Author's note
Only a couple of days left, I might have to start doing double updates.
The Greyhound Part 3: War of the Mind
Chapter 28
"What the hell just happened?" Cana voiced.
Rising to her feet Erza answered. "We just lost a valuable fighter who could have helped us win, that's what happened."
"I get that!" The girl yelled while pushing off of her barstool alongside the sound of her sandals striking the ground. "Why, is my question!"
"Why isn't he helping us? And why was he acting like you all should understand why he's not?"
Erza and Grays' faces could only look away from her, but Mira did her best to respond through her still crying features.
"We, we were some of the first people to find Levy's team last night." The barmaid started.
"And when we arrived... Kinzo was there standing in front of the tree they were nailed to."
"... Ok and?" The brunette asked impatiently.
"We thought the worst… we accused him of doing it."
That line sank in and "You Did What!?" she roared, startling the Ex-wizard.
"Cana liste-" Gray tried.
"Listen, you want me to listen?" she screeched back.
"Holy shit guys! When did we start being the people who-"
"Cana!" The woman stopped her rant only to make eye contact with Erza. And the heated stare made her hesitate.
"Listen to us. Since the day we met him Kinzo has displayed irrationally violent tendencies toward those around him. There were a few incidents on our last job where he nearly killed someone."
"Even after coming back tensions are still high, so when we saw him there and our friends in that condition we jumped to conclusions. We were hasty and we were wrong… but we can hardly fix that now. So if you want to keep yelling at us by all means continue, but you won't be helping anything."
The girl restrained herself after listening to the story but still had thoughts running around in her mind.
"It's just… he seemed nothing like that yesterday. I mean, I've only had like 2 real interactions with the guy, but last night he was remarkably friendly and helpful. Didn't seem like someone with anger issues, or a violence problem… "
The others just stayed silent, all three of them refusing to speak.
…
The sound of a door squeaking open drew their attention.
Looking over they saw an embarrassed Lucy sticking her head through the slightly open door.
"Sorry I didn't mean to cut in or anything, it's just we can hear you through the walls, and… well I guess I just wanted to agree with Cana a little bit."
She had their attention.
"Cana you wouldn't know this but the day we first met Kinzo, he had no qualms about leaving me and Master Makarov to die when we fought Lullaby."
That threw the Brunette for a loop, as she stared back at the blonde in surprise.
"In fact, the only reason he did decide to help us was because he wanted to keep Gray safe, and Gray convinced him to give us a hand... somehow."
The ice mage just leaned back against a table, closing his eyes and listening to her talk.
"But it's interesting to me because I think we're having a bigger impact on him than you might think, or at least something else is changing the way he behaves little by little."
"I mean it's only been what, a little over a week since the Lullaby fight? And in that time his attitude changed from someone who would just leave us to die, to the kind of guy who tried to help Levy and her team."
"Not only that but instead of just leaving me to be kidnapped, he actually came running to my rescue. It was actually crazy for me to hear it was him of all people to save me. Not to mention what he just did to heal the guild and Master in particular."
Everyone remained silent as she finished, simply taking in her words. Everyone except Erza that is.
"Alright so let's say I agree with your statement, maybe something is changing him bit by bit. What are we supposed to do with that information at this point? How does it help us?"
Lucy didn't even have to think about it, It was the reason she'd decided to speak up anyway.
"What I'm saying is I think he's more willing to help than he's letting on. He keeps claiming he wants nothing to do with our guild war, and yet he's clearly offered us aid already. I'm willing to bet if we keep asking him he will help us. Especially if someone he's on friendly terms with does it."
The redhead took a moment to listen to the girl's theory and found herself in some ways agreeing with it, even so.
"Haaah, this would be so much easier if Master was still conscious. He could just order the boy to fight with us."
The others in the room all nodded their heads, but one was just confused.
"Huh? Why would Kinzo have to do something just because Master told him to?" Cana asked.
