Chapter 5
The Silver Witch
"Are you sure?"
Lahar marched into the prison, where Anti-Magic Cells hovered around in the circular room.
"Positive, Lahar-sama," a humanoid amphibian guard said as Lahar stepped onto a hovercraft. Lifting into the air, the machine stopped in front of a certain cell, where blood stained the prism-like walls.
"Dear God," Lahar murmured, covering his mouth at the sight before him.
Inside the Anti-Magic Cell, Cobra of Oracion Seis lay motionless, his hands pressed against the inner walls. Blood stained his skin and clothes as it did inside the cell. His torso had been carved open, forcing Lahar to look away from the gruesome scene.
"He was found in this state this morning," the guard continued, floating next to the cell. "The doctors determined that the attack must have occurred last night. The other prisoners confirmed that too, saying that they heard screams from this cell as they slumbered."
Some small spark lit up within the leader. If the other prisoners heard the attack, surely they must have seen the attacker.
"Unfortunately, Lahar-sama, the lights were off during the attack, the Surveillance Lacrima confirmed this," the guard grudgingly admitted.
"I see." In truth, he didn't. He didn't know how this had happened right under their noses. Not even an inkling as to why this occurred.
"Leads."
"S-sir?"
"Do we have any leads as to who the culprits are? Or their motives?" Lahar prompted.
"N-no, sir," the amphibious guard stammered. "B-but, we have been watching the markets..."
"What for?"
"Well, Cobra of Oracion Seis was a Second Generation Dragon Slayer. His source of power was a valuable Dragon Lacrima."
~Crocus~
"Um, right, pumpkin," Mato sweated, as Yaeger got back on his feet. The Quatro Cerberus mage edged away from Platina considerably. "Look around yourselves, pumpkin."
Where there had once been buckets and ropes, archery bows and quivers of arrows of different styles rested against the storage shed. A man brought out four horses, prompting Mato to rush over. The two began to bicker, and Gajeel caught something about sick horses.
"Ah, to heck with it. It's more challenging this way," Mato decided, shooing the man away. A Lacrima Vision appeared next to the referee. "All around the city, there are targets for you to hit with these." Mato held up a bow and arrow. "Twenty targets total. Hit as many as you can, and race back to Domus Flau. Of course, you get points for what place you enter, but the real points come from the targets you hit. For example—"
The pumpkin mascot pointed to the outer ring of the five circles on the target with an arrow. "If you hit here—" Mato jabbed the arrow into the outer ring. "You get two points. Here—" Into the next circle. "Four points. This one is six, second-to-last is eight, and the bull's-eye is ten points. Let's say one of you came in first with one hundred ninety-four points, add ten, and you have two hundred four all together. But the next person who comes in somehow hit the bull's-eye on every target, bringing them to two hundred eight points."
"If only I had gone," Lucy said to herself out loud. "Sagittarius would have been invincible."
"Thank goodness I didn't go..." Natsu's face turned green at the sight of the horses.
"They're animals, not vehicles!"
"So our goal isn't the finish line, it's the targets themselves," Wendy finished.
"Ding ding! Correct, pumpkin! And then we use the points you earned to determine which place you will receive!"
"Now when I give the signal, pick a bow and some arrows, get on a horse, and ride like the wind, pumpkin! And never look back!"
"Excuse me." Sasori motioned towards the horses. "There are eight of us, but only four horses."
"That's the best part, pumpkin!" Mato grinned like a child with a new toy. "Only four people get horses. Which four is up to how fast you are."
The contestants looked at each other, each having the same message in their eyes—maybe not Gajeel. He was perfectly fine without the equestrian.
"I almost forgot! You may use what you have to sabotage another person's shot at a target or affect their speed, pumpkin!"
Half the wizards got a mad gleam in their eye.
"In three, two, one!" A gun went off. "Hawk Eye has begun!"
"Let's go!" Archery bows were snatched, as were arrow quivers, but a fight broke out over the horses. Gajeel, on the other hand, walked off, nocking his first arrow but with no target in sight.
Sasori nabbed the first horse and rode off, nocking his arrow into the bowstring as the first target came into view. Just as he was about to let the arrow fly—
His horse reared on its legs when Rufus sent a spell in the form of a wolf, messing up his shot. Sasori's arrow hit the third ring.
Sasori: 6
"You!"
"My turn," Rufus said as his horse caught up to the first target. His arrow flew, but a glowing knife broke it before it could ever hit.
"Nice one, Dobengal!" Sasori grinned as the Sabertooth mage's horse continued its trek. The masked mage glared at his former guild mate as he was forced to ride off.
Rufus: 0
"Hawk Eye, men!" Ichiya grabbed a tube of green perfume. "Eagle Eye Perfume—!" An iron throwing knife shattered the sharpshot perfume container. "Men~!"
"Gihi! It's every man for himself!" Gajeel gloated as he hit the bullseye.
Gajeel: 10
"Having a horse gives you speed," Chelia said. "But it decreases your chances of having a perfect shot. On the other hand, a person without a horse has a greater chance of accurately hitting the bull's-eye."
