Bonds, Part 3
"He's a demihuman." Alicia murmured as she gazed at the boy before them.
"Demi-what?" Amelia arches an eyebrow as she turns her head to Alicia for a brief moment. Tokoyami grabs Amelia by the top of her head and forces her to look back at Laurent.
"I'm impressed you are able to outlast most people who have intruded my territory. Felicitations to you." Laurent said icily to Amelia.
"Umm, cheers mate?" Amelia replied as she looks back at the demihuman in confusion. "And how do you know that I've been here this whole time?"
"This forest is my territory, and I observe and control every corner of it. As soon as any of you enter this place, I can immediately sense your presence." Laurent replied.
"That's right, Lero!" Lero sneered at their hostages. "We may not capture your other friends now, but sooner or later, we will!"
"Speaking of the allies of these intruders, I find your declining performance in dealing with them to be very disturbing, Lero and Road Kamelot." Laurent said coldly to Road and Lero.
"Huh?" Lero said as he and Road stare at Laurent petrified.
"Last time, you were able to wipe out an entire squadron of these intruders on your own and personally deliver them to me. But now, you only managed to bring six of the fifteen trespassers who are currently wandering in my territory." Laurent said.
"An entire squadron?" Yegor murmured as he and Jason frowned.
"Could it be the first expedition?" Jason added.
"We are aware of that, your master. But our enemies as of late have proven to become stronger than we expected." Road explained to Laurent apprehensively.
"So, you are admitting that you two have grown weak!" Laurent snapped. Road widens her eyes in horror when she realized her blunder.
"No, wait! I-" But as Road tried to protest, Laurent suddenly holds up his hand and snaps his fingers. A vine burst out from the ground beside his feet, flies over to them and coils itself around their bodies. Road and Lero cry in pain as the vine tightens and is slowly crashing their bodies. Lucy, Yukino, Alicia, Amelia, Jason and Yegor watch in shock as Laurent punishes his servants.
"N-no! P-please stop, Lero!" Lero begged in pain.
"We promise t-to do better!" Road pleaded as she squirmed in the vines.
"Please master! Let them go!" Archer implored Laurent. "Because our previous battles were easy for us, we have underestimated the latest wave of intruders this time round. We needed to fight them head on so that we can be fully prepared to face them next time round!"
"Fine. Then you can share the punishment with them." Laurent replied flatly to Archer.
"What?" Archer said as Laurent thrusts his left hand at him. Another vine burst out from the pile behind Laurent and swiftly flies over to Archer. Archer didn't had time to react as the vine wraps itself around his upper body and carries him into the air.
"What's wrong, Archer? You used to be my best subordinate. But this time, just like Road, you couldn't even defeat half of the current number of intruders." Laurent said coldly.
"T-This boy…" Archer struggled to speak. "He is the first to discover my concealment magic and-"
"I don't want any excuses!" Laurent barked at him as he curls his fingers. Archer yells in pain as the vine around him tightened. The rat-like demihuman now eyes at Tokoyami who flinched at the sight of his master's glare. "What about you, Tokoyami? Have you and your shadow lost your touch as well?"
"No, master! We were able to fend off five intruders on our own!" Tokoyami cried. His shadow emerges from his body and frantically nods his head to Laurent.
"Yet you only managed to knock out two of them while the other three remain at large." Laurent rebuked. Tokoyami momentarily lost his ability to speak.
"Well…I…" As Tokoyami tried to think of a response, Laurent snaps his fingers again with his other hand and several vines emerge beneath Tokoyami's feet. One vine flies over to his shadow and wraps around his throat while the others coil around Tokoyami's legs and body. As the vines now carry them up in the air along with Archer, Tokoyami and his shadow try to pull the vines off their bodies and throat with their hands and claws but to no avail. Despite how sharp his claws are, his shadow could not pierce through the strong layers of Laurent's vines.
"Finally, you, C.C…." Laurent said menacingly to C.C., who is now shaking in fear. "I acknowledge that you aren't much of a combatant as the others, but while you finally manage to capture one of the girls who have been intruding my forest for the last two months, the other one still remains at large. Why didn't you capture her as well?!"
C.C. remained silent. What is she supposed to tell him? That despite Amelia's friend standing right in front of her and unable to fight back, she couldn't bring herself to deliver her to her master because she noticed the fear in her eyes? No. Laurent will never accept an answer like that-
"Is it because you gave into your emotions again while dealing with an intruder who is defenseless?" Laurent implied. C.C. gasped and widened her eyes in shock when her master is able to find out the real reason just by studying her face and body language.
