"Go away demon!"
"This is all your fault!"
Mira cowered in the snow covered square, flinching at every shout and threat made by the figures surrounding her. She was no longer the woman she remembered being, but a small child wearing tattered robes and covered with demonic growths.
It was the same as when she had first met Irene, who had saved her. From when she met Erza, who gave her something even more important.
But there weren't any crimson haired Mages to save her here. The only people here were the mobs of townspeople surrounding her, and her two siblings, broken and bloody at her feet.
"Please! I don't want to hurt you! I didn't mean to hurt you!" Mira pleaded.
But her cries fell on deaf ears, and the mob only grew in volume. Rocks were sent flying and weapons brandished.
"Monster!"
"Murderer!"
"You'll kill us all!"
Mira shrunk in on herself more and more at each shout. "No! I don't want to hurt you. I want to help you!"
"LIES…"
"W-What? Who's there?!" Mira shouted at the voice, which echoed throughout the snow covered square. Looking up, she saw a giant shadow within the blizzard surrounding her. It stood many stories tall and had great horns and claws.
"I AM DELIORA. I AM YOU…"
"But I'm not a demon. You don't have any power over me!" Mira shouted at the shadowy being.
"MORE LIES. OR ARE YOU SAYING THAT YOU WERE THE ONE WHO WANTED TO DYE THE GROUND WITH YOUR OWN SIBLINGS BLOOD?"
"Stop it! I didn't mean to! I just lost control!"
"FACE THE TRUTH! AS LONG AS WE ARE TOGETHER, YOU WILL NEVER BE THE ONE IN CONTROL!"
"If that's the case then… then I don't want to be together anymore!"
"YOU THINK YOU HAVE A CHOICE IN THE MATTER?"
"Just get out of my soul, you demon! I won't let you hurt my family again!"
"WE SHALL SEE…"
With those final words, the demons shadow faded away into the blizzard. The angry mobs surrounding her and the bodies of her siblings both began to disappear as well, until Mira was finally left alone.
At once, Mira's chest felt lighter, as if a great weight had been lifted from it, but she knew something about this wasn't right. However, after all the torment she couldn't bring herself to care. Slowly her eyes slowly closed, hoping for more pleasant dreams in her future.
"Yes! Finally, it's working!" Lamy cheered as the empty pod in front of her began to fill with demonic energy. She hopped around in a manic dance, bunny ears swinging wildly. "Now I only need to wait a while for the transfer to complete and we'll have one of the strongest of the books back in our possession." She stopped cheering to look thoughtfully at the forming demon, it's pages slowly forming. "Hmm, he's been stuck as a trapped soul for a while though. I doubt he'll take to being an Etherious again very well. He might try and go on a rampage again…"
She stared blankly for a few moments, before throwing her hands up and cackling wildly. "Eh, who cares if he's upset? Not like I care if everyone on the island drops dead! Now then, I should probably call Kyoka about-"
"Mira!"
"What?" Lamy turned at the interruption to find three children standing in the doorway to her lab. "So, Doriate was correct. There were more of you little Mages sneaking about." Her eye wandered over to the white-haired boy among them. "Oh, would you happen to be related to my new friend here?" She asked him, gesturing to the suspended Mira.
"She's my sister, you damn monster! Let her go, or else!" Elfman threatened, his arm transforming into that of a dark beast. "Beast Arm: Black Bull!"
"Sorry, but she's rather important to my work. Don't worry though, you'll be joining her soon…" Lamy said, a sadistic smile stretching across her face. "As fellow test subjects!"
"Damn you!" Elfman shouted, before lunging at his opponent.
"Elfman, wait!" Erza shouted too late.
Lamy easily avoided the child's jab, grabbing him by his enhanced arm. "More Take-Over Magic? You all will be so much fun to dissect!" She said cheerfully. She then began to spin on the spot without moving. She went faster and faster, until she let go and sent Elfman flying into the nearest wall.
