Alright! So I'm back from a bout with writer's block, and while I was gone from this story, I pumped out two or three chapters on my second one, What Will It Take. If you guys are interested, go ahead and check it out on my profile. I am looking for a beta reader for that one, so PM me if you are interested!
I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL. :( It belongs to Hiro Mashima.
*Spells* *Thoughts* *Everything else*
Anyways guys, follow and review if you like it, and I'll see you later! Storm Out!
Erza woke up stiffly, shivering in the cold. Drawing the thin blanket towards her, she reached out across the bed for Erin, only to come up with empty air. She sat bolt upright, gazing around wildly at the unfamiliar stone cell she was in, until the memory of what had happened the previous day caught up to her. I'm sorry, Erin. She hung her head as the weight of where they were hit her like a ton of bricks. A tear rolled down her cheek as she realized that she may never see her guild again. Faces flashed before her eyes. Natsu, Gajeel, Laxus, Elfman, Alzack, Bisca, Asuka...Erin. Her resolved steeled as the face of her fiancée stuck in the back of her mind. The man who rescued her from so many things, including herself, whose broad grin and sarcasm had kept hopes up in the darkest of times, who beat the odds to even find Fairy Tail, who had sacrificed so much for the guild. I refuse to die, not until I see him again. She stood up, only to be stopped halfway by a thick chain that held her wrist to the wall. Frowning, she attempted to summon a sword to break it, only to pause, puzzled, as she couldn't grip her magic. They must have laced magic blocking spells into the chains, she reasoned. Steeling herself for what she was about to do, she relaxed her hand, using the sweat that had accumulated on her palms to aide in her endeavor. Finally, with a small pop and an excruciating pain, her thumb dislocated and she pulled free of the cuff, catching it in her palm before it could crash to the ground. Biting her lip to stifle her scream of pain, she sat down and looked at her hand. The skin on her thumb was rubbed a raw, angry red, and her thumb hung awkwardly, but she could fix that, and other than that, she was bruised and battered, but alive and able to fight. Breathing in deeply, she jerked and groaned quietly as she popped her thumb back into place. Focusing, she felt her magic returning and requipped into her Heaven's Wheel armor and slashed through the bars on her door.
Levy awoke with a jolt after hearing a loud crash from down the hallway. Looking around sleepily, she took in her unfamiliar surroundings. How did I get here? She wondered, then gasped as the memories returned. The cave, Gajeel leaving, the two assassins, getting knocked out, waking up and blearily seeing an expansive desert. She flinched as more crashes sounded from down the hallway, and a man in what looked like a guard's uniform flew past her cell, slamming into the wall with enough force to leave an indentation. More crashes, accompanied with random yells of, "Call for reinforcements!" and "HELP!" reached Levy's ears. Making to run to her cell's bars, she jerked back as something around her wrist caught her. Glancing down, she saw a thick cuff around her wrist, connected to a chain that was anchored in the wall. Tugging uselessly at it, she leaned as far out as she could, then jumped back as another guard slammed into her cell, jarring the door loose. Seconds later, a familiar figure strode into view, clad in armor and carrying twin swords. "Erza!" she yelled, jerking at the chain that bound her. The figure glanced up, recognition coloring her face as she ran to the cell. "Levy!" Erza said, relief evident in her tone. "Do you know where the others are?" "No," Levy replied, worried, "I thought they might be with you." Levy glanced around, trying to see the other women, but Erza shook her head. "I haven't been able to find them. C'mon, let's get you out of here. Stand back." Levy retreated to the wall, and Erza planted her foot and kicked the already weak cell door, loosening it further and making it groan. She kicked it again, and it flew off the hinges, hitting the rear wall. Stepping inside, Erza pulled a set of keys out of her pocket. "Swiped these off of a guard," she said, a small smile playing around her lips. Seconds later, Levy was rubbing her wrist as the cuff fell away. "Thanks a million, Erza." She said gratefully. "Anytime," the redhead responded. "Now, let's go find the others."
