Chapter 20
Cold Soul
"I remember." Rufus approached Team Lamia Scale, who assumed an offensive stance. "Your strengths...your weaknesses...your magic. It's all crystal clear." The masked wizard put his fingers at his temples. "Memory-Make: Silver Legion Fulminata!"
A magic seal appeared before him; countless silver soldiers thundered towards the team. With each step, black lightning struck the earth. And when one of the silver warriors attempted to throw its spear at Chelia, instead it hit a boulder, which was reduced to fine sand after being struck by black thunder.
"Toby, don't scratch them!" Lyon yelled. "Ice-Make: Rampart!"
Try as he might, the silver creations armed with Orga's black lightning vaporized the ice barrier. The silver army stomped past the team, and Lyon realized their goal too late. "The beacon!"
Like an answered prayer, Yuka appeared in front of the beacon. "Wave Barrier!"
A large blue wave materialised before the Surge. The silver creations tackled the wall, only to vanish under the anti-magic shield.
Behind him, rock pillars surrounded the beacon before they were protected by an ice dome. With Yuka's Wave Barrier, the triple shield protection was complete.
Rufus frowned in disappointment. "Memory-Make—" Movement under him reached his eyesight and before he could react, Lyon kicked his chin from underneath. "Gah!"
"I've always wanted to try that," Lyon said brightly as Rufus backed away in recoil. "Dobengal said you were a ranged fighter. In other words—" He pointed a finger at the masked wizard in triumph. "You can't take a punch!"
"Bwahaha!" The audience laughed at Lyon's statement about one of Sabertooth's finest not being able to take a hit.
"Hehe, the things we can do to Sabertooth now," Ooba chuckled. "We know everything. And we won't back down until we exploit every one of your weaknesses!"
"Say, Obaba," Chapati wondered. "How did you get ahold of that kind of stuff anyway?"
"My ninja was more than happy to share what he knew," the old lady gloated.
Within the stands, a chubby member of Lamia Scale muttered to his friend. "After he resisted when she tried to spin it out of him. Never saw anyone disobey Obaba like that. "
Yaeger and War Cry collapsed and the bulkier of the two men landed on top of the other. Two scorpions shuffled away from the Quatro Cerberus magicians.
"While his comrade takes care of a Twin Dragon, Sasori tames the puppies!"
Imperial Snow: 44P
Sasori rested lazily on a boulder as he watched Rogue and Mizuno's fight on the next hill over. "That's it. Taunt him, Mizuno. Use the princess to torture Rogue to absolutely no end."
The scorpion master's eyes widened, a flame lit in his mismatched irises. A triumphant grin lined his lips as he put his fingers to his temple.
"Open, gate of the Scorpion: Scorpio!"
"We are—Sand Buster!"
Sasori leapt into the air before the crushing sand could hit him. He landed on a nearby boulder as he did a single once-over of his opponent. "Ah. You're that Celestial Wizard from Fairy Tail!" Purple and blue eyes scrutinized Scorpio before Sasori scoffed lightly. "So this is Scorpio of the Ecliptic Zodiac? This little waif is the Scorpion?"
"For your information, Scorpio is stronger than you think!" Lucy shouted.
Scorpio crossed his arms, his index and pinky fingers up. "We may not meet your expectations, but with our friend's wish, we are just as powerful as a scorpion!"
"'Just as powerful', huh?" Sasori spread out his right hand; on his palm was a scorpion enclosed within a circle. "Then I have just the opponent for you." He lifted his hand so that the palm would face the sky.
Do you hear me, O guardian saint?
I am the master of thy children!
I, who hold dominion over thee,
Command you to appear before me
Under our contract!
Open, Gate of the Guardian of the West!
Sasori thrust his hand downwards so that his now glowing palm faced the ground. A magic seal appeared beneath his right hand and sand cascaded from it. From the grit rose an enormous golden scorpion with gleaming pincers; a long tail that curved in a great arc; and a tough exoskeleton like armor.
"Whoa! It's huge!" Lucy squeaked.