"Grr, take this you freak! Ice-Make Daggers!" Gray shouted, slamming a hand into his palm like always and producing an icy dagger in each hand. He quickly tossed them at Lamy, not wanting to make the same mistake of getting up close.
Lamy just began to spin again while she held her arms out and cheered like a child, not even bothering to move out of the way. The pair of frozen projectiles flew right at her but slipped around her and flew back as soon as they reached her.
"Shit!" Gray sweared as he rolled away from his own daggers flying back at him.
Erza also had to dodge one of the weapons, sweeping around it and rushing Lamy, sword held high. "Take this!"
The sword swung down at Lamy, but it was deflected, as if slipping to the side from some sort of repelling force. Erza tried again, but her sword slipped violently out of her hands upon impact, clattering against the wall before falling to the floor.
"What are you-" Erza began, but was cut off by a spinning kick to the chest, launching her across the room.
"What's going on? She's wearing those bracelets, isn't she? How is she using Magic?" Gray asked in annoyance.
"Who said it's Magic I'm using?" Lamy giggled, turning to Gray. "Huh, now that I've got another look at you, you seem kinda familiar. But from where…" As she began to ponder, Elfman lunged at her from behind. She quickly spun and tossed him again, as if she knew he was there the entire time. "Now I remember! You wouldn't happen to know a guy named Silver, would you? Middle aged, sweet scar on his face, has black hair and uses Ice Magic just like you?"
Gray froze. "What?!"
"Gray, focus!" Erza shouted, and not a moment to soon, as he narrowly avoided being struck by the woman nearly flying at him. He summoned more icy weapons and swung, but the attacks slipped around her like Erza's.
"Bah! This getting us nowhere!" Gray growled, jumping back to Erza and Elfman while Lamy continued to sway to an invisible beat, not a care in the world. "What is up with this lady? She's clearly using Magic!"
"No, she's not." Erza said. "There's something wrong with it. With her."
"What are you talking about?" Elfman asked as the two boys glanced back at her.
Erza shook her head. "I don't know. I just get this weird feeling whenever she uses that ability. Like she's projecting negative emotions." She explained, sounding unsure.
Lamy stopped swaying and stared at Erza with a perplexed expression. "Is that what you think? Negative emotions? Tell me then, what emotion do you think this is?" She asked, sliding straight at the three. They all avoided the attack, but she began spinning and bouncing around the room faster and faster like a pinball. The three Mages were barely able to avoid the barrage. "Well, well, well? What do you think it is?!"
"You're going pretty fast! Try dodging this now!" Gray challenged, throwing his hands to the floor, and covering it with all manner of icy bumps and dents.
"Hahaha-aaaaahh?!" Lamy's cheers quickly turned to a scream as she failed to avoid the roadblocks, tripping and barreling through one of the stone walls at impressive speeds. "Damn brats. That's a cheap shot!" She moaned, head spinning.
"Envy."
"What?" Lamy asked, trying her best to look straight at Erza through the dizziness.
"That's the emotion your ability uses, isn't it? There's something about it that just doesn't seem human though. What are you, really?" Erza asked.
Lamy just stared at her wide-eyed. 'She can detect all that with a glance?! No, it wasn't through sight, but some sort of sixth sense? Between her, another Take-Over user, and this mini-Silver…'
A giggle could be heard from Lamy as she walked back into the room. The giggle eventually evolved into full-blown laughter, as she began to cackle wildly.
"What's so funny?" Elfman demanded.
"Sorry, it's just… you're going to wish that Doriate was the one that found you all." Lamy said between fits of laughter.
"And why's that?" Erza asked, holding up a newly summoned sword.
"Because he'd be sure to kill you quickly! I'm going to have so much fun dissecting you three!" She said excitedly, jumping forward at the three Mages again.
"Alright, we're almost there." Natsu whispered back to Lucy and Lisanna as the three of them snuck down the dark halls underneath the temple.
