A/N: Sorry this took so long. I've been a bit busy as of late so updating quickly is a bit of a challenge, doesn't help that this chapter is super long. Also, I should be studying for finals, but...*types on keyboard guiltily*. By the way, I might go back and do a bit of editing. I'm going to write this story in 3rd person like my other stories so I'm going to go back and make a few changes.
Maybe. I'm lazy, so who knows.
Also, this will be the last chapter for a bit. As I've said in the Author's Notes of some of my other stories, I'm going to be busy so there won't be much time for me to write. Sorry about this.
Enjoy the chapter!
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Ame's POV:
...
A word to the wise, scaling mountains is hard. Even though there was a well worn path to the top from the hikers before, it was steep and it got progressively colder the farther they went up the mountain. Thankfully, Ame's outfit provided some protection from the elements, but that didn't stop her arms, hands and face from freezing up as the cold wind whipped continuously at them.
Eventually they did make it to the top of the mountain. There were multiple caves riddling the mountains, each one seemed to trail deep in the mountain. All of them were shrouded in shadows which made them look very foreboding and threatening. Which is probably what prompted the wooden sign that was hammered into the stony wall with the words: "DANGER! DO NOT ENTER!" painted on it in big red letters.
"There sure are a lot of caves." Droy noted.
"I'm not sure all of them are caves though." Levy mumbled, "From the way they all angle downwards at the same degree, they either must all intersect at the middle or are linked together by a tunnel system."
"S-So n-no ma-matter which w-way we p-pick, w-we'll most l-likely f-find the b-bracelet?" Ame summarized.
Levy nodded, not taking her eyes off the cave in front of them. "Most likely. But something doesn't feel right-"
A loud bang from behind us interrupted the Solid Script mage as a sharp wind rushed between Levy and Ame, startling both of them. Something hard hit the stone outcropping in front of them, leaving a small yet deep hole in the orange-brown stone barely wider than Ame's pinkie finger. Ame's head whipped around to face the direction the projectile originated from. There was another peak about a half of a mile away from the group with plenty of ledges and outcroppings. In Ame's mind, a perfect position for a sniper.
Her dark eyes scanned the peak from the bottom up until she caught the glint of a lense in the fading sunlight. Another bang echoed off the valley. In response, she quickly rose her hand, dragging a wall of shadows up with it. The bullet struck her barrier hard, but did no farther damage.
"We're under attack! Get inside!" she ordered.
Another round of rapid pace bullets peppered Ame's shield as Levy, Jet and Droy scampered into the cave. When they were safely out of harms way, Ame backed up down the cave herself while holding up their cover. Once Ame was inside the cave, she released the barrier and they ran deeper into the cave. Gunfire echoed through the cave for a few seconds after the entered the tunnel and eventually stopped. Darkness swallowed the group whole, but as usual, the darkness didn't hinder Ame in the slightest.
Suddenly, something heavy hit the ground behind Ame.
"Oof!" Levy's voice huffed, "Oh dang it. I can't see anything."
Looking back, Ame saw that she had managed to sprint ahead of her friends and while they were running, Levy had tripped over a loose stone and had fallen down. Jet and Droy had stopped also, but as Ame expected, they didn't make any obvious move to help her though their faces clearly showcased a helpless and frustrated expression.
It was a little strange looking at them because they were in black and white. It was like watching a movie on a black-and-white television. Ame's seen objects in black-and-white before, but it was strange seeing people in this bleak palate.
Seeing as neither of her companions were capable to assist Levy, Ame took it upon herself. Gently, she took the Solid Script Mage's hand to help her up. At first Levy jerked back from Ame's touch, obviously not sure who it was that had grabbed hold of her hand. It took Ame a moment to realize she needed to reassure her friend that it was just her.
"I-It's okay Levy-san. I-It's j-just me." the small mage reassured.
Levy blinked in surprise. "Ame-chan? Oh thank goodness. I'm sorry. I thought you were something else."
"I-It's okay L-Levy-san."
"What!? You found Levy already?" Droy exclaimed, "How did you do that? I can't even see an inch in front of me!"
Ame chuckled awkwardly. "W-Well. I-I can s-see just f-fine."
"How? It's pitch black in here!" Jet exclaimed.
The small mage shrugged, though the two mages probably didn't see it. "I-I've been a-able to see in the d-dark for as l-long as I c-can re-remember. I g-guess it's a S-Shadow Mage t-thing."
Once the Solid Script mage was on her feet again, she dusted her skirt off and stood up straight.
"Hold on. Solid Script: Light!"
A cluster of small glowing letters appeared above Levy's finger, spelling out the word 'light'. The magical golden glow from the letters illuminated the tunnel. It hurt Ame's eyes for a moment as they adjusted from the darkness. Black spots danced before her vision before being blinked out.
