19 October X774
Kane sat in a corner of the guild, as he tried playing notes on his newly won bass. Well, perhaps he had bargained it away from a previous client, but that didn't matter. It was his now, and he'd do whatever he wanted with it. So far, he had been trying to learn how to play it, but the process had been easier said than done. And though it was a bit frustrating, he'd been making progress slowly.
"Okay, I think I got the hang of it."
"Yeah, you need some tips, you can ask me if you like.", Wakaba Mine, an older member of the guild chimed in.
"Eh, I think I can handle this on my own."
"Kane?", a voice called out, as Kane saw Fried in front of him, with a flyer in his hand. The boys had been on a mission a month ago, with their mutual friend Laxus. Though they had been together for most of it, they weren't close friends. Fried thought the older boy was way too reckless, and Kane thought the younger boy was unbearably snooty.
"What is it?", he asked.
"It's a flyer.", Fried replied crisply.
"Yeah. But what is it doing in my face?"
"Laxus was out of town, so I thought I'd call you along to go on the job with me."
"Can't you go on your own? I'm kind of busy."
"It's a tough job."
"All jobs are."
"Seventy thousand."
"Sev- Are you sure? Seventy thousand Jewels?", Kane said, snatching the flyer out of the green haired boy. The mission was in Opal, and it would be a long journey, even by train. And the mission involved safeguarding something valuable. The flyer wasn't very informative, but the reward was far too tempting. Even if he had to split it half way between himself and Fried, it was still thirty five thousand.
"So..."
"I'm in.", Kane replied. "Let's do this."
A few hours later, as Kane got into the train, he found no sign of his younger partner. Thinking nothing of it, he sat down on his seat, and decided to wait. Fried would be there any second. And within minutes, he was off to sleep.
When Kane woke up, he saw that Fried was sitting beside him. The train had stopped, but they weren't outside the station. Rubbing his eyes, he asked him, "What happened? I thought we should have been in Opal already."
"That happened.", Fried said, pointing at a tall man, with long platinum blonde hair, dressed in white and green robes, with a massive scepter in his arm. And in his other arm, was a boy, with the scepter dangerously close to his eyes. He had a buzz cut, and was dressed like a knight's squire, looking didn't take Kane long to decide what to do.
"Wait, n-", Fried opened his mouth, as he saw Kane launching himself over the seats, he lunged, only to find himself land several feet further from his target. Fried rose to his feet, as he saw his friend launched across the carriage. However, Kane was back on his feet, although his long hair was undone.
"I wouldn't try that again.", the man said. "I'm not looking to hurt anyone, least of all this kid here."
"Then why are you doing this?", Kane asked sarcastically, as he got back into fighting position. "For the thrill?"
"Oh, no. I don't have the time for 'the thrill.'", the man said. "I am not a young adventurer like you, at least not anymore. I'm just a simple man proving his worth to the Lord."
"Okay..", Kane said, not sure how to reply to that. "So, uh, how does hijacking a train help you?"
"Well, I'm looking for someone in this train.", the man replied. "Some infidels."
Kane wasn't quite sure what the word 'infidel' meant, but it sounded ominous enough to him, and he looked at Fried, nodding his head, as the ten year old stared at him, bewildered.
"Fried, NOW!", Kane yelled, as he jumped back at the man, only to be sent back flying. Getting back up on his feet, he glared at Fried,yelling at him.
"Why are you standing still, you idiot!", Kane said, as he gritted his teeth. The man standing against him was clearly a powerful Mage, perhaps far above both of them.
"I don't know what to do, you just told me "NOW"! What does now mean?"
"That's for you to figure out, you idiot!", Kane said, as he began rushing in for a third strike, only to be sent flying again. Looking at the Mage, he asked. "What the hell even is your magic?"
"The best of us never reveal their secrets.", the man said, calmly, before smirking at the blue haired boy. "And the worst of us, have no secrets to hide."
"Yeah, well, I don't care.", Kane said. "I don't know what your deal is, but you aren't gonna hold innocent people hostage, as long as two Fairy Tail Mages are here."
"Fairy Tail? Oh, well, I guess even the best guilds have slackers.", the man shook his head. "You don't strike me as one with a lot of potential, I'm afraid."
"Shut up.", Kane said, as he leapt back. This time, he managed to get within striking range, but found that he was slowing down. "What the hell?"
"Well, I hope that gives you enough time to figure out what my magic is.", he said, as Kane was slammed down again."Tch, tch. I don't think you're cut out for this."
However, the distraction was enough for the boy to bite the man in the fingers, elbow him in the ribs, and make it to the back of the carriage. The man cried in pain, and Fried took the opportunity to strike at him,using his sword to unleash a Destruction, before picking up Kane and heading to the back.
"You could have done this earlier too, right?", Kane said, condescendingly.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think of it."
"You didn't think of it, how convenient. Maybe you just wanted to make me look like an idiot."