Lamia Scale: 20p
Imperial Snow: 16p
Fairy Tail B: 14p
Fairy Tail A: 12p
Sabertooth: 10p
Blue Pegasus: 8p
Quatro Cerberus: 6p
Mermaid Heel: 0
"Though far behind in speed, Lamia's Dobengal has taken the lead!"
"What the heck are you doing, Platina?" Millianna shouted at the Lacrima Vision.
Platina picked up an archery bow, plucking the bowstring a few times. Frowning, she swapped it for a Japanese style bow, pulling the string back before releasing it. Smiling when it made a twang, she grabbed a quiver of arrows. "And to catch up..." Platina Gaci put her hands together. "Silver-Make—"
"Creation Magic?" Lyon cried as a silver magic circle appeared.
"Stallion!"
A stunning, silver stallion burst forth, tossing its mane back. Platina leapt into the air, landing on the silver saddle. The steed, rearing on its hind legs, rode off with its creator and rider.
"Mermaid Heel's Platina has entered the fray!" Chapati yelled. "And what an entrance!"
"Cool! Silver is so cool!"
Quatro Cerberus: 48p
Yaeger, ready to prove himself even without a horse, pulled the string back, the arrow in place. His hand prepared to let the arrow fly loose—
—when suddenly, his right arm refused to obey. The arrow fell from his grasp, clattering against the pavement.
"What's going on? Yaeger isn't shooting!" War Cry pointed to the Lacrima Vision.
"C'mon, Yaeger! Your soul is always wild!"
"Four!"
"No, he can't shoot!" Yuka exclaimed. "He's paralyzed!"
The Silver-Make witch's words came back to Yaeger.
"This is the meridian valve. It protects the heart and sexual organs. But if I press any harder, this arm vill be paralyzed!"
"I can't move!" Yaeger tried to bend his right index finger, hoping he was dreaming. But not one part of his right arm obeyed his command. "She f-f-roze—m-me..."
Platina nocked her first arrow, pulling it back as she aimed behind herself at the first target. The silver horse leaped over a wall, and her arrow soared.
Thunk! The arrow shaft was stuck in the bull's-eye.
Mermaid Heel: 10p
Platina drew another arrow back, releasing it almost instantly. Another perfect hit.
Mermaid Heel: 20p
"You need to catch up!" Risley called.
"Let's check up on the group ahead!" Chapati announced. The Lacrima Vision zoomed in on Rufus, in the lead with 179 points.
"One target left!" His arrow flew, hitting the bullseye.
"And he's done it! Rufus of Sabertooth comes in first!"
Sabertooth: 198p
"Catching up to him is Lamia Scale's Dobengal, who, by the way, was a former mage of Sabertooth! With just one target left, can he oust Rufus from the top spot?"
Lamia Scale: 190p
Preparing to aim for the center, a violent wave of pain ran up his right arm. He released the arrow in reaction, hitting the two point mark.
Lamia Scale: 192p
"What happened? He was doing perfectly well!" Ooba yelled.
"It's his arm!" Chelia cried. "He's still experiencing spasms from that wound!"
"But look!" Yuka pointed at the scoreboard.
Lamia Scale: 200p
"Unbelievable! Lamia Scale beats Sabertooth by one point!"
"Lamia Scale is so cool!"
"Excellent! I knew he would do it!" Ooba gloated.
"Weren't you the one complaining—"
"Quiet or I'll make you spin in the corner!" Pointing her finger at Sherry, the Doll Play mage began to spin uncontrollably.
"Ehh?!"
"Next to come in is Sasori!"
Imperial Snow: 192+6= 198p
"Tied with Rufus, putting him in third place! But will he retain that position? Here comes Gajeel, with 170 points!"
"Out of arrows, so I'll use this!" Gajeel hurled an iron arrow towards the target. It cleanly split Rufus's arrow in half.
"Hey, he can't do that!" Orga suddenly began to doubt his words. "Can he?"
"Hey, he said you can use whatever to sabotage your opponent!" Laxus shouted back.
"Oh my! As Gajeel comes in with fourteen points added to his score, Rufus has ten points deducted!"
Fairy Tail B: 184p
Sabertooth: 188p
"Here's the score so far!"
Lamia Scale: 200p
Imperial Snow: 198p
Sabertooth: 188p
Fairy Tail B: 184p
"Here comes Wendy-tan of Fairy Tail A!"
Fairy Tail A: 170+6+3= 179p
"And Blue Pegasus' Ichiya!"
Blue Pegasus: 160+4+2= 166p
"As for Mermaid Heel and Quatro Pegasus!"
The Lacrima Vision checked up on Yaeger, who could only drag himself to the finish line as a way of retaining some dignity.
Quatro Cerberus: 48p
The silver steed raced past Yaeger. Platina, whose quiver of arrows was strapped around her hip, began to put three arrows in her mouth, nocking a fourth into the bowstring.
