Disclaimer! I do not own Fairy Tail. I only own the story and one of the main characters.
CHAPTER 11: Elimination Round
NORMAL/POV
The flow bright stairs reached the balcony of the Fairy Tail hotel. Hand in hand, the group of Fairy Tail mages took their first steps for their way back to the top.
Lucy looked left and right, "Don't you think that it's a little suspicious that there are over three hundred teams? There's not even that many guild's in Fiore."
"I agree. It does seem a little odd that there are so many, but we'll just have to some out on top." Erza's face flushed with full seriousness.
"Hey, I just realized something."
"What is it Natsu-san?" Wendy replied.
"That giant cube thing... is a vehicle isn't it?"
The rest of the group sweatdropped, still running up the stairway.
"But the thing is, I don't feel sick" The others gave off a sigh of relief.
Lucy put her hand on her chin, "Maybe they put a spell on it so that all of the teams have an equal chance of winning?"
"Probably the best explanation we got." Gray said.
They reached the giant mess of mazes and pathways.
"Hey Natsu. Can you spell the exit?" Erza asked, taking quick glances around her.
"No. There are too many new ones that the exit just blends in with them."
"Shit. Well that option's out."
"Oh I know?"
"What is it Lucy?" Erza turned towards the blonde.
"Let make a map of everywhere we go so we don't get lost." Lucy pulled out a pen and paper.
"That's a good idea. Let's use it."
Lucy nodded at Erza in reply.
"Which way are we going to go Erza-san." Wendy looked up at their leader.
"Hmm." Erza place her hands on her hips. "Let's go that way."
They group followed happily.
"No, this way."
"Over here!"
"Down there."
Back and forth, the Fairy wizards scampered around, left, right, and even upside down. Lucy did her best to scribble down the route as they went. Suddenly the ground beneath them began to rumble.
"What the! Is this thing rotating?!" Lucy slipped and grabbed onto the ledge.
"Everybody hold on tight!" Erza caught Wendy who was about to fall out of the maze.
Gray and Natsu held on as the movement came to a stop. Pulling each other up to solid ground, they looked towards the town.
"Look at how many people fell out!" Lucy pointed.
From outside the cube, the teams who had fallen looked like glitter shining from the dim moonlight.
The lacrima screen revealed the pumpkin mascot once again. "Haha that's a surprise indeed, kabo! This is no ordinary maze. At certain times, this entire cube will rotate completely, shaking out all the unnecessary teams that will not make it to the end. Kabo. Those who remain, continue to the exit!" The screen disappeared, leaving the group of fairies even more confused than they were before.
"Great. Now what." Gray's pouting was interrupted by another team.
"Hey! You're the fairies aren't ya'. We ain't letting no bug beat us."
"Those are the guys from Twilight Ogre!" Natsu's fist tightened. "Oh yeah? Come and get us."
Natsu turned to Wendy as the Twilight team readied for battle.
Both dragonslayers leaped into the air.
SKY DRAGON!
FIRE DRAGON!
ROAR!
Two spirals of wind and fire speed towards the Ogres. In perfect unison, the two magics formed into a single attack as it swept Twilight Ogre right off the maze.
"Well that was easier than expected." Lucy looked at the two dragons before a piece of paper flew into her hand. "Hey guys. This is a map of part of the maze."
All of the fairies gathered around the blonde.
"Lucy-san, if we can get enough maps and piece them together. Do you think that we find the exit that way?" Wendy tilted her head up at Lucy.
"That's a great idea! Natsu, Gray, Erza, Wendy... You up for it?"
"Heck Yeah!" The group of fairy mages high fived each other.
One by one the group of wizards knocked out the other teams, collecting their slips of paper.
FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!
ICE MAKE! LANCE!
SKY DRAGON ROAR!
HEAVEN'S WHEEL! CIRCLE SWORD!
Lucy did her best to connect the missing fragments to make a detailed map for the exit. After moments of more scribbling, Lucy was able to make the best map possible for the giant cube of puzzling mazes.
Erza took a break from all the fighting, "So Lucy? Where do you think the exit may be?"
Natsu took a glance at the papers Lucy was holding, "What is this even supposed to mean? I know it's a map, but it looks like nothing but a bunch of squiggly lines."
