Chapter 10: The Trials Begin

12 Months Later, 4 Years Post-Tenrou, Wendy Age 16

Wendy gasped in pain, falling to her knees before the taller woman. The bodies of her comrades lay all around her, some moving, while others staying eerily still. She slowly reached out to the man lying in front of her, desperately wanting to help, when she was struck in the back.

Feeling the air leave her chest, she fell forward onto her forearms. Both arms were shaking, strained with the effort of trying to hold her injured body off the floor. She didn't know what had happened. One minute she had the upper hand fighting the opposing mage, and the next… everyone else was there.

"This will always be your greatest weakness." Wendy slowly turned her head to look at the dark-haired mage standing behind her, shooting a glare in her direction with the corner of her eye. The woman frowned as she continued to twirl the spear in her right hand. "It's a shame to see so much potential go to waste. If only you'd learn."

Moving faster than Wendy was able to see, the woman hit her side with a powerful kick, sending the smaller girl rolling a few feet away. Spitting out a glob of blood, Wendy slowly turned and faced the woman once again, still feeling the fear grow within her.

The woman raised her hands, motioning to the fallen bodies all around them. "They make you weak! Why can't you see that?" Raising her foot, she slammed one of their faces into the dirt.

"I learned a long time ago. Way before you were even born. And now look at me. I have power many people can only dream of!"

Letting out a deep laugh, the woman switched her gaze back to the young mage. "Just give up. I tried to show you the way, and yet you refused to listen. Now you will die."

Snow fluttered to the ground around them, covering more of the ground in the white powder. Wendy breathed out, watching the mist form in front of her mouth. Feeling her body shake from the cold, she buried her face in the scarf that was wrapped around her neck and pulled the blanket around her tighter.

The sixteen-year-old girl was currently walking alone at the edge of the rather large group. Just as the Master had announced, every member of the Fairy Tail Guild had accompanied the rest of the candidates for the trials. The only members who weren't around now were the S-Class mages, all who had gone ahead to set up the camp ahead of time.

In front of her, many of those within the group were shivering and complaining about the cold through their chattering teeth. There were the few people who weren't as affected by it, namely Gray, who of course wasn't affected by the cold due to his magic; and Gajeel, who was just ignoring the frigid winds.

They had been shuffling through the snow for a good thirty minutes, and the master was ensuring that they were getting close. Eventually, they were able to see a rather large cave opening that was covered with snow that looked as if it could topple down at any moment. A couple of torches had been placed along the inside of the entrance to provide some light.

Shuffling their way inside, many people within the group cheered out in relief. Campfires and tents had been placed around the camp allowing for everyone to rest and make themselves warm. Wendy stopped at the entrance as she watched everyone make their way in and pick a spot to rest. And when she spotted an empty space at the edge of the cave, she began to make her way over.

She sat herself down by the lone campfire down in the corner of the cave. As she took a seat and stretch her legs out, she noticed Lucy and Erza glance over at her from the corner of her eye. Not acknowledging them, she spread her hands over the fire as she stared into the crackling flames below her. She could feel the stone that was hanging around her neck begin to get rather warm but ignored it once she heard a voice clear their throat from across the clearing.

"Sorry for the tiring journey, everyone. Unfortunately, due to the location of the trials, we had no choice but to walk." The master began, standing on one of the larger rocks in the center of the cave. All the guild's attention had now switched over to his small figure. "I think that it is time that I announce the participants for the trial."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Wendy just slumped further against the wall as she listened with a slight frown on her face. A few of the other members had looked over when they noticed her movement but had remained quiet. Many of the members were hoping that they would be chosen to participate this time around.

Coughing into his fist, the short man withdrew a small piece of paper from his jacket pocket. Reading it over to himself quickly, his gaze shifted back to the crowd standing in front of him. "We have eight candidates once again for this trial, and for this trial, no partners will be allowed."

"Gray Fullbuster."

"Lucy Heartfilia."

