.
"She's heavily wounded, but should be done if given time to rest."
Their heads snapped around toward the new voice, now finally aware that Porlyusica had made her way out of the Infirmary, expression neutral and red eyes trained to the two new arrivals as she's de her way toward the door.
"Granny..." Wendy murmured, eyes wide as she realized they had been listening to both the Exceeds for some time- time enough that the Old Woman had finished her job on Frea.
"The key is resting- which I'm sure she will be opposed to doing." Porlyusica muttered a little hotly, "You two are quite curious, for Members of a different Guild." She pointed out, Iki and Uno sweatdropped slightly.
"We weren't trying to pry..." They started,
"It matters little." Porlyusica cut them off. "You two are hardly any real threat, and it isn't hard to understand you would be concerned."
Fairy Tail around her sweatdropped slightly, hearing the truth in her words- and exchanging glances between them.
"Is she really gonna be ok, Porlyusica?" Warren asked,
"Yes." The Old Woman replied, a little unamused she had to repeat herself. "Just don't let the fool go running off and getting out of bed, got it?" She growled,
"Y-yes, Granny..." The Guild mumbled, nodding slightly. Despite the obvious tension, and the ever present worry- they seemed a little relieved at the confirmation.
Porlyusica growled under her breath, pushing through the crowd and heading toward the door.
"I'll return later, I need to fetch some supplies from my home." She announced, glancing over her shoulder toward Wendy. "Don't try using your Healing Magic anymore, child. Let Frea heal on her own- you've done enough already. And don't let her move around too much- no use in letting her pull any of those stitches out, and reopening wounds."
Wendy nodded slightly, looking serious as the rest of the Guild sweatdropped with slightly wide eyes.
".. Stitches...?"
"Yes, I'll do my best. And keep an eye on her until you get back, Granny."
"I expect there will be plenty of wounds to handle when the rest of those fools return from their battle." Porlyusica murmured, "Expect me then... And hope that idiot doesn't decide to fight with you about staying in the Guild." She sighed, a small vein ticking on her forehead a moment at the thought. "... It's a damned miracle she's stayed this still already..." She murmured to herself, only Wendy with her heightened hearing being able to catch the words.
Though in reality, it didn't surprise the Old Lady too much... The amount of agony that Frea must be in, with the extent of her wounds and the sheer damage... She may not be able to move very well at all, even if she did really try to get moving.
Porlyusica sighed slightly, she had a feeling that leaving now may be a mistake... But she did need more supplies from her home to deal with the injuries she was sure to see when the rest of Fairy Tail returned from Death Bolt.
With that she made her way outside the doors, a few people calling out thanks as she left.
Iki and Uno exchanged small glances with one another, for a moment looking a little uncertain. As if there was something else they meant to say, but they stopped themselves. Laxus narrowed his eyes at the look, he had frown silent as the rest of the Guild talked around him. His eyes narrowed to slits as he crossed his arms over his chest, head tilting slightly as seemingly distracted for a small moment- before his attention turned back toward the two Exceeds in front of him.
"So..." Warren murmured, calling attention back to the two Exceeds.
"You two, you really wanna go and help..?" Macao asked, Iki and Uno nodded firmly.
"Well... I guess there ain't any harm in it." Max mumbled,
"They maybe could use some more help." Levy pointed out,
"Yeah, and you two say you're some serious Mages, right?" Warren asked,
"Yes, we are." They replied in unison.
"Then there isn't any harm in it, we may just appreciate any help you can give." Macao decided,
"Hmm..." Wendy hummed under her breath, head tilting a little as her eyes widened slightly. Carla glanced up at her, eyes narrowed.
"So you'll tell us where Death Bolt is?" Iki asked,
"We should hurry, so we can help out as much as we can." Uno said, the fire of sincere determination in her eyes. For a small moment, many in the Guild wondered why they had been wary- because in that small, split moment- it was clear in the eyes of both Exceeds that they meant no ill will, that they truly wanted to help.
"Yeah, we'll tell ya." Max murmured,
"I should contact Master and the others to let them know you'll be coming." Warren announced,
"Thank you, that'd be good." Iki told him,
"We don't have a definite location... But I can try and narrow it down on a map for you." Levy told them, smiling slightly.
"Thank you." Uno grinned,
"Of course, we should be thanking you for the offer to help." Levy replied,
"uh..." Wendy mumbled, sweatdropping a little more as she glanced over her shoulder, hands to her chest and seeming a little unsure about something.
"What's the matter, Wendy?" Carla asked, noticing the odd behavior.
Laxus' head fell a little as a shadow fell over his eyes and a he tensed a little, frowning a little unhappily.
"Well... Its just..." Wendy started, the murmur of the others in the Guild nearly drowning out her small voice as Iki and Uno raised both their paws- settling the Fairy Tailers with a determined expression.
"We promise to do our best, in effort to aid your members, and to help to save Miss Moon." They promised together, looking absolute. A few of the other members smiled slightly at their determined looks, "You have our word, of the Twin Cougars Guild Masters!"
Bam!
The group all came to a complete stand still at the sudden noise- a flash of white streaming past them as a paper airplane streaming through the air by Magical means suddenly rammed into the back of Laxus' head, sticking in his hair. They stared with wide, whited out eyes- sweatdropping heavily as the Lightning Dragon Slayer's shoulders hunched slightly and a vein ticked on his forehead, lightning cracklings about his person slightly and immediately training the paper airplane into a pile of ash. They leaned back, sweatdropping heavily.
"Wha-?!"
"Where the hell did that come from?!"
"Tch..." Laxus hissed, looking considerably annoyed. "... I heard you.. The first damned time, woman...!" He snapped lowly, to seemingly no one in particular. Wendy was smiling nervously, a bead of sweat dripping down her face and looking flustered at what happened.
Laxus' eyes moved to rest on the both of Iki and Uno, steady and glinting slightly. They looked up to him in slight confusion, the same as the rest if the Guild- who weren't sure what had happened, or where that Paper Airplane had even come from- let alone who Laxus seemed to be talking to.
"You two," he grumbled lowly, "She wants to talk to you, before you go anywhere." He said, his head tilting toward the back of the Guild.
"She...?"
Iki and Uni shared small glances between them, eyes glinting as a sudden look was shared between them- and they slowly nodded to Laxus.
"Lead the way." They invited softly,
Laxus started off, arms still over his chest and looking annoyed as Iki and Uno followed closely- Wendy and Carla falling into step behind them. The rest of the Guild blinked, looking confused as they headed away.
"Huh...?"
"I guess... I'll just... Draw up the map then...?" Levy stammered,
"And I'll... Try to get a hold of Master..." Warren mumbled,
"Wait, what are you talking about?!" Macao called quickly, looking unhappy they had been left out.
Wendy turned to them as Laxus continued to walk away, and smiled nervously.
"Frea was telling us she wanted to talk with Uno and Iki." Wendy explained, "I guess she thought Laxus-San didn't hear her the first time..."
They all blinked, looking shocked as the small group disappeared down the hallway to the Infirmary.
"Wait... She's awake...?!"
"Tch... You didn't need to throw that damned thing at my head." Laxus snapped lowly, stopping inside the door to the Infirmary as his eyes landed on Frea- who was sitting up and hunched over slightly, holding lightly on the arm of her injured shoulder- eyes glinting in unmistakable pain, and annoyance.
She glowered at him a little, a vein ticked on her forehead as she simply stared at him a moment.
She had been paying attention to what she could of the conversation happening inside the Hall- at least, what she could manage through the nearly unbearable pain that had sprouted as Porlyusica worked away- her back and body felt as if it was on fire.
She had nearly immediately become aware that there was something that neither these 'Uno' and 'Iki' characters were saying- something about the nervousness she could feel sparking off the pair that made her wonder... What was it they didn't seem to say out loud to the Guild?
And more over, she had the feeling there was a little more to their interest in wanting to help the Guild save Moon than what they had told of 'duty' and obligation to their fellow Exceed.
So, she had called out not long after Porlyusica had left- knowing full well that Laxus would hear her with his Dragon Slayer ears. And immediately she had become aware that he had been ignoring her- since there had been a lack of an answer. With her patience already running thin, she had sent that enchanted piece of paper- folded it into an airplane- and sent it straight for him. A way to grab his attention more than her voice seemed to be.
"If you hadn't ignored me, I wouldn't have sent it at you." She muttered lowly, silver eyes glinting. She huffed a little, breaking off into a wince as she scrunched her eyes closed to try and stifle it- body tensing in pain.
Her entire torso up to her neck was wrapped up in bandages, and nearly half-way down her arms. She had replaced her shirt, and her legs remained covered by the bed-sheet as she crossed them, not really able to sit up straight as she felt the new stitches across her back pull uncomfortably with it- nor did she really have the energy to, with as exhausted as she was, and the amount of pain she was in- she was having a hard time moving at all.
Wendy, Carla, Uno, and Iki all flinched slightly at the sudden show of pain- the eyes of the two Twin Cougars Members glinting in shock and worry at seeing the state that she was in. Laxus stiffened a little, eyes narrowing and lips pulling into a frown.
"Miss Frea..." Iki and Uno mumbled under their breath, sweatdropping.
"Tch... Whatever." He grumbled, deciding it best not to argue with her- at least for right now.
"Frea... You should be laying down.." Wendy said softly, moving inside the room and toward the bed. Frea's eyes opened a little, glancing toward Wendy as she shook her head slightly, letting out a small, exhausted sigh.
"... Mm... Nah, its fine..." She mumbled, "... I'll be ok for awhile, don't worry about it Wendy."
"Still stubborn as ever I see..." Carla sighed, Laxus silently agreed- though he knew her stubbornness had yet to really flare just yet.
"What the hell did you wanna see these two for anyway?" He grumbled, leaning against the wall just beside the now closed Infirmary door. Wendy took a seat at the end of the bed, sitting on the edge near to Frea and eyes flicking between the Energy Dragon Slayer frequently- Carla remained at the foot of the bed, paws on her hips.
Iki and Uno exchanged glances between them, as Frea's silver eyes switched from him- toward the pair silently.
"I think its more along the lines... Of what didn't they mention to the rest of the Guild?" She murmured, the both if them sweatdropping a little, eyes growing wide at her words. Wendy and Carla blinked in surprise, while Laxus narrowed his eyes. He was faintly shocked Frea managed to pick up on the same thing he did- while being so far away from the two Exceeds when they had been talking.