The tunnel they were in was small, only about 14 feet in diameter and the orange-brown walls were strangely smooth and glassy for a tunnel while the floors remained rough and uneven. Experimentally, Ame lightly touched the wall but recoiled sharply when a sudden pain shot through her fingertips. A surprised yelp tore from her throat as he ripped her fingers away from the wall. As she did so, her fingers steamed painfully and turned a rosy red.
"Ame-chan? Are you okay?" Droy asked.
The Shadow mage nodded while cradling her fingers. "T-The walls...I-I think th-they're c-covered in...a-acid...?"
Levy hummed thoughtfully, moving her light closer to the walls of the cave. The light of her magic revealed a sickening green hue to the walls that glossed over the warm colors of the natural stone.
"It is acid."
Jet and Droy gasped in alarm.
"D-Does that mean Ame-chan's fingers are going to melt off!?" they exclaimed.
The petite mage chuckled. "No. They weren't contact with the acid long enough for that. This is actually pretty weak acid. It would take hours for her fingers to melt off, but it's still too painful to hold it there on accident."
Ame's eyes widened in wonder. "H-How c-can you t-tell Levy-san?"
Levy flashed a smile to the Shadow Mage. "Simple." she said, "Strong acid has a strong smell. We would have smelled it before we stepped in if it posed any serious threat to us."
"W-What about the ceilings? It's covered in this stuff too!" Droy exclaimed, trembling as he looked up at the acid covered ceilings.
"Relax guys. This acid solidified a while ago. It's like a gel. See where Ame's finger had touched it?" Levy asked, pointing to the spot where Ame had poked the acid earlier, "There's a small indent in it. This acid is a kind that solidifies into a gel-like substance, so no worries about it dropping on our heads."
A relieved sigh puffed from the two men. Ame shared their relief. She wasn't too keen on touching that stuff any time soon. With that matter closed, the group continued their decent. Ame kept her eyes trained on the path ahead while still glancing back every-so-often. She kept sensing something in the darkness behind them, but with the presence of Levy's light, Ame wasn't able to use her night vision to see for sure if there was someone tailing them.
However, another thought occupied her mind that momentarily distracted her from the concerns of being followed. She found it strange that the walls were coated in the acidic gel, but the floors were covered in compacted dirt and stones. The strangeness didn't end there. The dirt was a darker brown then the surrounding rock was. Like it had been from some different place.
Levy glanced at Ame and smiled fondly. "Whatcha thinking about Ame-chan?"
"I-It's s-strange." Ame blurted.
"What is?" Jet asked.
"T-The f-floor. The w-walls are covered i-in the a-acid gel, b-but the floors a-are covered i-in d-dirt! A-And it's d-dirt from o-outside the m-mountain!"
Levy's brows furrowed. "You noticed it too?"
Ame nodded.
The Solid Script mage hummed. "I think that someone made this path, but looking at the dirt, it's too loose to be a well traveled path. It's either was placed here a long time ago and not used or it just simply isn't well traveled."
"Who'd come into an acid covered tunnel anyway?" Droy scoffed.
"What's with the acid gel anyway?" Jet asked.
"I think this mountain used to be home to some kind of acidic slime creature a long time ago." Levy mused.
"'U-Used to b-be'?" Ame asked.
"If these creatures were still here then the acid would still be runny and the burn on your fingers would have been worse." the Solid Script mage concluded.
"Ooooh." Ame said, "T-Then this ma-makes th-these caves p-perfect for h-hiding things! N-Not a l-lot of p-people will c-come here w-willingly."
"Exactly."
A ripple in the darkness behind them stopped Ame in her tracks. This feeling was familiar and conjured the image of the man from the Southern Wolves guild that attacked her and Master Makarov when she arrived in Earthland. Someone was firing an arrow at them.
Ame whipped around and extended her hand at the direction the arrow was hurtling at them from. A deep purple magic seal glowed before her out stretched palm.
"Midnight Missile!"
The softball sized bolt of shadows fired from the center of Ame's magic seal and seconds later collided with something. The impact shattered whatever Ame hit and sent splinters of wood and small bits of metal clattering around her. Levy, Jet, and Droy stopped and gasped at what just happened.
"RUN!" Ame ordered, "PUT THE LIGHT OUT LEVY!"
The other mages didn't argue with Ame's first order but Levy was miffed by the second.
"W-What!?" Levy gasped.
"Are you crazy Ame!? How can we see if we don't have a light!?" Jet exclaimed.
"Simple." Ame said.
The Shadow Mage grabbed Levy's free hand. Realization flashed in the petite mage's eyes and she grabbed Jet's hand, who somewhat reluctantly grabbed Droy's.
"Put the light out!" Ame ordered again.
