9. Puzzle Pieces
With no keys and no Natsu, Lucy was left defenceless. She had no chance. Nevertheless, she reached for her fleuve d'etoiles, gripping it as tight as humanly possible. Straight away, she felt an invisible force tugging at the handle. It was no harder than the men himself could pull, but Lucy was still struggling to maintain her grip.
"So, are you going to explain the whole 'master plan' thing, or am I going to have to guess it?" she hissed through her teeth. The old man gave her a sickening smile.
"Let's hear your speculations, Miss Heartfilia. If not for their accuracy, then at least for my personal amusement," he replied icily. Lucy noted that he remembered her name this time. That was the nail in the coffin for her; the proof that the feather-brained Mr Breichs wasn't a real person. There was only this cold, calculating monster.
"You were summoning the ghosts here to resurrect some dark sorcerer," she accused. "What I don't understand is why you hired us, and why you abducted Mr Harrigan."
At the mention of that name, Mr Breichs twitched violently. "I didn't lay a finger on Anton. It was his fault. His!" The old man hissed at her, looking murderous. He scowled at Lucy for a moment, before taking a deep breath and adjusting his spectacles. "But none of that matters now. Anton will be back with us very shortly."
Lucy's eyes widened slightly, as the realisation hit her. "You killed him, and now you want him back. That's it, isn't it? Harrigan is the dark sorcerer you're resurrecting!"
"I did not kill Anton Harrigan! He killed himself! Don't talk about things you don't understand, stupid girl!" he bellowed, turning an angry red. Lucy saw a flash of colour in his shadow, like the eyes of one of the spirit he'd been collecting. Is he… Is he housing them in his own body?
Not only that, but he's losing control of them, a voice affirmed in her head. They'll tear him apart. Lucy blinked, focusing her attention back to Mr Breichs. He had regained his cool, temperament again, but she knew the fury hadn't ebbed away just yet. He was going to torture her when the conversation ended.
Lucy's heart raced. "Regardless of how it happened, he's dead now, and you want him back. I know I'm right," she said, looking him dead in the eyes. "You used your magic to call the spirits here for the spell. The rest of the reagents were in Harrigan's shop; you thought they'd be easy to get. But burnt it down," she frowned. "How did you find the components? They were all so rare too."
Mr Breichs gestured to Redclaw, who gave a wicked grin. "This man is not as foolish as he looks. He knew he couldn't beat you, and waited until you left. He rescued the ingredients before the house burnt down." He gave Lucy a shrewd look. "That was quite vague, Miss Heartfilia. Allow me to fill you in before I kill you and your friend here," he said, nodding to Natsu's motionless body. Happy was crouched next to him, poking his head and whimpering. Lucy felt a lump grow in her throat.
"Anton and I studied the dark arts together. That spell book you saw, it doesn't contain just the one resurrection spell. It's a vast collection of magic far more powerful than a puny mind like yours could comprehend. It took years to translate the runes and track down the ingredients required, but we managed to cast several of the incantations in the book."
"However, things went horribly wrong when Harrigan tried to cast one on his own. He was not strong enough to withstand the magical strain. It tore him apart, and I was left to pick up the pieces," Mr Breichs said bitterly.
"We'd encountered the resurrection spell early on in our studies of the book, but it was useless to us at the time. Now, I had to try cast it myself to bring him back. I would've left him in the land of the dead, but I need him for my own exploration of its magic. You see, the original spells require a huge amount of magic, from more than one person. When we've tested the spell out, we can simplify it into less draining forms, but only after we have an understanding of it. Casting those spells in their original form on your own is a death sentence."
"I simplified the runes to this spell without casting it first. With my intellect, the translation was flawless. Nevertheless, it's not an experience I wish to repeat. The fool was always making it hard for me," Mr Breichs muttered, sneering at Lucy as if it was Harrigan standing there.
Lucy had noticed that the pulling sensation on her whip had lessened. Redclaw was glaring off into the distance, looking incredibly bored by the old man's tale. His lack of concentration could be the opening she needed. While his focus was otherwise consumed, she had the chance to steal her keys back, if she moved fast enough. Except curiosity was begging her to listen to the end of Mr Breichs' story, and she didn't want to interrupt him just yet.
"It still makes no sense," she frowned. "Why did you hire us, if we're an obstacle? In fact, why did you give us the book that told us about the spell?"
