Ch. 6
The next day, Hermione Granger found herself at the guild with Lucy. The two agreed to allow Cobra to come to her. Since neither one of them wanted to make him uncomfortable, by having a conflict without him being ready for one.
As the two of them sat next to each other. Eating breakfast. Before Gajeel came in, with Cobra at his heels. Then the two made their way to the job board, only for the two to grunt at each other. At least the two girls, after looking at each other, could detect. Then grabbed a job listing, went to their table, showing them the paper.
"We're going on a job together," stated Gajeel, pointing at the paper.
Hermione and Lucy gave each other a look before reading the page. Only to see that it was a job dealing with security for an archeology dig site. Where two of them could guard, while the other two could help the scientist with some research. Making them work on each other's strengths and still make money.
"Okay," Lucy pulled back from the table. "Is this a get to know each other kind of job?"
"What else would it be," stated Cobra in a huff.
Hermione smiled kindly towards him. "I'm in, if she is," she pointed to Lucy. Who only grabbed the paper, and pulled Gajeel, to follow after her. Leaving Cobra, and Hermione, alone. "When should we be leaving?"
"According to the two of them, about an hour." He pointed towards the two that had just left.
Hermione nodded, with a kind smile on her face. "What can you tell me about yourself? Something that no one knows about."
Cobra tilted his head in thought. His purple eyes flashed, as thoughts seemed to have flashed across his mind. "No one had ever asked me that. But I enjoy listening to soft instrumental music. Like when I hear from your soul. When you're calm, and nothing else is bothering you."
Hermione glanced at him in surprise. She could only imagine. Since there was one piece of music that her parents would put on. Back when she was a child, when she had a hard time relaxing. It was mainly full of woodland instruments.
"Interesting," she smiled at him. Once her shock had left her. She was going to have to find more music that sounded similar to it. Hoping it would be enough to help him as well.
At that moment, Lucy and Gajeel came back. Letting them know that they had to pack and get ready to leave on a train, within an hour. Where they were split to do so.
When the girls found their way back to the cottage. Hermione went through her little bag. Only to find that Lucy's spirit, Virgo, had already gone through it. Leaving behind either well patch up job and freshly clean clothes. Or a few freshly made ones.
Leaving her with nothing to do. But to change into hiking clothes. Knowing that nature has a way of being unpredictable. She just laced up her boots, when she heard someone knocking on the front door.
She wrapped her bag around her wrist. While Lucy opened the door. Seeing their dragon slayers on the other side. Singling that it was time to go.
After a long, miserable three-hour train ride. The group four found their way to mouth entry to the woods. Hermione Granger could not believe that she found all dragon slayers' true weakness. Non-living movable objects and motion sickness.
She was still shaking her head, while Lucy grumbled next to her. "Of all the things in the world to weaken them all…"
Hermione had heard it all. Not just from Lucy, but seeing Gajeel falling to the floor, moaning and groaning, as he became ill. Cobra laid his head in Hermione's lap, without so much of a warning. Then went and fell asleep, just like any traveling cat would.
Her cheeks had reddened like nothing had before. All Lucy had done was roll her eyes at them. Before explaining things to the other worlder.
"Where is this job?" Hermione wanted to keep things civil. Since they all would be together for a while. She didn't need to be a part of a mini war with her companions.
"We'll be there by nightfall," grumbled Gajeel, as he led the group. Leaving Cobra at the rear.
Lucy huffed after seeing Cobra behind them. "I hate getting kidnapped, every time I step into the woods."
"Every time," asked Hermione, with a raised eyebrow. "You said you rune your house, why not a bracelet? That way, no one can touch you without permission."
The question didn't just stop Lucy in her tracks, but everyone else. Everyone turned to Hermione with surprise looks on their faces. It was then she felt fearful for herself, just by the looks that she was given.
"Bunny Girl, how long have you known the Rune mage?"
Lucy gaped for a moment. "After Fantasia," after her lips were able to move again. "Not really well, until we came back from our island's disappearance."
Cobra sighed with disappointment. "So, the clock wouldn't have happened?"
Lucy grumbled darkly. "Nope, it wouldn't, unless I allowed it. Midnight might have gotten me to it, if I believed I was doing it to save Michelle."
"Michelle," asked Hermione with sorrow in her voice.
"Her doll turned into a puppet of a fake cousin," stated Cobra. "Midnight had a twisted sense of humor. He had deep seeded knowledge over Star Gazer, here. It was intimately scary."
His purple eyes flashed in dark knowledge. "If I hadn't known Midnight as well, I do. I believed he wanted to use his horrors to bend your will. Molding you until you were his," his whispered hollowly in his voice.
Hermione couldn't help but feel shivers going down her spine. From where she stood, she saw Lucy having the same issue.
Gajeel growled deeply. "That freak wouldn't know what hit him, if he doesn't know what's good for him." Before he led the group into the woods again.
After hearing about Cobra's other friends, including Midnight. Hermione hoped that she wouldn't have to face their twisted side. The side before turning their back to crime. 'Here I thought my own nightmares were twisted. Now I know there is a mage that can do that, for me!'
Cobra raised his eyebrow at her, showing a hint of fear for her. He heard her Samsung at herself. Then seeing different outcomes from the one image on repeat. One about the crazy woman with a knife. Only to see her being shoved at a man with sharp teeth and wolf like features.
