Mortis yet again, grabbed a cage to stop from falling down into the darkness. She was badly bruised. She was determined not to stop. She reminded herself of what she went through in the Phantom lord war. She was on death's door, but she kept fighting. She looked up to see Fukuro laughing as he flew down to her. She gritted her teeth as she swung her legs back and further to swing the cage. Just before he grabbed her, she swings to another chain that was connect to a cage.
She used all her strength to swing the cage and smash it on him. He landed and skidded on top of a few cages. She landed on top of another cage as she tried to catch her breath. "Damn, those cages are heavy" she said. Dust was still rising up from where Fukuro landed. She could only hear her beating heart and her hard breaths.
"Is that it then?" Mortis looked up from her face full of snow as she tried to stand up. Her lungs were desperate for air. "No, this isn't it" she said, standing onto her wobbly knees. She and Gray were in their underwear on mount hokuba. Mortis was only a few training sessions in her ice maker training.
Gray had been pushing her hard and she was exhausted. "You're not doing as bad as you think" he said, arms crossed. Mortis was finally stood straight, but still ready to collapse when she was told the training session was over.
"This is what we are going to do" he said, walking around her. She closed her eyes as he asked "you tired right? Ready for bed?" Mortis nodded and said "yes I am." Gray then stood a distance away from her and shouted "tough!" She turned to see him cast "ice make lance!" She immediately took her stance, with her weak legs and shouted "ice make shield." It blocked Gray's first attack, but it didn't stop the second. She ducked, just as her shields smashed to pieces. She looked up to see him cast another attack. She jumped up and saw an ice canon being shot at her. "Ice make slid!" She shouted and create a perfect slide for the canon to roll up and around, straight back at Gray.
"ARGH!" Snow rose from the impact of both the canon ball and Gray. She was breathing harder than before and prayed to anyone that the lesson was over. She wanted nothing more than sleep. Gray got up, annoyed and stormed over to her. Her eyes suddenly went wide as she saw Lyon storm over. "That was great!" Gray was back. "Man have some tricks up your sleeve don't you?" He asked.
Mortis blinked a few times before saying "um yeah, well. I try my best." Gray smirked as he said "well keep them coming. How about we take the weekend off of training?" He suggested. "I would owe you a weekend worth of booze if you did that" she laughed. "You don't have to do that. Come on let's go home."
Thirty minutes later it was dark and Mortis was walking up the path to Natsu and Happy's house. She stumbled through the door and collapsed on the sofa. She was about to fall asleep when she heard Natsu and Happy have an argument. "I left the fish right here!" "I didn't eat it!" "Yes you did!"
Mortis took a deep breath and shouted "would you guys shut up!" Natsu walked into the living room and said "hey I didn't realize you were home." Mortis yawned and said "why am I not surprised?" Happy walked in with a fish. "Found it" he cheered. "See told you I didn't eat it" Natsu said. Happy saw Mortis and asked "how did ice maker making training go?" Mortis sat up so Natsu and Happy could join her. "It was fine. More intense today, but I think I did good" she explained. "If ever tells you, you didn't I could always burn him?" Natsu offered, smiling with his hand on fire.
Mortis chuckled as she said "I think I'm fine thanks bro." She leaned her head on his shoulder as she yawned again. Happy brought the three of them a blanket and they snuggled on the sofa in from of the fire. "He's some words of wisdom" Natsu said. "Coming from an idiot" Happy laughed. "You know how tired you feel now?" He asked "mmmmm hmmmm" she hummed sleepily. "Just know you may need to keep fighting while you're that tired."
The dust settled and Fukuro jumped up flying towards her. She gritted her teeth and shouted "Fire dragon wing attack!" He managed to barely miss the fire, but hit a cage. Mortis looked around. No sign of Gray. He would be here now winning the fight. He must be fighting Vidaldus. She hoped he was ok. But she had to change her plan. Fire has its advantages but ice seemed to be the magic needed at the moment. It was time to stop running and actually run straight at him. She created two ice swords and jumped at him.
"Ahhh!" She screamed. Fukuro was hit by the sword and sent flying to the wall. Mortis wasn't far behind him. "Ice make knuckles" and they punched him senseless. "Wooooooo" he screamed, charging at her. Mortis covered her arms in icicles. A trick Gray taught her. Lyon refused to teach her that when she asked. He would say it was a pointless spell in his dream.
