Author's Note: Hello everyone, and welcome back to The Cursed World! It's crazy to think that we're already on Chapter Sixteen of this story! I did not think this story would be getting this big and have a large plot, but hey – at least I hope it's interesting.
Now I'm sure everyone is wondering why I have decided to come back to this wonderful website after so long? Well, the answer is simple: my laptop is up and running again, and I have re-found my love for writing once more (that also includes reading, and I have been reading a ton of books lately). Plus, Fairy Tail hasn't been getting the love it used to get on this website and I've been wanting to bring it back. Let's see if something happens, or if this inspires more people to start writing again.
Enjoy the chapter!
The amazing story of Fairy Tail is owned by the one and only Hiro Mashima.
Chapter Sixteen:
The Ray
Lucy has never been so happy to see the sun in her life, especially after the night she had in Uruk. She has never felt such terror and panic before in her life, and that is saying something since she has almost been killed a couple of times while on missions – something she gladly brought up to the one and only Poison Dragon Slayer once or twice the past couple of weeks. Everything about the night was terrifying, and she shuddered as she looked up at the sun rising besides them.
With a sigh she leaned her head back against the sandstone wall of the tunnel as Cobra slept a couple of feet away from her after staying up all night. The hissing and clicking the skeletons made echoed in her mind, and she regretted looking over the small balcony at the small scouting group. Their red eyes burned into her memory as they searched the area for intruders, and she had a gut feeling that the intruders they were looking for were her and Cobra.
Lucy turned to look over at the Poison Dragon Slayer as he slept with his upper body leaning against the wall, and the other half on the ground. Worry filled her eyes as she took in his dark circles from staying up most of the night. She feels like she should have done more, but Cobra kept insisting that he was fine staying up. I want to see how they act, Heartfilia, just in case we are ever in a situation where we are cornered. Is what he told her, but Lucy had a feeling that there was more. She didn't want to push the subject further with him, so she left it alone after that.
Her brown eyes burned into the stone in front of her as some frustration bubbled up inside her. She knows she is asking a lot out of Cobra by being willing to open up to her, but a part of her feels like he is still holding back. Lucy knows that there has been progress over the last couple of weeks with opening up to each other – it has improved since they first saw each other in Hargeon, but not to the extent that she would like. She has to remember that Cobra is not like Natsu Dragneel, and that whatever he is thinking won't automatically come out.
The two dragon slayers are almost like night and day, and Lucy feels like she has to learn a whole new situation. There is one thing Lucy feels like that has made her see the Poison Dragon Slayer in a new light, and that is how Cobra seems to be looking out for her from afar. He isn't near her all the time, yet he seems to know when to step in when she needs him. She is not sure what to think about that, but she is grateful that he is willing to step up and help her when he can. The thought made Lucy smile a little before she turned to look over at the castle.
She couldn't get over the beautiful architecture in Uruk despite the land being a desert wasteland. It gave her the image that the area was once a beautiful and peaceful place, and she felt a little sad knowing what it was once like. In her mind she could picture a field before her filled with either grass or crops with people walking or farming the land; animals are present, and all seemed to be at peace.
Lucy blinked her eyes to stop thinking about such times, especially since she needs to focus on the here and the now. She quietly and slowly stood up, and walked near the edge of the balcony to get a better look of the path in front of them.
Despite it being morning the sky was still purple with black and red mixed in, giving her an unsettling feeling of the evil growing and expanding in the area. She tore her brown eyes away from the sky and settled them on the ground in front of her, and she searched the land for any obstacles. As far as she could see, there was nothing. She knew better than to trust her own eyesight, especially since Cobra could probably see a little better than she can. Lucy figured she would ask Cobra to get a better look once he wakes up in a little bit, but first she needs to make sure they are somewhat taken care of before their journey begins.
As she backed away from the balcony her right hand slowly made its way to her belt, and her fingers found her Celestial Spirit Keys resting on her hip. She smiled as she felt the smoothness of the keys, and comfort planted itself right in her soul and mind at the thought of her friends. Grabbing the keychain holding her keys, she quickly flipped through them before landing right on the perfect one.
