Stoneheart and the Woodhome
E1sky
Chapter 7
Mission Accomplished!
Lucy had just come out from the ground after the trap to the defeated earth mage. All Fairy Tail saw Zukyu entered into the magic circle and disappeared. He stepped right through the golem's head and he was gone. There was a moment of tense silence as they waited. Then the golem's head move as if struggling at first. Its arms reached out from the ground and it helped itself out into the surface. It stood up to his toes now and was looking in its hands examiningly opening and closing it constantly. Then the golem did something they haven't seen before. It laughed, the golem thrown its hands upward and laughed maniacally. Then it did more Lucy would've expected, the golem talked!
"I've made it!" it says, "I've got the golem's power!"
"It's not the golem anymore!" Lucy screamed, "It's the bandit Zukyu!"
"What did you do to the golem?" Natsu asked angrily.
"Take over magic!" Happy gasped.
"It's different from Elfman-san's" Wendy remarked.
"Elfman's involves transformation," Charle added, "this one involves possession… forbidden magic!"
Natsu fired up in anger. These mages were plain evil and he can't just let them do what they want. He charged toward the giant but before he could engage a boulder hit him, again.
Lucy turned to see the earth mage trying to stand up. Then she saw the golem, who was now Zukyu hurled stones at them. Lucy moved away but Wendy stood her ground.
"Skydargon's roar!"
She had crushed to dust the frontline projectiles but the tail end was still solid enough to hurt her. Wendy run but she easily stumbled to the now unleveled ground due to the enemies fighting style. Charle took her out of danger almost not in time that she received some of the hits.
Lucy had seen it all. The battle is not over but it must be. She was more determined to end it now. She took out the river of stars and pose to strike for the golem. Then she had second thoughts and faced the weaker earth mage instead. 'it's Natsu's job to handle the bigger ones'
Natsu stood up and saw Lucy took the earth mage with her whip. Wendy and the two exceeds, together with the captain, were moving in to safety, as the golem was beginning to attack again. It angered Natsu more. Ignored huh! He's whole being ablaze and that got the golem's attention. Natsu charged.
"Firedragon's iron fist!" The golem met him by a swung of its massive arm which Natsu evaded by propelling himself in midair with fire. He landed the hit and followed up. "Firedragon's claw!"
The golem received it all. It's no way the same as before. It tried to attack with a pound but Natsu dodged it easily. Natsu realized that though it got the golems toughness and strength, it lacks the speed and fluidity to move such enormous body. In fact he noticed now that it was a bit off balance unable to maintain stability. The takeover mage can't really control the body.
Natsu attacked again, aiming at the chest. "Firedragon's roar!"
"You can't hurt me with that!"
"Really?" Natsu grinned.
The golem looked down to his chest and saw there were cracks. "No! this can't be!"
"My fire is not just ordinary fire, they incinerates everything"
"You… how dare you! I have the golem's power, you can't defeat me!" Zukyu attacked in desperation but there's no way Natsu would lose. He's feet ablaze and he jumped up high above.
Lucy had tied up her enemy with the river of stars from head to toes. "Ruthless" Happy would remark. But now she watched with Wendy, Charle, and captain Vegam as Natsu soared blazing above, ready to deliver the final blow.
"With a flaming right hand… and a flaming left hand… Firedragon's dazzling blaze!"
The explosion of fire engulfed the golem completely and everything around it within considerable proximity. Lucy could only saw the silhouette of the golem with its whole form burning entirely as they saw it fell for the second time in much worst condition. Natsu landed before it and waited as his fire lingered for a moment at the golem lying flatly on his back now.
As the fire receded, cracks showed all over the golem's body. The once strong and tough giant now lay in pathetic form. There were deep and painful groans coming from its mouth. Then a circle was ignited to glow at the golem's chest as magic power concentrated on it. The groans turned to loud screams until a ragged Zukyu was spit out from the circle.
Zukyu felt all his magical power left him. He was just too exhausted to move. Then he felt himself being picked up by the collar. Apparently he was taller than the one who picked him up for his feet still touches the ground. He tried to open his eyes to see who it was and his eyelids were forced to open wider in fear. Salamander's ember eyes were scary enough, he can still feel the oozing power from him and there was a shadow of a great red dragon behind him. His whole being was grip by fear that he has to let out a terrified scream. "Monsteeeeeeerr!"
Natsu was annoyed at the reaction of the bandit he just picked up so he knocked it unconscious, cutting the scream in the process. "I'm not a monster!"
Natsu then threw him off to Lucy who gladly dragged it to tie with the other bandit with the help of Wendy, deciding whether a knot or a ribbon would look better.
