Back at the Fairy Tail, Mirajane was starting to get really worried for her friends safety. They hadn't had any updates since the conversation to figure out more about the Tiger Key. The lack of communication was frightening. She turned towards Markov who was enjoying his drink. "Master, I'm really starting to get concerned. We should have heard from Lucy and the others by now."
"Mirajane, there's no need to get so worried. I bet they just forgot about calling us," Markov said finishing his drink. Readjusting his jacket he hopped off the counter. Pulling out the lacremeia flower he frowned as the glowing petals were fading, even a few pieces breaking off falling to the floor. This wasn't a good sign.
Even the other guild members sensed something was wrong. There wasn't the usual rowdiness or teasing going on. Cana was playing with her cards and not drinking, which was very unusual for her. Nearby Levy wasn't reading while Jet and Droy sat there trying to cheer her up with no success.
Sitting on the opposite side of the room trying to eat lunch was Macao, his son Romeo, along with Wakaba. The man had actually gotten rid of his cigars and looking over a job posting wondering if he should take it. Even with their friends gone the guild had to continue on, completing these jobs would help keep the guild strong and make their magic grow.
Gaijeel was leaning against a window, Pantherlilly at his foot, scowling at the saddened and disenchanted mages. Growling he slammed his fist against the wall. "What is with all the sappy faces? So they haven't contacted us in a while. Doesn't mean their dead! I'm pretty sure that lazy Natsu just lost the message flowers," he said to himself. Looking down at his Exceed partner he asked, "You agree with me? That there just being pussies."
"The rebirth of Fairy Tail has inspired all mages here, the bonds are strengthen and the sense of our loyalty to our comrades go with that. After missing us for seven years, only for Team Natsu to fall off the grid has everyone on edge," the Exceed reminded him. His ears twitched as they both turned to look at a crying Juvia as rain fell over her. That hadn't happened in a long time. Instinctively, he reached out to his old friend giving her a hug, ignoring the rain falling on him.
"Juvia, stop crying now. All this rain isn't going to help anyway. In fact, I think you might just flood the guild," he whispered. Pulling her face up he smiled at her. "I don't think Gray would enjoy coming home to a flooded guild," he joked as Pantherlilly nodded seriously at her.
Juvia nodded waving her hands to disperse the storm. After removing the water from her clothes she straightened up and adjusted her hat. Still trembling a bit she spoke to him. "It's because of Gray-sama I'm worried. Most of the female mages have taken turns reading the books Lucy-san left to us." She shivered recalling the last story she read. A tale of two Star Maidens descending into madness as they collected more and more keys. According to the story they had been punished by the Celestial King for misuse of their statuses. He'd stripped the girls of their magic and as punishment the girls were transformed into asteroids. If that could happen to two Star Maidens, could something similar happen to Gray for assisting Lucy. It was almost too much to imagine.
"Juvia, Gaijeel, hurry up! We're starting to get a message from the questers!" Lisanna told them grinning ear from ear. Juvia's expression changed from sad to joy. The entire guild was crowding around the lacremeia flower perched on the gold stand. As the flower petals opened the message bubble appeared, at first, very static, but cleaned up. Juvia's heart skipped a beat at seeing Gray in good health. They could hear in the background something going on. Natsu was trying shove his way to the flower, but Erza grabbed his scarf before shoving him on to the ground. She placed her boot on his head to keep him pinned.
Mirajane was smiling happily. She clapped her hands in delight. "I'm so delighted to see you all. We were getting worried for your safety. How's the quest going? Did you manage to get more keys?" she asked cheerfully, not noticing the expression on the other mages faces.
Gray looked away for a few seconds, then he turned to face the guild. "The quest has been very challenging. Without all of us, I don't know if Lucy would've made it this far." Clutching his necklace he reported that they had secured the Tiger Key and were on their way to get the Horse Key, when things spiraled out of control.
Erza took over. "Master; please forgive me for me not being able to control my temper. When the other quester, Hoshi appeared, we attacked at once. Not only is she able to triple summon, but it appears she has some form of lost magic," she reported startling everyone. Clutching her armored hand she described what she had seen, Bisca and other girl's recognized it from the books they'd been reading.
"It's the Lost Space Magic, a powerful force that pushes past the limits of Celestial magic. It said that if someone could fully master the spells and earn the title of True Star Maiden, they would be unbeatable," Bisca responded, holding her daughter in one hand as she flipped to the right chapter. She held open the book as Wendy gasped at the pictures of the space magic and the destruction it brought.
