Chapter 152

Malicious Intent

Erza soon set up the teams, and everyone split up to search for the clock pieces. Natsu, Lucy, Romeo, Michelle, Coco, Dan, and Happy, made one, Gray, Sugarboy, and Juvia made a second, Cana, Erza, Wendy, and Carla were team three, and Team Shadow Gear, Samuel, and Pantherlily made the fourth team. As for me, I was placed with the Strauss siblings along with Mary Hughes of the Legion Platoon. Our group was tasked to find the clock piece in a faraway location close to the sea.

After a while, we paused for rest by a steep cliff that overlooked the ocean, after traveling for a long time. Thinking of this to be a good opportunity to check out the scenery, the five of us decided to go on a picnic of sorts. I was swimming back towards the cliff with a big haul of fish, shooting out of the water and landing on the cliff. Elfman was merrily humming a strange tune as he stirred up some stew in a big pot, while Mira, Lisanna, and Mary set up camp. The Strauss siblings and I had also changed into our swimming suits, just in case if we had to do a little swimming.

"Nothing like the great outdoors to make a home-cooked meal taste better," said Mira.

"You said it, Mira! Spoken like a true man!" Elfman grinned. "Once it's finished, this stew is going to taste manly!"

"I've brought some more fish, guys," I said, as I set my load down. "I'll get started cooking them as soon as Elfman's stew's finished."

Then I looked across to Mary and Lisanna, both of which seemed to be a bit tense. "What's the matter, you two?" I asked. "Something on your minds?"

"Yes, well, the thing is," Lisanna spoke tentatively. "I'm not so sure if this is a good spot."

"Oh? And why do you ask that?" Mira asked.

"Why?! Because we're sitting on a cliff that's practically hanging over the edge of the sea!" Mary exclaimed. "I mean, like, come on! How are you guys not freaked out about this?!"

"Well, I don't see any problems with this place," I said with a light shrug. "It's right next to the sea and if anyone wants seconds of fish, I have easy access to the water."

"Not to mention it's a pretty nice view from up here," Mira added.

"The stews almost ready," called out Elfman. "Get ready to have a manly lunch!"

Lisanna and Mary could only be dumbfounded, laughing wryly.

"Don't worry, you two. This cliff may seem to be a bit... precarious, but there's no way this thing's going to topple or anything," I reassured. "This only way it could is that if someone slammed this cliff hard enough to destroy a boulder. We'll be fine."

"Besides, even if this thing did come down, most of us can fly and swim," added Mira. "I'm sure it's nothing that we can't handle."

"That's not exactly the issue here," Lisanna sighed.

"Seriously. How the heck are you guys so aloof?" asked Mary. "I mean, I'm a trained wizard myself and even I'm totes freaked out about having a picnic on a steep cliff."

"Well, you just get used to things," I said, taking a seat next to Mary. "Believe me, it took me a while to get used to things when I first joined Fairy Tail with all the fights and enemies and junk. At this point, nothing that happens really surprises me anymore."

"Seriously? That's, like, totally weird," Mary said.

Elfman then came over, carrying the pot of stew. "Here you go, guys! The manliest stew I've ever made!"

"Thank you for the food!" Mira, Lisanna, and I said together.

We all then helped ourselves to the stew that Elfman made and even enjoyed some cooked fish. I couldn't even remember the last time I've had a decent meal with the siblings, and this was the best meal I've had in a long time. I was feeling happy that I was having a good meal while spending time with the Strauss siblings like this, but inside, I was making sure to stay on my toes.

Despite me telling Makarow about what I heard about Byro, and while he did say that he would look into what I told him about Byro, but I couldn't help but still feel worried. However, I did my best not to worry about it. The only thing I could do right now was to keep my eyes on Mary in case she tried anything. After all, she was a member of Byro's group, so there was no telling what she would do if she was a part of his plans.

After we ate, we continued onward to on our journey until we eventually came to the location of where the clock piece was located. It was in a large rocky area with two large lake basins inside of it. One of them was on the upper level, and the other was at the bottom with a bit of greenery growing here and there. There was also a small waterfall that fed the upper lake's water to the lower one.

"Wow. This place looks pretty beautiful," said Mira. "But is this the location where the clock piece is located?"

"According to Lucy, this is the place," said Elfman. "Where do we even begin to start looking?"

"Well, maybe the piece is hidden in the water or something," suggested Mary. "I mean that would totally be the obvious place to look, right?"

"If that's the case, then we'll have to dive down and take a look," I said. "Should be no problem for me."

"I'll go with you," said Lisanna. "If there is something down there, you're going to need my Animal Soul to help you just in case."

"Lisanna's right," agreed Mira. "Considering the fact that we're dealing with some ancient magic artifact, there's a possibility that it could be booby-trapped in some way. If the two of you go together, then if something happens one of you can come and get us."

"Sounds like a plan," I said. "Let's do it, Lisanna."

I then limbered up by doing stretches while Lisanna activated her magic, her legs glowing as they were switched out to a fish's tail, giving her the appearance of a mermaid. The two of us then jumped into the water, submerging into it with a splash. Lisanna and I then split up searching in different areas of the lake. As I swam around, I could see nothing but tall rock formations along with a bit of moss growing on the bottom of the floor. However, I didn't see anything suspicious or out of the ordinary.

