Chapter 14: The Mission

Taking a few steps tentative steps into the entrance, Wendy gently placed her hand on the wall to the left. A couple feet ahead, the light faded until she couldn't see anything except the darkness of the cave. Glancing over at her partner, Rogue didn't seem fazed by this as he continued forward.

As he stepped into the darkness with Frosch following close behind, she quickly lost sight of the shadow mage. She supposed that she should probably feel lucky that she was forced to go with a mage that controlled shadows.

Wendy removed her hand from the wall and wiped it on her pantleg to brush off the grime. Not wanting to fall behind, she stepped into the darkness. She could sense Rogue moving in front of her, but besides the light shuffle of his feet and Frosch's light pitter patter, she wasn't able to tell if there was anything else ahead.

Proceeding slowly, she held her hands out in front of her to ensure that she wouldn't run into anything. Eventually, her partner's footsteps came to stop, and she felt her hands collide with Rogue's back. Relieved at their presence, Wendy let out a breath she had unknowingly been holding.

"Wait here."

At the sound of Rogue's deep voice, she felt herself go stiff. But before she was able to respond, he disappeared into the shadows. By her feet, Frosch grabbed onto her ankle with both hands. She could feel his small paws trembling lightly and she bent over to rub his head. Just as she had earlier in the day, she felt a small pang of regret for how she had been treating Charla and Happy lately, but she forced the feeling away.

It wasn't long before the pair sensed Rogue return. The shadow mage was quick to pick up Frosch and grab onto her hand. Staying close together, he led them farther down the tunnel, and Wendy was just barely able to make out a faint light in the distance.

"There is a group of three mages ahead," Rogue whispered, causing Wendy's eyes to flick towards where she assumed he was. "I can deal with the farthest two if you can handle the first."

Nodding her head in agreement, they pushed forward once more. The faint light was slowly getting brighter. Within the narrow tunnel ahead, she was vaguely beginning to be able to make out the forms of the people. With the only source of light coming from the dimly lit torches that were burning in two of their hands, there was no way to make out any distinguishable features due to the darkness surrounding them.

"Gah-ha!" One of three figures suddenly shouted, causing the dragon slayers to pause. "Sounds like the boss is making quick work of those villagers!" he finished, letting out another laugh.

The second figure seemed to turn to turn back at the man behind him. "I don't get how you find that so humorous. I don't mind stealing their stuff, but when it comes to this… this stuff… I just don't get how you get any joy out of it."

The first man was seemingly getting riled up as the third place a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, would you? We don't need the boss thinking were slacking."

With that statement, the three fell silent. Messing with something in their hands, their attention was drawn away from the dark tunnel surrounding them. Wendy felt Rogue place his hand on her shoulder, so she grabbed it with her own. The boy leaned in close before whispering in her ear.

"Wait for me to begin." he paused and removed his hand from her shoulder. "Once you hear the fight start, join in."

She only nodded in agreement and sensed the mage move away from her. Frosch was moving around by her feet and she assumed that he was looking for a place to wait for Rogue to finish. It wasn't much longer until she heard the first sounds of a fight ahead.

"W-What the hell?!" The second figure exclaimed, reaching for something by his waist. His shouting garnered the attention of his other two partners, but by then it was already too late. In one swift motion, Rogue wrapped a shadow around the man's waist and slammed him against the wall, knocking him out cold. As he was moving onto the next, Wendy finally arrived and slammed a wind-covered fist into the third man's head.

Turning back towards the final man, she watched his battered form crumple to the ground. The shadows swirled above his body before fading away to reveal Rogue standing above him.

"Good work."

Looking back in the direction they came from, Frosch eventually walked out of the shadows and into the dim light. He picked up one of the torches that one of the men had dropped before handing it to Wendy. "Here you go!" he exclaimed with a smile.

Grabbing the flaming object from his paws, she offered him some thanks. With the cavern being a bit lighter now that she was standing beside the torch, she turned back to Rogue. He was currently bent over one of the figure's unconscious forms. Reaching down, he grabbed an object from their hand and held it out in front of him. A small, transparent screen popped up in front of the pair.