The others quickly recognized Erza's blunder. Cana was the only one here who didn't know about the Contract, and both Makarov and Kinzo would be none too happy to find out she'd spilled the beans.
"Um, well you see he doesn't- I mean he does, but-" She rambled on for some time all the while tripping over her own words.
Luckily, or I suppose Unluckily if you know why, she was interrupted by the sound of something stomping down in the distance. And the sensation of the whole building shaking.
"HELLO FAIRY TAIL!" They heard through the walls. It sounded like a voice being projected over a speaker system.
"I BELIEVE YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO ME. OH LUCY, WHERE ARE YOU?"
The mages wasted no time racing out the doors eager to see what was calling them out. Many of Fairy Tail's other members stormed up from the cellar as well intent on doing the same thing.
Erza was poised to follow, but for a moment she stopped. Looking back at the weapon Kinzo left behind, still speared into the ground. Quickly she reached for the item and with some effort pulled it free.
Spinning it around a few times she got used to the feel, Finding it to be perfectly balanced. Its creator's words repeating in her mind.
"One attack Scarlet. That spear will save you from one attack, don't waste it."
She didn't intend to.
Re-Quipping the weapon into her storage space she readied herself, before racing to join her guild outside.
Kinzo had walked maybe a few hundred meters from the guildhall. Not toward town or his camp, no he wanted to get some distance from people. His goal was a cliff he saw in the distance. It had decent elevation, was clearly an isolated area, and overlooked the ocean.
The only downside was he knew he would still be able to see the guildhall from there.
As he marched his mind raced, and the thought that kept coming to mind was "Ur would have helped them."
That much he knew was true, and that was all it would have taken to make him feel guilty… but that wasn't the only thing eating at him.
No, not only was he going against what he knew his master would have done but he was also being tormented by the thought that he might have to see her again in his dreams tonight. Even if she was only a figment of his imagination, he still didn't want to see the disappointment in her eyes.
Of course in addition there was Gray and the words he said, they cut far deeper than even he wanted to admit. Hearing his only family say that 'Ur had wasted her time on him' made his heart seize.
It was a harsh blow, a cheapshot. But strangely, the more he thought about it the more angry he grew. Rather than a downcast outlook, one of irritation and resentment took its place.
After all "What right do they have to order me around!?" But that wasn't even it, it wasn't just a matter of whether or not they could tell him what to do. The fact was he HAD done what they'd asked.
Ur had told him to look out for people even when it cost him, and he got nothing in return. He'd done that! And Gray was always telling him to control himself, to act more human, to be less violent, to help his precious Fairy Tail. Well, guess what, He'd done that too!
He was the one to save Lucy, he was the one to run off Gajeel, and he was the one who saved Makarov's life. Even so, they still complained.
This was why he didn't bother himself with other people anymore, because even if he did start to listen to them. Even if he did adopt their irritating moral views, even if he did risk himself to help them they didn't acknowledge him.
No, even if he did as they asked, they only grew more entitled. Only expected him to do more and more, for their benefit and at his own expense. Well if that's the way it is, then screw all of them.
I mean really, he was the bad guy because he wasn't willing to stick his neck out any further for a bunch of self-entitled brats? No, he didn't have to help them, they had no right to ask.
And yet here he stood, completely justified in his own mind, yet filled with shame at his choice to leave them.
He kept moving. But with each step, his chest hurt more and more. It was cold, so cold.
Left. A flash of pain. "Turn Back." his mind told him, using Ur's voice to goad him in.
Right. He felt like ice was spreading across his skin.
Left. It started to lock up his torso. "They need you."
Right. Until even walking became difficult. "You can't just leave them!"
What the hell was this? Was it guilt, shame? His conscience telling him to go back? He wasn't sure, but he was sick of playing this guilt trip game.
"ENOUGH!" he roared while contracting every muscle in his upper body, and throwing his arms forward.
He heard a cracking sound, and soon after found himself free to move again.
But it was strange, when he glanced toward the grass he could see what looked like pieces of ice littering the ground. And as his eyes widened in realization he quickly reached for his shirt.
