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-Chapter 7-
It didn't take long before the lock on all of their magic released and they found their way to an outdoors pavilion and Adro used his lunar magic to heal the damage he'd done to Vander's shoulder.
"This is definitely not where we entered," Lucy said looking around at the large glade the temple they'd just walked out of was nestled in. This temple was similar in construction to the one they'd seen at the beginning of the day but it looked remarkably well cared for and tended too. Unlike the first, this one had walls and a roof, carved murals painted colorfully along the tops of the walls and it was clean. There were no dead plants or leaves, crumbling rocks or weeds.
"Princess," they all turned and saw the light purple smoke clear announcing Lucy's maid spirit. "I've setup camp for you and prepared a large meal since I was unable to reach you for lunch." While her face was an emotionless mask and her voice was as stoic as usual, the worry was evident in her eyes as she scanned Lucy's body looking for any injuries.
The three mages looked over at the camp Virgo had prepared and were shocked at how lavish it all was. Before she'd setup small functional camps with two smaller tents, Lucy insisted so she at least had privacy to change, with bedrolls that surrounded a fire pit that had been well cleared of debris. This, though, looked like a royal party was out for a summer fête. There was a large cream colored canopy setup with hanging panels tied to the vertical supports opening the sides to allow for the breeze to help cool them from the warm humid air. Lucy noted that there were even what had to have been raised beds, blankets and pillows made out of Aries wool no doubt, which was softer than the merino sweaters she had while still living with her father. Off to the side there was a large beautifully set table with varieties of dishes piled in the center that made her mouth water.
Satisfied with her inspection the maid focused her eyes on the small dragon, "Master Draco has also asked that Adro return to the spirit realm for his lessons since he's already missed several."
"Oh," Lucy said surprised looking at the now shy looking spirit. "You didn't tell me you had lessons today."
"Sorry Princess, you haven't called me out very much, and this mission sounded so exciting!" he explained still sitting on Vander's shoulder after healing it, sounding as young as his body looked. "I will take my leave and attend my father," he bowed and disappeared in a flash of white sparkles.
Giggling Lucy turned back to Virgo. "Thank you so much Virgo, this is wonderful!"
The masochistic spirit smiled. "Since you will be in the same spot for a while I made your accommodations more comfortable. I even setup a large bath for you all that should stay heated for a few hours and I can re-heat it in the morning." Looking hopefully into Lucy's eyes she added, "Punishment Princess?"
The celestial mage's eyes softened on her crazy spirit. How could she say no when her spirit worked so hard to take care of her like this, even if she hadn't asked for it, and that was all she ever wanted. "Sure thing Virgo after we're settled in for the night." The maid's vibrant blue eyes glowed before she disappeared as well.
Lucy soon joined her companions, plate full of wonderful looking fare, where they spent some time planning the rest of their evening. Lucy offered to take a selection of rubbings of the writing around the outside of the temple then watch the camp – more like take a long bath - while Bickslow decided to fly over the area to search the surrounding forest for any potential threats.
When Bickslow's magic returned his babies took flight from his bag and scattered across the area overly excited since they hadn't been active almost all day. Taking them out scouting would be beneficial to all. Vander wanted to do an initial sweep inside the temple for people and protections so when they really started their search they weren't caught off-guard. They planned to meet back up in 2 hours when the sun started to set and call it a night having Plue on watch with his enhanced hearing and smell.
Lucy learned of his new strength unexpectedly when she took the S-Class mission with Erza in March and they were camped one night on the hunt. Lucy was having trouble sleeping even with Erza on watch so she called Plue to cuddle with and was out soundly shortly after. It was about an hour later when Plue woke suddenly saying they were being surrounded. It ended up being the giant wolves they'd been out there to catch. Turns out he didn't need his original days off either because of her strength and their contract was updated. Since then she'd made it a habit to call Plue out for baths and bedtime like clockwork so she was never caught off guard by monsters or perverts.
-DTRE-
Bickslow took to the skies directing his babies to do a high pass first before they flew lower on a second sweep. He'd always loved high places and the freedom and adrenalin he got from flying around. It cleared his mind and he was able to order his thoughts and after what he'd just been through he really needed the peaceful quiet of the skies.
