I do not own Fairy Tail. Personally if I did Lily would have more dialogue.
Enjoy the chapter!
Tara let out a small groan as she came to. The back of her head throbbed and something cold was around her wrists. Her back was against a rough wall feeling of brick instead of the open air. She blinked open her eyes to find her vision had gone blurry. It was dark, when she swore it was daytime only a few seconds ago.
"Ur?" Tara called out experimentally. The sound of water dripping was her reply. "Ur-nee…where are you?" She reached out, trying to feel if anything was there. The clinking of metal on metal sounded as she did. On top of that it was hard to move, her arms were weighed down and after a certain distance she couldn't move forward. She patted her wrists where she felt the cold touch and found a metal cuff around both of them.
A dim light appeared a distance away. The young girl squinted and tried to make out where it was coming from. She wasn't sure, but she thought it was getting closer. The light wasn't steady, it flickered rapidly and had a bright orangey-yellow color to it.
"Hello?" Again, no reply. The light was definitely closer though. "Can you help me? I'm not sure where I am."
She could start to make out distinct shapes as the light approached. Dark grey walls were illuminated and showed she was in a dark, dank hallway. She easily recognized the light to be a torch after a time. The dim glow outlined the face of man a few years older than her dad. A long cloak was around his shoulders and flowed over him, covering most of his body. A look of distaste was placed on his face when he glanced down at her.
"I see you're still breathing. Relieving, considering I need you still alive."
"Huh?" Tara gave the man a funny look. "Do I know you? Can you take these off? They kind of hurt." She jingled the chain keeping her in place to show what she meant.
The man scowled at her. He really hated children. He hated people period. But he found children especially disgusting. All was well, at least. His hostage for this whole scenario was present and living, that completed phase one. He had brought her here earlier to make sure she was properly locked up, he only bothered to come back to give a final glance over before departing to start phase two.
"I'd prefer not to do so." He walked over to a post on one of the walls of the cell they were in. He placed the torch in iron loops bolted on the post. The room now had a light source for them. "I'll be going now. Struggle if you want, it won't do you any good."
Tara gazed up at the stranger. "So you're not going to help me?"
"You don't understand you situation, do you?" He set his hard eyes on her. "I suppose that small brain of yours can't comprehend it."
Tara frowned. "That wasn't very nice." The man just shrugged and turned to make his leave. Tara settled her back against the wall and pulled her knees up to her chest. The man's cloak swished about him when he turned and a green symbol on his arm caught her eye.
"Is that the Great Three emblem?"
The man stopped in his tracks and glanced back at her.
"My daddy has one of those. Mr. Leoncio had one too when I met him. You must be the one that my daddy doesn't like. What did he call you again? A cosindia? Coccynda?"
"Coccydynia."
"That's it!"
Labhrás narrowed his eyes at her before resuming his departure. Yet people wondered why he didn't like kids.
Ur toppled to the hard ground. She reached her hands out in an attempt to break the fall. How she managed o even fall was beyond her when she standing just a moment ago. All she remembered was a sickly green light and an intense pain. Both had faded away after a time and now she was wherever the hell she was.
She made her way to her feet and glanced around. She was in the middle of a clearing with tall grass that reached her middle. A few miles away she could make out a large city. Buildings were clustered about and she could faintly make out people moving around. Granted, she was young. But in all her years as traveling as a mage she had never seen this town before.
"Ah, there you are."
Ur spun around to see a man with salt and pepper hair coming towards her. On instinct she took a defensive stance and placed her fist on her opposite hand. The temperature around her dropped ten degrees. "What the hell do you want?!"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Is that anyway to talk to your superior." The younger mage didn't say anything, just let the temperature continue to plummet. "Now, Ur, drop your stance and let us talk like civilized people. I know you of all people could manage that."
"Answer the damn question." Ur let all her magic flow to her hands. Like hell she'll be civilized with this animal.
"Just a friendly deal. I have a request for you."
"As if I'd make a deal with a murderer."
Labhrás frowned. "What an impolite thing to say. Did your father raise you to be so disrespectful? Now drop the stance. I'm decades above your level anyway." The older waited for the cold air to die down. After a few moments of not getting his desired result he sighed. "As stubborn as your father, I see. Very well."