"A projection lacrima." Wendy spoke, receiving a nod in response from the boy.

The screen was flickering between black and white, so Rogue tapped the side of the lacrima a few times before an image popped up. And what they saw immediately made them sick.

Row after row of people were sprawled out on the ground. Iron shackles were closed tight around their hands and feet, keeping them against a wall. There were countless injuries on many of them, with the worst being indescribable.

Ripping her eyes away from the projection, Wendy met Rogue's eyes. The boy had a stoic expression on his face, but his eyes told a different story.

"They must be the missing villagers." he spoke, bending over to pick up Frosch, making sure that the small Exceed couldn't see the projection once he was secure in his arms. "We need to be careful."

Wendy could only nod her head in agreement. She could still feel her stomach churning from the sight of those people. They were being treated like animals. Nobody should have to go through that, and she would do her best to save them.

Raising the torch higher, she spoke, "Let's keep going."

Rogue dissipated into the shadows and moved in front to keep an eye out. He would be their eyes in the darkness. Wendy kept her left hand against the wall the entire time, wanting to make sure she didn't stray too far or get lost. As they steadily moved deeper into the tunnel, she grew more confused as she felt the temperature around them steadily grow hotter.

Eventually, it grew so hot that Wendy was unable to keep going. Wendy was practically gasping for breath in the thick air. As she leaned against the wall and slid to the ground, she pulled out a small canteen and took a few, long gulps.

"They must have a fire mage." Wendy wheezed, taking another sip.

Rogue appeared in front of her, the shadows continuing to swirl around his lower half. "Are you alright?"

The bluenette nodded her head a few times and waved him off with her hand. "F-Fine. I'll b-be fine."

Shaking his head, he placed a hand on her forehead before she quickly swatted it away. "You don't seem to be fine. The temperature has increased, but you shouldn't be this hot."

Gasping for another breath, she could only nod her head weakly to acknowledge his words. He was silent for a few moments as he glanced down the tunnel ahead before turning back. Letting out a small sigh, he switched Frosch to his right arm before bending down and picking up Wendy with the left.

Wendy let out a small grunt as Rogue snaked his arm under her shoulders to lift her up. She tried to help him as much as she could, but the heat was overbearing. It was strong. Radiating around her, she could almost sense the air pulsing around her as it got hotter. As Rogue attempted to lift her up, he accidently loosened the scarf around her neck. This caused the small stone that had been buried within to fall onto her upper chest.

When the small stone connected with her skin, Wendy felt pain unlike any she felt before. Letting out a blood-curdling scream, she immediately jumped out of the boy's arm and collapsed onto her knees. Reaching up, she swiftly grabbed the string around her neck and ripped it off, throwing the stone to the ground.

Gasping for breath, she tentatively touched the seared skin by her neck. She winced as she tentatively felt the dead skin, and she could feel the tears begin to build up in her eyes. Her hands were trembling from the continuous, throbbing pain, but she managed to slowly bring up her canteen of water. She let out a hiss as she carefully poured a bit of water on the wound. It didn't do much to help, but the pain lessened just the slightest bit.

Rogue had not looked at the girl since she had thrown the stone to the ground. Instead, his gaze was firmly locked on the pulsing red stone that sat in front of them.

"W-Wendy," he stuttered, which was uncharacteristic of the normally stoic teen.

Attempting to blink away some of the tears in her eyes and failing, Wendy turned to look at the raven-haired teen beside her. Following his gaze, she found herself staring at the stone as well, although it was for a completely different reason than the boy beside her. It had never burned her like this before, what was causing it to react this way?

Rogue took a step forward and grabbed the onto the string that held the stone. He brought it up and held it close to his face, examining it.

"You have a dragon slayer lacrima, too?" he questioned, twirling the stone around by the string.

His words made Wendy pause. "Too?" she muttered, still watching the stone. "You have one as well?"

His nod confirmed her question. Rogue twirled the stone around a few times before turning away and looking towards Wendy.

"Yes, but mine is implanted inside of me."

Just like Laxus. Wendy stood up and gently reached over to take the small stone back. The boy let it go without any resistance, and she carefully wrapped it up within the scarf.