Holding out the key in front of her, Lucy chanted the words she knew by heart, "I summon thee: Virgo!"
Light appeared as well as small clouds of pink as the pink haired and blue-eyed maid, Virgo, appeared in her usual maid attire and chains shackled to her wrists. She looked at Lucy with welcoming eyes, and the Celestial Spirit Mage smiled warmly at the Celestial Spirit. To Lucy, it was comforting seeing one of her Celestial Spirits in front of her after all the chaos from the night.
She approached Virgo and gave her a quick hug, which the Celestial Spirit gladly returned. "It is great to see you, Virgo, you have no idea." Lucy told her, trying to stay quiet enough so she wouldn't wake Cobra.
"As it is to see you, Princess," Virgo greeted with a small smile. "Leo has informed me of the mission you are embarking on, as well as who you have been paired with. I just hope all is well."
Lucy nodded her head as she gently moved Virgo inside the tunnel more to keep her out of eyesight in case there was something around, and to also keep the Celestial Spirit safe. "I wish I could say all is well, but in reality there has been some issues along the way."
Virgo's eyes suddenly grew dark as a menacing look crossed the spirit's face, and her eyes shifted over to Cobra who was still sound asleep. "Has he been the cause of the issues?"
Lucy quickly jumped between Cobra and Virgo, and frantically waved her hands in the air as she quickly stated "no" over and over again. "Cobra is fine! Cobra has-"
"- been keeping your master safe." Said a gruff yet tired voice, and the two girls turned and looked at the Poison Dragon Slayer, who was fully awake and looking at the two girls with his one eye.
A defensive and angry look was present as he eyed the two girls, and slowly stood on his feet as he stretched his arms, not taking his eye off the two girls. A frown was present on his lips, and Lucy could tell that he did not look happy. She figured she'd have to diffuse the situation somehow.
"Cobra is right, Virgo," Lucy said as she turned to look at her Celestial Spirit friend. "He has been keeping me safe these past couple of weeks, and has saved me from a couple of situations. He also kept me safe last night."
She knew Virgo knew she was speaking the truth, but the Celestial Spirit still looked at Cobra warily. She, too, knows of the ex-criminal's past and has experienced it herself on the battlefield. Knowing that her master is working with him doesn't ease her mind, but as she looked at Cobra's body language – calm and collected with his hands in his jacket pockets – she felt that maybe something in the young man changed. So she nodded at him and a small smile graced Virgo's lips, causing Lucy to visibly relax as well as Cobra, yet the Poison Dragon Slayer still eyed Virgo with caution. Virgo doesn't blame him – she almost attacked him after all.
"Everything is okay Cobra. Virgo was just looking out for me." Lucy said as she turned to look at Cobra, and Cobra nodded at her.
"Don't worry. I could hear that before I opened my eyes," Cobra said to Lucy before turning to look at Virgo. "I'll keep Heartfilia safe, I can give you that." He promised, and watched as Virgo nodded her head.
Lucy just looked at him with a hand raised over her heart, and she smiled slightly at the Poison Dragon Slayer's words. It was then she knew he gut feeling was correct, and that Cobra was looking out for her. Something warmed in her heart that made her feel a little jittery, and she knew Cobra sensed it as he gave her a side look filled with an emotion she didn't know. She'll figure it out another time, but she knew she had to inform Virgo with what's going on so she can keep her other Celestial Spirits updated.
"Virgo, let Cobra and I fill you in on everything thus far…" Lucy started right before she explained everything from the past couple of weeks from her and Cobra's finds, to Set and Kek, the skeleton warriors – everything Lucy knew she told the Celestial Spirit. Cobra also calmly jumped in a couple of times, especially telling Virgo his little adventure in the catacombs and what he overheard.
Virgo listened closely to every word the two mages spoke, and asked a couple of questions to make sure she got the information straight. The more she heard them talk, the more she didn't like her master being in this strange world. She turned to Lucy once the two were done explaining everything, and looked at her concerned.