She jumped and spun the icicles on her arm, causing three cuts in his jets. "Woooo noooo" she quickly unhooked his jets before they exploded on the wall. He landed on top of the cage next to Mortis. She landed and the icicles broke.
"You are making me angry!" He shouted. She stood there breathing hard. "You made me angry the moment you show your ugly face to me" she growled. "I think maybe instead of killing you, I'll just devour you and take your magic instead!"
Before Mortis could react he lunged at her and stuffed the top half of her body in his mouth. Her brain couldn't comprehend what just happened. She was exhausted and bruised. The easel was awful and struggled to concentrate to even light fire on her hand.
"MORTIS!" Her eyes widened. That was Gray. He was ok. Back in focus, she was about to enflame her body, but she was swallowed. Too late.
Gray watched from below and was stood frozen with shock. He watched his girlfriend being devoured by Fukuro. His eyes were wide with shock and couldn't breathe. "Oh no" Happy gasped. Gray screamed in rage as he jumped to him. "Give her back to me!" He sent ice lance spells at him and he was crashed into the wall. "In ten minutes she will be gone!" He mocked. He suddenly had black hair on the top of his head.
"Now I have her powers too. Fire dragon RAOR!" Gray was devoured in Morts's flames. "Gray!" Happy shouted. "No he has her powers, he will be twice as strong!" Simon shouted. Gray screamed as his skin burned.
Mortis was stuck in Fukuro's stomach as she heard Gray's screams. She was so disappointed in herself. She thought by now, she would be getting better in fights. She was winning. What happened? She got tired? Not good enough. As another minute passed, Mortis's eyes closed and she no longer felt anything.
"Hey Cana, who is that?" Gray asked. They both looked over as she said "oh that's one of the new girls. I think Happy said her name was Mortis Draglilth. They watched her sit by a corner booth with paper and a pencil. "What is she doing?" He asked. "Go up and ask her" she shrugged.
Gray walked up to the bar and ordered two beers. Why was he nervous to talk to her. They've spoken briefly before. He walked up to her and said "um, hi." Mortis looked up and automatically seemed nervous herself. "Oh hi" she said. "I hope you like beer, I got you a drink" he said, lifting a glass up. "Oh thank you" she said. "Would you like to join me?" She offered. "Thank you" he sat opposite her in the booth as he gave her the beer.
Mortis Put her paper and pencil down on the booth seat next to her so Gray couldn't see. He was curious to know what she was doing. "So how have you been since you joined Fairy Tail?" He asked. "It certainly is a ruckus here" she laughed. Gray nodded laughing as he said "yeah we are. Been on any jobs yet?" Mortis shook her head. "Not yet. Never been on a job before so I don't want to go on my own for the first time." Gray pointed at her as he said "smart. I'll join you if you want."
She smiled and said "thanks but Natsu has already said he would join me and from what I've been hearing you two don't get along." Gray stared at her as he took a sip and said "I wouldn't say we don't get along, we despise each other." Mortis laughed as she took another sip of her beer. "So, forgive me for prying. But are you writing a novel?" He asked.
Mortis started to blush. "No. I draw" she said. "Can I see?" He asked. Mortis fidgeted in her seat nervously. "Um, sure" she said. She grabbed her papers apart from one. She left it on the seat and handed the others to Gray. "Oh wow. These are amazing" he said, flicking through the papers. He stopped at an illustrated piece of the guild. He could see all the fine woodwork detail. He then looked through pieces of everyone. He held up the one of Natsu and Happy. Once he was done he realized there wasn't one of him.
"So you got almost everyone in the guild" he said. She nodded sucking the inside of her cheeks to stop from blushing with embarrassment. "But, not one of me?" He asked. Mortis just stared at him as her cheeks went crimson. "OK I'm sorry" she said. She handed him the piece she did of him. "I didn't want you to think I'm a weirdo, because with art you need to study the object and you know, I had to keep staring at you and I didn't want you to think that was weird" she explained quickly.
Gray loved it. He blushed and said "it's amazing. It's like a photo." Mortis just drank her beer. "May I um, can I keep it?" He asked, smiling. She stared at him and said "ok sure, if you want. It could be better" she said. Gray shook his head. "No I think it's great as it is" he said. "Well thanks!" She smiled raising her beer.