He raised one hand and let his own magical energy flow to his palm. A black cloud of magic began to form. The energy danced on his palm for a moment before suddenly flying outward. Ur clenched her teeth as the magic struck her body and swirled around her like a rope. Her hands were forced apart and her own magic stopped flowing. Labhrás flicked his wrist and sent another wave of power towards her. This one hit her in her stomach and she crumpled to her knees on impact.
Labhrás leisurely strolled up to the now captive mage. "Couldn't even get a blow in. Don't feel too bad, though, your father can't beat me either." He kneeled down next to her. "Now, let's talk. One mage to another."
Ur glared up at him.
"Glad to have your attention. For starters, see that city over there, will that city is in a wonderful world apart from ours. Full of young, fresh, and talented wizards from all over. Beginning tomorrow tryouts will be held there to see who is capable of being one of this world's top wizards. Exciting, no? The day after tomorrow begins an event known as the Grand Magic Games. I'll be needing you to pass evaluation and enter those games. Once you're in your job is to fight as many mages as you can."
"Why would I do that!"
"Why? To help me out of course. I'm looking for wizards to fight for me. I can't watch to see which wizards are the best myself, I'm far too busy nowadays with trying to kill your father and all. Then the other day I had a thought. Have a highly skilled mage, such as yourself, do it for me. If they can't beat a little girl like you they aren't worthy to fight for me."
"Not interested." Ur growled. She mentally cursed herself. One of the most powerful, deadly wizards to ever exist was right in front of her and she couldn't do anything. She struggled helplessly against her bonds. An electric shock hit her when she tried to summon her magic. Her body convulsed at she coughed out blood.
Labhrás smiled down at her. "I thought you'd say that. That's will I took precautions. I know you're not worried for yourself, but are you willing to gamble your sister's life?" The mage stopped struggling and stared at him with an icy gaze. "I'll take that as a no. So here's our little deal. You compete for me, and if you succeed in making it to the top competitors then I will give you your sister back. But if I think for a moment you were not giving your all I'll kill her. Or if you tell a soul about our meeting or who either of us are, I'll kill her. Understand?"
Ur dropped her gaze to the ground. She gritted her teeth in anger. Help the most unpleasant being to walk the earth or get her sister killed? There wasn't even an option there. "Is she okay? Tara, I mean."
"Of course she is."
"Let me see her."
"You don't believe me? Then you'll have to take my word. Perhaps I'll let you visit her later on." Labhrás reached down and tilted her chin up so he could look her in her eyes. Granted, he could just kill both of the girls if he wanted. That would no doubt tear Gray apart. But this was better. With an army of mages he would crush that ice mage and everyone else who went defied him.
"So…do we have a deal?"
"This would be out current camp, sir."
Gray glanced around at the pitched tents and poorly made shacks. The sun was just starting to disappear over the horizon. The remaining light cast a red glow on the dusty ground. Weary men and a few sparse women walked about with looks of dejection placed on their faces. Some limped, being helped out with an arm slung over the shoulder of someone else. Others rushed about, trying to finish their assigned tasks.
"Why are the wounded still located here?" Gray turned to one of the men who was at the train station earlier.
"They're not scheduled to leave home until the eastern troops arrive tomorrow. Unless it's an emergency they stay here."
"But they will be taken back?"
"Yes, sir."
The raven nodded his approval before sauntering around the encampment. His heart gave a twist every time he saw he saw a combatant with harm done to them, regardless of the criticality. The youths were the worst. He saw them when they first joined. Their energy and determination was boundless. Now they lay with torn flesh and ragged wounds. He felt the back of his throat burn when he walked past a tent with a doctor covering the face of a kid no more than nineteen with a bed sheet. He rubbed his tired eyes in glum. When did things get this bad?
He watch in silence as a nurse came out of a supply tent carrying a worn out sleeping bag. She spread it out on the hard dirt ground and finally placed a pillow not even an inch thick at the end.
"Sir, your tent is ready."
"Hmm," The ice mage didn't bother to turn who had spoken. He remained an onlooker as he watched the scene in front of him unfold in mild curiosity. Another nurse was leading a patient from the infirmary tent to the sleeping bag. The patient had a thick dressing wrapped around his leg and dark red spots were coating the fabric. "I won't be sleeping there tonight."
The subordinate made sort of a choking sound. Gray didn't need to look at him to know he was gawking. "S-sir?!"
