Coco: Hey, guys, I'm back with a new chapter. You won't find this one that different from the original chapter, but it'll differ more as it goes on, I promise XD
Rizzo groaned as light penetrated her eyelids. Her eyes fluttered open with the world being a bit blurry before it all cleared up. She looked up seeing palm trees and a clear blue sky above her. She's alive. She then blinked when realizing that Gray was sitting beside her.
"You're awake." He said looking down at her. "Good. You nearly gave me a heart attack back there."
He frowned remembering when he finally managed to get free from those ropes. He had grabbed Rizzo and fought to get them both to the surface. After that another wave hit sending all of them to shore. When they had first arrived, he had been panicked. He had to hurry and preform CPR on Rizzo who had gotten water into her lungs. He had managed to get her to expel that water out, but she hadn't woken up. He remained at her side for the rest of the night. But he's just glad she's awake now.
"What happened again?" Rizzo asked as she sat up slowly.
"Rizzo!" Natsu exclaimed while jumping in front of her. "We made it! Come on, let's go exploring."
With her fatigue suddenly gone, Rizzo hopped to her feet to looked at Natsu excitedly.
"Let's do it!" She agreed as she grinned widely.
"Did you two really forget why we're really here already?!" Lucy demanded.
Lucy sighed shaking her head. She's starting to wonder if the reward is going to be worth it.
"Right, sorry, Lulu." Rizzo said as she scratched the back of her head sheepishly.
Lucy accepted her apology while bringing out the job request to look back over the details again.
"Apparently, there's only one village on this entire island." Lucy said. "The village chief is the one who originally put in the request. So, I guess we need to try and find him."
That sounded like a plan to Rizzo. The sooner they find the guy in charge, the sooner they can get started on the mission.
"Not so fast," Gray said as he finally stood up.
"Give it up, Gray." Natsu said. "You can't take us back to the guild now that our boat's been destroyed."
Yep, someone from the guild would have to come get them now. And there's no telling when they'll finally be able to get someone to do that. Master will probably wait until Erza returns, which might take more than a minute.
"You're right." Gray said. "I'm coming with you."
As the three wizards and one fluffy feline looked at Gray in shock, Gray grinned.
"There's no way I'm going to let the three of you clowns make S-Class before I do." Gray said. "And if you were kicked out, the guild would be pretty boring."
Rizzo let out a laugh as he said that while putting her arm around Natsu' shoulders.
"You hear that, Natsu." Rizzo said. "Frosty is basically saying he'd miss us!"
Natsu laughed realizing the same thing, and their teasing had Gray blushing in embarrassment.
"Shut-up and let me finish!" He snapped.
Both pinkettes tried to muffle their laughter, but it was obviously hard for them to do as their shoulders shook. Gray frowned though then gave a sigh.
"Anyway, Gramps will be upset, but if we pull this off, he won't stay mad at us for long." Gray finished.
Natsu and Rizzo exchanged a glance with both of them grinning simultaneously as Happy jumped behind them in excitement. Even Lucy smiled while glad her friends were all on the same page now.
"Let's go." Gray said.
"Yeah/Aye!" Natsu and Happy agreed in unison.
Rizzo and the others stood outside a large wooden wall. She had to tilt her head way back just to look at the top.
"Well, we found the village." Gray said. "Now what?"
Well, Rizzo didn't see a doorbell or a doorknocker anywhere on this thing. Just the sign that read 'keep out'.
"Check out this gate." Natsu said. "When they say keep out they meant it."
"Anyone home?!" Lucy called out. "We came here to help you!"
No one replied to Lucy's calls, and Rizzo didn't see any movement at all. Didn't they have guards patrolling or anything? They couldn't all be sleeping, right? Rizzo tilted her head to the side then exchanged a look with Natsu. A silent conversation seemed to pass through the two that led to the two grinning deviously.
"Let's bust in." They said in unison as they faced the gate with their fists raised.
"No way!" Lucy denied.
Rizzo and Natsu both sighed as they crossed their arms over their chests. Gees, Lucy just takes the fun out of everything.
"Who goes there?!" Someone from above called down.
The group looked up spotting that two men had finally appeared at the top of the gate.
"We're mages from Fairy Tail responding to your request!" Lucy called.