"Wha-no!", Fried protested. "I just didn't have any idea what to d-"
"Save it. I'm going to finish this jerk off.", Kane said, as he lunged. Fried tried to stop him, afraid that the same thing was going to happen again, but the man stabbed Kane with his scepter. Kane slowed down again, but this seemed different. Previously, he felt there was an external force holding him back, but now, it seemed that his head was spinning.
"Let this be a lesson to anyone who thinks playing hero is a good idea."
"Where am I?", Kane said, as he woke up, realizing he was in a slow moving carriage. This didn't look like a train to him, maybe the carriage of a horsecart. As his vision cleared, he saw two figures in front of him. A woman who appeared to be in her early thirties, and a little girl, blindfolded. As Kane tried to get up, he realized he couldn't move.
"Wait, what?", he said, struggling to move his arms and legs.
"That's not going to work.", the woman said. "The poison should keep a boy your size paralyzed for a day."
"A day?!", Kane said.
"Maybe it's a less severe dose.", she said, as Kane's hopes were raised, but then dashed them down again. "But that means you might be killed soon."
"Wait, you're kidding right?", Kane said.
"Unfortunately, no.", the woman said. "That's how my family functions. We don't take prisoners. I don't know what you did to anger them so."
"Your family? Why are they doing all that?", the horrified boy asked.
"Well, it's complicated. You see, my family are the heads of a cult.", the woman explained. "In every generation, one child is born in the main branch, with a cursed form of magic. It causes anyone who looks in their eyes to turn into stone."
"And is she.."
"Yes, Evergreen has that. We don't know how to control it.", she said. "She's also my only child, so I hoped that we were finally freed, but on her ninth birthday a few weeks ago, it happened again."
"Oh, oh no.", Kane said. "That's terrible."
"And the child with those powers is called the Stone Child. Meant to be sacrificed, and die for the sins of the rest of the community.", the woman said, with tears in her eyes. " It was my younger brother before her, and my father's older sister before him."
"W..why would you want to kill a little kid? That's just pure evil."
"I'm not one to say anything. I've been raised to rule over people with fear and oppression, and I only opened my eyes when my own child was in danger.", the woman said. "I am not a good person, but my daughter doesn't deserve any of that."
The girl sitting next to them, was silent. And only when he focused, did Kane realize that she was shuddering.
Kane broke a sweat, as he wondered what to do. He was stuck, in his own body, paralysed from the neck down, and possibly about to be killed. He needed to figure something out, quickly. Unfortunately, what was going through his mind was nothing but panic.
Fried looked on, terrified, as Kane was dragged away. He looked at the boy who had just escaped the clutches of the hijacker, who was as scared as he was.
"Is he going to be alright?", the boy said. "That guy looked pretty scary."
"I don't know..He's tough, but...", Fried said nervously. "He's so darn impulsive! I don't even know what to do!"
"I'm sorry, if I didn't get caught by that guy, he would be..", the boy said.
"No, don't blame yourself. I know Kane's an idiot, but he can get out of it.", Fried said. "But if he can't, I might have to do it myself."
"Those people are dangerous, and you're just a kid! What can you even do?", the boy said. "We would be dead meat!"
"I don't care.", Fried said. "I'm a wizard of Fairy Tail, and I don't leave my comrades behind. And I definitely don't abandon my friends."
Fried sheathed his sword, and took a deep breath. He knew he could be placing himself into some serious danger, but he didn't care. He remembered Kane saving him from getting his leg broken by the woman in the Mansion, and he knew he wouldn't be able to face anyone back home if anything happened to the older boy. Heading out of the carriage, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"I could help you."
"Are you sure?"
"Look, I'm yet to be properly trained in Magic, but your friend did help save me.", the boy said. "And I owe this to him. Let me come along."
Fried smiled, as he shook the boy's hand, nodding.
"Thanks. I'm going to need all the help I need.", Fried said.
"Are you kids out of your minds?", an elderly man said. "Go and call somebody who could actually help. You saw what they did to your friend!"
"Yeah, I did. And they're going to pay for that.", Fried said.
"So, what's your name?", the boy asked.
"Fried. Fried Justine. And what about you?"
"You can call me Bickslow."
After what seemed to be a few hours, Kane could feel some motion in his fingers and toes. He could wiggle them around, but not much else, and the handcuffs on his ropes didn't help. He wondered what had happened to Fried.
"He'll be alright. He's smarter than me, he won't do something dumb.", Kane mumbled. "I just hope he gets to safety."
"What did you say?", the woman, who had revealed her name to be Clara, said.
"Nothing, it's just a guildmate of mine who had come along with me on a job. We were on our way there when the train got hijacked.", he explained. "I hope he's alright."
"Oh. I hope he's alright."
"Me too." Kane said, before turning around to look at the girl. "Is she going to be alright?"
"She becomes very quiet when she's afraid.", Clara said. "It's gonna be alright, honey. Mama will figure something out. Don't worry."