This time, Levy didn't argue and released her spell. The glowing letters vanished in a small cloud of pink smoke, allowing the darkness to collapse around them once again. Ame's eyes saw nothing for a split second before they adjusted to the darkness. Everything returned to the mute shades of black, white, and grey Ame was used to seeing in the dark.
Behind them, Ame could sense multiple sets of footsteps running after them. However they weren't as fast as Ame's. Miraculously, Levy, Jet and Droy kept up with Ame as she ran and maintained a strong hold on each other's hands.
Ahead of her was a split in the path. Two paths forked off in opposite directions, both covered in a layer of dirt. However, Ame could sense a very faint magical presence from the right hand tunnel and guided her comrades down that path. Behind her, she could still sense their pursuers in the darkness but his footsteps were slower and unsure and every once and a while there was a curse word shouted followed by a light hissing sound. Relief flooded over Ame. Their enemy didn't possess the same ability Ame did, which gave them a distinct advantage. Especially since they were running through a tunnel with acid covered walls.
Eventually their enemys' steps became more distant and Ame heard a few angry voices echoing through the tunnels behind them until they disappeared. It wasn't long before Ame had lead Team Shadow Gear to a large cavern. Abruptly, Ame stopped her motion. As she didn't warn them of her sudden action, Levy and the others ran into Ame and bowled her over. The four mages soon ended up in an awkward pile on the ground.
"A little warning next time!" Jet complained.
"S-Sorry." Ame whispered.
"Why are we whispering?" Droy asked.
"W-We're in a c-cavern." Ame explained, getting up.
The Shadow mage described the new setting to her friends as she refused to allow them to conjure another light for fear that their enemies will some how sense it and find them, though Ame suspected that they would still be found regardless of this precaution. The cavern was roughly forty feet in height and sixty feet in diameter. Many long stalactites decorated the ceiling, each differing in length and the walls were riddled with openings and many ledges circled around the walls and trailed under the openings. Whether the openings were caves or more tunnels, Ame didn't know, but the magic presence she had felt earlier was stronger here.
Once Ame finished explaining, Levy nodded blindly.
"Yeah. I can feel it too. The magic pressure here is strong, the bracelet must be nearby." she whispered.
"Then let's start looking before those crazy people find us!" Droy exclaimed.
The three other mages shushed him as his voice bounced off the high ceilings.
"Th-There are r-really good a-accustics here D-Droy-san. P-Please keep y-your voice d-down from now o-on." Ame begged.
The Plant mage also nodded blindly.
"But I still don't see how we're going to be able to search for the bracelet without a light. None of us have Ame's ability to see in the dark." Jet pointed out.
"Can we please make a light?" Levy asked.
Ame sighed. "Y-Yes."
Levy called forth four light spells and handed three of them to Ame, Jet and Droy. The letters bobbed up and down in Ame's hands as they radiated their soft golden glow. The feeling of holding these magical letters tingled through Ame's hands, but unlike the acid she had stupidly touched earlier, it was a pleasant feeling. It felt was warm and comforting.
Thankfully, the spell threw off quite a large amount of the precious light, though it didn't illuminate the whole space. Admittedly, Ame felt a little vulnerable without her ability to see in the dark. Though she still had her ability to sense things through the shadows, it still was an uncomfortable feeling for her to not be able to see what was coming.
It occurred to the small mage that that must have been how the others felt when they were plunged into total darkness with nothing but Ame's powers to guide them. It also occurred to her that they had put complete trust in her and her abilities, which is something no one has ever done before.
"Ame-chan? Are you okay?" Levy asked, worry in her voice.
Ame looked up from the glowing letters in her hands. Rolling down her cheeks, she felt something wet and cold drip from her eyes. Tears.
Quickly, Ame wiped them away and smiled widely.
"I-I'm fine. Just...t-thank you f-for t-trusting me e-earlier."
"Huh?" Jet asked, clearly confused, "Why wouldn't we trust you Ame-chan? You're a member of Fairy Tail too!"
"Yeah. We're the ones that should be thanking you. You really saved our gooses back there with the arrow." Droy laughed.
"O-Oh yeah...I f-fogot about t-the arrow." Ame muttered.
"You've got some insane skills Ame-chan, so thanks for saving us." Jet said.
Ame's already wide smile grew wider, which made her cheeks hurt, but in a good way. In Ame's chest a warm feeling glowed. It felt similar to the feeling of holding Levy's "light" spell in her hands, but this time inside her. She wasn't sure what this feeling was, but it seemed to make more tears roll from her eyes. Strangely though, they didn't hurt like the tears she had shed before.
Jet and Droy, however, looked on in alarm at the tears the small mage was suddenly shedding.
