To the tune of 'Shots' by Party Rock Anthem.
Angst, angst, angst angst, angst angst, angst, angst angst, angst angst, angst, angst angst, angst angst, EVERYBODY.
Chapter Seventy Eight - Oracion Seis, Part Three
No. No no no no no no no no.
I knew that voice, and it wasn't Brain.
"Hades," I said, somewhat cordially and trying to keep my cool as I turned around. "Nice to meet you. Though, personally, I prefer the name Precht. That's just me, though."
His eyes widened, but I continued, my gaze passing to the person behind him and narrowing at who I saw. "Brain," I hissed.
Kinda funny how he was obviously Hades's subordinate.
There was no way I could take both of them on - I could barely take one of them on.
"Ahh…if it isn't the pain in my ass," he said, looking at me. "Still a pain, I see."
"Ahh, if it isn't a dick," I responded. "Still a piece of shit, I see."
He growled. "You stole from me."
"Did I though?" I asked. "Does it count as stealing from you if you don't own it?"
"YES."
Hades stood off to the side, simply observing while we spoke, and I tried to maneuver the kids all into one place.
Brain noticed what I was doing. "If you are smart, you will return these children to me."
"No way in hell!" I yelled, my magical pressure building up. "I'll never let you get your hands on these kids again!"
I turned for them, but his target was farthest away from me, even though it was only by a few steps.
"If I can't have them, then NO ONE CAN," he turned to Macbeth, his hand outstretching. "DARK CAPRICCIO!"
Faster than I'd ever done anything else, I moved in front of Macbeth, shouting "Venus's Reflective Shield!"
I barely got it up in time, and the pressure of his magic clashing with mine still pushed me back several feet, leaving gashes in the ground and nearly crashing me into Macbeth, who put his hands on my shoulders and steadied me.
"Everyone, grab each other's hands," I said, gritting my teeth, and digging my feet into the ground to stop from being pushed back even further.
They all listened, and I turned to Macbeth, the one nearest to me, with one hand. My other hand was still in front of me, holding up the shield.
I checked that they were all connected before I grabbed his hand and tried to teleport.
Nothing happened.
"What's wrong?" Erik asked.
"I can't teleport!" I said, panicked.
"Ah, yes," Hades said, watching the scene from the side, but still behind the shield. He held up something I recognized. "That Clive girl is really something. I must remember to thank her."
In his hands was something most people didn't even know about. It was a test card to stop magic within a barrier (sort of like Freed's runes) but it can only block one specific type of magic, because we were unable to make it store any more than that. More than that, though, the magic had to be programmed into the card - you could make it block whatever type of magic you wished. But still, it could only stop one type of magic, and it didn't physically stop anyone.
That's why it's only a prototype.
Blood drained from my face.
There was only one thing I could do, and I really didn't want to do it.
But since the barrier didn't stop anyone physically...
"Get out of here," I gritted my teeth, focusing all of my power on the shield and expanding it's range, so Hades couldn't pass around and attack from the side.
"But-" Orga protested.
"Now!" I yelled, whipping my head around to meet their eyes. "Get to the guild! Tell them I sent you, explain what happened. If you can get there in time, send reinforcements."
"What do you mean, in time?" Sorano asked, her voice wavering.
"Go!" I shouted. "We're too far away for Laxus or Silver to hear me - those are the other slayers, and even with their advanced hearing, we're too far away from them and the guild is too loud. Erik can keep track of what's happening with his hearing. But you need to go and get to the guild. If you can, send Laxus. Hell, and Makarov, Gildarts or Ur. If you mention that it was Brain, Ur will be pretty pissed, she's wanted a piece of him for years. But uh...actually don't send Makarov, he'll probably have a heart attack when he learns that Hades is Precht. And try to remember to tell them about Precht having Cana's cards, tell Freed he had to up everyone's security."
Instructions, just in case I couldn't get back from this.
I doubted they would be able to send reinforcements in time, but if they could, Ur...Ur would be good.
She's wanted to kick Brain's ass for almost two years now.
But they couldn't stay. They weren't strong enough, and would likely only get in the way, stopping me from unleashing all of my power. Even now, they were having trouble breathing with my and Brain's magical presence - Hades hadn't even released his yet.
But I knew this was a fight I couldn't win. Hopefully they'd get to the guild in time and then I'll be able to leave the barrier and teleport.
"No! We can't leave you!" Macbeth shouted, and my eyes were drawn to him. His head was down, casting shadows over his face. "I refuse!"
"I don't care!" I shouted. "You need to go!"
"No!" he yelled. "You protected me! No one has ever done that before! Ever! I can't just leave you behind!"