Like Frea; he had gotten the feeling that Iki and Uno were not telling the full story on why they wanted to help- and the nervous, nearly defeated look that the both of them shared was a clear indicator to that being right.
"What do you mean?" Wendy asked softly,
"... The things we've heard... About how observant and perceptive you are, are clearly very true..." Iki mumbled, eyes narrowed.
"... Its impressive you picked up on it so fast... I was betting you wouldn't figure it out until much later." Uno told her, paws crossing over her chest- the bell on her collar tinkling.
"Well... Honor and duty and responsibility to your own species is all well and good." Frea replied softly, "But it'd take a bit more than just that to be willing to risk your lives for someone you don't know, so it must mean there was something you didn't mention to the rest of the Guild."
"Is this true?" Carla questioned immediately, earning small sighs from the pair.
"Well, yes..." Uno murmured.
"What?" Wendy stammered, "Why wouldn't you tell us?"
"It isn't anything bad, or at least- its not a reason that's gonna threaten your Guild. That's a promise." Iki replied. "Its... Its just that, we didn't think you'd all get it..."
"Get what?" Laxus grumbled,
"Look- as you guys know, there were 100 Eggs sent to EarthLand from Extalia. 100 Eggs spread out around the continent, 100 Exceed's with no ties to family or anyone else they may have belonged to in Extalia." Uno explained, earning a sweatdrop from Carla. "Iki and I- we were found and raised by a man living in the far north- who had found our eggs up high in a tree upon a mountainside. He kept us safe and fed and helped us to learn Magic, we never had any doubt that we were siblings- the resemblance alone is a good indicator, and the fact we were found in the same spot made us believe."
"... That man that raised us, he told us that when he had found our eggs up in that tree- and tried to get to them- there hadn't been just two eggs, there had been three." Iki took over, earning blinks from everyone else. "But by the time he'd climbed the tree, one of the three eggs had fallen out and rolled down the mountain- he couldn't ever find it again."
Frea's eyes narrowed slightly, Wendy and Carla blinked in slight surprise.
"... It doesn't really make much sense, nor does it seem too possible... But, we think that Miss Moon... May be our sister." Iki told them softly, earning shocked looks from everyone else at the words.
"We know it isn't much to go on, but we've been thinking about it quite awhile." Uno cut in, suddenly lifting a paw and pointing at the white marking on her forehead, Iki doing the same thing as a firm gaze passed over their faces.
"She has one of these right?" They said together, "A white marking? And another on the end of her tail?" Frea blinked once, while Wendy and Carla sweatdropped a little.
"We just... Have a feeling, and you were right- we aren't just here for the reasons we gave... We're here, and we want to help because we think... We think Miss Moon may be our sister, we wanna help save and protect her, because Family means a lot to us." Uno told them softly,
"And even if she isn't really, that doesn't change how we feel about trying to help her. We may never know if she's truly related to us- but that burning in our hearts, the want to protect her- that isn't going to go away. Even if she isn't technically Family... We still think she is, and will do the same to help her no matter what." Iki explained, fists clenching slightly.
"... The burning fire in our hearts, to protect out sister, to save our Family. That's why we're here, and that's why we won't back away from wanting to fight Death Bolt." They said together,
"... We just... Didn't know if you would all understand this feeling. The want to protect a sibling." Uno added in, sweatdropping slightly as Frea simply looked at them- eyes calm.
"... We may not have any true relation to the people in the Guild, but we still consider them Family." Carla told them softly, "We do understand that feeling, in our hearts I'd bet it burns just as strongly as it does for you." Both Exceeds blinked in slight shock at the words,
"Everyone in Fairy Tail is Family." Wendy smiled slightly, "And we'd do anything to protect anyone in the Guild." They gazed at them silently, looking a little caught off guard. Frea's eyes remains glued to the two Exceeds a moment longer, before she glanced away, letting out a silent sigh as her eyes fell closed.
"... I understand why you thought we wouldn't get it." The Energy Dragon Slayer said softly, catching their eyes but hers were still closed. "... The people here, we've all grown to know one another really well... We've had time to grow close and love eachother, while you may love Moon... You've never had the chance to meet her, to know her. The thing that drives you is what only true siblings ever really feel, something deep down inside of you that just knows- a burning passion that makes you want to protect your siblings against anything and everything. Undying love... Even if you haven't been allowed time to know a sister or a brother. Even if you've never met them, or had the time to start knowing them... You just do, deep down inside. The true and innate power of siblings, its a powerful thing- and you can't help but feel that way." Iki and Uno's eyes grew wide at the soft words, eyes shinning slightly. Wendy and Carla blinked in slight shock,
Frea's eyes opened slightly, resting on the floor a moment, expression neutral.
"Its that feeling you two have... The sort of undying devotion and deep love only siblings ever really feel at such a level, the feeling only siblings can get, even when they do not know one another." Frea said softly, Iki and Uno stared- nearly captivated by the words, their hearts beating a little faster at the severity of them- and at the true and utter honesty they could hear in Frea's voice.
Wendy and Carla exchanged small glances, quite unsure why Frea seemed so... Sure about it, why she seemed to know so much about such a feeling. It was almost as if...
"You... You...?" Uno stammered,
"... You really, understand that...?" Iki breathed, "Just... By listening to us...?"
"But how could you...?"
Frea's eyes moved up toward them, catching everyone off guard by the sudden flash of pain and true sadness that glinted in her eyes. She smiled, just faintly, looking a little pained at whatever it was that seemed to float through her mind just then.
"Yes, I understand that feeling- a lot better than you can imagine." She replied softly, "Not only can I feel it from the both of you... I've felt it before myself." She smiled a little more, while everyone's eyes widened in slight astonishment. Laxus' eyes narrowed, eyes glinting in question at the sudden way in which her demeanor seemed to have changed, she was much quieter now... And the emotions swirling in her eyes for a small moment, it looked almost to him as if... She seemed to be remembering something. As if her thoughts had suddenly swirled to some long lost and tucked away corner of her memory that was riddled with sadness, sadness that shone in her eyes clearly- but small flashes of happiness too... But she didn't give them time to ask how-?
"And because I know that feeling first hand, I know how much power and strength and dedication can come with it." She smirked slightly, Iki and Uno straightened up a little, looking a little shocked.
"Which is why I'm glad you're here to help. And I'm gonna take you with me to go save Moon." She announced, rather matter of factly. The sureness in her voice caught them all off guard, as Wendy and Carla stiffened in shock and Iki and Uno blinked rapidly in confusion. Laxus' eyes fell closed as he grumbled under his breath a little, not looking thrilled with the affirmation.
"But... Miss Frea...?" Iki started,
"Aren't you supposed to be here, resting..?" Uno finished, both of them sweatdropping.
"Frea!" Wendy said quickly before the Energy Dragon Slayer could reply. "You can't be leaving the Guild! You're too hurt, Granny said if you moved around too much you might reopen your wounds again!"
"You simply cannot! It would be utterly foolish! Or did you forget that Master confined you to the Guild?" Carla said sternly, though in both her and Wendy's was could be seen the apprehension. They knew they had little chance of convincing Frea so easily.
"... I honestly don't care what either Master or Porlyusica say right now." Frea replied lowly, "I'm not about to sit here and twiddle my thumbs for everyone to bring Moon back, I can't wait here." She growled,
"Like I'm letting you go running off with these two." Laxus said lowly, suddenly speaking up as his eyes rest on Frea- expression hard and unflinching. Frea's eyes snapped toward him, her hands resting on her knees as her silver gaze flickered in anger,
"And you're gonna stop me, Lightning boy?" She growled lowly, her voice dripping in the challenge. He simply stared back at her, "Is that the only reason you're here anyway? Because the Old Man ordered you to babysit me?" She frowned, fangs flashing a little in a small snarl. "Good luck with that- their ain't no way in hell I'm sitting on my hands here. I'm going to lay into Death Bolt, whether or not anyone likes it."
"But Frea!" Wendy argued, "You're seriously wounded, you can't be running around- and besides, I bet you can hardly even move! Am I wrong?" Wendy said firmly, eyes suddenly turning hard. Frea glanced her way, looking no less resolute on her decision, though she did sweatdrop a little. "I can see how much effort sitting up is for you, and the amount of pain you're in too. You're in no condition to even be thinking about running off!" the Little Dragon Slayers voice and expression were suprisoingly harsh for someone usually so gentle and calm. For a moment it cuaght them all off gaurd, especially so considering it was Frea that Wendy was talking to in such a way, where she usually wouldn't.
Wendy's hand moved to gesture toward the black crescent moon mark on Frea's arm, eyes glinting in determination and concern.
"You don't even have any Magic," Wendy pointed out.
"Wendy's right, how do you expect to fight anyone without Magic?" Carla questioned seriously, Frea's eyes narrowed as she growled under her breath.
"I'll have you know, I'm very capable of kicking people's asses even without any Magic!" She snapped back, anger bubbling quickly.
"That still doesn't mean we're just gonna let you go running off!" Wendy replied, eyes wide but looking resolute. Frea frowned, looking very unhappy, her fingers digging into her knees slightly as a dark glint came into her eye. It was very clear she wasn't going to take no for an answer, despite the sense they were making, despite her own injuries and the detriment it would be to her own health.
"You really can't just tell me that and expect it to keep me here!" Frea growled lowly, "There is no way in hell I'm staying still... Not when Moon's still out there, and the rest of the Guild are fighting!" It wasn't in her nature to sit still, over anything really and especially not over this. Frea's jaw clenched, feeling her pain beginning to flare again now that she was arguing, but she sweatdropped a little.
There was something wrong, something wrong about the air- it had been getting thicker since she woke up, and it wasn't from her wounds. She had felt this before, this feeling- a sense of urgency, the same sort of sense she had felt just before she had passed out. It was the feeling that there was something very wrong, and it only got stronger the longer she sat there... It put her on edge. It was a dangerous feeling, like something dark and foreboding was... Laying in wait.
More than ever she felt the danger to Moon- and now the members of the Guild who had gone to retrieve her- had grown significantly worse, and she couldn't shake the feeling. All it did was make her agitated, she wanted to get moving now- and her patience was running thin.