"Oh geez!" they exclaimed, "W-We're sorry Ame-chan! We didn't mean to make you cry!"
A genuine laugh escaped in Ame's throat as she hastily swept the offending droplets away with the back of her hand. "I-I'm not s-sad! I-I don't know w-why I'm crying!"
Levy giggled. "Their tears of happiness Ame-chan! That's a good thing!"
"O-Oh. S-So t-tears can be g-good?" Ame asked, clearly confused.
The Shadow mage had never shed tears of happiness before. She's heard of it, but the only tears the small mage had ever shed were tears of anger, fear or sadness so she'd dismissed the concept as fiction a long time ago. Levy cast a strange look towards Ame. Alarm rose in Ame's chest as she realized she had made yet another blunder.
"W-Well w-we should s-start looking. T-Those guys co-could catch up a-any minute!" the Shadow Mage stated.
Ame quickly turned away from her friends and headed towards one of the areas. Behind her, she felt her friends reluctantly split up. She realized she had just behaved strangely, but Ame didn't want to explain why she said what she did to her friends.
Friends... Ame thought, realizing the word she had just referred to the other mages with, I...have friends...
Finally, Ame was able to identify what that warm feeling in her chest was. It was happiness. Ame was truly happy. However, she quickly refocused herself. First she had to find the bracelet, or at least search the area she was in. The Shadow mage searched through the caves and tunnels in the section she claimed to search, but she didn't find anything. Suddenly, she felt a ripple in the darkness behind her from across the cavern. This ripple was quickly followed by a surprised scream.
Ame stood up from where she had been crouching before as she searched for the bracelet and dropped her light. The letters poofed out of existence as soon as they left her grasp, plunging Ame into familiar darkness. Once again, her eyes adjusted as she sprinted across the cavern. They were far away, but Ame could make out six shapes. Three, Ame identified to be her friends, but the other three she didn't recognize.
They were two men and one woman from the looks of it. Ame's blood ran cold when she recognized the mens' faces. They were the guards at the museum. Figures that they would have been the ones causing trouble. The first man was large and burly in his build with a clean shaved head, a gruff beard on his face, and a well worn messenger bag slung over his shoulder. The other man was more shrewd in his appearance with a slight hunch in his spine and shaggy hair pulled back in a ponytail. The woman however held a confident air and looked to be dressed for hunting and was heavily ladened with a multitude of firearms ranging from rifles to crossbows, but she didn't look hindered by them in the slightest. It dawned on Ame that this woman was the one who shot at them.
The man with the beard had grabbed Levy by both her wrists, which unfortunately rendered her unable to use magic and from the looks of it, he was holding her for leverage. In Jet's hands, Ame saw something glittering in their lights.
The Armillam de Protectione! she realized, Jet-san found it! But it looks like the treasure hunters found us!
Slowly, Ame stopped running and began to stalk around the perimeter of the light. So far, no one had noticed that the Shadow Mage was there and Ame knew that the element of surprise is the only thing that could help her free her friend before something bad happened.
"Give us the Armillam, mage brats!" the female ordered.
"N-Never! We found it first, fair and square!" Jet exclaimed defiantly, "It belongs to our client!"
"I don't think you understand." the hunched over man hissed, "If you don't give us the Armillam, ol' Pablo here will break your little friend's arms. That bracelet is property of the Siren's Cove Treasure Hunters!"
The bearded man, Pablo tightened his grip on Levy's wrists to prove the point, making the Solid Script mage hiss in pain.
Pablo hummed. "Harold, weren't there four mages?"
The female nodded. "There were. Where's the last one? The little runt with the Shadow Magic? Don't tell me she abandoned you." she cooed.
"Ame-chan would never abandon us!" Droy protested.
"Then where is she?"
Magic coursed through Ame's body and into her hands as the shadows began to move. They slithered across the floor, unnoticed towards the treasure hunters. However, Harold seemed to notice something else. His eyes gazed in Ame's direction, but it didn't look like he was looking specifically at her. The Treasure Hunter's face went white with fear as he shakily pointed a finger at Ame.
"W-What's that!?" he exclaimed.
The others all turned in Ame's direction, every one of them dawning the same expression as Harold. Ame wasn't sure what they were seeing, but she used the opportunity to wrap the shadow tendrils around the treasure hunters' legs and pull them into the air. All three of them hung upside down and Pablo was forced to release Levy, who wasted no time scurrying a safe distance from the Treasure Hunters.
Ame stepped out of the shadows and into the light, blinking away the spots that danced before her adjusting vision. Immediately, Jet and Droy glomped her with a tight hug; which much to Ame's panic, almost broke her concentration. Luckily, her control over the shadows didn't faulter.
"Ame-chan! We knew you didn't abandon us!" they cried out happily.
