Previously on Ice Cold…
"What do you mean representative?" I asked, turning to Jura.
"I mean exactly that. Cait Shelter is sending only one member." Jura confirmed.
The room broke out into chatter, only for a young girl to run in and trip. "Ow." She murmured, as she stood and dusted herself off.
The room turned to face her and I was stunned to see a little girl, only about 12 stand there. "Hi, I- uh, I'm sorry I got here so late. I've come form the Cait Shelter guild. My name is Wendy. It's nice to meet all of you." Hmm, Wendy, now where have I heard that name before…
The room broke out into murmurs and I stepped closer to Gray once again as the Trimen mumbed about how cute she was. This kid was like twelve! I studied her face. She seemed familiar somehow, an echo of memory had me hearing laughter, before it faded away once again.
Jura said nothing before returning his attention to the matter at hand. "Now then, since all guilds are present, we can begin."
"He's not even phased by this?!"
"A little girl?"
"What's Cait Shelter thinking sending a little girl like this on a mission?"
"Quiet!" I snapped, interrupting the whispers of the others. "Give her a damn chance you ingrates, despite sending her alone-"
"She isn't alone! Quit making assumptions you ruffian!" A snooty voice broke through the air. A cat with white fur strode in, looking much like Happy in that she was a walking, talking, cat.
"Who are you calling a ruffian?!" I snarled and she sniffed. Happy was struck dumb at the sight of her. I rolled my eyes as he proceeded to fawn all over her. SHe rejected him with a pointed glance away and poor Happy was crushed.
"Don't call Aquila a ruffian!" Another tiny voice echoed from the front hallway. I nearly choked after hearing it.
"Stella?!" I cried out. She landed next to the white cat, who Wendy had addressed as Carla, and cast an irritated glance at her as she pouted, ignoring me entirely.
"Don't say mean things, it's not nice!" She frowned at Carla and then marched over to me. She looked up at me with smug, if a tad nervous eyes. "Well you can't send me home now."
I sighed and covered my eyes. Why did I get stuck with the recalcitrant cat? "Can we just get on with the meeting please?" I asked as Gray frowned at Stella and crouched down to her level.
"That wasn't cool. Aquila was just trying to keep you safe. We'll let you stay but you're definitely in trouble when you get home." Gray scolded her, and Stella stared at the ground obviously conflicted when scolded by someone besides myself.
"Thank you." I murmured as Gray stood up, and he nodded in response.
"I'm sorry, I know I'm probably not what you expected. I know I'm much smaller and younger than most of you. I'm not much of a fighter but I can use all kinds of support magic. SO please, let me join the group! I'd be so embarrassed if you sent me home!" Wendy interrupted our little quarrels as she pleaded to stay. We were all struck dumb by her plea, and I approached her as she was scolded by Carla.
"Wendy, there's no need to be so intimidated. We were a little thrown, but your help is appreciated. We'll be happy to have you on our side." I grinned as I extended a hand to help her was something about her magical power, it felt very similar to Natsu's and mine's. She was no ordinary girl.
"Oh wow! You're Aquila from Fairy Tail, I can't believe it's really you! We have-" Wendy began to gush, prompting a smile from me, though she was cut off by a sharp glance from Carla. Happy attempted to gain her attention, though he was quickly rejected once again with a punctuated jab to his ego.
I was quickly moved aside as Hibiki made to put the moves onto her. I rolled my eyes and went to extricate her from the Trimens. She was only about 12 for God's sakes, she didn't need to deal with them yet. As I quickly yanked Wendy up, Ichiya reprimanded the Trimens and they went to put up their ridiculous sofa and lights.
"Now that everyone is assembled, I think it's about time to begin the mission briefing. Our first order of business, determining the location of the Oracion Seis." Ichiya declared, before quickly excusing himself to the restroom. I rolled my eyes, and smiled at Wendy who gave me a cautious one back.
After Ichiya returned, the briefing began in earnest. "To the North lies the Worthwood Sea, where the ancients once sealed a powerful force, a magic called Nirvana." Ichiya trailed off. The room murmured, as most of us had never heard of this before.
"We don't know much about this magic other than its name and that it is destructive in nature." Ren added.
"And that the Oracion Seis wants it badly." Eve continued.
"Okay, bad feeling confirmed." Lucy whimpered.
Destruction magic, why would they want destruction magic, they can do plenty of damage on their own… I thought to myself. What made this 'Nirvana' so different?
"We assume that's why they traveled to the Worthwood sea, they are desperate to get their hands on such a powerful magic." Hibiki finished.
"To prevent that from happening, we must destroy the Oracion Seis." Ichiya declared, though the severity of the statement was undermined by the ridiculous posing.
Hibiki brought his archive magic into use, casting images of the Oracion Seis into the air, and began to give us rundowns on each of the Oracion members that we knew of. Cobra, Racer, Divine Eyes Hoteye, Angel, Midnight, and the commander, Brain. Ichiya outlines how the rest of the plan was to trap the Oracion Seis inside their hideaway and then bomb the hell out of them.
"Remember, you should under no circumstances engage the enemy in solo combat." Jura spoke and I nodded. The strategy of two wizards per enemy made sense, although I doubted some of these wizards could fight, such as Hibiki.
"Let's go! I'm all fired up!" Natsu whooped and then took off pell-mell for the Worthwood sea.
"There he goes again, off without a thought in his head." Erza sighed.
"Are we really surprised though?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"How much do you guys want to bet he didn't even hear the plan?" Gray smirked and I could only nod in agreement.
As the group gathered at the door, I snickered listening to the Trimens groan about the broken doors.