"Why weren't we notified when you accepted the job?!" The man called down.
"Must be an error in the paperwork." Rizzo said smoothly when Lucy didn't look sure what to say.
Gray nodded in agreement because he had been thinking the exact same thing to say.
"Then let me see your emblems, right now!" The man ordered.
Rizzo raised her fist up to show her Fairy Tail emblem that was located on her inner wrist. Gray had to lift his shirt to show his, and Lucy held her hand high in the air. Natsu turned to show off the mark on his shoulder, and Happy had to move his pack off his back to show his mark.
"They're here!" the guards said in unison. "They're really here!"
Moments later the doors started to open up for the Fairy Tail wizards.
"It's like we're walking into a giant monsters mouth!" Happy said.
"Are you trying to freak me out?!" Lucy demanded.
Rizzo chuckled with a grin on her face as Lucy was frowning at Happy for his comment. As they were walking in they saw the villagers, who were all cloaked, there to greet them.
"I'm Moka the Village chief." Said one of the smaller figures. "On behalf of everyone here, I welcome you. Pleasantries aside, there's something you need to see. Now, my people!"
All the villagers shed their cloaks, and Rizzo's eyes narrowed when seeing they all had disfigured limbs or other body parts.
"It's just like what happened to the boat guy." Gray said.
"Oh wow, your sideburns!" Natsu gasped in shock.
Gray and Lucy frowned at Natsu because he was completely ignoring the demonic like arm over…sideburns, really? Rizzo just chuckled at her friend.
"Natsu, I think he's trying to show us what happened to his arm." Rizzo said as she placed her hand on Natsu's shoulder.
The chief nodded as Lucy was glad that at least Rizzo was taking all of this seriously.
"Though I admit, those are pretty impressive sideburns." Rizzo said.
Lucy nearly fell over in shock as Natsu laughed while nodding in agreement. Gray just sighed wondering why he was surrounded by idiots.
"Will you two just focus?!" Lucy snapped.
Natsu and Rizzo practically pouted at Lucy as they wished she'd just lighten up.
"Everyone on the island has suffered horrible disfigurement because of this curse." Moka said. "Not even the animals have been spared!"
Rizzo's eyes lit up as she wondered what kind of monster animals were running around the island. She wondered if she could fight with some of them! Though probably not with Lucy and Gray keeping her and Natsu on a tight leash.
"Excuse me for asking, but what makes you think it's a curse, sir?" Gray asked. "It could just be some kind of infectious disease."
"We've consulted with several doctors, young man." Moka said. "But they all agree that no such disease exist. You see, our symptoms began around the same time the moon fell under an evil spell."
The moon? Rizzo frowned as she looked up at the moon wondering who would have to power to cast an evil spell on the moon. It seemed impossible. Power could be drawn from the moon, but Rizzo had never heard of anyone casting a spell on it.
"What kind of spell?" Lucy asked.
"Since ancient times this island has absorbed the light of the moon." Moka said. "Causing it glow as beautifully as the moon itself. However, several years ago, the moons color started to change, and an eerie purple glow was cast upon the island."
"So the moon turned purple?" Natsu asked.
Rizzo then noticed that a purple light started to peek down from above, so she and the others looked up to see said purple moon coming out from the clouds.
"It's coming out from under the clouds." Happy said.
"It really is purple." Lucy said once the clouds moved off of it completely.
The island then started to glow the same purple, which cast and eerie glow around them. Lucy whimpered a bit while moving closer to Rizzo.
"Man that's creepy looking." Gray said.
"Thank-you, Captain Obvious." Rizzo muttered sarcastically.
Gray frowned at Rizzo as she stuck her tongue out at him.
"It's the curse." Moka said. "Stand back. The change is about to begin."
Change? Rizzo didn't like the sound of that one bit, and neither did her guildmates. All the villagers started crying out as their bodies transformed even more. Lucy latched onto Rizzo's arm looking completely freaked.
"They're changing!" Gray exclaimed.
"Yeah, I can see that." Lucy said.
"Why is this happening to them?" Natsu asked.
"I don't know, but we have to find out." Rizzo decided.
Gray nodded in agreement as the villagers finally stopped transforming. The villagers that were once human were now demonic.
"I'm sorry if our appearance frightens you." Moka said.