"W-Why would I a-abandon you? Y-You're my fr-friends, r-right?" Ame asked.
They pulled back and were about to reply when their faces went slack with amazement.
"Whoa." Jet muttered.
Ame cocked her head in confusion. "W-What is it J-Jet-san?" she asked.
"The rims of your irises are glowing purple!" Droy exclaimed, "That's so cool!"
"So that was you!" Harold shouted, "You were that strange glow in the darkness!"
Ame gently pushed past Jet and Droy to stand before the hanging hunters. The shadows were still wrapped firmly around their ankles and every time one of them tried to swat at it, their hand passed harmlessly through the shadows but they stayed firmly coiled around them.
"I'm not sure what you mean by that." Ame admitted, her stuttering stopping, "But, you should have thought twice before you messed with Fairy Tail."
The treasure hunter went white once again. "F-Fairy Tail!? You're mages from Fairy Tail!?"
"Yep." Ame confirmed, "And none of us take interruptions in our work lightly."
Harold whimpered a little, however, the female treasure hunter pulled out a pistol from behind her and fired directly at Ame. A tiny dart zipped through the air from the barrel and embedded itself in Ame's shoulder. The sharp pain made Ame's concentration suddenly disappeared and the shadows vanished once again, releasing the Treasure Hunters. Quickly, Ame pulled the dart out and tried to catch them again with the shadows, but found that her magic was not working as quickly as it did before. When Ame tried to summon her power, only a few small wisps of shadows gathered around her hand.
Confusion struck her, then a wave of drowsiness crashed down on her, forcing her to her knees. Ame's arms trembled with effort to keep herself from completely collapsing. Behind her, she heard Levy, Jet and Droy shout her name, but Ame couldn't say anything to them to assure them she was fine. It was like her tongue had gone slack in her mouth. Her friends rushed to Ame's side as her arms finally couldn't hold her up anymore and she collapsed, her body completely numb. Thankfully, before she hit the ground, Jet caught her and righted her.
"What's wrong with her!" Jet asked, before turning towards the female treasure hunter, "What did you do to Ame-chan!?"
The female treasure hunter laughed as she twirled her pistol around her finger.
"An animal tranquilizer. It's meant for small magic game. Y'ah know, little magical creatures and such, but it works pretty well on nosy mages too!" she cackled.
Poblo rumbled deeply. "Excellent as always Tina."
"Alright! Now let's net ourselves an S-Class treasure!" another man said enthusiastically.
Ame groaned angrily. She felt helpless and now her friends would have to fight these ruthless treasure hunters alone and without her help! However, Tina did say that she had shot Ame with a tranquilizer dart made for small creatures, so it stands to reason that there wasn't a lot of numbing agent in it. This is probably why Ame was only immobilized instead of knocked out so maybe the effects would wear off soon and she could join the fight once more.
Droy hissed. "You sick b*******. You'll pay for that."
Jet tucked the Armillia in Ame's numb hands after leaning her against a nearby stone before turning to face the members of Siren's Cove.
"You're gonna regret ever taking this job." the High Speed mage growled.
Levy stepped up too, her posture confident and her hands glowing with magic. "Hurting Ame-chan is the biggest mistake you've ever made. Now you'll suffer the wrath of Fairy Tail's Team Shadow Gear!"
The hunters cackled. "Oh, we're so scared. You might be Fairy Tail mages, but after that sorry display your friend put up, you don't seem that scary."
"You haven't even seen what we're capable of! High Speed: Falcon Heavenward!"
The High Speed mage's feet flashed a bright green color and he rushed forward with an astonishing burst of speed. Harold was taken down by a swift kick from Jet that the man had no time to prepare for. Jet zipped out of the way in a blur of brown and orange as several shots were fired from Tina's pistol, every one of them missing Jet.
That's when Droy made his move.
"Plant Magic: Chain Plant!"
Droy threw a handful of seeds among the treasure hunters and in a flash they had sprouted out multiple tendrils of vines that quickly entangled the enemy within them. The Treasure Hunters shouted in surprise and the suddenness of the attack actually triggered Tina to drop her gun. Levy swept her hand threw the air.
"Solid Script: Bullets!" she shouted.
The word "bullet" appeared in front of Levy as she swung her hand threw the air. A volley of glowing bullets flew from the magical word and towards the treasure hunters. However, Pablo reached into his jacket and pulled a disk from his pocket and threw it in front of them. In a flash, it turned green and extended into a shield. Levy's magic bullets evaporated harmlessly against it.
Ame's fingers twitched nervously, feeling returning to them as the treasure hunters began their counter attack. Tina whipped out a second pistol and holstered the first, then started firing a rapid round of bullets at the three mages. Levy summoned a "guard" and the bullets peppered the shield, but did no farther damage. Smirking, Harold pulled a handful of small cubes out of his jacket pockets and threw them over Levy's "guard". Thankfully, Droy was quick on the draw and used his plants to swat the cubes away. The cubes were pulsating with a white-blue light as they flew into the darkness above.