'Fenior, would either have raped me then turned or killed me. Yeah, Bellatrix was better than that!'
After about four hours of walking, they found themselves at a campsite, just before the aging temple. They found a group of archeologists that requested them. Telling them to set up camp, and they would start after breakfast. The four agreed to set up their tents near the temp, but still far enough to not disturb the site.
Lucy had called out Virgo, who set up the tents. Hermione built a fire pit. Lucy went off to find water. Cobra went off to find firewood. While Gajeel hunted down some food.
Within moments, the campsite had gotten itself together. Allowing Hermione to sit in one of the chairs. Waiting for the rest to come back. While her eyes looked around, she noticed that Virgo had put some cooking supplies next to the fire pit. Before, her eyes moved towards the temple.
Hermione had watched many historical documentaries during her summer break. When she was with her family. Even went to a lot of museums. But nothing about the layout made sense to her.
She saw tall Myan looking pyramids, with entryways coming from the top. Egyptian looking pillars, scattered about. While noticing a Viking depicted ship on one of said pillars. It was enough to cause Hermione Granger to have a headache.
She learned back against her chair. Watching as the sun began to set over the distant mountains. Within moments, she saw Lucy coming into camp with water. Then Cobra carrying in thick wood, who went on to start the fire. The Gajeel came in, carrying what looked to be big fish.
Lucy's spirit came out of her own gate to help cook. While the four sat around. Talking about the temple before them. Only to cause many confused looks.
"I have seen or faced anything like this," stated Lucy with a thought. "Even my Dad's old research projects never showed anything like this. And he mainly chased mythical stories."
"The Infinity Clock was no myth," grumbled Gajeel darkly. He shook his head. "Never been so glad that we weren't charged for that mess."
Cobra fell back onto the ground. Looking up at the freshly scattered sky. "To be honest, I never thought it would work."
Lucy turned to him with a dark glare. "And killing all those Celestial mages?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "Just another day in the office for us lowly criminals."
Lucy glared at him. "You make it so hard to be your friend, Cobra." She growled. "I wish I could poison you," she hissed out.
"Even if you could. Your bleeding wouldn't allow you."
Hermione had enough of the man's adittued. She opened her little bag, where the rest of them saw her arm disappear. Enough to see that her shoulder was gone.
"Avenging Angel, stop," cried Cobra, as he pushed himself off of the ground. Just as Hermione had thrown, a glass was thrown at him. "What?"
Hermione Granger had made a batch of Wolf's Bane, back at Ron's brother's cottage. It helped her get her brain to focus, after her run in back at Malfoy Manor. Only to prove herself that she was alive and not bitten.
She only glared at him. "If you want to be poisoned, then have it. It should claim your happy ass down." Then dropped her bag at her feet.
Cobra only shrugged his own shoulders, before uncapping the lid and downed it. After a moment, his purple eyes flashed, as a deep sounding purr left him. Just as he shook his shoulders. "My kind of poison." Just before fell back onto the ground, where had laid before. Snoring.
Gajeel huffed but went over and picked Cobra over his shoulder. Before disappearing into one tent. Then heard a thud, before he came back out to sit by the fire. "Shit, he's out."
Lucy grumbled before grabbing a key. Just as Virgo came by and handed Lucy a bag. Once the spirit was gone. She threw the bag at Gajeel. "Celestial iron ore."
Then Gajeel started purring himself, after taking a bite. Along with rubbing another ore next to his cheek. Making the two girls giggle.
"Are you sure they are Dragon Slayers or big cat men?"
Lucy started to snort. "I know, right?" She smiled wholeheartedly. "I have never seen these two act this way before. So they must trust us to drop the tough guy act."
The two girls started to eat their fish. Once they had finished, Cobra came out with a scary looking grin. Before, he ate his own fish. Then Gajeel followed right after.
Hermione had noticed this. Making her believe that the two were taking turns to eat. While the other focused on keeping watch. After her year on the run, she knew the look.
Causing Hermione to remember about Lucy's ordeal about getting kidnapped. She flicked her wrist over the ground, only to bring two rocks into her hand. With a wave of the hand, one stone had a rune for protection, while the other had a rebel rune. She snapped her fingers, before the stones were part of a pair of bracelets.
Hermione had gotten onto her feet and walked over to Lucy. "Which arm do you hit with?" Lucy brought her right arm up, where Hermione wrapped a bracelet on Lucy's wrist. "This rune is called, repel. As you make a fist and with content to hit. It will repel someone a great distance from you."
Once Hermione was done. Lucy gave her left wrist. "This is protection, when you make a fist with a mindset of blocking a hit. It would prevent anyone from harming or grabbing you. Meaning, a hand won't find a grip. Nor a weapon leaves a bruise or cut on your body."
"What about you," Lucy asked her. "Aren't you going to make some for you?"
Just as Hermione was about to argue that she didn't need them. Cobra spoke up, in his deep soft voice, "You're in a world, far different from your own, with different enemies and rules. Wouldn't it be smart to have an added arsenal on your side?"
Hermione had taken a deep breath and knew that he was right. 'If the enemies are like the Death Eaters. Then I should have added protection from an uneven fight.' So she made her own set of bracelets.
That night, Gajeel declared that they should all get some sleep. So the girls went to one, while the guys went to the other. Each trying to find rest, while one tried to quiet the echoes of war. While another listened to the whispers of said war.