"Enough gawking! Double time!" Erza declared as she took off after Natsu. I whooped loudly and took off after her, icing a path as I went, with Stella following close behind me.
As we crested the top of the hill, Erza, Gray, and I caught up to Natsu. "Wait up numbskull!" Gray cried out.
"Yeah in your dreams!" Natsu scoffed.
"That's an order! You can't rush into this one by yourself!" Erza commanded and Natsu laughed.
"What's a matter? Are you afraid I might actually show you up this time?!" He crowed as Erza stared dumbfounded.
"Enough!" I yelled as I iced beneath Natsu's feet, causing him to trip and fall over… the edge of the cliff face that is.
"If he isn't dead, I'll kill him." Erza growled. I snickered, as I kept a fair distance, fearing she may turn her anger onto me. We quickly slipped down the cliff, with Stella conveying me down, and the rest making use of Gray and Lyon's ice slides. We continued deeper into the forest, with the strange smell it had growing increasingly stronger with every step inwards.
We finally reunited on a plateau half-way into the forest, and we paused to marvel at the Christina, the magic bomber, above us, the lacrima it used large and on display. "Alright, let's split up." Erza declared and I nodded.
"Groups of two, please-" I was interrupted by the explosion of the Christina above us. The ship went down with huge explosion, the smoke billowing into the air, as heat washed over us. I took a deep smell, and I shifted into fighting position. "Erza." I warned as the scent of poison amongst other things hit me.
"We've got company." I heard Gray say. "Everyone stay frosty!" Gray cautioned as the smoke began to give way.
"I can't do this!" I heard Wendy whimper and I turned to her.
"Don't be afraid Wendy, I have your back. Just use your magic to support us as best you can, we can handle the rest." I declared. Wendy cast me a faint smile and I returned it.
The smoke began to clear, revealing the Oracion Seis. I growled, and curled my hands into fists.
"Lowly maggots, swarming together." The voice of the main covered in tattoos echoed throughout the air.
"I'm afraid short stuff isn't going to make it to the party." Angel smirked.
"And neither is that big wizard Saint." The little blue things added. "We took them down."
As Lyon and Hibiki protested, Cobra stepped forward. "There's terror in their voices, I can hear it."
"The quicker we can end this the better. I'll run you over so fast it will make your head spin."
"Money determines strength in this world, oh yeah! If you save but a penny today, it will become-" Hoteye was cut off by Cobra and Racer. The one called Midnight remained snoring, but his magic power was great.
"I must admit, I didn't expect you to show yourselves." Erza stated, her voice carrying to the enemy before us.
"You ready?" Natsu asked and Gray grinned.
"You waiting for an invitation?" Cobra taunted them. I reached to grab them and hold them back but they had already taken off.
"Fine then let's go!" I launched forward, heading straight for Cobra, icing my body over as I leapt into the air to join Erza. I sent shards of ice flying in conjunction with her swords, but he dodged them all. How is he dodging?!
I felt a presence behind me and raised my arms up in time to block an attack from Racer. Erza requipped and went after him as I returned to Cobra. I landed on the ground and went on the offense, swinging at him relentlessly, though he dodged each and every time. "It's no use Icy Damsel. I can hear your every move!" He landed a kick to my side and sent me sprawling in the dirt. He's reading me, but how?!
"You look confused. I told you, I hear everything." He smirked as I growled.
"Ice Dragon Roar!" I sent a blast of ice at Cobra, one that he dodged yet again. I growled and attacked once again, pushing myself to be even faster. He dodged every hit.
"I can hear it all you know, it's like a symphony. All your muscles contracting, every breath you take in and all your thoughts." Cobra caught my hands in a hold as I struggled to even put a scratch on him.
He leapt back as Erza came swinging at him offering a reprieve, then paused for a moment, as his eyes widened. "You were there." He mumbled and Erza jumped at the opening. However, Hoteye interfered and sent her sprawling as Racer came in for a kick. I threw a spear at him, causing him to dodge, and rushed after him, only to stop when I heard Erza scream. I paled and turned to see her on the ground. Only to feel Racer plow into me from behind. I fell on my knees and looked up to see everyone down on the ground.
"Prepare for oblivion!" Brain declared, finally deigning to enter into the fight, and I struggled to stand. He lifted his staff into the air, only to freeze and lower it once more, canceling the dark spell. I followed his gaze to Wendy, surrounded by the exceeds, and my eyes widened as he stared at her in shock. "No doubt about it, that's Wendy, Maiden of the Sky." he murmured and I frowned. I had never heard that epithet before.
Wendy hid behind the rocks once again. "To think we'd stumble across such a find out here. Grab her!" Brain ordered and his foul magic came out, and beelined straight for her.
"Wendy, run!" I yelled as I managed to force myself into a standing position. "Picking on a little girl, that's low even for dark wizards!" I hissed at them, trying to draw their focus.
"All is fair in money and war, oh yeah!" Hoteye cried out as he manipulated the earth, once again causing the ground to shift and sending us all tumbling down. Stella and the other two cats raced after Wendy as she reached out her hands for help.
"Stella!" I cried out as Wendy seized hold of both Stella and Happy, dragging them both into the staff Brain held.
"I have no use for the rest of you. Dark Rondo!" Brain cried out and fired blasts of his magic at us.
"Erza!" I cried out and lunged for my best friend turning my body to ice, prepared to accept the blow. I tensed in preparation of the blow, only to be saved at last minute.
"Rock Wall!" A voice echoed and the rocks around us immediately jutted out, creating a thick barrier over us. I sighed in relief as Jura appeared through the smoke. I peered out through the hold, and realized the Oracion Seis was gone, along with Wendy, Happy, and Stella.