"I don't like the idea of you on this quest, Princess," Virgo stated honestly. "This is far too dangerous, even for Cobra."
"Trust me, I didn't want to do this stupid mission in the first place," Cobra agreed before Lucy could say anything. "But this one here would kill me before Set does if I up and left, so I'm stuck with this until its done." He also quickly said as he pointed his thumbs towards the Fairy Tail mage.
Lucy nodded her head a few times, and grinned slightly at the Poison Dragon Slayer. That's right! You better believe it! She thought so Cobra could hear her, and the small smirk and challenging glint in his eye confirmed that he did hear her.
Virgo just stared between the two mages as she absorbed the information given to her, but then softly smiled at the two of them. Despite the past the two mages have together, it warmed her a little to see the two of them on good terms; they both put the mission first, and their history with each other last. This warmed her, and she could only stop and watch as her master somehow made a connection during this dangerous mission.
Upon hearing the warmth growing from her soul, as well as her thoughts, Cobra quickly turned and gave Virgo an appreciative look before he turned and listened to something Lucy had to say – which turned out to be a smart comment that Cobra blew off.
Virgo cleared her throat a little in order to get Lucy's attention, and she smiled when she watched the blonde Celestial Spirit mage turn and smile at her. "I'll be back in a second Princess. I'll fetch water and food for the two of you, and other supplies as well."
"Thank you, Virgo," Lucy said as her smile grew bigger. "That's extremely kind and thoughtful of you."
Virgo nodded before she disappeared in a puff of smoke, and the two mages glanced at each other before chuckling a little. It seemed crazy to the both of them that they could have a somewhat normal moment in their current situation, but they also knew that their little time of peace could be taken away from them.
A puff of smoke appeared once more as Virgo came back from the Celestial Spirit World with two canteens of water in one hand, and some food in the other. Seeing the nourishment made the two mages relax a little more. They were both starting to worry about how they were going to keep their strength up until they reach Abydos – if Abydos hasn't turned into a dangerous place like the other places the mages have visited so far. She also came back with an empty bag for other supplies the two mages might need to take with them.
They also know that they need proper rest to continue on with their journey, and having slept on the hard ground wasn't exactly comfortable – especially to the Celestial Spirit Mage. She knows she has been spoiled, and it showed when she woke up to pain in her neck, back, and arms. She doesn't know how Cobra is able to handle everything so well, but she also figures that he is used to it by now.
"Thank you for the food and water, Virgo," Lucy said sweetly as she gently took the food and water from the Celestial Spirit's hands, and gently separated it equally among her and Cobra. "It is needed as you can tell." She laughed a little, trying to keep the atmosphere light.
Cobra slightly smirked at Virgo as he gently placed some fruit in his mouth as he tried to show his thanks while savoring each piece of fresh fruit.
Virgo nodded with a small, gracious smile towards Cobra and Lucy. "You're welcome Princess and thief."
Cobra almost spit out his food at what Virgo called him, but he didn't say or do anything when a firm hand was placed on his shoulder by none other than the Celestial Spirit Mage of Fairy Tail. Lucy firmly grasped his shoulder as a warning not to do anything stupid, and he knew exactly what she was doing as he read her soul.
"Thank you again for the help Virgo," Lucy quickly said as one of her eyes twitched at Cobra's small growl. "Please inform the rest of my friends of what has happened."
Virgo nodded her head before she bowed. "I definitely will, and please… Stay safe out there. Both of you."
With that she was gone with a puff of smoke, and Lucy let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as she plopped a piece of fruit in her mouth. She and Cobra turned and looked at each other as they continued to eat their breakfast as a look of understanding passed between them.
They were thankful for Virgo's help, but now they needed to start preparing for the trek to the castle across the field.