"I can't…imagine….that anyone…would be willing to go that far," Wendy whispered fiddling with her hair. Recalling the battle she hadn't felt that much malice inside from the other girl. Thinking really hard about what she sensed and smelled, Hoshi's emotions were a bit scattered, but also clearly focused on her goal. There was also an overwhelming admiration for Lucy, as if Hoshi worshipped her in some way. Coming to her senses she spoke up, "I don't think Hoshi would do something like that."
The other mages started to argue, but she yelled at them to be quiet, surprising everyone watching. "We're making assumptions on crude observations. Yes she's been tricky and has a lot of power, but she seems to have an honor code."
Happy nodded, reminding himself that the other mage simply paralyzed them, not kill, to have a spar with Lucy. Even when she had the advantage the green clothed girl refuse to attack until Lucy was ready. "Your right, at this point we can't make any assumptions without more facts."
Natsu blew fire while pounding his fists freeing himself from Erza's heel. His feet were literally burning to get moving. "Let's forget the crazy girl, now we need to find Lucy! She's been missing for three days now! My instincts are telling me something's wrong." He was about to run off again when a voice was heard saying, "You're going the wrong way."
In the guild, everyone appeared shocked, as Loki just appeared out of nowhere. He looked a little tired, but otherwise okay. He gave quick greetings to everyone before addressing the anxious Natsu. "Lucy was near death, but I, along with all her spirits, helped to save her life." Shivering at the memory of his friend so near death he nearly started crying again. Wiping his eyes he continued. "We managed to get her to the Horse Key and Jai saved her life. She rested all last night and is now taking a route to meet up with you in search of the next key."
Erza demanded to know how soon Lucy would catch up with them and what key they were going after. Loki estimated they would cross paths in 30 to 45 minutes. She appeared determined to get the Dragon Key before Hoshi. The others were super excited, Natsu was particularly pumped up about the thought of finally meeting a dragon again.
As he got ready to cancel the link Nab passed a job order through the crowd. When it came to Markov, he frowned greatly worried. Seeing his distress; Erza asked him what the matter was. As the group read the job request they all felt cold shivers. It was a mission specifically for guilds with Celestial Mages There was Hoshi's picture along with a caption that read, "Wanted for questioning regarding a private Council matter. Reward, 44,000,000 jewels if captured alive."
"This is seriously bad news. If anyone interrupts the quest, I don't want to think about the destruction unleashed by her. We've got to find her first, if for no reason except to finish the quest before someone gets seriously hurt," Gray stated. The others nodded promising to keep in touch with the guild. With that they cut the connection and hurried as fast as they could to catch up with Lucy.
At the moment Lucy was riding in a vegetable cart sitting next to the driver. Finding a shortcut on the map, she managed to get out of the jungle area back to civilization. Stumbling across a small farming town, she then went to an information post and asked if anyone could help her get back to her friends. A kind farmer agreed to take her with him until she caught up with them.
Hearing her stomach growling, she wrapped her arms around her stomach embarrassed. The farmer laughed, handing her an eggplant to eat, which she took gratefully biting into it with gusto. "Thanks, I'm not usually a fast eater. I just haven't had anything decent in a couple of days," she apologized seeing the crumbs all over the cart. She started to clean up only for the farmer to laugh.
"My dear it's fine, I like seeing a girl with a healthy appetite. I imagine after trying to get out of the Sacred Beast Jungle, most people would be starving," he laughed as he wiped some sweat off his brow. Seeing her puzzled expression he laughed again. "Forgive me, I forgot that you're not from around these parts. It's called the Sacred Beast Jungle because of the legends handed down through the generations. It's told that long ago there was group of people, known as the Animal Defenders, who use to live in a temple, who protected the mythological beast that live there. It's told that their greatest treasure was a magical horse with healing powers beyond compare."
Lucy looked startled, grasping her key ring. Her body tensed wondering how many places around Fiore had been secretly dedicated to the Celestial Spirits. Now she wished she had read those books more often after getting them back. "That legend, is partially true. I stumbled across the Parathion by accident," she whispered to the farmer. He looked surprised staring at her before observing the key ring on her belt. He smiled shaking his head lightly.
"I've always wondered if they were true. I'm guessing you procured the treasure, good for you," his words shocking Lucy. "You know a horse is a very smart animal. They need to feel that they can trust you, that your worthy of their attention. If that horse bonded with you then that's a sure sign that it was meant for you."