"Lisanna, are you sure you're okay?" Lucy asked the white-haired girl beside her.
"I'm fine. Now that I can use my magic again, I can probably navigate in the dark better than you two." Lisanna explained. She had large and pointed ears, along with a funny star-tipped nose.
Immediately after her friends had removed the cuffs, she had used both Bat Soul and Mole Soul to help herself get around. The former allowed for improved echolocation, while the latter added an improved sense of smell.
"I suppose so. Your magic is pretty useful though. I didn't know you could mix and match different animals like that." Lucy said impressed.
"If it's something as small as a nose or ear then I can use a few at a time." Lisanna began. "But if I try to cover more area, or combine them, then I start having problems."
"Still, being able to use the abilities of animals yourself is handy. I wish I could do the same with my Celestial Spirits." Lucy said looking at her keys.
Natsu snuck ahead of them, crouching next to an entrance, and glancing around for enemies. "C'mon you two, the exit's right around the corner-"
"Natsu, look out!" Lisanna suddenly shouted, her enhanced senses detecting something.
Natsu jumped back towards them at the same time the wall he had been crouching behind exploded outward. A moment later, a hulking man walked out of the new hole in the wall into the hallway.
"What a surprise, I didn't think anyone saw me. Must be losing touch if a bunch of children can see right through me." The man said, towering over the three of them. He didn't wear armor like the rest of the guards, instead being lightly dressed, with a large bandana covering his face.
"We saw you earlier. Doriate, right?" Lucy asked, slowly backing away.
"That's correct. Member of Succubus Eye and leader of this little expedition." He confirmed with a mocking bow. "I hope you three put up a good fight. I've been getting restless on this island."
"What if we don't want to?" Lisanna asked in annoyance.
"Please, you don't have a choice!" Doriate laughed. "And don't think about trying to run past me. That is, unless you feel like dealing with an entire squad as well as me."
"Damn, looks like we're really doing this!" Lucy complained.
Natsu smashed his fists together as they burst into flames. "Fine by me! I was looking forward to kicking this guys ass!" He began to run towards Doriate unafraid.
"Don't get cocky, kid!" Doriate yelled, winding back a punch.
The moment the man swung though Natsu dropped into a slide, the attack passing harmlessly over him. The flames on his hands increased in strength as he held them back, shooting him forward between Doriate's legs.
"You're pretty fast." Doriate said, turning around to face Natsu, leaving his back to the girls. There was a flash of light from their direction though, and he tried to glance back. "What was-!"
"Fire Dragon's Claw!" Natsu shouted, swinging a flame covered foot at Doriate's head. Doriate simply reached up a hand and caught Natsu by the leg. "Hey, let go of me you bastard!" He demanded, swinging his limbs fruitlessly while being held out of reach.
"Let go of him! Animal Soul: Cat!" Lisanna yelled as she also lunged forward at the man, her outstretched hand covered with the fur and claws of a feline. Doriate just as easily grabbed her.
Doriate gave the two kids an unimpressed look, before turning to the only one not in his grasp. "Well, this isn't looking good for you. Now I've got two perfect little shields. So, what's your move?"
Lucy just silently stared at him, before running straight at him as well.
"Seriously? I expected better from your guild…" Doriate muttered as the girl ran at him without fear. Looking past her however, he noticed something odd. A perfectly round hole in the floor of the ruins. 'The hell? That wasn't there before. It looks a lot like the hole they made to get into- Damn!'
The ground below Doriate collapsed before he could react. Due to holding the two Mages away from himself, he was unable to catch himself, immediately falling into the floor up to his arms. "What the hell?!" He tried to lift his feet but found something or someone holding them in place.
"Now!" Lucy yelled, pulling out a hammer, heading for his Moon Drip cuffs. He tried to move his arms out of the way, but the two kids he had grabbed were now wrapping themselves around them, hampering his flexibility.
Lucy smashed the cuff on Lisanna's side, then tossed it over Doriate's head and into Natsu's hand. With a fierce cry he swung down and shattered the second cuff.
