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Here is the next chapter. Please enjoy!
Chapter 7. In the forest
"What do you think about the midnight conversation that Natsu had heard?" whispered Lucy in Gray's ear.
They were in the train travelling to the city of Muaketta. Natsu had got his usual motion sickness and at the moment he was lying helplessly on his seat. Happy was sitting next to him. Frosin was looking through the window. He seemed lost in his thoughts and he didn't pay attention to anything around him.
"I wonder what Frosin's intentions are. Is it possible…? I mean… Do you think that there is some kind of a plot…?" continued the blonde girl.
"I really don't know. And I don't want to think so… The master accepted Frosin as a guild member, you know. He trusts him," said Gray under his breath.
They cast a glance at Frosin.
"But we have to be careful," added the ice mage. "Who knows what can happen…We must be ready for everything. For the present we must act as if we don't suspect anything."
Lucy sighed and looked at the older mage. She didn't want to believe that Frosin may be a danger to the guild. No, that was impossible. And yet…
"You are right. We must be on our guard until we discover the secret," said she. "There must be some way to learn the truth!"
"We brought Frosin along to the guild, after all. So we bear responsibility," Gray reminded her.
"That's right…" Lucy sighed again.
The train stopped.
"Did we arrive?" asked Natsu. He raised his head with an effort and fastened his unfocused eyes on the others. His face was as white as ashes. Obviously he was extremely tortured.
"Aye!" Happy replied.
"Thank goodness!" moaned the pink-haired Dragon Slayer.
"Let's get out!" said Gray loudly. He and Frosin helped Natsu to rise to his feet and they got off from the train.
"This journey was a torture for Natsu, I see. Let us wait until he feels himself better," suggested Frosin.
Gray looked him up and down. Was Frosin indeed concerned for the fire mage or he wanted to gain some time in order to postpone their return to the guild as much as possible… just to be sure that Bixlow wouldn't be there? Gray didn't know but he couldn't make a reason to refuse.
"Very well, we will wait," he said.
-ooo-
Natsu's giddiness passed bit by bit and in half an hour he felt himself much better. He rose to his feet without any help.
"I'm ready, so let's go!" he said.
"Let's go," repeated the others.
-ooo-
"Now, how are we going to find our mission's targets? Do you have any idea?" asked Lucy.
They had been walking through the forest nearly half an hour and there was no trace of the beasts.
"Don't worry about that! Be patient. They will find us, I think," replied Natsu in his care-free manner.
"T-They will find us?" repeated Lucy. She didn't like his words. The girl looked nervously around herself. "Why do you think so?" But she gave him no time to answer. "Boys, doesn't it seem to you that something is moving around us?" she whispered with fear.
"S-Something is moving, you say? Where…?" Happy asked but his question was needless. At the same moment many green eyes appeared between the trees.
Lucy realized that they were surrounded. The monsters showed themselves outside the shadows. Everyone saw four or five enemies against him.
A large smile formed on Natsu's lips.
"I'm all fired up!" he yelled.
"Natsu, wait!" screamed Lucy but there was no stopping him. He didn't pay attention to her. His fire nature preferred attacking to defending. Without losing any time he used his Fire Dragon Roar to burn the first beast in front of him. On his right side Gray and Frosin took up a fighting position.
Lucy caught one of her golden keys. She intended to summon her Celestial Spirit Taurus.
"Open up! The gate of the…" said she but she couldn't finish. One of the monsters attacked her from behind. Its tail hit her and the girl fell to the ground. Her breathe stopped due to the sharp pain. Her keys were hurled far away.
Happy tried to raise her to her feet but he didn't succeed. The awful teeth directed towards them. The three men couldn't help them because they were surrounded by monsters. Besides that, the girl and the flying cat were outside their magic's radius of action. The danger was inevitable.
"Lucy! Happy!" screamed Natsu in horror.
I will give you a clue to the riddle in the next chapter.
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