The girl said nothing, but simply nodded. A single tear flowed down her cheek.
"Don't cry, Ever. Please.", her mother pleaded.
"You'll be safe.", Kane said, doing the best he could in the moment. "I promise."
"Look, Kane. You're in this situation because of my family. Please, don't endanger yourself."
"Hey, Miss Clara.", Kane smirked. "I'll figure something out."
The conversation was interrupted, as the door of the carriage opened. A different man entered, wearing similar robes. Kane looked at him, and before he could react, he was thrown onto what appeared to be a rickety wheelchair,covered in reddish brown blotches.
"I hope those aren't bloodstains.", Kane thought, as he was led into a crowd filled with people, all wearing cloaks. On the brighter side, Kane did feel like he could move his arms a little, but probably not quickly enough for it to be a factor in an escape.
"You shall now pay for insulting the pride of our clan now, boy.", the man said, before throwing Kane in the middle of the circle. Kane winced. Maybe this was a good sign? Maybe, just maybe he'd be able to make a run for his life in a few seconds? But it wasn't enough time, and he could barely stand on his feet before feeling his legs wobble.
"Shit.", he muttered. "Shit shit shit shit."
"Children of the Mountain!", an elderly man yelled. "Today, we stand on a holy night. The night of our cleansing. The night of sacrifice!"
The crowd thundered, as Kane tried his best to stand still. He saw Clara and Evergreen had joined him, awaiting their fates. He gulped, desperately trying to think of something, anything he could do so that they could escape.
"Tonight, like many nights ago, we sacrifice one of our own, a child who would be cursed to turn all she sees into stone. As we have done for years.", the man continued. "But I must regret, that the child's mother, my eldest, has failed in her piety."
The crowd gasped, going silent, as if they had been betrayed by one of their own.
"I believe it was my own fault. I married her away to a weak man who let his material desires trump his duties as a father and a devotee.", he said, his mood shifting to sombre. "So for her failings, she shall be sacrificed to the mountains as well, so she can hope to redeem herself in death, for the sins of her life."
Kane grimaced with disgust, deciding to speak up.
"You know something, that sounds like a load of crap to me!", Kane yelled. The crowd went silent, as the old man looked at him. "What sort of person would harm their own family? Who would want to kill a little kid, let alone their granddaughter?"
"You see, young man, I am not doing this to harm them.", the old man said. "Keeping Evergreen alive, only to have her isolate herself due to her curse would be much, much worse. And her influence spreads, as it did to her father, her mother and now you. Her father paid the price, and her mother must too. I am sorry to include an outsider like you, but it must be done. Your life has been cursed now."
Kane scoffed, as he felt himself getting stronger. The effects were wearing off, and he began looking around, trying to look for a quick exit. But as he turned his head, he was hit in the back of his neck. Wincing, he looked at his assailant, and it was the same man who had taken him on the train.
"I should kill you right now for daring to speak to the High Priest that way.", he sneered.
"No, Marlin. That is not the way.", the old man interrupted. "The only way we take lives is in a proper way, described by our Lords."
"But, Fath-"
"I've said enough."
Marlin backed down, knowing the consequences of disobedience.
"Wuss.", Kane jeered.
"Don't provoke him.", Clara whispered. "My brother has a very volatile temper."
"So do I.", Kane said, staring at the man in the eyes, defiantly.
"You're not even worthy of being killed by me.", he replied, walking away.
"Anyhow, the sacrifices must begin.", the old man said. "First of all, we begin with the outsider. Lead him to the grounds."
Kane was dragged to the executioner's block, but he wasn't going down easy. Using all his strength to headbutt the man, he grimaced, as he realized that the man was wearing steel armor. Blood trickled down his forehead, as he tried to keep standing.
"Fool.", the man said, dragging the boy, who was kicking and screaming.
"Let go of me!", Kane yelled, as he kicked the man in the gut. Infuriated, the man swung his axe, but it was soon knocked out of his hands. Kane looked on, as what appeared to be five dolls, as they knocked the man away. Suddenly, a figure appeared behind Kane, shattering his handcuffs.
"Fried?", Kane asked, as the cloaked figure revealed himself. It was Kane's comrade, on the shoulders of the boy from the train.
"Yeah. You didn't think I was going to leave you behind, did you?", Fried grinned.
"What is wrong with you, idiot? Couldn't you have called for help or something?", Kane said.
"Really, couldn't you be a bit more grateful?"
"I'll be grateful when we're out of this hellhole.", Kane said, as he looked around. And as all the people assembled in the ceremony surrounded them, both boys realized that it wasn't going to be easy enough.
Well, our young heroes are in some hot water, can they escape? Find out in the next chapter.
Anyhoo, we finally made it to ten chapters, and I just wanted to say how grateful I am to everyone who has been with me on this journey, and I hope you will stay on this ride.