Chapter Eight: Ambushed
The surprise attack appeared to have come from nowhere. Without warning, Lucy felt something bind her wrists and ankles tightly, and then she found herself being hoisted forcefully into the air. She tried to scream, but something was choking her neck that prevented her from making a sound.
The fog slowly vanished, revealing the natural habitat of the woods. Lucy could now see her guildmates, but to her horror, they were dangling in the air along with her. Their bodies were all bound with crimson ropes, although they looked more like—hair?
When she looked down, she saw four people staring up at their captives in fascination. One of them was a wide-eyed girl whose red hair was magically extended everywhere. She realized that it was the redhead who was manipulating her long mane to bind Lucy and her comrades.
There was also a skinny dark-haired boy with snake-like eyes accompanied by two grown men: one was short and stocky with blond hair and purple skin and the other was tall and muscular with black hair and beard.
There was no doubt about it—these mages were members of Raven Tail.
"Ne, I like this blondie," hissed the redhead, looking beseechingly at the tall man with beard. "Can I keep her, Master?"
"Shut it, Flare," came the man's reply.
She called the tall one Master, thought Lucy. Then, he must be Ivan. But Laxus bore no resemblance whatsoever to the malevolent-looking man below, who was grinning at them viciously.
Meanwhile, Laxus was seething at the sight of his father. Not too long ago, he had been hoping that their reunion would be a happy one. But right now, the man was hurting his Fairy Tail comrades like they were nothing to him. Like he was nothing to him.
He might have been caught off guard by the red-haired mage's assault at first, but he wasn't having any of this. Summoning his lightning magic, he effortlessly broke away from the bindings and landed on the ground with ease. Moments later, Natsu, Gajeel, Gray, and Juvia followed.
"Lucy, Happy! Hang in there coz I'm comin' for ya!" yelled Natsu. Then, he jumped into the air with his fist engulfed in flames. But just when he was about to burn the redhead's extended hair into ashes to free his friends, his fire was suddenly put out in a jiffy. "Nani—?!"
A wave of crimson hair whipped him back, sending him crashing against a tree. Then, he fell to the ground, breathing heavily, his expression confused.
"Hmm, I really don't like cats," drawled Flare. Then, she let her hair fling Happy aside, but Natsu jumped again and caught him in his arms.
The blue feline was sputtering and gasping for air. "Thanks, Natsu," he cried.
"You okay, buddy?"
"Yeah, but you gotta save Lushi!"
Gray angrily stepped forward, pulling back his arm and placing his fist on his palm. "Let Lucy go, you freak!" he shouted. Then, he started to cast an ice-make spell, but then his magic vanished the same way as Natsu's. "What in the world—?'
Laxus, Gajeel, and Juvia started hurling magic spells toward Lucy's captor, but even their power elements dissipated into thin air before they could reach the target, leaving the mages bewildered.
Ivan laughed maniacally. "It's a magic canceling spell," he said. "You dimwits are no match for us if you can't use your magic!"
The lightning mage glared at him, but then he suddenly noticed a small brown creature with a pointed tail crouching on his old man's shoulder, smiling a devious smile. So, that pesky little thing was the one that kept on canceling their magic spells.
Without wasting time, he dashed toward Ivan in lightning speed to grab hold of the creature when the short, purple-skinned mage suddenly expanded one of his arms, covering Ivan with its now overgrown size and puncturing the lightning mage with spikes that protruded from it.
Blood spurted from Laxus' mouth when one of the larger spikes stabbed him in his abdomen, catching him by surprise. Shortly, the red-haired mage snaked her hair around his body, incarcerating him once more and lifting him into the air. He grunted in pain as he felt the large spike leave his body.
"Kuso," he cursed under his breath, trying to free himself from the bindings, but resisting only strained his wound even further. He willed his lightning to strike her down, but it kept on canceling on him.
"Yes, Obra," Ivan urged at the small creature on his shoulder. "Keep on canceling his magic. Just focus on him."
"Laxus!" shouted Natsu, looking up at the other dragon slayer.
"What the hell are you all standing there for?" bellowed Laxus. "Go and get Lucy!"
But their path was suddenly blocked by two of Raven Tail's members before they could even sprint to save the celestial mage.