"N-no!" C.C. replied frighteningly. "I-"
"How many times do I have to tell you to never let care cloud your judgment?!" Laurent bellowed as he holds up his hand. As C.C. noticed him about to snap his fingers, she shuts her eyes and lowers her head. Tears form through her close eyelids as she prepares to embrace her inevitable punishment.
"STOP!" Lucy screamed. Her plead caused Laurent to lower his hand and C.C. to snap her eyes open in surprise. Archer, Road, Lero and Tokoyami stare at Lucy in awe as well. "This isn't how you are supposed to treat the people who have shown loyalty and respect to you!" She yelled at the demihuman.
"Why shouldn't I?" Laurent said coldly to Lucy. "It's because of their sheer incompetence to handle two humans who have been hiding in my forest for months, they have allowed more intruders to enter here since. Inept fools need to be reeducated."
"What re-education? Through pain and torture?!" Lucy retorted.
"I'm only doing what you humans did to me and each other." Laurent replied.
"Not all of us do!" Lucy cried. "I know you demihumans were mistreated by us after the Tartaros incident-"
"And you judge me?" Laurent immediately cut her off with a grimace. Lucy frowns as she and Laurent gaze at each other for a few seconds.
"If you want to clear your home of intruders, surely you still need them in good condition to help you do that, right? So what will hurting them gain you?" Lucy rebuked. Laurent remains silent for a few seconds before he responded to her with a snort.
"It's not like I'm going to kill them." Laurent said before snapping his fingers. The vines place Archer and Tokoyami back down on their feet and they remove themselves from their bodies. The vines also release Road and Lero and they, Archer, Tokoyami and his shadow take the opportunity to catch their breath. C.C. lets out a heavy sigh, relieved that she is spared from Laurent's punishment.
"What are you going to do to us?" Lucy asked Laurent.
"As punishment for intruding my territory, I want you all to become my soldiers and join my cause in destroying Petunia." Laurent replied.
"Petunia?" Yukino said incredulously as she heard the name of the town she and Sting originally came from.
When Laurent snaps his fingers again, sixteen large flower buds emerge from the ground and the gigantic pile of vines behind him. The flower buds slightly open their petals, revealing the helmeted heads of the praetors stored inside them, much to the horror of Lucy, Yukino, Alicia, Amelia, Yegor and Jason.
"T-They are…our fellow praetors!" Yegor said petrified.
"So, it was them who wiped out the first expedition and half of ours." Jason added.
"H-h-hey! This has gotta be some sick joke, right?!" Amelia cried as her eyes and body shook in horror. "Do you really want to store us inside…that?!"
"Yes." Laurent nodded. "Within time, your bodies will be modified, and your minds will be controlled under my magic."
Amelia gasped as her skin is drained of its color. "NO! This can't be happening! Are you saying not only my beautiful body will be looking like someone straight out of Boganville and my mind will be messed up worse than the local druggos you find at the servos at 3AM, but I'm also going to be chucked inside some goo that looks and smells chat as?!" She screamed in sheer terror as tears welled up in her eyes.
"It is the punishment you humans rightfully deserve after what you did to me." Laurent said coldly.
"Hey! I did nothing to you! All I did was try to survive in your forest having to smell like dingo poo for months!" Amelia shouted hysterically. "If you want revenge, why don't you do it on them?!" She gestures Laurent to Lucy and Yukino, who both look peeved at Amelia. "They were the ones who fought your servants and-"
"Silence!" Laurent bellowed as he thrusts his hand at Amelia. A vine bursts out from the ground in front of Amelia's knees and wraps itself around her mouth, silencing the frightened girl.
As Amelia muffles a scream, Lucy took a gulp and asked Laurent, "Why are you doing this? Why do you want to invade Petunia?"
"To return Petunia to its rightful owners." Laurent replied. "You must be a mage, right? And I heard most mages are members of guilds. So surely, if your guild was to accept a mission that requires you to help a group of people retake their homeland, naturally you would go against the ones who stole it from them, right?"