Rubbing the key Lucy felt he was right. Placing the key back on the ring she looked at the scenery. Gone was the steamy jungle and the dense forest. Before them were sprawling farm grounds filled with crops growing. She saw several individuals working in rice patties. She waved at them getting a few helloes back. Settling in her seat she asked if she could have something to eat again. Her driver took out a ham and cheese sandwich that his wife packed, giving her half.
She gratefully took it. "I've never really seen farms before. I grew up far away from here, in a mansion." The farmer nodded having seen her hands, they didn't have the look of someone who labored every day in the field. Her callous indicated she hadn't really started working until a few years ago. "Nothing to be ashamed about my dear. We all come from different places. It must have been nice to live in such a big house."
The girl shook her head sadly. She told him how lonely it was for her as a child. That she had only gone back there once after she left; both to confront her father and claim her heritage from her mother. When he asked what it was, she told him that she had been left a collection of old books about the Celestial Spirit and other stories dealing with them.
"Well what do you know, I should have guessed you were Layla's daughter. You're her spitting image," he said surprising the teenager. She was too shocked to speak. Taking off his hat, he gently tore a section inside the bowl revealing a small black book. He handed it to her as she looked at the title, "Secrets of the Starwatcher Village." Seeing the title her eyebrows went way up.
"This was my mother's?" she asked softly as she ran a finger down the spine. It appeared that it was older than the other books her mother had. If this was part of the collection, why hadn't it been at the mansion?
"I can tell what you're thinking. This was supposed to be your mother's reward. Years ago, Layla came here on a job to help return the animals back to the jungle. She didn't want money, only asking if we had any old books with a connection to the Celestial Spirits," he told her. He recalled seeing her when he was a teenager. She had been amazing, working with her spirits to herd the creatures back to their home. Coming out of his memory he continued his story as his mule continued driving on his own. "The book was a gift from a traveler years before I was born. No one could open it, but when Layla saw it, it opened for her. She had told us to hold onto the book until she was done with the job."
"Then why didn't she have it in her collection?" Lucy asked. Glancing at the book she felt her power connecting with the seal, it was as if the book was begging to be opened by her. It was very hard not to give into this impulse.
"Your mother completed the job, but afterwards collapsed from exhaustion. In the chaos of helping her and finding a way to get her back home, the book was forgotten. I remember the mayor trying to mail it to your home, but it was return with a message from your father stating strongly he didn't want any more story books in his house. Since then we've kept the book safe, even after her death. The town felt sure one day you would show up to take it."
Cradling the book to her chest she thanked him. If only she had known the truth about those books, or had reread them, then maybe she would have prepared for this quest. She slightly regretted giving the books to Bisca for safe keeping instead of taking them along. Taking them with her could have saved her some trouble. Still, she knew however it was the right thing to do at the time.
The peace of the land was broken as a lot of shouting could be heard. A dust storm was moving their way at incredible speeds. The farmer jerked his mule to a stop wondering what was going on. Lucy looked down at the map realizing what the icons met. "It's my friends, oh Natsu can be an idiot sometimes."
"LUCY! You don't know how happy I'm to see you!" Natsu yelled grabbing her off the cart and spinning her around in the air. She tried to protest, except Natsu wasn't listening. Setting her down he started asking so many questions in a row she couldn't understand him, let alone answer. Assuming she was to frighten to speak he turned his attention to the farmer ready to set the cart on fire when she wrapped her Flere du Lease around his waist, bringing him down and hogtying him. "What? I was trying to help!"
"By burning the cart? This farmer was helping me by giving me a lift to meet up with you guys," said looking behind him where the rest of her friends had gathered. They all looked a little flushed, but otherwise fine. "I think you should apologize Natsu."
Struggling to move around Natsu bowed his head saying he was sorry. The farmer accepted it. He had to continue his delivery. As a token, he supplied them with much needed veggies and fruits along with some water. Thanking him again Lucy watched him go silently thanking him.
She then turned to her friends embracing them all and crying with joy. They were all happy that they found her asking her questions while she countered with theirs. Seeing chaos about to erupt Erza said they could exchange stories as they continued on the way to the Dragon Key. They agreed and started to move again.
As they marched forward, Lucy told her captivated audience her story. Looking at her now, you never would have guessed she had been so near death only the day before. Wendy was the first to notice the slim book in Lucy's hands.
"Lucy, what's that? Is a gift from a Star Maiden?" the girl inquired as she perched on her arm trying to get a better look. Behind her she could sense Carla scolding her with the eyes, but the child of the air dragon ignored her. "Please let me see it?"
