July 10th, x777
Shirotsume Forest
4:50 PM
Lucy stood in horror as the brutish version of Virgo towered over them with her large stature. Questions were flying through Lucy's brain as she tried desperately to understand the situation. Why did Virgo have to be the one to ambush them? Against all the odds, the Maiden stood before Lucy in this overweight version of herself, and, more likely than not, Duke of Everlue was her new Master. Dear Mavis, she was going to have to fight that perverted man again, wasn't she?
"Virgo, what are you doing here?!" Lucy shouted with shock in her voice.
"My master was in danger due to the influx of magic in the area. I must eliminate the threat." Virgo said in a deep voice as her eyes flashed blood red. My blood ran cold as reality settled into my mind. Her most loyal spirit didn't bat an eye as she swung a right hook at Lucy.
Thankfully, Sting's response was quicker than Lucy. He tackled the Celestial Wizard to the ground before Virgo's attack could connect. The White Dragon let out an amusing growl as he rose from the ground. "Hell yeah, the first fight of the quest! Let's start this off right!"
"Sting, wait!" Lucy shouted out in horror, but her cries fell on deaf ears as she watched him raise his fists to Virgo. The spirit remained stoic and stationary as Sting delivered a series of blows to Virgo's abdomen before finishing with a White Dragon Uppercut. Both mages paused, watching every one of Virgo's slight motion. For a moment, Lucy allowed herself to believe Virgo was subdued with ease. It was hard to read the Maiden's facial expression when she was in the midst of a battle. It was a toss-up. Either Virgo was masking the urge to writhe in pain or, and this scared Lucy, Virgo was truly unbothered by Sting's barrage of punches.
The Maiden Spirit disappeared underneath the ground and sped towards us. I threw up my arms in a defensive manner while Sting's grin grew. Virgo uppercut Sting as she jumped out her hole. When he went soaring, the gorilla woman grabbed Sting by the leg and seismic tossed him back to the ground. Sting brushed himself off as Virgo towered over him. "You're one hell of a punching bag, but you're gonna have to do better ya wanna beat me."
Sting first joined the open palms of his hands together, with all of his fingers on one hand in contact with the corresponding ones on the other hand, and then separates his palms while keeping the fingers in contact through their tips. Light is generated in the hollow part between his hands, expanding from the holes between Sting's fingers. The White Dragonslayer slowly opens the palm of his hands, unleashing a swarm of white curved lights onto Virgo.
The Maiden allowed the magic to flow through her. The earth underneath us trembled. Virgo commanded the ground to form a fortress as a defensive act, but Sting's Holy Ray tore through the rocky exterior and created a thick cloud of smoke around the battleground. Sting charged into the smoke cloud with his fist glowing a bright light. Using his dragonslayer senses, he continued to widen the damage gap between him and Virgo. Lucy flinched as she heard the Maiden's first scream of pain.
'NO, VIRGO!' Lucy felt the world around her turn in slow motion as her body forced her into the in the dust cloud. In the center, Lucy found Sting attacking Virgo from every angle as he circled around the spirit. Every punch left the Maiden gritting her teeth in pain. "Sting, stop. You're taking this too far!"
"Seriously, you're saying this now?! All of times?!" Sting shouted as he turned to face his female partner. Virgo seized the opportunity and slammed her fist into the side Sting skull, sending him flying into Lucy as a result. The duo crashed through some of the trees in Shirotsume Forest before skidding to halt. Lucy winced in pain, but she soon realized Sting had taken the bulk of Virgo's punch when she noticed the dragonslayer sleeping against her body.
'What have I done...'
July 10th x 777
Shirotsume Forest
5:30 PM
"Ugh," Sting groaned as he slowly regains consciousness. The moment the White Dragon tried to sit up, he felt a surge of pain coursing through his body. Lucy quietly watched, before deciding to lean him again a nearby tree. "Shit, what happened with Virgo?"
Lucy physically winced when she thought back to the recent events. Against her better judgment and logic, Lucy risked her life to defend the Maiden spirit, the one that did not even belong to her. The entire mission would have ended had Virgo killed her, or at the very least become stalled.
When Sting realized his partner had adopted a vow of silence, he began to think back to the little he could recall from the battle with that gorilla woman. In the beginning, everything was going fine. Sting remembering knocking that maid around with his badass combos, and everything was running smoothly. He'll admit. Virgo was sturdy and one hell of a punching bag. Nevertheless, he remembers having that Celestial Spirit on the ropes until...until...until. "Why did your dumbass jump in?!"
"I'm sorry, okay!"
"Sorry doesn't cut it! I got my shit rocked because your dumb ass wanted to jump in a fight you had no business being in!"
"It was instinctual! I had to protect Virgo. I couldn't just watch her get bruised and beaten!"
"Wh- Are you being serious right now?! The future as we know is at stake and you're worried about a spirit being injury?! Fuck off!"
"I'm sorry that Celestial beings have feelings and can be hurt! I'm sorry that's such an inconvenience to you!"
"That's not the problem, and you know it!" Sting snarled.
Rolling her eyes, Lucy, then, glared back the man. "Pray, Sting, what is the problem?"