"You're not running off by yourself." Laxus told her lowly, she bared her fangs at him- eyes glinting in potent rage. The look on his face made it clear he wasn't about to let her go, and it only pissed her off. She hated that he had been kept at the Guild to keep an eye on her, and she hated that he was refusing to let her go- because with that insane knack he had for pissing her off, her fury just grew more and more at him telling her she wouldn't be going anywhere.
Wendy and Carla sweatdropped, knowing full well that this was about to get violent, they tensed- Uno and Iki glanced quickly between the ever more furious Energy Dragon Slayer as she glared defiantly at Laxus, who stood facing her with a glare of his own, arms crossed over his chest and seemingly looming. It was almost as if you could feel the tension prickling the air between them.
Frea shifted, suddenly standing up from the bed, tilted slightly at an angle as pain flashed across her back and her body- but she refused to wince at it, standing with her fists clenched, body wrapped in the bandages about her torso, arms, shoulder- and a few on her legs, easily seen with the shorts she had on. Several bruises and cuts littered the rest of her bare skin, where there was any, her wrists still darkened and bruised from the chains- her hair falling about her shoulders and face- overshadowing her eyes a little and making them seem to glow. Despite the pain she was in, she didn't show it outwardly- other than the glow of it in her eyes as she glared at him, trembling slightly in rage.
"... Frea..!" Wendy warned as she got up, getting to her own feet.
"You fool...!" Carla growled, floating up next to Wendy's shoulder. Iki and Uno sweatdropped, backing up a little to stand to the side of the line that Laxus' and Frea's gazes made.
"They aren't... Gonna fight... Right...?" Iki mumbled,
"Dunno..." Uno replied softly,
"Try and keep me here all you like, Laxus." Frea growled lowly, eyes burning. "I don't need Magic to beat your ass to a pulp, I'm leaving. There ain't no way in hell you're stopping me." She bared her fangs at him, her anger nearly enough to be potent- even without her Magic, it nearly felt like power began to radiate from her. Her tone dropped dangerously low, almost to the point where her tone seemed... Murderous.
Laxus' head tilted down a little, a shadow over passing his eyes and keeping them from view. "I told you, you're not leaving by yourself. The Old Man told me to do whatever I had to to make sure you stayed safe. Running off on your own sure as hell isn't gonna do that."
"Tch, then you better be ready to stop me!" She snapped coldly, "Making sure I'm there to do wherever it takes to get Moon back means more to me than whatever you say or do, I'm not backing down!"
"... Tch..." Laxus growled,
Everyone in the room stiffened as Laxus suddenly swept forward, crossing the room toward her as his arms uncrossed and his palm opened, filling with a crackling and glowing orb of lightning. Iki and Uno's eyes grew wide, jumping back a little.
"Laxus-San, please don't hurt her...!" Wendy said suddenly, worried that the fight would only end up doing worse things than it needed to. Laxus seemed to ignore it, and just continued to step toward Frea with the orb of Lightning in hand, eyes still shadowed.
Frea tensed, bringing a fist backward, flinching a little as the movement caused pain to flare in her back and shoulder- sweatdropping slightly she braced herself, biting down on her tongue and instinctively grabbing her injured shoulder lightly, eyes scrunching closed a moment without her meaning to. She realized what she was doing nearly immediately, and her eyes snapped open- expecting to see Laxus making his move to keep her still and in the Guild.
"I said you're not running off alone." He grumbled, voice surprisingly calm and low... Exasperated almost.
Frea's eyes widened slightly, seeing he had come to a stop in front of her, expression neutral and eyes calm- as he held his palm out toward her, with the orb of Lightning flickering in it. She stared, her mind immediately unsure as to why all his anger toward her had suddenly seemed to disappear entirely, in fact... She got the feeling he didn't plan to come after her at all... Wha..?
Everyone else blinked in utter confusion, not sure what was going on. Frea sweatdropped a little, eyes fixed to him and anger lost to her confusion.
"The Old Man told me to what I needed in order to keep your dumb-ass safe." He went on evenly, "So I'm not letting you run off by yourself..." He sighed slightly, gaze unflinching.
"Which is why I'm going with you." He said calmly, she stiffened in complete shock- eyes growing a little wider and expression falling blank, eyes glinting. Everyone else reeled back a little, eyes wider than ever.
"Huh?!"
"I'm gonna let you go to Death Bolt, since I know you're gonna be stubborn about it. But I'm coming with you, and making sure you stay out of trouble." He told her, his gaze never wavering as hers didn't either. "But you're gonna need some thing to keep you going, you're half-dead though you don't care- I don't wanna have to drag you around once we're there. So eat it." He said, gesturing toward the Lightning in his hand.
Frea's eyes grew wider, looking absolutely stunned at what he said- because in a million years, she would never have guessed for that to be his answer to the situation. She had expected to have to actually fight the idiot... He wouldn't ever agree to let her do what she wanted, and yet... He freaking just agreed...!
Her eyes narrowed slightly, sweatdropping a little in uncertainty- her eyes never leaving his as she tried her best to understand what he was playing at. He couldn't be just agreeing to let her go to Death Bolt, could he? And to even go so far as to give her some of his Magic to eat... Was he trying to get her to drop her guard long enough for him to knock her out again?
She stayed still a moment, instead focusing on what emotions she could see in his eyes... And found she couldn't place any of them, at all. Nor could she focus enough in her utter shock and confusion to place the ones that may be dancing off of him.
The one thing she was immediately sure of, was the honesty she could hear in his voice. The surety, the resolution... He couldn't be serious? ... Was he..?
"You can't... You can't be serious..?!" Carla gasped,
"Laxus-San, are you really gonna take her to Death Bolt?" Wendy asked, "I thought Master wanted her to stay...?!"
"... What's the catch?" Frea mumbled after awhile, it being the only response she could manage for a long while. She was still trying to understand... What prompted this sudden change in the Lightning Dragon Slayer. He hardly blinked at it, still looking so calm and... Stoic she supposed.
"You're not allowed to go fighting anyone." He said, a firmness creeping into his voice. "The Old Man wants you safe, and fighting anyone isn't gonna keep you safe. Besides, you're in no condition to be going head to head with anyone." Her eyes widened again at the sudden flash in his eyes, was that... Was that worry I just saw...?
N-no way!
"... And what? You think anyone in Death Bolt who sees me is just not gonna try and attack me?" She mumbled lowly,
"They won't touch you." He said simply, she nearly reeled.
She felt her heart jump a little at the simple phrase, her mind racing as she tried her best to understand the sudden turn in events. This was no what she had expected, and certainly not from Laxus. The fact that he was willing to let her to was crazy, the idea that he would only let her go if he came with her was insane... And now he was pretty much saying he wasn't going to let anyone come near enough to fight with her.
Is it because of him trying to keep good on the promise he made to Master to keep an eye on her? If that was the case, he wouldn't be letting her go at all... So what was it then?
Is this... Actual concern? Or is it sympathy? That can't be right... The Lightning Idiot doesn't care that much about me... But, it seemed a little like... Well, protectiveness, when he said he wouldn't let anyone touch her. There had been a matter of fact way he said it- and yet there had been a small edge to his voice, barely noticeable... That's not right, it can't be...
... So why is he telling me this? Offering me this?
Her thoughts and questions swirled as she tried her best to come up with an answer for what he was doing, and every time she tried- she couldn't explain it. She didn't get this at all, didn't understand what he was doing at all... And deep down she hated that.
But even deeper down, she felt something start rising inside of her... Appreciation.
Her gaze softened a little, body relaxing slightly as she cocked a hip, a bead of sweat dripping down her face.
... Why is he being so... Nice to me...? Willing to help me...?
He simply held her questioning gaze steadily, nothing about him not his expression giving any clue as to what he was feeling at all. He was a complete damned mystery... How did he do that?
... What the hell is going through that head of yours, Laxus?
Her eyes glinted slightly, reflecting the golden glow of his a magic still held out toward her. For a few moments time seemed to slow as their gazes held steady, and on his face she saw pure determination. He was serious about what he was offering, and very willing to help her with what she wanted. And he was very serious about keeping her out of harms way too, though he didn't say so out loud. It was just... A feeling she got, when they locked eyes. She felt her heart flutter slightly at a flurry of mixed emotions, her cheeks tinting slightly pink a moment; before she slowly nodded.
"... Yeah, sure. I can go along with that." She murmured, he nodded a little. He handed the Lightning over, as she held it in her hands a moment- them glowing slightly silver a moment despite the Limiter Seal still on her arm. Frea's eyes dropped away from Laxus, to the Magic she held in her hands, still looking a little uneasy, and even slightly flustered.
... Is it possible...?
"You two, can you fly with us both?" Laxus said suddenly, addressing both Iki and Uno- who jumped slightly at the unexpected question.
"Huh? Well... Yes...?" Uno replied,
"Yeah... But, uh..?" Iki mumbled,
"We're not just going to let you all leave!" Carla snapped, a little irritated that they're words had been ignored on not being willing to let Frea leave the Guild Hall.
"Laxus-San, please- you must realize this isn't a good idea." Wendy said, eyes shinning. "Frea really shouldn't leave the Guild..! She's hurt already, traveling will do her no good, moving could reopen wounds." Laxus glanced down toward her, expression neutral.
"Too late to go back on it now." He said evenly, earning a worried look from Wendy.
"But..."
"If you're that worried about it, just come too." He said simply, both Wendy and Carla looked shocked. "You can keep an eye on her dumbass, I'm serious about not letting her fight anyone." He said firmly, almost reassuringly. "But if you're gonna get so worked up, just come with so you can make sure she doesn't overwork herself."
"Well..." Wendy mumbled, looking unsure but she seemed to see she wasn't going to get him to change his mind. She slowly nodded, knowing she'd just have to settle for coming with and sticking close to Frea- since she immediately realized she would have no luck keeping her at the Guild. "... Ok. I'll make sure she doesn't get hurt, and I'll give whatever aid I can- for anyone who needs it."
"... This is a foolish idea." Carla muttered, sighing slightly. "... But, I do suppose... We don't have any other choice." She relented, earning a nod from Laxus. His eyes moved to Iki and Uno,
"So, you alright to fly us there?" He asked again, they exchanged quick glances between them. They were still rather unsure about what had just happened, but after a moment they nodded firmly.
"Yeah. You got it." They replied,
"Good... We'll have to go out the window. The Guild won't be letting us go easy... And I don't wanna have to waste time fighting them." Laxus grumbled,
"Master is not going to be happy..." Wendy mumbled, looking a little worried.
