5. Sewer Chase and 'Complications'
Natsu ducked under low-hanging street signs and navigated the streets with inhuman speed. Lucy almost ran into walls at some of his sharp turns, barely managing to slide around the unforgiving stone in time. Deeper and deeper they sprinted into the heart of the city, following nothing but a scent. Happy had caught up to Natsu, and was flying right next to his shoulder, showing no sign of physical exertion whatsoever. Lucy, puffing her lungs out, felt a surge of envy. The exceed was still carrying the large, paper-wrapped fish in his arms, though the paper was torn at one end and it looked a little shorter than before.
"Are we getting any closer?" she huffed, narrowly side-stepping a large, rotten crate.
"The smell's getting stronger, but… It's leading further down."
Without any kind of prior warning, Natsu's fist burst into dazzling flames, with flickers of electricity streaking through the blaze. He skidded to a stop, and Lucy almost ran into his back. "Natsu! What the hell are you- GAHH!"
"Iron Fist of the Thunder-Flame Dragon!" he roared, smashing his fist into the ground. The cobbled stone of the road blew apart with a deafening boom. Bits of rock shot in every direction, missing Lucy by inches. A smoking crater now squatted in the middle of the street, leaving bare the intricacies of the town's sewer system.
"Hurry up! We need to keep moving," Natsu yelled, dropping into the filthy water, and running off in the same direction as before. Lucy watched, unable to form words. She blinked for a moment, processing the damage.
"Y-you IDIOT!" she screamed, before jumping down herself, and promptly slipping and falling on her ass. Sewer water splashed all over her, and she shrieked in horror. The stench was foul, even worse than the fish markets. "When I catch you, I'm going to kill you, Natsu!"
Scrambling to her feet, she ran off in pursuit of the dragon slayer, rage pushing her onwards. The water was thick and sludgy, if it could be classified as water. Lucy could feel stray droplets spray onto her legs and slide down into her boots. Every bead was more revolting than the last.
Natsu was just ahead; she could see his scarf flapping around behind him. She had a lovely little fantasy playing in her head where she caught him by that same scarf and strangled him with it.
"Hurry up Lucy! He's just ahead- I smell it!" Natsu called from up ahead. Lucy let out a growl, before reaching for her keys. Aquarius would not be happy about being summoned in a sewer. In fact, she'd probably slowly and painfully dissect Lucy after washing everyone away with a torrent of pure, undiluted rage. Lucy shivered, before pulling out Loke's key. The lion spirit was one of her stronger and less temperamental spirits, probably a better choice if she ended up in a fight. Spinning the gold key in her palm, Lucy allowed herself a small smile. She'd be out of this sewer in no time!
Natsu could sense a familiar aura and smell a familiar smell. He was getting closer and closer, and the trail of the ghost was getting stronger. He didn't quite know what he'd do when he caught the shadowy figure, but he didn't slow his pace. Lucy was smart. She'd know what to do.
A flicker of shadow up ahead confirmed what his senses had been telling him. It was another ghost. Now he was closer, Natsu could tell it was different from the last one. The ghost he'd seen last night smelled like dust, but this one had a more plant-like aroma. It wasn't a nice plant smell, though. It was more like mould or moss. A fungal kind of plant, rather than a garden kind of plant.
"Here! I've found him!" Natsu yelled, more for Happy and Lucy's benefit than his own. The figure kept moving, not showing any acknowledgement of its pursuers. Natsu could see a set of bars coming up ahead, marking this branch of sewer as a dead end. He smirked to himself. Gotcha now!
The shadow approached the bars with no change in pace. It got closer and closer, until it just passed through them. Natsu kept running, but gaped. He hadn't realised ghosts could pass through things. Though it did makes sense now he thought about it…
Without a second thought, Natsu blasted the bars away with a fireball, and continued his pursuit of the figure. This branch of sewer was nicer than the other, and there was a path on the side. The water was also much deeper. Natsu could feel it getting higher and higher, until it was splashing around his knees a he ran. He frowned; the water was slowing him down too much. He needed solid ground to run. Leaping onto the path, he continued after the shadow.