"Please, help!" Levy looked up from their search. So far, they hadn't been able to find the others after fifteen minutes of wandering through the prison. Taking off, Levy ran towards where the call had come from, and found a girl struggling to break free from her chain. "Erza!" She called, looking over her shoulder. "We've got someone over here!" Erza ran into view, slowing to a walk as she came into view of the cell. "Stand back she advised the girl as she summoned her swords again. Emerald green eyes widened in understanding, and the girl stood back against the wall. Slowly inhaling, Erza let out a yell as she took one step forward and sliced through the door, letting it fall to the ground in two pieces. Pulling the keys out, she unlocked the cuffs of the stranger, who nodded gratefully. "Thanks, I owe you a million." "What's your name?" Levy asked. "The name's Maka Albarn. Its nice to meet kind people in a place like this!" She smiled up at the two. "I'm Levy McGarden. And the armor junkie over there is Erza Scarlet." Levy smiled back at Maka's laugh. "Can you use magic?" "Yeah, actually I can. It's called Soul Pulse magic. I can use soul wavelengths to either boost allies or attack. It's kinda useful." They got up. "Let's find our companions, then we'll work on getting out of here. It may be brief, but for now, Maka, welcome to Fairy Tail."
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" A massive burst of fire burned across the dune, causing the group of fifty dark wizards to dodge for cover. "This is really starting to get annoying!" Natsu growled, turning with katana in hand. "Tell me about it!" Gajeel returned, revving up his Iron Dragon Sword. Together, they dashed towards a group of ten enemy wizards and cut them down, showing no mercy. It wasn't too long after that the battle was over. Glancing over, Natsu saw Erin and Laxus walking over a dune towards them, dragging a limp body that turned out to be the commander of the force that had just attacked them. They had been following Natsu's nose to find the Alliance's headquarters, but with the desert's constantly shifting winds and sands, they had been unable to find a clear scent trail, and were trying to pick one up when the group of wizards had found them. Meeting up, they continued to walk until they found a small cave that offered a small amount of relief from the midday heat. They set up the soldier against a rock, and Erin knelt down in front of him, a feral smile on his face, and slapped him across the face so hard, he jolted awake. "Wakey, wakey!" Erin said in a singsong voice. The soldier looked up, fear evident in his expression. "Wh-wh-where am I?" he stuttered. "A small cave in the western desert. Now, are you going to answer our questions, or do we have to add you to the body count for today?" Laxus answered, menace in every syllable. The soldier looked upwards at the four men, seemingly weighing his options, before saying, "Sure. What do you want to know?" "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up," Natsu said, confusion evident. "No crap about, 'I'm not telling you Fairy scum anything.' No, 'you don't intimidate me'? Just answers?" "Sure," the soldier replied. "Okay, where is your headquarters?" Gajeel tried. "About fourteen miles to the southwest, across Sunshine Ridge." The soldier answered. "Do you know where the prisoners are held?" Laxus asked, leaning forward. "On the lowest level of the East Tower, next to the guards' quarters." "Why are you helping us?" Erin asked, suspicion in his voice. "Because I'm not really with them. I've been looking for a way to get out, and then you Fairy Tail guys showed up out of the blue. Thanks, by the way." The man responded, flashing a pointy-toothed smile towards them. "If you're in such a giving mood, how about helping us get inside?" Erin queried. "I just said I was trying to get out, and you want me, a deserter to help you break in?" the man asked incredulously. "Basically. If you refuse, we'll send you on your way to the nearest town, no questions asked. But we need to get in there. I understand if-" "I'm in." the man said, cutting off Natsu. "There's someone in there that the Alliance was using to keep me in line, and I'm going to get her out. Quickest way to do that is to help you guys, so…" "Alright!" Natsu exclaimed. "What's your name, stranger?" "The name's Soul Evans." The stranger said, adjusting the headband that held back his mess of white hair. "Nice to meet you, Soul." Natsu said extending a hand and helping Soul to his feet. "What kind of magic do you use?" "Requip." Soul stated bluntly, summoning a blood red scythe to show them. The group nodded, then took off towards the base. We're coming, everyone. Hang on.
I know you guys hate cliffhangers, but it was this or shorten the story even more, and I don't want to do that. I plan on introducing another character next chapter, so hope you guys are looking forward to that! Follow and review if you guys enjoyed, and I'll see you later! Storm Out!