Frea slowly looked up from the Lightning still cradled in her hands, the feel of the warmth and the power dancing against her skin slightly. Her eyes trailed up to look over the small group as Laxus addressed them, before they landed on Laxus himself, sweatdropping and eyes glinting a little,
Is it even a possibility...?
Her eyes narrowed a little,
... That doing this... Letting me go, coming with me.. Giving me some of his Magic...
Her hold around the Lightning tightened a little, eyes glinting a little.
... Is this just something that means to show me.. Laxus cares, in his own way...?
Her heart jumped a little at the thought, a flurry of flustered emotions dancing inside of her a moment, before she smirked, just slightly, almost softly.
I really don't get that idiot... But... I think I kinda do, or at least... I'm starting to anyway.
His eyes moved over to catch her gaze, as he blinked. "What's with the stupid grin? Ya gonna eat it already, so we can get going?" He muttered, a slightly annoyed tone making its way into his voice as a bit of the Laxus she was so used to surfaced again.
She smirked, "Oh shut it, Lightning-for-Brains." She shot back, earning an unamused look from him- as she tipped her head back, and chomped down on the orb of lightning whole. She sighed slightly at the unbearably pleasant taste and the warmth and strength that spread through her as it traveled down her throat, immediately feeling her pain lessen, and her exhaustion wear off a little.
She's remember this, for a long time.. What he was doing. She wondered if he realized she wouldn't be forgetting it, that she'd hold on to it...
"Alright, lets go." She smirked,
... Hmm... I guess I can appreciate some of the things that bull-headed, arrogant, fool-hardy bastard does. Sometimes he really isn't all that bad...
Who'd have guessed?
"Oh, its been a long time- hasn't it, boy?"
Chase's head snapped around at the sudden voice, fists clenched in immediate anger and eyes flashing furiously. He recognized this Energy Signature with little issue- and feeling it made his blood boil fiery hot under his skin.
"Tomaru!" He snapped lowly, blue gaze resting on the man as he balanced atop and overhanging beam.
In their running through the tunnels of Death Bolt, and tearing their way through the waves of Black Wizards trying to halt and kill them, the teams following Chase and Natsu had erupted on opposite ends of a large atrium- to which they had met nearly 300 or so Mages looking to take them on, and now Fairy Tail and Death Bolt clashed furiously against one another.
Where it was the group following Gajeel was, they hadn't a clue. But guessing from the rumblings somewhere below their feet, they guessed that they were engaged in a battle just as furious as the one they are in now.
Chase growled under his breath, wincing slightly at a wave of pain passing over his body, and he sweatdropped a little. Fairy Tail had been making considerable progress against Death Bolt, but they had her fighting for a long time now- and it was true these Mages were dangerous, and not to be trifled with lightly. Though they were seemingly winning, they were still getting hurt, several times over and it was beginning to wear on them the longer they continued to fight- this battle was not easy, and it sure as hell wasn't getting any easier. Many of the Fairy Tailers were already wounded, not severely no- but enough, and they only continued to take hits the longer they were there.
They had yet to face Tomaru, or even this 'Darkness' that Jynx had warned them about- and many of them were beginning to worry how long they could last if this war lasted much longer, they were growing exhausted, and their Magic wouldn't last forever...
"Tomaru?" Natsu growled, hearing the name as he threw a Mage away with a solid punch to the face, and came to an immediate halt. His onyx gaze picked out Chase, before finding Tomaru himself, fists clenched and fire erupting around him as he moved over. "So that's him, huh?"
"That's the bastard who started all this?" Gray growled, also immediately catching on to the name in the midsts of the fighting.
"Don't look like much to me." Solana growled lowly, Tomaru smiled, eyes glinting at the furious flares that were suddenly set on him.
"What?!" Gajeel snapped across the Telepathic Link. "Why do you idiots get to lay into him?!"
"If you were here, Iron-Head, you'd be able to get a piece out of him." Natsu replied lowly, knuckles cracking.
"That's bull-shit! You're gonna get all the fun!"
"This really isn't something to be arguing over." Erza said firmly, "And you four- don't underestimate the man, he did defeat Frea. He's a force to be reckoned with."
Tomaru smirked, head tilting slightly as he held an arm out and a sword materialized in his hand.
"You should listen to Titania." He said, catching them off guard. "And, if its any consolation- Black Steel." They sweatdropped, sudden hearing the words go through their heads- Gajeel stiffened. "You'll be plenty busy at the hands of one of my best Mages- who did help me steal our precious kitty back."
"Shut it you damned bastard!"
The fact that Tomaru could listen in on their Telepathic Link shocked them- but it wasn't entirely unexpected, seeing as how he had used Telepathy back on Tenrou.
Tomaru grinned evilly, "So- you two, Salamander and the Ice-Mage... I hear you were part of the Rescue Mission that ended in my Partner's demise." He muttered, Gray and Natsu blinked in slight shock and question, while Chase just growled. "Same thing with you, Blondie." Tomaru murmured, his eyes trailing toward Lucy- who stiffened when he addressed her.
"... Partner...?" Juvia mumbled softly, eyes glinting from where she stood close to Gray.
"Titania as well." Tomaru growled. "Pity you aren't here to pay for your interference back then... I trust the Flash of Death will have to suffice for you." Erza stiffened, eyes narrowing at the threat.
"What Partner?!" Natsu snapped,
"Yeah, what the hell are you talking about?!" Gray hissed,
Tomaru crouched, elbows resting on his knees as he glanced down at them, eyes filled with sudden hate and anger.
"I'm surprised, I realize you never properly met one another... But to not have heard about it?" Tomaru muttered, before he smirked darkly. "... Well, perhaps I'm not so surprised it was never mentioned... I expect the Shade Demon never liked to talk about it, the things that my dear Partner must have done to her in her time..." He grinned, Natsu, Lucy and Gray stiffened a little.
"... I realize it was haunting, terrifying... Though the Shade Demon would never have let any of you see that, hmm?"
"Shut your damn mouth, Tomaru!" Chase shouted, his anger rising by the moment.
"... His old Partner...?" Lucy mumbled,
"... It wasn't... Her, was it..?" Gray muttered lowly,
"Kasumi...?" Natsu growled, eyes burning.
"Ah. And there you have it..." Tomaru growled, we glinting darkly. "I've repaid the Shade Demon for what she did to her, and now I have you to play with, eh?"
They all stiffened as Tomaru suddenly disappeared from where had as been crouched on the rafter, Chase's eyes grew wide on disbelief.
Tomaru is a hell of a lot faster than he used to be..!
"Stone Sword: Flurry Bombs!"
They felt the small concentrated blasts begin to erupt all around them before they had any time to react- but before the blasts could make contact with the Fairy Tailers standing against Tomaru- an arc of white flashed about them, surrounded in darker blue.
"Full-moon: Ward!"
A massive Wall of white erupted about them, falling into the ground with a crash as Dark blue swirled above them- fending off the explosions and cracking a little where it was hit. The wall was nearly the size of the Guild Hall itself, and their eyes snapped around to see who had placed it in a moments time- seemingly anticipating Tomaru's attack to where she had been the fastest to react.
Natsu, Gray, Cana, Bixlow, Freed and Juvia stared in shock- they hadn't ever really seen Aisha use her Magic before, and seeing it now.. They could tell she was very powerful. Gildarts and Master, who continued to blow away Mages on the other end of the hall simply glanced back, eyes narrowed.
"Quite the Mage, isn't she...?" Gildarts murmured to the Old Man.
"Indeed..."
Solana frowned slightly at the cracks appearing across her sister's shield, and seeing the effort it took out of her to cast it- because being down here in these tunnels, it was hard on the both of them.
For two people who drew their power from the two Celestial Powers in the sky- being underground and detached from it with no sense to whether it was day of night was very hard on them. They weren't able to draw power from their Cosmic Powers, and were feeling rather drained and groggy for it. It was clear that erecting that Warding Spell had taken a lot of effort to do, and she growled a little.
If only we could see the damned sky... I hate being underground...
"Thanks, Aisha!" Natsu grinned, just as Aisha allowed her Spell to fade, breathing a little harshly.
"We owe you one." Gray smirked,
"Juvia agrees." Juvia murmured, with a nod to her.
"Shut it and just kick his ass already!" She snapped back lowly, though not very angrily.
"You ok?" Chase asked immediately, seeing the weariness on her face and the way her breathing had grown hard- he felt her Magic wasn't very strong anymore either. It had been getting worse the farther they traveled in, which he knew was because they were underground- Aisha's power was waning and it was getting harder for her to fight, though she didn't seem to care.
"Yeah." She muttered, taking in a breath.
"Impressive!" Their eyes snapped toward Tomaru, who stood before them suddenly, sword resting on his shoulder. "I think I have heard of you!" He said, his eyes landing on Aisha- who frowned, glaring slightly. "Quite a bit of things actually, a great and powerful Wizard renowned in a small country near to Fiore... Adgnei, was it?" Aisha growled under her breath, Chase blinked in slight shock- his eyes snapping toward her.
"Mistress of the Moon?" Tomaru smiled, Aisha's eyes flashed angrily.
"Screw you." She snapped lowly.
"Enough talking, we're here to kick your ass- not have a conversation!" Solana's voice suddenly rose up, suddenly jumping through the air toward Tomaru, who glanced up at her in slight surprise.
"Sun Dragon Wing Slash!"
She flipped in air, orange and yellow flaring about her and crashing down on Tomaru's head- the air shaking from the force, she landed on her feet a bit away from where he had been- frowning profusely to see he had managed to move.
"Oh! What a treat!" He laughed, "Not only the Mistress of the Moon- but the Sun-eater as well! The fiery Dragon that spent years destroying Dark Guilds all on her own!" Solana's green eyes glinted in slight fury,
"Seems like they both made a name for themselves, huh?" Gray smirked,
"Just goes to show how awesome they are!" Natsu smiled, "But we better not get left in the dust!"
"Right." Gray smiled, Chase's eyes narrowed, arms raising as he fixed his gaze on Tomaru, Solana's fists clenched, all of them now circling the man slightly. To air simply grinned at them and their angry expressions. Freed and Bixlow backed off with Cana, driving back the other Mages and giving the group behind them room to deal with Tomaru alone.