"Tents for higher ups tend to be quite large if I'm not mistaken. I believe you can get at least three good men in there for the night. Give the one in the worst shape the cot." He strolled over to the man currently being taken to the sleeping accommodation. The nurse looked up at him shocked as he wrapped a firm arm around the patient's waist. "Change of plans for you tonight, mate. A tent just opened up in the middle of camp. Can you make it on that leg?"
The patient turned his head up to stare at him. Astonishment was clear in his eyes. "Ye-yes, sir."
Gray gave him a reassuring smile before helping him limp forward. The subordinate, unsure what to do, dumbly followed. The lesser rank stared at the great mage's back as they walked. He had only ever heard rumors and had been unsure if they were true. Now seeing the ice mage for the first time he immediately knew that they were. Gray Fullbuster had proven to be as kind as they say he is.
Lucy rubbed her sore butt as she stepped off the train. Eight hours of sitting on stiff seats and dealing with a motion sick dragon slayer. Just how any girl wanted to spend her day. Natsu slumped off the train behind her, not yet fully recovered from his nausea. The fire mage collapsed to the ground and let out a soft moan.
"Honestly, Natsu, show more dignity than that." Erza scolded, stepping off next.
"Wendy wouldn't cast troia…" The dragon slayer grumbled.
The blue haired dragon slayer offered an innocent smile in apology. "Sorry Natsu-san, it'll have no effect on you if I continue casting it. Not to mention Master said not to."
"Darn old man." Natsu murmured.
Lucy let out a sigh but couldn't help but agree. It was Makarov's fault they were in this mess anyway.
Makarov took his place on top the Fairy Tail bar so he could be clearly visible. "Listen up brats," The elderly man waved his arms to get everyone's attention. "Starting now none of your that are to compete either as a single mage or on the team are to use magic. Save up your energy. Now for what you've all been waiting for, the decided team."
Glints were obvious in some eyes. Other mages barely had the will to contain their anticipation.
"Looking at your training results, I have decided to pick the seven team members from them."
Excited murmurs ran through the guild. All except a few, a handful of wizards that weren't sure about the event to begin with.
"First off, Natsu." Makarov pointed his finger to the mention mage. Said dragon slayer let out a war cry and let flames shoot from his mouth.
"I'M ALL FIRED UP!"
Makarov smiled at the enthusiasm before continuing. "Our first S-Class mage, Erza." The scarlet nodded her approval at the decision. "Our second S-Class mage, Laxus" The blond raised a thin eyebrow but didn't voice his opinion. "Next, Lucy." The celestial mage hung her head and muffled her complaint. Why her? "Fifth, Wendy. Six, Gajeel." Both dragon slayers showed their agreement to the decision. One smirking, the other acting much like Lucy. "Juvia will take our last position of official player."
"Eh? Juvia?" The water mage blinked her surprise.
Lucy let out a laugh. "Looks like you're stuck with us."
"As for our emergency player, in the event that one of the main members cannot compete, I've decided on Mirajane."
The white haired barmaid gave a small smile accompanied by a wave. "Do your best, everyone."
"Darn old man." Lucy muttered.
Happy flew past her, flapping his pearl white wings in glee. "Natsuuuuu, let's explore."
The dragon slayer jumped up and followed his feline companion. Erza watched the two leave. "Make sure you're back to the lodge before it gets too late. We need you well rested for tomorrow." If the fire mage had heard her was one thing, if he listened was another matter.
Lucy glanced down at the map of the town she had brought with her. Her eyes skimmed for a place she herself could head to. "This sounds interesting." The blonde pointed to a spot on the map reading sauna.
Wendy and Erza glanced over to her. "Very well, shall we indulge?" Titania asked, brushing a strand of scarlet behind her eaar.
"Yosh! Let's go!" Lucy exclaimed.
Wendy followed meekly behind the two older girls. Truth be told, she couldn't wait for the day to be over and for the games to start. Despite everything that happened last year she was still enliven about this time. "Lucy-san, do you think this year will be as thrilling as last year?"
The blonde shrugged. "I hope not. Or at the very least I hope we don't get involved."
Erza smiled at the two. "I'll have to disagree. A little excitement is wanted."
"As long as Fairy Tail doesn't get involved in anything destructive…"Lucy sighed.