"I see. You originally belong to that town, and the humans probably chase you out after the Tartaros Incident. You want to take back what you lost, and I sympathize with you." Lucy said grimly to Laurent. "But again, violence is never the way. I believe that not all humans back in Petunia wanted you ousted. But ultimately, it was beyond their control. You may have lost everything, but you must prove that you're better than them. So no, even if you are making it as a guild request, no one, especially Fairy Tail, won't accept it."
"Lucy." Yukino uttered with a warm smile.
"Tch." Laurent scoffed. "Don't make me laugh with such nonsense. All of you will still become my soldiers, whether you like it or not. C.C., Archer, Tokoyami! Escort all of them to their cell. After that, Archer and Tokoyami will proceed to the west part of the forest. I've detected the presence of two new intruders."
C.C., Archer and Tokoyami quietly nod their heads and do what they were told. The three grab the hostages from behind and forcibly get them to stand up on their feet.
"Road, Lero, if you wish to redeem yourself, return to the east part of the forest. I've located that the other intruders are still there." Laurent said to Road and Lero.
"Aye! Lero!" Lero hastily replied as he and Road nodded.
"Do not fail me this time." Laurent warned them. Lero took a gulp while Road pursed her lips and remains silent. She immediately turns around and run off to search for Darren, Natsu and the others while carrying Lero in her hands.
As the vine unwraps itself from her mouth and returns back into the ground below, Amelia took a deep breath and fearfully said to Alicia as C.C., Archer and Tokoyami turn them and the others to their left, "What are we going to do now?!"
"I advise you to remain calm and silent." Alicia whispered to her.
"MOVE!" Archer shouted as he roughly pushes Alicia and Amelia from behind and everyone proceed to make their way to their cell.
Meanwhile, Laurent turns around and closes the flower buds before bringing them back underground and inside the pile of vines. He turns to his right and holds out his hand, growing six new small flower buds from the ground.
"Within time," Laurent said coldly. "My vengeance will come."
As she kneels several meters away from her friend who is lying on the ground with his eyes closed, Brenda tears off her roll after applying the bandages around the area of her chest where Road slashed across before. She puts the roll aside on the ground and proceeds to put her uniform back on. As she does so, Hodaka lets out a soft moan as he regains consciousness and slowly opens his eyelids. After she finished wearing her uniform, Brenda gets up and turns around to see the boy with short black hair and light brown eyes.
"Brenda?" Hodaka said as he turns his head to his left and sees the black-eyed woman whose orange hair is tied to a long ponytail.
"Hey Hodaka." Brenda said, smiling at him in relief. After Hodaka lifts himself from the ground, he looks around and widens his eyes in horror.
"Jason? Yegor? Where are they?!" Hodaka cried in concern as he turns his head back to Brenda.
"Gone. Taken away by the enemies hiding within the trees." Brenda said sadly. Hodaka lowers his head and slams his fist on the ground.
"Dammit!" Hodaka grits his teeth. "We promised each other that we would accomplish our mission and go home together!"
"I'm so sorry, Hodaka. I never wanted this too." Brenda said, clenching her fists as her heart sank.
Hodaka shook his head in response. "No, Brenda. It was my fault for not being strong enough to protect everyone." He said grimly before there was a moment of a silence between the two.
"You were right, Tal. There are praetors in this area." A menacing voice boomed. Brenda gasps and whirls about upon hearing the voice. To the surprise of her and Hodaka, they see two familiar figures approaching towards them.
"Mala Makra! Captain Tal Olsen!" Brenda cried upon seeing Mala and Tal. Hodaka quickly got up from the ground and goes over to his friend's side. When Mala and Tal are near them, Brenda and Hodaka salute to their superiors.
"What are your names?" Mala inquired.
"Corporal Brenda Bierhoff." Brenda responded.
"Private Hodaka Morishima." Hodaka replied.
"Brenda Bierhoff. If my memory is correct, you are in charge of the second expedition sent by Lieutenant Cheria Barnes to find two magicless people who appeared in the West Forest, am I right, Corporal?" Mala asked Brenda.
"Yes sir." Brenda replied uneasily.
"I see. We are currently in the West Forest then. At ease." Mala said. Brenda and Hodaka lower their hands. "What happen to the rest of your expedition?"
"They were all wiped out, sir." Brenda explained grimly. "There are enemies hiding within this forest, and they interrupt our mission to locate and capture the two magicless people in the process."
"I see. Not only have you failed to avenge the first expedition who were sent before you, but also failed as the leader of your own. You are a disgrace to the Abbey." Mala said. Brenda instantly kneels on the ground on a single knee and kept her head down.