Pulling the fabric up he could see most of his chest and core was red from exposure to the cold substance, but more notably was the necklace. The color was different.
The first time he'd held it, there was a vibrant sky blue. But now, it was far more dull.
He didn't understand how it happened, didn't fully get it. But one thing was clear. Something had prompted Ur's magic to flare up and coat his skin with ice before he broke it off.
He wanted to pause, to take a moment and really think about how something like that could have happened. The problem was he already knew what caused it, or rather who, but his mind refused to accept it.
"No no, she's not real this isn't real!" He couldn't handle that truth, not now.
So instead, he acted like the coward he knew he was. He ignored reality, ignored her, and just kept walking.
...
As he reached the cliff's peak he took in the sight of the ocean, and prayed for the chance to forget today, even if only for a moment.
His prayer was heard, and his prayer was answered, but God said no.
As he watched the sea, not only was he greeted by waves and the sound of seagulls, he was made to witness the presence of a massive construct crawling through the water.
It seemed to be a small island with a castle-like structure on top. The main tower had a gargantuan cannon protruding from its front and the Phantom Lord guild flag flew proudly overhead.
The mobile guildhall was held up by four spider leg-like appendages each one moving in tandem to pull the building closer and closer to Magnolia's coast and Fairy Tail in turn.
"HELLO FAIRY TAIL!" He heard in the distance.
"I BELIEVE YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO ME. OH LUCY, WHERE ARE YOU?"
Erza had stormed through the doors to find that the rest of her guildmates were already there. Everyone looking out toward the sea.
And when she did the same, she understood why. Phantom Lord had turned their guildhall into some spider-like monstrosity, sporting a massive cannon to boot.
She didn't take too much time to ponder how they'd done it though, She recognized the voice to be Jose Porla, and he had just asked to see one of her teammates.
"OK FAIRY FLIES, SINCE YOU CLEARLY DIDN'T HEAR ME THE FIRST TIME, I'LL REPEAT MYSELF. WHERE IS LUCY HEARTFILIA?"
Silence covered the area, no one taking charge of the situation. Erza considered asking the man what he was on about but someone else beat her to it.
"And why in the Hell should we tell you?" yelled Natsu as he moved to the front of the group.
Leave it to her little fireball to lighten the mood. Erza's posture relaxed slightly at the little bit of normalcy, but then immediately stiffened as she heard a loud humming sound. Listening intently and looking for the source led her to the cannon mounted on their enemies' mobile base.
The weapon's long barrel was glowing a dark purple, clearly building up power.
"BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T I'M GOING TO WIPE MAGNOLIA OFF THE FACE OF EARTHLAND!"
Came his reply through the loudspeaker.
Once again silence took them, but it didn't last as long this time. Even with the threat, Fairy Tail mages weren't exactly known for backing down.
"We aren't just gonna give you one of our members! What do you even want her for?" This time it was Cana telling him off.
"YOU INSECTS MAKE THINGS SO DIFFICULT, BUT I SUPPOSE I COULD EXPLAIN. YOU SEE WE WERE HIRED BY HEARTFILIA INDUSTRIES TO BRING BACK THEIR MISSING HEIRESS."
…
"Uh, is that supposed to mean something to us?" the card mage asked back.
…
"WAIT, YOU FOOLS ACTUALLY DON'T KNOW? HAHAHAHAHA! SHE'S IN YOUR GUILD AND YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHO SHE IS. AND HERE I THOUGHT YOU LET HER JOIN BECAUSE SHE HAD MONEY."
"OH, THAT IS TOO GOOD."
"WELL IF YOU MUST KNOW, YOUR PRECIOUS LUCY IS THAT HEIRESS. AFTER ALL HER LAST NAME IS HEARTFILIA… REALLY THOUGH DID NONE OF YOU PUT THAT TOGETHER?"
"WELL, I SUPPOSE IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER. HAND THE GIRL OVER OR THIS LITTLE GUILDHALL AND YOUR WHOLE TOWN IS GOING TO DISAPPEAR!"