Gray remembered the day like it was only yesterday. "Argh!" He thrust his arms out and froze the fire. Fukuro stared wide-eyed. "Two can play at that game. Ice make arrows" he shouted and shot them at Gray. He jumped avoiding them and shouted "you will give her back to me. Ice make saucer!" And it was sent slicing its way towards him. Fukuro jumped over it and grabbed Gray. "I'll eat you too and make the ice magic even stronger!" He then put Gray's head and elbows in his mouth.
"Gray!" Happy and Simon shouted. Suddenly Fukuro stopped as his mouth was encased in ice. Gray jumped out of his mouth, punched him as hard as he could, and send an ice buckle attack at him. A knuckle hit him in the stomach, causing him to cough up Mortis while he landed inside a cage. Gray created an ice sword and cut the chains holding the cage and it fell to the darkness below.
Happy caught Mortis and brought her back to Gray. "Mortis? Mortis come on!" he screamed. She wasn't breathing. "Mortis please" Happy cried, gently shaking her. His lips quivered. His best friend is missing and now Mortis wasn't breathing. He hugged her as he looked up to Gray with his big pleading wet eyes as he said "save her Gray, please." Gray placed his hand on top of his head, before picking him up and placing him on the side.
Happy watched with tears all down his face. Gray laid Mortis on her back, opened her mouth and breathed air into her lungs, before pumping her heart. His heart was racing with fear. Each time he pressed down her body shook, but no sign of life, he took a deep breath and blew it into her mouth again. He did this for a minute. "Come oN!" He screamed, trying to keep the tears back. "You haven't finished your training yet" he croaked. Happy looked up and saw he was trying not to fall apart. "You think you're going to get out of it this way, well you're not. I have so much more to teach you. We need you Mortis. Fairy Tail needs you!"
Mortis gasped for air. Eyes wide and started to cough. "Oh thank god" gray breathed. "Mortis!" Happy cried running and hugging her. "Hey" she coughed. "We thought we lost you" he cried. "You can't get rid of me that easily cat" she laughed. She looked down to see Simon. "Hey Happy, go let Simon know I'm ok would you?" She asked. He nodded and flew down. When he was out of sight, Mortis hugged Gray tightly. He did the same. "Don't you dare do that again! Understand!" Gray demanded. Mortis was using all her strength to not cry. She was in shock at what had just happened and she was angry with herself. "I'm sorry" she said. "I honestly thought I was getting better, but I haven't."
Gray stroked the back of her head as he told her "you won some you lose some. That's a wizard's life, but the mistake you made was going at it on your own." She nodded. He helped her up before she got her balance back. "Where is Juvia is she ok?" She suddenly panicked. "Oh she's fine. Tried to drown me as a rock chick. That weirdo Vidaldus, but I managed to snap her out of it and we kicked his butt" he explained. "Bet that wasn't hard to snap her out of it?" She laughed. "Well I guess not" he said. "Oh please, all you would need to do is say her name and you would have her undivided attention. Where is she anyway?" She asked. "I sent her off looking for Sho and Erza" he explained.
Mortis quickly had a thought. That means there is one left. Ikaruga. If they all could regroup there, then they all would be able to face Jellal and maybe stop him before the inferior canon hit. Mortis and Gray met up with Happy and Simon. "Are you ok?" Simon asked Mortis. "I'm fine, now. Thank you." Simon then glared at her as she shouted "do you have any idea how stupid that was?" Mortis didn't react to him, just stared. "You could have died!" She then shouted "then I would have died fighting for Erza!"
Simon was shocked. He took a few deep calm breaths before saying "she must mean a lot to you." Gray nodded and said "she does to us all."
"Me and Happy will go looking for Sho and Erza. You two must go and make headway in finding Natsu" Simon said. Mortis nodded. "Not a problem." Happy grabbed her leg as he said "please find him Mortis. Make sure he's ok." She knelt down and patted his head as she said "I will, I promise."
Happy and Simon left while Mortis and Gray started to make their way up the tower. "Where do you reckon he is?" He asked. "The most obvious place there is in the tower. At the very top, with Jellal."