The seith mage went through his vision again - he didn't know what else to call it. He hadn't spent any real time looking around outside the home before entering to know if he recognized where it was but he did see the porch swing setup facing the yard instead of to the side that was a more standard placement. The house was two-stories and while he'd only seen the hall, living and dining rooms, he was sure he'd recognize the place if it actually did exist.
His little girl had his hair but it probably brushed her shoulders when it wasn't pulled up. She had big bright brown eyes, 'Like Erza,' but his nose and smile without the tongue hanging out. Her skin wasn't as dark as his but much tanner than Erza's naturally pale glow. She was a perfect little combination of them and her name was Rokaia. He smiled, he wasn't sure where the name was from but it sounded beautiful and it was a sign that Lucy was right and that the whole thing wasn't just a figment of his imagination. In his mind he always thought he'd name his first daughter after his mother and the fact that the little girl wasn't named Sophia gave him hope.
Erza, beautiful strong indomitable Erza, had been his wife. He'd known her for years, she was at the guild when Laxus brought him there, but he'd never spent any real time with her. He knew very little about the woman other than her magic and what he'd gleaned from stories Lucy occasionally told. 'Maybe I should get Lucy to talk more about her while we work. Figure out a way to approach her and I find out if she's even currently available,' he thought as he continued to scan the area seeing nothing but regular animal and plant life. He already knew she wasn't with Jellal or else the man would have joined the guild when Erik strolled in last year after being pardoned. Instead, Jellal and rest of Crime Sorcière had scattered across Earthland with their first taste of freedom.
Knowing Erik, if he asked, the man would tell him exactly what had happened between the two mages if anything. The poison dragon slayer's ability to hear souls always meant that he knew almost everything that was going on. Bicks knew the history between Erza and Jellal was complicated but he'd also seen enough of them interacting together to know that their souls just didn't fit well and it was probably for the best they weren't together, 'Not just because I want her now,' he defended to himself.
Bickslow was now flying just above the tree tops in a zigzagging pattern on his final circuit around the area. The sun was already quickly setting but he'd gotten the outlines of a plan together. Get Lucy to talk about her friend and woo the Queen of the Fairies, Titania Erza, without getting killed. It wasn't complicated but it was what he had. Chuckling Bickslow imagined how well Evergreen would take his reference to Erza as the fairy queen. 'Probably turn my ass to stone first, ask questions later.'
-DTRE-
After their late lunch/early dinner Vander slipped into the shadows and reentered the temple making sure he didn't enter the ritual room again. Having to spend the better part of the day without his magic had been enough of an experience to last a lifetime. While he had enjoyed the break from the endless pushing at his soul from countless shades trying to escape the voids, he also felt like he was missing a part of himself. As he moved from room to room he was surprised that there was very little by way of protections so far. There was an occasional low level rune trap but that was it. It was just enough to give the impression that the area was well defended without actually being so. It also lacked any signs that anyone had ever been there. The floor had no signs of wearing, all the surfaces were clean and polished, the carvings and statues were still smooth with intricate details still keen and paints bright and fresh. It looked like the place had just been built. The only signs of any life were from where they had come through. The shadow-quip mage had never wished more than right then that he'd been more familiar with other spells outside of defense and offense in his life.
'There have to be so many high leveled preservation-type spells worked into the very materials here and I can't sense them at all,' Vander scolded internally. Being able to sense them was not all that useful for what he'd been doing in his life up till now but he hated not knowing. He ferreted out any secret he wanted and right now he wanted to know several things:
If they had the magic, why only use it here and not at the other temple?
Where was here?
Why was there another temple? Was it a decoy?
Was this place really old or did someone or something just make it? Why?
Had this temple actually ever been used? When and by whom?
Why have just a pretense of security setup?
Was Apollo playing some sort of game with them all?