"... HAND THE GIRL OVER OR THIS LITTLE GUILDHALL AND YOUR WHOLE TOWN IS GOING TO DISAPPEAR!"
Lucy stood among her fellow Fairy Tail mages, all of them unsure about how to respond to the all too real threat. But for her it was different. She could actually stop everything right now. But it meant going back to her father.
She'd run away for a reason, and it was to get away from him. He was so cold, so distant. He only saw her as a political tool. A daughter he could marry off to establish better connections and raise his bottom line. She hated it, hated being treated like some puppet he could control.
She wanted nothing to do with him, she wanted him to stay away. Stay at the mansion half a country away, carry on with business, like she'd never existed. She didn't care about his money, she hadn't taken any when she left. All she wanted was for him to forget about her so she could just start over and be a real person.
But I suppose she didn't get to have that. And she wouldn't ask the members of Fairy Tail, the people she saw as friends to risk themselves for her. Not when she could just give herself up and this awful war would end.
So what else could she do besides turn herself in?
"I'm he-"
"You can't have her!"
A shout overtook her voice, and she recognized it. Natsu, the boy who'd brought her here. He was sticking up for her… who was she kidding Natsu would stick up for anyone in Fairy Tail. It's just how he was.
It touched her heart, but she couldn't let his good nature get all of them killed, she had to do this. She had to go with them-!?
"Ya he's right, Lucy's not going anywhere with you, creep!"
Another voice joined in.
"She's one of us. I don't care what you or her dad says!"
And another.
"If you want her, you'll have to take her!"
And another.
Soon the entirety of Fairy Tail was telling the Wizard Saint off, and telling her she was exactly where she belonged.
She couldn't believe it, they really were willing to give their lives for her sake. Every last one of them really saw her as that important? It didn't make any sense. But it made her feel warm and gave her a sense of comfort she hadn't felt in a long time.
Not since her mother had passed.
And so, she cried. What else could she do?
"GUrrAH! FINE, IF YOU ALL WANT TO DIE BE MY GUEST! I'LL JUST HAVE TO TELL THE CLIENT HIS DAUGHTER GOT CAUGHT UP IN THE CROSSFIRE!"
"READY THE CANNON!"
The hum from earlier only intensified in Erza's ears. And the light glow of purple on the mounted gun had only grown stronger. What came next was unavoidable, she only hoped she could save her friends.
"Everyone get back!" she screamed while rushing to the ledge overlooking the water. Thankfully the others had listened and now she was standing between them and Phantom. She had a plan to stop the blast but had no idea if she could withstand it.
"GOODBYE AND GOOD RIDDANCE, FAIRY TAIL!" she heard Jose call out. She needed to act fast.
"Re-Quip: Adamantine Armor!" This was the plan, the strongest armor she had in terms of defense. It was a black-on-white battle suit with large protruding shoulder pieces. And in the place of a weapon she held two massive half shields.
This set was her best bet. The only question was whether or not she was up to the task of stopping the blast.
Her friends cued in on what she was doing quickly, and they clearly disapproved.
"Erza, what are you doing!?"
"Are you crazy, stop!"
She had to tune them out. Their safety came first. So all she did in response was slam the shields together and make her stand.
"FIRE!" came the command.
And everything went black.
He watched it all. From the cliff, he could see everything. The way the weapon pulled in ethernano, how it was compressed, and inevitably how it was fired.
It was destructive, a weapon of mass destruction that promised death to all in its path.
He could tell just how scared the Fairy Tail mages were, even so, they didn't submit. All they had to do was hand over Lucy and their lives would be spared. That is if Jose was telling the truth. Even so, they chose to die rather than give up one of their own.
It was foolish, honorable, but foolish.
Now they were left shaking in their boots as they waited for death to take them. All together paralyzed, all but one.
She was fast, wasting no time charging toward the attack.
Fairy Tail still had one guardian left.
