When Mercedes arrived at the forest where the home of the former chairman was, she had not been expecting to see a group of soldiers that littered the ground all unconscious. She went to one of them and saw that they had a crest with two hammers… a mark of a dark guild. Mercedes looked behind her and saw that the home of the former chairman had also been quite thoroughly destroyed. She was well aware that whenever Erza went somewhere, she had the tendency of destroying something, so she wasn't surprised to see the house with a sizable hole in the side.
"Angel-san told me that Tartarus was a leading dark guild" Mercedes reasoned out loud. So if they're the leading dark guild that attacked Succubus Eye, then there might be a chance that other dark guilds are being attacked."
With her conclusion drawn, Mercedes jumped on the back of her giant snake.
"Take me to the closest dark guild from this place." She instructed.
The giant snake hisses, unfurled its wings and slithered through the air.
It didn't take long to find a dark guild close to them, the snake using its enhanced sense of smell 'tasted;' the air for dark magic and followed it. Mercedes threw herself from its back and ran into the guild and to her horror, the guild had also been attacked just like Succubus Eye. She saw that there was small black paper figures scattered on the floor and throughout the room, she hunkered down and picked one up.
'Who or what came here that was able to do this?' She wondered to herself.
"I see that someone new has arrived, and so soon after I attacked the last guild." A voice spoke from behind her.
Mercedes turned in shock not realising someone was in the shadows and looked behind her. Standing in the doorway was a young woman, she looked a little older then Erza-nee but it was hard to tell with all the armour she was wearing. Over her head was an intricately shaped helm with a large gem in the centre of the forehead, that covered most of her face, save her mouth and eyes, from the side of the helm two wing like pieces of hair protrude, curving out around her face, out the back her hair was braided down her back.
Protruding out of her long, wide sleeves were large, scaly and sharp hand like talons, while a pair of thick bands wrapped around her thighs stopping where a set of similar set of bird like feet began.
The bird women was smiling at her and Mercedes frowned in return.
"Who are you?" She asked, gripping her fans tighter.
At first the woman didn't answer, she only examined Mercedes with her eyes as if looking for something. "I am Kyouka, a member of the Nine Demon Gates of Tartarus."
Recognising the name Mercedes got into a defensive position and readied her fans.
"Are you the one who attacked this guild and Succubus Eye?" She questioned narrowing her eyes showing no fear like Erza-nee had taught her.
Kyouka's grin widened "Yes. I find it rather amusing to see the now much humans struggle against my power. Hmmm, you look just like my last victim."
Mercedes felt her eyes widen. 'Is she talking about Minerva?'
Kyouka blinked slowly as she recognised the small child. She was too similar to Minerva for it to be coincidence.
"I'm guessing you know who I am talking about. The person that I am referring to is called Minerva. She did put up a good fight, at least until I used my magic on her."
"..." Mercedes' eyes hardened, and she glared at Kyouka.
"Her suffering was entertaining for me."
Mercedes glared even more at the demon casually talking about her sister and her pain.
"What did you do to her?" she hissed.
"I'm guessing you two are related somehow. Let's just say she is going through some changes in order to join my guild. She has the strength it takes to be a demon in my guild."
Mercedes was relieved that Minerva was alive but she wasn't too happy to know that her sister was going to change into a demon.
"That's cruel. You shouldn't have the power to take away people's humanity."
Kyouka just looked at her with an amused expression. "In the world of demons, there's no such then as pity." She replied, her smile becoming a wicked one. "Since your sister is in my guild you should become a member as well. After all it would be 'cruel' to separate you."
Mercedes took a step back as Kyouka approached her.
"Stay away from me!" she yelled, her voice betraying her as it quivered. If Minerva couldn't defeat this woman, what chance did she have?
Kyouka kicked Mercedes into a wall as she was readying her fans. Her back painfully connecting with the stone and making her drop her fans. As she reached out for them, Kyouka stepped ever closer.