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Silence filled the air as Cobra and Lucy started to approach the end of the field that leads to the castle Dan Straight's family used to reside in ages ago. The only sound accompanying them was the crunches they made as they walked, the wind blowing, and the constant buzz of the ray on the other side of the oddly formed mountain. To say the least the silence was a little uncomfortable for Lucy, since she is used to Natsu Dragneel and Happy chatting away, but the fact that no living creature has appeared or made a sound concerned her. It made her look around worried as she gripped the bag Virgo gave them a couple of hours ago. The book she took from Dan's palace in Memphis was stuffed inside, and she was thankful for the bag – carrying the book around in her arms wouldn't be practical.
"I hear you, Heartfilia," Cobra spoke up from a couple of feet ahead of her. "It is strange that no living creature has appeared."
Lucy hummed her agreement as she looked around with nervous eyes. "Have you been able to hear anything?"
Cobra shook his head no. "Not a single soul, and that's what concerns me."
A chill went down Lucy's spin when he told her that. If Cobra couldn't hear a living soul then she knew something must be wrong. Very wrong. He was able to communicate with a snake yesterday, and also hear the souls of rodents running around in the tunnel during the night. Yet he could not pick anything up during the day, and that greatly concerned the Celestial Spirit Mage.
"Do you think…" Lucy trailed off as she thought about what happened during the night.
Cobra sighed as he considered what she was thinking. He knew what she was getting at, and he understood where she was coming from. What creature would want to stick around when there are walking, weapon-wielding skeletons scurrying around the land? An insane creature would stay here. Cobra thought grimly as he listened to the panicked and worried thoughts of the Celestial Spirit Mage walking behind him. At least Lucy's thoughts helped keep his mind at peace, but he would never tell her that. He almost snickered at that thought.
"More than likely. Any creature who sees skeletons running around with weapons would consider relocating." Cobra answered her as he slowed his walking so he could walk right next to Lucy. "The best thing we can do is to get the hell out of here. I don't want to encounter anything like that ever again." he quickly added as they came to the end of the field.
The end of the field was a cliff that went straight down into what appeared to be a dried river basin with lava steadily flowing in the place of water. Cobra grunted as he started to look around for something - anything – that would get him and Lucy over to the palace in one piece. He growled as he became frustrated with how the world was set up; nothing seemed to work in their favor, and every turn there was there was also something that could possibly kill them. It frustrated Cobra to no end, and he stood there looking between the lava and the palace fuming as his thoughts ran wild.
Lucy stood next to Cobra as she looked at him concerned as his face turned slightly red with anger and frustration, and a small snarl making its way on his lips as glared at everything in front of him. She wanted to ask him if he was okay, but she figured she would leave him alone as he blew off some steam. She knew he didn't want to come on this mission to begin with, but she remembers him mentioning to her that Jellal Fernandes, the leader of Crime Sorciere, asked him to do it. Cobra is just following orders. Lucy reminded herself as she turned to walk away to give the Poison Dragon Slayer some space.
Lucy already deals with a Flame Dragon Slayer whose emotions are all over the place. The last thing she wants is a Poison Dragon Slayer to go off, and do something stupid.
She has gotten to know Cobra over the past couple of weeks, and has found that she is starting to enjoy his company. It was something she did not expect to happen, but she found herself wandering the halls of Dan's castle in search of him when she found something, or even just to talk to him to get her mind off of everything (or to avoid Dan Straight's flirtatious nature). It was something she came to enjoy as she goes about this quest. She won't admit to Cobra that some feelings have started to form, and she does everything in her power to make sure he doesn't sense it. She knows she won't be able to keep it from him for long since he reads her like a book, but Lucy figures she'll tackle it at the end of the quest.
Lucy kept her eyes open as she scanned the empty field around her to find something to get her and Cobra over to the castle in front of them. She was looking for a bridge, rope swing – anything that would help them out. The last thing she wants to do is retrack their steps to try and enter the castle on the other side. Doing that will come with the possibility of the ray firing at them. At the thought of the ray she turned and looked up towards the sky, and saw it still firing into the sky. The big red line concerned her the most since she figured that ray is the most dangerous weapon being used in this world. She focused her eyes back to the area in front of her, and continued to search for something that might lead to the castle.
