Chapter 4:
When Lucy woke she had the most terrible headache and she was very uncomfortable. When she opened her eyes she saw why. She was actually inside a very large lacrima crystal ball. It was not quite as large as the lacrima that powered the Jupiter cannon or Nirvana, but just large enough that she fit inside it, though she felt cramped and didn't have enough room to get the leverage to try and break free.
What had happened? She remembered Natsu leaving and finishing her tea. Then she'd cleaned up the dishes and was getting ready to try and get a little more sleep. She'd come out of the kitchen to find a figure standing in the room. Suddenly a wave of dark red and evil feeling magic had enveloped her before she could do much of anything, she'd struggled as best she could but that blackness had been so disorienting. Her loss of consciousness had been almost immediate.
Well, crap. That means I've been kidnapped….again. She was getting pretty damned tired of this. Seriously, why did the bad guys always want a Celestial Spirit wizard? And of course her keys weren't inside the lacrima with her.
Lucy looked around hoping to see her keys and take stock of her situation. Perhaps if her keys were close enough she could still manage to get Loke to hear her. He was unique in being able to come to her without always needing to have her keys right with her. The others would sometimes come to her on their own power, but for the most part they could not do so without their keys in her possession. Horologium had saved Arcadios during the Games but she honestly had no idea how he had managed that.
The room she was in was bare wood walls and floors. It looked to be a cellar or basement of some kind. The only things she could see in the room were herself inside the lacrima, a torch on the wall next to a single door and…yes! Her keys hung on the other side of the door. Obviously her captor thought she absolutely needed her keys in her possession to use them. Maybe she could prove them to be wrong and still be "lucky" Lucy today. She would try to summon Loke.
Her attempt was cut short by the building of a magical pressure signaling the arrival of her captor in the room. He was tall with dark skin and steel grey hair. His eyes were black as night and his presence frightened her. Although she'd be damned if she allowed her fear to show to this jerk.
"Ah, good," he practically purred with pleasure. It was an unexpected shock that such a smooth and otherwise pleasant voice would come from someone like this. "I was hoping you would be awake by now. This would be so much more dull if you weren't awake for the beginning."
"Beginning of what? What do you want, you jerk?" she demanded.
He chuckled. "Spirited, I see! That will be so much more fun."
"You are going to regret this unless you let me go right now. My friends will be looking for me as soon as I'm missed and you don't want to make an enemy of Fairy Tail," Lucy warned.
"My dear girl, once I have what I want from you, no enemy will be able to challenge me."
"And what do you want?" she asked, glaring at him.
"Your power, of course. Celestial Spirit Wizards are gates between worlds, even time, as you must realize. You are one of the strongest Celestial Wizards of this age." He paused in a dramatic way and she fought the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm going to absorb your power, nay your entire being into this lacrima! Once that is done I, Kral, will be able to tap and use all of your power. I'll even be able to use your precious keys! Your contracts won't be void without your death and you won't technically die. You'll just be pure power and magic in my lacrima. I can use that power to travel between times, change history to my advantage!"
His expression was frightful because of how crazed, yet calm, he looked. "It will, unfortunately, take the lacrima a while to drain your magic, but once it does, it will absorb your entire essence along with your magic."
The color drained from Lucy's face and Kral grinned. "I wanted to make sure you'd be awake to fully enjoy your last precious, and painful, hours of existence. Now...let's start, shall we?"
That finally snapped her out of her fear and she called with all her voice, heart and magic for her most powerful spirit, Leo the Lion, Loke of Fairy Tail. As she called she hoped and prayed that he'd hear and come. Thankfully luck was, indeed, with her and Loke appeared. He didn't have time for any of his usual banter. He took in her situation in an instant and went on the offensive.
Her captor mainly used Darkness based magic and was definitely strong. However, Loke was the leader of the Zodiac and kept him on his toes. He was able to keep the dark wizard occupied, and nearly took the upper hand when he used more close quarter's magic. Unfortunately, Kral also appeared to have command of teleportation magic, which assisted him in keeping close quarters fighting and magic use to a minimum. Loke never quite got a chance at freeing Lucy. Darkness and light pitted against each other would have been a spectacular fight to watch had Lucy not been so worried over Loke and whether he could defeat this wizard. Loke was likely the stronger of the two, but the dark wizard was crafty enough to avoid much of Loke's attacks. The two fought for so long that Lucy wasn't sure how long it lasted. Even when trying strictly physical attacks Kral managed to dodge and deflect them enough to gain himself some distance and teleport to a distance and use his magic again. He wasn't as strong of a fighter as Loke, but he wasn't inept, either. Damn, that teleportation is making Loke have to fight so much harder and he can't manage to a hit with his Regulus attacks of the king.
