After Kyouka had left the prison chambers with Mercedes following diligently after her. The demon woman glanced behind her and grinned at the child mage who was still under the control of Sayla's macro. Kyouka placed a gentle hand on Mercedes' head, being careful not to cut the child with her claws. The child lent slightly into the affectionate gesture.
"You did well, Mercedes. Let's go to the control room. I'm sure we can find more about the location of the last council member." She told her removing her hand and quickening her pace slightly, excited at the prospect of finally activating FACE.
Mercedes didn't say anything, only nodding as she followed the female bird like demon through the hallways to the control room where Franmalth stood snickering at the screen he was looking at. The former Chairman had just taken Jellal's key and when he transfers it to another person they could be killed and then FACE would be activated. Upon hearing this, Kyouka stabbed him through his chest with her extendable claws.
FACE was now activated. The entire floating fortress of Tartarus shook from the reaction.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Kyouka demanded "Activate FACE."
Franmalth, with his grin still on his face "Um…About that- Oh the vibrations have quieted- Anyway it can't be done from here. It has to be manually detonated. You do realize that the chairman could have controlled all of the faces from here, right?" He told his companion and gazed down at the dead Chairman.
Kyouka closed her eyes smiling while Mercedes stared with little emption on her face at the dead body of the former chairman that Kyouka had killed just moments before.
"Perhaps I was a little hasty, but that doesn't matter right now. Send someone to see to it." She ordered Franmalth annoyed at the longer wait for FACE to be activated "I just hope those Fairies stay out of the way."
Just as she finished her order Sayla came into the room. "Do not worry about such things. Before long the stories of those fairies will come to an end."
Kyouka smiled and looked at Mercedes an idea forming her head. "Let's watch them perish."
Franmalth had a screen to show what was happening at the guild of Fairy Tail.
Hell's Core
Lamy was laughing like a female maniac as she skipped around the lab.
"I can't believe those vibrations happened like that, what if the demons were affected by it?"
In a heartbeat she became serious. "Worry is unnecessary!"
She then went right back to her fan-girl giggle. "They are already reborn~!" It seemed that Lamy was a little bipolar since no normal person could switch emotions that quickly.
Standing before her was a handsome young man with long, neck-length hair, dark skin, and muscle-bound arms and chest. He also bears spiky fingernails and small scale-like blades on each hand.
Alongside his rebirth, he appears with a new attire; Tempesta now wears a black sleeveless, collared shirt with a black, slime-like highlights and has a short tie. He also wears matching straps tied around his forearms, black pants and shoes. He was looking at his body trying to remember it.
"So this is my body?" he questioned, completely at ease at the situation.
Lamy smiled. "That's right, Tempesta-kun."
The man narrowed his brow a little. "Tempesta? That is my name?"
"Hay, hay. You're soo cool cuz I made you look like a hunk!" Lamy went into complete fan girl mode and began to swish from side to side.
"My appearance is unimportant" He told the overexcited girl.
Just then another male demon that had animal features such as a long furry tail and sharp teeth came to them.
"What's this? Tempesta's getting all the attention. That ain't fair."
Lamy clung to him as soon as he was within arm's reach.
"No Jackal-kuunn~! You're so cool~!" she squealed hugging him close.
Jackal frowned. "Get offa me!" he shouted as she shoved the rabbit girl away.
Tempesta just looked at Jackal staring at him with great intent. "Jackal?"
Jackal frowned at him. "Oh come on, Tempesta. You don't remember me?"
Lamy wiped her eyes in a dramatic fashion and said. "Every time Tempesta gets a new body he loses his memory. It's a pity for him, but a blessing for me."
As she said the last part Tempesta just looked at her then he looked ahead at a new person that was also in the room with them.
"Who is that?"
Jackal and Lamy both looked to see who the new demon was and Lamy spoke.
"That's someone that Kyouka-nee brought into the lab to be born as a demon. I believe her name was Minerva." Lamy told them, looking board, she didn't care about women.
Minerva was looking at her hand that now was covered with a black glove, she noticed that she had claws sharp enough to slice through metal.
"So this is what it means to be a demon, such power." She spoke out loud, feeling her magical energy flowing through her body.
Minerva saw her new guild mates and grinned at them, but all three demons' attention turned, when Lamy skip over to another tank that had a body in it.
"This one was also brought in." She told them gazing scornfully at the person within "I think her name was Mira, or something like that. With her here, we have had three new recruits."
Tempesta frowned he disliked not knowing anything and having to relearn everything about his team and Jackal blinked racking his brain trying to think who the third person was.