"You're a second-generation dragon slayer then?" she questioned.

Rogue shook his head, "Third."

"Third-generation?" Wendy had never heard of a third generation before. The first had been trained by the dragons themselves. The second had a lacrima implanted into their bodies. But a third?

"Third-generation dragon slayers have a lacrima implanted into their bodies but are also trained by a dragon." Rogue explained.

"Dragon?!" she blurted out, causing Rogue to turn back and shush her. That part of his explanation stood out to Wendy more than the rest. Speaking quieter, she continued, "Do you know where your dragon is?"

He shook his head once more, causing Wendy's shoulders to fall. "It wouldn't matter much if I remembered. He's dead."

Dead. The one word rang in her mind. For the first time since meeting the gloomy teen, Wendy felt a pang of uneasiness radiate throughout her body. Taking a small step back, Rogue only watched her with his neutral expression.

"How did he die?" Wendy's asked quietly, her voice wavering.

Rogue was quiet for a moment. He was watching her, as if contemplating her reaction to his words. For someone who was the same age as her, he didn't act like anyone else she knew around her age.

"I had to do it," he started. Before Wendy could react, he suddenly dropped Frosch and lunged towards her with widened eyes. "Watch out!"

She was just able to watch Rogue dissolve into the shadows as everything went black.

Wendy awoke to the sound of footsteps. Blinking her eyes wearily, she turned her head to the side to find the source. She felt groggy, almost seeming as if she was moving in slow motion. There was a throbbing pain in the back her head, and she could barely sense the blood dribbling down the side of her head.

The person came to a stop beside Wendy. Her vision was blurry, and she could barely make out the shoelaces on their boots. When she tried to move her hand to grab onto their leg, she found that she couldn't. And by the rattle that sent a shock wave of pain through her head, her hands were probably locked in chains.

The figure leaned over her fallen form, and as she turned her gaze up, all she could make out were blotches of purple. She tried to speak, but all that came out were a few garbled noises. The figure above let out a few distorted chuckles and Wendy felt a hand grab onto her head.

Immediately, her head was clear. The throbbing ceased as the blurriness faded away, and she was finally able to make out the figures before her. Looking down towards her hands, she could finally make out the bronze chains that held her in place. It also seemed that they had magic imbued within, as there was a faint glow around the clasps.

Turning away from the chains, she barely managed to turn her head before the closest figure raised their boot and slammed it down on the side of her head. She let out a yelp of pain as her skull connected with the ground, resulting in a few of the other people in the room letting out a few chuckles.

"What's your name?" The first questioned, digging the sole of their boot further into Wendy's head. Despite the steadily increasing pain and the ringing in her ears, Wendy was barely able to make out that it was a man's voice.

Wendy refused to answer at first, but when their boot pressed down harder, she gave in. "W-Wendy."

"Wendy…" They drawled, slowly removing the pressure from the girl's head. Before Wendy could regain her bearings, the figure grabbed onto her right shoulder and pulled her up.

With the hand that was latched onto her shoulder, they pointed at the guild mark stamped onto her skin. "Fairy Tail."

Her body was spun around so that the guild mark was facing the rest of the crowd. "Look at what we have here gentlemen! A Fairy Tail mage seems to have wandered into our guildhall."

At the sound of laughter, the man removed his hand and straightened his body. "Well then, now that you're feeling better, I have a few questions for you."

Slumping against the cold, earthen ground, Wendy tilted her head to look up at her captor. The man had placed his hand under his chin and was tapping his finger against his lips as if he was contemplating something. When he met Wendy's eyes, he smiled.

"Join us," he began, raising his arms to both sides. "Join us and you can help us take down this kingdom!"

Wendy frowned, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "That's your plan?" she let out a sigh, "Do you know how many dark guilds are out there with the same goal?"

The man's smile faded as he dropped his arms. A few of the members behind him let out some nervous chuckles and took a few steps backward.

"True." He began, bending down so that his face was closer to hers. With a sudden jolt, he grabbed Wendy under the chin and pulled her closer, ignoring the wince of pain. "But they don't have what we do."