Then they exploded.
The cavern shock violently as boulders and dirt rained down from above. The treasure hunters, Levy, Droy, and Jet all thankfully managed to dodge the shower of debris, but a massive boulder was falling towards Ame. By now, the Shadow Mage could move her arms a little, but not fast enough to make any attempt to defend herself from the rain of boulders that were about to crush her head.
"AME-CHAN!"
Ame instinctively closed her eyes and braced for the crushing impact, but none came. Instead there was a loud crashing sound, a metallic sliding followed by another crash. Then all was silent. Ame cracked her eyes open and surprisingly, the boulder that had been hurtling towards her had somehow changed direction and landed next to her rather than on her.
Everyone was staring at the boulder, slack-jawed. And then Tina rose one of her guns towards Ame's head and pulled the trigger. Levy, Jet, and Droy screamed in horror as the bullet hurtled towards Ame...
...
...
...
...and bounced off a glowing blue barrier.
The bullet struck the shield but fell harmlessly to the ground with a metallic clatter. Tina growled in frustration and glared at Ame.
"The Armillam is protecting her!" she exclaimed in anger.
Team Shadow Gear let out an audible sigh of relief and so did Ame. The Shadow mage stretched her arms, feeling finally flowing through her body once again. The treasure hunters seemed nervous, but did nothing as Ame shakily got back on her feet. Her legs trembled with numbness that was slowly fading and her hand curled weakly around the Armillam.
"We-Well...it is a b-bracelet of h-heavenly p-protection." she smirked.
Tina scowled at Ame and finally spoke up. "Pablo, take that out of your bag."
Harold's eyes went wide. "W-What?! Are you serious Tina? You're willing to use that!? That could kill us all!"
"I'm not leaving without this treasure! Now do it!" the treasure hunter barked.
Ame glanced at Levy and her team. They looked just as confused and conflicted as she was. She knew she should do something but she didn't know what. If they were dealing with something that could destroy them all, how exactly could they approach that without setting it off. Reluctantly, Pablo reached into his bag and drew a softball sized crystal dodecahedron. It looked exactly like the cubes that the other treasure hunter threw at them but it was red in color rather than blue.
Pablo handed it off to Tina, who took it greedily in her hands. She cackled manically.
"You Fairy Tail flies are through! You should have thought twice before getting in our way!"
The crystal began to glow with a harsh orange light that illuminated the cavern as Tina pulled her arm back in preparation to throw it at Team Shadow Gear. Ame felt her blood run cold as her eyes zeroed in on the projectile. Her first instinct was that this thing that Tina held was a crystal bomb that would probably kill them all if it exploded.
Instinctively, Ame's hand shot up and a shadow tendril shot from the ground and wrapped tightly around the large crystal. Tina's eyes widened in surprise as Ame pulled it out of her hand with a quick flick of her wrist. The red crystal shot out of Tina's hand and into Ame's, but it was glowing brighter and growing uncomfortably hot in her hand.
"Ame! Get rid of it!" Levy ordered, panic in her voice.
Ame nodded curtly and threw her the Armillam before clutching the bomb to her chest and Diving into the shadows. She heard her friends shouts of protest as she disappeared into the darkness, but she didn't stop. The orange glow of the bomb illuminated even the absolute darkness that completely engulfed her as it grew hotter to the point where it hurt to hold it.
Quickly, Ame pushed the bomb away from her and into the darkness. The bomb soon became a distant orange speck in the darkness, but even from the distance it was from her, Ame could still feel the heat radiating from it. Without wasting another second, Ame charged out of the shadows. As she erupted from the shadows, a blistering wave of heat followed her. It felt extremely uncomfortable on her back, but thankfully did no damage as the gap between the mortal plane and the shadow plane closed behind Ame as quickly as it had opened.
Ame landed squarely on her feet and without missing a beat, gathered shadows around her arms and swung them in the Treasure Hunters' direction.
"Eclipse Blades!"
Several curved black blades rolled off of Ame's arm and fired at the Treasure Hunters. They hadn't anticipated Ame's spell and were completely caught off guard by the action. Ame's spell hit them dead on, knocking all three of them off their feet and rolling together across the floor until they came to a halt in a messy pile of arms and legs.
Ame lowered her arm, letting her magic dissipate. Unusually, Ame noticed a slight cold feeling in her eyes as she did so. Maybe it was that strange glow her eyes apparently did when she used her magic going out. It was slight, so much so that if Droy didn't point the glowing out Ame wouldn't have noticed it. In any case, the threat had been neutralized.