"Calm down Wendy. I'll show everyone in a minute," Lucy promised. The sun was really hot today, even with the water bottles, her thirst wasn't going away. All this walking was really started to hurt her feet. Hoping to not sound presumptions "Erza, do you still have that magic car?"
Erza nodded her head. "I see where this is going. It is imperative that we find Hoshi before the other guilds do," she said musing. Lucy sucked in a deep breath. "Why would the other guilds be tracking Hoshi? Isn't there some rule stating that only civilians can help questers?" The others looked at the blond puzzled, didn't they tell her about the job? Apparently not.
Gray smacked his forehead, "Man, I can be a dunce sometimes. Right after Loki told us you were okay, Nab found a job request that just appeared on the board." Scratching his head, he leaned back a bit, his shirt slightly opened. Hopefully he wouldn't strip it off. "Take a look at this job posting." He handed her the makeshift flyer they created from inside his shirt.
Reading it over stunned Lucy. Yes, she knew that Hoshi was dangerous and not above using tricks to slow them down, but when they battled she could feel the bond Hoshi had with her spirits. It was strong and pure. When her celestial energy interacted with that space magic, she got a glimpse inside Hoshi. That vision she had of Hoshi as a child told her that her personality had once been carefree and happy. Her determination and love of magic had been without malice. In the explosion it felt as if all the good parts of her were hiding behind a wall she crafted. Who was the real Hoshi and what were her true goals?
Hearing moaning she looked up. Erza had summoned her car and already Natsu was sick just sitting in it. They all climbed aboard keeping a steady pace as they made their way towards towards the Dragon Key's location. With Natsu puking out the back the others focused on the job flyer and Lucy's new book. It was a bit coincidental that a job intent on capturing a quester would show up as they neared the end. Someone in the Council was against this quest from being completed.
"Someone else obviously knows more than we do. The question is, what is so frightening of the reward that would cause the Council to interfere with this quest?" Erza asked from the front seat. Thinking hard about it, she just couldn't come up with a reasonable answer without more facts.
"Does that book the farmer gave you have any clues?" Gray asked. He had stripped off his shirt, but at least kept his pants on. He was sitting on the side closets to the window by Erza. Wendy and Carla were riding comfortably next to him. She hadn't reached the motion sickness level yet and were sweat dropping at the sight of Happy trying to help Natsu. Lucy tossed him a pack of saltines, before opening the book.
"This book is almost three hundred years old, but strangely up to date," she mentioned as she flipped through some of the pages with her Gale Force Reading Glasses. After a few minutes she finished, removed the glasses, before flipping to the right pages. "Look here, this is the name of the traveler, who brought the book here. It's the same person who was the Star Maiden who protected the Parathion in the jungle, Zornista. It seems she came from the Starwatcher Village and left this book behind when she went to live in the jungle."
That was a surprise, they still hadn't found anything on the Starwatcher Village, and member there had been a Star Maiden? Flipping through the book again Lucy showed them a map of the village asking anyone recognized the area the village was in. Gray had nothing, even with his travels. Wendy frowned unsure if her foster mother had ever flown over this place. Tilting the book up so Erza could see it, her eyes flashed, a sure sign she knew this place.
"It looks like it's near where my home, Rosemary Village, once stood. When I was a small child I remember some of the elders telling us stories about a nearby village, one of mystery and tradition," Erza told them over her shoulder as she kept her eye on the road. She speed up a bit, but not too much that her magic would be completely drained by the time we got there. "I never went there and trade was done in private. Sometimes a few of the citizens would come to town to offer their aid if there was trouble." Pursing her lips she thought back to that terrible night when she was captured after saving Kagura's life. Amidst in the memory she suddenly remembered something, a piece long forgotten. "They warned us," she whispered.
"Who warned you of what? Why wasn't the Starwatcher Village attacked if it was so close by?" Wendy asked, looking up at Erza, the great female warrior seemed worn out and depressed. That scared the young girl never having seeing the strong female frightened before.
Gray put it together snapping his fingers. Looking at Erza he said, "The citizens of the Starwatcher Village, they probably used astrology to predict the future. Your elders wouldn't believe them." She nodded as she told them about seeing a big bubble of light in the distance protecting the other village. It was impenetrable so that could be the reason it was never raided.
So they had special magical powers. Someone left the Snake Key with them to protect. That vision I had, the girls were being trained for something. I need to know more about this Lucy thought. Shoving a nearly unconscious Natsu out the back window completely, Lucy placed some ear plugs in and started reading again slower. She had to learn more about the history of that Village and why Hoshi was the only one with its mark around.