Rizzo frowned sympathetically towards the villagers as they looked away seemingly ashamed of their appearance.
"It's okay." Gray said. "I'm just completely confused."
"You poor people." Lucy said.
Rizzo nodded in agreement as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Oh man, you guys….look so cool!" Natsu said.
Everyone started at him in shock, but Rizzo turned around trying to hold in laughter. Lucy's mouth dropped open feeling stunned that Rizzo could be laughing at a time like this.
"It's awesome!" Natsu said. "You guys got horns and stuff. I'm so jealous!"
This had Rizzo nearly laughing harder because she always found it funny when Natsu would say something inappropriate at times like these. The villagers murmured together not sure how to take the compliments.
"Natsu, you're being insensitive!" Lucy scolded. "They don't want to look like this."
"Seriously?" Natsu said then chuckled. "My bad. I guess we should help these people."
"That is why we're here." Happy reminded him.
Rizzo then cleared her throat as she stood back onto her feet after she could control herself.
"Yeah, Nats, it's time to be serious." She said patting Natsu on the shoulder.
"I don't want to hear it from you!" Lucy said. "You were just laughing two seconds ago."
Rizzo grinned sheepishly as she scratched the back of her head like Natsu who looked equally as sheepish. Lucy hung her head in exasperation.
"Gees, get a clue." Gray grumbled.
Rizzo made a face at Gray as she stuck out her tongue going 'bleh!', and Gray frowned at her.
"Anyway, as you've witnessed, when the purple moon shows its face in the sky, everyone in the village takes on a horrific demon form." Moka said as some of the villagers started crying. "If it isn't a curse then what else could it possibly be?"
Rizzo was really serious by now when she saw how much these people were suffering. She definitely couldn't leave this island now until they helped these people. Though to be honest, Breccan probably would have been better for this mission. Demonic things were kind of his thing.
"We'll return to normal once the morning comes and the sun has risen." Moka said. "However, there are some poor souls who can no longer return to their human forms for they have lost their minds."
"That's so sad." Lucy said.
"The fate for them, the unfortunate souls in the grip of madness, we have no choice but to put them to death." Moka said.
Rizzo and the others all stiffened and gasped in surprise. They've had to kill some of the villagers? But…
"But they might change back to normal someday." Natsu said finishing Rizzo's thoughts.
"If we wait for that to happen, the monsters will surely kill us all. We've tried capturing them, but they always poke free." Moka said then brought out a photo as tears ran down his face. "It's no use. Once it takes hold, there's no way to save them. I should know. I was forced to kill my very own son."
Rizzo wasn't the only person to recognize the guy on the photo in Moka's hands.
"It's that guy from the boat." Lucy said. "But we just saw him yesterday. He—"
Gray shushed Lucy as Rizzo reached out to place her hand on Lucy's shoulder. Lucy glanced at them in confusion.
"Now, I understand how he disappeared on us like that." Gray said. "He's dead, but his soul can't rest in peace."
Rizzo frowned because it wasn't impossible for people to hang around after their deaths. However, something was bothering her about this.
"Please, lift the curse from the island." Moka said as he hung his head. "If this goes on any longer, we may all fall victim to it. We'll die."
"We're not going to let that happen." Natsu said. "We'll fix this, I promise you."
"There's only one way this ancient curse can be lifted." Moka said. "The moon…the moon must be wiped from the sky."
The Fairy Tail group looked at the chief wondering if he was being serious. Rizzo didn't even think Makarov could pull off something like that. Besides, the world needs the moon just as much as the sun.
"I didn't know the moon could be so creepy." Happy said as he looked up at the moon.
Rizzo hummed in agreement as she was pulling down her tank top, which she'd be sleeping in. The villagers had given them a room to sleep in for the night, so they'd be rested up by tomorrow to start their investigation.
"Would you close the window?" Lucy asked. "You heard what the chief said. We've got to stay out of the moonlight. I don't know about you, but I don't want to turn into some freaky little monster."
Rizzo shook her head then had Natsu scoot over in his chair, so she could sit next to him.
"I'm not so sure about this job, guys." Natsu said as he put his arm around Rizzo.
She wasn't so sure about this at all either. What did Moka really think they could do?
"Do they really think we can destroy the moon?" Gray asked.