But that didn't stop Team Shadow Gear from engulfing Ame in a tight hug.
"Ame-chan! Why did you do that!? You scared us half to death!" Jet exclaimed.
"Never do that again!" Droy agreed.
Levy pulled back at this moment, and fixed Ame a stern look. "That was beyond reckless! Next time you do something like that, give us a heads up!"
Ame nodded, almost robotically. She didn't know that they'd all get so mad at her for that, but she probably should have expected that to happen. The stunt she pulled was reckless. If it didn't work out the way it did, than she might not have made it out unharmed. But at the same time, she didn't feel bad about it. After all, Ame was just trying to protect her friends.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Ame's hands and looking down, she could see why. Her hands were shiny and rosy red. In other words, her hands were burned. It didn't look too bad, but it still stung a little.
"Ame-chan, you burned your hands..." Droy said.
"M-Must have b-been from t-the b-bomb." Ame explained, "I-I th-think it was a f-fire bomb."
Jet lightly flicked Ame in the side of the head. "Well that's what you get for directly holding onto a glowing orange crystal that's about to explode. Did you learn your lesson?"
Laughing lightly, Ame nodded.
"On a brighter note, look what we just retrieved!" Levy grinned.
Levy held up the artifact, which she still held tightly in her hand. The bracelet shone softly in the fading sunlight that streamed through the new hole in the ceiling. It truly was a master piece. The band of the bracelet was about half as long as Ame's forearm and made of a whitish-silver material that was banded and detailed in gold. Tiny, almost unnoticeable runes were carved into the main band and inside the band was the impression of a sword and shield.
Hira Stalwart's crest.
They had succeeded in their job. Of course they would have to turn the Treasure Hunters into the authorities before returning the bracelet to the museum. But the one thought that currently occupied Ame's mind was how they were going to get the three unconscious people down the mountain?
...
Apparently, the way to get three unconscious people down a mountain was use Solid Script magic to make a sled, pile everyone into it and very carefully navigate your way down the side of the mountain. Well, as carefully as you could at sixty miles per hour. The ride down was thrilling if not terrifying. Jet and Droy were screaming the whole way down and Ame was one bad bump away from joining them.
In the end, they made it down in one piece, but none of them were very steady on their feet after the sled stopped and disappeared in a puff of pink smoke. Turning the Treasure Hunters in to the local Rune Knight station was a fairly simple task and soon enough, Team Shadow Gear and Ame were heading to the Ancient History Museum.
Once again, getting by security was no issue and soon enough they were back in Oliver Stalwart's office.
"We retrieved the bracelet, Oliver-san!" Ame announced cheerfully, extending the magical bracelet to him.
Oliver's smile grew even wider as he gladly accepted the Armillam and quickly found the crest on the inside band. Unexpectedly, he threw his arms around Ame and spun her around in a surprisingly tight hug.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" he cheered.
After a couple spins, he put Ame back down and stepped back, still grinning widely.
"You have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you so much Fairy Tail for retrieving this priceless relic!"
"It was no trouble." Levy beamed, "Though, we're sorry about the damage we did to the mountain."
Ame sweat-dropped. That was true. Their fight with Siren's Cove had collapsed a good portion of the mountain. Now it looked a bit like a lopsided cheese wedge. Of course, property damage was to be expected from Fairy Tail. That is what they're known for. Though Ame didn't expect to be demolishing a mountain on her first job...
However, Oliver continued to beam at them.
"Oh no, no no! You don't need to apologize!" he said.
"We don't?" Jet asked, clearly confused.
"But we blew a hole in a mountain!" Droy exclaimed, "People usually get upset when we do that!"
Oliver laughed. "What you've done, is expose a treasure trove of ancient historical relics! You've done us a service by 'blowing a hole in a mountain'."
"W-We're glad t-to help." Ame grinned.
"I'm glad you did, my dear. Now it's gotten dark hasn't it? The train station has closed by now and I'm sure you don't want to walk all the way back to Magnolia."
"No sir." Droy agreed eagerly.
The curator nodded understandingly. "I can arrange to have you all stay in an inn for the night so you may get home first thing tomorrow."
"Thank you so much Oliver. We really appreciate this." Levy said, nodding respectfully to him.
"Not at all! This is just a small thanks for what you've done for me and this museum." Oliver said, "However, out of all the cities to get stuck in over night, this is probably one of the better ones."
"How so?" Jet asked.
Oliver didn't say a word. Instead, he simply nodded towards the window overlooking the street. The four mages walked over and looked out the window and Ame's jaw almost dropped from what she saw. The street was lit up with every color of the rainbow. Every rose in the city was glowing with a soft multicolored light that even from this distance, Ame could see swirling inside the petals of the flower. It was a soft light, like a candle flame, but multiply that by the thousands of roses that decorated the streets of the town, and it was practically aglow with light.