Gripping them she opened then and called;
"Time; Power of the Horse!" An image of a horse appeared over Mercedes and as it whinnied, her injuries faded. Once healed she called again;
"Time; Power of the Snake!" And she vanished as an image of a snake appeared.
Kyouka was not expecting the child to be this resourceful, and was thoroughly surprised and impressed when she began fighting back. But she was not going to be out fixed by a child, so using all her sensed she listened for anything out of the ordinary, looking out for any sign of the now invisible child.
Kyouka turned sharply as the paper humans were scattered by non existent wind. And, acting quickly, she leaped and reached out and hit something and pinned it to the floor.
Mercedes having been found and slammed her to the floor by a large sharp talon of a hand was struggling for breath as it was wrapped around her neck. Using her other hand, Kyouka tore her fans from her hands, effectively eliminating her ability to fight back. Mercedes grabbed onto her wrist and struggled with all her might to be free but screamed out in both pain and frustration as it tightened around her throat, the demon smiled at her.
"That's it, scream out for me, my child. Scream out for your sister, you will soon meet her in the Underworld."
Kyouka was using her sensational curse on Mercedes, raising it so every minor scrape was torture, and with a sharp talon she made a small incision on her cheek, barely deep enough to draw blood and grinned in ecstasy at her helpless victim, who was screaming and begging for her to stop. What really excited Kyouka was hearing Mercedes cry out for Erza and Minerva to help her. It didn't take long for the small child to pass out from the intense pain she was put in by the demon.
Kyouka picked up the unconscious Mercedes then left to re-join her guild, Tartarus.
Tartarus (Hell's Core)
Kyouka was in the lab and she had the child who was still passed out tied and bound with chains that drain a mages magic energy. There were three other demons in the lab. A round demon with one eye was smiling at Mercedes.
"Who is this little human?" He asked, perplexed at why Kyouka would bring a human child back with her.
Kyouka looked at them, her expression slightly joyful. "This little human will no longer be human. She will be joining this guild, Franmalth."
Franmalth snickered and the demon next to him was a young woman with horns protruding out the side of her head and pointing upwards, upon her head sits a white band that separates her long black hair. Worn upon her head was a small circular symbol with a small dot in the centre and several dot's along the top. She leaned closer to get a better look at Mercedes.
"This girl's story is to become one of us is it?" She asked not looking away from the bound child.
The third demon was also a female and she had bunny ears, a large fluffy coat and a tie that had '1/16' written on it.
Smiling brightly she said. "Oh, how cute. She looks just like the other human you got, the one going through the transformation right now."
Minerva's mind
Minerva could hear everything that was being said outside of her tank despite the liquid surrounding her. The pain had dissipated somewhat and she recognised Kyouka's voice as she mention a new member will be joining them.
She also heard a voice mention that the person was a young girl and that she was going to be turned into a demon. Minerva felt her brow twitch at what they were saying.
'A new member? Who is it?' she thought to herself within the prison of her mind.
She shortly received her answer when she heard the third demon mention that this person looked just like her. When Minerva heard that she just froze.
'Mercedes?!' She screamed horrified at the turn of events 'Why is she here?!
Minerva began to twitch within her tank but the demon particles wrapping around her body kept her in place.
'NO! Let her go! I have to get her out of this place!' Even though Minerva was in a tank she was crying.
'Mercedes!' She screamed wanting nothing more than to break out of here and run, while she wanted power, she couldn't sacrifice her little sister's humanity.
Outside world
All the demons in the lab were watching as Minerva was reacting. Franmalth smiled at the sight then looked at Kyouka.
"Are they acquainted?" He asked nodding toward the still twitching woman in the tank.
Kyouka smiled. "Yes they are. Sisters to be precise, but I'm going to hold off on putting Mercedes in one of the tanks. If I put her in now, Minerva will destroy the process of Mercedes becoming a demon, and too much energy is being used to revive Tempesta as well. Sayla come with me, I want you to assist me with keeping Mercedes contained."
Sayla nodded and followed Kyouka as she left dragging the bound child behind her. Franmilth looked at Minerva who had stopped twitching then snickered.