"I truly am sorry, sir." Brenda said. Shortly after, Mala delivers a strong kick across her face. Hodaka gasps in horror as he watches Brenda collapsing onto the ground.
"An apology isn't enough to make up for the loss of your fallen comrades." Mala replied coldly. Brenda sobs as she clenches her fists in shame and frustration.
"I…I know…" Brenda choked as tears well up in her eyes.
"Sir, please!" Hodaka said as he hurriedly places himself between Brenda and Mala. He gave Mala a salute before pleading to his superior, "Don't blame Corporal Bierhoff for the deaths of the other members of our expedition! As her subordinate, I have seen the way she treats all of us with huge amounts of love and care. She motivates us to stay strong and complete our mission, and that is why we all respect her as our squad leader in return. And when we were engaged in battle with our enemies, we all fought together and sacrifice ourselves to protect each other, especially Corporal Bierhoff, in order to keep our expedition alive! That is why if you are going to punish anyone, I deserve to share the blame for failing to live up to the Abbey's standards and realizing the strength of our enemies!"
"Hodaka." Brenda uttered as she looks up at him with tearstained eyes.
"Very well." Mala said, gesturing Tal to deliver Hodaka his punishment. Hodaka could only watch in horror as Tal walks over to him. Tal proceeds to grab Hodaka's head with his hand and clutches him with all his strength. Hodaka screamed in pain as he felt Tal lifting him up in the air and slowly crashing his skull with his bare hand.
"NO! STOP!" Brenda cried in horror as she gets back up from the ground.
"You should thank your subordinate, Corporal Bierhoff. He is taking your punishment on your behalf." Mala said icily to Brenda. "And after failing to keep most of your expedition alive, surely you can agree that you don't deserve to have one of your own."
"Please sir! Don't kill him!" Brenda pleaded as she gets down on her knees. She places her hands on the ground and gave a bow to Mala. "He has done nothing but pledge his full loyalty to the Abbey! If you kill him, you will never find another true praetor like him!" She looks back up at Mala as tears now flow down her cheeks. "Please…I need him."
Mala stares silently at Brenda for a few moments before turning his head to Tal. He gestures him to release Hodaka, and he obliged. As Tal carelessly drops Hodaka back onto the ground, the boy fell on his knees and groans as he clutches the sides of his head in pain. Brenda quickly goes over and places her hands on his shoulders as she kneels beside him.
"If you truly wish to redeem yourselves, then I have an additional mission for you aside from looking for the two magicless people." Mala said. Brenda and Hodaka look up at him and the former nods her head.
"We will obey you, sir." Brenda said.
"There are four people here whom I'm hunting down. The first is a woman with long blonde hair and dressed in green. The second is a man with black hair and wears glasses. The third is a man with pink hair and a white scarf, and the fourth is a woman with blonde hair and dressed in white and blue." Mala explained. Brenda and Hodaka widen their eyes as they vividly remember the looks of the enemies they faced before.
"Sir! We happened to have encounter them!" Brenda said.
"Is that so? Where do you last saw them?" Mala asked.
"I-I remembered…fighting the two men…in the southeast d-direction." Hodaka managed to reply as his head is still doubled up in pain. He shows Mala and Tal the way by pointing his finger at the east direction right behind him.
"Tal." Mala said to Tal before the red-haired man kneels on a single knee and places his hand on the ground. He closes his eyes and a circular wave of teal light illuminates through the ground. When he reopens his eyes, Tal turns to Mala and nods his head.
"Come with us." Mala ordered Brenda and Hodaka. "Help us fight against the enemies of the Abbey and I will overlook your failures."
"Yes sir!" Brenda and Hodaka both yelled in unison.
"Grab your equipment and get ready to move out." Mala ordered. As she stood up, Brenda helps Hodaka get up from the ground. They quickly head over to their weapons, helmets and other equipment which she had placed on the ground and pick them up.
"Arigatou, Brenda." Hodaka moaned to Brenda as he puts on his gauntlets.
"I promise you. We will stay alive…finish our mission…and go back home together." Brenda said softly to him as she wraps the belt of her scabbard around her hip.
Hodaka lowers his head and whimpered, "I just want to go home to Japan…and tell my parents that I'm sorry for everything I've done."