He tripped at that question. 'What would Apollo gain from setting all this up?' Continuing through the building he moved on. Out of all the gods and goddesses Vander had researched post "the incident", Apollo seemed like a decent guy or so he assumed. He focused most of his studying on those who had a history with fucking with humans just for the hell of it and Apollo just didn't come up. The only information he remembered was he was the God of Prophesy and Oracles, his sign was a raven and he had something to do with the Sun. There was also what Crux had told them yesterday about him falling in love with a human man whose death he had been unable to prevent.
'How much would that have sucked to be able to see the future but not prevent your lover's death?' Vander's heart went out to the guy but that would all end in a second if he found out the God was playing fast and loose with his life. Messing with his already dead Mom to do so was a hit below the belt.
Finally finished looking through all the rooms but one Vander stepped out of the shadows. This door was different and why he saved it for last. There were more magic protections there that could actually do something to an intruder but they flickered like they were lacking the constant power to function correctly. Pushing open the door Vander looked inside and was surprised to say the least. It was a small room with lacrima by the dozens fitted into large angled tables along each wall. It looked similar to the controls on a Boscan airship and given how ancient the temple was supposed to be it was just confusing. 'Must be a control room of sorts,' he surmised. Walking into the room and getting a better look at the tables. He noticed instantly that they looked to have a floor plan indented on the surface. Finding the lacrima associated with the room he was in, Vander fiddled with it notting it hadn't been seated correctly. When the crystal sat firmly in place it stopped flickering and all the wards on the door become steady. Turning it to the right, the lacrima got brighter and the wards increased in strength. That confirmed all he needed to know as he turned the lacrima the opposite direction all the way until it stopped glowing and the wards shut down completely.
Vander looked across the rest of the lacrima and saw only a few dimly lit ones and moved to turn them off. 'If each lacrima controls a specific area,' he looked around at the large array of lacrima, 'then this whole place is a lot more secure than most governmental buildings depending on the spells. But why were most off? Even the few that were on were at their lowest setting.' All Vander had were more questions and very few answers.
Double checking all the lacrima were off he left the room and strolled back to their camp. The sun was starting to set and maybe Lucy could get Crux to do more research into Apollo since the god seemed to be all over whatever the fuck was happening.
-DTRE-
Lucy soaked in the warm water of the large bath as Plue swam small laps at the other end. It was like she was at her own personal onsen bathing outside and she really enjoyed feeling the calm breeze against her wet skin. She'd just finished her rounds outside the temple taking several samples of the language with the tools Virgo had somehow managed to slip into her messenger bag. She had also taken numerous pictures with the camera feature of Bicks's com since hers had been left at home during the rush to catch the train.
Her mind still reeled from everything that had happened so far on this job. First she learned on the train that Bosco had invented something that made sex safe from spreading disease. That country's innovations in technology and medicine staggered her. The idea of sex was a lot more appealing now that the threat of dangerous microscopic organisms out to kill here was out of the picture but if she was completely honest to herself she wasn't sure she could ever be so laissez faire with sex like the majority of her friends were. At least, not while expecting to enjoy it. From everything she'd heard you had to really let go in order to enjoy it and she doubted she could trust herself with just anyone that she found attractive.
Over the last few months she'd felt a lot closer to her friends at the guild, like some weight of doubt and fear had finally been removed and she could finally trust them again. She had finally confronted Natsu, more dramatically than she'd expected, about his leaving and put all that behind her thanks to Cana's help.
Still, she knew she was a romantic at heart and loved people easily even with her trust issues. She was afraid that, for her, sex might always be intertwined with ideas of love and romance. The very thought of sleeping with someone and then having them turn around and sleep with someone else made Lucy's stomach turn. She curled up in the tub as her heart clenched.
No, she wouldn't be able to sleep with someone without it being at least exclusive, most likely engaged to if not married. Her magic was based so deeply in contracts that without some kind of agreement she'd feel too uncomfortable to let go and do it. Since her agreement with Cana she'd finally been on a few dates during her precious little spare time but every time the guy moved in to kiss her she freaked and stopped him. So things never progressed and it was not looking good on that front. 'But hey, at least Cana has kept her deal and only drinks 2 barrels a day,' she thought.