The pressure between me and Brain increased, and the wind was whipping my hair around. From the looks of some of the kids, it was getting even harder to breath than before, and if they duidn't leave soon, most of them would probably pass out.
Hades was still standing to the side, and I knew that he probably wouldn't help unless Brain specifically asked, from what I'd previously seen of dark guild members.
Either that or if I somehow miraculously managed to defeat Brain.
I turned back to the kids, and gave Macbeth a sad smile. "Macbeth, I refuse to let you get dealt the cards you got in the last life. You deserve to be happy. And if no one has done it before…plenty of other people will do it for you now. But you need to go."
"I can't!" As his face flashed up, I noticed the streams dripping down his face.
My heart went out to him.
"Macbeth…sometimes the most important part of life and friendship and family is knowing what to do, and when to listen."
His heart looked broken.
"All of you! Go!"
All of them had some tears now, and Richard, being the oldest, and the responsible one he had to be, turned first, grabbing Orga (who was struggling in his arms) and running down the hill for the city.
He knew that they would only be a distraction if they stayed.
"A little help would be appreciated, Hades," Brain growled, increasing his power and pushing me back more.
Shit.
Hades sighed and fired off a bullet from one of his fingers, though he was surprised when it rebounded off of my shield and hit a tree.
He began to get a curious look on his face, and it sent a feeling of foreboding through me.
My shield wavered.
"Guys, you need to go!" I shouted.
Sawyer was next, dragging Sorano with him, both of them going down the hill.
Erik, please, I thought, directing thoughts at him. His face showed his surprise as he received the thoughts, and I'm glad I can at least send messages to him telepathically, if he can't read my mind. If you get to the guild and I'm still fighting, have someone send up a signal flare. Something obvious. Now go! Take Macbeth and run.
Erik's tears were running faster now, and he grabbed Macbeth, pulling him down the hill, both of them trying their hardest to not look back and to keep running despite the tears running down their faces.
And now I could concentrate on the fight.
I turned back to Brain, but before anything could happen he dropped his spell and started up another one. "You bitch! Dark Gravity!"
The spell hit me, pinning me to the ground, and I cried out as I was pushed farther down, breaking some of the ground around me. It was obvious that he was trying to knock me out.
But still...after he attacked me last time, I knew that I had to find a way of countering.
So I did.
I had my own cards, after all.
I requipped out one of Cana's cards and slammed it to my chest, lightening myself and the air around me until I could stand.
Hades chuckled, before he finally stopped holding back his magic. The pressure from releasing all of it nearly put me back on my knees again. "She sure is persistent."
Brain growled, releasing the gravity spell and powering up something else. "Dark Capriccio; Zero Slash."
The spell formed again as a whip and slammed into me, making me wince in pain, and I suddenly remembered that Brain didn't know how to use this spell. Only one person did.
Sure enough, looking at Brain, I could see his skin lightening and his eyes turning red.
Zero.
"Uranus's Solidification," I shouted, channeling all of my ice magic into the whip as it hit me a second time.
"My what?" he screeched, and luckily seemed to turn back into Brain as my spell froze his over, turning it to ice and shattering it.
"Enough of this," Hades said, stepping forward. "She is one of the Five, correct?"
"Yes," Brain hissed, glaring at me and channeling up his magic again.
"Cleansing Power of Venus!" I shouted, remembering that it had hurt Brain last time - just like how he probably remembered that I didn't have a good defense against his gravity magic.
Maybe it would work on both of them -
Hades blocked it before it even got close, his eyes locking on mine, and my heart sped up as I broke out into a cold sweat. I felt more scared than I'd ever been. "Then I will finish this now."
He held out his hands and started swiping them, and my face paled as I recognized the hand movements, having seen them used against Laxus before, during the Tenrou Island arc.
Shit.
As purple formulas surrounded me, I located some of my assault weapons in my requip space and projected it over their heads, dropping dozens of frying pans, skillets and anvils on top of them. The resulting cacophony from the clashing metals as they rained down upon them mixed with their cries of pain was music to my ears, and felt extremely satisfying.
But I couldn't see the result as the spell activated. "Formula 10."
I screamed as the Amaterasu formula hit me, striking me from all sides.
My body felt like it was on fire, and then it felt limp.
The spell vanished and I collapsed on the ground, unable to move.
"We needed her," Brain said to Hades. "Were you trying to kill her?"
"I took a calculated risk that she would survive the blast, and she did. Besides," he turned to look back at Brain. "If she hadn't survived the blast, she wouldn't have fit the requirements anyway. She wouldn't be strong enough." His gaze turned back to me. "But since it paralyzes it's target, I figured this would probably be best."