"I want to see my own parents back in Germany again too." Brenda said with a wan smile. "So let's fight for our survival…and for them."
Hodaka nods his head to her before the two finally pick up their helmets and put them over their heads. The two turn around to face Mala and Tal and Brenda unsheathes her sword from her scabbard.
"Let's go!" Mala ordered. The four turn to the direction of Natsu and Darren's location and walk together through the forest. Mala clenches his fists as he once again feels the anger and frustration raging inside his body. The anger of being defeated and humiliated by Alicia and Darren once again, and the frustration he gained from being used as a tool by Cornelia and helplessly enduring her torments every time he fails a mission. Mala just couldn't take it anymore. He is tired of losing to the enemy and failing to live up to the Abbey's standards. He is supposed to be better than most praetors, but now he is being looked down by the other higher-ups because of Darren, Alicia and Fairy Tail. But Mala vows to himself that the next time round, his fight with the enemy will end in victory, and Tal, Brenda and Hodaka shall be his witnesses.
"Wait for me." Mala thought as he embraces the fury boiling inside him. "I will show you all how worthy I am."
"Lucy!" Natsu shouted as he and his friends search for Lucy, Alicia and the others. Shortly after Brenda and Hodaka left their sights, Natsu, Darren, Happy, Sting, Mei Li, Aries and Libra decide to travel towards the direction where Road, Archer, Tokoyami and C.C. had taken their friends. As they keep going in that direction, Natsu assigned Happy to fly above the trees and look out for any sign of their enemies.
"Alicia!" Darren shouted as well with his hands at the sides of his mouth as everyone kept walking.
"Yukino!" Sting yelled.
"Amelia!" Mei Li cried in worry. As their voices die down, they did not receive any sort of response. The forest is once again eerily silent aside from the sounds of their feet crashing the leaves and grass on the ground. Natsu lets out a heavy sigh as everyone came to a halt.
"This is just great. Not being able to use our Dragon Slayer magic and find our way out of this forest are bad enough. But now to add more salt into our wounds, a group of mysterious mages show up to kick our butts and capture our friends." Natsu said miserably.
"Just who were those guys anyway?" Sting said.
"I know one of them." Mei Li said timidly, and everyone turned to her.
"The one that resembles a crow?" Darren asked, remembering that she referred one of them as 'the crow demon'.
"Yes." Mei Li nodded. "While Amelia and I were hiding together in a cave for the last two months, I would see the crow demon lurking around the forest every now and then whenever I try to leave to get food, water and wood for us. Occasionally, I would see him with that zombie-like girl too."
"I guess they have been living in this forest longer than any of us." Natsu said, scratching his head.
"Strangely, there used to be a large group of white knights, or praetors as you call them, who were hunting for us. But we never see any of them again until Sting and Yukino showed up." Mei Li said.
"They must see anyone who enters this forest as intruders, and that is why they came to attack us." Darren said as he, Sting and Natsu look at each other.
"But why did they capture Lucy and the others? What are they planning to do with them?" Sting questioned.
"We just have to keep searching for them before it's too late." Natsu said as he clenches his fists. Suddenly, Happy flies back down to them. The three boys turn to him as the exceed lands on the ground in front of them and breathes heavily.
"Any sign of Lucy and the others?" Natsu asked Happy. The exceed groans wearily as he sits down on the ground.
"I've been flying around this forest for nearly twenty minutes and I still can't find anything." Happy replied exhaustedly.
"Not even a way out of this forest?" Sting asked. Happy sadly shakes his head in response.
"It feels like no matter how much I keep flying straight, the only thing I see are even more trees! It's seemingly endless!" Happy said.
"That doesn't make any sense at all." Darren said to Sting, who nods his head in agreement. When they suddenly heard a sniffle, the three boys and Happy turn to Mei Li and watch her begin to weep.
"Mei Li?" Darren asked concernedly as Mei Li lowers her head.
"What's wrong?" Aries asked as she and Libra stood behind Mei Li and place their hands on her shoulders.
"I'm so sorry, everyone!" Mei Li bawled as she wipes away her tears, but new ones immediately form in her eyes to take their place. "W-While you guys…were risking your lives to protect each other…I did absolutely nothing at all…and just hide behind the bushes like the coward I am. A-And I couldn't help Amelia too…w-when she was being taken away right in front of me. It's because of me…I have caused even more problems than we already have for all of us!"