Hoshi sneezed continuously. Someone is talking a great deal about me today she thought. With this in mind she continued on in a fervent matter to reach her goal as soon as possible. She had already passed through a few small towns and was making her way towards a lake in the distance. According to her guide-book an ancient city had once stood in the center of the lake with land bridges to all sides. The shifting geography of the world had sunk the city and all, but one, land bridge.
She didn't know how she was going to get to the city exactly. She wasn't a strong swimmer and no way could she dive to the bottom of the lake. Hopefully there's a mechanism or a secret passage that can get me to the city. If the key is in there, then I know that it's protected by powerful Celestial magic. My reserves are strong. With three cores of magic it has to be enough to get to the key.
She was so intent on reaching her destination, she was unaware that she was being stalked by a group of five as she made her way through the small town she was in now. It was the last one near the Dragon Key's location, so it was important that she stocked up now. She entered a small bakery purchasing some bread and sweet roll. Thanking the baker she left the shop heading out of town, still unaware that she was being followed.
The five shadows, who were actually the Twin Sabertooth Dragons, the Celestial Mage Yukino, along with the Exceed pair Lector and Frosch, continued to follow Hoshi at a distance. If anything they had learned from the Grand Magic Games, was to not underestimate a mage's power. Even from a distance Yukino could sense how powerful their target's magic was.
"I've never sensed such power from a Celestial Mage before," Yukino whispered. "Her power is stronger than mine, maybe even stronger than Lucy's." she admitted. As their target glanced back over her shoulder, Rouge quickly covered them in shadows to hide them from her. Shrugging her shoulders Hoshi continued on her way.
"That was to close. Frosch was worried that girl would spot us!" the little Exceed stated worriedly. His partner gently patted him on his head reassuring him that nothing bad would happen. As he studied their target, he once again was filled with uncertainty. The mysterious way that job post had come and the way their target acted didn't match up.
As the Shadow Dragonslayer and subsequent of being possessed, Rogue had developed a sensitivity to the darkness inside people. As they continued to follow the girl he was able to peer into her soul. Sting noticed what his partner was doing and told the group to stop. The Guild Master of Sabertooth patted the shoulder of his friend. "What do you see? Is it anything that can help us?"
"There's a darkness inside her, the pain of a betrayal and hatred. The wall surrounds her heart, but it seems to be opening up. There's burst of light; happiness, joy, and love. It's getting stronger. Though the balance could tip in any direction."
Sting cupped his chin thinking about it. This job could boost the guild's reputation, and bring in much needed jewels. That new pool they were installing at the guild wasn't going to pay for itself. Still, caution was needed. The Council rarely posted jobs, especially asking for specific types of mages. "We're not giving this one up. We'll capture her and interrogated the girl, while we transport her to the Council. Yukino," he asked over his shoulder. The Celestial Mage stood at attention. Sting asked her about the keys. Were they all real and what spirits did they summon? Yukino told him about the silver keys were real, though too far away to identify, she wasn't sure about those platinum keys. She hadn't seen or heard anything about them. With some careful planning they got ready to corner the girl.
The green garbed Celestial Mage, was enjoying her sweet rolls savoring their flavor. She was just about to save some for later, when something whizzed over her head. Ducking, she narrowly avoided being attacked by the weirdest Exceeds she had seen. An overconfident red tom, scolding a green faced friend in a pink frog costume. She was about launch a counter attack when three shadows jumped surrounding her. Glancing around her she identified them as Sabertooth members. Reaching for her key's she felt something grab her wrist. Peering down it was shadow connected to Rogue. Growling she jerked about snapping the shadow leash in half catching them off guard.
"What reason does the highest members of Sabertooth, including the Guild Master, have for attacking a mage unnecessarily?" she demanded. Her glittering gold flower ornament was starting to increase the amount of sparkles. "I'm on an important quest, one that you are delaying me from. So, state you reasons or get out my way!"
"Hoshi Supernova, the Council has requested your capture for interrogation related to private Council matters. As such we've taken the job to capture you," Sting informed her gathering light in his palm. To his right Rogue was prepared to use another shadow attack. To her left Yukino was prepared to summon Libra and behind her those weird Exceeds were blocking her retreat."