Wendy stared at the man with a deadpan expression. "You're probably like the fiftieth person to say that."

The man's eye twitched in annoyance, and he threw Wendy's head away, which gracefully fell to the floor with a thud. Letting out a low moan, Wendy just left her head against the floor to try and sooth the pain. Curse her big mouth.

"Since you are unwilling to cooperate, perhaps it's time for you to meet my friend."

Looking back at the crowd, many of them smiled while the rest looked around, but they seemed tense. Almost as if they were nervous of something. But before Wendy could contemplate it further, a door appeared out of thin air and a figure shrouded and shadows stepped out.

As the figure began to move closer, Wendy began to struggle and pull on the chains that held her against the wall. She felt the fear bubbling in the pit of her stomach when the rest of figures began to move closer. As they slowly got closer, she could begin make out the weapons twirling in their hands and sense their magic fluctuating from across the room.

"He warned you." A voice spoke, clearly feminine and though she couldn't pinpoint where it had come from, she knew it was coming from the figure before her. "You should have accepted the offer when you had the chance. Now I have no choice."

A sudden jerk of the chains soon had her sprawled out across the floor. Looking back down at the chains, she could see a few of the figures holding on to the end. She tried to bring her hands up into her chest, but the figure holding onto the chains didn't give. Letting out a scream of frustration, her dread only grew more when she felt some one grab onto her legs.

Hoisted up into the air, she thrashed around to get them to let go. But despite her best efforts, their grip on her limbs never slacked. Next thing she knew, she was thrown on top of a wooden table, with her arms and legs immediately being shackled to the legs.

"There is a lesson you need to learn." The voice was closer this time, it was coming from her right. As she turned her head to make out the speaker, she was met with the figure of a tall woman. She was wearing a mask shaped like a skull over her face, with the only things visible being her purple, almost black eyes and the few strands of dark purple hair that stuck out from the mask.

The rest of her body was covered in some sort of armor, with what looked to have bones bolted down in random places across it. Wendy couldn't identify what kind of bones they were, and she really didn't want to try and think about where the lady had gotten them from. The woman reached out a gauntlet-covered hand and placed it on top of Wendy's exposed head.

Wendy blinked and when her eyes opened, all the figures were gone. In their place stood the guild, her family. Erza stood where the woman had been, her hand still on her head. Gray and Lucy held onto her feet at the end of the table, and at the top Mira and Gajeel held down her hands.

Turning away, she saw the purple-haired woman now standing to her left, a spear in hand. "You are weak. Just a little girl getting in way over her head. Just give in and make it easier for all of us. Why burden anyone else with needing to protect you?"

She suddenly felt the shackles around her arms and legs get tighter, and she was soon wincing in pain. Tears filled her brown eyes and threatened to spill out, but she blinked quickly trying to disperse them.

The woman began walking to the other side of the room, where another figure was chained to the wall. Raising the tip of the spear, she placed it against the middle of the figures back to push him closer to Wendy. And when he shuffled into the light, Wendy cried out.

He stood hunched over, the right side of his face burned and scarred beyond recognition. His hands trembled, rattling the chains that kept him in place. He only had a few ripped pieces of cloth to cover himself, and she was instantly reminded of the scarf that was wrapped tightly around her neck.

"How could you stand up to me if he couldn't?"

Wendy screamed as she struggled against the chains that held her down, just wishing that they would break. But that would never happen, and she was forced to watch the woman raise the spear that was grasped tightly in her hand. Screaming at the woman to stop again, she was powerless as the woman's eyes glowed with power.

"Useless." she spoke, bringing the spear down.

Wendy turned away and shut her eyes just before the spear connected. She refused to turn back, even when silence rang from the woman's direction. The only thing she could hear were her ragged attempts at breathing. The image of the disfigured man was seared into her mind, and nothing would get rid of it.

Thinking about the figure, she couldn't stop her hands from beginning to tremble. The chains shook below, and the guild members holding her down tightened their grip on the metal, but she paid it no heed.

She knew who it was. His face was something she would never forget. But even though she knew that, she refused to accept it. That he would look so weak, so foreign from everything she remembered. It was something she couldn't accept.