Natsu cheered, letting go of Doriate's arm. "Haha! That was easy! Looks like you were all talk you-Mmph?!"
"Natsu!" The girls both shouted, as Doriate's still full-sized hand grabbed the Dragon Slayer by the face. He then tossed Natsu away, flying into Lucy and knocking the two over. He reached over to grab Lisanna as well, but she jumped back before he could reach her, hearing the commotion.
"Nice trick!" Doriate yelled. With his arms now free he plunged them into the earth below, grabbing the wrists of the one trapping him from below. With a great yank, a pink-haired maid come flying out of the ground, slamming into the ceiling above.
"Virgo!" Lucy shouted in concern as she began to fall back to the floor and Doriate winded up a punch. She held her Spirits key. "Return back! Close the Gate!"
In a flash of light Virgo vanished, and Doriate made a sound of annoyance. "Celestial Spirits are immune to the Law of Retrogression? That's handy to know." He noted as he began to climb out of the hole he was currently in.
"Fire Dragons Roar!" Natsu yelled, bellowing a stream of flames at his opponent before he could free himself. As the flames engulfed him, Natsu laughed. "How did that feel?"
As the flames died down, Doriate's large figure walked out of them with nothing more than some singed clothes. "Annoying, like someone left the oven on." He responded behind his burnt bandana.
"Damn! I would have fried that guy if I wasn't so small!" Natsu complained.
"What's going on? I thought we broke both cuffs. Why didn't he shrink like me?" Lisanna asked the others.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I saw how you took out my guildmates. Let's just say I came prepared to this fight." Doriate answered cryptically, pulling off the blackened bandana covering his mouth and neck. On his now-exposed neck a collar could be seen, shining with a purple light.
"A third cuff?!" Lucy exclaimed. "So that's why he hasn't shrunk yet!"
"You damn cheat!" Natsu shouted.
Doriate just laughed at the accusation. "I'd hardly call that stunt you three just pulled fair either, so I guess we're even now."
Lucy caught her breath as she looked between her companions. Natsu may have looked fine, but he was breathing far deeper than usual. She feared that he was pushing his young body harder than it could handle, unable to control himself. Lisanna looked a bit better off, but while her Animal Soul could help her walk, she doubted it's effectiveness in a fight considering her currently impaired state.
She wasn't doing much better herself either. Opening a Zodiac Spirit's gate was even more draining than usual, and forcing it closed so suddenly to protect Virgo definitely didn't help. As much as she didn't like the idea, she only saw one good option left.
"Guys, we need to find another ways out of here."
Natsu looked over at Lucy in shock. "What?! C'mon Lucy, we can take him!"
"I don't know, it could probably go either way. But even if we do beat this guy, do you really think we can beat however many of his friends are waiting behind him?" Lucy asked.
"Oh, crap…" Natsu cursed, remembering what Doriate had said.
"That's right, he said he had guards waiting! This guy's just trying to tire us out." Lisanna put together.
"Right. Now that our cover's blown, we need to regroup and come up with a new plan. We can't have Erza's group wander down here as well." Lucy explained.
"That sounds like a great plan." Doriate said mockingly as he walked towards the children slowly. "But you'd have to be idiots if you think I'll just let you bolt."
At hearing the Dark Mages statement, Lucy let out an uncharacteristically dark laugh. She gave Doriate a devilish smirk as she held up another golden key. "I'm afraid you'll have your hands full in a moment. Open, Gate of the Bull, Taurus!"
"Mooo!" In a golden light emerged the bipedal bull, wielding a great battle-axe that barely fit in the cramped temple halls. "Lucy, I am moo-ved that you have called on me!"
"Taurus, I'm sorry, but we need to run. Can you hold this guy back for us?" Lucy asked.
