. Oculto .
The next morning found everyone up bright and early. Levy kept close to Lily as she dished out food for everyone to eat, grateful they had a bit more. Their nakama had taken their days of travel into consideration, not knowing that it wouldn't take them as long as they'd said to get back.
She didn't seem to notice Eberos watching her every move.
In fact, no one, not even Gajeel, did.
They were too busy worrying about the plan and the linnorms.
"So here's what'll happen," Levy was saying as she handed Natsu his plate of food, using her magic to create some fire for him, too. He gave her a grateful look and began to quickly slurp down his meal. "We were originally going to bring Salutem back, but we sent him back to Oak Town. They'll appreciate him there more, I think. So Gajeel and I will set out with Metalicana. Metalicana will leave us near the temple and get the linnorm's attentions, luring them back here, where Igneel, Eberos, and Natsu - and you, Lily - will deal with them alongside Metalicana. When Gajeel and I are done, Gajeel will use his dragon slaying magic to call Metalicana back to us and we'll have to rush out of there before the linnorms realize what's happened."
"Look at the cute little girl being all in charge," Eberos purred as she warily pushed some food into his hands. "I could eat you up, Miss Levy - oof!"
Gajeel withdrew the limb that he'd turned to iron and slammed into his head, shaking it out with a glare in his crimson eyes. "Don't bother her, or I'll rip your head off."
A rumbling growl was heard as Metalicana rose to his full height behind his son, red eye glowing furiously. Levy rolled her eyes at their overprotectiveness and scolded, "Don't say things like that, Eberos, it only irritates them," before moving on to give Gajeel some iron with his breakfast.
He scowled, not pleased with how she was trying to make sure he didn't get on everyone's bad side.
He'd murdered people for fun.
There was only one side for him, and it wasn't the good one.
Eberos happily munched down on his breakfast, watching Levy with a piercing gaze as she settled down between Gajeel and Lily, her own food in hand. "Does anyone have any questions before we get moving?"
"Yeah," Metalicana grunted. "Where's our breakfast?"
Levy nearly dropped her plate in horror, but Igneel snickered and reassured, "Don't worry, little one, we don't eat quite as often as the rest of you mortal creatures. Metalicana's meal can be found in the cave, and I, myself, can catch something at a later time."
Gajeel elbowed her gently. "Stop freakin' out so much, shrimp."
"Don't call me shrimp," Levy muttered, shoving a bite of food in her mouth and glaring at him.
Amused with how fond of each other they were yet pretended not to be, Eberos narrowed his eyes. There were plenty of ways he could get them separated while they were away… The dragons didn't really need him around to deal with a linnorm, and they had the fire mage.
So if he sneaked away not long after they left…
He'd be good. He had his own way of traveling quickly anyways.
Eberos nodded to himself, watching Levy and Gajeel as he sipped at some water he'd been given. A smirk danced along his lips as he drank. He could do this. The next step after getting away from the freaks before him and following them would be to separate them. In a temple that wasn't familiar - so long as the size cooperated with his plans - it'd be easy.
And if he could get Levy far enough out into the desert, where Gajeel couldn't follow and the dragons flew too high to see anything…
It just might work, actually.
Pleased with his decisions, Eberos settled down with a snicker, his laughter coming under his breath. Gajeel's crimson gaze darted to him and studied him suspiciously; Eberos met his gaze with a challenging smile, baring his teeth.
Just try and stop me.
He'd never been able to go through with a challenge like this and it excited him, lit his blood on fire like he expected some people described actually nice activities did.
His gut tumbled within him. Eberos wanted to get a move on; he was tired of sitting around and waiting and planning. He'd started the game, and he was damn ready to get going with the actual playing of it.
When everyone was done eating, Levy hopped to her feet, hazel eyes blazing.
"Alright," she said darkly. All eyes turned on her, all serious. "Let's get this show on the road."
Levy's knuckles were white as they clutched the cloak she'd wrapped around herself to protect her from the sun. She'd just slid from Metalicana's back alongside an impatient Gajeel, and the iron dragon was already getting ready to take back off,
"I'll come back at nightfall, brats," he grunted, red eyes narrowed. "Don't get yourselves killed. Protect the little one, boy."
Gajeel bared his teeth. "Shut up, you old cranky piece of junk metal."