"I wonder how many punches it'll take." Natsu said. "Do you think I can handle it?"
Rizzo let out a laugh that she tried to muffle by placing her hand over her mouth.
"Are you kidding me?!" Gray snapped then sighed. "Don't be stupid man."
"Natsu, there isn't a wizard alive who could pull that off." Rizzo said. "Not even Master and his giant magic. Besides, I wasn't planning on destroying the moon in the first place."
Her friends look as her curiously as Rizzo crossed one of her legs over the other.
"But, Rizzo, we have to!" Natsu said. "It was the job we were hired to do. If we don't do it, Fairy Tail will look bad."
"What they're asking can't be done." Gray pointed out. "How do you think you're going to get to the moon anyway?"
"Happy." Natsu said matter-of-factly.
Rizzo chuckled again as Happy said that wouldn't be happening. Happy may be able to fly, but not even he can go that high.
"Okay, we can't destroy the moon." Lucy said.
"Which is why tomorrow we're going to investigate." Rizzo said. "If there was a spell cast on the moon then there has to be a way to undo the spell. We just have to find out everything we can."
Lucy nodded in agreement before gasping when a shirt hit her in the face. She pulled it off her face to see Gray was stripping down into his boxers.
"You kids, can do what you want." Gray said. "But after the day I've had, I need some shut eye."
Rizzo frowned at Gray for calling them kids considering he was only a year older than them. Well, not Happy since he was like six, but that's beside the point. Actually, he wasn't even a full year older than Rizzo.
"Please, don't take off anymore." Lucy begged.
"Okay, our investigation starts tomorrow morning." Natsu said then threw himself at one of the beds with Happy. "I'm hitting the sack."
"Me too." Happy said with his voice muffled.
"Sounds like a plan to me." Gray said falling down onto his bed.
Rizzo smiled then took the bed on the right side of Natsu. She climbed under the covers as Lucy went to switch off the light.
"Okay, goodnight." Lucy said.
"Night, Lucy." Rizzo said as she laid down. "Sweet dreams."
"It's so early." Natsu complained as he yawned.
"Yeah, I'm never up at this time." Gray said.
Rizzo chuckled in amusement as Lucy snapped at the boys because they had kept her up all night. Rizzo was used to Natsu's loud snoring, so it hadn't been hard for her to fall asleep.
"Let's just get going." Rizzo said as she grinned.
"Aye." The boys said with no enthusiasm at all.
Lucy then called forth one of her spirits, and Rizzo blinked curiously when seeing it was a giant clock.
"The time is 7:48." It said once it appeared.
Rizzo 'hmm'ed then shrugged her shoulders. Lucy stepped inside the clock, which had Rizzo sweat-dropping. Was Lucy really not going to walk on her own? Rizzo shook her head as she started walking into the jungle with everyone else following after her. They walked for a bit until they were so far into the jungle they couldn't even see the large village gates anymore.
"Do you really think we might find another way to lift the curse?" Natsu, who was feeling more awake, asked.
"We don't have much of a choice." Gray said. "The village might think that the moon is cursed, but everyone else likes it. And destroying it might really mess things up."
"You're right!" Natsu said. "If we didn't have the moon, the tides would get all crazy. And at night the sky would be pitch black!"
"Without it salmon could go extinct, and they're my favorite fish!" Happy said.
Rizzo chuckled in amusement as she reached back to pat Happy on top of his furry head.
"'Would you guys keep it down?'" The clock, Horologium, asked for Lucy. "'We don't know what's lurking out here, so we shouldn't draw any attention' the lady demands impatiently."
Rizzo and the boys turned back to look at Lucy who was sitting inside the walking clock.
"You should walk on your own." Natsu said.
"He's right." Gray agreed. "You just summon your spirits because your lazy?"
"Lucy, how do you expect to get stronger if you don't exercise your body as well?" Rizzo asked. "You're on the 'strongest' team ever, right? That means you've got to work to get as strong as ever. Being lazy isn't going to help."
The boys murmured in agreement as Lucy frowned at all of them. She wasn't lazy.
"'Listen, this curse is freaking me out. We have no idea what we're up against, and I'm scared,' she says nervously." Horologium said for her.
"Are you kidding me?!" Natsu asked as he threw his arms into the air. "This is awesome! S-class quests rule!"
