03| MOUNT BEAUMONT
Time was of the essences for every member in the Fairy Tail Guild, including the two Sabertooth members and exceeds that came along with them. After the realization of the more possible sacrifice of the seven missing mages, including Lucy and Sting, everyone was all hands on deck to try to locate them.
Everything was speculations, ideas Levy and Freed tossed back an forth with one another about where exactly the seven could be. Erza was helping the two as well, reading the files to understand exactly where everyone was going and why they were in the particular spot they had been when taken.
It was already know to them about Lucy being given a false hope of finding Aquarius's key, leading her to embark on a journey to locate the siren's key that was so dear to her. It was more than likely Lucy was lead out there, that she was targeted specifically like the other six. Erza knew that meant someone was watching Lucy, and they gotten her when she was at her weakest and defenseless.
According to Rouge and Yukino, Sting had gone on a mission that called for him specifically. Yukino admitted something felt off about the whole mission, but Sting had reassured her by saying that nothing was weird about him being asked for specifically. It hadn't been the first time, and since Fairy Tail had been disbanded and their members scattered, well it brought more clients and jobs to Sabertooth and certain members. In his wake, Sting asked Rouge to watch over the guild, but now matters shifted.
Sabrina Moore went missing around the same time as Lucy. Well, the more Erza read on each file she noticed they all went missing around the same time or at least were reported missing. That alone caused red flags, that each person was sought out with a obvious planned vendetta. In Sabrina's file, she went missing traveling to a charity event for a church in the upper north area of Fiore. The church wasn't named specifically, which should have caused Sabrina to be concerned. Yet some people were too trusting.
Rafael was the missing man who actually did raise alert within the Kingdom, because unlike the others chasing a lead or being sought out, he was attending a political meeting concerning laws for Fiore. In his file it was named that he was meeting with another political member who wished not to be named for a business deal, and honoring the request Rafael went missing during that dinner. That told Erza that these people who took the seven had possible high places in authority and were dirty members of society.
They cheated the system for their own gain.
Nadia Silva actually lived where she went missing from. Her file detailed that she liked being alone in her home, away from the city and people. She enjoyed nature and animals most, keeping to herself but welcomed anyone into her life with open arms, including magazines who wanted to interview the kind woman for helping where ever she could. The true definition of naive. The file on Nadia showed that there was a struggle in the home, even some spots of blood. Yet not a trace of Nadia or her kidnapper was left behind besides the mess.
Adrian Vandom had been in the town of Ashton, a few towns away from Clovis where Lucy had been taken. He had been asked to come to solve a curse on a client, and after checking in on the client named via lacrima Erza had learned the job was legit as well. Yet the client admitted it was a weird curse that happened randomly one night and how someone in town had mentioned Adrian. Adrian had been watched and taken advantage of, in Erza's opinion. Purposely drawn out on a legit job that had been staged.
Killian Kiryu was the only unknown. They knew he went missing around Evermore, yet the reasoning as to why he was even there was unclear. To Erza and anyone else who read his file, there was no reason for this man to be where he was at. Not when in his hometown of Hargeon he had a scheduled AAA group meeting. It was possible the man relapsed himself, but that was wrong wishful thinking.
"It's really obvious where they are being kept." Levy muttered suddenly, her voice going through the guild hall and causing some heads to turn her way. Yet she only looked at Freed and Erza, pointing to the middle of where each seven mages went missing. "They went missing in a circular formation, and if you draw a line to the midpoint of the circle they form, it leads to this mountain named Mount Beaumont. That isn't some coincidence."
"No, it's not." Erza rubbed her chin thinking. "It's also not a coincidence that they were all nearly reported missing in the span of a month."
"Unless someone is working on the inside." Freed added into their conversation. "Think about it. They all went missing around this mountain. They were all reported around the same time, but we don't really know how long they've been gone. We have honest reports from Adrian and Rafael's cases, but the others? Lucy might have never sent any letters to Jason for all we know. Same with Sting."
Wendy glanced at Natsu hearing Freed say that, seeing that his eyes were on the floor thinking hard. Probably he was thinking the same thing as her, that Lucy had been missing longer than three months, maybe for this whole time. Jason had said she had a communication lacrima to contact him, but then why did she send a letter? Letters take longer to reach their destination. What if the letter she got from Lucy herself wasn't even real? Why that was the reason it was emotionless in tone.
If that were the case did that mean someone was watching all of them? The enigma around it all was hard to understand, because any intention wasn't clear.
"How high is the chance this is a set up?" Laxus asked, joining the table and looking at Freed for the answer to the question.
Glancing at Levy, Freed fixed his gaze onto the lightning dragon slayer, "The chance of setup is very high, because if they are this easy to be found, then whoever took them wants them to be found now, or is ready to take the chance."
"If they were being sacrificed, that's the opposite of what they would want isn't? For the sacrifices to be found?" Erza inquired, looking at Levy who was looking more stressed by the second.
"We don't really know the intentions of who took the seven of them. Sacrifice is a speculation, and if they are setting us up, then we could be walking into something bigger than what we are really ready for." Levy stressed out, her worry for Lucy only increasing.