Yet Levy could sense the anxious feeling that ran between them; they worried about one another, even if they didn't express the concern.
The linnorms didn't make an appearance, but Levy felt the sands shift beneath their feet. Her body tensed, and Gajeel suddenly swore as he dragged her forward at a dead run. "Go!" he ordered.
A second later, a massive open mouth slammed shut over the sand they'd been standing in. Metalicana rumbled irritably and then roared at the linnorms, clicking his jaws and rattling his heavy plating to make loud noises.
The first of the pair were caught by his talons across the face and it screamed back before lunging. The second linnorm came to team up and within seconds, Metalicana was off the ground, a massive serpent-like body flying through the air to try and catch him. As the linnorm fell, it turned its front half downward and dived into the sand.
Gajeel knelt when they were a safe distance away, looking like Scorpio had as he plunged his fingers into the sand. His flesh rippled into iron along his hands and arms as he felt the vibrations of the sand. "We're good," he said finally. "The old man got 'em away."
Relaxing, Levy turned her gaze on the temple.
It was massive. It was old, broken down by time and weather and who the hell knew what else, with great white pillars and sand dunes that crossed over the front of it and possibly inside. Levy couldn't see the inside of it from where she stood; it was too dark, and she sullenly wished that Natsu was there to become a human torch.
At least Gajeel was there, she thought, nervously grabbing his shirt. He glanced at her curiously, his pierced brows drawing downward before he focused on the temple itself. "C'mon, shrimp, we ain't gonna get anywhere by doing nothing," he told her, and then started forward. She hurried after him, glancing over her shoulder in hopes of seeing Metalicana and the linnorms, but they were already long gone.
"I hope Lily will be okay," she murmured as they walked up a set of stairs that led into the temple. Levy lowered the hood of her cloak as they stepped inside, and his voice echoed when he replied.
"He'll be fine. My cat's badass, remember?" Gajeel studied the space around them, grimacing at the darkness. Levy stepped a few steps forward, lifting her hand.
"Solid-script," she said softly, "Light."
The area around them lit up as the word appeared in her hand, glowing brightly. Gajeel eyed it curiously, but then turned his grouchy eyes elsewhere. There was plenty to look at; the walls around them glinted softly in the harsh light, and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously when he heard something whisper through the air.
Something occurred to him suddenly, and he let out a rumbling growl of warning that was quite similar to his father's. While they weren't all too common, there were spirits and ghosts that sometimes came around and caused troubles. A place like this would hold powerful spirits.
"Gajeel, stop being so loud," Levy hissed, smacking his arm and venturing further into the temple. Her hazel eyes darted this way and that, searching the darkness for danger and whatever might be hidden within it.
He grunted in response, dropping the sound, but kept a sharp ear out for anything out of the ordinary.
He'd prefer it if his shrimp could sleep for the next few months.
Because those bastards were nasty; they were cruel and heartless, even less so than those of Phantom Lord had been. Maybe even worse than the bastard that had decided to tag along on their adventure.
"Look at this!" Levy suddenly called quietly, and he blinked, realizing she'd gotten much further away than he'd have liked. Grumbling about it, Gajeel moved closer, keeping next to her now as he peered down at what she'd pointed out.
"Huh," he muttered, frowning at the trap door. "We gonna go down or not? Your job; you choose, woman."
Levy squinted at it in thought, looking around the room one more time, and then shrugged, reaching to open it. "Why not? We've come this far, right?" She pried the door open with his help - it was heavy, even for him - and then stepped aside when he simply hopped down, not hesitating to drop without making sure there was still a floor first.
"Shit," he hissed, feet and ankles throbbing when he hit the ground quite a ways down. He glanced up, seeing Levy's anxious face highlighted by the light she cradled. "C'mon, drop down. I'll catch ya."
"Okay."
He felt a flash of pride when she didn't hesitate to drop through the hole. He caught her with ease, and she winced at the harshness of falling so far and landing in someone's arms, but patted his chest gratefully. He was simply glad that she trusted him enough to throw herself into the darkness beneath her without so much as hesitation just because he'd told her he'd catch her.
Levy held her light up for them to see - and then leaped back with a scream of fear.