It was absolutely breath taking.
"Wow..." the four mages said in perfect sink.
"It's even more beautiful in person." Levy said, completely awed by the spectacle.
All Ame, Jet and Droy could do was nod in wordless agreement at the Solid Script Mage's words. Ame never imagined she'd bare witness to something so magical. Something so beautiful. And all she could do was smile.
...
Oliver had been kind enough to pay out of pocket for the inn for Team Shadow Gear and Ame to stay at. It wasn't a terribly nice inn, but it wasn't horrible either. Of course, they were only staying the night and all four mages felt they were pushing their luck a little in this town. The room was split into two separate bedrooms, one Ame and Levy had deemed "the girl's room". Jet and Droy however, were banished to the other room.
When they reached the room, Levy pulled out a medical kit and started treating Ame's burns. Luckily, no one had suffered any worse injuries than Ame, which made the small mage feel a little embarrassed. She did prove that she was the most danger-prone and apparently reckless in the group.
Levy and Ame were currently sat down on one of the beds while the Solid Script mage carefully wrapped Ame's hands in bandages.
"These bandages are enchanted and they should accelerate the healing process. If we're lucky, you should be healed in a few days." Levy informed as she finished wrapping the final bandage.
Experimentally, Ame clenched her hands into fists, getting used to having them completely covered in cotton bandages. She had seen the Fairy Tail crew covered in these plenty of times before, but it was a new experience wearing them herself. It felt a little restricting, but the cool feeling of the healing magic on her injured hands made up for it.
"T-Thank you L-Levy-san." Ame said.
"No problem Ame-chan." Levy grinned. Then she paused for a moment. "But seriously, about earlier. You really scared us with that stunt you pulled. We were worried that you'd..."
Ame frowned slightly and rested a hand on Levy's. "L-Levy-san. I'm s-sorry I worried y-you, but I'll h-have you k-know...I'm n-not going t-to die t-that easy."
"I hope you're right Ame-chan." Levy sighed, "Still, thank you for your help. We couldn't have done it without you."
The Shadow Mage nodded. "Th-Thank you f-for letting me c-come. I-I'm sorry i-if I was a b-burden in a-any way."
Levy sighed and shook her head slightly. "Ame-chan, why do you keep insisting that you were a burden? We're your friends and we'll always be happy to help you."
A small smile formed on Ame's face as that warm feeling returned to her chest. "Thank you so much. That means a lot."
...
The next day Team Shadow Gear and Ame were on a train bound for Magnolia. All of them were eager to return home and a little impatient. Since they were well rested, sleeping on the train was out of the picture, so they occupied their time with small talk. Jet and Droy were still surprised that despite destroying a mountain, they had managed to get full pay for their work.
Since they were a team, the reward was divided between the four of them, each of them getting 175,000 jewel each. Ame was ecstatic about this because now she could get her own place, even rent at Fairy Hills and still have a fair amount of money left for food, clothes, and whatever else she might need. Her hands still ached a little, but they were better then they were before.
"So Ame, what did you think of your first formal request as a guild mage?" Levy asked.
Ame grinned and nodded. "I-I did. T-Thank you f-for letting me t-tag along."
"Not a problem Ame-chan." Jet replied, "Come again any time."
Droy and Levy nodded in agreement. Suddenly Droy perked up and started to rummage through his bag that he had laying on the bench next to him. Out of the burlap bag, the Plant Mage produced two potted plants from it. The blooms in the pots almost glowed with a rainbow colored light.
"Before I forget, I managed to score some of these in the floral shop on our way out." the Plant Mage explained, handing the pots to Levy and Ame before pulling out a third for Jet, "I figured we'd all way to remember of Ame's first mission."
"That's really thoughtful of you Droy. Thank you." Levy grinned.
Jet voiced his thanks but for a moment, Ame was silent.
"A-Ame-chan? Are you okay?" Droy asked, sounding genuinely concerned, "You're crying..."
"H-Huh? I...am?"
Ame rose her hand to her cheek and was met with the familiar wetness of tears. When had she started crying? She wasn't sad.
Suddenly, Ame realized what was going on and smiled.
"I'm j-just h-happy. Th-Thank you s-so much Droy-san." the Shadow Mage beamed.
Droy smiled back. "No problem Ame-chan."
From then on, the rest of the train ride was reoccupied by small talk, but throughout whole time, Ame couldn't stop smiling.
...
A/N: Aaaaannnnnndddddd done. That took longer than expected. Sorry about that, but next chapter we should be getting into the actual manga events. Next stop, Galuna Island!
See you all next chapter :)
Though I'm sorry if the next update isn't for a while.