"The answer to your first question is very simple, actually," the old man grinned. "Truth be told, I'm not Alexander Breichs. He was killed after sending out that god-damn help flyer to all those guilds. Stupid old man saw the ghosts flitting around his cabins at night and was terrified. He went searching for a cause, and stumbled upon the spell book." He let out a sigh, while Lucy struggled to breathe evenly. This man was not just a monster; he was a killer. "I thought I'd hidden it so carefully, buried in the earth where the ritual would be cast. Needless to say, he found it, read it, and called for help."
"But on the sheet it said that he found it in the base-" she started, before being cut off.
"He lied, Miss Heartfilia. Stupid coot thought it sounded less credible or something. I don't know. I didn't write it with him. The point is, the sheet he sent out caught the attention of the magic council. The mention of an 'ancient evil' drew them like a moth to a flame. After that, it would look incredibly suspicious to withdraw the form. Besides, stupid mages are easier to deal with than stupid council members."
"As for the book, well, I had low expectations. I didn't realise one of you would have the mental capacity to read and understand the spells. That was my mistake. I still had to give you it, of course. It was mentioned in the notice."
"What, you didn't think to use a decoy?" she asked furiously. Low expectations of Fairy Tail? We'll change that…
"I told you, I didn't think you muscle-heads would be capable of comprehending such a refined script. There was no point in a decoy."
Lucy ignored the jab. There was still something bothering her. "You're not Alexander Breichs," she said slowly, looking him dead in the eyes. "Just who the hell are you?"
"I was waiting for you to ask that Miss Heartfilia," he cackled, raising his right hand. Thick, black smoke seeped from the bottom of his violently green cloak, rising upwards to obscure him from view. "Question time is over! Time for your end, and my brother's return!"
"Brother," Lucy murmured to herself, before snapping back to reality. Then, she cursed loudly and tightened the grip on her fleuve d'etoiles as the tugging sensation resumed. With a horrible, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, she realised that her window of opportunity was gone. She had no way to get her keys back now; she'd been too enraptured in the story.
The second Mr Harrigan was barely visible through the smoke. Lucy could just make out a rough silhouette if she squinted, but there was something wrong with it. It seemed to be getting taller and changing shape. Lucy watched in shock as shoulders broadened and arms lengthened. There were loud cracks as bones realigned and adjusted, accompanied by the occasional grunt from the evolving shadow. It was a horrific and unnatural scene that gave Lucy the urge to gag.
Then, it the silhouette froze, and the smoke thinned. Clouds of the stuff billowed into the air, leaving behind a young man who looked nothing like the old Mr Breichs. He was built like a prize boxer, heavyset and towering over Lucy by at least two feet. Despite his tremendous physique, he was dressed like a gentleman, in a navy blue suit and shocking green tie the same colour as his original cloak. His hair was a cold, crisp white, and was long enough to be tied in a ponytail at the back of his head. The most shocking feature, however, were his wild, orange eyes. They were not the eyes of man; they were the eyes of an animal.
Lucy took a shallow breath, bracing herself for a fight. "I see now," she muttered, taking a slow step backwards. "Your magic is illusions. If I'm right, you created the illusion of some kind of dimensional gate to draw spirits towards this area. That bag of jewels was an illusion too, wasn't it? Your body has been tricked into thinking it can house those spirits. That's where they're all being stored," she breathed, trying her best to hide the horror she was feeling. This man was the equivalent of a human prison.
His lip curled. "Smart girl. If only you were that little bit brighter, Miss Heartfilia. It could've spared your life." Lucy growled low in her throat.
"So much talk of death, and what have you done so far? Explained your evil plot? Taunted me?" she said, mustering as must strength to her voice as possible. She had no idea where the words or the nerve to speak them were coming from. What threat did she pose here and now, with no keys and nothing but a whip to her name?
Lucy was not a tank like Natsu. She couldn't take the hits he could, or fight an opponent purely on physical strength. Her power came as support to the stronger mages, and through the strength of her mind. Her brain could not help her here, she knew that. It would take something more than that, something she didn't have right now.
It would take Natsu to win this fight.
Nevertheless, the flow of shimmering, blue magic and light leaked from the end of the whip, forming a long, starry rope at Lucy's will. She had to try. The man in front of her just gave a sinister chuckle. She fought back a shiver.