As she was walking, the sound of buzzing kept ringing louder and louder in her ears to the point where she had to stop walking to shake her head. Confused, she focused on the ray again to see if the buzzing noise was coming from that. The buzzing from the ray itself was faint, yet there, and not the loud buzzing that keeps entering her left ear. Putting a hand up to her left ear, she grunted in discontent as the noise grew louder as she started walking forward again.
Not knowing where the sound was coming from, she scanned the surrounding area to see if there was a bug near her that was causing the noise. She figured Cobra would have pointed out earlier if there were insects around, so she quickly dismissed that thought. Annoyance bubbled up inside of her as she looked around, almost frantically, as she searched for the source of the buzzing sound. Not far from her, towards the edge of the field where it meets the mountain, was a lone stone statue. From what Lucy could tell it was a little shorter than her with some markings on it that resemble a spine with the ribcage attached. It looked a little odd to her, but as she stepped closer to it the stronger the buzzing sound became.
"Heartfilia! What's the matter? Your soul and mind seem panicked, annoyed, and even a little distressed." Lucy heard Cobra call after her, and she turned around to face him. She heard the concern in his gruff voice, but his stance screamed that he was ready to fight if anything popped up.
Before she could say anything she saw his jaw clench and his eye squint as the buzzing sound reached his ears. She knew if the buzzing sound was loud to her, it was louder for Cobra due to his enhanced hearing.
"That buzzing noise is what's wrong," she said to him, trying her best to remain calm as her annoyance grew.
"I figured that much, but where is it coming from?" Cobra asked as he gritted his teeth. She could tell that the noise was getting to him as his eye started twitching, and his canines started to peak out from under his lips.
"This is going to sound crazy, but I think they're coming from that statue over there." Lucy said as she pointed to it. "The buzzing gets louder as I get closer to it."
Cobra looked over in the direction Lucy pointed, and narrowed his eye at the statue for a couple of seconds before he started to march his way over to it. Lucy's eyes widened as she took her left hand off her left ear, and started to jog after him.
"What are you doing?" She asked him as she quickly slipped in front of the Poison Dragon Slayer, hoping to stop him with whatever he was about to do.
"Stopping this thing from buzzing." Cobra said with a growl, and Lucy could see through Cobra's jacket that he was about to summon his scales.
"Stop Cobra!" Lucy hurriedly said as she grabbed both of his arms urgently, and looked him in his one eye.
His one black eye stared into her brown eyes as she looked over him, trying to find any signs to calm him down. She understands that the world they're in is crazy and that he didn't want to be here in the first place, but she also wants to help him through it and calm him down before he does anything stupid. This outburst was sudden, something she wasn't expecting at all, but she knew she had to calm him down and bring him back to his somewhat sensible self before he does something stupid.
She felt that his arms were tense and that the scales were activating right under his jacket. She had a limited amount of time before he did something, and that something could easily alert anything in the area.
"Don't be stupid, Cobra! Think right now!" She yelled at him in hopes of him coming to his senses. She knew he has been off since he got up this morning, but she didn't think it would come to this. "What if you break that, and it alerts Set in the castle nearby? What then? We don't have the resources or energy to fight him and Kek. We would lose!"
Lucy started to feel him relax under her touch as her words sunk in, and she almost felt like letting go of his arms. Something told her not to since she still saw that streak of madness in his eye. She was hoping that she could help keep him calm for once as a way of returning the favor of him keeping her calm all this time. While in this world she saw a side of Cobra she did not expect to see – calm, caring (despite being a grump about it), and someone who actually cares a little. She knew if he didn't care he wouldn't have listened to her, or come to her aid with Kek or Set. She didn't want to see him go down a bad path again just because of a request Jellal asked him to complete. If you can't listen to my words, listen to my mind and soul. Lucy tried to reason with him.