"Get ready to get your ass beat!"
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"Ice Make: Arrows!"
"Water Slicer!"
"Sun Dragon's Roar!"
Chase and Aisha stepped uptogther, their Magic blazing about them as their hand swung forward at once, Magic blazing.
"Energy Beam!"
"Moonlight Beams!"
All the Magics swung out toward Tomaru in a giant wave, several of them converging and spinning into a tornado of several colors. The atrium shook violently with the force of the spells, the ground thrown up and the spot in which Tomaru had been standing suddenly a giant crater-
Chase's eyes snapped upward, immediately feeling Tomaru's Energy Signature above them- eyes narrowing once he realized they would need to be faster, Tomaru was nearly too fast for them.
"Ricochet Shield!" He snapped lowly, the pale blue wall erecting in front of him and Aisha as Tomaru appeared before them and swung his sword out- the edge catching the wall- as all force he put into the attack suddenly bounced back at him, sending him reeling backwards in slight surprise.
"Sun Dragon Iron Fist!" Solana growled, her fists swinging around with insane speed as she appeared behind the man, he whipped about- his sword raising as her fist made contact with it- and again he was sent skidding backward in a sudden burst of orange and yellow Magic, his eyes glittered when he saw small hairline cracks appear across the Weapon's surface. Solana's green gaze glittered, smirking toothily once she saw the weapon fracture a little.
"Stone Sword: Explosion!" He snapped, the blade enveloped in grey Magic as it detonated around him and the Sun Dragon Slayer- who was thrown away, flipping in mid air as she landed in a crouch, sliding back a little and growling as she held her arm- it breaking away into bits of wispy golden haze.
"Solana!" Loke and Lucy shouted,
"I'm fine." She muttered,
"Moonlight Rays- Strike Storm!" Aisha snapped, dozens of streams of white and dark blue hurtling toward Tomaru in an instant, he jumped back, avoiding the first ones as they destroyed the ground- and e swung out with his sword, slicing through a few- causing them to explode on contact, and he hissed as he hit the ground from the back lash.
"Little brats." Tomaru grumbled, getting to his feet immediately. "Think it's gonna be that easy? I'm not Guild Master for nothing." Tomaru growled, raising his sword before him slowly as it's grey Magic began to blaze wildly.
"Stone Sword: Cyclone."
Everyone around them let out shouts of pain as razor sharp wind rammed into them, sending many of them flying across the room, their skin cutting and clothes tearing as they hit the ground hard and slid back, no chance of blocking the attack or moving out of the way. Many of them struggled to their feet, eyes snapping up to seek out Tomaru- only to find he wasn't anywhere close, and they couldn't see him at all.
"Wha-?!" Several of them started, before Gray stiffened- Tomaru appearing in front of him in a blur, leg swinging around to catch the Ice Mage across the side and send him flying.
"Gray!" Juvia shouted, her eyes wide, before Tomaru moved quickly- flashing between the lot of them, sending them all skidding to the ground with precise, intense hits, their yells of pain ringing around the hall. He moved too fast to see his movements, kicking and growing and punching and slamming them all away- this way and that in rapid succession, their clothes all. Fatter and skin becoming bruised and bloodied- bones aching and heads spinning from the sudden intense beat down- they hadn't a chance to try and block nor defend against the hits, he was going too fast.
"Damn it!" Natsu growled, on one knee and wiping away blood from the corner of his mouth.
"This guy's seriously fast..!" Gray growled,
"We can't even see him moving..!" Lucy coughed, Loke beside her, eyes glinting.
"We don't really stand a chance if we can't move as fast as he does.." Loke grumbled,
"Or if we don't slow him down somehow..." Solana grumbled, getting to her feet, green eyes scanning around as she waited for Tomaru to make his next move.
Chase helped to pull Aisha to her feet, his body aching from the swift beating Tomaru had placed on them- seeing the man now standing in the rafters above their heads, smiling wickedly.
"They're right..." Chase mumbled lowly, "Tomaru's faster than he used to be... Unless we speed up- or find a way to slow him down, even with all our Magic between us we won't stand much of a chance..."
"... Question is how, to slow him down...?" Aisha mumbled, breaking off to wince a little, holding her arm as he saw it begin to bruise darkly. He sweatdropped a little at seeing the pain flash in her eyes, and at the ragged state she was in already. Aisha had taken more than a few good hits since coming into these tunnels, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't concerned.
Chase's eyes moved from her toward where Tomaru stood, sweatdropping a little and eyes narrowing. For a minute he wished he was nearly as good as Frea was with Spell Creation and coming up with new moves... He hadn't nearly as many moves in his arsenal as she did, and at the moment- he was at a near loss on what to do about Tomaru.
He figured if he could manage to catch him, it might keep him from moving too much... But it wouldn't keep him from being too fast for any of them to land a blow. His eyes narrowed a little more,
I wonder... If he'd fall for the same Spell... Twice...?
His eyes fell closed a moment, Aisha glanced his way- eyes glinting and looking a little confused at the sudden pondering look he seemed to have. She wasn't sure what as going through his head at that moment... But he seemed to be deep in thought.
"... I might have an idea." Chase told her quietly, his blue gaze resting on her calmly. "You're gonna have to keep him busy though, alright?" She blinked, eyes narrowing at him a moment.
She of course knew Chase had managed to defeat this guy at one point- though as far as she knew, he had already been wounded at the time. She wondered what was going through his head in that moment, especially being able to see that firm look on his face- it was the look someone held when they were brewing up a plan, a good one at that.
She nodded slightly, deciding it better to trust him than to question him for now. "He won't be paying any attention to you." She said lowly, and Chase nodded.
Aisha moved away quickly, as Chase jumped back a few paces, eyes glinting as he suddenly crouched, placing a hand to the floor and eyes closing.
Aisha held a hand out, fingers curling slightly behind her as her Magic flared- and the dim of the atrium suddenly lit up with dark blue and white. Tomaru's gaze flicked to her as she started moving, eyes narrowing.
"My dear Mistress of the Moon, surely you know you have no chance of hitting me?" He called down, her eyes burned in sudden anger. Everyone around them blinked in slight shock to see her moving so quickly, before they stiffened and started to- Tomaru noticed all of them getting ready. "What do you plan to do?" He asked, "Waste all your Magic, throwing it at me to no avail?"
"We're gonna kick your ass!" Natsu snapped back, fire erupting about him. Aisha moved straight in front of the spot in which Tomaru stood over their heads, her Magic blazing about her furiously- her hand reaching back a little as she stopped, her purple eyes locked to Tomaru- who frowned a little at her, easily able to feel her Magical Pressure rising suddenly.
"Moonlight-Make:" Aisha growled, catching everyone off guard by the sudden words, Gray stared- knowing precisely the sort of Moonlight Magic she using at the moment, and shocked because he hadn't been aware she could use it.
MoonLight Magic consisted on Maker Magic too?!
"Is that... Maker Magic...?!" Juvia stammered slightly, eyes wide.
Aisha's hand behind her swept forward, up toward Tomaru where he stood- her Magic streaming from each of her fingers in sudden insane speed.
"Lunar Beasts!"
Glowing dark blue and white light engulfed the areas as her Magic swirled and formed into the figures of dozens of animal-like figures, furious animalistic roars and shrieks filling the air as they launched through the air toward a very shocked Tomaru with so much speed they were nearly as fast as he was. He stiffened, faltering slightly at the sudden waves of power he could feel- eyes growing wide as the space he stood suddenly fell to large booms and howls, light engulfing everything and making the air shake.
"Holy crap!" Natsu stammered, eyes wide.
"That's Maker Magic all right..." Gray mumbled,
"That... Was really impressive..." Lucy murmured, not far from her Solana smirked slightly.
"That's my baby sister for ya!" The Sun Dragon Slayer grinned, her fists clenching as orange and yellow flared about her. "But hell if I'm letting the moon show the sun up!" Aisha glanced backward toward her sister a moment, looking a little less than thrilled her sibling had taken it as a chance to compete with her.
Tomaru broke through the cloud that had risen up, clutching on to his sword and arm bleeding from several long scores down his skin. Solana's gaze locked on to the man the moment he was visible again, just as everyone else saw him- and the Sun Dragon's Magic flared about her highly, her arms lifting and palms open toward him, yellow spiraling about her arms and bright orbs of fiery orange and yellow swirling before her hands
"Sun Dragon's Cosmic Photon Cannons!" She snapped, smiling all the while as dozens upon dozens of compact glowing orbs of incredible power suddenly launched out toward Tomaru with a successive boom- ramming into the man and the space around him, burning holes in walls and dealing through stone- exploding on impact and sending a wave of pure heat through the atrium, Solana's hair sticking on end a little and tinged or age near the ends a moment. Tomaru let out a shout of pain, not being able to dodge as he was falling through the air.
"Awesome!" Natsu grinned, rushing forward with Gray in tow.
"Splendid, Solana!" Lucy smiled, eyes gleaming, Solana gave her a small smirk in response, her Magic fading. "Solana really is one powerful key.." Lucy mumbled, smiling faintly.
"What else would you expect, from a Dragon Slayer and a Cosmic Soul?" Loke replied with his own smile, "It isn't often a Key made via a GateSentry is so powerful... Solana easily rivals the Gold Keys." Lucy nodded, fists clenching.
"Yeah." She agreed, eyes shinning. "Come on! We can't let all of them have all the fun!" Lucy grinned at him, her hand moving to flare out her whip, and he smirked.
"As you wish," he replied, the both of them rushing forward as Natsu and Gray did the same, Juvia following closely.
Tomaru landed back on the ground, now scorched and burned to add to the scores across his arm from what Aisha's Magic had done to him. He frowned profusely, his gaze snapping toward the incoming Wizards immediately. He swung his sword out, waves of blazing grey streaming brought the air toward them.
"Ice-Make: Wall!" Gray snapped, hand slamming into his fist as a wall of ice appeared in front of them, meeting the waves of Magic head in as they jumped over it, still advancing.
"Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" Natsu snapped, jumping into the air and sending a flurry of flame down toward Tomaru- who barely missed it.
He tried to move, only to be slammed into his back by Lucy's whip- sending him skidding forward, right into the hammer made of Ice that Gray swung toward him, and stumbling back again at the wash of water ramming into him painfully from an attack from Juvia.
He coughed out in pain, skidding backward, sword still in hand and eyes glinting angrily.