"Gajeel Redfox."

"Wendy Marvell."

"Juvia Lockser."

"Freed Justine."

"Elfman Strauss."

"Cana Alberona."

All the members of Fairy Tail looked at the eight competitors and cheered out, wishing them success and luck. A few looked envious at not being selected to compete, but quickly got over it and joined the cheering.

Lucy blushed from all the cheering and just waved her fellow guildmates away with a slight laugh, while others such as Gray and Gajeel tried to play it off as no surprise, but they couldn't hide the fire in their eyes. And eventually, the cheering stopped once they noticed the master raise a hand.

"Alright, alright. You've all wished them luck, but now it's time for the first trial to begin." Taking a moment so that he ensured that he had everyone's attention. "Similar to the last trials, each mage shall enter one of the eight tunnels numbered behind me." With a pause, he pointed a finger at the eight tunnels carved out into the clearing behind him.

"Each competitor shall run into an opponent, where they will proceed to fight until one is no longer able to continue. When that finally happens, the ward blocking the exit will dissipate, allowing the winner to continue on."

A few mutters rang out throughout the crowd, with many anticipating the fights to come. A few of the competitors looked slightly nervous, while others looked excited at the prospect of a fight. "Now without waiting any longer, you may all begin!"

Wendy broke out from the crowd rather quickly, making her way over to the tunnel with the number eight hanging from above it. Gray and Gajeel had already rushed into their tunnels, with Elfman following close behind.

Dropping the blanket from around her shoulders, she made her way towards the entrance of a tunnel. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Laxus look her way, but she ignored him and pressed on. The tunnel was dimly lit, with only a few torches placed sporadically providing light within the snaking tunnel.

Stepping over any debris she passed, she continued, ignoring the different sounds that rang throughout the tunnel. Kicking all the little rocks and stones out of her path, she noticed that the tunnel was slowly widening, until the tunnel finally ended, and she came upon a rather large clearing.

Looking around the exit and into the clearing, she could see two more tunnels leading away from the clearing. One was blocked off by a ward, which meant that it was the exit of the tunnel. Stepping into the clearing, she noticed a figure standing on the opposite side, right at the exit of their tunnel. The figure wore a plain white shirt, with a short skirt that ended midway up her thighs. Her shiny blond hair was tied into one ponytail that hung off to the side, and she rested one of her hands on the keychain that was wrapped around her belt.

"Wendy!" Lucy exclaimed, a small smile appeared on her face. She began to take a few small steps forward but paused when she noticed the look on the younger girl's face. Feeling the smile fall, her hand gripped her keychain harder, preparing herself.

The blonde received no answer, causing her to frown when the younger girl took a small step forward. Wind began to flow throughout the cave, causing both girls hair to sway back and forth. It began to gather around Wendy's hands, forming two small twisters around her fists.

Looking over at the taller blond, she could see the hesitance in Lucy. She clearly didn't want to attack the younger girl, which made Wendy frown in annoyance. Without waiting for a moment more, Wendy jumped forward, swinging her leg forward. Lucy leaned back and jumped out of the way at the last moment, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Lucy's eyes widened as she withdrew two keys from off her waist. "Wendy, wait!" she exclaimed, dodging another kick from the younger girl. Growing frustrated with her lack of success, Wendy's eyes narrowed, and she took a small step back. She held her arms out in front of her as she cast her first spell.

"Vernier." She whispered, as her hands glowed, and she felt her body get lighter. Shooting forward with a newfound speed, Lucy was too slow to react this time as Wendy swept her legs out from underneath her. Quickly sitting back up, Lucy held out the two keys in front of her as they shone with a bright golden light.

As the light faded, Taurus stood in front of Lucy, holding his axe up to protect the two behind him. Lucy leaned onto Virgo's arm, who was currently tending to the cuts that Lucy had gathered on her arms. Without waiting for a command from the celestial mage, the bull rushed forward and swung his axe at the dragon slayer.