Her voice was tight as she plucked three keys from her necklace. "It's quite a coincidence isn't it? The Council wanting to arrest me after so many years? What's next? Imprisoning all Celestial Mages?" she whispered. The members of the guild looked at one another puzzled by her words. It was the distraction she needed. A burst of sparkles from her flower spread across the air, the magic pollen surrounded them causing her foes to cough, eyes water, while rendering their attacks neutral for a few moments. Using the distraction she called out her summons. "I open the Gates of the Protector, Chained Maiden, and Primate: Scutum, Andromeda, and Monkey!" As the pollen dispersed the members of Sabertooth appeared stunned to see what she summoned.
There was a man dressed in samurai outfit with a large shield in his left hand and a katana in the right. He was staring down Sting making the guild master take a few steps back unknowingly. Andromeda was in a provocative pose using her chains to perform a provocative dance, in the air around her, causing Rogue's nose start to bleed. Xiaoying was hopping about laughing at the Exceeds, causing them to get steamed. Hoshi had her eyes on Yukino, smirking as she got ready to use her space magic. "You're impressed aren't you? A triple summon and I have a rare Animal Zodiac platinum key."
"There's…. no…such… thing! You're casting an illusion!" Yukino retorted, only Hoshi to laugh at her. "My fellow mage, there is much you need to learn. Shall we spar now? Scutum! Protect us and defeat Sting! Andromeda, I leave Rouge to you, watch out for his shadow magic. Xiaoying, I trust you to take care of the Exceeds, don't go overboard. Miss Yukino, you're my target. Go!" Hearing their mistress orders they all sprang into action as the battle between Sabertooth and Hoshi began.
Sting was caught off guard as Scutum struck out with his katana nearly opening his chest. He ducked under the blade punching out with his fist delivering several mêlée enhanced blows. Scutum blocked the attacks with his shield before pulling back once more and coming after the Guild Master with faster than the eye could see strikes. Sting used his speed to dodge about avoiding the strikes. As he jumped over his opponent he got ready to deliver his magic attack when he tumbled from the sky.
Sting pushed himself up, enduring the pain. Scutum's blade had nearly severed his Achilles' heel. Keeping his cool he summoned his power, "White Dragon's Roar!" A powerful compressed laser blast shot through the air at the Celestial Spirit. Scutum held his ground bringing his shield up. As the laser hit his shield he was pushed back a few centimeters, but the laser blast split into two beams passing to side of the spirit striking the a patch of trees behind him causing them to explode. Seeing Sting's shocked expression Scutum had to laugh a little. "I'm the constellation of the shield! Do you think I would be defeated so easily? I protect my mistress from all threats!"
"We protect yourself from this! Holy Blast!" A barrage of balls of light bombarded the spirit as he moved his shield around to block the attacks. Hearing something behind him he barely had enough time to bring his sword up as Sting unleashed his White Dragon's Claw. Sting was pushing hard trying to place his stigma mark to limit the freedom of his foe, but Scutum was equally determined to defeat him. It was a clash of wills as they broke apart and came after one another again.
As this was going on Rogue, finally managed to get his head back in the game. Andromeda was after blood as she manipulated her chains. She could lengthen them to act like sharp whips cracking the ground, or shorten them to block attacks. "Men are so overrated. Do I look like a damsel in distress?" she asked angrily as she managed to latch one of her chains around Rouge's chest pulling it tight. He grunted, taking a deep breath and managed to snap the chain's off. "You tell me, was that a rhetorical question?"
"Insolence fool! I'll show you what I was going to do to that sea monster!" Andromeda growled gathering her chains in the air to form a massive sea monster shape. Seeing the attack Rogue moved fast, darting around her so fast she couldn't keep up as she struck again and again making craters in the ground. She lost track of her opponent looking all around when suddenly the shadow of her chains came to life wrapping around her "Aaaaarrrrg!"
"Shadow Dragon's Waxing Flesh," Rogue whispered into her ear in his shadow form squeezing her tight. Several shadow hands started punching her or tearing at her clothes causing her to curse. "You're a spirit, but you got nothing on my Dragonslayer abilities."
Andromeda went limp, the shadows finally letting her go. Rogue materialized in his human form. He eyed her cautiously wondering if the spirit was play acting. After all, a defeated spirit should return through their gate. Not taking a chance he activated his Shadow Dragon's Slash to strike her down. As he was about to land the deadly blow he stopped in his tracks. He kept staring at the beautiful princess lying in front of him. Her clothes had slipped a bit revealing a ripe beautiful feminine assets and luxuries curvy body. Her hair was delicately draped across her face making her look innocent. Rouge didn't realize his arm had fallen by his side.