It was true. It wasn't just that I couldn't move - I also didn't want to. I felt like I would fall apart if I tried. My muscles felt so tired I was surprised I didn't just turn into a puddle, and even though I tried to get them to move anyway, nothing happened.
Brain leaned down and picked up a frying pan, flipping it in his hand. "Who the hell keeps frying pans in their requip space?"
"I do," I hissed glaring at him, glad my head was already tilted in a way so I could see them. There was no way I'd be able to move my neck, at this rate.
He looked down at me with a wicked smile and flipped the frying pan again. "Then, thank you."
He pulled back the pan, and I knew what was going to happen before it did.
One last time, I projected my thoughts.
Thank you…Erik.
And then my own frying pan slammed into my head, and the world went dark.
They were halfway through the city when Erik's sobbing got louder.
"What's wrong?" Macbeth asked worriedly, looking over at his closest friend.
Erik said nothing, only speeding up, and soon he was near the front of the line.
"Erik!" Macbeth shouted, picking up his own pace. They weren't in very good shape; not only were they not fed properly, but they had also been unable to exercise much. And even though Brain had taught them magic, he kept them weak on purpose - probably because he'd be worried that they would leave if they could fight back properly.
Looking back over the things Brain had done, he understood everything that Elle was saying.
That spell would've killed him if Elle didn't stop it.
Elle…his heart tightened. If Erik was speeding up like that…
He pushed himself harder, and both of the boys ended up at the front of the other kids, running through the streets of Magnolia.
Macbeth's heart sunk as he realized that Sawyer's speed was only an illusion, and that's why Macbeth and Erik were moving so much faster than the other kids; there was no point in Sawyer using his magic, because it would only slow everyone else down.
People dove out of their way, and the kids came closer and closer to the doors of the guild, Erik and Macbeth side by side, each shoving one of the large doors open.
They opened with a slam, directing attention over to them. Out of the corner of his eyes, Macbeth noticed three whole tables full of children who were happily chatting with each other (though they were quieting down upon noticing their entrance).
Erik was panting beside him (though not nearly as hard), and a small, short man walked up to them.
"Hello, how can I help you kids today?" he asked brightly.
Macbeth was too busy panting, so Erik took over for him. "Elle sent us."
The man lost his smile, right as the rest of the Oracion Seis reached the doors.
"Nii-san!" Wally shouted, getting up from the table.
His shout brought a little girl's attention to the doors, and she was the next one up, darting into her sister's arms. "Sora-nee!"
"Sawyer!" Jet said happily, waving from his spot at the table.
"We're glad you're okay!" Droy said from beside him.
The happy reunions were ruined as a boy a little older than Macbeth stood up from the table, knocking his stool over. He sparked with electricity dangerously. "What happened?"
Everyone stopped and turned to look at him.
"What are you talking about, Laxus?" Wally asked.
Laxus, Macbeth thought eagerly. This was one of the people that Elle mentioned.
"I mean, you two said that Elle sent you," his voice was low, and dangerous. "But where is she?"
Macbeth took a deep breath. "She needs your help. She held off some guys named Brain and Hades so we could escape-"
"Brain?!" a woman shouted, standing up.
"Hades?" the short man said. "As in the Master of Grimoire Heart?"
"Yeah, and Elle said to send for Laxus, Gildarts and Ur," Macbeth continued, still panting a bit.
"Where was this?" Laxus demanded.
"On the-"
"It doesn't matter." Erik's defeated voice floated over everyone.
"What did you say?" Laxus snapped at him.
"It doesn't matter!" Erik shouted. "It's too late! She's already gone!"
At this, one girl burst into tears (though others seemed close to follow), and with a crack from the sky, rain opened down upon them, thundering on the roof of the guild.
"How the hell can you know that?" Laxus yelled, turning into lightning and appearing in front of Erik. He grabbed Erik's shirt and lifted him in the air.
"Laxus, put him down!" the old man demanded.
"No way, old man! Elle is missing, and these kids just suspiciously show up out of the blue? No fucking way!"
"I'm a Dragon Slayer," Erik said.
Laxus froze, Erik still up in the air. "What?"
"That's how I know what happened," Erik answered, completely defeated. He started crying more. "I heard it."
At that, Laxus's hands released, and Erik fell to the floor.
"It's more than that…" Macbeth said softly. "Erik has a special type of Listening Magic. He can read souls…uh…"
"It's kinda like mind reading, but on a deeper level," Erik muttered. "In the end…she thanked me." His voice choked up, and he fell to his knees.
"Why the hell would she do that?" Laxus roared.
"We wouldn't leave," Sorano whispered, hugging her sister tighter. "And she kept asking us to. Macbeth was the last one to leave, and Erik had to pull him away."