Her breathing still ragged, Wendy slowly turned back. When she opened her eyes, she started when she saw the woman standing directly in front of her. Her purple eyes bearing down on the chained girl.

"So, what do you say?" she whispered, leaning in so her lips were only inches from Wendy's ear, "To the people you look up to the most?"

Raising an arm, she pointed towards the collapsed figure. "To those you can't protect?"

Wendy followed her finger, and tears filled her eyes as she remained silent, just watching the figure. She was weak. She couldn't even stop herself from watching him. From doing exactly what this woman wanted her to do.

"Nothing? That's too bad."

Wendy had no time to react as the woman swiftly raised her spear and impaled Erza. Blood sprayed from the newly created hole in her chest, and for the first time, Erza's expression changed from the neutral one that she had been adorning. The scarlet mage could only let out a silent scream as she clutched at her chest and stared at Wendy with a look that the smaller girl would never forget.

By the time her body connected with the ground, Wendy was already screaming. The tears were flowing down her cheeks, and she closed her eyes tight.

"You should've joined us. Having a dragon slayer at our side would've made us unstoppable."

Wendy's cries filled the air. She refused to open her eyes. She didn't want to see it again. The only other sound in the room were the light footsteps coming from the woman as she slowly walked around the table. Wendy didn't know where she had gone, but she didn't care to look.

"You-"

The woman started to speak again but her words were cut off. There was a sudden explosion, and as the sudden heat washed over Wendy, she cracked open her eyes.

She was immediately able to make out the form of Rogue next to the fallen form of the woman. His clothing was battered, and shredded, along with missing one of his shin guards. Both arms were laced with cuts and bruises, and blood trickled down both.

The woman was now laying a few feet away from the table, pushing herself up from the ground and dusting herself off.

"Well. I was not expecting that." she spoke.

Rogue ignored her, and instead lunged for the table that Wendy was laying on. None of the other Fairy Tail mages moved, but only continue to look on with the blank look on their faces. Rogue shoved Mira aside, causing her to collapse to the floor as he grabbed onto the closest chain.

With a quick tug, the chain was releases from the table leg that it had been shackled too. And with one arm now free, Wendy reached over to unclasp her remaining arm as Rogue went to work freeing her legs. Just as Mira had done, the rest of the Fairy Tail mages all fell to the floor at the slightest touch.

Now free from the restraints, Wendy pushed herself off the table and stood next to Rogue. He was holding his left arm in his right, and when Wendy went to heal him, he pushed her away.

"Don't." he muttered, "Save your magic."

Meanwhile, their opponent just stood on the opposite side of the room, spear still in hand. She held out her hand and motioned in Rogue's direction.

"You're stronger than I anticipated. More so than the girl there."

Wendy couldn't help but glance at Rogue, who was glaring at the woman. She could only make out the one eye that wasn't covered by hair, but the red iris stood out like a beacon in the darkness of the cavern.

With a burst of shadows, he fell into the floor. The woman seemed to pay it little mind, as she turned towards Wendy with a cocky grin across her face.

"Looks like it's just us for the time being."

As the woman took a few steps toward her, Wendy raised her hands. It was obvious that she had magic, but what it was, Wendy had no clue. The spear being twirled in her hand looked more menacing now that she could see it clearly. The blade was barbed on the end, and it was covered in intricate designs.

"Come on then." The woman spoke.

With a burst of wind, Wendy shot towards the woman. Leading with a punch, the woman deftly dodged her strike before bringing her spear up and swinging it towards her head. Barely managing to react in time, Wendy tilted her head back and dodged the weapon.

Swinging her leg up, Wendy launched her next attack.

"Sky Dragon's Talon!" she shouted.

The burst of wind that followed shook the entire cave. Chunks of rock and debris fell from the ceiling above, and the woman was pushed away as she roughly rolled to a stop. Landing on the ground and regaining her balance, Wendy's eyes never left her opponent. The woman was grasping her chest with her free hand, the spear still tightly grasped in the other.