Thunk! Another bullseye.
Mermaid Heel: 160p
"She keeps getting bullseyes on every target," Yajima said, impressed.
"But Platina is about to approach the triple targets. Can she make it?"
Coming into the silver mage's line of sight were three targets lined up vertically. Most of the arrows here only struck the six or two mark at best.
Platina grabbed the arrows in her mouth, nocking them into the bowstring.
"Three at once?" Beth exclaimed.
"She's not gonna make it," Lyon said.
"She will make it," Arania insisted, grinning. "Because she's Platina Gaci!"
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! One arrow for each target, all three arrows hit the center.
Mermaid Heel: 190p
"She made it!" Chapati couldn't believe it. Not one mage had shown such promising sharpshooting skills for so long.
"Cool! Platina is so cool!"
"The final target! But it's blocked by Gajeel's iron arrow!"
"I think the best she can earn is second or third place," Yajima added.
"Unfortunately for such a promising archer, I must agree with you, Yajima-san."
Platina put her hand into the quiver only to find that she had run out of arrows. "Silver-Make: Arrow!"
Pulling the bowstring back with the silver arrow in place, the silver mage released her creation on the last target.
Everything happened in slow motion.
The arrow soared towards the iron obstacle in its way. The judges stood from their seats; specatators rose; the teams regarded the Lacrima Vision closely; and the contestants beyond the finish line had to stand somewhere else to watch the arrow's flight.
Clink! Thunk!
Gajeel rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
The silver arrow had split through his iron one.
"COOL! COOL! COOL!"
"Amazing!" Chapati screamed into his microphone as Platina passed the finish line. "Mermaid Heel's Platina Gaci has split the iron arrow!"
Mermaid Heel: 190+10+1= 201p
Fairy Tail B: 184-10= 174p
"She could be a match for Sagittarius," Lucy breathed.
"No way! Gajeel's iron is supposed to be stronger than silver!" Max called.
"Just who the hell—" Warren started.
"—is that chick?" Sting finished below.
"And with Quatro Cerberus' Yaeger unanimously bringing up the rear, that concludes Hawk Eye!"
The contestants were warped back to the arena.
"And the final score!" Mato pointed at the scoreboard.
Mermaid Heel: 201p = 10P
Lamia Scale: 200p = 8P
Imperial Snow: 198p = 6P
Sabertooth: 188p = 4P
Fairy Tail A: 179p = 3P
Fairy Tail B: 174p = 2P
Blue Pegasus: 166p = 1P
Quatro Cerberus: 48p = 0P
"Of course, this is only the competition portion! These scores can change during the battle portion!"
"...I'm sorry I didn't get first," Wendy mumbled.
Erza patted her head. "No, you did well, Wendy."
"Yeah, you did better than Gajeel!" Natsu grinned.
At the same time, Laxus could only stare at Gajeel as he walked past. "What was that?"
"Thank you for your hard work, Gajeel," Mirajane said.
"Ah, will you shut up, Salamander?!" Gajeel roared at Natsu. The Iron Dragon Slayer walked away to nurse his injured pride.
"Please leave the arena for the contenders that are about to do battle! First up, Fairy Tail B's Gajeel Redfox—"
"Just leave me alone!" Gajeel barked.
"—versus Mermaid Heel's Platina Gaci!"
His team looked at Gajeel for his reaction. The Iron Dragon Slayer straightened up, turning his head with a grin on his face. "It's payback time, gihi!"
His opponent, Platina, smirked back at him.
Only three people stood in the arena: Gajeel, Platina, and the referee, Mato.
"Time to get revenge for my iron arrow," Gajeel said, cracking his knuckles.
"Ha!" Platina held her sickle in her hand so that the curved part faced Gajeel. "That tinfoil vas yours? Splitting your arrow vas child's play!"
"Ooohhh!" The crowd began to bet their money on who they thought would win.
"It's impossible to break through Gajeel's iron, but this girl is saying that it was easy?" Pantherlily cried.
"I think she has a death wish for herself," Cana slurred, collecting bets from her guild mates. "No one calls Gajeel's iron tinfoil and makes it out alive."
"What did you just say?" A vein popped from Gajeel's forehead.
With that same smirk, Platina pulled an earphone out of her ear. "Sorry, did you say something?"
Beth sweated. "Is she going to be okay?"
"She'll be fine," Arania insisted.
"That girl..." Mirajane trailed off.
"She's not even respecting her opponent at all," Freed finished.
"Platina is so cool!"
"All right, pumpkin! The time limit is thirty minutes! Let the match begin!" Mato announced, running off to the side.
"Get ready, punk! Iron Dragon's Sword!"
As Gajeel thrust his arm, his sword passed through Platina, and a heeled boot from below kicked his face, his chin taking most of the attack.
In a fluid motion, Platina kicked Gajeel in the chest, sending him towards the wall.
"She's so fast!" Chapati cried.
"Vat's wrong, Black Steel?" Platina landed with both feet on the ground. "You're a little rusty."