She didn't want to see him succumb to the madness of this world – the madness Dan has been warning them about since they arrived here. Lucy saw Cobra relax and watched as his eye started to lose that madness that crept up in it, and she let go of his arms and stepped back a little to give him space. Everything about him was starting to become calm once more, and Lucy let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
Cobra looked at her, his expression unreadable, but there was no more madness in there. "Thank you for that, Heartfilia. I… I lost control there for a moment."
No kidding is what Lucy really wanted to say, but all she did was give him an understanding smile as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. She blinked as she took her eyes off of him, and then started to look around the area some more so she could find a way to get over to the castle. At this point they needed to focus on one task at a time before both of them lose their minds. She knew that sleep deprivation and tiredness was making it hard on them; they haven't properly slept since the night before Set took over Dan's castle.
Lucy knew they needed to get to Abydos fast in order to properly rest for one night. Then they'll be ready to head to Heliopolis where Dan is waiting for them to arrive.
When Lucy saw nothing to get them over to where the castle was located, she looked back over at the statue near her. The buzzing noise was still there, but she has started to grow accustomed to it; it blended in with the buzzing noise from the ray to her, but after shooting a quick glance at Cobra, she could tell it was still affecting him.
What was odd to her is how there is only one statue on this side of the field, and not more. She looked over towards the castle to see if something resembled the statue, and she found one directly diagonal to the one on their side across from them. There were no other gaps in the small castle walls except for over by the statue on the other side. It looked like it could fit a horse and carriage, and it was big enough for multiple people to walk through at the same time. Don't tell me… Lucy's thoughts started before Cobra spoke up next to her.
"It's a magical bridge." He finished as he turned and looked at her with a smirk. "It seems like I probably should've broken the statue after all." His smirk grew wider as Lucy puffed her cheeks out at him.
"Shut up." Was all she said as she crossed her arms, and looked away from him.
Lucy's eyes widened when she felt rough, yet gentle hands, grip her chin ever so slightly and move her head to look into a black eye. She felt her arms loosen until one of them was resting at her side while the other was fisted in front of her heart, which she felt hammering away in her chest as her face heated up ever so slightly. She saw Cobra looking down at her with an expression she never thought she would see: gratefulness with something she couldn't identify. She watched as Cobra's lips started move, like he was about to tell her something, when they both froze in their tracks as they heard something.
The familiar sound of clicking and hissing with clanking.
Cobra immediately pulled his hand away from her, and took a step in front of her as he growled and raised his fists. Lucy put her hand right on her Fleuve d'étoiles as they saw movement off in the distance. The movement was bone white with armor surrounding various parts of the body as well as some helmets worn. Axes, swords, and knives could be seen being carried as their red eyes glared them down as they hissed and clicked.
"Skeleton warriors!" Cobra growled as he activated his dragon scales as the incoming threat made its way towards them.
Both mages saw not only one or two, but a bunch of them making their way over to them. Without giving it a second thought Lucy took her Fleuve d'étoiles right out of its holder, and watched the whip from the Celestial Spirit World come to life. With a few quick flicks of her wrist, the whip cut through the statue and the pieces of the statue fell to the ground before them.
Right next to the statue on the right, a white floating object appeared before them. It was solid white with glittering gold pieces surrounding it, and smoke coming from the bottom of it. Hieroglyphics were written on each side of the bridge, like it was giving a message, but Lucy didn't have time to take everything in with the skeleton warriors approaching fast. She gripped right onto Cobra's jacket, and tugged him along as she darted for the bridge. She easily jumped over the small gap between the cliff and the magical bridge, and was surprised how solid it felt under her feet. That gave her all the sense of security she needed to start advancing forward, with Cobra hot on her heels.
The two mages ran across the bridge as the sounds of the skeleton warriors became clearer, and Cobra quickly looked over his shoulder to see how close they have gotten in the last minute or so. His eye widened when he saw they were just approaching the statue that Lucy broke, and he cursed under his breath as he started to run closer to Lucy to keep her safe. He heard the scattered thoughts of her mind and soul, and couldn't blame her – he knew he wouldn't be able to think clearly if something undead was trying to kill him. He quickly turned and looked in front of him, seeing the massive porch of the castle approaching fast.