It must have been nearing a half hour that they fought and Loke began to realize that he had no advantage even being the stronger one and might even lose to an unlucky maneuver. He had to free Lucy so she could call on one of the others to help her. In what seemed a moment of the wizard's distraction, Loke tried to destroy the lacrima and free her, but he left himself open for a crucial moment. Kral shot him with a blast of angry red shadow that struck directly in the chest. Loke had no choice left but to return to the Celestial world. His eyes were incredibly sad as he murmured an apology to Lucy and faded back to his own plane.
"Loke!" she cried out in worry and frustration. Tears spilled down her face and she sent a little prayer for his wellbeing.
This couldn't happen, her friends would be subservient to this maniac if she didn't escape. Somehow she had to get free! She tried not to despair, at the least Loke had bought her a little more time. Precious time in which her Fairy Tail friends might find her. She could only put her faith in the hope that they already knew she was missing and were looking for her. Natsu would be so angry, and this only seemed to show that maybe she did need a protector after all. How pathetic that she was so easily taken.
No! I can't think like that! I just have to stay strong. They will find me. I just have to hold out until they do.
"Naughty girl!" scolded the dark wizard. "You didn't mention you could call a Spirit without your keys. But this shows me your power is even greater than I had thought! How delightful!"
"Why would I tell you anything that would help you?"
"True enough," he shrugged. "But if I read your expression correctly, you can only call him that way. How lucky for me that this happened first, or I'd have been at a disadvantage." Kral chuckled and pulled out a knife. "Ah well, on to business."
Kral laid the knife across his own palm and drew a thin line of blood. He then pressed his hand against the lacrima and she felt a surge of power. He didn't speak, he didn't make any magic circles, and it was simply the presence of his blood that activated the spell, so he must have set it up beforehand. Blood magic was forbidden magic, which meant this guy really didn't have any scruples about what magic he used. It wasn't even forbidden just because it was wrong to use the blood of others for magic. Even when using one's own magic, the consequences could be very bad if one wasn't entirely careful and precise. When he removed his hand the lacrima seemed to thrum with power and she suddenly felt her magic begin to be slowly and painfully drawn out of her body.
Lucy screamed as her magic was slowly ripped away from her. The wizard gleefully watched as the wave of magic was drawn from her. When it stopped she was left panting, her throat sore.
She laid unmoving and weak in the lacrima until a second wave of the magic absorbing spell hit and yet again screams were drawn from her abused body. She pressed desperately against the lacrima walls, trying to break out, then balled her fists so tightly she felt her nails bite into her palms and tried to get the room to hit the lacrima. When this wave was over she fought tears and despair as she tried to recover.
"This will take quite a while, my dear. I'm afraid you have a most unpleasant evening ahead of you. Several hours I'd expect, given your level of magic power. I'll check in on the progress from time to time, don't worry."
He began to leave the room but turned back at the door, grabbing her keys and taking them with him. "And on the incredibly small possibility that you muster the ability to call another spirit, breaking the lacrima will kill you. You can only be free if I give my blood once more to the spell, and I promise you I have no intentions of doing that. No one will be able to save you in time."
"You don't know my friends," she panted. "They will save me! They are going to kick your ass and you will wish that you had never even heard of Fairy Tail." Just then another wave of pain and more magic was drawn from her. She heard a derisive laugh as he watched her in pain, then he left when it was over.
She sat panting and feeling weaker as she tried to keep herself from crying. Suddenly Virgo was before her, completely unexpectedly.
"Virgo! How are you here?!" she asked quietly, but with excitement in her voice.
"Onii-san told me you were in danger and unable to summon us, Princess. I came once I sensed you were alone again. I shall free you now."
"No!" Lucy said quickly. "Breaking the lacrima will kill me, at least if he's telling the truth, and I don't have much reason to doubt it. He's using some type of blood magic for this magic absorption spell that will absorb not just my magic but my abilities. It will also keep my contracts intact, if he succeeds! He must be defeated and his blood given to the spell again to deactivate it and free me."
"Then how can I help you, Princess?" Virgo enquired.
Another wave of the absorption spell hit her and Virgo's normally impassive face was softened by concern. When it was over she moved closer to the lacrima as Lucy sat panting.
"If this spell isn't stopped, I'm done for, and all of my Spirit friends will be bound to a maniac! Can you get out of here to find Natsu and my friends?" Lucy asked weakly.
"I believe so, Princess. I shall try to find them and explain the situation, then lead them back. I cannot stay as long as Onii-san but I shall do my best."
"Try to cover any sign that you were here, Virgo, please. If he knows that you were here he may do something to make rescue harder."