Wendy swiftly leaned back to dodge the strike, raising her right hand to block the following punch from the large creature. Dodging swing after swing, she felt the wind beginning to gather around her mouth as she waited for an opening to strike, and when it appeared she unleashed her attack. "Sky Dragon's Roar!"

Unable to block the attack, the giant bull was thrown back from the force of the wind and slammed into the rocky wall behind him. Chunks of rock and stone flew from the impact, littering the ground around them. With a cry of pain, which distinctly sounded like a moo, the bull disappeared in a flash of golden light, causing the blonde mage to frown in concern.

Pushing away from Virgo, she turned her gaze to the younger female standing across from her. She would never say that Taurus was her strongest spirit, but she couldn't remember a time recently when he had been defeated by a single blow. A few beads of sweat dripped down her forehead as she watched the bluenette turn back to her with a glare across her face. She was realizing now that no one really knew how strong the sky mage had become.

Bringing her hand back down to her waist, she withdrew another key from her keychain. She felt the magic within her dissipate as the key flashed golden, signaling the arrival of another spirit. And soon, a man with bright orange hair wearing a pristine black suit and glasses arrived, standing in front of Lucy with his right hand buried in his pocket.

"You called, princess?" He asked, sending a smirk in the blonde's direction, causing her to roll her eyes. Turning his head to the dragon slayer, he smirked at her too as he withdrew his hand and got into a fighting stance. "I'm sorry Wendy, but I have to ensure that Lucy makes it through the S-Class Trials, so I must defeat you."

Wendy said nothing, but awaited his attack, and it didn't take long. Loke shot forward with a golden fist. Taking a step back, Wendy raised her arms to block the blow, and felt her arms sting with the impact. The man didn't give her much time to recover and swung fist after fist, causing the girl to remain on the defensive.

Eventually, a fist made its way through, and hit her on the shoulder, causing her to stumble back as she hissed in pain. Suddenly, she lost her balance as the ground started to tremble below her. The earth cracked, and Virgo emerged, swinging her leg up in a swift kick. It impacted underneath Wendy's chin, sending her head whipping back before she slammed into the ground.

Feeling her eyes water in pain, she raised one hand to her head and when she withdrew it, she could see the blood covering her palm. Grasping her shoulder with the other hand, she slowly pushed herself up and watched through slightly blurry vision as Virgo landed on the opposite side of her. Twisting her head back and forth between her opponents, she grimaced when she noticed Lucy approaching once again with her whip in hand.

Pushing herself onto her knees, she spread her arms out, feeling the magic flowing through her as the magic circles in her palms. "Arms, Armor." She chanted, feeling the support spells granting her more strength and defense, along with the speed from Vernier.

Deciding that she had to make a move, she ignored the pain ringing throughout her head and Wendy turned towards the maid spirit and shot towards her. Feeling the wind gather around her, Wendy swung her foot around and struck towards her with her heel. "Sky Dragon's Talon!" She shouted, and the gale of wind shot forward, lifting the maid off her feet and sent her flying back.

Wendy didn't have much more time to think before she felt something wrap around her ankle and was swiftly pulled back towards Loke by Lucy. Loke went on the attack immediately, sending fists and kicks towards the smaller girl, who struggled to block all the strikes.

Strikes were slipping through her defenses, and when she heard Virgo making her way back over from behind her and realized that she needed to get out of this quickly. Gathering the wind around her body, she propelled herself forward, slamming her entire body into Loke which sent them both tumbling forward.

Virgo finally made her way back over to Lucy although she was looking worn out. Wendy's attack had been much stronger than she had anticipated, and now her clothes were tattered, and she was struggling to breath evenly. Seeing both Loke and Wendy go tumbling after they collided, she went underground once again as she prepared to attack, but when she appeared on the surface, she wasn't anticipating the bluenette to be standing over with the winds swirling at furious speeds around her hands.