"I'm Kurohebi," hissed the dark-haired mage, his snake-like eyes gleaming maliciously. He wore a tight black garment that ended on his hands like a pair of fingerless gauntlets.
"And I'm Nullpudding," said the purple-skinned mage, whose enlarged arms were covered with spikes. His body was draped with a white cape with red, stylized sun adorning its sides. "We're your opponents."
"Get out of our way!" snarled Natsu, his fists ablaze in flames.
"Nullpudding, Kurohebi," hollered Ivan. "Flare's got the boy. Take care of these other pests for me."
"Yes, Master," snickered Kurohebi. "I'll be glad to use their magic against them." To make a point, he produced fire and lightning in his hands, apparently mimicking Natsu and Laxus' magic ability.
"We won't disappoint you, Master," said Nullpudding.
Smirking, their guild master turned to the redhead who was still toying around with Lucy like a puppeteer. "Flare, that's enough. Get rid of that blonde girl. It's time to head back to our hideout," he snapped.
"But, Master," whined Flare, staring up at the celestial mage with satisfaction. "I really like her! Can I keep her, please?"
Gasping for air, Lucy kept trying to reach out to her celestial gate keys, which were hanging from her belt, but she could hardly move her arms as they were both tied up. She was starting to feel dizzy due to lack of air as the red locks around her throat were choking her with much more pressure now.
She darted her eyes at Laxus, whose face already looked pale. He was breathing heavily, his eyes half-shut. She noticed that Flare's mane around him was stained with blood. It was obvious that he was bleeding out.
No, she thought, her eyes glistening with tears. She was losing consciousness, and there was nothing she could do about it. Hang in there, Laxus.
It was déjà vu all over again. She was that helpless girl who couldn't even help her comrades in times of danger. She had sworn to protect them after their battle against Phantom Lord, but it looked like she wouldn't be able to in her situation.
"You insolent girl," Ivan growled at the redhead, turning his back on her. "Just do whatever you want. Let's go." With that, he walked away without a backward glance.
Tears of joy welled up in Flare's eyes. Without hesitation, she followed her master and used her extended mane to drag the injured Laxus and Lucy along with her.
Laxus woke up in a fairly-lit cell. After blinking several times, he turned his head and saw Lucy lying face down next to him, still unconscious. He nervously reached out his hand to check on her pulse. To his immense relief, she was still alive. However, he could see bruises in her neck like she had been choked real hard.
He tried to sit up and then groaned as he felt a sharp pain somewhere in his abdomen. He slowly peeled off his bloodstained shirt, and he was surprised to find stitches in his wounds.
Frowning, he wondered who could've stitched them up. But then he took a closer look—these were red stitches, and they glistened. What the hell? These are Flare's locks, he thought, astounded.
He quickly scanned his eyes around the cell. The walls and floor appeared to be made of stones, and there were no windows. There was also a cave-like entrance a few meters away that enabled some light to enter the cell. However, it had multiple steel bars as barriers.
Should be easy to blast those things off, he thought.
Staggering to his feet, he tried to summon lightning, poised to destroy those bars—but nothing happened. Then, he tried again, but the result was the same. He clenched his teeth, trying to think fast. No one else was around except the celestial mage, so how come he couldn't summon his magic?
Moments later, the red-haired mage called Flare appeared from outside the bars. She was wearing a long scarlet dress, and her hair was tied in braided pigtails.
"I wanted her for myself," she said in a sad tone, gazing at the unconscious Lucy. "But Master forced me to put her in this cell with you."
"Where are we?" demanded Laxus.
"Underground," the redhead mumbled distractedly without looking at him. "By the way, Obra-san placed a magic canceling mark in your body in case you're wondering why you can't use your magic."
Scowling, he checked his body. There it was—a tiny black mark that looked like a trident. It was placed on the opposite side of his tribal tattoo. He didn't notice it earlier.
"What the hell," he muttered, staring at the strange mark with contempt. "It looks so out of place. Couldn't that insect have put it in my arm or something?" Yeah, he was awfully particular with tattoos and where they should go in his body. But now was not the right time to think about that.