"Well she's not going to be human anymore. I wonder how this will work. The Demon Sisters of Tartarus, has a nice ring to it. What do you think Lamy?" He asked turning to his fellow demon.
Putting a hand on her chin she answered "You're right. I wonder what I should have the little kid as. She is too small and cute to ruin and turn ugly."
"Well you're good at remodelling demons in many ways, I'm sure it won't be a problem for you." The round demon laughed.
Kyouka and Sayla
They had dragged Mercedes to Kyouka's personal room and tied her chains to the arms and legs of the chair. Mercedes had slowly awoken, squinting at the harsh light and trying to focus her blurred vision and saw two people, one she easily recognised and another she didn't.
"It's you." She sneered, trying to lift her arms to swing at her and realising her arms were bound in large shackles and she couldn't move.
Kyouka smiled at her as she struggled to free her arms and legs from her binds.
"I'm glad to see that you remember me, welcome to Tartarus."
Mercedes stopped her struggling, having run out of energy much faster than usual and frowned at her. "Where is my sister?"
"She's being remodelled into a demon right now." Kyouka told her, happy at the sight of the child's distressed expression.
"Let me see her." She demanded.
"I can't do that."
Sayla could see that Mercedes did resemble Minerva quite a lot and, with surprising gentleness, she grabbed Mercedes jaw tilting it to make the child look at her.
"Little child, you look very much like your sister who is becoming one of us. You will go through the same transformation soon, there are hardly any happy endings in a Demon stories." She spoke to her, watching the fear appear within her eyes.
Kyouka smiled at her protégé as she told Mercedes her fate.
"If you want to ever see your sister again, you will do as we say. I'm sure Sayla can make that happen even if you resist."
Sayla closed her eyes and backed away from the child preparing to use her Macro if requested.
"When the one called, Erza awakens, we will confront her and because we want information from her, you will tell her that you renounce all ties with her and chose to become a demon."
Mercedes glared at them sickened that they bad Erza and that they wanted her to lie. "I don't want to become one of you."
Kyouka smiled in amusement. "You don't? In that case that must mean you don't want to see your sister again."
"That's not it! All I want right now is to see Minerva! Just let me see her!" Mercedes was torn between her sister and Erza.
Kyouka smiled knowing that Mercedes' loyalty was being tested then stroked her head ignoring the fact that she was trying to move as far away from her as her bounds allowed.
"If you say this to Erza, then we will let you see your sister, but it won't be as much fun, nor can we guarantee your loyalty…So." Kyouka looked at Sayla. "Use your Macro on Mercedes."
Sayla nodded then Mercedes looked at her, more frightened than before.
"No! Let me go! I'm not saying that I'm going to be a demon! I am not lying to Erza-nee! I just want my sister that you took from me!" She screamed once again pulling at the metal shackles that bound her.
Sayla put a hand to the back of the child's head and brought Mercedes forehead to hers to stop her struggling and was looking at her dead in the eye. Mercedes was breathing in short shallow breaths, both from fear and exhaustion. She was unable to prevent the tears that followed.
"Whenever a human asks a favour of a demon, it's when they are selling their soul. Are you selling your soul to me?" She softly asked.
Mercedes' tears were forming rivers down her cheeks then Kyouka smiled, happy at the result.
"I take that as a yes." Sayla whispered not averting her gaze from Mercedes made her order.
"When the one Erza awakens you will tell her that, you had no feelings for Sabertooth or Fairy Tail. You were foolish to attach yourself to either of them you were only using them as they were stronger. But in this guild you will have a family, you'll tell Erza that you want nothing more than to become a demon. Do you understand?"
Mercedes's eyes became blank as her mind was taken over, she nodded.
"I understand...sister." She replied in a monotone, still resisting Sayla's curse but to no avail, she was completely lost.
Kyouka smiled and praised Sayla for a job well done, then she easily freed Mercedes from the chains and turned to leave the room.
"Come Mercedes, we have a job to do." She called over she shoulder, she didn't even need to look back to know the child was rising from the chair and following them without question or hesitation.