With quick movements Cobra grabbed Lucy by her waist, stopped her, and pulled her close to him. She let out a surprise scream before turning and looking at him, and she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and her leg's around his waist when she figured out what he was doing. His grip on her tightened as he suddenly stopped to bend his knees, and with his powerful legs, he made a long jump over to the other side of the bridge. His feet connected with the limestone of the castle, and he tried to steady himself as he skidded across the stone with Lucy still dangling on him. To help him out, Lucy unhooked her legs from Cobra's waist and planted them on the ground to help steady him. She knew she wasn't as strong as him, but she still wanted to try and help him where she could.
Once the two mages were steadied they quickly turned their attention back to the bridge and the skeleton warriors, who were starting to cross the bridge one by one. Lucy turned her attention to the replica stone statue where they are, and quickly put together something in her head. Like with the last statue, she took out her whip again and cut the other statue into pieces. Just as soon as the bridge appeared the first time, the bridge disappeared from underneath the skeleton's feet. The skeleton warriors who were on the bridge quickly descended into the lava river below them as they let out surprised hisses and clicks. Both Cobra and Lucy looked at the skeletons as they started to dissolve and melt away in the lava, and then turned their attention back to the others on the other side of the bridge.
They all skidded to a stop and looked at Lucy and Cobra from the other side. A chill ran down Lucy's spine while Cobra continued to growl at them as they stared at the two mages, their eyes glowing an even more menacing red as their clicks and hisses became louder and stronger. Yet they did not move, nor make any move to break the stone next to them – which realigned itself as the other stone statue was broken. In front of the two mages the stone statue Lucy broke realigned itself as well, getting ready for the next use. The two parties continued to stare at each other, waiting to see who would make the next move.
"It's a standoff," Cobra whispered to Lucy, who leaned in closer to hear him. "They're waiting to see what we'll do next."
Lucy nodded next to him, both of them keeping their eyes on the enemy before them. The skeleton warriors were as still as statues themselves as their eyes glowed red, and it started to become clear that they might not make a move to break the stone statue next to them.
"I don't think they're going to do anything," Lucy whispered to Cobra, who nodded next to her. "By any chance, can you hear their souls or thoughts?"
Cobra shook his head. "No, I cannot, but that lets us know something. They're only designed to kill, not think. As long as we're over on this side, we should be safe."
As much as Lucy didn't want to leave her spot, she couldn't protest. Cobra was right and she knew it. If the skeleton warriors had any thoughts despite being deceased, they would have figured out how to make the magical bridge appear again. It was safe to say that they were safe for now, but that just informed them of something else…
"Set knows where we are," Lucy whispered to Cobra as she turned and looked at him with wide eyes, worry lacing every word. "We're on his radar."
Cobra grunted as he crossed his arms. "So it seems. We have to keep moving before Set himself comes, and decides to confront us."
Lucy nodded her head, and started to look around the area of the castle. She tried her best to ignore the skeleton warriors staring at them from across the lava river, but she couldn't help but glance at them every couple of seconds to see if they moved. As Lucy was looking around, she spotted a chest to the right of her down the balcony. It was blocked off to a wall to the left, so it wasn't easy to spot on the other side.
She remembers Dan telling both her and Cobra that a portal amulet was located at the castle inside a chest that would lead them Abydos, and get them out of Uruk to safety. Relief filled her veins as she realized that they had found their way out of Uruk, and she quickly turned around and started walking towards the chest. Cobra turned and looked at her, and his eye followed where she was going up to the chest that was a few yards in front of her. A grin spread across his lips when he realized that they found their way out of Uruk.