She's so beautiful, a real princess. Do I really want to send her back through her gate? Why was even fighting her in the first place he thought in his mind. He reached down to caress her when, bam! He got sent skidding down the road leaving a ripped gutter of earth in his wake. Shaking his head, he struggled to stand. "Oh man, how did I miss that?" he asked himself as got up. A chain smacked him in the face.
"I told you you're weak. Perseus was so busy fighting the sea monster he didn't realize I already had freed myself and was making my way home to give my mom a piece of my mind," Andromeda said rolling her eyes with her arms crossed and her feet firmly placed on the ground. "I'm not your average princess, now show me your true power. Is a Dragonslayer really stronger than a Celestial Spirit?" She mocked him. She got a thrill watching him enter Shadow Drive. "Now this is going to be good!"
The little Exceeds were way over their heads literally. Xiaoying had been fooling with the two toms. Frosch had hopped at her, only for her to leap over him. She ducked under Lector claw swipes then pulled his tail earning a screech. She jumped about pushing him them into each other. When they were both about to grab her she smiled wildly taking to the air as a bird. Mocking them she quickly flew away as she led them on a merry chase through the woods as their wings carried them on the winds.
Glancing over her shoulder, she let out a coo. "I have to admit, you're the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. Who knew cats could sprout wings?"
"Just you wait, we'll send you back in pieces for making fools out of us!" Lector growled. Frosch nodded in agreement.
"Well if that's how you feel, come and get me," Xiaoying called out changing shape once more, this time into a deer running through the undergrowth back towards the battle.
"Frosch worried about her Lector. How is she doing take over magic?" the frog garbed cat asked as they continued to fly through the air.
"Fool, she's not doing takeover, she using a transformation spell!" he spat at his friend. He wrapped his tail around Frosh's arm pulling him faster. They burst out of the forest surprised to see a beautiful human girl sitting on a stump observing the fight going on.
"Excuse me miss, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave. It's not safe here. Once Sabertooth has completed our mission you can be on your way," Lector told her hovering in the air with his friend.
"How polite are you two. I'm sorry, I can't just leave yet," the girl said pulling a hidden rope. A net popped up from the ground catching them as the pulley went up trapping them in the trees. Watching them squirm trying to break free, the girl laughed. "It's a reinforced Celestial magic net. After all nothing would work better for keeping Exceeds in place." She looked at their squished faces returning them with her own versions. "Oh by the way, I'm an Animal Zodiac; it means I have both a human and animal form. Not to mention my special power of shape shifting. See you later!" she called out of them, returning to her animal form and swinging away.
Yukino was trying to catch her breath. Never before, not even when she fought at the Grand Magical Games, had she discovered such a powerful mage before. The Celestial Mage before her was both confident and calculated. Her actions were precise being flexible when she needed it. Her offense and defensive skills were amazing.
The Sabertooth mage hadn't been able to summon her spirits yet because Hoshi kept her weaving and dodging. Her space magic was different from anything she had seen before. She could sense the celestial power backing it. No one could manipulate space to her knowledge, this fight was showing that her knowledge of celestial magic was minimal. Cutting out of her musing , she got punched in the chest, her left arm bent backwards then thrown over her foe's shoulder until she was kicked in midair causing her to face plant in the ground.
Coughing up some of the dirt she peered through the dust cloud as it faded away revealing Hoshi standing there with calm, but at the same time bored expression. Her eyes narrowed as she tapped her foot in the ground waiting for Yukino to get up. "Come on, I don't have all day. I know you're not some weak Celestial Mage. Show me your power!" she hissed. The girl cocked her head listening to the sounds of the battles around her. "My spirits are matching your guild mates move for move. Even besting them at times, so when are you going to match my power and skill?"
Yukino stood up, her voice very tight and precise. "You call yourself a Celestial Mage? You're misusing your spirits, having them act like shields from your foes." Pulling off her cloak she flung it into some nearby bushes gripping two of her keys. Her hair started to flutter in the wind as she gathered her magical energy. She locked her eyes on Hoshi, whose hands covered in magical energy. Tapping her foot a star shape appeared under her feet lifting in the air. Yukino lips narrowed. "Still pulling tricks?"
"First, I never use my spirits as shields. I love them beyond compare because their family. I trust them to defend themselves against anyone. Second, space magic is a fraction of the true power of a Celestial Mage," she retorted from the sky. She laughed a little, enjoying the view from the sky. She could see everything including her spirits battles. By the look of things, Andromeda and Scutum were on the last leg of their power as the monkey spirit raced to help them. Staring down at Yukino she felt a thrill as she summoned Libra and Pisces at the same time. Time to see if she could stand up to gold Zodiacs.