Not wanting to waste any time, Wendy rushed forward again. Being underground, her magic was severely limited. She could feel the decrease in speed and power of her attacks. But worse than that, her supply of fresh air was severely limited. She had to be careful not to drain her magic too fast.

Deciding to forgo any spells, Wendy swung forward with her fist. The woman raised her arm to block, but Wendy spun around and slammed the back of her fist into the side of her head, making the woman stumble back. She followed with a swift kick to the stomach, drawing a heaving gasp from her opponent.

Letting out a frustrated scream, the woman swung her spear in an arc, aiming for Wendy's chest. Quickly leaning back, Wendy barely managed to dodge the sharp spearhead. She let out a hiss as the tip grazed her skin, cutting straight through her clothes and piercing her skin.

Trying to ignore the sensation of the blood trickling down her torso, Wendy jumped back. With some space between them, she could tell that the cut wasn't deep, but it still stung. Turning back to her opponent, she noticed that the woman had placed a hand on her hip and was staring at the slightly bloodied spearhead grasped tightly in the other.

"Well, I guess the rumors weren't completely true," the woman started, flicking her eyes towards Wendy, "It seems that you dragon slayers aren't as tough as you make it out to seem."

Flicking the spear at the ground, the woman began to stalk towards Wendy. Raising her hands, Wendy only had moments to ready herself before the woman was on her. Sidestepping a swift slash of the spear, she barely managed to raise an arm to block the following punch the woman sent her way. Planting her feet on the ground, she pushed back and lunged forward with a punch of her own.

The crack of the spear slamming down on her extended arm made Wendy wince, but that was only moments before the pain kicked in. Staggering back, Wendy couldn't hold back her cry as she delicately gripped her now-bruised arm. She wasn't entirely sure, but from the sharp, throbbing pain, she was willing to bet that the bone was fractured.

When her foot bumped into something below, she turned her tear-filled eyes away from her arm. Through the blurriness, she could barely make out Lucy's features. The girl's eyes were closed, and she could only barely make out the rising and falling of her chest. Wendy had no doubt that she was here because of the woman's magic.

Wendy's eyes widened at the sound of footsteps. Swinging her head away from the body below, there was no time to react as the woman swung the spear around and slammed it across Wendy's chest. She emit a garbled choke from deep within as she stumbled backwards, her arms reaching up towards her chest.

Not wasting any time, the woman started forward. With Wendy unable to respond, she took her sweet time closing the gap between them. The woman was reveling in the shuddering breaths Wendy was attempting to take. Stepping behind the smaller girl, she twirled the spear around before slamming it against the back of her knees.

Wendy gasped in pain, falling to her knees before the taller woman. Looking around the cavern before her, the bodies of her comrades still lay around her, some moving, while others staying eerily still.

As the woman placed her hand in the middle of her back and pushed, she fell forward onto her forearms. Both arms were shaking, strained with the effort of trying to hold her injured body off the floor. Despite the pain wracking her body, she still didn't fully understand what had happened. One minute it had looked as if they were evenly matched, but the next…

"They 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 goes 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, the feeling of fear growing within.

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 can only dream of!"

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

The woman took her time walking over to Wendy, basking in the fear radiating from her smaller form. Wendy shakily raised an arm and wiped away some of the blood that was coating her mouth, but it was quickly replaced by fresh blood only moments later.

Wendy winced as she tried to push herself up. As she delicately placed her hand onto her side, she hissed when her hand met the tender skin. Tilting her head back to watch the woman, there was nothing she could do when the woman raised her spear once more. Her body refused to do move no matter how hard she tried.

Letting out a loud, booming laugh, the woman's purple eyes flashed. Just as the spear was about to begin its descent, there was a sudden flash behind the woman. Although she tried to turn and defend herself, she was just too slow.

Rogue jumped onto the woman's back, one arm grasping onto the end of the spear as the other looped around her neck. Acting quickly, the woman decided to let the spear go and grasp onto the one arm that was cutting off her air supply with one hand. Rogue barely had time to fling the weapon across the room before the woman let out a scream and flung the boy to the ground by his arm.