Yukino, hearing what the others where saying after coming back into the guild after speaking with Libra and Loke by her side, only felt a more gut wrenching feeling in her body. Loke knew it was a dark guild or at least dark mages that took Lucy and the others. That meant that something was going on for their beliefs that involved both Sting and Lucy.
"Is everything okay, Yukino?" Freed was the one who noticed the Sabertooth celestial mage, who was looking as worried as they were all inwardly feeling.
It was different being in the guild together and facing the problem, because someone was with someone and saw something. Like with Michelle, Natsu had been there with Lucy when she was taken. Or with Wendy, Team Natsu had been there when she was taken during Nirvana. This time, Lucy was alone- given Loke being there. Yet they left or dropped his key, and he was suppressed by the magic of these dark mages. There was that small chance they'd never know she was missing, especially if the guild wasn't brought back together by Natsu's determination.
When Erza and Gray had been reunited with Wendy, Carla, Natsu, and Happy they were surprised not seeing Lucy and being told she was on her own journey at the moment for work. Yet they couldn't say anything, understanding Lucy was like them and had to do something with her life after the disbandment. Yet they were surprised to find out that Natsu and Happy had left her behind.
"You two idiots left her alone!?" Gray yelled in disbelief that it was Natsu who did this out of everyone. He was always the one by her side, there for Lucy and the one who understood her the most.
"We didn't think the guild was disband! We thought she was safe at home this past year, or I'd have brought her with us ice for brains!" Natsu argued back, fist ignited itching for a fight suddenly.
Erza, getting in the middle of the two, gave them both a stern look. "You two are going to calm down, because no one is to blame. We all had rights to leave, to recover and heal and so did Lucy. I know in my heart, she will come back home. We just need to make sure to have home ready."
Yukino's hand was on her chest now, glancing at Loke and shaking her head. "Libra was informing me that none of Lucy's other spirits can reach her anymore. Virgo can't open her gate to get to her either, and she tries everyday."
"After going back to the Spirit World, everything felt wrong." Loke added, his facial expression torn. "Where ever Lucy is, it's affect us now in the spirit world."
"Libra says she can feel a shift in Lucy's magic." Yukino whispered softly. "That Lucy's magic is unbalanced."
"Unbalanced?" Mira asked gently, stepping forward and grasping Yukino's hands reassuringly. "What does that mean for Lucy?"
Loke frowned, not like this at all. Before they could feel Lucy barely, only knowing she was alive. Now in the spirit world her magical presence was strong, strong enough that Virgo should be able to open her own gate. The only issue was how untamed and unbalanced Lucy's magic was now, unstable.
"It means where ever Lucy is, she's in a very dark place." Loke answers, knowing more about celestial magic. "Her magic is light, basically starlight. Celestial magic is pure, and if you keep that pure light in darkness, only one of two things can happen. That light will shine on in the dark or it will be snuffed out."
"Her life?" Gray inquired.
"The magic change can be linked or not to her life. I can't know until I see her." Loke took a deep breath, not being able to fully feel Lucy because of his temporary contract with Yukino was difficult. His life was in debt to Lucy, he was supposed to only serve Lucy. It all felt so wrong.
Natsu stood then, walking to the table Freed and Levy were at with all the files and maps and slammed his hands down uncaring for the mess. "Then we need to go and find them right now! We can waste anymore time!"
Gray looked around and sighed, "I hate to say it, but flame idiot has a point. We don't have time to waste and we have a good idea where they are at. I say lets go, lets take the chance for Lucy and Sting's lives, as well as the others."
Erza looked over at Laxus, waiting for his say so to get what they needed and go. Yet when the lightning dragon slayer looked at Makarov, he said something that was surprising to them a little bit but made the fire of hope reignite in the guild.
"Can you watch the guild hall while we are away, old man?" Laxus asked, smirking when Makarov nodded his head.
"For Lucy? Of course I can boy." Makarov says, crossing his arms and giving the Fairy Tail salute. "Now you all be careful and bring her home in one piece!"
It took an hour tops for the final choice to be made of who was going on this recovery mission and getting what they needed. The group pertained three groups that were decided by Laxus and Erza, strategizing who worked well with who and complimented each other as teams. Team One included the Thunder Legion and Mira. Team Two consisted of Gajeel, Levy, Lily, Rouge, Yukino, Frosh and Lector. Team Three was Team Natsu with Juvia.
It was a big group of mages who were traveling together, which caused some attention to be attracted but was quickly fixed with a few glares from Mira, Laxus and Erza. Gray had been right, there was no time to waste, especially is Mavis was right about the seven deadly sins being history and not just a story.
Seven lives were on the line, two of those were friends who were dear to hearts of people. It hurt Erza knowing that her best friend, the celestial mage who had done so much and was basically the sister she never had, was hurting so much. Especially before the guild disbanded.
