Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters; that right belongs to Hiro Mashima.

Lucy stared at the scene before and repressed the urge to shudder. After Lady Thalmasia had explained everything to them after dinner, Freed had been able to get her to show them a map of the property. Which had the area they needed to know about circled? It was a boon, and plans were made to check it out that night. Now, now Lucy had to keep herself calm as she watched Taurus wade through centipedes and millipedes that were about a thousand times larger than what she was used to in Fiore. Everyone was dirty, covered in things she wasn't going to try and put a name to keep what little sanity she had left.

Lucy sighed as she jumped to the side, tucking her body into a ball, rolling out of the way of a stream poison. The sound of the ground hissing where she had been standing as it ate through the topsoil of the marshes. Knowing that after this mission was over, Lucy would not be able to tolerate bugs as easily now. This was much worse than they had been led to believe. Yet, as she pushed to her feet and darted forward, Fleuve D'Etoile in her hand, she felt something family caress her senses. Knowing that if she didn't focus, she would be dead, Lucy shoved that feeling to the back of her mind and continued to fight.

Groaning a bit as she was forced to jump back, foot slipping on the ground, Lucy saw a flash of golden light. Next thing she knew was Loke standing before her shooting of a Regulus blast, putting a large hole in the centipede? Yes, she was sure it was a centipede.

"Princess?"

Smiling as she took the hand, he offered her; Lucy was soon standing, Fleuve D'Etoiles held before her. With a nod of her head, she was reassuring Loke. The smile Lucy got from her friend as she moved forward, an arm shooting out and wrist flick to send her weapon dancing across the ground and cracking against the nearest monster, while Loke attacked beside her protecting her back. It would probably be easier for her if she used Star Dress, but she didn't want to drain her magic that severely unless it got bad.

"Lucy, need you over here," Freed called out. "This seems to be the nest. And remember that if we don't hurry, they will respawn at sunrise for tomorrow night."

Frowning at what Freed said, Lucy looked at Loke, who just nodded his head and turned to rush in the direction of Taurus, who was still going full tilt with his axe. Once he was on his way, Lucy darted towards Freed, eyes going wide as she felt that sensation wash over her skin early, but much stronger. She knew this feeling; it was a Key!

Bickslow shook his head and removed his helmet as he slumped to the ground panting. His babies floated lazily around him as he looked towards where Lucy was sprawled on her back. He could barely make out the smile on her face in the pre-dawn light. It had been a hard fight, and the damn things were exceptionally tough thanks to their enlarged and reinforced exoskeleton. But they had kept up until Lucy had joined Freed at what had been their nest.

Shaking his head as he had felt magic burst across the marshland, bringing the battle to a halt for but a few seconds. Then all the Centipedes and Millipedes had turned and began to rush towards Freed and Lucy. Ever had been exhausted from stoning so many, and her wings wouldn't let her fly, so he had jumped on his babies and flew fast for backup. But it was the sight of a small crater that had a strange purple and green barrier over it that had drawn his attention.

From there, he was fighting beside Freed, both on the ground and air, having been informed that they needed to keep them away from Lucy as she brought the barrier down and got to what was in the center of this mess. A silver key that had Lucy squealing loudly. Then again, Bickslow knew little of celestial magic other than what Freed had been able to dig up after warding Lucy's house to keep Natsu out, which was not a lot. But what he had seen of Lucy with her spirits in the Guild, treated them like they were her family.

He stayed silent as his babies came to rest on, and around him, Bickslow watched as Freed approached Lucy and sat beside her prone form. A part of him wanted to do the same, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Miss Lucy, which key did you acquire?"

At Freed's question, Bickslow watched as Lucy let her hand drop and hug the key to her chest, giving a quiet laugh. Only to watch her roll onto her stomach and then push herself into a standing position. Showing off her long legs, now covered in dirt, blood, and other icky things. He could feel as magic began to pool around her. Shock coursed through him as he watched her legs spread shoulder-width apart as Lucy brought the hand above her head and slashed it down before twisting her wrist and hand a bit. He knew what she was doing, summoning her new key with them all watching.

"I am the road that connects this world and the celestial realm," Lucy spoke. "I open the door to the crater and summon Chalice of the Hydra constellation."

In the next second, a chime filled the air, along with a cloud of smoke that was yellow and silver, when it faded away from the Spirit that floated before Lucy was an ornate silver cup. Though all he could do was smile as he watched Lucy's eyes light up as he listened, along with Freed and Evergreen. Each was knowing this was something special they were seeing — a Celestial Mage making a contract with a spirit.

"Hi, I am Lucy Heartfilia, would you like to form a contract with me?" Lucy asked softly.

The Chalice just bobbed up and down, shining a little brighter.

"Oh, well, thank you. I appreciate the compliment," Lucy said, her voice matching the slight blush that appeared under the smears of dirt on her face. "What days are you available?"

Again he watched as the Chalice bobbed up and down, paused before swaying back and forth. It was odd, but he could feel the life radiating from the strange Spirit. The feel of it was similar to his babies when they merged with the totems.

"Okay, so only on Mondays, Tuesdays and every third Wednesday of the month," Lucy said as she pulled a small notebook from somewhere on her person. "And what abilities do you have?"

Bickslow sucked in a deep breath and held it as the Chalice began to glow an eerie purple that made him want to recoil before it shifted to a soft green glow that had him feeling at ease. The shade of green was a bit lighter than the color his magic gave off.

"What!? Really!? That is impressive, Crater," Lucy said, her voice a mix of awe and shock. "You are offensive and defensive... and those abilities... are... scary."

Feeling curious, Bickslow stayed silent as Lucy finished her contract with the Spirit before letting it return. The Spirit had claimed to be female and wanted to be called Alice.

"So, what was so shocking about Alice's abilities, Lucy?" He asked when she just stood there staring.

"Thank you for calling her by the name she chose, Bix," Lucy said as she turned and looked at him. "Alice... can inflict a multitude of poisons. Whether at a distance, or topical... and can apply them to weapons and surfaces. And only Alice can heal them. And she can heal as well... but only a little, nothing like what Wendy can do. She also grants me a little immunity to natural poisons when I am using her."

He could understand why she had been shocked. This made Lucy's already impressive arsenal of abilities and tactics. Much larger and deadlier. But it was the smile of happiness as he watched her hug the key to her chest. She made a new friend and was over the moon about it. A feeling he knew well because he experienced it each time he found a new soul and created a new baby.

TBC!