Erza Scarlet, Titania, their Queen.
She stood between her home and her enemy, more than willing to give herself for it. Fitted in armor he'd never seen before. A sturdy suit of iron and shields meant to stand against any attack. She looked strong, but he didn't think it would be enough as the cannon fired.
Black, it was like they had harnessed the power of a black hole. The dark blast overtook her form, completely engulfing her and hiding the woman from sight.
But she hadn't fallen, that much he knew.
Because though the attack covered her, it hadn't yet reached the rest of Fairy Tail. They were safe, protected by her strength.
The rogue looked toward her struggle, taking in the sight. And that was the moment he realized just how beautiful the Scarlet Witch was.
Not her physical beauty, though she was beautiful, but her drive. The character and dedication she was willing to show to those she held dear.
She was selfless when it came to her friends, and in some cases even her enemies. And as much as he disliked her, she was the only one to really apologize to him. Even if it was out of necessity, an attempt to solicit his help, she was still the only one to do so.
She seemed so much like Ur in his eyes. A family she had to protect behind her, and a willingness to die for their sake. Isn't that exactly what his master had done for Gray and Lyon?
His respect only grew as he watched her fight against the inevitable, as he watched with sight only he had.
Talionis, the eye let him see. Truly the Jupiter cannon was formidable, the attack appearing as a solid black stream of pure magic. But what impressed him more was the flash of white coming from where he knew Erza was standing.
It stood out like a lone star in the night sky, and he hoped she wouldn't fall.
But she would. Even she couldn't stand against this forever. Yet he knew there was a way to win, he only hoped she recognized what it was.
"Come on you idiot." he whispered "Use it already."
"HURraaGH!" Erza screamed in defiance as the strength of Jupiter crashed down on her.
It hurt, it truly did. But what was the alternative?
Get out of the way? Let go, let Jose destroy everything and everyone she'd come to care about?
No.
She'd been alone before, experienced isolation. She knew what it felt like to leave behind loved one's to save herself. It was what she had to do to escape the Tower. And looking back, it was the biggest regret she had.
She knew what it was like to lose people in order to preserve her own life, she knew that loneliness. And she'd rather die than go through it again.
And it seemed like that was exactly what she would have to do.
"HAaaaAH!" She yelled in both pain and apposition. The struggle was taking its toll. She'd burned through a good amount of her magic reserves to keep the attack from completely consuming her, and she had more magic to give.
But that wasn't what broke first.
Her Will, Body, Mind, and Magic were all willing to carry on, to fight the good fight. The thing that quit on her first was what she thought she'd be able to count on until the very end. Her armor.
The shields had all but disintegrated. And now she was forced to take the brunt of the damage to her body in their place.
"AHhhh!" came her cry of pain, as the Jupiter blast tore into her. The shields were gone, and slowly pieces of her suit followed with it. Leaving parts of her body bare and completely exposed to the volatile magic around her.
Her suffering only grew as that same magic started to burn her. It was hopeless, there really was no situation where she got out of this alive was there? Even if she did, if this kept up much longer she would be spent and useless in a fight. And that meant they had no one who could stand up against Jose.
She needed something! A chance, an opportunity, just one way out, she only needed one…!
"One attack Scarlet… don't waste it."
She didn't fully trust him, but she would take anything right now. "Re-Quip!"
Even with all this opposition, in the middle of the roaring tide, she could still do this. And the moment the weapon was out, her body flooded with relief. Gone was the weight, she was free from the pressure. And everything that she'd suffered through instead fell on the spear she'd been gifted.
The Jupiter was still firing, but couldn't bypass Kinzo's metal.
Quickly after, Phantom's attack did end. And she was left to stare in awe at the weapon in her hands. The otherwise dull-looking spear was humming with unreal power. A light glow coming off of its surface.
So this was how Kinzo fought. He really did just let people throw the best they had at him and then he somehow threw it back. Oh how she wanted to send it right back to Jose, to make him feel what she'd felt, but she didn't know how it worked and she wouldn't risk their safety by testing it out herself.