Inhaling deeply Lucy forced her body to relax. It was a moot point to think on her love life more now anyway since she was on a job so she thought over what her father told her. She'd been shocked at first when her father said he was the one that had encouraged her mother to open the eclipse gate that fateful summer. He hadn't known that Layla had given Grammi, their most recently retired servant, Aquarius' key. If he had he would have insisted Grammi postpone her trip until after July 7th when the eclipse gate had to be opened. He felt like he had killed his wife with his own hands. It had taken so long to get Layla confident enough to agree to do it so their little Lucy wouldn't have to only to then enable for one of the holders of the keys necessary to safely execute the action to leave on a world tour during the only window of opportunity that Layla would have. He even failed in saving her life from the Magical Deficiency disease caused from using her own life force as a replacement for Aquarius' key.
He was drowning in so much guilt and grief that seeing her, the person he'd done it all to protect, was painful. It hadn't helped that she was almost the spitting image of her mother the older she got. Since some financial issues with his company kept persisting after his wife's death he dived into that work as an escape from his grief and pain. He'd cried in that café apologizing, telling her he was proud of her, that he'd always loved her and that no matter what he was looking out for her in any way he could still.
When she came to in the room with the soft growls and nuzzling of Adro, a hurt she hadn't even realized was there was just gone. She was happy, truly happy for the first time since her mother had died. Yes she had felt joy, excitement, love and everything in between since then but there had always been that deep pain she had just been ignoring until then.
Seeing Plue start to deflate Lucy scooped up her little dog spirit and got out of the bath. 'New day, new me, new adventure and a new life; let's do this without the fear of the past,' she promised herself as she dried her body and dressed. She didn't know what the future would hold but she would not let fear rule her decisions anymore.
-DTRE-
Vander and Bickslow had just returned from bathing when Virgo appeared in nothing more than a leather bikini with a bag in hand. She quietly hung a suspension bar from the canopy then opened her bag pulling out restraints, silk scarves, a braided whip, feathers, ice, a ball-gag, paddle and other items. Lucy saw what her spirit had planned and turned to her friends.
"Can you guys give us some privacy? About an hour…" she started when Virgo touched her arm. The maiden constellation spirit shook her head with a light blush on her cheeks.
"I would like them to watch Princess?"
Lucy's eyes widened at this new turn of events. Virgo loved being punished but she'd never asked for an audience before and though it made Lucy a little uncomfortable, this wasn't about her. 'Plus,' she thought, 'no fear. No one here will judge and leave me.'
"That's fine with me," she said with a bright blush on her cheeks. "Do you guys mind?" Lucy asked her friends.
It was during the time when Fairy Tail was disbanded that Lucy had finally asked Virgo why she always asked her to be punished thinking the spirit had suffered some sort of trauma at the hands of a prior master. She never once asked for punishment, that Lucy heard anyway, when they crossed paths at Duke Everlues and that had her curious. Was it something about Lucy that made the loyal spirit a masochist? Was she the one with the bondage fetish that she'd just not known about? Spirits did tend to take on a few personality quirks from their contract holders but Lucy had always thought that was a learned behavior from exposure, not a side-effect of being linked.
It had been an uncomfortable conversation but in the end Lucy realized it was probably a little of both. For Virgo, punishment at her hands wasn't specifically about the pain or pleasure she would feel from the act but the heightening of trust and solid boundaries between them as Spirit and Master. Virgo didn't seek sexual gratification from Lucy but an equaling of power in their relationship. Yes, she did enjoy it immensely, feeling both pain and pleasure, but only because with Lucy she was given the power to stop it and Lucy only did it because she loved her.
Put that way Lucy wanted to help Virgo but was still too uncomfortable with the whole situation to try. It was something Levy had said when they were hanging out shortly after the war with Alvarez was over. "Take your time and work up to the things Virgo wants you to do," Levy said as she painted a toenail. "The most important thing in BDSM is that everyone feel comfortable and safe.' Levy had experimented a lot with sex, trying out tons of ideas from the books she read, and Lucy trusted her implicitly. She and Virgo slowly worked their way up to where they were now making sure both were comfortable with whatever they were going to try. It never extended to sex for obvious reasons but the punishments were a lot more intense than when they started.