Then I saw something on the floor. Something very strange and peculiar. It was large and circular, appeared to be flat, and had a large chain attached to it. As I swam over to inspect it, I quickly figured out what this strange object was, although I was a bit caught off guard. It was a large plug.

I then heard Lisanna. "Did you find something, Willy?"

"Yes. I did," I called back to her, my eyes not leaving the plug. "Come here and look at this."

Lisanna then swam over and she was just as surprised. "It's a plug, but what's something like this doing here?"

"I don't know, but I bet this thing drains the lake," I said. "But the question is, why is this thing down here in the first place?"

"Maybe it has to do with finding the clock piece," suggested Lisanna. "If that's the case, then I say we should unplug it and drain the water. It would make things a bit easier to find the piece."

I pondered about this for a few seconds, until I agreed. "Well, I don't see anything else we could do, so let's give it a try. But we better be careful not to get sucked in."

The two of us then took hold of the plug's chain, and pulled with all our strength. At first, it was a bit difficult, but after a few more tugs, the plug popped off. The water slowly began to drain out, the level growing lower and shallower until finally, the water drained out completely. No sooner than that, Lisanna then pointed.

"Willy! Look at that! Is that what I think it is?"

I looked toward where she was pointing and my eyes fell upon something. Just a few feet away from where we were, was a strange object embedded in a slab of stone. It was about the size of a ball, colored orange, glass-like, and had a metal ring around it with a small loop on top. Mira, Elfman, and Mary then came up.

"Way to go, you two!" congratulated Mira. "You found it!"

"It was nothing really," Lisanna said modestly. "To be honest, I'm just happy that I was able to help out for once. For some reason, I've been feeling a bit unimportant lately, so I hoping this helps me score some points with the readers."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?!" Elfman asked. "Score points with what readers?"

"Whoa. So that's a piece of the Infinity Clock," murmured Mary with wonder. "It's totally is strange looking."

"No kidding," I agreed. "I'm also sensing something strange coming from it, but considering that it's a part of an ancient magic artifact, I suppose that's normal."

"In any case, let's grab it and meet back with the others," said Mira.

Elfman then went over to the piece, taking a hold of it with two hands and pulled, struggling as he tried to pull it free. It took a few seconds, but with one more mighty pull, the male member of the Strauss siblings, finally pulled the clock piece free. No sooner than he did, a large black tendril came shooting out and snatched the clock piece right out of Elfman's hands.

"Well, what do you know? I not only find what I'm looking for, but I also find a couple of putzes to beat up," said a female voice. "Talk about killing two birds with one stone."

My heart skipped a beat.

"You've got to be kidding me! Not her!"

Then I turned around. Sure enough, standing in front of us with the clock piece in her hand was the girl with the green hair in a ponytail from the other night.

"Who are you?" demanded Mira. "And how were you able to find us all the way out here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I followed you here!" the girl spoke with a sneer. "Why bother going through the trouble of looking for the piece myself when you guys could find it for me? It's called thinking smart, not that you idiots would know how to use yours."

"What did you say?!" snapped Elfman crossly.

"You heard me, Musclehead," the girl said. "Or are you just that stupid? Then again, you've got more muscles than a bodybuilder, so that makes you the big, tough, stupid one."

"That's it! You're going down! Come fight me like a real man!" Elfman yelled as he charged straight towards her while using his magic to change his arm into his Black Bull arm. "And gimme that clock part, too!"

The girl seeing Elfman come at her, immediately countered by coating her right arm with ooze, and making it expand and grow bulkier. Then, with a mighty swing, her fist collided with Elfman's resulting in a concussive blast of air that made the air shake. It seemed to be a stalemate for a few seconds, but with a cocky smirk, Green Ponytail pushed Elfman back with a mighty heave, sending him skidding back a few paces until he stopped just in front of us.

Then her eyes turned over towards me. "Well, well, well. Today must be my lucky day," she said. "Not only do I get to the clock piece, but I also get to have a second chance after my little defeat." She then pointed at me. "You there! You and I have some unfinished business!"

Elfman glanced over at me. "Willy, who is this girl?"

"Yeah. She, like, seems to know you," said Mary. "Is she an acquaintance of yours?"

I couldn't give them an answer.

"What's the matter? Surprised to see me after the thrashing you gave me?" asked Green Ponytail. "Well, too bad for you! I'm back and better than ever, and I'm hungry for some good old fashioned revenge, so why don't you come over here, and then I can mess up your ass! After all, you did show me a rough and good time the other night, so I believe it's time to repay you in kind and show you how rough I can be!"

My cheeks grew a bit hot at this while everyone else looked at me and then back at Green Ponytail.

"What's this girl's deal?!" exclaimed Elfman. "And I thought Sieri was the only one who thought dirty."

"No kidding," agreed Lisanna. "I'm even blushing for what she just said."

"Listen, you, I don't know who you think are, but we're not going to stand by while you make threats," Mira spoke firmly. "Not to mention that's my brother you're talking about as well as my friend, so why don't you back off?