As Mei Li continues sobbing in grief, Darren, Natsu, Sting, Happy and Libra stare wordlessly at her while Aries holds out her other hand and forms a fluff of pink wool.
"Please, don't cry." Aries tries to comfort Mei Li as she hands her the wool. Mei Li takes the wool and uses it to wipe her eyes and cheeks.
"Hey come on. Don't blame yourself for what happened." Natsu said as he walks up to Mei Li. As he stood in front of her, he gently places his hand on top of her head, causing Mei Li to bring her sobs to a halt and look up at him with tearstained eyes.
"N-Natsu?" Mei Li managed to choke out.
"It's alright to be afraid, ya know?" Natsu said to her with a warm smile. "We all have experienced fear in our lives, so there's nothing to be ashamed about it."
"You have experienced fear too?" Mei Li asked Natsu.
"Sometimes." Natsu nodded. "But you know what my friend Gildarts taught me? It's good to have courage to face your fears, but not having the bravery to sheath your sword when you know you can't win is foolish. If you know your weakness, learn from it, and motivate yourself to become stronger. That is how I'm able to become one of the strongest mages in all of Earth Land today!"
"Y-you think I'll be able to conquer my fear?" Mei Li asked.
"Hey, if Happy and Lucy can do it, so can you!" Natsu finished by giving a wide, cheerful grin to Mei Li. Darren and Sting sigh inwardly as they smile at them.
"Natsu." Darren murmured. After staring at Natsu for a few seconds, Mei Li wipes away her remaining tears and holds up her clenched fists.
"Alright. I'll try my best. For you and myself!" Mei Li responded with a solemn frown.
"That's the spirit!" Natsu winks an eye at her before removing his hand from her head. He and Mei Li smile at each other for a moment before the Fire Dragon Slayer proceed to ask, "But there's one thing I gotta ask of you."
"What is it?" Mei Li asked, staring at Natsu in confusion.
"Did you say that you collected food in this forest?!" Natsu yelled incredulously. Mei Li, Darren, Sting, Aries and Libra stare at him in bewilderment.
"Umm, yes. I did." Mei Li replied, looking perplexed.
"What food is there in the forest?! You gotta let us know! I'm starving here!" Natsu shouted anxiously.
After feeling his stomach growling again, Darren rubs it and said morosely, "Admittedly, so am I."
"And I really could use some fish right now." Happy said wearily as he holds up his paw.
"Yukino does have food with her. But sadly, she isn't with us right now." Sting said.
"Huh?! And you didn't bother to tell us that until now?! Why?!" Darren yelled at him.
"I um…forgot?" Sting replied, shrugging his shoulders as he gives Darren a sheepish grin.
"Well," Mei Li clasps her hands together. "The food that Amelia and I ate during our time here in the forest…"
"Yeeeeesssss?" Natsu said eagerly as he, Darren, Happy and Sting widen their eyes at Mei Li, awaiting her answer in anticipation.
"Are crickets and lizards!" Mei Li said as a huge smile appears on her face. Everyone silently stares at her for a few awkward moments before Natsu and Happy rush over to the nearest tree and vomit at its roots.
"HEY! Your responses are absolutely disrespectful!" Darren shouted furiously at them.
"W-what's wrong with eating them?!" Mei Li cried anxiously. "Back in my hometown, everybody loves them! They are good for you! Even Amelia eventually starts eating them regularly!" Mei Li turns her head away as she mumbled. "Despite throwing a tantrum about having to eat them during our first week here…" After Natsu and Happy barely recover from their nausea, they turn around and look back at Mei Li with discontented looks.
"Well, what about water? How did you get them?" Natsu groaned.
"Oh, we collect them from the vines. Of course, we made sure the liquid that comes out from them are clear fluid. That's how we know that they aren't poisonous." Mei Li said. Natsu and Happy sigh in relief. "But sometimes, we do drink the blood of the lizards we killed-" Immediately, Natsu and Happy turn back to the tree and throw out their contents onto its roots again.
"Oh come on! Not again!" Darren yelled at them as he stomps his foot.
"I should have kept my mouth shut." Mei Li lowers her head as she felt a huge sense of guilt.
Libra sighs heavily as she shakes her head. "If only Yukino is here, she would know how to deal with this." She said.
"I guess humans really do eat like animals." Aries commented as she contemplates what Mei Li had said.
