Back with the continuation
"speaking"
""thinking""
On with story
The team was on their way to the capital as the distance was cut short from riding the magic air ship
Natsu landed the air ship on the ground as the magic power in the vehicle was running out
"looks like we have to travel on foot from here" Natsu said as he pulled a lever and sees that the magic gauge in the vehicle was low
"that's the capital, huh?" Lucy said as she looked from a window and sees the large city from a far "everyone who got turned into the giant lacrima is somewhere down there"
"then let's stop wasting them and go there" Charla said as the hangar door opened and everyone got off the ship
They continued on foot to the capital as they got into the city with ease
"for a city that is ruled by a tyrant of a king, this place looks more like an amusement park" Lucy said
"they're wasting magic everywhere" Charla said "they stole magic from every guild and the entire country just to focus it here"
"the king must've done this to gain the favour over its citizen"
"what a crook" Lucy said
They then see a large crowd over in front as they seem to be in celebration or something
"a parade?" Wendy said
"let's go and check it out" Natsu said
Everyone went into the crowd and what they see surprised them as a giant lacrima was at the center of the crowd
"a lacrima!" Wendy gasped
"it's huge!" Lucy said
"and it's only a section! There are markings like it was cut!" Charla said
"this is only a piece of it?!" Lucy said
As everyone cheered in the parade, the king came and stood on a stage
"Long live the king! Long live your majesty!"
The crowds cheered for the old king
"children of Edolas! My sacred country of Edolas! Anima has given us ten years of magic power!" the king announced out as the crowds cheered
"that bastard!" Natsu clenched his fists hard as he was about to go and beat some sense into the old man but Lucy held him back
"sing together! Laugh together! We share this joy with all the citizens!"
"Each and every citizen of Edolas has the right to share this magic power! The citizens of Edolas are a sacred race that will endure for centuries! No one can take way our magical power! And I pledge to this day that we will obtain more magic than this!"
The king swings his royal staff at the lacrima as he broke off small chunks of it
"we will obtain an infinite amount of magic!" the king shouted out
"BASTARD!" Natsu growled out as Lucy was trying her best to hold him back
"please Natsu! Just calm down for now!" Lucy said to him as she cried in tears "we all know how you feel"
After the parade was over, Natsu and the others were in an apartment as they were in solemn for now but not Charla who was in the middle of scribbling something on a piece of paper
"that lacrima in the parade was only a chunk of it, just imagining the bigger one is baffling" Lucy said "we can't just standby" Natsu said as he clenched his fist tight "Erza, Milo, Gray and everyone else, they need us to help them!"
"just charging forward won't help them at all" Charla said as she finished scribbling on the piece of paper "if we don't have a proper plan, we'll never be able to return everyone back to normal"
"how are we going to save everyone?" Wendy asked while looking at her lap
"the other me didn't know anything what was happening at all, so the one who knows how to get the others back to normal is the current king" Natsu said
"but I don't think he would just give out the answer to us" Charla said
"no, we can get the answer" Lucy said
"how?" Wendy asked
"Gemini" Lucy replied "they have the power to transform into anyone they touched but the transformation limit is to two people, so we can get the info if Gemini can just tough the king"
"the only problem now is how do we get close to the king?"
"if we go through the escape passage the other me told me, we would just be surrounded by the royal army" Natsu said
"there is another way" Charla said as she lifted up the piece of paper she had been scribbling on and it revealed to be a map of the underground system "there is another underground route connected to the castle, it should still be there for us to use"
"that's incredible, Charla! How'd you know about that?!" Wendy asked the feline
"certain fragments of information come to mind" Charla said "ever since I arrived to Edolas, some geographical information has been coming into my head little by little"
"so if we can find this passage, we can get to the king and make this plan work!" Lucy said
"then it's decided, we'll head out on noon" Natsu said "rest up"
As the sun sets, the plan was in motion
Natsu and the group ventured through and abandoned mining site as they entered the cave with torches
Charla lead the group as she was holding the map and knows which path to took
They then reached to a dead end but the wooden board had the symbol Ky-20 on it
"this is it" Charla said as Lucy summoned Taurus and asked the bull spirit to take down the wall in one punch
"amazing!" Wendy said
"there really is a tunnel here!" Lucy said amazed as well
"I only hope that it would actually lead to the castle" Charla said
They then started to follow the path; Charla wrote on the map as they were now in a big open cave
"looks like we're underground the castle" Lucy said
Natsu looks around the place before sensing something
"Lucy! Behind you!" Natsu shouted out before it was too late as a white slime like gel wrapped around Lucy
"what is this?!" Lucy tried to break free but the gel was stuck on her
Soon more of it came flying at them as Wendy and Natsu got stuck in it
"it's a trap!" Natsu shouted out before he was pushed down by Knightwalker who appeared out of nowhere
"so these are the earthland wizards? These two look exactly like Wendy Wynn and Lucy Ashley" Knightwalker said as soldiers surrounded everyone
Knightwalker looks at Natsu as she takes off his helmet
"to think that I was deceived by this impostor" she said with a glare before she stomps Natsu's head down "you sicken me!"