"Of course! Anything you… say? Lucy, what happened to your sexy voi-ah?!" Taurus's jaw nearly dropped to the floor when he turned and saw the state her summoner was in. "What happened to you?! Your amazing chest? Your perfect curves?" The Celestial Spirit cried.
"The people here have a magic that turns people into kids. And he's the one in charge of them!" Lucy declared, pointing to an apprehensive Doriate.
"YOU! IS THAT TRUE?!" Taurus shouted in a sudden rage.
"Uh, yeah? I'm the leader of the Dark Guild-"
"SILENCE! PREPARE TO BE DESTROYED! NO ONE DARES TAKE AWAY MY LUCY'S SEXINESS AND LIVES TO TELL THE TALE!" Taurus shouted, literally turning red with rage. He launched himself at Doriate with a speed that would normally be impossible for a being of his size.
"What the Hell?!" Doriate cried as Taurus crashed into him and the two tumbled down the hall.
"Now, let's run!" Lucy said, grabbing Lisanna by the wrist and running back the way they came.
"Got it! Hey Taurus, aim for that thing on his neck!" Natsu advised, before sprinting off like the others.
As they ran, the sounds of fighting and angry moo's got quieter. Eventually the echoes of battle couldn't be heard, and the three stopped to catch their breath.
"Damn, I didn't think those Spirits of yours could be so scary." Natsu said between deep breaths.
"I figured that my change in appearance might motivate him to work harder." Lucy laughed. "Still, he's ultimately reliant on my magical energy, and I'm nearly spent. He won't be able to hold him back for long, that's why we need to find another way out."
"Then we should probably find the others, right?" Lisanna asked.
Natsu nodded. "Yeah, and our best bet at doing that is to find Mira. Let's get moving."
"Hold still, damn you!"
Three miniature Mages swung and missed for the dozenth time through the fight against the inhuman and inhumane scientist.
"Come on, you're boring me. At least try to put up more of a fight." Lamy complained.
"This is ridiculous!" Elfman huffed, turning to Erza. "How do we beat this chick?!"
Erza thought for a moment, before devising a plan. "We don't beat her. Elfman, get your sister out of that pod, Gray and I will hold her off!"
"Don't need to tell me twice!" He shouted, rushing towards the imprisoned Mira.
"I don't think so, twerp!" Lamy shouted, suddenly serious at her prized subject being tampered with. Before she could get far however, a large wall of ice blocked her path.
"If your abilities let you slip around things, then we just have to make something too big for you to do so!" Gray said, hands to the floor from where the wall originated.
"Then I'll just break it!" Lamy said, spinning around for a great kick.
"I won't let you!" Erza declared, running at Lamy as she Requipped her biggest shield. Lamy found herself having to halt her own attack to fully avoid Erza's. The shield she had summoned was to big for her to even hold up straight. But it still had the surface space to prevent Lamy from easily working around it.
"You brats!" Lamy shouted, glancing at the wall blocking her view.
On the other side, Elfman reached the pod holding Mira and reeled back the arm he was using Beast Soul on. "I don't see any buttons, so we're doing this the old-fashioned way! Haaah!" He threw his fist against the glass of the pod, and it cracked greatly. He swung his beastly arm at the same spot again, and the clear barrier gave way as his fist plunged into the pod.
The glass all began to shatter as the liquid quickly drained. Elfman noticed that his arm turned back to normal as soon as it made contact with the odd-colored fluid inside. Once he finally removed all the weird wires connected to Mira and pulled her from the pod, she began to shrink down into a child just like the rest of them.
'Why didn't she shrink before? Was whatever is in the pod the same as those cuffs?' Elfman wondered. He shook his head, focusing back on the now younger Mira. He removed his baggy shirt, throwing it around her unconscious sister and picking her up. "I got her, let's go!"
All three of the Fairy Tail Mages started running back towards the entrance. As they did, Erza glanced back at a fuming Lamy, rushing towards them. She also spotted the second pod behind her, holding what appeared to be a book, growing strangely within the confines of the tube. She could also feel that it had the same inhuman feeling of the girl chasing her.
