"Did you see those fairy tail mages?"The figure by the tree twitched slightly at the mention of a magic guild
"what could they be doing here? No one could possibly afford to request them!"exclaimed, the old man confused.
"Unless"Chirped another "HE hired them?"The figures eyes they hadn't been in this town long, he knew exactly who they were talking Duke of the town was the one they had been talking about and the only one who could possibly afford their services.
So this is his answer huh?
A smirk crept up his wizards hadn't been expected but they wouldn't be a problem. He had his own job to fulfil, and he would be damned if those fools from Fairy Tail stopped him. The Duke was going down…
"Well its about time you finally arrived! I'm in a dire situation"Lucy couldn't help but find herself dislike the about him rubbed her the wrong it was the snooty attitude of the rich she had grown up was a tall man older man with dark blonde hair that stuck out same could be said for his mustache, it was strange, how his hair could look so properly trimmed and unruly at the same eyes were covered by his blue spectacles.
Erza bowed her head
"I apologise sir… we arrived as soon as we could"She said stiffly, before glaring at natsu and gray who she could have sworn were glaring at each other.
"Hmph, I hired you because you are the best, so you best not disappoint me"He snapped, taking a puff out of his cigar, much to the annoyance of Natsu.
"Of course sir"Lucy replied. "We Fairy tale mages will do out utmost to carry out the task required of us."Lucy curtsied slightly and Natsu would have yelled how werid she sounded when he realised that Lucy's past was coming to play here.
The man glanced at the lightly dressed blonde
"Well I can't say much to your attire but at least you know how to address someone of my standing"Lucy held onto the smile on her face the subtle insult, and listened to the man as he discussed his to him, he was in need of bodyguards, as he had heard that he was being targeted by a powerful Erza and Lucy couldn't help but feel something was off with the duke. They couldn't put their finger on it, but heck maybe you should it call woman's intuition…
So that's what they did, not leaving the mansion, they guarded the ,almost all of duke had told them not to go the basement under any circumstances.3 days passed with no significant event that moment they were reporting to the duke.
"You fools must not let your guard down! You must protect me with your liv-"His lecture was interrupted by the ceiling just in front of them coming crumbling down.A figure covered in a dark cloak casually stood up and begun to dust his clothes of the rubble.
"Finally! I was getting bored" Natsu grinned, cracking his knuckles "This should be easy! Its only one guy"
"Natsu, stay on guard"Erza mage turned towards them.
"Let me guess, your those stupid fucking mages"
Gray frowned
"Who are you calling stupid huh? You're the one outnumbered"
The figure laughed coldly, though made no move to attack them.
"Firstly you're the one stripping"Gray looked down and gasped as he realised that once again he had involuntarily stripped.
"Secondly you don't even know who you're protecting...So I suggest you move out of my way, before you kids get hurt"
All of them frowned
"WE AIN'T KIDS!"
"Fools! Stopping chatting with the enemy and get rid of him"
"Scared Duke? I wouldn't have happened if you had met my employer's demands. They were sent to you one week ago, so now I ensure you do so"
"What demands are they you scoundrel!?"Erza yelled, annoyed at the figure but also the lack of information they seemed to have.
Natsu was getting incredibly impatient and before anyone could stop him he charged towards the figure, his fist aflame.
"WAIT NATSU"Lucys plea fell on death ears as he went to hit the to everyones surprise, the figure simply grabbed his hand, and his magic almost broke apart, the flame disapearig against Natsu's will.
"What the-"Before Natsu could even respond, the figure had kicked Natsu in the gut, sending him towards Gray, and then the pair crashed into the wall, a large dent indicated exactly how strong this figure was.
"NATSU! GRAY!"Lucy turned to face the figure and held out one of her gold keys, but Erza's hand signalled her to stop
"You're pathetic"The figure sneered "Helping a scumbag like him, you make me sick!I'm freeing the prisoners and I won't let bastards like you get in my way"
Erza had raised her sword when he had insulted them, and Natsu and Gray narrowed there eyes at the insult, but It was lucy who frowned
"Prisoners?"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING! DESTROY HIM"
"You really are clueless, the man you are protecting has all the young women of this village imprisoned in his basement, as well as taking what little money the townspeople employers demands are are to release the prisoners and hand yourself over to the magic council after you return what you have stolen"
The Duke was extremely flustered at this point, and shakily pointed at the figure.