Green Ponytail looked across to Mira. "Hey, Bimbo. Don't you have to go get your nails painted or something? Why don't you be like all the other shallow little girls and mind your own business?"

"B-Bimbo?!" sputtered Mira.

"No, actually, I take that back. Bimbo's too nice a word for a pretty girl like you," Green Ponytail said, shaking her head. "In fact, now that I think about it, you look like the kind of girl that works as a barmaid. Bet you go around smiling, flirting with every guy you see showing off your cleavage, and even wash dishes, while your musclehead brother and your other siblings go out in the world dying like a bunch of dogs. At least they're putting their lives on the line while you're just sitting around looking sexy."

I couldn't help but gasp at this along with everyone else as Mira's body went rigid as a board as she stood there, not moving.

Elfman immediately got angry. "Hey! Don't you dare talk about our sister that way!" he snarled crossly. "Who do you think you are saying that?!"

"Yeah! Mira isn't anything like you say she is!" Lisanna angrily snapped. "You don't know anything about her, so stop pretending like you do!"

"Oh, shut up with your bull. If I say this girl is a lousy barmaid, then that's what she is," Green Ponytail went on, not caring in the slightest. "A barmaid that not only looks the part, but also a coward for spending her time from behind her little bar rather than being a fighter like me."

At that moment, I felt a chill run through my spine as my body felt a strong sense of danger, and I had a feeling where it was coming from. Sure enough, when I glanced over at her, I saw that Mira's body was slightly trembling, her hand clenched into fists, and her presence filled with killing intent. That was when I knew that Mira wasn't just angry. She was overwhelmingly furious.

And Green Ponytail girl kept on taunting her. "What's the matter, Ms. Bimbo Barmaid? Are you too scared to talk back? Just like I thought. Why don't you go back to your barstool like a good little maid and let the big girls fight? You swank around acting all tough and crap, but all you are is just a pretty face - and an ugly one at that."

"That does it!" Elfman roared. "I'm going to beat you to a pulp for saying that! No one-"

But before Elfman could finish his sentence, Mira slowly began to walk forward towards Green Ponytail, silent and scarily calm. Elfman was about to protest, but then the words died in his mouth as Mira's body began to radiate with a magic aura that was dark violet in color, her killing intent growing even stronger.

The Green Ponytailed Girl, however, wasn't intimidated. "Oh? What's the matter, Ms. Bimbo? Did I hurt your feelings?" she mocked. "Whatcha gonna do? Threaten to tell your parents on me or something?"

Suddenly, Mira disappeared for a split second, and then reappeared just in front of Green Ponytail. Then, she cocked her hand back, her muscles bulging for a brief second, and with a mighty swing, clocked Green Ponytail square in her jaw with a punch, sending her flying across the area. The girl skipped on the ground tumbling like a stone with water until she finally slammed into a rock, smashing it to pieces.

I stared at where the girl was sent, my jaw hung open agape and my eyes wide with shock. Green Ponytail then got back up to her feet, her eyes wide with disbelief as she wiped the blood from her busted lip, while Mira continued walking towards her, her body slowly changing into her Satan Soul form.

"You know, there's a reason why I try not to show much anger even at the pettiest of insults," Mira said, her voice growing deeper and scarier by the second. "I don't want anyone to see how nasty I can be when I'm angry. But now, hearing your words, I'm willing to make an exception for that. Because as of now, I'm a little bit peeved, and I think it's time that someone taught you some manners. I hope you're prepared."

Soon enough, Mira had finished transforming into her demonic form, her claws and wings extended, and ready to bust Green Ponytail's head. Green Ponytail stared at Mira appearing to be frozen with fear, her observing eyes wide with disbelief. Then, her lips slowly curled up into a smile as she began to chuckle. At first, they were soft, but they gradually grew louder until she was erupting with laughter, her laughs echoing throughout the area.

"I take back what I said about you. You're not just an airheaded bimbo after all," Green Ponytail said, now glaring maliciously at Mira with wild energy. "You're going to be a pile of shredded meat once I'm done with you, you cow! I was pissed off enough, but now that crazy stunt of yours just sent me over the edge! Hope you're ready to die because I'm going to mess you up so bad, nobody's going to recognize your corpse!"

"Then bring it on then," Mira spoke. "If you think you can take me, then go ahead and try. It'll be the last thing you ever do."

The air now was heavy with malicious tension that was so thick that you could cut it with a sword. I wanted to help back up Mira, but I couldn't speak nor could I move.

"Oh, man! Those two are like, crazy POed!" Mary squeaked swallowing. "It's like they're both demons!"

"I don't think I've ever seen Mira like this before," Lisanna spoke, her voice trembling. "The air feels so heavy, I'm surprised I can speak right now."

I didn't say a word, my eyes never leaving Mira and Green Ponytail, and my feet remaining rooted to the spot.

NO POV

As the battle between Amina and Mira was about to begin, the clock piece that Amina dropped began to pulse. Then, unbeknownst to anyone, two rings of strange Potamelian runes glowing yellow appeared all around it, signaling that it was resonating with the other pieces.

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Until then, Dragomaster, signing off!