He looked back at Flare, who still wouldn't meet his eyes. "You're Flare, right? Were you the one who stitched me up?" he asked.
The red-haired mage nodded. "Master didn't want you to die yet," she replied serenely. "Said he wanted you to feel the pain while he extracts that dragon lacrima out of your body."
Laxus stiffened. So, his old man wanted him to suffer more than he already had, did he? He still couldn't fathom how his father could have so much loathing toward him. It didn't matter now, he decided. That was all in the past.
Right now, he needed to get Lucy and himself out of this place and then find the others.
"Listen, Flare. Whether you like it or not, we're breaking out of here," he said determinedly, walking toward her until they were only a couple of feet apart. The only thing that was standing between them was the steel bars, which he could probably bend using his bare hands.
Flare tilted her head sideways, looking unconcerned. "You can try," she said simply.
Deciding to use brute strength, Laxus grabbed the bars with his hands, but then he recoiled when he suddenly felt his palms burn when they made contact with the steel. Grunting in pain, he quickly let go and took a few steps backward. "What the hell—?"
"Gomen ne, Laxus-san," said the redhead, her lips quivering. "Even I couldn't touch these bars. I do really want to get inside there."
He stared at her, perplexed. "Why do you want to get inside this cell?"
"Because I want to play with her," she sniffled.
Laxus glanced at Lucy's lying figure and then back at Flare. "Play with her?" he repeated, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "I doubt it."
Without warning, the redhead started giggling. Moments later, her giggles turned into hysterical laughter.
"What's so funny?" he asked, startled.
She didn't answer him and just kept on laughing, her shoulders shaking violently. Then, she looked up, her large eyes looking larger than usual. Flare was finally looking at him with a deranged expression.
Then, to his utter disbelief, she suddenly gripped the bars with her hands, and he saw them turn into crimson like her hair. "Flare," he growled, walking over to her. "Stop that. You're only hurting yourself!"
"I want to play with her," she cackled, tears streaming down her face. Somehow, she was laughing and crying at the same time. "I want to play with her!"
This girl is barking mad, he thought as he listened to her cries.
"Flare, silence yourself!" came Ivan's raspy voice.
Laxus' expression darkened as he saw his father appeared out of nowhere and then yanked Flare away from the bars. The girl fell to the ground, now completely sobbing and staring at her burnt hands. The sight was awfully disturbing.
Ivan turned his head and glared at the lighting mage. "Boy," he said in a disgusted tone.
"Hello, Dad," said Laxus sarcastically, returning his glare.
His father pretty much looked the same as many years ago, except that he had a lot more facial hair now. He wore an ornate cloak that seemed rather flashy, and, underneath, he sported a blue shirt over a pair of black trousers and boots.
The older mage laughed cruelly. "You know, you always followed me around like a lost puppy many years ago," he sneered. "Ah, yes, I can still remember. But you're never anything to me but a pathetic nuisance."
Laxus felt a stabbing pain in his chest after hearing his father's words, but he tried to contain himself. He would never let him have the satisfaction of knowing how much his words had hurt him.
"Listen, boy, I want to get things straight," his old man went on. "We're not a family, and I have no qualms in killing you to get that dragon lacrima out of your body. Do you hear me?"
"Yeah, I hear you," he said coolly. "Why wait, though? Why not just kill me right now?"
"Ah, in a hurry to die, I see." Ivan chuckled. "Don't worry. It won't be long now." With that, he turned on his heel and walked away with his cloak billowing behind him, leaving Flare lying on the ground.
Moments later, Flare sat up and then rose to her feet, dusting the dirt off her dress with her injured hands and wincing in the process. Finally, she straightened up, and then she gave the lightning mage a pained smile before departing.
His chest heaving, Laxus walked over to the stone wall and slammed his fist into it. At least he finally heard straight from his father how he truly felt about him all these years. He was a fool to believe that his old man had loved him even just a little.
But he finally found the answers that he needed. He was no longer that kid who longed for his father's approval, he resolved. He was a lightning dragon slayer from Fairy Tail who sure as hell was going to send that bastard and his dark guild flying.
"Laxus? Where are we?"
Snapping out of his musings, Laxus turned his head. The celestial mage was finally awake.