"This is not gift wrapping" Charle muttered.
"Although it would be an appreciated gift for the city guards" the captain remarked.
Lucy can only be satisfied with their work. With the defeat of both the golem and the bandit mages, the mission has finally over, really over. She turned to look at Natsu who still stood there staring at the golem. Only his back was shown to them so Lucy couldn't tell what he was thinking now. She came to him.
"Natsu", she approached touching his shoulder lightly.
Natsu turned to her. The expression on his face was just a little bit confuse rather than angry which Lucy had initially expected. He turned back looking at the golem. "He's still alive"
"What?"
"He's still alive. I can still feel life in him"
Lucy smiled staring now at the golem with him. "It still alive then." Then she tried to feel the life that Natsu was talking about. "I feel warm"
"Lucy!" Happy cried from behind obviously frightened and Lucy turned to see all of them having frantic faces. Then it deemed to Lucy what was happening when the warm feeling she felt heightened incredibly and crackling noises cut through her senses as they were surrounded by devouring orange glow. How could she almost miss it? Natsu overdid it again with that final attack. The forest was on fire!
"Quick! We need to move it's getting dangerous in here!" Captain Vegam alerted.
It was then that they heard it again, the mysterious cry they've been hearing for several times now. And this time, Lucy heard it too deducing they were closer. "It's a child scream," Lucy said, "a girl child!"
Then they heard cracky rock noises as they turned to see the golem rose from its pathetic form. It wasn't as sturdy as before but it still limped towards deeper in the forest in a frantic haste.
"Let's go with him!" Natsu yelled and this time they all came with him.
On their side, trees were already on fire, and behind them was just more fire catching up with them. Huge trees make huge fires! Ahead of them they've finally seen a glow. It isn't fire. It isn't red or orange but rather green. The golem had diverted from the way earlier and disappeared that was almost unnoticed for Natsu and the rest for they were now captivated by the green glow.
They continued on running till they reached the source of the green glow. Natsu stopped abruptly and Lucy bumped at his back.
"Aw! Natsu, what-" she stopped at mid-sentence as she and the rest stared in awe at the sight before them. The trees were glowing.
These trees were in circle formation, and unlike the other trees in the Forewoods, each of them has only the size of a regular tree. But they were glowing and the rustle of their leaves were like unutterable whispers. Lucy's eyes were filled with wonder as her mind suddenly cleared a memory.
"I know it," she started, "I remember now Natsu! It's the Woodhome!" Lucy felt all eyes fell on her as she glimpsed at Natsu who also looked at her. She continued her tale. "When I was a child, my mom read me a story about the great nature mage Diona Blossomer. It was said that she uses all her magic powers in creating a one grand spell, the Woodhome! I can't believe it! It's all true! Diona Blossomer's legacy, the Woodhome!"
In a sudden, the fires declared their presence back as heat and crackling noises closed at them. They heard the child's cry again so close that they didn't hesitate to enter the Woodhome. What they saw inside the circle of trees was a perfectly leveled cushion of grass that has also a tinge of soothing green glow, covering the whole diameter of the circle. At one end, they saw a carelessly heaping of tables, beds, and other random things that the golem had apparently picked up. Before it, was a bed properly fixed, a table, a cabinet, a dresser, and other things set to mimic a home. And what they saw on the bed was a little girl full of tears.
All of them were shocked once again. What could a little girl be doing here? What was really happening here? The girl suddenly sobbed and cried harder as the fires became visible outside the Woodhome. It was then that the golem appeared beside the heap of random things. Apparently with its massive size, it couldn't enter the Woodhome without destroying a portion of the perfectly lined circle of trees. But it stretched its arm inside placing it in front of the girl to cover her from the sight of fire and heat.
Lucy turned to the fires. They've' reached them already. They all watched in dread as the flames licked the leaves of the Woodhome trees. But then, as in defiance, the trees glowed stronger and drove the fires away. But it didn't really lessen the fire. The fire just rose up and traveled the circumference of the circle. This isn't good! In the next moments, they would be surrounded with fire and Lucy could somehow tell that the defense of the Wood home would not hold long enough. She turned to the fire dragonslayer frantically.
"Natsu we can't let the Wood home be burned. This is Diona's legacy! The very core of the Forewoods forest. If the Forewood will be destroyed the whole forest would be affected."
"What should we do Lucy? I can't eat the same fire I've set."
"How about Aquarius?" Happy asked hopefully.
"I need water to call her"
"How about I blow the fire away with my roar?" Wendy offered.