"That's mine! I'm not done with her yet!" Lamy fumed as she slid towards Elfman.
Erza spun on her heel as she summoned a dagger with her Requip Magic, tossing it in Lamy's general direction. It flew right past her though, the bunny-eared girl not even having to dodge.
"You must be getting desperate! You missed me by a mile!" Lamy laughed as she turned to Erza.
Erza simply smirked. "That's because I wasn't aiming for you." She said, before turning and continuing her escape.
Lamy looked at Erza's retreating form in confusion, but a quick glance behind her quickly cleared it up. "You… you… how dare you!"
The second pod, containing the demonic essence of Deliora, had a dagger sticking into it, resulting in the glass slowly cracking. Lamy quickly ran over to the pod to ensure that the growing Demon was fine, enemies completely forgotten.
Gray Erza, and Elfman sprinted back down the way they came before the rest of the guards could become aware of their assault. Elfman carried the sleeping Mira, while Erza and Gray both held weapons of steel and ice.
"Quick, let's hurry back to the hole!" Erza said.
Gray glanced around the decrepit halls for any waiting surprises. As they reached an intersection, he voiced his concerns. "Things are doing to get loud around here, fast! I hope Natsu and Lucy managed to find-"
"Lisanna!" Elfman suddenly shouted.
The other two turned at the sudden exclamation and sure enough, Lisanna was standing at the end of the hall. She had used her Magic on her face to change her ears and nose, but it was unmistakably the youngest Strauss sibling, as the multitude of scars showed.
"Elfman! I thought I heard you guys!" Lisanna cheered, running over to them. A moment later, Natsu and Lucy appeared from the way she had come, quickly following behind her.
"Great, you guys managed to find Mira!" Natsu said.
Lisanna looked around confused. "They did? Where is she?"
Gray gave her a funny look. "She's right there. What are you, blind- ow! what the hell?!"
"She is you idiot. They did something with her eyes!" Natsu complained as he whacked Gray over the head.
"How was I supposed to know that!" Gray shot back.
"Natsu, please. It's not his fault." Lisanna pleaded. "I only heard three of you though. Is she really here?"
"Don't worry sis, I've got her." Elfman said. "She's still unconscious though. We should get out of here as soon as possible."
"About that…" Lucy said. "Their leader may or may not have found our escape route and put guards on it."
"What?!" The other group yelled.
"And," Lucy continued. "He may be chasing after us any moment now. I can't keep Taurus's gate open for much longer."
"So we need to find another way through, is what your saying?" Erza asked. Lucy nodded, and she sighed greatly. "That might prove difficult. In case you've forgotten, there's a giant wall of unmeltable ice around the entire temple."
"Not everywhere!" Natsu said. "Let's just bust through the front gate!"
"You mean the part that's the most guarded, especially now that they know we're here?" Grey asked obviously.
"Enough!" Erza declared. "We aren't being left with much of an option. The longer we bicker the harder our escape shall be whichever way we take."
"I say we go above. At least we know there's still an entrance there. They could have collapsed the tunnel as soon as they found it, for all we know." Elfman warned.
Erza thought for a moment before nodding her head in agreement. "Alright, above it is."
"Good. By the way, we might want to start running." Lucy suddenly said.
"Why?" Lisanna asked.
"Because Taurus's gate just closed."
There was a moment of silence, before everyone broke out sprinting in the presumed direction of the exit.
"Wait, I hear the sound of a breeze that way! It's gotta be the exit!" Lisanna said in an excited yet hushed voice. Sure enough, her animal-like ears had noticed the exit far before the others could even see it. They all approached slowly and lurked in the shadow of the entranceway.
"Well, so much for using the front door." Gray snarked.
Between the stone entrance and the gap in the ice wall were over two dozen guards. Some stood stationary at the opening, but many were wandering about the area. Some appeared to be patrolling, while others were organized crates and barrels in the space between the temple and the wall.