Gajeel had always speculated that Lucy had done something to save their asses back in the war against Tartaros. Coming to find out she faced those demons alone and opened more gates that could have killed her, and then finding the strength to make a sacrifice of one her spirits for them? He respected the blonde on a new level, which only pissed the iron dragon slayer off more that someone had the damn nerve to take her.
Mira, on the other had, weeped for the celestial mage. She understood the life Lucy had lived before coming to Fairy Tail, because she had asked and Lucy didn't mind answering the questions. Mira knew Lucy had a very lonely childhood that could make the purest of hearts bitter, but Lucy thrived. She found a home in Fairy Tail, became apart of the family and she lost everything in the span of a few days.
Natsu, he felt like he failed her. He had promised to protect her future, and he left her. He left Lucy when she probably needed him the most and now she was missing and in danger. If he had stayed, she would have never went alone. She would have never had to hide her pain behind that smile she gave everyone. He didn't even ask how she saved them. He knew she had done something, and because if his own grief he didn't think about her. Natsu had left Lucy, his partner and best friend, to face her pain and the world alone.
That was unforgivable.
When the train lurched forward, half of the dragon slayers groaned at the motion. The other mages ignored the dragon slayers pathetic whines of the train, but surprisingly Natsu wasn't one of the ones crying about it. The fire dragon slayer was green in the face, hand on his stomach, but determination was in his eyes as he looked out the window. He had spent enough time crying, and it had cost him someone dear.
"What's the whole plan again?" Lily asked, sitting in Levy's lap.
Laxus looked at the black exceed, "Since they were taken around the same areas in circular formation, we are going to be stopping in Veritas, a town about ten miles away from Mount Beaumont. We are gonna arrive late, so tonight we rest as best we can and head out early morning. Time is short right now."
Lily nodded, understanding that there was nothing complicated about this mission, but he did note how they haven't spoken about the other main factor, the dark guild. How were the suppose to know how to defeat the people who took their comrade?
"If these people have the ability to control and suppress the magic of people and people themselves, then who the hell do we go about this?" Gajeel questions, already knowing what his exceed was thinking. "That was only two people, and they got Loke defeated easily. Who the hell knows what other members they have and what they can do."
"He has a point." Erza agreed, already knowing they had nothing. "We have to split up. We never faced this enemy, but we've face more difficult tasks. I'm sure we can handle this, and for as much as we know, maybe their magic is limited. Remember only one suppressed Lucy's magic and one controlled Loke's movement."
"You're telling us to go in with wishful thinking." Rogue sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. "I can make myself into a shadow and stay hidden, in case as well. I'll trail the team I've been assigned."
Erza nodded, "That works as well. The man objective though is to find Lucy, Sting and the others and get out. We can form a plan . to defeat this guild once we understand who they are, and Lucy and Sting will be able to provide that information."
The plan was a short shot of wishful thinking and hope fueled, but Laxus and Gajeel both knew the likelihood of coming out of this without a battle or hardships was slim. Whoever took Sting and Lucy with the others knew who they were and still somehow managed to get them all. All seven of these people were high profiled people, one a well known celestial mage and dragon slayer who was a guild master.
People who shouldn't normally be taken without so much of a fight and so easily. The enemy was strong, and they were smart. They had planned out all of this so far, and for all Laxus knew was that them finding out was because someone wanted them to find out. Someone could have easily kept pretending to be Lucy and send letters in her name, but the others and how it didn't make the news, it was disturbing.
After a train ride of three hours, the train finally stopped at their destination of Oxmire. One by one each mage shuffled out of the train, taking in the starless night sky. Even without using their dragon sense, each dragon slayer and mage could feel the shift in the town. Darkness surrounded it with a suffocating unwelcoming feeling. No one was outside, each home was dark and quiet.
"Is anyone even here?" Gray muttered out, walking out of the train station- where the train they just got off took off without letting anyone else off.
"I can smell people, but the only sounds they are making is breathing and the beats of their hearts." Gajeel replied, looking around the darkened town that seemed even darker despite it being night.
Wendy was the one to take a step ahead, pointing at one of the only sources of light that was the inn- the only one in this small town. Besides Yukino was Natsu, who was looking over at the mountain that was on the outskirt of town. The very mountain where Lucy could be. To think it had been a little over a year since he last saw her, Natsu wondered how much she'd changed. If she looked the same or of she was more matured.
Was she still sad? Or was she mad now? He wondered if she okay or if she was hurting, and if she was hurting he wanted to make that pain go away. She didn't deserve no type of pain, and he regretted leaving her alone. Yet when Yukino put her hand on his arm, drawing Natsu's attention, she said the words he didn't know he needed to hear.
"She will forgive you, Natsu." Yukino promised, and Natsu knew a celestial mage never broke their promises. "We will get her, and Sting and the rest of them. No matter what."
"No matter what." Natsu nodded, feeling a bit more at ease in knowing they had a high chance themselves.
The two of them caught up with the rest of the group who had gone ahead towards the inn, deciding to get as much rest as they could now and charge up for the real mission in the morning. Knowing deep down they would need to be in top shape for their mission to come.
Sorry for short chapter that wasn't very exciting, but thank you for the support!
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