Despite the jump he felt in his chest, Gajeel snorted in amusement and poked at the statue before them. It was some kind of strange guardian creature that had been carved into the material, and he gave Levy a look. "Really? You'll fall into pitch black but a statue scares the hell out of you?"
She stuck her tongue out at him. "Shut up."
They picked their way around the statue and Levy held the light up as best as she could, glancing around.
Past the pair of statues that they'd slid between was a long corridor. They exchanged a look, and then simply followed it, their footsteps echoing like they were in a cave. Gajeel grunted when Levy bumped into him and ruffled her hair comfortingly in his gruff way before focusing again.
She merely pouted, annoyed that he'd done so.
When they reached the end of the corridor, it split off into two more. "Well, shoot," Levy muttered, making a face. "We can't take both of them...should we split up? You could take one and I could-"
"Ain't no way we're splittin' up in here, shrimp," Gajeel told her, rolling his eyes. "One, you have light and I don't, and two, we don't know what the fuck is down here. Things that are worse than dragons do exist, ya know. For all we know, there could be a goddamn demon down here."
Levy shuddered at the thought; she'd heard plenty of stories on just how brutal a demon could be. They were legends, horrible creatures that relished in agonizing pain and sheer terror. "Right," she muttered, squinting. "So which way do we go?" She answered her own question, before Gajeel could get a word in. "In stories they always follow the right wall, particularly in mazes, so that they can find their way back. So should we try that way?"
"Sure," he muttered, "Where ever ya wanna go, I'll follow."
She smiled warmly, and he nudged her forward gently.
Together, they headed down the path, their gaze never wavering as they searched for danger. But nothing popped out of nowhere at them. Nothing tried to attack, nothing moved oddly.
Nothing did anything.
After a while, they reached the edge of the hallway, where a doorway stood. Levy pushed it open carefully and then peeked inside with Gajeel close behind. "...a tomb," she murmured. "Look, there's the monument that someone carved for the dead person. They must have been much loved and wealthy by the looks of it."
The marble that surrounded where the person must have been buried was carved into beautiful shapes, engraved with pictures of what must have been stories. They were gorgeous, and Levy found herself captivated by them.
"Hey, shorty, look at this."
Levy glanced over, curious, and she followed his gaze to the wall beside him. Gajeel had gently touched the stone there, not daring to press too hard in case it crumbled. "Can you read this?" he demanded as she drew close.
Levy studied the ancient writing quietly. "It's a story," she murmured, "More of myth or legend, actually. It's about some gallant hero that fell in battle. He set out to destroy a dragon, but was unsuccessful. Instead, the hero disappeared. He wasn't seen from again. This is an honorary grave site."
"Hm...was wondering where this went."
They whirled around to discover none other than Eberos standing there, a huge grin on his face, as if he was ridiculously excited to be there. Levy's lips parted in horror, and Gajeel immediately slid an arm in front of her, a rumbling sound echoing deep in his throat. "You're not supposed to be here, you were helping-"
"Eh, do you think they really needed me there? They got the linnorms handled." Eberos peered around him, sharp shadows crossing his face, cast by the bright light Levy had. "Honestly, I think we should be impressed. They did a good job of keeping it intact."
Gajeel watched him closely. "You know this place?"
"Well, since I was supposed to be buried in here...yeah. I do." Eberos narrowed his eyes at the writing they'd been studying. "It's funny how old it looks. I don't remember it being that long." Shrugging to himself, he cackled at them. "Anyways, did you really think I'd just stay behind and screw around with linnorms?" He flashed his teeth. "Since when did you expect me to become a good guy? I've been waiting to see the sands run with your blood since I figured out you guys were hanging around!"
Levy tensed,and Gajeel clenched his jaw, his sharp crimson eyes never leaving the other man's form as he strode closer. The blue-haired girl behind him took a step away, her back pressing against the wall that held such delicate writings.
Eberos threw his head back and laughed at their looks. "Honestly? Did you never once think that I'd turn on you? Idiots, all of you. Mind you, everyone for the most part seemed to think I would...oh, well." His eyes shone. "They won't be hearing from either of you again."
Without a moment of hesitation, Eberos snapped his head back and unleashed a blow of magic upon the roof of the temple. Levy shrieked, and Gajeel swore, throwing himself back when it caved in, filling the room with sand. Within seconds, she found herself struggling to breathe, the sand rising up to her chest, while Gajeel found himself unable to move, the sand too heavy to move his legs through.