"Yeah, I bet I could freeze that stupid curse." Gray said.
"What? No way, Gray." Rizzo said. "You can't freeze a curse, stupid. Besides, I'll be the one to break the curse!"
"What?!" Gray asked. "Just because your brother knows what he's doing when it comes to the demonic doesn't mean you do. So stop trying to pretend to be some kind of expert!"
The two of them started arguing, which had Natsu laughing. Lucy looked at them wondering why she was stuck with them as teammates.
"'You three are idiots' she retorts desirably." Horologium said for his mistress.
"Aye." Happy agreed.
They went unheard since Rizzo and Gray were still arguing. As Lucy watched them, she thought they were like an old married couple. Then there was a rumbling sound as heavy footfalls hit the ground. Gray and Rizzo stopped arguing as they wondered what's going on.
"What's that sound?" Natsu asked.
The three of them turned around to see a large monstrous shape standing behind them. They all cried out.
"Whoa, what the—?" Natsu exclaimed.
"It's huge!" Gray said.
"Awesome!" Rizzo said with stars in her eyes.
"'What are you waiting for? Beat it up, you three,' she yells frantically." Horologium said.
Gray immediately went to attack, and he used his ice-make magic to put up an ice wall. It didn't help much since the monster shot out some kind of gas. Rizzo coughed as she covered her nose and mouth. Horologium disappeared in a puff of smoke, so Lucy and Happy, who had tried to sneak inside Horologium, got a whiff of the gas.
"Stinky!" They both cried.
"I've had enough of this." Rizzo said as she snapped her fingers. "Flute!"
A flute immediately popped out, and Rizzo didn't waste anytime in snatching it out of the air.
"Song of the Gentle Breeze." Rizzo said then played a light cheerful tune.
A breeze blew in blowing all the foul-smelling gas away from their group who let out a breath of relief. Well, Natsu was knocked out, but at least now he'd have fresh air to breath. The creature that attacked them was also revealed as it let out a creepy cackle. Rizzo's mouth dropped open when seeing it was teal-furred rat wearing frilly clothes.
"It's a rat!" Lucy shrieked.
"Come on, Natsu, get up, man!" Gray snapped.
Natsu only groaned as he continue laying on the ground. The gas had just been too much for him.
"The smell knocked him out." Happy said.
Rizzo frowned then looked up at the rat as it got closer to them. Seriously, what is with this rat?
"Let's go!" Natsu, who suddenly got up, shouted.
Everyone was okay with that as they took off running with the large rat following them. The rat kept blowing out that putrid gas, which they all had to dodge. Gray growled getting tired of running.
"Ice-Make: Floor!" He said as he hit the ground with his hands.
The ice spread out across the ground, and the giant rat slipped on the ice onto its back. Everyone finally stopped running to look at the rat.
"You should have done that sooner." Natsu said.
"Shut-up, Natsu!" Gray snapped.
Rizzo glared at the rat as her flute went away. She cracked her knuckles as she grit her teeth together in a not so friendly smile.
"Look, there's some kind of building over there." Lucy said as the boys stepped up beside Rizzo looking just as angry. "We should go hide while we have the chance."
"We should kick its butt while we have the chance!" The boys and Rizzo retorted as they attacked the rat.
Lucy sighed watching as the three of them punched and kicked the crying rat.
"Give me a break." Lucy said.
Once the rat was given a proper butt-kicking, everyone finally gave the temple their attention. They all even went over to it to walk inside.
"This place is massive." Lucy said.
"It's falling apart." Natsu said.
"I wonder how old it is." Gray said.
Rizzo touched the stone wall in front of her as she looked up at the moon emblem above.
"Look at all the moons." Rizzo said.
"Makes since…Galuna used to be known as the Island of the Moon." Gray said.
"A moon island, a moon curse, and all the moon symbols…is there a meaning to all of this?" Rizzo murmured.
"Yeah, it has to make you wonder what all this means." Lucy said.
Rizzo nodded in agreement as she let her hand drop from the wall back to her side.
"This place is a wreck." Natsu said as he stomped on the stone. "This floor doesn't even look safe to walk on."
"Then don't go stomping on it!" Lucy said.