Cobra ignored the skeletons staring them down, and started to make his way down the hallway after Lucy. He almost chuckled when he saw that she was practically skipping over to the chest, and it made him more relaxed when he realized he wasn't the only one who was desperate to get out of the desert wasteland. It didn't take them long to reach the end of the long balcony, and Lucy swung her bag over her shoulder to place it in front of her as Cobra put his hand on the chest to open it. Lucy nodded at Cobra as she opened the sack for the amulet, and with an easy push of his arm the chest opened up to reveal a single object inside.
Inside the chest was a large, golden amulet with the face of one of the Gods melded on the front of it. The eyes of the welded God were black, and the mouth was hanging wide open, looking like it was getting ready to suck in air. What stood out of the amulet was the circle right above the God's face; it was a beautiful turquoise with waves carved into the beautiful stone.
"Finally a place that is not a desert." Cobra suddenly said as he studied the waves carved into the turquoise, making Lucy giggle a little.
"It will definitely be a change." She agreed as she gently set the amulet right next to the book inside the bag Virgo gave her earlier that morning. "A nice change." She quickly added with a small smile as she thought above waves and the ocean, and wondered what Abydos looked like.
Cobra read her soul and thoughts, and found himself started to relax as he closed the chest. He was looking forward to having a descent place to eat and sleep without having the worry about skeletons, Gods, or anyone else trying to kill him or the Celestial Spirit Mage.
"Let's go find that portal thing Straight was talking about." Cobra said as he started to walk away, but then quickly stopped when the sound of thunder echoed in his ears.
He quickly turned to look over at Lucy, and saw that she was petrified as she looked over towards the top of the black castle they saw when they first entered Uruk. Cobra followed her gaze until it locked onto the ray as it was powering up. Red and black sparks were flying all around the ray as the red line suddenly grew darker, and the sky above them started to turn a darker color. Cobra felt himself freeze when he realized that the ray was powering up, and they were right in the firing range.
Remembering how quickly the ray powered up last time, Cobra quickly grabbed Lucy by the waist and started to drag her away from the chest. She huddled into his side as they both heard the ray reaching its full capacity with power, and Cobra started to have them run when the ray fired and hit a couple of feet behind them. The force from the hit caused the two mages to tumble to the ground as the heat from the ray made them immediately feel like they were entering the hottest bath they ever took. The heat stun their skin as they endured the power of it, yet it didn't burn their skin since Cobra was able to get them far away from the spot the ray initially hit.
Lucy screamed next to Cobra as he kept his arm around her waist, and he gritted his teeth as he waited for the ray to stop firing at the spot where they were once standing. The sound of the ray seceding was music to his ears as the heat of it went away with the ray, but then another sound entered Cobra's ears that caused him to curse under his breath as he made Lucy stand up with him.
The castle floor beneath them was starting to crumble, and large chunks and pieces were starting to fall to the floor beneath the balcony of the palace. Cobra quickly looked behind him as he watched the cracks appear in the limestone and tile, and he started to move away from a large crack quickly forming where they are standing. He started to move with Lucy clinging to him to try and get them away from the spot before they could be taken down with it. He could see a basement or a room – Cobra wasn't sure which – that appeared as the floor they were on crumbled beneath them. It brought quick comfort to know they were not about to fall into lava, but a new worry was if they would survive the fall.
Lucy clang to Cobra as he tried to get them as far away from the area as possible, but it was no use and the Poison Dragon Slayer kept cursing under his breath as he felt the floor under his feet crumble and fall. Before he knew it he and the Celestial Spirit Mage were falling with the floor, and all Cobra could do was pull Lucy into him and hug her close as they fell.
I did not mean for this chapter to be so long, but here we are. It is a whole lot longer than I intended it to be, and I'm so grateful and thankful for anyone who endured all of that reading to make it to the end of this chapter. I can promise you that the next chapter will not be as long as this one, but it will be rather short compared to the other chapters I have written. In the meantime, I can't get over how long this chapter is.
I'm sorry for all the spelling and grammar mistakes, and I'm sorry for how long this chapter is.
See you next time! Buh-bye!
Coming soon to 'The Cursed World':
Chapter Seventeen: To Abydos