"It's bad, isn't it." Lisanna sighed, not needing eyes to sense the groups mood.
"Pretty much a worst-case scenario." Gray affirmed.
"That's not true." Natsu said. "At least we're not spotted yet!"
"Well, now we know why we ran into so few people inside." Lucy said as she rolled her eyes at Natsu's lackluster defense. "But it's too late to turn back. We need to come up with a plan before our enemies decide it for us."
Everyone began scanning the area for anything they could use for their escape, to varying levels of effect.
"There's nothing tall enough to climb over the wall." Natsu noted.
"We'd be spotted before Virgo could dig another hole long enough. And I don't know if she's in good enough condition anyways." Lucy said.
"Rushing through would be impossible, given the numbers. If we weren't weakened, we might stand a chance." Gray guessed.
"Hmm…" Elfman looked at the barrels lying around the area in thought. They were separate from the rest of the equipment, all marked with big labels and colors denoting either danger or importance. "What do you think are in those things?"
"The barrels? I don't know, but it could be useful." Erza suggested. "Let's go get a closer look."
They all slowly snuck down the steps of the temple and into the field of wooden containers, maneuvering around the guards patrolling and stacking boxes. Each of the containers were labelled differently, from food to construction equipment. When they reached the barrels, the label could be clearly read along the side.
MOON DRIP – LIQUID FORM
"Moon drip? What's that?" Natsu asked.
"Oh, one of those dark guild guys said it could dispel any magic! That's what they used to remove my illusion and turn off my eyes." Lisanna explained.
"Probably what's in those cuffs keeping everyone the right size." Elfman reasoned. "Now that I think about it, Mira was in a vat of this stuff. My Beast Arm disappeared when I went to grab her, and she shrunk when I removed her from it."
"Wait, dispel any magic?" Lucy asked.
"That appears to be true, from what we've seen." Erza replied.
"Then I have an idea on how to get out of here." Lucy replied slyly.
"Ah, I see." Erza nodded. "Alright boys, tip over a barrel and start rolling. It's time to see how unmeltable this ice really is."
They managed to roll five barrels all the way to the wall before a couple guards realized that something was amiss.
"Crap, the Moon Drip is rolling away!"
"No you idiot, they're being stolen!"
The shouts quickly drew the attention of other guards, and soon everyone was rushing towards them as they poured the barrels contents on the wall.
"It's working! Keep it up!" Lucy shouted as she watched the liquid from the barrel leak through a hole made from Erza's sword. The moment the fluid contacted the ice it began to disappear as if it had never been there.
"This isn't exactly easy though!" Gray said back, as he and Natsu held the barrel up so it could continue to pour.
"It also isn't very fast! We need to pour more!" Natsu added.
"If we just tip it over then only the bottom will be melted! We have to have the liquid hit higher!" Erza explained as she watched the approaching guards.
"Then let me try! Beast Arms!" Elfman yelled, using his magic on both his arms. He tried to pick up the barrel but struggled to lift it. "Damn it, it's not enough!"
"… Elfman, how about you try a full body Take Over?" Lisanna suggested.
Elfman looked at her sister in horror. "What?! No, I can't! The last time I did that you got hurt-"
"Because I got in the way! Besides, we're running out of options here." Lisanna admitted. "Please, don't worry about hurting us, and focus on wanting to help us."
Elfman pondered for a moment, looking between her sisters in worry. He then turned to look at the approaching guards. "You're right. Besides, I promised I'd do anything to save you two, and I couldn't call myself a man if I chickened out now."
Magic began to gather around Elfman as he began to glow an ominous purple light. Slowly his body began to change and grow. Soon the light faded, and where Elfman stood there was now a bipedal beast. It had great claws and horns, along with an inhuman glare. It stood as large as Doriate did, easily dwarfing even the full-grown Dark Mages.
"Die, damn you!" One of them shouted, finally reaching the group of Mages. He held a halberd forward in attack but was stopped in his place when a monstrous hand grabbed it by the shaft. "Huh?!"