"Who is the third?" They questioned. "He better be strong." Jackal sneered.
Lamy smiled at them, turning away from the person in the tank. "The third is a child, who happens to be Minerva's little sister. It's going to be so much fun to have our guild, with two demons that are sisters."
Jackal just looked away in thought. "The Tartarus sisters, eh? It does have a good ring to it."
Tempesta and Minerva didn't say anything, they were milling through the information they revived. Minerva huffed as she left the lab, not wanting to be idle as ideas and images flew through her mind.
As she walked through the stone halls her shoes 'clicking' against the stone floor as she moved with a single purpose, to look for her little sister.
"I am relieved that you're still human Mercedes." she said to herself, thinking out loud eye's darting every direction looking for any clue of her sister's whereabouts. "That means I can still get you out of here before they change you into one of them." Minerva couldn't help but smile at the thought of seeing her little sister, but she stopped in her tracks as an unbidden thought ran through all the others to the forefront of her mind.
'Would she allow me to get her out of here, even if I am a demon? I wouldn't know, but I have to find her first.' She told herself as she restarted her search and began to walk forward with renewed vigour.
Minerva's walking had brought her to the control room but she stayed out of it preferring to watch from the doorway, and had her head peeked in to see who all was in there. She saw Franmalth, Kyouka, Sayla… and Mercedes. Just the sight of seeing Sayla stroking Mercedes on the head as if she was a sibling figure made Minerva so enraged that she wanted to rip Sayla apart for touching her little sister. She had to keep herself controlled but she saw that the Former Chairman was dead and the demons were looking up at a screen that showed the Fairy Tail Guild exploding from the inside from a highly concentrated Lacrima bomb.
After seeing the Fairy Tail guild go up in flames, Minerva felt shock that quickly turned to rage bubbling up within her, but she didn't do anything.
'These demon bastards! How dare they take my sister AND my revenge from me!' She screamed to herself. She was hoping to get revenge on those second rate guild members personally.
Minerva then turned to leave to go someone else. At this point she wasn't going to be able to get near her sister, if she was going to be stuck with Kyouka and Sayla all the time. Minerva could care less about Franmalth but as for the two female demons there was no way she could fight them off and get her sister from them.
'I would have to wait for a little bit of time before I could do anything to get Mercedes out of there.'
Minerva stopped when, she heard footsteps following behind her and looked over her shoulder to see that it was Mercedes who must have followed her outside after seeing the elder sibling at the doorway.
Minerva smiled as she faced her sister but then her smile dropped when she saw that Mercedes eyes looked like there was no life in them.
"Mercedes..." She began, leaning down to her height and went to the little mage cupping her cheek, having her to look up at her.
"Mercedes?" She tried again only for the mage to continue to just stare blankly at her, then Minerva used her other hand and stroked the back of her little sister's hair.
"You remember me, don't you?" The newly turned Demon questioned, hoping that there was something of her sister in this hollowed vessel.
There was very little hope in Minerva's voice when she asked Mercedes that simple question.
"...who are you?" The small girl asked, her voice was nearly monotonous as she spoke.
Something in Minerva shattered as she looked at Mercedes. The elder mage- no Demon now- wrapped her arms around the child and hugged her close.
"It's me...your Onee-San, Minerva."
"My only Onee-san is Sayla." She replied with no hesitation.
When Minerva heard her sister's reply her grip tightened on her sister. "No she's not. I am your Onee-san. You were first a mage of Sabertooth, but you were driven away by me, then you left and joined Fairy Tail with-"
Minerva stopped talking as she realized that she was about to say the name of the one person who was the first to take Mercedes from her, Erza Scarlet. The woman felt that her sister didn't have her fans then she looked to see an open door leading into a bedroom.
She took Mercedes into the room and locked her within it then left.
"I will get you out of here when I'm finished with them." She spoke to the door as she locked it. She could only hope that her little sister would remain safe within the room.
It didn't take long for Minerva to spot Kyouka walking through the hallways heading toward the prison chambers but Minerva wanted to wait to free her sister until she saw Erza herself.
"When I see you, I will kill you, Erza Scarlet." She spoke out loud, her eyes regaining a spark that she thought was gone forever.
AN: Hey everyone, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and I am sorry for the long wait but it will take longer since MOST of us are in college, volunteering or have other things to do. So I will AT LEAST post when I have the chance for the next chapters. Take Care!
P.S. Thanks to Trying To Put Pen To Paper for editing!