"If you guys really are starving, why don't you eat the flowers on the tree rather than throwing your vomit on it?" Sting asked. Natsu and Happy instantly brought their hurling to a halt and look up at the tree before them. They soon realized that the tree has the same large flowers with blue and purple petals growing on its branches.
"Actually, why didn't I think about that?!" Natsu yelled enthusiastically with a wide grin.
"Yeah!" Happy cheered.
"Wait, you're seriously thinking of eating it?!" Darren cried incredulously.
"Come to think of it, I've always thought they look like sunflowers or chrysanthemums." Mei Li said, placing a finger on her chin. "I wonder if you can make tea out of them?"
"Let's find out then!" Natsu shouted as he jumps and latches onto the tree trunk, preparing to climb up to the branches to grab one of the flowers.
"You got it!" Happy said in agreement as he spreads out his wings and prepare to fly up.
"Hold it right there!"
Everybody turned their heads to the direction of the voice. They gasped upon seeing Road standing in the distance while holding onto Lero in her hands.
"It's you!" Sting yelled furiously as he, Aries and Libra quickly get into their fighting stances. Darren draws out his katana and prepares to fight while Mei Li hides behind Libra. Natsu growls at Road and Lero as he gets off the tree.
"Where's Lucy and the others?!" Happy demanded angrily as he and Natsu get into their fighting stances as well. Road remains silent as she looks around her surroundings, noticing that there are two large flowers on the branches of the tree beside Happy and Natsu, and two more on the trunk of the tree beside Sting, Darren, Aries, Libra and Mei Li on the left. Road narrows her eyes at them as the girl crouches and holds out her right hand.
"You want to fight?! Fine!" Natsu shouted. He and Happy yell as they run and fly over to Road and Lero. Natsu is the first one to reach them as he tries to throw a punch at Road. But Road swiftly dodges his attack by leaping into the air and over to the tree. As she lands on top of the branch where one of the flowers are, Happy flies over to Natsu's back and wraps his tail around his body. Happy flies over to where Road is and Natsu throws his fist back, preparing to deliver another punch at her.
When Natsu and Happy are near her, Road jumps out of the way again and the Fire Dragon Slayer ends up throwing his fist at the flower instead. The flower bursts into goo as Natsu's fist lands right into its centre.
"Aw man!" Natsu whined as he removes his fist. He and Happy look disgusted as they see his fist covered with yellowish goo.
Road lands onto the other branch where the other flower is growing on and Sting leaps over to her. As Sting stretches his leg out, preparing to deliver a kick at her, Road made a huge leap into air which causes the branch of the tree to break. As Sting flies through where Road is originally at, he cries and waves his arms frantically with his eyes wide as he falls back down onto the ground. As the branch lands on the ground with a hard thud, the flower crashes underneath it.
When Road lands right in front of Darren, he quickly runs over and swings his katana diagonally at her. Road dodges it by rolling over the ground before getting up and running over to the tree in front of her that has two flowers growing on its trunk. When she reaches the tree, Road turns around and sees Darren running over to her, preparing to deliver another swing of his katana.
As Darren swings his katana horizontally at her, Road ducks down to dodge the attack and he ends up slashing the top flower on the tree trunk. Darren quickly delivers another swing of his katana, this time vertically down at Road. Road rolls out of the way and Darren ends up slashing down the bottom flower that was behind her.
Road runs back to the centre of the area where Natsu, Happy, Sting, Aries, Libra and Mei Li quickly surround her.
"Give it up!" Darren yelled at Road as he runs over and completes the circle around her and Lero. "Now tell us where our friends are, and you won't get hurt!"
Suddenly, much to everyone's surprise, Road stands up straight and holds up her hand and Lero.
"It's alright. We won't fight you." Road said calmly to everyone around them.
"We come in peace now, Lero!" Lero added.
"Give us a good reason why we should trust you!" Natsu yelled furiously as he tightens his fists.
"Did you even notice that we never fought back?" Road replied. Everyone around her and Lero momentarily stayed silent as they contemplate.
"She's right. All she ever did was dodge our attacks." Darren said in realization.
"Then again, it could be a trap!" Sting warned as he narrows his eyes and gets back into his fighting stance.
"What if I were to tell you that those flowers on the tree that your friend was about to eat were how my master is able to know your locations?" Road said.
"What do you mean?" Natsu arches an eyebrow.