Sasori jumped onto the gargantuan scorpion's back. "She," he said. "Her name is Serket. She's my familiar that I can summon into combat. Kinda like your spirits, right?"
"Ho ho," a feminine voice said warily. "That's not a magic you see everyday."
Makarov and the rest of Fairy Tail looked at the source of the voice, only to see the first master of Fairy Tail sitting on the stone parapet with a sombrero on her head.
"Master Mavis, where have you been? And what's with the crazy hat!" Bixlow exclaimed.
Mavis Vermillion winked. "I've been sightseeing. This is a souvenir from Desierto."
Levy sweated, trying her best to laugh but couldn't. "Does anyone else find that weird—oomph!" Lisanna covered her mouth.
"If we pointed that out to her, she might start crying," Lisanna whispered and they both shuddered comically.
"I tried to come as fast as I could, but Minstrel was so much fun!" Mavis giggled. "But—" Her demeanor took a serious turn. "Beast Tamer Magic—that's not an ability many are willing to utilize."
"Beast Tamer Magic?" Pantherlily questioned.
"Ah!" Levy clapped her hands together as the gears turned in her head. "Beast Tamer Magic allows the caster to bend a creature's will to their whim, and they can later summon the creature to their side. But...It's frequently called Circus Magic because it's only used by ringmasters of circuses for their performances, so that's why many don't learn it."
Nobarly hid behind a boulder as soon as he saw Lamia Scale's Yuka come around the corner. The Surge skidded to a halt, glancing around for the lone underdog. He shrugged tiredly as he headed back the way he came. Nobarly sighed in relief, not realizing what a mistake it was.
"Hii-yah!" Long green nails scratched Nobarly's face; the underdog held his face in his hands in pain as he fell, unable to move his body.
Lamia Scale 42P
"Nice one, Toby!" Yuka and Toby high-fived each other. "So while Lyon handles that Saber, we go around picking on anyone we can find. As long as Jura and Lyon are with us, we're invincible."
"Chelia's strong, too!"
"Gihihi!"
The duo looked at each other. "...Tell me that was you," Yuka said.
"Gihi!" A shadow from above landed on its feet, revealing itself to be Gajeel. "Now who do we have here?" he chuckled.
"It's Gajeel!"
"We're invincible, you said?!" Toby screamed.
"Iron Dragon's Club!" Gajeel's arm darkened and turned into an iron club, growing in length with such speed that it would hit Toby for sure.
Panicking, Toby grabbed a small, slim instrument around his neck and blew into it.
The Lamia Scale duo couldn't hear a thing, but a high-pitched noise hit Gajeel's ears hard. To him, it was like nails scatching a blackboard, hurting his ears so badly Gajeel had to cover them. And to do that, his club arm pulled back and returned to normal length, becoming a normal hand again.
Toby pulled the instrument away from his mouth hesitantly. "Did—did it work?"
"If it did, let's get the hell out of here before he gets back up!" Yuka grabbed Toby and dashed away from Gajeel, who still held his ears and groaned.
"Oh my! The infamous Black Steel is helpless before a dog whistle!" Chapati's voice announced, amazed.
"Dogs hear on a higher frequency than humans, so what about dragons?" Yajima added.
"Yuka, Toby: You're supposed to strike the iron while it's still hot!" Ooba shrieked.
"Right now, I don't care if Obaba spins us after this," Yuka admitted while running away with Toby. "But as long as we can help it, no leaders, no Dragon Slayers, and absolutely not Sabertooth. The rest are fair game!"
"And if that doesn't work?"
"As long as it's a Dragon Slayer...That's where your dog whistle comes in!"
10:45 A.M.
A volley of dark rays from Rogue flew towards Mizuno, who simply summoned a mirror at the snap of his fingers. The Shadow Dragon Slayer's attack was absorbed by the mirror. "Cheap tricks. Mirror Shot!"
The mirror's surface warped, and Rogue's own spell bounced back at him. He leapt out of the way as one ray passed inches away from his chest.