"Y-You You're lying!"
The fairy tail mages frowned.
"How do we know you're not lying"Gray narrowed his eyes, not sure who to believe
"You don't"And with that the figure jumped high into the air, heading straight towards…LUCY?!
"LUCY!"Grabbed round the waist Lucy was lifted over the figures shoulder, much to the horror of her team mates
"LET LUCY GO!"Natsu charged towards the figure only to was immbolized and couldn't reach her keys in the position she was thankfully the grip she was in wasn't she was confused as to why she had been suddenly been taken hostage.
"Hold on"The voice murmured softly, unsure as why she was listening to the man, she grabbed his cloak as he jumped.
"Crushing evil-Spreading the truth!"His leg began to swirl with an aura of dark energy
"FULL CRASH!"The next thing Lucy knew she was after floor, she felt the air whoosh past her, and she couldn't help but scream as they could no longer hear the crys of her nakama now , and it seemed like they would fall forever, though they finally reached the first thing she noted was the rank smell that dwelled around was dark and damp, and lucy couldn't help but feel afraid in this cold isolating she was free she jumped away from the figure and held up her golden key.
"Where are we? Why did you kidnap me?The figure didn't answer and instead, lucy heard him sigh.
The figure sighed
"We are in the basement, and I didn't kidnap you… lets just say you're doing me a favour."Lucy frowned at this, but when the figure lit the candle , the glow of the dank basement revealed cold iron bars, and like the figure had said, before Lucy's eyes were the fearful eyes of young women and even some young girls, one girl probably about 5 years old gazed at lucy with fearful blue eyes as she clung onto a older woman.
She reacted on instinct, and called out Cancer, who quickly cut the bars, the clattering of the bar made a few of them flinch.
"Its okay, we're here to help y-"
CRASH!
Screams came from the girls as the wall inches away from the front of the cells broke apart, and Natsu came flying through, along with Happy and 's fist a flame wasn't exactly helping to soothe the scared prisoners either.
"LUCY W-!"
WHACK
Natsu nursed the bump on his head and narrowed his eyes, expecting to see the figure infront of him but instead found Lucy looking at him in annoyance
"OI LUCE WHAT WAS-"
"Be quiet!"She snapped "Can't you see your scaring them?"Natsu blinked confused but then noticed the girls looking at them uneasily
"What the"Gray gaped, realising that the figure had been telling the truth! He found himself getting angry at how stupid they had been, and how if this figure hadn't come, they would have protected that bastard and left, not even knowing what was happening. It made him sick that they had even stayed here 3 days, and hadn't even noticed
So without a word exchanged amongst them, Lucy reassured the girls that they were mages and were there to help them. When lucy looked for the figure she realised he was nowhere to be seen…
Though Lucy didn't have her monthly rent money due to them not completing their job, the sight of the Duke knocked unconscious and being dragged away made a smile crept across her had assumed her redheaded teammate had unleashed her rage on the duke, but erza had frowned at this. She had left the duke tied up, and come to find them…So lucy could only assume that it had been the cloaked figures doing…
Another reason why a smile was present on her face was the reunion of the and wifes, parent and of joy were all around, but it was then when she noticed a small boy talking to the cloaked figure.
"Thank you so much mister, but are you sure you don't want anything else?"
"We agreed on the payment before. Do you have what I asked?"Lucy couldn't belive her ears, and her teammates who had also being listening to couldn't believe employer had been….A CHILD? And much to her surprise the boy took a clear bag of rice balls out of his pocket and gave them to the figure.
"T-there the first ones I've made, s-so I'm s-sorry if there bad."The figure ruffled the boys dark hair
"Its your dream to be a chef right?"The boy blinked in confusion and nodded.