"Understood, Princess, I shall do my best!"
"Thank you, Virgo! I am so grateful for your help," whispered Lucy.
After Virgo left and Lucy had rested a bit, another wave came. She fought the draw on her magic as best she could through the pain and tried to maintain faith and hope.
It was fully sunset before Natsu and the others were met by Virgo. They were very surprised to see her without Lucy and became even more worried. Upon hearing the details of the danger she was in, Natsu roared in rage, fire bellowing from his mouth into the sky.
"Natsu! Calm down! We need to think," Erza said sternly.
"HOW CAN I BE CALM?" he roared.
"Because unfocused rage will not help her right now!" Erza yelled and hit him over the head in her usual violent manner. "We will rescue her, but I need you to focus!"
Natsu fought down his anger with great difficulty and vaguely heard Erza questioning Virgo for details.
"Princess said that he suggested the drain on her magic could take several hours and he had only begun shortly before my arrival to her. There is still time yet to save her, but the wizard himself must be defeated and his blood used to deactivate the magic and free her. Otherwise harming the lacrima will cause her death."
"Are you sure he used his blood?" Levy chimed in.
"She was positive," Virgo replied.
"That's forbidden magic. But it gives us a bit of an advantage. He will be bound to this spell. Another reason he will not want the lacrima destroyed is that it would significantly harm him, as well. His magic will be weaker until the lacrima is done absorbing Lu's magic. I've read about this kind of magic, it is possible that Wendy and I may be able to slow it down."
"Alright. Virgo will lead us there. Natsu, Gray and I will look for this Kral. Virgo will bring Levy, Wendy and Gajeel into Lucy's cell the way she left it. Gajeel, if the wizard is in with Lucy when you get to her, you and Pantherlily will handle him until we get there."
"Alright, then let's go! The more we talk the longer he hurts her!" yelled Natsu angrily.
They all nodded in agreement at the plan and followed Virgo to what looked like an old abandoned villa or small mansion. Hold on, Lucy. I'm comin' for ya! Before they were within sight of anyone who might look out the windows Virgo had taken Levy, Wendy, Carla, Gajeel and Lily underground back to Lucy. She'd have to go back to the Celestial realm right afterwards, but she'd given them great help.
When they reached the front door Natsu kicked it in unceremoniously and sniffed the air to see where the wizard might be. They stood in a large foyer with rooms leading off to both the left and right and a very large staircase in front of them leading to the upper floors. Given that the room Lucy was in had no windows, it was likely a cellar or basement.
The scent of the wizard was strongest towards the upper floors so they headed toward the stairs. Before they reached them, however, they heard a ragged but muffled scream come from somewhere in the building. It was Lucy's voice and the sheer amount of pain it held made the three of them blanch and want to destroy anything that would prevent her rescue.
Hearing Lucy's scream Natsu roared her name, not remembering or caring that the wizard might hear them. "LUCY! WE'RE ON OUR WAY!"
He didn't know if she could hear him and he tried hard to tell where the scream had come from, but it slowly faded, then stopped. It had gone on for so long he couldn't imagine what was happening to her.
Suddenly they felt power rising around them and saw horrific shadow creatures emerging from the edges of the great room. Finally, something he could vent his rage on.
"Get out of my way!" Natsu yelled and attacked the shades with his Fire Dragon's Iron Fist and Wing attacks, destroying the majority of them. Then he ran straight toward the stairs. Erza and Gray were right behind him, taking out any remaining creatures. Natsu wanted nothing more than to run directly to Lucy but he had listened enough to know the wizard Kral needed to be defeated first.
Once up the stairs, they took the left corridor. Yet somehow it seemed as though they never got very far and an endless flow of shadow shades kept attacking them. At this rate it looked as though the wizard was trying to exhaust them. He didn't realize how strong they were, it seemed, these shades were not going to stop them from reaching and defeating him, they were almost as nothing compared to dragons, after all.
Levy and the rest were brought into the room holding Lucy by Virgo's underground tunnels. Thankfully the dark wizard was not currently in with her.
Levy's heart ached to see her friend in such a state. Lucy looked so weak. Her eyes had dark circles around them, there was blood on her hands from where her nails had cut into her palms. Her hands also looked battered from pounding on the lacrima as little as she could, given the cramped space within.
"Oh, Lulu," she said softly and went to the lacrima, touching it gently.
The blonde stirred within the sphere and the relief in her eyes was palpable. "Levy? Oh, thank Mavis!" She began to cry softly, and Levy spoke soothing words to her.
"Natsu, Erza and Gray are here as well. We are going to get you out of here, Lu!"
Lucy nodded and Levy could see the hope growing stronger in her eyes. She was determined they would save her closest friend.