So instead, after spinning the weapon in her hands a bit more, she simply Re-Quipped it back into her storage space, and she stood tall. She was alive and she was unbroken because of its help.
"WHAT!? YOU SCUM HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE!?"
"GRaaGH, NO MATTER. THE JUPITER CANNON CAN FIRE EVERY 15 MINUTES, SO CONGRATULATIONS ALL THAT HARD WORK BOUGHT YOU A BIT OF EXTRA TIME."
Sheer terror flashed across her face. If that was true, if Phantom really only needed a few minutes to fire again then they needed to storm that guildhall right now and disable it, whatever the cost.
"Everyone prepare to atta-!" she started.
"BUT WHILE WE WAIT WHY DON'T I KEEP YOU COMPANY?"
Her hopes of counterattacking were silenced as Jose spoke, and the sight of an army of black masses moving toward them came into view.
"HAVE FUN WITH MY SHADES FAIRY TAIL!"
They were grotesque creatures, looking like black hooded demons, with Phantom Lord's insignia on their backs. And with crooked smiles, they charged her guildmates. Slashing and stabbing they tried to take their lives.
The Fairy Tail mages were caught off guard, and they were scattered.
She needed to organize their efforts now in order to win, and they still needed to do something about that cannon.
"Everyone on me, circle up!" as she barked her friends listened. And soon she had soldiers she could command.
"All Caster-types make a front line! Keep these things off of us. Holder-types act as support!"
She yelled her orders and they were followed to a T. Soon they were working like an actual unit. But there was one mage she needed to stop from jumping into the fray.
Reaching her hand out she grabbed the scarf of a certain fire mage who was all too ready to fly into combat. And as she yanked him back he fell to his rear.
He shot to his feet like lightning, steam coming out of his ears. "Okay seriously what the hell is you people's problem!?" he'd been thrown to the ground by one of his teammates in every major arc at this point and it was getting old.
"I needed to speak with you," she said.
"And you couldn't have just told me like a normal person!?" Man yelling at Erza, Natsu was being pretty bold right now.
A quick crack to the back of the head fixed that problem. "Focus!" she hollered.
"I'm trusting you with destroying the Jupiter Cannon."
Natsu's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, and suddenly all the irritation he'd been feeling toward the redhead turned to love.
He had her blessing to break something… that never happens!
"Aye!" he screamed with a quick salute before sprinting toward the ocean. "Hey happy I need a lift!" he called back.
"Aye Sir!" was the immediate response. And the two were off.
"Natsu!" the Knight screamed up at him.
The duo stopped, giving her their attention.
"Don't mess around," she told him before her expression grew more serious "And don't hold back."
The dragon slayer's normally happy-go-lucky expression disappeared in an instant, and in its place was a deadly serious look. He nodded, and they flew off.
She couldn't help but smile. If there was anyone she could trust to put that weapon out of commission, it was Natsu.
Regardless she couldn't think about the young dragon for long, their friends were still fighting. So with a quick flash of magic, she changed into a new set of armor and charged the battlefield.
Lucy was horrified at the sight before her. A full-blown fight to the death because of her. A few minutes ago she might have told you how touching or romantic it was that these people were willing to die for her. But now she only felt sick to her stomach.
Mira had grabbed her, dragging the blonde into the guildhall to keep her away from the fighting. And not long after they were alone, the young Heartfilia started to break down.
"Why? wha -what are they doing this for?" she balled as Mira held her close.
"I don't know sweety."
"This can't happen, not because of me. I don't want this… I can stop it." she realized.
"Lucy don't-"
"No, this has to stop, I… I have to stop this!" she said, pushing herself out of the barmaid's grasp, intending to turn herself over.
She barely took the first step before her eyes started to close, and she fell into a deep sleep.
As the girl fell backward Mira caught her, having been the one to knock her out with a Sleep Spell.
"Sorry Lucy," she said. "But I'm not gonna let you throw your life away for nothing, Jose will still try to kill us either way."