Expertly, even as more sand spilled in, Eberos sprang lightly on top of it. It was like an hourglass, the room filling with more and more with each passing moment, and Levy cried out when she found herself being dragged from the sand by a hand that fisted in her hair. Her eyes flashed with fear, and Gajeel lunged, arm turning into an iron pillar that snapped towards Eberos.
Eberos ducked to avoid it as Gajeel hauled himself onto the sand, ignoring the way that it flooded over his feet and threatened to trap them.
Levy used a spell, her solid-script magic creating a burning fire that seared at Eberos' fingers, but he merely tightened his grip and shook her lightly, laughing hysterically. "Ooh, fire, how scary!" he mocked.
Gajeel's eyes filled with rage and he launched himself at Eberos, who released Levy so that he could meet Gajeel's blow with ease, rolling down the slope of sand behind him. Levy scrambled on her hands and knees to peer over the edge, where they were each scrabbling to get the upper hand.
"Gajeel," Levy cried worriedly, sliding down the slope herself.
Before she could get anywhere close however, there was a piercing shriek and then the entire wall exploded. Levy screamed in fear as a large eye flew past her. Linnorm! she screeched wordlessly, her mouth filling with sand.
How had they come back so quickly?!
Her heart pounding, she clawed her way up through the sand and gasped for breath when she found the surface. Her eyes burned with pain when she realized that the space she'd found was quickly fading in. Pain sliced through her leg when something cut it, a sharp scale or something similar catching it. She felt a blast of magic nearby, a panicked shriek, and then silence.
"Gajeel!" she wailed again, struggling to hoist herself out of the endless amounts of sand.
He was nowhere to be found, and Levy felt a sob leave her lips.
She was the one who'd insisted that Eberos had joined them, and look what had happened.
This was her fault, all her fault!
A massive mouth gaped open, rows of sharp teeth filled her vision, and Levy's eyes flew wide, and then screwed shut in acceptance.
She could feel the sand rising around her, covering her shoulders as it bared down on her, and then it was gone, slinking further into the sands. Levy couldn't breathe, her eyes remaining shut to shut out the sand that tried to fill them a moment later.
Her lungs burned before long, and her struggling weakened. All thoughts of her missing companion and trying to escape faded away as she felt something brush against her body. Once, it would have sparked fear in her heart. Now...nothing.
Before long, she knew nothing but darkness.
"Shit, shit, shit," Gajeel chanted, struggling to desperately find Levy amongst the sand that had filled the area. It had finally stopped trickling into the room, and he found himself trapped beneath the temple without any escape, the sand halfway up his chest. Eberos was long gone, plucked away like a piece of meat and dragged into the sands by the linnorm. Gajeel could feel shifting far beneath him, telling him that the monstrous creature was still around.
He didn't dare raise his voice to call for Levy.
It was hard to remain calm, though, his heart pounding away and his breath coming in desperate heaves. He was finding it difficult to breathe.
He couldn't use his iron magic to protect him here, not when he didn't know where the linnorm was hiding, or where Levy was. He couldn't risk getting her hurt.
But if she remained trapped for too long...she'd suffocate, which wasn't much better.
As if reading his desperation, the temple above him trembled. Gajeel admitted that he was scared of the trembling, well aware of the fact that more sand could fill where he was and cut off any chance whatsoever of ever finding Levy and getting both of them out.
"Damn it," he hissed.
And then the roof above exploded. Sand poured in and Gajeel swore colorfully, struggling to free himself - just as he was plucked from the sand with ease. He snarled viciously, expecting it to be the linnorm, but he was startled when he discovered it to be none other than the iron dragon Metalicana, his jaws stained red with blood. "Stop moving so much, brat," he gritted out. "Or I'll let ya drown in sand."
"Hey, metal freak!" Natsu laughed as Metalicana moved over to where Igneel guarded his own son and Lily. He dropped Gajeel, and then immediately turned away, plunging his head into the sand like some kind of bird, searching through the sand for what Gajeel hoped was Levy. "The linnorms are dead-"
"There was a third," Gajeel rasped, shaking sand from his hair and spitting it out of his mouth.
Never again would he enter a desert.
Never.