Libra danced through the air using her own gravity magic to float into the air. With a twist of her wrists she lashed out with her scales trying to strike down Hoshi. The mage responded by flying up into the air trying to dodge about only to have her star pulled down towards the ground as the gravity increased around her. She was slammed to the ground hard. Libra twisted around tossing her into the sky causing her to go up and down. Yukino told Libra to stop, moving towards the crater to check on her foe.
Out of the crater, came a zooming comet flying through the air aimed at Libra. The female spirit used her gravity to push the comet to the right only for it to circle about. It came towards her at the left, she sent it down, but it came right back up to her. Too late she realized that it was impossible to change the orbit of a comet as it collided with her sending her back through her gate.
Seeing their friend defeated Pisces glided through the air circling Hoshi trying to ram her. The black son fish rammed her hard as sending bouncing down the road shattering her shield. The white mother came at her from the other side ramming her back so hard Yukino had to jump out of the way. "Be careful you two! Don't take me out!"
The fishes nodded coming after their opponent again. Hoshi stood her ground whirling her hands around in complex pattern as the shape of a lunar eclipse. Waiting for them to ram her Hoshi increased the power to her attack. At the last minute she cast the spell. "Space Magic: Lunar Eclipse Casting!" The mother and son duo couldn't get out of the way as the eclipse engulfed them. They panicked trying to break free, but it was no use as they returned to the Celestial Spirit World.
Yukino was stunned, her strongest spirits had been taken out in mere minutes. She was about to summon her third spirit Ophiuchus, when she heard another spell being cast. "Space Magic: Binary Star Link!" A silver shackle with a gold star appeared on her right wrist zapping her. She dropped her key as she struggled to remove the shackle. She was so focused on getting it off she didn't hear the footsteps until someone placed the dropped key into her hand. Looking up she saw Hoshi smiling at her, a similar shackle on her left wrist. "Don't bother, the spell links us together. If were more than a hundred feet from each other, then we get zapped to point of unconsciousness." She handed Yukino her cape back, snapping it place still smiling.
"What's the meaning of this? What do you want?" Yukino demanded. Her question echoed by Sting, Rogue, and their Exceeds. It appeared they had finally beaten the spirits, losing a lot of magic and had several wounds, but still enough power to take Hoshi out. The two mages prepared to perform a unison raid when Hoshi held up her hand shaking her head. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
"Yeah, why not? Afraid of getting hurt? Too late for that!" Sting snapped at her gesturing to destroyed pathway. There were craters and gutters of churned up dirt, tree branches all over the place with others struck down by magic powers. Even the air was heavy with dirt, magic, and pollen. The sky had clouded up around them. He got ready to launch his attack when Yukino shook her head pleading with him to stop. Pausing, he waited to hear what his target had to say.
"Excellent you've put on your listening ears. Now, my Binary Star Link, works very much like Sensory Link. What happens to one happens to the other. Hurt me you hurt Yukino. Also don't get any ideas, I am the only one who can break the spell, but it has to be my desire. Even my death wouldn't break the spell," Hoshi informed them casually. Yukino nodded already feeling the effects of the spell. She couldn't even move at this point.
Rogue narrowed his eyes once again peering into Hoshi's soul. The darkness had increased, but a bright light was pushing through it. He had to take a gamble if they were to keep Yukino alive. "What is it that you want with Yukino?" he asked ignoring Sting and Lector's stares. Patting Frosch on his head to assure him everything was alright, he turned to look at Hoshi again waiting for an answer.
"I intend to borrow Yukino and her spirits for a while. She's the third strongest Celestial Mage I've encountered, her spirits in particular would be a great assist in helping me on my quest. Apparently having help does make this quest easier." Sting was about to open his mouth to interrupted, but she spoke over him. "Ask Lucy and her friends, they'll tell you what you need to know. Here's my deal, Yukino and her spirits, help me to finish this quest and in return I give her information on her sister Sorono." Sensing that Yukino didn't believe her she used the link to show her a memory that confirmed that she was telling the truth. "I promise when this is over Yukino and her spirits will be returned with no harm to them. I keep my promises, so what it is your decision?"
Being backed into a corner, with Yukino expression hardened, the two Dragonslayers had no choice, but to give in to her demands. Smiling, Hoshi promised to keep in touch giving them a lacremeia flower. She dissolved into star-dust as it carried both mages away. Watching the comrade being taken from them, they knew it was time to talk to Fairy Tail.