"Raaaaahh!" With a great shout, the beast lifted the halberd, and the guard holding it, up into the air. Then with a great heave, the man was tossed back the way he came and into one of his fellow guards.
"Elfman, focus on the barrels! That's why you transformed, remember?!" Erza shouted, getting her transformed guildmate's attention. The beast turned to look back at Erza, and she suddenly quieted down. "Elfman?"
The beast stared at them all with a fearsome gaze, and they dared not breathe. It slowly reached down and picked up one of the barrels of Moon Drip, lifting it up over its head…
And tossed it into the ice wall, smashing open. The barrels content splashed against the wall, and when the liquid disappeared, there was a noticeable indent in the wall.
"Alright! Keep it up Elfman! We'll watch your back!" Natsu shouted in encouragement as he rushed towards the approaching guards. The others followed, and soon the four of them fought while Lisanna watched over her sister.
Barrel after barrel were tossed into the same point on the wall, until eventually a small hole could be seen. Elfman lifted the final barrel they had over his head with a roar, rearing back for one last toss.
*BANG*
The barrel suddenly burst into splinters, as the sound of a shot rang out around the temple. The Moon Drip inside splashed out and down onto Elfman, transforming him back into his childlike form.
"Huh?! What just happened?!" Elfman asked dazed, surprised by the sudden change.
"Up there!" Natsu yelled, pointing towards the entranceway of the temple.
Under the stone arches stood Doriate, holding a magic gun, still smoking from the shot. "Hmph, I never thought I'd need to use this thing." He said under his breath, before tossing it away and approaching the Fairy Tail Mages.
"Quick, throw another one!" Natsu yelled back at his friends as he dove under a spear.
"We can't! That was the last one!" Lucy replied as she cracked her whip at a nearby guard.
"Besides, I don't think I have anything left in me." Elfman said, hunched over from the extreme transformation.
"Hehehe, nowhere for you to run now." Doriate said, having almost reached them.
"Grrrr, damn it! We're almost there!" Natsu growled. He jumped away from his enemies and turned towards the wall. "Ice is supposed to melt, so melt! Fire Dragons Roar!"
A giant stream of fire shot out of Natsu's mouth and onto the wall, right where the tiny hole had appeared. Doriate could be heard laughing behind him. "Try all you like, that is the ice of a demon. Not even your flames can melt it-"
Suddenly, a great wave of heat shot out, silencing Doriate and drawing everyone's attention. Natsu finally stopped his attack, and the flames faded to reveal a much larger hole in the wall. One easily large enough for them to fit through.
"WHAT?!" Doriate shouted in incredulity. His guildmates appeared equally surprised at the feat.
"Not so impressive after all, is it?" Natsu taunted with a cocky grin.
"Retreat! Everyone back to the village!" Erza ordered. Elfman picked up the unconscious Mira as Natsu grabbed Lisanna's hand, and they all ran out the impromptu exit while the guards were still collecting themselves.
"Crap, after them!" One of them finally realized, spurning the others to begin moving.
"Wait!" Doriate shouted.
"But sir, they're escaping!" One of the guards said.
"To where? We're on an island, they won't go far." Doriate reminded them. "Guard the entrances and patrol the wall, inside and out. I'm going to talk to Lamy."
"Yes sir!" They all shouted, before organizing themselves to follow his orders.
Doriate began to walk back towards the temple but glanced back once more before entering. 'How the hell did that little brat melt the ice? No matter how strong it was, magic shouldn't work…' He eventually shook his head and continued inside, trying to figure out how to explain the events that just transpired to the mad scientist he was stuck working with.
If he were to investigate the wall more closely however, he would have noticed that it appeared to be melted from the outside.
And an even further look would have revealed some of the grass surrounding the hole still burning with an odd magenta glow, the same color as the icy wall beside it.
Next Chapter: A Midnight Awakening