"That you can't separate the Virgo you had from this year's Virgo!" He snapped. "None of them are who you remember! They're all fourteen years behind us, and you need to remember that! They're not gonna throw any fucking punches, and you need to fucking cement that in your head! Or else, we'll never make any progress during this mission! Do you understand? Because I'm not about to get my ass beat every time you wanna save one of them! They are not the friends you know! They are strangers until we grab their keys! After that, I don't give a flying fuck what you do with them. Have a picnic for all I care! I don't give a fuck!"
"Sting..."
The White Dragonslayer sighed disheartened. He knew this was an issue he and Lucy had to confront before they got too deep into the mission. "No, Lucy, no, I am not gonna get hurt again just because you wanna hold onto memories that haven't even been made yet!" The dragonslayer was aware Lucy wasn't intentionally trying to harm him. The girl was a Fairy after all. They practically live off of friendship and rainbows, to the where it was almost sickening to watch sometime. "You're the one who is gonna fight those spirits, starting with Virgo."
"...You're right. I shouldn't have put you in danger like that, and I'm sorry for my actions." She lowers her head slightly to avoid Sting's gaze. "Fairy Tail is all about protecting and working alongside your friends, and I haven't done either of those today. I got so caught up with my memories of Virgo that I jeopardize the entire mission. I'll handle the rest of this part of the mission."
"So what? You're gonna storm the place without knowing where the hell the damn spirit is?" He folded his arms with a hint of disbelief in his voice. "Virgo didn't exactly leave a paper trail."
"Well, here's the thing." Lucy scratched her left cheek as she chuckled nervously. "I thought Shirotsume Town sounded familiar ever since Crux mentioned it, and it wasn't until I saw Virgo that I pieced everything together. This town is home to the first official mission Natsu and I did together for a real client. We were sent to the Duke of Everlue's mansion to destroy a specific book. During the mission, I realized Virgo was working for the Duke."
"So what you're saying is that we just need to 'convince' him to hand over Virgo?"
"It won't be easy, but that's what we have to do if we want the Maiden's key." Lucy sighed as she mentally prepared herself for this battle. Standing up from the ground, Lucy unhooked Capricorn's key from her belt. "Open! Gate of the Goat! Capricorn!"
"How may I be of service?" Capricorn shimmered into the existence with his over his heart.
"Can you take Sting into the town and find him a place to rest? I'll handle the Duke of Everlue alone." Lucy asked before she walked away from the shocked duo.
"Wait! LUCY!"
As much as she hates to admit this, Sting had a point. Virgo and the Duke were opponents she needed to fight alone.
July 10th x777
Everlue's Mansion
7:30 PM
Lucy arrived at the mansion a little after dusk had finally come. The ebony-haired woman stood alone as she stared down the mansion's door. This was the first step towards a new level of independence. Although she would need to pull off the performance of a lifetime, Lucy knew she will claim Virgo's key by the end of the day. Besides, she had plenty of dirt on Everlue. That Daybreak incident was a huge bargain chip for her...all she needed to do is get alone with Everlue.
Lucy knocked on the door as loud as she possibly to alert one of Everlue's maids. A moment passed before the Maiden Spirit answered.
"What business do you have with those who reside?" Virgo narrowed her eyes with suspicion in her voice.
"I want to apologize for me and my partner's action a few hours ago." Lucy took a respectful bow. "It was not our intent to disrupt the residents of the area. May I speak with the Duke? I wish to give him a proper apology."
"No, Master is far too busy for the likes of you, an ugly woman no less."
'Says the gorilla, but somehow I'm the ugly one,' is not what Lucy said. Instead, she restrained herself from jeopardizing the mission. "I understand, but I only need a moment of the Duke's time. I promise it will be worth his time."
"If you do not leave this property now, I will be left with options but to use force."
Okay, Virgo. I'm sorry, but I need to get my hands on Everlue. I gotta play my Ace in the hole. "Hey, I completely understand. I mean if you don't throw me out, your master might punish you."
"Punish..." Virgo bit her lip with anticipation.
"Knowing the Duke, his punishments are probably horrendous and outright cruel. I understand why you would want to avoid such a torturous experience." Lucy shrugged indifferently before turning her back to the maiden. She continued to wave goodbye to Virgo as she walked down the road. "I'll be on my way. I want to say that I am sorry again."
"With this handled, Master will have no reason to punish me...unless I punish myself..." Virgo let out a small moan as her cheeks turned crimson red with excitement. The spirit noticed how far her visitor had made it and simply left a crack in the door. Glancing around the now empty grand entrance room, Virgo smiled devilishly before returning to the Celestial World.
Lucy circled the mansion one time before returning to the front entrance. Slipping through the gap left by Virgo, Lucy surveyed the area and assessed the situation. Virgo was out of the picture for the moment, so that really only left the maids as Everlue's last line of defense. Even if they attacked her as a group, Lucy didn't think they'll be much of an issue.
"Alright Lucy, it's time to end this." She said in a low tone as she climbed the stairs to the second floor.
A/N: I think it's important to face this problem early.
Keys Obtained: Cancer, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Crux
Keys Needed: Leo, Aries, Virgo, Taurus, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Gemini, Libra, and Pisces