"Regulus: Punch!" Loke's fist swung forward as he appeared behind Tomaru, catching the man across the face and sending him forward, whipping about at the last second and swinging his sword with him- Loke's eyes went wide at the blade, there being no room to move out of the way.
"Sun Dragon Wing Shield!
Flickering red, orange and yellow magic flared up around Loke as it shifted to look like great wings; and they wrapped around Loke- who's eyes widened in utter shock as Tomaru's sword bounced off the Magic. Loke glanced back, seeing Solana behind him with her hand held toward him, eyes narrowed in concentration. The Spell faded and he jumped backward, landing beside his fellow spirit with a nod to her.
"Thanks for that." He said softly, and she nodded, breathing rather hard now and looking worn out. "You ok?" He asked,
"Yeah... I'm just not really used to using so many Spells..." She told him in between her panting. His eye glittered a little, knowing full well Solana wasn't a person with a lot of Magic Energy to begin with- using Spells took a lot out of her, she was better at hand to hand combat than anything. And seeing how long she had remained here in this world, she must be pretty drained- and wondered if she was relying on Lucy's power to stay around now... He figured she was, and knew though Lucy was exceptionally strong, not even the blonde could keep a Spirit in the Human World for a very long time.
"You're all annoying!" Tomaru shouted furiously. His Magic flared about him, knocking them backward with a powerful that of pure force. His Magic rose about him, glowing wildly. "Stone Sword: Ground Sha-!"
He was cut off along with his Spell when five light blue Magic Circles appeared around him in the floor, lines appearing between them to form the shape. Tomaru's eyes snapped down toward them- his Spell dying in his tongue as his eyes widened, looking suddenly furious and perhaps even a little concerned. Just at that moment he realized he hadn't seen Chase moving to attack him like the rest had.
"Energy Pentagon: Activate!" Chase snapped, standing not far off with his hand together and another Magic Cricle between them. "Strike, One, Two, Three, Four!" He snapped, the streams of Energy rising up and ramming into Tomaru with immense force, sending him off balance and tearing skin.
Tomaru sliced his sword across the floor, tearing through the Magic Circles- causing them to explode as he jumped up toward the rafters above their heads. Chase smirked slightly, hands coming apart as he snapped his fingers.
"Energy Fall."
A large wall of pale blue erected across the rafters, blocking Tomaru from jumping onto them- and suddenly bending to slam down into the man with incredible force, flowing down over him like a great wave pouring over their heads.
Tomaru slammed into the ground hard enough to make the ground shatter and shake around him, letting out a yell of pain and blood sprinting into the air as he coughed it up. He slowly sat up, trembling with effort and rage, his sword lifting over his head before anyone else could try and send an attack his way.
"Stone Sword... Cyclone Fury...!"
Grey Magic streamed out across the atrium, the win bursting into hundreds of hurricanes spotting razor sharp wind, the Fairy Tailers around him let out shouts of pain- hundreds of waves of wind shredding their bodies.
"Brats!"
Makarov's enlarged hands came down, cupping around Lucy, Loke, Solana, Juvia, Natsu and Gray- all of which who had been standing close together when Tomaru let the attack loose. Makarov crouched behind them in his Titan form, eyes scrunched closed as he held against the torrent of wind, his skin being cut and clothes torn from the wind, trying his beat not to budge against the invisible blades tearing out at him.
"Gramps...!" Natsu and Gray mumbled, looking up at the Old Man. Freed, Cana, Bixlow stood behind Gildarts- whose hand rest against a Crash Wall in front of him, holding the wind at bay. The other Mages of Death Bolt who had been in the hall were frown by their own Master's Magic hitting the ground and being torn to shreds, many of them didn't get back up not move again.
"Master?!" Erza's voice rang in their heads,
"Hey! What's going on?!" Gajeel snapped,
Chase and Aisha were thrown back, being in the opposite side of the hall from everyone else. Chase hissed, hands swiping forward to place an Energy Shield in between Aisha and himself and the wind. He hit the ground skidding backward, hearing Aisha hit the ground with a thud behind him. He sweatdropped at hearing the familiar sound of cracking, the Energy Shield beginning to shatter.
He crouched on his knees, a pale blue Ricochet Dome appearing around himself and his Partner, growling and shaking with the effort of keeping the razor sharp blades of wind at bay as it bounced against his dome, bouncing back into the sudden flurry and coming back again with more force.
"You really thought you could defeat me so easily, boy?!" Tomaru's voice rose above the sound of the wind, moving toward where he and Aisha were, eyes glinting madly and sword raised, moving through the wind without hinderance. "That Spell may have worked 7 years ago, but I am on a different level now- its something you and your damned teacher don't seem to understand!" Chase stiffened, "The light side of Magic may grow stronger, but it will never grown as fast nor be as powerful as the Dark side. Look at you all, even with all of you together you're still unable to beat me." His angry glare turned into an evil, twisted grin. He held his sword out to his side, the wind never ceasing and only growing stronger around them. Chase's heart dropped to feel Tomaru's Power grow to an all time high, waves of it radiating from the man, it was nearly stifling.
"Stone Sword: Rapid Strikes."
A massive wave of Magic washed out toward them, turning into finely pointed bursts of Magic that tore through his shield nearly too easily. The swirling jagged grey of the Magic came toward them in small thin streams of pure power, ramming into their bodies and breaking and beating skin as both he and Aisha yelled out in pain, being blown backward again as not only the new attack but still the flurry of wind battered them. They were separated, Chase skidding backward and struggling to stay in his feet as he let his Magic move up around him wildly, trying to fend of the attacks.
"Chase! Aisha!" They heard the other Fairy Tail members shout, before Master was pushed back- his grip on his Members not failing as he skidded backward, ramming into a wall as Tomaru sent the same attack at him- the Old Man kept them safe in his grasp, taking the Spell full on. "Gramps!"
Aisha smashed into the far wall with a yell of agony, falling to her knees and trying to put up a shield, her Magic imploding several times as she keep trying, and them it failed all together, and she fell forward as a wave of dizziness and exhaustion suddenly flowed from her and rammed into him, eyes glinting in pain and silver hair falling about her bruised and bloodied shoulders.
"Aisha!" Chase yelled, eyes wide to see how exhausted she seemed all the sudden- she must have been being drained faster than he had imagined.
"Light Mages never really win in the end." Tomaru went on, earning a heated stare from Chase- who quite frankly, despised listening to his Dark Mage supremacy lectures. But in his body he felt a burning begin, a rage-
"I've taken your mentor from you." Tomaru smiled at him, the wind never letting up even as the Spell faded. "I will take your Guild... But first, how about Mistress of the Moon?" He grinned darkly, Chase's eyes blazed. "You seem to care for her, fitting I think- to watch me kill her before your very eyes!"
"Don't you dare, you damned bastard!" Chase yelled, just as Tomaru's sights fell on Aisha- his sword lifting and pointing in her direction, the Moonlight Mage still on the floor, eyes dulled a little from exhaustion, she struggled to sit up- leaning against the wall for support, blood dripping from the edge of her mouth slowly.
"Stone Sword: Explosive Blast."
A huge orb of wildly spinning grey Magic streamed out toward Aisha, who blinked in shock and slight fear- knowing her body wouldn't let her move, nor would the wind continually buffeting her body. The sheer amour of power coming from the attack was nearly chocking, waves of it radiating around the atrium and rushing trough the bodies of everyone around it- nearly making their hearts atop.
"Aisha!" Several people yelled,
"Damn it!" Gildarts snapped, about to move forward- but he knew it was too late to do anything, he couldn't get over there fast enough.
"Shit!" Cana growled,
"That blast may kill her..!" Freed stammered,
"Goodbye, Mistress of the Moon." Tomaru smiled darkly,
"Aisha!" Solana yelled, eyes wide and glittering in sheer panic at seeing her sister about to be lost to her again.
Aisha's legs nearly gave out as she tried to move, she really hadn't been all that fine when Chase had asked earlier. She wasn't used to being underground like this for any reason at all, and she was feeling considerably weak being cut off from the sky like this. The extended fighting and the amount of damage she had taken- with the large amount of Magic Energy she had used wasn't helping.
Her body wasn't listening to her anymore, after the beating Tomaru had given her. She was in no small
amount of pain and hand the strength to move out of the way now- nor to erect a shield. Her purple gaze glittered, before he shut her eyes, black dancing across her vision suddenly at a bout of lightheadedness. She was resilient, but even she could not take so much. That Rapid Strikes Spell had done quite the number on her.
Damn it... So it is a Dark Guild that'll be the death of me... She could feel the heat of the Explosion now as it neared her.
"No you don't!"
Her eyes snapped open, widening in utter shock and slight astonishment. How did he...?!
Chase had appeared next to her, his arms sweeping up from behind him as he stepped in front of her from her right, a wave of concentrated pale blue Energy Magic washed forward along side him like a fast flowing river- it rammed into the side of the incoming grey of Tomaru's Magic. Chase's right arm followed the movement of his Magic as he turned toward her slightly, the Explosive Magic catching across his arm and tearing it up, he turned his back to Magic as he stifled his yell of pain and suddenly pressed her up against the wall behind her. His arms hit the wall behind her, keeping her locked in place as his eyes scrunched closed as the backlash of whatever Magic his own couldn't push away tore away at his back- he stayed where he was, keeping her from the Magic and jaw clenched in pain.
The river of pale blue managed to sweep most of Tomaru's Magic away, and it crashed down away from them, the explosion causing the air and the floor to shake violently. Chase panted, still firmly planted in front of her, his tank top shredded- fell to the floor at their feet, steam rising from his body at the cuts and veins he received across his back and shoulders.
Crimson spilled from the numerous deep tears scoring across his right arm, the droplets hitting her shirt and running down her arm, her eyes never leaving him as he stood there panting, his head lowered a little and eyes closed. Her eyes glinted, wide and hardly able to process what just happened- the feel of his blood dropping against her shoulder and arm managed to snap her from shocked stupor.
"What the... What the hell are you doing...?!" She stammered lowly. "... You... You idiot... Why... Why did you do that..!?" She flinched when he hissed in pain, suddenly his forehead leaned against her own and a small smile spread across his lips. She blinked, still trapped by his arms pressing against the wall behind her- and face heating up a little at such close contact, eyes shinning a little and heart pounding in nervousness, and worry. She hated seeing him hurt like this... They were no minor wounds, and he only got hurt because he jumped in front of her.