It was too late because the ground decided to break right then. Rizzo screamed with the others as they started falling down a deep shaft.
"Natsu, you idiot!" Gray snapped. "Look what you did!"
He then saw Rizzo getting dangerously close to the shaft's wall, so he put his arms around her to pull her close. He tucked her head into his chest as they all fell farther. They hit the ground with Gray taking the fall for him and Rizzo. He grunted in pain as Natsu broke out of some rumble that had fallen on him.
"You guys okay?" Natsu asked.
"I would have been better if you hadn't knocked out the floor." Lucy complained.
"Here's a thought, maybe if you'd think before you act, you wouldn't cause so much destruction!" Gray snapped.
Rizzo only groaned sitting up while rubbing her head. Gray's eyes widened as they turned onto Rizzo who was currently straddling his waist.
"That hurt." She whined.
"Uh, Rizzo…" Lucy began.
Rizzo blinked looking at Lucy, who was blushing a bit, before looking to where Lucy was pointing. Rizzo looked down seeing Gray looking up at her from where she was sitting on him with her thighs on either side of his waist. Rizzo blushed deeply as she squeaked in surprise as she quickly jumped off of Gray.
"What were you trying to do, Pervert?!" Rizzo demanded.
"Huh?!" Gray exclaimed. "If it wasn't for me, you would have hit the wall and scratched yourself up!"
Rizzo blinked remembering that Gray had grabbed her when she had went to close to the wall. She blushed a bit more as she turned her head away.
"…Thanks…" She said bashfully.
Gray blinked seeming a bit surprised that she was thanking him. Lucy smiled thinking it was all pretty cute. She can't wait to tell Mirajane when they get back to Fairy Tail. Natsu just blinked wondering why his friend was acting so weird.
"So…can you fly us out, Happy?" Lucy asked.
"No, sorry." Happy said.
"We're underneath the temple." Gray said.
"Wow, it's a secret cave!" Natsu cheered like a little kid. "This is so cool. Let's check it out~"
He grabbed Rizzo's hand to pull her along while ignoring Gray who shouted after them. Rizzo easily kept up with Natsu as they got to the end of the cave. Both of their eyes widened when seeing what was in front of them.
"Whoa." They said in unison.
Lucy, Happy, and Gray caught up to them while immediately noticing their expressions.
"Natsu, Rizzo." Lucy murmured.
"What, is something wrong?" Gray asked.
"Hey, guys, what's that?" Natsu asked.
The others looked seeing what had gotten their attention, and they gasped as well. In front of them was a large monstrous figure frozen in an even large sphere of ice.
"That's impossible." Gray said.
Rizzo frowned when seeing the freaked out expression on his face as his body shook.
"It's Deliora." Gray said as he walked forward. "But how? How could this happen? Why is it here? What the hell is it doing on Galuna Island?!"
His guildmates looked at him in worry when seeing how bothered he was by all of this.
"You've seen this thing before?" Natsu asked.
"There's…there's just no way." Gray said. "
Gray shook as he continued to stare at Deliora. Rizzo looked at him in concern. He might get on her nerves, but seeing him this worked up, really scared her. As he continued to stare at the demon blindly, Rizzo stepped towards him. He didn't snap out of his thoughts until Rizzo put her arms around him.
"Shh, just take a deep breath." She said softly. "It's alright. Just try to calm down."
Gray took a few deep breaths as his hand came up to grip the wrist of Rizzo's hand that cupped the back of his neck as she was holding him. He held it tightly for comfort as Rizzo looked at him worriedly. She's never seen him like this before.
"Can you tell us about it now?" Lucy asked hesitantly.
Gray took a deep breath while keeping Rizzo close since her presence was keeping him anchored to the present at the moment, and not those horrible memories in the past.
"It's Deliora the Demon of Destruction." Gray said.
"Demon of Construction?" Natsu asked.
"Destruction." Happy corrected.
Gray gave another shake, which had Rizzo worried. She didn't like seeing him like this.
"But why is it here?" Gray asked. "It doesn't make any sense."