"I didn't mean to keep you waiting, Miss Heartfilia. Let's cut to the chase." The white-haired mage raised his right hand again, and black smoke poured from his fingertips. It hung in the air, morphing into a long, slim object. The tip sharpened and widened slightly, to form a triangular arrowhead that told her it was a spear. Another quickly formed next to it, followed by a third.
That same right hand then waved forward, gesturing towards Lucy, and the solidified spears flew at her. Instinctively, she swung her whip to intercept. The river of stars wrapped around the spears, rolling them into a bundle. It fell to the ground exploding in a puff of smoke. Lucy gaped for a moment. "B-but it's an illusion… it's not meant to be solid!"
"My dear girl, some illusions can be frighteningly real," he laughed, waving his hand again. Then, another cluster of spears took the place of the original group. Lucy went to swing again, cracking the whip down with all the speed she could muster.
It wasn't fast enough.
Lucy shrieked as the head of a spear embedded itself in her shoulder. It vanished moments later, leaving vines of red blood to trickle down her arm. She pressed a hand to her wound, tears flowing down her cheeks. The whip fell from her grip as she struggled to stay upright. She vaguely heard Happy scream out her name
When she looked up, she saw more spears forming, and the second Mr Harrigan watching on with a sadistic grin. Her arm throbbed and burned beneath her touch, and Lucy felt her eye lids getting heavy.
When the next group of spears launched themselves, she threw herself to the side, escaping all but one of the projectiles. When the second spear pierced the soft flesh of her thigh, she didn't even feel it. All she could see was the blood, gushing away.
A final cluster of spears were forming above her. She could see the smoke like black clouds, swirling above her. They were changing so slowly this time, as if to taunt her. Lucy blinked dazedly at them. She felt so heavy, like she was locked to the ground. The ground was nice, in a way. It meant she didn't have to get up anymore. She could just lay there a little more, rest like she badly wanted to.
Then, for a fleeting moment, her sense returned. The spears sharpened and changed, ready to bury themselves in her body. Lucy's eyes snapped wide open. With her last ounce of energy, she screamed.
"NASTU!" She shrieked in pure desperation. "NATSU, HELP ME!"
Everything was in slow motion, in those few seconds. The spear tips descended, while Lucy lay, locked in place. They were coming closer and closer, and her eyes squeezed shut, bracing for impact.
Something bright and hot shot past her head, and she managed to force her eyes open again. The spears were gone, and tongues of furious flame danced in their place. She could see him, see the man she loved standing in front of her, protecting her from the illusionist. It made her smile, if only slightly.
His entire body was burning like a candle wick. She couldn't see his face, but she could picture the look of rage. It would have been strange to see him so mad, if she could have.
"How dare you hurt her!" he roared, flinging an armful of fire at the man before him. "I'll kill you for hurting Lucy!".
More fire was thrown, and Natsu was yelling and cursing at the man. Lucy wanted to get up and help, but she knew she couldn't.
Instead, her eyes fluttered shut again, and the darkness welcomed her with open arms. The warmth of the searing flames around her assured the sleepy girl that she was safe now.
I know, I'm a day late. Sorry! Forgive me?
I have no real excuse beyond laziness and a commerce test I should've studied for weeks earlier.
Regardless, it gave me extra time to write you all an action-packed explanation that hopefully wrapped things up quite nicely. I had always intended for Breichs to be the mastermind, but the puzzle pieces hadn't come together as neatly as planned. It took a little longer than planned, but I think the extra time helped refine it quite a bit.
Get ready for the big battle next chapter! Natsu's gonna kick ass for the girl he loves more than life itself (of course, he doesn't realise that yet)! Also, I think I'll write you all a little bonus chapter; Chapter 11. It will be all NaLu goodness. I want to give you guys a little bit of a present for sticking with me for the first part of this story, and I think the best way to do that is through writing you a hot, steaming plate of the stuff you really want.
Like the lemony-limey type stuff.
In addition to this, I would just like to thank everyone who has taken the time to comment and give me a little feedback, as well as putting up with my lack or editing/skill/consistency. Don't get me wrong, this is no goodbye. I cannot emphasize this enough; I'M NOT DONE WITH THIS STORY! I will be done when I want to be, and that's not happening for a while.
The second arc of the story is probably going to be relationship development sprinkled with small, easy missions. I want to have a little fun with Natsu and Lucy doing couple-y things and learning what it means to fall in love with someone. That kind of stuff. But I won't go on anymore because this is a damn long authors note and I'm getting sleepy.
Once again, thanks for everything!