"You know, there's one thing I don't get about you," Mizuno called. "You carry that sword around but you hardly ever use it. Do you carry it around as decoration? Or is it only for people who get on your nerves, like Platina?"
Rogue looked up at the mention of the silver witch's name, eyes narrowed dangerously. "If that were so, it's a wonder how you still have your head," he grated.
Mizuno clapped lightly. "Yes, if it were so, Niebel would be dead by now. And if we said that it were so, why didn't you lash out at Niebel like you do everyone else in this damned city?"
"...He's just a kid."
"But Princess Glaciana was a child too—I mean, she bore the appearance of a child when you met her, no?" Mizuno pointed out.
"...Glaciana?" Rogue asked skeptically.
"Whoops." Mizuno chuckled lightly. "Slip of the tongue, but I'm afraid it's too late. That is Princess Glacia's full name given to her from her dragon, recorded when our late master adopted her. After all, Glacia was a girl with no official records when he found her. But she hates being called Glaciana, so we shortened it. Gla-ci-a-na, Gla-ci-a. Of course, some pronounce it Gla-cia, don't they?"
"I'm on a tangent, aren't I? Back to the main topic: what is it about Niebel that you don't lash out at him?" Mizuno leaned forward, the scorpion whistle hung loosely around his neck. "Unless...It's because he resembles Princess Glacia too much?"
"...Niebel's her brother, of course he looks like her," Rogue responded.
Mizuno's eyes widened before they narrowed, a victorious smile on his face. "Now I understand: You're in love with Glacia."
"Ugh..."
"Thank you." Mizuno straightened his posture. "I now know your weakness, Mister Cheney. But...I'm such a sap for dramas, so I'll allow you one last good-bye."
Rogue opened his mouth to ask what he meant when he felt two small arms wrap themselves around his waist from behind. "...Rogue...please, get away from here..."
The Shadow Dragon Slayer glanced back to see Glacia burying her face in his cape. "Just...get out of here," she mumbled monotonously. "Once Mizuno blows that whistle...I won't be able to control myself..."
Something caught Rogue's attention, which prompted him to confront Mizuno. "You said you never replaced her heart," he accused.
"Ah, but this—" The mirror mage flaunted the whistle. "Allows me to control her soul however I wish. I can make her feel no pain at all, or push her to life's edge with just a blow."
A small whimper behind Rogue escaped the Ice Dragon Slayer's mouth as she held his cape. All he could do was hold the hand clutching his cape gently. "Bastard," he hissed.
The mirror mage scratched his chin. "Come to think of it..." Mizuno lifted the whistle to his lips. "I don't think you've ever seen Glacia...hateful, have you?"
A cold, eerie tune drifted out of the whistle.
Two palms slammed against Rogue's back, but did little to make him stumble. However, the dark-haired man felt icicles pierce his back and protrude from his right chest, thankfully missing his heart. The Shadow Dragon Slayer choked on his blood while the ice chilled his insides—literally.
"Rogue...You were supposed to listen to me..." Glacia mumbled as he fell to his knees. "But..."
Rogue looked at the original Ice Dragon Slayer behind himself. She raised her head, meeting his gaze with the same slit-pupiled eyes that he bore. "You're still the same sap that you were last year," she sneered at him.
Clothes flew out of a suitcase and landed perfectly on a bed, only to be joined by knee-high boots seconds later.
"Can't wear these anymore," the person grumbled as they stripped to wear new clothes.
A comb was set down. "Am I missing anything?" said the mystery person as they checked themselves with a small rectangular mirror.
Snapping their fingers, they went over to another suitcase. After much searching, a pair of blue-tinted sunglasses was produced from the luggage.
Trivia: The name for Memory-Make: Silver Legion Fulminata came from an actual Roman legion, Twelfth Legion Fulminata. Fulminata means 'armed with lightning.'
~Coming up next time~
"Rogue Cheney...You—are—one pathetically, gullible sap."
"Is this what you smelled?"
"Ever heard of use and disuse?"
"What's the point of carrying that sword—when you never use it?"
"Think we were too cruel?"
"Still, I kinda pity the guy."