Lucy heard footsteps coming in behind them, which had her turning her head. Lucy quickly had the group hide behind some rocks. Rizzo peeked over one of them to see a short man with blue hair and then one who had animal like features. There was also a third figure walking, but this one was a woman. She was taller than the blue-haired man. She had ginger colored hair and one visible green eye. The other eye was behind an eye-patch and there was scaring around it-burn scars. She also looked as if she was some kind of Robin Hood in the outfit she wore if Robin Hood had been in the Victoria Era and somehow been mixed in with modern punk fashion.
"The voices seem to come from down here." The blue-haired man said. "I hate being awake during the day."
The man with him just made a growling noise as they continued walking on past the group in hiding. The woman remained silent as well as she looked around.
"So, Toby, were you exposed to the moon drip?" The man asked. "You've got those pointy ears."
"I already told you! They're a fashion statement, you jerk!" Toby snapped.
"Oh, lighten up, I was just teasing you." Blueberry head said.
"You don't have to be so mean about it." Toby said.
"Yuka, Toby, both of you be quiet." The woman finally said. "If there is someone here we should be listening for them not talking."
"Sorry, Turiel." Yuka and Toby said in unison.
Rizzo frowned when hearing about this 'moon drip'. Was it some kind of magic? She knew it had to have something to do with what was going on here. A fourth person then came into the room. It was a woman who looked a bit distraught.
"Yuka, Toby, Turiel, something terrible has happened." The woman said.
Turiel looked towards the other woman with a quirked brow.
"What now, Sherry?" Yuka asked as Toby growled.
By the sound of Yuka's tone, Sherry has come to them with many problems before.
"It's Angelica." Sherry said. "She's been attacked, and I'm sad."
"You're moping around because somebody beat up your stupid pet rat?!" Toby demanded.
"She's not a rat." Sherry said. "She's a brave hunter that prowls the jungle to protect us. She is…love~"
Rizzo sweat-dropped wondering what was with these people. There are weirdos in Fairy Tail, but these guys…were nutty.
"I don't know who these people are, but they're a bunch of weirdos." Lucy said. "Especially the girl with the pet rat."
Rizzo nodded her head in agreement because she had been thinking the exact same thing.
"With the scent I picked up off them…they're not from the island." Natsu whispered.
"And they don't look like they've got the demon curse." Happy added.
And if they're behind all of this then they've been here as long as the curse has been going on. They should show some signs of the curse even if have happened to be careful all this time.
"Intruders you say?" Yuka asked getting their attention.
"And it's almost time to start collecting moonlight again." Sherry said. "All this makes me so sad. This news will displease the Cold Emperor. We should get rid of them before he finds out. Yes, we must find them before the moon's first light."
"Agreed." Yuka said as Toby growled.
"If we must." Turiel said with a sigh.
"Since they've seen Deliora, we can't allow them to live." Sherry said. "We'll give them the gift of eternal rest. We'll give them…love."
Rizzo really wanted to hit her head against the rocks in the hopes of knocking herself out, so she wouldn't have to listen to this girl anymore.
"You mean death, right?" Toby asked.
Rizzo shook her head then motioned for Happy to go create a distraction or something. Happy nodded knowing what she wanted, so he went to make some noise to get the people away from the area. After they were gone, Happy returned with Lucy telling him good job. He smiled glad to be of some help.
"Come on, we should have grabbed them and beat some answers out of them." Natsu said.
"Not yet." Lucy said. "We've got to do some investigating."
Rizzo nodded even if she was more a person of action, she still knew they needed some more information before going straight to the source.
"Man, this job keeps getting more and more complicated." Natsu said.
"Yeah, like who is this Cold Emperor guy?" Happy asked.
Well, Rizzo had no idea, but she planned to find out. Anyone who used magic for bad would have to answer to her. She made it her personal mission to stop all bad magic.
"Deliora." Gray said. "I still don't understand what anyone would want with it. And how the hell we're they even able to find it?"
Rizzo looked at Gray with the worry from earlier returning, and her stomach churned along with the feeling.
"Was it hidden somewhere?" Lucy asked.
"It was sealed away." Gray said. "In a glacier in the Northern Continent. A decade ago this immortal demon ravaged Isvan. Countless people lost their lives. The woman, who taught me to use my magic, my master Ur, sacrificed everything to seal it away. I don't know if it has anything to do with the curse on this island, but I do know that it doesn't belong here. This Cold Emperor. We have to find out who it is. If they tarnish my master's legacy, they're going to regret the day they were born!"