"There was?" Lily's fur fluffed up in alarm, and his eyes immediately searched the sands, watching carefully for movement. Gajeel was merely happy to see that his cat was alright and patted his head before shoving himself to his feet. He licked the blood away from his split lip, an injury left from Eberos.
Sheer rage filled him at the reminder.
Eberos was still hidden in the sands, too.
But he wasn't about to try and rescue the murderous bastard.
Igneel snorted smoke when Gajeel prepared to go and help Metalicana, stopping him with a piercing look. "Metalicana will find her. You will be of no use. His ability to sense magic out does the rest of us. Even me."
"She's going to suffocate if we don't get her out soon," Gajeel snarled.
Natsu huffed. "Gajeel, pay attention." He pointed, and Gajeel looked over to discover Metalicana withdrawing from the sand, which showered to the ground in sheets. He held something delicately in his jaws, resting lightly among his teeth without a single one nicking it.
Gajeel's sharp eyes could see the blue color of Levy's hair from where he stood and froze as Metalicana trudged through the sand to lower his head. He rested his chin on the sand, and between the pair of them, Natsu and Gajeel had quickly taken her, lying her on the sand.
"Wendy," Natsu rasped, checking her pulse as Gajeel rested his ear over her chest to listen for a heartbeat. "We should have brought Wendy."
The dragons only exchanged guilty looks.
"She's not breathing!" Gajeel snapped back, checking her mouth almost immediately. "Lily, your paws-"
He darted over, tail lashing and stood beside the solid-script mage's head. He went to work on using his small paws to scoop sand out of her mouth as best as he could, reaching as far as he could. "Try to get her to vomit, see if that'll help clear it-"
"What good would that do?" Natsu snapped, "She can't breathe! That's something completely different! If she's inhaled the sand-"
"Move!" Gajeel snapped, heart pounding as he created an iron rod, testing its flexibility. With great care, he pushed it into Levy's mouth, fingers gently maneuvering it to see if he could clear the sand that way. She didn't flinch, her pale skin nearly the color of snow. "C'mon, shorty, ya can't die this way...still got a hell of a long life ahead of ya…"
There was silence as Gajeel worked carefully.
Suddenly, she jerked. She coughed, sputtering, retching, and Gajeel ordered Natsu to pin her upper half down. The dragons hovered anxiously as he began to carefully withdraw the rod, not wanting to hurt her. When he was done, he tossed it over his shoulder, and Natsu helped her sit up. She wheezed, eyes snapping wide. They were dazed, but full of panic as she coughed and retched, trying to clear her lungs.
"Water," Natsu told Lily, and he darted to where he'd put their bags, bringing the bottle over. "Here, Levy," Natsu muttered as Gajeel sat back, his hands over his eyes, a relieved grin stretching over his face. Natsu ignored him, knowing what to do after having Wendy with him so often. He rubbed circles on her shoulders and back, using his magic to warm his hand, and pressed the bottle to her lips.
Levy drank for a moment, and then shoved it away. She spat the water back out, trying to get the sand out. "Gajeel-" she croaked.
"I'm here, shrimp," Gajeel promised, and Lily squinted at him when he heard his voice quiver suspiciously. "Don't worry."
She blinked, and then burst into relieved tears, ragged gasps escaping her throat hoarsely. "Oh, good," she whimpered. "I'm so glad. I...I thought…"
Gajeel rested a hand gently on her head. "We're fine, Levy," he promised. "Don't worry. We're safe now." Normally, he wouldn't worry over his own safety, but Levy's panic was for him, and he wanted to calm her as quickly as possible.
Metalicana gave a rumbling purr-like sound, and lowered his head so that he could lightly nudge her. "Come, little one," he murmured, "Let's leave this area so that you may rest."
No one disagreed.
I'm back! Sorry about missing an update and thank for all of the "get well" wishes! I really appreciate it! Thanks, guys!
Eberos (my lovely psycho) is an ass.
Thanks to reviewers (AfterWriter, Tigerwoman188, kmmcm, Dragonfan47, random-animegurl, Future Fairy Godmother, LA Artemis, Timber Wolf of Purity, CoSmO333, Leahcar-Soutaichou, SilverGhostKitsune, Guest #1, rita1906, DragonQ, SmileyFace207, and JamestheChameleon!) as well as those who favorited and followed!