"I'm sure you have seen them nearly everywhere in this forest." Road said, gesturing them to the last two flowers Darren had slashed with his weapon. "These artificial flowers you see on the trees? They were actually created by my master, who views himself as the ruler of this forest. By flowing his magic throughout the forest and creating many of these flowers everywhere, he can detect the presence of anybody who enters his territory whenever they pass by them."
"Also, thank goodness we stop you guys in time from eating these flowers." Lero added.
"Why's that?" Happy asked.
"If you were to have consume their petals and pollen, your internal organs would have been severely damaged and turn into goo, Lero!" Lero explained. Natsu and Happy stare at him for a moment before the two turn away from him and vomit onto the tree's roots again.
"Are you kidding me?!" Darren shouted exasperatedly at them.
"WHAT'S WRONG?! ALL I DID WAS TOLD THE TRUTH, LERO!" Lero cried woefully.
"Classy." Road deadpanned as she stares blankly at Natsu and Happy. After they finished throwing out their vomit, Natsu and Happy turn back to Road and Lero and walk over to them.
"Gee, thanks for telling us that." Happy said queasily as he and Natsu rub their chests.
"So by destroying more of these flowers, your master won't be able to find us at all?" Natsu asked with his face looking pale.
"That's right. But not only that, my master is aware of the existence of Dragon Slayers. So in case any Dragon Slayer were to enter his territory, the pollen from these flowers help remove their magic. Being capable of creating such flowers shows just how powerful my master really is." Road explained.
"Seriously?!" Natsu cried as he, Sting and the others look back at Road in shock.
"What's wrong?" Road said in confusion. Natsu snaps his fingers and a small ray of fire magically appears at his fingertips.
"HA HA! My Fire Dragon Slayer magic! It's back!" Natsu shouted enthusiastically with a wide grin. "I could only feel a tiny bit of it inside me, but it has returned!"
"Unbelievable. So you are a Dragon Slayer." Road uttered as she and Lero stare at Natsu in awe.
"That is amazing!" Mei Li said in astonishment as she witnesses Natsu's Fire Dragon Slayer magic for the first time. Sting holds out his hand and manages to form a small bright orb of white light, which brings a smile to his face.
"I got back a little bit of my White Dragon Slayer magic too!" Sting said happily.
"So if we take out more of these flowers, not only will your master not be able to detect us, but we can also get back our magic! Alright!" Natsu shouted in joy as he puts out the fire from his fingertips before lowering his hand.
"That's why you made us destroy those flowers." Darren said as Natsu and Sting look back at Road and Lero.
"And I also intentionally made it look like I was engaging you all in a fight so that my master won't suspect that I'm now on your side before you destroy them." Road explained. Natsu and Sting bow to her and Lero with gratitude.
"Thank you for your help, Road and Lero." Natsu said.
Lero sniffed and replied with small tears of joy in his eyes, "You're welcome, Lero!"
"How is your master able to do this? By removing Dragon Slayer magic with these flowers?" Darren asked.
"Well, if you are a Dragon Slayer, you would also know how to defeat one." Road replied, placing her hand at the right side of her hip. Natsu, Sting, Darren, Happy, Mei Li, Aries and Libra gasped.
"You mean…" Natsu said in awe.
"That's right." Road nodded. "My master is a Nature Dragon Slayer."
"And he despises all humans because of what the people of Petunia did to him two years ago." Lero whimpered.
"The Tartaros Incident." Sting said solemnly.
"What?" Mei Li asked as she looked at the White Dragon Slayer.
"Long story." Darren said to her.
"Even if that's the case, he can't just take away our friends when we have done nothing to him!" Natsu yelled as he stomps his foot and clutches his fists tightly.
"If you wish to rescue your friends, we can take you there." Road said to Natsu and his friends as she removes her hand from her hip while Lero nods his head. "As we walk through this forest, we got to look out for any of those flowers and destroy them."
Lero gulped. "Miss a single one and not only will our master find you, but also punish us for treason!"
"We'll be careful then." Sting said with a nod.
"Earlier you two were fighting us. Now you are lending us your assistance. Why?" Darren asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
Road's eyes softened as she responded to him, "To repay what your friend did for us."
Sovereign64: I would like to thank Amanny and AquaBluey for reviewing, Mummy1365 for favoriting and Crimson-Tuna-Sub for helping me with Amelia's dialogue. Thanks everyone!