"Then this is the first step to your dream right?" the boy once again nodded.
"Then this Is plenty as payment, its something priceless ya hear?" and before the boy could say anything the figure turned around , his ragged dark cloak float gently in the wind, and lifted his hand in a way of good bye that reminded the fairy tail mages of someone… but before lucy could stop herself, she found herself following the figure much to her friends surprise.
"Wait!"The figure, still holding the bag of rice balls paused, and noticed the busty blonde behind him.
"What do you want?"The figure had lost that warm tone that he had spoken to the boy with, and instead spoke to them in monotone.
"I just wanted to ask you… who are you?"
The figure paused, and then with a sigh, pulled back the hood.
"I'm Aki Clive"
Before them was a man, who they couldn't help but think resembled a certain his grey hood covering him,Dark eyes bore into theirs, and looked at the mages unimpressed, with a scar underneath his right eye. Messy bright auburn hair was tided in a long ponytail was what grabbed their attention the couldn't help but think that the man had somewhat of a femine face, that was tanned with freckles lightly dusted across his was so busy admiring his features that it only clicked what his name was when lucy spoke.
"Your name… Aki Clive"Erza pondered his name but it was Natsu that exclaimed excitedely
"YOU'RE A YOUNGER GILDARTS!"Gray sighed in annoyance
"Baka, can't you see that its gildart's son!"
"What did you just say icicle breath?" he squared up to gray, with gray doing the same
"I said Flame head, that-"
"That's right"Aki spoke nonchantly "The man called Gildarts Clive is my father, or so I was told."
"The resemblance is quiet uncanny" Erza muttered, with lucy nodding agreement. Aki must had inherited his femine face, his slighty tanned skin and his freckles of his mother, but other than that, aki had inherited most of his characteristics from gildarts.
"Are we done now? I've got places to be"Aki snapped, slightly disturbed about how the mages were gazing at him.
"You have to come with us to see gildarts! I bet he hasn't seen you in ages!"Natsu grinned, with happy nodding in agreement
"Aye, he never mentioned you before!" the Aki frowned at this, and lucys eyes widened.
"Don't tell me… you've never met him?"Aki shifted his gaze to lucy, which she couldn't help think was cold, but also was quiet sad.
"Then you most come with us! Cana will be thrilled to meet you too!"Erza declared
Aki narrowed his eyes
"I have no intention of going anywhere with you, or meeting that old mans wife"
"Cana ain't his wife, she's his daughter. And your sister"He noted that a glimmered appeared momentarily at this, but as quickly as it appeared in his dark orbs it quickly vanished.
"Half -sister" He spat "and I've already said that I wasn't going with you."
"EH!? But you could join the guild too!"Natsu whined, only for aki to scoff, unimpressed at the idea
"I ain't joining some guild-
"But we ain't just any guild,We're Fairy Tail! The number one guild"Natsu interrupted
"It's not my sort of thing, I'm a mercenary, a traveller, thanks but no thanks"Aki turned to leave, the mages having lost his battle of persuasion, but he felt his blood run cold when the blonde spoke
"You owe me"Aki cursed under his breath
"Lucy?"Erza questioned
"When we were in that basement, you said I was doing you a favour. So you owe me one"Aki turned back around, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"I did say that…"He trailed off "So what are you suggesting exactly?"Lucy was momentatily surprised he hadn't coldly brushed her off or tried to pretend he hadn' made her realise that Aki wasn't a bad guy if he kept his word like that.
"Then I'm asking you to come with us to magnolia to meet you Cana and Gildarts."Aki looked at her smile with susipicion.
"…That's it?"Lucy smiled
"Of course! If you get there and don't want to join, then you can leave again, I just want you to meet your family"Aki noticed that the blonde had sadness in her eyes as she spoke those words, and he groaned in annoyance.
"….Urgh Fine, but after that I don't owe you anything, got it"Lucy nodded, as erza smiled, Gray nodded, impressed by lucys quick thinking and natsu cheered, exciteded to see Gildarts expression when he met Natsu was itching for a re match with the son of gildarts