"Not at all," Bicks said as he pulled one of the oversized pillows on the ground over for a better view. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested in watching their play. He enjoyed a bit of bondage himself and wondered if Virgo liked similar things. Only hesitation he had was what his reaction would be watching essentially to hot women in their play. Lucy'd probably be scared for like if he tried rubbing it out in front of her…
Vander did the same only adding, "Would you mind if I gave some suggestions?"
"Please do," Virgo responded handing Lucy a latex outfit to put on.
Lucy rolled her eyes and went to change chanting "no fear" over and over in her mind. Virgo took the time to setup the toys on a table, put on the gag and setup the restraints for Lucy to use when she got back.
-DTRE-
"Hey guys, I think I finally found something," Lucy said as she studied glyphs on a wall that edged around what looked to be a stone door. This was the second morning they'd been searching the temple and Vander had already shut down and replaced the security system.
The night before Lucy had given the task of mapping their location to her compass spirit Pyxis since he had all of Earthland memorized. It had been funny seeing the red little bird with a compass on his head arguing with Vander late into the night about just exactly where they were and the best way to get back to the "entrance" they'd come in through so they could pick up the goslers on their way back home. Lucy had the sneaking suspicion Vander had been teasing Pyxis the whole time to help boost the shy little spirit's confidence and she thought it was adorable.
So, maps and routes were now all set and ready for them to leave and the security was handled so that just meant they needed some little trinket and Lucy could get back home and take a much needed vacation. They hadn't found anything yet that they could bring back for verification the job was completed outside of large statues most of which were practically built in; the client said in the beginning images weren't acceptable as proof. They knew there was an entire section of the temple they hadn't searched yet because of the floor plan in the control room so now they were looking for hidden doorways hoping their luck would change.
"Well, if that's a door I can't get through it even when in the shadows," Vander was the first to arrive to check out the potential lead.
Lucy's shoulders slumped. Vander saying he couldn't get through using his magic basically meant that it was just a wall.
"Aww Cosplayer, don't look so defeated," Bickslow said as he walked over to her taking a good look at the wall. "Vander isn't all powerful and knowing. No matter what he'd have you believe."
"Vander's weak!" one of Bicks's babies chimed in.
"He's stupid!" the grumpy faced one concurred.
Lucy giggled shaking her head as she saw the shadow-quip mage glare at the wooden tikis. "I guess," she said distractedly looking back at the wall missing the glare now directed at her because of how her comment could be misinterpreted. "But," she continued putting her hand on the wall tracing the unknown writing carved into it, "has he ever been kept out of anywhere when he's had his magic?" Vander's glare turned smug as he looked back at his brother.
"Never," he smiled.
"Well that's not true, Mr. Elan used to keep him out of the pantry where the cookies were kept all the time," Bicks laughed at his brother.
"I was 8!" Vander explained.
"She said ever and it proves it's possible." Lucy snorted thinking about the kindly cook out foxing an adolescent Vander.
"What's it say?" Bicks asked noticing Lucy still hadn't looked away from the writing.
"I'm not sure. It's completely different from what's everywhere else and it wasn't one of the three languages I learned on the way here." And that was why she was fascinated. Everywhere else in and around the temple used the same language and she'd been slowly picking up some words through the help of her spirits but this was so different it confused her. "Why have another language only in this room?" she asked.
"Have you asked Adro or Crux if they know it?" Vander's question made her pause.
"I'm an idiot," she said as she used her magic to see if Adro could come out today telepathically. Yesterday when Lucy summoned her little friend a towering man in vicious looking gray armor came out and said that Adro had been grounded for missing half a week of lessons and asked if he could help. While he'd been very helpful she felt a bit awkward about it since her contract wasn't with him. She'd rather call out Grandpa Crux if Adro was still unavailable.
The symbol Lucy's hand still rested on lit up bright gold suddenly and she removed it as if she'd been burned. They all watched fascinated as the light spread through all the letters until they heard the tell-tale sounds of a door shutting.
"Fuck!" Vander yelled as he popped out of the shadows right by the door they'd all entered in from.