"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" Was all she had heard before she was sent flying through the air even faster than before, and before she could slam into the rocky walls, she disappeared with a golden flash.

Lucy winced when she saw her spirit get hit by the attack, and when Virgo disappeared she felt the magic within her drain even further. She knew that she couldn't match many when it came to physical combat, and so if she wanted a chance to continue the trials, she needed as much magic as possible, which meant that she had to end this fight soon by giving Loke a chance.

Preparing her whip, she advanced towards Wendy again, unraveling it behind her. Whipping her hand forward, the thin whip wrapped itself around Wendy's hand, who had engaged Loke once more. Despite getting her hand, she hadn't been fast enough to stop Wendy from sending a roar at the spirit, sending him flying back just like the last two spirits. When Lucy pulled back on the whip, Wendy stumbled backwards, but switched her glare to Lucy.

Wendy reached out with her other hand and grasped the line of the whip tightly. Using all her strength along with the wind swirling around them, she pulled on the whip and sent the blonde flying towards her. From behind her, she noticed Loke finally getting back up and starting to rush over to her, but he couldn't make it in time.

Using the wind to give her further strength, she slammed a fist into the girl's stomach, who wasn't even close to being able to block the swift strike from the dragon slayer. Lucy gasped as spit flew from her mouth and she hunched over, her hands cradling her stomach. Loke quickly disappeared with a flash, leaving the two girls alone once again. Swiping her hand up once more, Wendy yelled out "Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" As her hand met Lucy's stomach for a second time, the wind burst out around them once again and Lucy was sent flying backwards.

Falling to one knee, Wendy heaved for air. Feeling her head pounding with pain and hand trembling, she winced at her bruised fingers. She had put more power into those attacks than she had meant to. Raising her other hand, she wiped away the sweat that dripped down her forehead before turning towards Lucy once more.

The blond lay motionless on the ground, and Wendy couldn't get a look at her face due to the mess of dirty hair that covered it. Pushing herself up, Wendy started to take a few steps closer. She was almost within arm's reach of the girl when a flash of gold stopped her in her tracks.

When the light quickly faded away, she saw a battered Loke kneeling over the celestial mage. His hair was caked with dirt, and his normally pristine suit was shredded. He laid a soft hand on Lucy's shoulder and remained there a moment longer. The cave was silent, no one moved, and no one said a word.

Finally, Loke moved, and when he turned to look at the smaller girl standing in front of him, she could see the pain that was in his eyes. "Go." he whispered, with a slight crack in his voice. "You've beaten her."

Feeling the edges of her lips curve downwards, the stared at the still figure in front of her for a moment longer before turning away. She raised one hand and pressed it against her head, trying to will the throbbing to stop, but only succeeded in covering her hand with more blood. The barrier blocking the exit tunnel dissipated quietly, but before Wendy entered, she turned and glanced back at the pair behind her one last time. Lucy was finally moving again, but was behind supported by Loke, who looked as if he was about to pass out himself.

Frowning and shaking her head, she turned away and pushed through the tunnel. The pain continued to ring throughout her body, but tried her best to ignore it, and eventually she was able to see light signifying the end of the tunnel. She was able to make out a few voices speaking and guessed that some others had already finished as well.

As the voices increased in volume, she knew that she had finally reached the end. Blinking a few times to get her eyes adjusted to the light, she noticed a small group of people standing at the end of the tunnel. Gajeel stood off to one side with a frown on his face. He was leaning against the edge of the exit, and he turned his eyes towards her as he heard Wendy approach.

Gray and Cana stood beside him, each staring at her with a surprised look. She made her way over to a lone rock a good distance from the group and took a seat, cradling her right hand in her left. Feeling the blood continue to slowly drip down her head, she ripped a small piece of cloth off from the edge of her shirt and wrapped it around her forehead as a makeshift bandage. A fire continued to crackle in front of her, and as she leaned back against the stone wall behind her, she closed her eyes and tried to rest as she waited for the next trial.

Edited 8/27/18

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