"Negative Wendy", Charle told her, "with fire this strong your roar will more likely infuriate it"
Lucy suddenly longed to have Juvia or Gray around. None of their magic can quench the fire. If Lucy could only summon Aquarius, but Lucy can't see any water nearby. She watched as the fire crept to encircle them as the Woodhome hold on to its glow. The great trees of the Forewoods started to fall with heavy thuds. The sight was unacceptable enough. The work of Diona Blossomer was breaking in their very eyes and they were partly at fault. This couldn't be happening!
Lucy can hear the scared squeaks of the girl hidden behind the golem's hand for every thud of trees. If worst happens, she would be forced to summon Aquarius through Virgo, although it would pissed Aquarius enough to kill her. She was fiddling with her keys then when Natsu heard a splash of hope. Then Wendy and the exceeds picked up the sounds too.
"Someone's coming" Natsu told her and Lucy hopefully waited. She had no idea who would be coming with this part of the forest but she started hearing the sound of fire being splashed with water too and the following steaming off sound. Someone was coming for them and he can quench fires. The splashing came nearer and nearer until a fire at one end of the Woodhome was put off. Steam rose in the instant as water hits fire. When the steam cleared, the small figure of a mage appeared on the other side.
"Levy!" Lucy gasped.
"Lucy!... Natsu!..." Levy was as much as surprise as well to see them their but she was cut off as the fire she just put off rekindled. She quickly performed her solid script magic and big letters S-P-L-A-S-H appeared in mid air. Water sprouts from the word and quench the fire. Levy made two more scripts and directed them to quench the other fires. She then stepped inside the Woodhome to be relieved of too much heat she already endured and continued writing SPLASH.
Lucy watched in amazement as Levy completely vanquishes the forest fire. She was filled with joy and can't help the big smile that crept upon her face. Once Levy turned to them, she rushed and tackled her with a hug. "Thank goodness! You saved the day Levy-chan!"
Levy laughed shortly at her great display of relief and unexpected meeting. "I'm glad I came at the right time, but-", she wiped off a sweat at her forehead with her arm, "that really drains my magic power. What could've happened here Lu-chan?"
"As usual, Natsu came overboard again"
"Why are you here Levy?" Natsu asked, appearing behind Lucy, Wendy was smiling sweetly beside him.
Levy opened her mouth to reply but she was cut off by the groan of the golem. They all turned to see more cracks were forming all over the golem's body until he completely shattered. The golem crumbled into pieces then into dust. The golem was gone.
They were all shocked at what they've witnessed, including Levy who just noticed the giant. The once strong golem disappeared in a moment. It was so sudden it seems unreal. Death has claimed the great creature in their very eyes.
They all snapped out from their shock state when the little girl uttered a cry. It wasn't understandable but they watched her stepped down from her bed towards a heap of dust that the golem left. There she found a dark shiny stone almost as big as her head. It was blinking a red glow as if imitating a heartbeat.
The girl stooped down as if to lift up the stone but it seems too heavy for her that she sat down instead to look at it closer. The glow of the stone waned until it blinked no more. The dark stone turned to lifeless gray and it became lighter since the girl was now able to carry it with her when she stood up. She looked at the stoned from side to side but when nothing happens she threw it with the stock of random things piled beside, apparently not fully aware of what had just transpired.
The girl came back to her bed where she pulled her knees close to her chest and hug herself with her small arms. She startled them all when she began crying hard again.
Her cry prompted Levy to quickly move towards her. The girl heard the footsteps and she flinched when she saw the new comer.
Levy slowed down upon seeing her reaction, reciting soft words to calm her down. "It's alright, I'm a friend," Levy took out a thing from her purse which Lucy thought was a photograph and showed it to the little girl upon reaching her.
The girl stopped crying. She took the photo from Levy's hand and hugged the solid script mage, burying her face to Levy's chest. "Mommy" she muttered.
Levy can't help the smile at that utterance. "Yes that's right," she assured caressing the girl, "I'm taking you to mommy, were going home now."
Lucy found her eyes misty. She doesn't fully understand what was happening yet but she was touched by the scene. Levy was right when she said she came at the right time. Now the little girl will never cry again. It has different effect to Natsu though. Levy's words reminds him of something. He turned to Lucy.
"Lucy"
"Yes Natsu" Lucy wiped the small tears from her eyes and smile.
Natsu grinned. "We're going home"
"Aye sir!" Happy and Wendy said at the same time that made them all laughed. Mission accomplished.
AN: One more to go. It would be more of a wrap rather than a chapter but it would confirm some of your theories and cleared up details that need to be. So check it out for completion.