It was only a feet ahead now. Natsu could see its eyes now too, as it turned another corner. They were green, green like mould. He was gaining on the ghost, only an arm's length away. He reached out, determined to touch it. Maybe Lucy was wrong, maybe he could pull it to a stop.
His fingers passed through the cold, slick darkness, and he felt his body tremor. It was a ghastly feeling, as if he'd just been doused in cold water. It echoed through his entire body, not just resonating through his fingers. There was a tainted magic in its body, and it didn't like being touched.
After a moment, Natsu came to his senses and recoiled from the horrible feeling. His body was still tingling unpleasantly, like some kind of aftershock. His pace slowed, wary of the unpleasant sensation now.
Up ahead, he saw a faint light. It got brighter as he approached. After a moment, he realised it was sunlight. There was an exit there, and it was rapidly approaching. It looked so small though. He must be farther away than he thought he was.
Natsu could see the pipe getting a bit smaller. It was barely noticeable at first, and then became a bit more apparent when he had to duck his head to avoid the lowering ceiling.
The slimy concrete grazed his back, and he skidded forward, sliding on his stomach. The pipe tightened around Natsu, until his shoulders were finally wedged between the sides of the pipe. The shadow passed through the edges of the pipe, unhindered by its shrinking walls.
"IDIOT!" he heard Lucy screech. Natsu wiggled, trying desperately to move forward. He kicked and struggled, trying to squeeze through. He was so close, but the ghost was getting further and further away. All he could see was a speck of illuminated shadow, as the dark figure passed through the pipe that was no wider than his arm. When the sunlight reappeared, there was no sign of the ghost anywhere.
"Wait! Get back here!" he yelled to the absent shadow. "We're trying to help you-GAH!" He yelled as the toe of Lucy's boot connected with his ass. The force was enough to knock him forward a couple of inches. "What the hell was that for!?"
"For. Being. A. MORON!" Lucy screamed, punctuating each word with another kick. "Get your ass out of that pipe before I kick it out!"
Wary of the threat, he struggled furiously against the concrete grip of the pipe. Natsu tried his best to wiggle free, but his shoulders wouldn't budge. He was jammed in there far too tight. "Lucy, I can't," he whined, still kicking his legs fruitlessly. He heard her make that angry breathing noise she did when she was pissed with him.
Why didn't you stop running when the pipe got smaller?" Happy asked. His fish was gone, and he was holding something that looked an awful lot like a fish skeleton. Natsu attempted a shrug, but couldn't move his upper body. The blue exceed looked Lucy. "Is he really that stupid that he didn't notice?"
"Sadly, yes. And Natsu, for god's sakes, explode yourself out for all I care! Just MOVE!" Lucy growled. Natsu could perfectly picture it in his head; she would be scowling viciously with her hands on her hips, making that same annoyed breathing noise very quietly. He didn't know why the image popped into his head, it just did.
With that picture in mind, his body erupted in flames. Lightning crackled in the air around him, and Natsu felt little bolts streak past his head.
Lucy's eyes widened, as she watching the flaming mass crackle and grow. "Oh shit," she muttered, turning and running off in the opposite direction. "Shit, shit, shit, SHIT! Happy, MOVE!" The blue cat swooped away, zooming past Lucy's head just in time.
A deafening explosion rang through the pipe, and little chunks of rock shot through the air for the second time that day. Lucy felt a wave of air knock her back from the sheer force of the blast. When she dared to turn back around, she saw Natsu standing completely unharmed. He was surrounded by the charred, smoking remains of the pipe, which was broken off at a height just above the dragon layer himself. He looked quite satisfied.
Then, he turned around and started running again. His feet hit white sand, and he bolted off to the left. Except, he had nothing to follow. As quickly as he had started running, he stopped. A frown slid onto his face. "I can't smell… It's gone."
Something smacked him around the side of the head, and Natsu was knocked to the ground. "Of course it's gone! They can't stand light! They just disappear if they come into contact with it. Didn't you realise that last night?" Lucy's hands were balled into fists at her sides. She was pink with anger.
"But it was night. There was no light other than the moon yesterday," he frowned, crawling to his feet. Lucy shook her head.