Turning with the girl in her arms she called out to someone else in the building with them. "Reedus!"
Responding to his name, a plump ginger man wearing a pointy hat showed up at her side.
"Follow me." was her command. The man followed without complaint, as they exited through the front of the guild away from the fighting in the back.
Coming to a stop on the street Reedus started to move on his own, understanding what the Ex-Mage wanted from him.
"Pict Magic: Carriage and Boar!" he said while drawing the objects. Soon a cart with a large pig reigned to it popped into existence and they wasted no time loading Lucy into the back of it.
"Keep her safe." The platinum blonde commanded.
And with a nod, the carriage was off toward a more remote part of town. Reedus driving, and Lucy safe in the back.
"Twister!" A mass of volatile wind swept through the area just behind the guildhall, cutting down a half dozen shades that were closing in on the Fairy Tail mages.
"Nice hit Loke keep it up," Erza called out.
The playboy only nodded back in acknowledgment. He'd been carving through Jose's familiars for several minutes alongside the rest of his guild and had managed to keep them from reaching the structure so far. Though he wasn't sure how long that success would last.
Looking at the mages to his left and right he could see they were starting to breathe more and more heavily. They were getting tired.
He felt fine himself and glancing down toward the rings on his fingers knew he had a solid 30-40 minutes of magic left in them. One of the perks to being a Holder-Type I suppose. When it's the rings supplying the magic instead of the person you can fight for longer. Though in his case there wasn't much of a choice, using his own magic just wasn't an option.
But as he refocused back on the fight and watched as his friends struggled against Phantom's onslaught he couldn't help but ask himself.
"What if I need to use it?"
taking a moment away from the fight Loke raised a hand and watched it intently as a small amount of Light Magic build up around it, the glow starting off soft, before slowly becoming more pronounced. After a few seconds, the once dull light was now quite bri-
"Ow!"
As quickly as the light came it was snuffed out, and pain ripped through his body. No, no his magic wasn't an option, not if he wanted to stay alive.
They were gonna have to win this the old fashion way.
Finally collecting himself and realizing that he hadn't been paying attention to the fight for close to half a minute he started to refocus on the chaos around him, only for that focus to be immediately swept away.
There was a cartridge being driven away from the guildhall. Reedus was driving which was fine, but something was off. He could sense a kind of magic very similar to his own coming from that cart. And since he knew there was only one person in their guild with Divine Keys or the spirits to match, it was clear.
Lucy was in there.
He trusted Reedus, but something told him he needed to be there just in case things went south. So without explaining himself to anyone, or even giving Erza a heads up, he lept off in pursuit of the girl.
The girl who made deals with his kind.
Author's note
Okay, that's a wrap for now. There may or may not be another chapter coming out today.
Magic
1) Metal-Make Magic like ice make... but with metal
2) Speed Magic (Potential energy magic- p.s. I made this up so you won't find it on a wiki... I think.) so any time you see Conversion Leap (speed boost) or Kinetic Decay (stealing something else's speed and trapping it in place)
3) Telekinesis lifting things with one's mind etc.
4) Re-Quip no armor just items/weapons
Tools
1) His Revolver- Iron Maiden (two types of ammo revealed. Puncture rounds and Flashbang rounds)
2) The rings his mother gave him - can be molded into other objects and when spun together replay a recorded message.
3) The magic absorbing metal - He can choose to make his weapons out of this or other kinds of normal metal (iron, steel, etc.)
4) The Eye of Talionis - replacing his right eye, it allows the user to see magic (Ethernano)
5) Isacc Colt's journals - three journals belonging to his father
6) metal woven into his hair - this will not play a major role for most of the story but I may as well mention it so people don't forget.
Abilities
(1) Enhanced strength, speed, and senses. - under normal circumstances, Kinzo can act like a normal human in terms of strength and senses, but when he focuses on a particular trait it can increase its effectiveness. I.E. by focusing on his sense of Sight, he can see more clearly at much farther distances.