There was a sickening crunch as he met the ground, but if anything had been broken, Rogue did an amazing job at hiding it. Pushing himself onto his knees, he glanced at Wendy with his dark eyes.

"You have to get up!" he screamed, pushing himself up to his feet. "The only way we win is if we fight together!"

As he finished, he lunged back towards the woman, his body coated in shadows. Wendy knew that his words rang true. One on one, they were outmatched. Their opponent most likely had years, if not decades more experience then they did. But working together, they might stand a chance.

With a light grunt, she placed her palms on the ground and attempted to force herself up. Rogue was doing his best to keep the woman occupied, but it was clear that he was losing ground fast. Just as Wendy made if fully up to her feet, Rogue was hit by one of her punches. As he slid away, Wendy launched herself forward, doing her best to ignore the burning pain throughout her body.

"Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" she yelled as she swung her hand down, causing a burst of wind to fly at the woman.

Crossing her arms in front of her, the woman blocked the attack with little difficulty. As the wind began to push her back, Wendy came around from her right with her leg outstretched.

"Sky Dragon's Claw!"

This time, the impact from the wind was too strong for the woman to handle. She was swept off her feet and was flung across the room into the opposite wall. As chunks of stone and dirt went flying from the impact, the woman slowly slid down the wall.

Wendy quickly used the time to seek out Rogue, and she eventually found him half-submerged in a patch of shadows on the floor. When he noticed her moving close, he stepped out, letting the last strands slip away from his mouth and back to the floor.

"Good work," he stated, flexing his hands.

Wendy shook her head, "It's not over."

The pair quickly turned towards the opposite end of the cave as a booming laugh echoed. The woman was standing away from the wall that she had crashed into, where Wendy could make out the faint imprint that her body had left behind. With a wave of her hand, Wendy looked on as the bodies littering the floor disappeared in a golden mist.

Rogue took a step forward, standing slightly ahead of Wendy. He had summoned the shadows once again, surrounding his limbs in a dark stream. Wendy made to follow him, but a sudden spike of pain from around her neck made her gasp out and collapse to a knee.

Reaching her hands up, they once again met the fire lacrima. It was searing once again, and even though she was holding it by the string tied tightly around it, the heat pulsing against her skin was almost too much to bear. At her gasp, Rogue had turned to look back at her.

It wasn't for long, and at his distraction, the woman rushed forward, picking up her spear as she ran, and caught him by surprise. He quickly attempted to dissipate into the shadows, but he was caught by the end of her weapon before he could vanish.

Wendy could sense the air getting hotter around her. The dirty rocks below began to smoke, and she could feel the sweat trickling down her forehead. The woman had turned to her soon after Rogue had gone, and Wendy could practically feel the uneasiness radiating from the woman.

Despite her attempts to reign the stone's power in, Wendy could do nothing as the stone grew hotter. Flames soon burst within her palms, causing her to let out a startled scream. She stood up despite her bodies continuous protests, desperately trying to extinguish the flames burning on her skin.

The woman hesitated, clearly unsure of what to do. This wasn't something that she had planned for. It was supposed to be a sky mage and a shadow mage, nothing more. Especially not one who could wield fire.

The flames continued to spread across her body, covering her arms, shoulders, neck. Before she knew it, the fire had enveloped her entire body, and smoke and embers were flowing up to the ceiling above. And with one last desperate look towards the woman, Wendy's world went black.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed!

This was the conclusion of the mission. Next chapter we finish the fight between Laxus and Wendy! I hope you are all excited. I know it's been a long wait, and for that I apologize. I've been swamped with working on my other stories and Uni.

I DO know that there are still some unanswered questions about the mission. It will come with time. Although, for some reason I seem to make Wendy suffer a ton during her fights…

Side Note: I've been thinking about the possibility of having a beta-reader for the remainder of this story. If this is something that you would be interested in aiding me with, please feel free to send me a PM anytime and we can chat. Thanks in advance.

Follow me on Twitter PFWriting for updates on my stories! Or if you want to chat!

Thanks for all the follows, favorites, and reviews (TheLaughinStalk Lenny-kun, PinePair, Deathgun07, Dragon Lord Draco, and Trewill91)! It means a ton!