He chuckled slightly, lowly- earning a small grunt of pain as agony flared across his back at it.
"Ah... Don't be so angry about it," he murmured. She blinked, "... Its just, what else was I supposed to do? I can't let you get hurt or killed by that bastard... We're Partners, that means I look out for you no matter what, Aisha." A few more drops of his blood fell on to her shoulder, dripping down her chest and streaking trough the blue Fairy Tail Mark on her skin. "... Besides... I did make a promise. I promised I wasn't gonna let any Dark Guild, or any Dark Mage hurt you badly ever again." Her eyes widened, taking in a small breath of shock.
"You... What...?" She stammered, he chuckled again and winced. How can he still be laughing? Smiling even?!
His smiled grew a little wider and his eyes cracked open, his bangs mixing with hers as their foreheads remained pressed together, his deep blue gaze sparkling with pain, sincerity... And... And caring.
"I didn't say it to you, no." He replied, "But I promised myself that, just after we started working with one another. I always guessed you'd had a bad way with that Dark Guild that destroyed your home, and I could always feel the pain and the sadness in you when you thought about it... I don't like feeling that from you, so I promised to never let any Dark Guilds or Mages make you feel that way again. We're Partners, we're friends... And though you may be stubborn, and a hot-head and a little hard to get along with... I still do care for you. And I protect those people I care for, no matter what." He smiled a little bit more, while her eyes just kept growing wider, and shinning more. "Aisha... I'd do anything to keep you safe. Just remember that ok, before you get pissed at me for this, ok?" He smiled and she just stared.
There was a deep and profound sense of honesty about him, she knew he truly meant the things he said... And though he had said some of this before, hearing of the promise he made... It shocked her.
He did this, let himself get hurt. He could have died, and he did it be used he wanted to protect her? To make good on the promise he made?
She suddenly realized he must have guessed at her past with Dark Guilds a long time ago, though he had never questioned it until that day. He'd been silently keeping an eye on her, making sure she was ok without prying into it- he had cared for her enough to notice the pain and sadness she felt when thinking back to her past, and he cared enough to hate feeling any of those negative emotions from her...
... She... She never knew... He cared that deeply... She felt her heart flutter, before it plummeted to her stomach to see him stiffen in pain, their locked gazes breaking away as she hit down on his tongue, body growing rigid in undeniable pain.
"Chase...!" She murmured quickly, her hands moving up to rest against him in case he started to sway, eyes wide and glinting, sweatdropping heavily.
He broke a small, slightly teasing smile at her, one eye cracking up to land on her as he pulled their foreheads apart. "Hehe... Worried about me?" He asked, though he honestly didn't need to- he could feel the worry coming off of her in waves. Her eyes narrowed at him in slight anger for his joking, it didn't faze him though.
"Shut it." She growled, he smiled and pulled away, clutching to his heavily bleeding arm and stepping to the side a little. His eyes rest in her a moment, a sea of calm, serene pale blue- shinning in so many different emotions she couldn't even begin to place them.
She sweatdropped a little, eyes narrowing slightly as she just looked him over a minute, eyes sparkling.
"How did you manage that, boy?" They both stiffened slightly to hear Tomaru's voice next. Aisha's gaze snapped past Chase to see the man standing where he had been, eyes glinting in cold fury, a sneer pulling at his lips. Chase's eyes narrowed, glancing around his shoulder toward the man.
Master Makarov let go of those he had been holding on to, shrinking back down and cut and bruised all over, looking considerably worse for wear though he stayed standing.
Solana's green eyes glinted, looking straight toward her sister to see she was still left standing and no worse for wear than should have been expected- before her gaze, a lot with everyone else's landed on Chase- who, even from where they were standing, they could see had taken considerable damage from that attack.
"Bastard..." Natsu hissed, first clenching a little.
"Are you two alright?!" Lucy called quickly, eyes wide and worried.
"Just fine." Chase answered easily, turning toward Tomaru and his eyes never leaving the man. Aisha's eyes snapped toward the Energy Mage, sweatdropping a little at what was clearly a lie- he was not alright. And as he turned his back on her, she felt her heart clench painfully at the wounds stretching across his back, and more specifically the amount of blood dripping from the arm that had taken most of the brunt of the attack.
Chase's eyes locked to Tomaru, who glared back darkly. Chase's blue gaze sparkled in rising fury- pure anger and raw hatred that nobody would have ever see from him- Chase never glared at anyone as darkly as he was to Tomaru just now, his lips pulled into a snarl and Aisha stiffened.
Chase's Power was thickening around her, waves of it radiating around him, and pale blue swirling about his feet almost wildly. She felt the immensity of his Magical Pressure suddenly ran into her, almost as if she had been pushed up against the wall behind her again by invisible hands- her hair started to shift on it own as did Chase's as his Magic rose around him, turning him into a glowing blue beacon before her.
Her body tensed at the feel of it, eyes widening slightly. Chase had always been a skilled and powerful Mage- he always had plenty if Magic Energy to spare, his attacks always packed a punch... But Aisha honestly couldn't remember ever feeling that much raw Powerflow off of him all at once.
Chase never liked fighting, he had said so on many occasions. He preferred to talk things through when it came to conflict- something that spurred from his calm and laid back nature. When violence was inevitable, he did only what was necessary- and he never aimed to truly hurt. It was not in his better nature to hate anyone, and he didn't really feel rage- pure, unchecked rage- but in this moment... All his anger seemed to pour out, rush forth in a great wave of pure anger and emotion. A river of anger that seemed to fuel his Magic to all new heights, and all of that rage was directed at one person.
His emotion... Its nearly as portent and powerful... As... Aisha's eyes grew wider, feeling her heart beat a little faster.
"Hurting people I care for, Tomaru..."
Chase growled lowly, "That is the worst mistake you have ever made." Tomaru blinked, eyebrow raised at the sudden surge in power.
Everyone jumped, Tomaru especially when hundreds of Magic Circles appeared across the ground, the walls, and even hung in the air all around Tomaru- the unnatural dim of the room suddenly shinning in cool blue, everyone bathed in the feel of Chase's Magic rising to heights they had never expected from him. Streams of blue stretched out to connect the Magic Circles, making dozens upon dozens of Sara all around Tomaru- the lines overlapping and mixing into an intricate and complicated array of pentagram a running all around him across walls and the floor, and hanging in the air next to and above him- all brining in cold fire. Tomaru was caught inside a small space completed surrounded by Chase's Magic Circles, the air inside the space around him humming and vibrating with the sheer amount of power Chase was putting forward.
The nearby Fairy Tailers looked on in slight shock, unable to believe the sort of power they were feeling- or the immensity of what the young Energy Mage was doing.
Chase lift his arms before him, hands clapping together as another Magic Circle appeared between them- his blue gaze locked to Tomaru in barely contained rage.
"Energy Pentagrams:" Chase growled, Tomaru grimaced.
"Minefield."
The streams of Magic writing from the Magic Circles streamed toward Tomaru all at once, exploding in contact with he man as the Magic Circles themselves exploded with unbelievable and unprecedented power and force. The air and the floor and the roof around them rumbled as shook violently with the Magic, pieces of the ground thrown up and tossed about, walls around them crumbling and rubble flying. The roof over the space that Tomaru had been suddenly caved in, large bits of it falling into a huge heap among the blazing blue cloud of dust that had risen- a rush of air from the outside falling in on them with the scent of trees and rain.
Everyone around them gazed in complete shock, jaws dropped and sweatdropping. They had never seen Chase let off such a powerful Spell in all the time they had known him, and to do so after taking such a blow as the one he blocked for Aisha- they could hardly believe what they saw, before they smiled a little.
Solana's head snapped up toward the far sight of the sky above them, Aisha's eyes moved toward re hole on the roof too- after being transfixed to Chase's power a moment. They both blinked up at it, feeling the fresh air coming down as they caught sight if the dark, hazy grey of the sky above them. "Its twilight..." Solana murmured.
"Looks like that kid picked up a lot more from Frea than just the Magic alone." Gildarts smirked,
"For someone who doesn't like to fight... Its a bit of shock to realize he is so good at it." Master murmured. "I knew Chase was strong... I hadn't realized just how strong until now." He smiled slightly,
All eyes snapped toward Tomaru as he struggled to make it out of the way of the rubble falling from the roof, battered and bloody from taking the full brunt of Chase's Magic, his sword no longer with him.
"You're turn!" Chase called, smirking slightly as he tilted and suddenly stumbled back against the wall, panting heavily and looking considerably worn out. Aisha's gaze snapped toward him, he grunted in pain when his back hit the wall- and the silver-haired Moonlight Mage beside him grabbed his uninjured arm, just as he slid down to sit, covered in sweat and breathing harshly, not having the strength left after that Spell to stand anymore. Aisha crouched next to him, eyes narrowed and glinting.
The other Fairy Tailers across the room looked to him, blinking once or twice as he continued to smirk at them despite the pain he was in.
"Finish him off, you wanted to make him pay yourselves- didn't you?" He called to them, earning smirks in return as Aisha simply blinked, her hand resting on his shoulder lightly.
"Oh hell yeah!"
"Ready guys?!"
"Throw everything we've got at him!"
"This is our chance to finish this!"
Fairy Tail swept forward, Magic blazing as they all prepared to send their attacks in Tomaru's direction, eyes gleaming and looking determined. They knew this was their chance, thanks to Chase Tomaru wasn't moving as fast as he had been, and of they're everything they had at him- he'd be finished and this fight would be over.
"Aisha!" Solana called suddenly, earning said MoonLight Mage's gaze from where she was still next to Chase- who glanced sideways at her, still trying to steady his breathing. Aisha blinked, seeing the small smile on her sister's face as she gestured up toward the hole in the ceiling, "It's twilight." She told her, Aisha sweatdropped slightly. "The border between night and day- half way point between the rise of the sun, and the fall of the moon." Chase blinked slightly, head tilted a little- he didn't seem to understand the significance.
"Just this once, sister- would you like to work together? As equals?" Solana smiled, and Aisha stiffened slightly, eyes shinning. The Moonlight Mage glanced toward Chase, seemingly unsure about what she wanted to do- before he gave her a small reassuring smile.
"Go- you want a piece of him, don't you?" He said easily, and her eyes narrowed.