"Weren't you paying attention to your surroundings? It was the light of the streetlamps that scared it away last time. We were in the dark station at first, and then we ended up on the beach, in the full glare of the lamplight. This time, the ghost was navigating the sewers to avoid daylight, but when the sewer came to an end, it was forced outside. The sunlight made it vanish." Lucy explained, exasperated. "Do I have to give you a crash course in spirits?"
Natsu thought for a moment. "Yes," he answered slowly, before being knocked in the head again. To his credit, he stayed on his feet.
"Ok, then that'll happen when we get back to White Shore Cabins. In the meantime, your thoughtlessness has actually led us somewhere useful." Lucy pointed to a nearby cliff, where Natsu could see a very tall, very rickety-looking house. He cocked his head.
"What the hell does that have to do with anything?"
"When I was questioning that old fish-woman, she said that a mage was abducted when the ghost-sightings began. That's where he lived. I think we should have a look around there for anything suspicious. Since he disappeared at the very start of the ghost-sightings, there's a chance he might be involved in the summoning of those spirits. Now c'mon, let's go do something useful."
Lucy started off towards the cliff, eyes set on a narrow path leading up the rocks. "Out of interest, what would you have done it you caught up with the ghost?" she asked Natsu. He frowned in response.
"I did catch up with it, but it was weird to touch, so I let go. I thought you'd know what to do, but you were too slow and then the pipe got all squishy."
"Why would you try and touch it? I told you that those things had no physical body!"
"I don't know. It just seemed kind of dumb. Why wouldn't something have a body?"
"Because it's a soul, Natsu. I explained this to you yesterday."
"Yeah, but you always say weird stuff like that. Sometimes I don't listen."
"It's true," Happy added. "Lucy's a freak."
"You don't listen to me, and then you ask dumbass questions that I've already explained to you!" Lucy fumed. "I don't know why I put up with you two!"
"I know the answer to that one!" Natsu grinned. "It's 'cause we're a team. Simple!"
Hesitantly, Lucy rapped on the front door. It looked like someone could blow it over with just one breath. She waited for a moment, hearing nothing but silence. She turned to Natsu and Happy, who were staring intently at her. She pressed a finger to her lips, and pushed open the door. It squeaked and creaked beneath the pressure, sweeping a great arc across the tarnished linoleum floor.
Inside, there was an old wooden counter decorated with old books and charms. A disturbingly lifelike sculpture of an enraged wolf crouched next to the table, glossy, white teeth bared. Lucy was astonished at the sheer quantity of stuff condensed into the one, small room.
"Lucy, I don't like this place," Natsu muttered. "I smell something here, something weird."
"That's probably a good thing," Lucy replied, browsing the array of magical scripts and books displayed in a towering bookcase. She ran her fingers over the spines of the books, analysing each title and character. "Can you pinpoint where it's coming from?"
Natsu nodded, pointing a finger upwards. "There's something directly above us, and it's not friendly."
Lucy froze up. "Alive? Or just magical?" she asked, reaching for her keys. She unhooked Loke's key from her ring, just in case.
"Alive, definitely alive," he growled, glaring at the ceiling. "We should go find it before it finds us." Happy flew onto Natsu's back, hugging his neck.
"Natsu, it's creepy in here," he whined, shaking slightly. "Do we have to go upstairs?"
"I think so," Lucy murmured, gripping the gold key like a life preserver. "Natsu, lead the way?"
He nodded, and began to scale the dusty wooden stairs. Every step was marked with a screech from the aged floorboards. The shrunken heads hanging from the banister didn't help the suffocating air of creepiness. He could feel Happy quivering against his back, utterly terrified.
As Natsu reached the second level, he sensed a strange kind of magic, pulsing and throbbing like a heartbeat. It wasn't the ghost magic, but it was equally dark. He took a deep breath, before moving towards the source of the magic. He came to an abrupt stop when a high, cold voice rang out from the top of the second staircase.
"Well well, look at this. Complications."
And, there we have Chapter 5. Prepare for a fight! It's been a while since I've had a chance to write some good, old-fashioned, magical violence.
As always, thanks for the feedback. Every little word is appreciated. Hell, even if you just post 'potato' as a comment on the story, it'll be appreciated! Maybe not as much as a detailed review, but hey, I'm not picky. I'll still consider you as a super incredible human being.
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