Laxus followed her gaze to Macbeth, and then looked back at Erik.
"You said it's kinda like mind reading, right?" he asked.
Erik nodded glumly, his eyes dark.
"You said she was fighting Brain and this...Hades guy, right? What did they do after…after they won?"
"She's still alive…" Erik said quietly. "But Brain really really hates her, especially for helping all of us escape, along with some other girl with Time Magic."
One of the girls at the table let out a small wail, but she was ignored (with the exception of the woman who had shouted earlier, who took her in her arms for comfort).
"And the Hades guy ended up paralyzing her with this one spell, before they grabbed her and teleported out of my range. That spell seemed to do a lot of damage, though..."
"What spell?" Laxus asked, his eyes darkening.
"Uh..." Erik said, thinking. "I'm...not exactly sure. Hades only said 'Formula 10'."
"WHAT?" the small man yelled. "ELLE WAS HIT BY AN AMATERASU FORMULA?"
"Shit," one of the men from the table said. "You're kidding, right?"
"Why?" Laxus asked, looking between the two. "Jiji, what's an Amaterasu Formula?"
The old man seemed in shock, so he turned to the other guy. "Gildarts, what is it?"
"The Amaterasu Formulas are a type of extremely powerful and violent magic," the man responded. "One that usually causes insanity in the caster."
"Formula 10 usually ends up causing paralysis if it hits its target, but it can also be fatal, depending on how powerful the mage it hits is. If they're too weak, they'll use up all of their magical energy blocking the attack, and are still unable to completely block it. Which means that they'll still get hit with the attack, albeit a weaker version."
Laxus swirled around to stare back at Erik. "But you said she was still alive, right?"
Erik nodded.
"So...what were their thoughts?" Laxus asked, his voice lowering dangerously. "What are they going to do to her?"
"They ended up deciding on giving her to this one dark mage that they know for some plans, because I think he hates her too, and she's also one of the five bloodlines…or something, especially because he couldn't use Sorano because she was the wrong one... That part didn't really make sense. Something about them running out of time since October…"
More than a few of the guild members who had already put it together tensed. Most of the kids were left in the dark.
"Do you get the name of the mage?" Laxus asked.
Erik nodded. "I don't know his last name, so I'm not quite sure how helpful it'll be, but…he thought about giving her to a guy named Ivan. And…" he flinched. "He was really happy about the pain she'd probably go through because of him."
Laxus's lightning roar scared half the people there, and decimated what was left of the doors, as he tried to aim his attack to cause the least amount of damage.
"You know who he is?" Macbeth asked eagerly. Erik's look grew into one of hope, and the other kids seemed happier.
"Unfortunately, yes, and he does have a grudge against Elle. You see," the old man explained. "Elle is the reason he was kicked out of the guild."
All of the new kids' eyes widened. "What?" Erik asked.
"Ivan used to be a member of Fairy Tail," the man explained. "Elle convinced me to kick him out, because he is a danger to others. I am Makarov Dreyar, the Master of Fairy Tail. And Ivan is my son."
At the end of this, Laxus's body lit up even more, before finally the energy left, though he seemed just as angry. He began to laugh, before turning and punching a wall.
"Laxus?" Makarov asked.
"Shitty pops is the one that put that lacrima in my head," he said darkly. "And he's really going to regret it. Because I'm going to use it to kick his ass!"
The first girl who started crying approached him. "You promise, Onii-sama?"
He smiled at her and ruffled her hair. "Yeah, Juvia. There's no need to cry. I'll get Elle back."
The girl wiped away her tears, and the rain that pounded on the roof of the guild slowed to a trickle.
"Do you have a plan, Laxus?" Makarov asked his grandson.
"I don't need a plan!" Laxus roared, glaring at the Master. "I will find her!"
He breathed heavily, and turned to walk out of the guild. "And I will save her. End of story."
He was gone before what was left of the doors could shut behind him.
This is the end of the Oracion Seis arc. The real angst will be for the next few chapters...probably three or four.
If you've read any of my other multichaptered works, you've probably noticed a pattern where I break the story up into parts. I managed to refrain from doing that for this story, but if I did, then I would end Part One here, even though most of you would probably figure that Part Two wouldn't start until the original timeline starts. I'd say that after this, Elle grows up a bit, and starts her 'teenage' stage of life.
As for the Amaterasu Formula...I originally thought that the one he used on Laxus was Formula 100, but it was too small of an explosion, so I dropped a zero and made it Formula 10.
The next chapter should be up by Thursday evening.
Notice I said 'by'. I will try and get it up earlier, but I want to try and get a baseline for the rest of the upcoming arc so you don't all die by heart attacks.