"Well if you let me explain for once, I can tell you." Lucy gave a small huff, "Anyways, If you look at all the pieces, they have one thing in common. There's always a piece missing around the center of this maze, and from where we entered and traveled, the exit should be located west of here."
"Dang, didn't know you do that from looking at a couple of poorly drawn maps."
"Well Natsu! You could probably do that if you tried using your brain for once!"
"But Lucy-san, how do you know which way is west?"
Lucy smirked, "It's no problem. I've got a key for that." Lucy pulled out one of her silver keys (I do realize that I accidentally said bronze keys in a previous chapter)
OPEN! GATE OF THE COMPASS! PYXIS!
With a poof of smoke, a red bird with a compass on its head appeared in front of Lucy.
"Pyxis can you point us west?" The little red bird nodded at Lucy's command. The dial on its head began spinning, it paused in the direction left of the group.
"Thanks Pyxis. Make sure you guys keep up!" Lucy rushed off to the pathway on her left, followed by the rest of the team. Up and down stairways, running across curved paths, jumping on floating bits of land, the fairies were in seeing distance of the exit.
"It's over there Lucy-san!" Wendy pointed to the exit.
"For an elimination game, the exit is all happy go lucky as hell. I mean seriously, what kind of serious game has this all bright and colorful when the rest of this place is all boring and stuff." Gray stared at their key to the top.
"Who cares! We've found the exit!" Natsu cheered.
Without even realizing it, out of excitement, the team ran to their heart's content towards their final chance of glory. They arrived at the large arch like doors. The blinking light of the sign the read 'exit' was as bright as day.
A mini lacrima projection appeared in front of the group of wizards. "Welcome to the exit, kabo! You've made it past the elimination round, congratulations kabo!"
"Yeah yeah, what place were we in?" Natsu said, only curious about their current standing.
"Fairy Tail's team... Came in 8th place, the last to pass."
"You've got to be kidding me." Lucy sweatdropped.
"Well, at least we made it in time." Gray sighed in disappointment as the mages walked through the door.
SELENE/POV
I woke up, covered in bandages as the scent of copper lingered on me. I figured that I had been found like this and had been cared for. I glanced around the room. This place had a familiar scent, like the hotel I was supposed to be at. I tried to sit up in the bed, distorted and confused, I heard a voice from the side of the bed.
"How are you doing child?" The master sat in a chair next to the bed.
"Um okay I guess, what happened?"
"I was about to ask you the same." He answered.
Then I remembered everything. Every little detail, the katana, the whip, and my mother's words. 'You're powerless.' Before I knew it, tears were trickling down my bandaged cheeks.
"Why are you crying?" His face showed even more concern.
"It's... it's what happened. I remember." I coughed a little with my raspy voice.
"Go on. When you're ready." Master looked patiently at me, waiting for my story.
"When I was in the marketplace, I saw a light in the alleyway beside it, so in my nature, I decided to investigate it. When I was there, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Until I started glowing, turns out I got teleported."
"To where?" He asked.
"Back to the Dragon Realm." More tears started flowing from my eyes. "It...It was my mom!"
"No need to say any more, child. I've gotten more than enough information." Master put his hand firmly on my shoulder. I nodded in agreement, but there was way more to say.
"But there's something I should also tell you." I removed my black and fiery red bangs that shielded my right eye. His expression showed his surprise, but he was able to regain his composure. "I can't use magic anymore, it was all a lie, a dumb, hurtful lie. I was weak from the start, I couldn't use magic even if I wanted to." I pointed to the side of my body that had been deeply cut with the cold blade. "My mother had implanted an elemental lacrima in me. This boosted my strength, too. When I was a baby, my body couldn't contain any amount of magic power. My right eye is proof of this, and there had to be an heir for the throne. But last year, I was banished to the Earthlands, being unable to go back my origin."
I looked at Master as he nodded, ready for me to continue.
I took in a deep breath. "My mother said something about taking out all of the relations to the Dragon Royalty. Cole Dargon, my father had been sick since I left and deceased by the time I got teleported. Jude and Layla Heartfilia are both dead. I am too weak to redeem the throne."
His eyes widened, "So that means..."
"Yes." I finished his sentence. "Lucy, the last bloodline of the Heartfilias, is going to be targeted next. I don't know how or when she'll make her move, but the event will be inevitable."
A/N Sorry it took so long. Hope this is okay. I've got some good plans for future chapters. Please fav, follow, and review.