"Hah! I believe we've just seen Vander get bested by a simple door even with his magic!" Bickslow crowed for half a second before it clicked. "Shit! We're locked in." Vander's glare was enough of a confirmation but he still disappeared into the shadows again and went along perimeter of the room just in case. Stepping back out into the room he shook his head and they all swore.
"Damn it Vander, now is not the time to prove your brother right!" Lucy said watching the writing spread across every surface of the room.
"I'm not the one who triggered the lock down Princess," Vander shot back.
"Yes but you were the one that supposedly took care of the security system," she argued back.
"This wasn't part of the system!" he explained. The tension from their anger filled the room. The last thing any of them wanted was to be trapped in this damn temple again. Lucy turned to stare at a different wall.
"I was just trying to contact Adro, I didn't mean to set something off," Lucy said her shoulders tense as she tried to hold back her tears. This was the second time she'd set something off on accident in almost as many days only this time they didn't have any of their supplies or coms with them since they were so close to their camp. The chance of someone finding them before they died was unlikely. They could survive only three days without water so even if Laxus freaked out tonight when they didn't check in and started teleporting to them, he'd end up at the other temple to start his search since they hadn't known where they were until after they'd checked in the night before. It didn't look good and it was her fault.
Warm arms wrapped around her tense form which broke the damn on her tears. "I'm sorry!" she cried slumping in their arms.
"Hey, it's not anyone's fault," Bicks said firmly supporting Lucy as she cried.
Sighing Vander walked over to his team and lifted Lucy's chin. "He's right for once. We couldn't have known your magic would have done anything. Mine didn't set it off when I touched it earlier." Pulling away from both men and drying her tears she nodded. She still felt bad she'd gotten them trapped but crying wasn't helping anything.
"Look for clues, maybe we can find a way out like before," she suggested before she froze. "I can't call my keys," she said dully. "I can't even talk to my spirits." Lucy's eyes were wide and looked to see if Vander or Bicks were having any problems.
"My magic's working," Bicks said as his babies hovered over him then looked to Vander.
"You both just saw me using mine 5 minutes ago." A bright gold flash filled the room blinding them all momentarily.
"Was that one of your spirits?" Bicks called blinking his eyes to clear his vision.
"No?" Lucy's voice sounded unsure and shocked. The magic felt like hers but the man now standing right in front of her was a complete stranger. Maybe he was another once of Draco's stars?
"Are you asking us?" Vander said turning back toward Lucy then froze as well.
"Ummm, who are you?" Lucy asked the tall very well-muscled man standing a foot in front of her. He was built like Laxus from what she could see of him, which was a lot and yet not enough to identify him. His skin was darker than Laxus' and he had more tattoos. Lucy's eyes went wide when she realized he was naked, and wet, noting somewhere in the back of her mind that he must have been showering since he also had a towel over his head. His tattoos ran down his right side similar to Bickslow and Vander's so she was guessing whoever this incredibly hot body belonged to was Boscan. The wolves on his hip and right pec looked just like the one she'd seen on Bickslow's chest but he also had a looped cross over his heart with a shield framing it from behind. Lucy's breathing was shallow and she felt funny. 'Is this what a panic attack feels like?' she mused. It was possible. The only other naked men she'd been around were Natsu and Gray but both had smaller builds than this heaven sent specimen. Her eyes travelling down his body watching a lonely droplet rolls over the firm ridges when her eyes popped right back up flushing at the sight. She had no idea those could be so big…
The man pulled his towel down to his shoulders finally exposing long blue-black wavy hair and the darkest blue eyes she'd ever seen. The silver flecks looked like stars in the night sky and Lucy stopped breathing completely. A seductive smile spread across his features as he reached out and cupped Lucy's flushed cheek.
"Cristoff, can't say as I've had the pleasure," his lightly accented speech confirmed his Boscan heritage.
"Cristoff?" Bicks questioned, still not quite believing his eyes. The man turned toward his voice and recognition registered in both men's eyes.
"Bicks," he said, the tension in his body finally left. Looking back to the still stunned woman who had captured his attention he rumbled, "Who's your friend?"