"take them away!" Knightwalker ordered out as the soldiers started to take away Natsu and the others
"Wendy!" Charla went to try and help Wendy but Knightwalker stop her
"Exceed" Knightwalker muttered out to Charla before she and the rest of the soldiers kneeled down to her "welcome home, Exceed!"
"wh-what? What is going on here?" Lucy said
"this was all planned out from the beginning!" Natsu said in anger
"Charla…..why?" Wendy asked
"we are grateful for you to turn in the intruders to us" Knightwalker said
Charla looks in shock as she had no idea that this would happen
Natsu and Wendy were thrown into a cell as the door was locked up
"bastard!" Natsu shouted out as he rammed the door with his side as the cell nearly broke down
"wow! This guy got super amazing strength!" Hughes said as some of the guards tried to hold back the cage that nearly breaks "and his face is nearly the same as Draguma-sama, it's some super amazing coincidence!"
"where is Lucy and Charla!?" Wendy exclaimed
"Lucy? Oh that woman?" Hughes said "she's locked up in a different cell, she'll be disposed of soon"
Natsu rams himself to the door as the hinges started to fall off
"bastard! Let us out before I'll slaughter you all!" Natsu growled out as his eyes glowed red
"and how can you slaughter us if you're still in a cell" Hughes said as he laughed at Natsu
"wait! Where's Charla!?" Wendy said
"you mean the exceed?" Hughes said "we take the Exceed that done their duty back to their country, I'd say they're probably taking their reward and treating themselves to a nice feast"
"done with their duty?" Wendy muttered out confused
"now that the cat finished her mission, she is back t her country in a room all comfy and cozy" Hughes said as he started to walk off "we got to thank her for turning you guys in"
"you're lying! Charla would never do such a thing!" Wendy screamed out
Extalia
Charla was on a giant bed as she slowly opened her eyes
"where?" Charla sat up as she looks around the place, she was in "where am i? what happened?"
She then remembered on how the map she drew, led everyone to a trap and how it was her fault
"I made a vow! I made a vow to protect Wendy, but..?!" Charla looks in guilt before the door was opened and two exceeds came in
One had Ichiya's face while the other constantly keeps swinging its hand up and down
"it seems that you have awaken" the Ichiya cat said "nice perfume"
"congratulations on completing your mission" the other cat said in praise to Charla
"who are you people?" Charla asked
"forgive our rudeness" they said "my name is Nichiya, I am the captain of the Imperial Guard of Extalia"
"and I'm Nadi, I'm Extalia's Minister of State"
The two exceeds introduced themselves
"come, the queen is waiting for you" Nichiya said as he and Nadi lead Charla into the kingdom of Extalia
In the town, there were hundreds of Exceed like Charla as everyone was all happy and Jolly
"the humans are a foolish and inferior race of beings as it is our duty to oversee them" Nadi said as they keep walking to a castle where there were many Exceed guards everywhere
"besides, they have such an awful perfume!" Nichiya said in disgust
"but the queen watches over all humans do" Nadi said
"and the Queen has the most splendid perfume!" Nichiya said all jolly
"for what reason?" Charla asked
"because humans keep breeding without permission! So the queen decides which humans are unnecessary and they kill them off!" Nadi said with a dark face "all is for the stabilization of magic supply, that was the proclamation of the queen"
"she has such an authority?" Charla said
"of course, she is a goddess after all" Nichiya said
"what was my duty?" Charla asked as she stopped walking "what is the duty that the queen had given to me?'
"of course it was to eliminate any Dragon Slayer you find" Nichiya said in reply "but due to some unforeseen circumstance, the Anima that the humans created had led us to a new possibility"
"and your mission was changed into "bring the dragon slayers into our custody""
"and you brought two dragon slayers into Edolas, very praise worthy" Nichiya said while clapping his hands a bit
"are you saying that i…..i led Wendy and the others to that trap!?" Charla said in shock
"no, you were just following orders. We sent those instructions to you so that the Dragon Slayers can get captured" Nadi said to her
"no…NO! YOU'RE LYING!" Charla cried out in tears as she stormed off "I NEVER WANTED ANY OF THIS! I JUST WANTED! I JUST WANTED TO PROTECT WENDY!"
"SHE…" Nichiya muttered out in shock
"she has fallen! She is a fallen Exceed!" Nadi shouted out as Nichiya cried in tears
"after her! Imperial guards after her!" Nichiya shouted out
Chara keeps on running away in tears as she wanted to escape from Extalia
"Wendy! I'm coming!" Charla shouted out as she keeps running before she got the Extalia guards chasing after her
"stop right there! Men!" Nichiya screamed out as he and the guards chased after her
Charla slipped around a corner as she hides in a cart filled with hay and Nichiya and the guards went pass her
The cart's wheel suddenly moved as the cart started to run down the hill
"aaahhh!" Charla screamed out before the cart fell off a cliff and went crashing to the ground
Charla got out of the cart as she drags herself out of it
"Wen….dy" Charla muttered out before she fell unconscious
Soon two small figures came to her as one looks in confusion
"Pa, I think she's hurt" the little figure said to the other one
"Kaaah! Let's get her to the house! Kaaah!" the other one replied
That is a wrap!
Bye bye