SailorStar9: After getting Chapter 40 out, this is Chapter 41 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?

Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny and my OCs.

Chapter 41: These Are Lives

"Do you return to your cells or die here?" Sugar Boy taunted.

"Sugar Boy, we don't have to give them the choice." Hughes reminded. "We've finished extracting the planet and dragon's magic power. If Code ETD is a success, we'll have no need of the Dragon Slayers. You Earthlanders with no concept of the value of magic will die here."

"The ship?" Lucy gaped as the Viking ship crashed onto them. "An ice shield?" he blinked, Gray having defended the group via an ice barrier. "So, this is Earthland magic?"

"You don't really use tools, do you?" Sugar Boy mused. "I've never seen it before."

"There's flames around his legs?" Hughes was stunned as fire erupted underneath Natsu's feet.

"Here I go!" Natsu slammed a flaming fist onto Hughes' face. "Return our friends!"

"Friends?" Hughes smirked. "Your 'friends' will mix with Extalia's magic and become an eternal supply of magic."

"Why're you still blabbing about that?" Natsu snorted. "I said we ain't gonna let you."

"Natsu, behind you!" Lucy warned as a roller coaster car came down the tracks. "What's this?"

"We're sinking into the floor?" Gray gave the softened ground a glance.

"No way that'll hit me!" Natsu dodged the car.

"We'll see about that." Hughes shrugged. "Hell's Tornado!"

"What the heck?" Natsu gaped as the roller coaster track twirled upwards. "It's shooting out of the rail it's going along! All I gotta do is bust them up!" he shattered the coaster ride.

"That's not good, you imbecile." Hughes chided. "There's more than one Hell's Coaster."

"Things aren't going well over there." Gray remarked.

"We're not doing so well here, either." Lucy reminded.

"Lucy, pull Natsu out of there." Mercury instructed.

"How?" Lucy wondered. "You're not going…" she gaped when Gray grabbed her.

"Get going!" the ice mage tossed her upwards.

"You should try out for the majors." Mercury joked.

"Very funny." Gray muttered. "Lucy, we're counting on you." He prayed. "Mercury, hold on. Ice Make: Flying Claw!"

"If you had that kind of magic, wouldn't it be better if you rescued him?" Sugar Boy wondered, Gray having lifted the both of them up via his grappling claw.

"Then no one would be around to kick your ass." Gray smirked.

"You have quite the confidence." Sugar Boy noted.

"Ice Make: Death Scythe!" the ice mage came down on Sugar Boy, only to have his weapon liquefied.

"Gray, move!" Mercury barked. "Hyperborean Frost!" she let loose her giant ice beam. "Can he do that?" she screeched, her ice beam turning into water. "He can't do that!"

"My ears, Mercury." Gray muttered.

"Sorry…" Mercury mumbled.

"So cold." Sugar Boy remarked. "I see. Ice magic, yes…"

"What is going on?" Gray wondered.

"I think I may be at an advantage here." Sugar Boy mused. "This weapon, Rosa Espada softens anything and everything. "It is really, truly unfortunate."

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.