A piece of Tomaru? Yes... For several reasons, but for one reason in particular at that moment as she saw the state he was in, and felt the stickiness of his blood still painting her skin.
She nodded slightly, getting to her feet and starting toward her sister slightly. "I'm gonna lay into you for being such an idiot later, I hope you realize that." Aisha growled over her shoulder lowly, catching him a little off guard. She didn't look back his way, he heard there was nearly no conviction in her voice when she said it. He smiled lightly,
"Noted.." He sighed,
"Fire Dragon Roar!"
"Regulus: Impact!"
"Prayer's Fountain!"
"Ice-Make: Cannon!"
"Water Nebula!"
"Fleuve d'etoiles!"
"Rain of Light!"
"Crash!"
"Dark Ecriture: Slay!"
"Baryon Formation!"
The powerful immense of Magic from the Fairy Tailers wing out toward Tomaru individually, the ground quaking under the sheer force of it as the streams and waves of Magic tore out toward the man, who was struggling to even stand.
Aisha and Solana moved up to stand on either side of the attacks thrown out, their hands lifting toward the sky and eyes closing as their Magic began to blaze about them- feeling strength flow into them as the sky was left bare to their sights.
Their hands raised above their heads, palms open and fingers bent as they took in a breath.
"Twilight hour,
Time of the two worlds,
Time in which both Cosmic powers reign true,
Divide between the light and dark," Solana murmured under her breath.
"When shadow fails and light returns,
The moon nearly fallen,
The sun about to rise,
Let both remain as equals within the sky,
Even for but a few brief moments," Aisha murmured lowly, Streams of orange and yellow began to fall through the roof from the east, showering over Solana. Streams of dark blue and white fell through to a however over Aisha, before both streams of Magic seemed to halt a moment,
"Burn bright sun of the east," Solana growled,
"Forever fight, moon of the west," Aisha muttered,
Their eyes snapped open as their palms closed as they swept their arms down toward the Magic sent by the other Fairy Tailer in front of them, the air shaking violently as a massive Magic circle of orange and dark blue appeared over the hole in the roof. The streams of Magic over their heads shot out toward the other Magics, spinning around them and pulling them all together so they combined into a massive beam of pure, raw Magical Power.
"Cosmic Melting: Equinox!" They shouted at once, the spiraling visage of stars suddenly flashing about the glowing beam of Magic, it gaining more speed as power as both Aisha and Solana brought their fists through the air in the direction Tomaru lay in, a glowing outline of the sun and the moon appearing on the enter of the beam of combine Magics a split moment- before it hit its mark and the atrium was shaken to its roots, rubble and debris flying everywhere as smaller bits of the roof crumbled down and Tomaru was caught in the center- his yell of pin ripping at the air, before he was thrown into a wall, and crumpled to the ground, not moving again.
The Members of Fairy Tail let out small sighs, some of them smiling to themselves.
"Yeah!" Natsu shouted, breathing fire in his sudden triumph.
"Master...!" The Mages around them gasped.
"Master Tomaru has been defeated!" The Dark Mages still left standing around them suddenly backed up in slight fear, eyes glinting in disbelief at the show of power they had seen.
"That's how you get it done!" Gray smirked. "We sure paid that bastard back for all the shit he's done!"
"Finally, its over..." Lucy breathed, Cana leaned on her shoulder a little, smiling.
"Hell of a fight, huh?" The brunette grinned.
"Juvia is glad it is over.." Juvia mumbled,
"Well, this fight is done anyway." Cana replied, "Still got a ways to go before its really over."
"And with a new day- comes more Power for me!" Solana smiled, seeing the tiny shred of light over their heads turning a pale yellow. She tilted her head up toward the gap, sighing slightly. "About time... I was relying too much on Lucy's power anyway." Her green eyes glanced sideways toward Aisha, who held a hand to her chest, trying to steady her breathing. Her eyes softened slightly, "Hey, little sis." Solana called quietly, Aisha's eyes snapped open immediately- she hadn't been called 'Little Sister' since they had been separated, and hearing it now confused and shocked her a little. Solana smiled softly, eyes glittering. "You've become a fine Mage." She murmured and Aisha blinked, not expecting the compliment. "And you've grown up... Into a very fine person as well." She said, smiling a little more. Aisha just stared a moment, not sure what brought on the words...?
"I'm glad you have people you care for, and care for you back." Solana added in quietly, turning away from her. "We may have gone different ways... But in the end, we both found family again, huh?" Her green eyes moved toward Natsu, who was grinning like a little kid, his arms around Lucy as she told him to get off- though she hardly meant it.
Aisha glanced from her sister, to glancing over her shoulder toward Chase, who had gotten to his feet, sighing slightly as he cradled his arm. She blinked, before her eyes closed a moment, a small, faint smile pulling at her lips- feeling a sudden warmth on her forehead, as her hand came up to clench about the part of her shirt stained in crimson droplets that were not hers.
"Yeah... I suppose we did." She murmured, Solana smirked a little- Aisha turned away and headed toward Chase, who smiled at her approach.
"Heh..." Solana chuckled lightly, moving toward Natsu and Lucy- Loke standing close by.
Aisha's smile faded the moment she turned from Solana, and in her eyes suddenly glinted a fiery annoyance and anger that Chase hadn't been expecting- he faltered slightly, w had been planning to move toward her but he stopped a moment. He sweatdropped, eyes growing wide a moment.
"Aisha...?" He murmured,
SMACK
He hissed as her hand slammed against his face, leaving a red mark as she stood before him, purple gaze glittering in anger. He blinked, looking a little dumbfounded, before his eyes softened and he fell silent.
Several people glanced over, sweatdropping slightly at the action. Master sighed slightly, while Gildarts smirked a little smugly. "Lovers quarrel?" Gildarts chuckled under his breath,
"Leave them be, Gildarts." Master murmured, sweatdropping a little.
"Don't you ever do something as stupid as that again!" Aisha snapped coldly, his eyes never leaving her as she pointed an accusing finger at him. "You're a dumbass! That blast could have killed you!"
"And it was going to kill you." He replied easily, she glared slightly.
"Tch... Didn't mean we both needed to die." She growled lowly. He sighed slightly, eyes falling closed a moment. He had figured she was gonna be unhappy about it- he just hadn't expected to get slapped.
"Remember what I said?" He asked lowly. "I meant it- be angry if you want Aisha, it doesn't change how I feel."
"You really are dumb." She growled. "If you feel that way- at least be smart enough to realize you shouldn't be willing to die for people. You should want to live to protect them another day." His eyes opened on slight surprise, seeing she had moved up toward him, and had cupped her hands on front of her, her own eyes closed. "Moonlight Make..." She mumbled under her breath, her hands pulling apart to reveal softly glowing white bandages in her hand, made entirely of Magic. He blinked in slight shock,
"Don't get yourself killed trying to protect other people. Make sure to stay alive so you can keep on protecting them for many years to come, that's what I mean." She said lowly, reaching forward toward his arm, still not meeting his gaze as he simply looked at her in silence. She began to gently wrap the length of bandage around his right arm- which still had not ceased bleeding, he sighed a little at the coolness of it against the burning feel of the wounds.
She tightened it and tied it off, earning a small hiss from him as she closed her eyes at his pain, he went to pull the arm away but found she had her arms still around his lower arm, head lowered a little and unusually silent.
"... But, thank you- anyway." She said lowly, nearly to where he couldn't hear her. "And... Ditto." She glanced up toward him, purple gaze locking with his own. Her tone grew soft, a sort of tone he hadn't yet heard from her. It was soft, gentle, nearly wispy- he felt his heart tug just a little.
And when she said ditto, he couldn't help but smile at her.
"Course." He grinned and she sighed,
"You good to walk?" She muttered, "Those wounds on your back look pretty deep... I could wrap that too." She said, her hands finally leaving his arm as she folded them together again.
"You don't have to." He said, but she circled him, murmuring under her breath again as more Moonlight Made Bandages appeared in her hands.
"I didn't really say you had a choice." She replied lowly.
"Those are made from your Magic... Doesn't that drain you?" He asked, glancing over his shoulder toward her.
"Not really." She replied shortly, promptly beginning to wrap them about his torso, earning a hiss of pain from him, she blinked, sweatdropping a little.
"So... 'Mistress of the Moon', eh?" He said at length, hissing as she suddenly pulled tight at the bandages, feeling immediately the annoyance start to spark from her.
"Its a long story, and one I sure as hell won't be getting into with you- or anyone else." She replied curtly,
"You two are so cute!" Lucy smiled, having walked up with the rest of Fairy Tail in tow- Master, Gildarts, Freed, and Bixlow lagging a bit. A vein ticked on Aisha's forehead, her purple gaze snapping toward Lucy and looking a little cross.
"Shut up." she growled and Lucy only smiled,
"You alright, dude?" Gray asked, stopping in front of them, hands on his pockets as he looked toward Chase-who smiled a nodded a little.
"Yeah, its not as bad as it looks." He smiled,
"Are you alright, Gray?" Juvia asked, leaning toward him. He sweatdropped a little and smiled slightly,
"Yeah, I'm good.."
"Never pegged you to be the protective type." Cana smirked, leaning in toward Aisha- who turned a dirty look on the brunette.
"Bug off."
"Master? Have you defeated Tomaru?" Erza asked, the Telepathic Link firing up again.
"Yes. He is defeated." The Old Man replied,
"That's a relief." Mira sighed.
"Now all we have left to do is take down the rest of the Guild." Lisanna murmured. "And find Moon."
"We still haven't faced that Darkness the First and Jynx mentioned earlier." Erza pointed out.
"Stay on the lookout." Master replied immediately.
"Master- we're currently facing considerable droves of enemies inside a long corridor that seems to be a sort of entrance hall." Erza told them. "We've unfortunately, been split up from Gajeel."
"Lily and Happy are gone too." Mira added in. Natsu's head snapped up at the words,
"What?! Where did he go?!" He demanded.
"How did you get separated from Gajeel?" Master asked immediately.
"We... Aren't exactly sure."
And Here we are with the latest Chappy! Hope you all like it, and sorry again for telling you all that stiff last chapter that was supposed to happen in this Chapter- and then didnt. This Chappies got 30,000 words in it- and it's barely half done, so we'll be having a Part 2!
Please, follow, fav and Review! Thanks! See you next time~!
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