Authors note: Sorry for taking so long to upload, I got sick after stumbling into a bit of a swamp retrieving a soccer ball. Go ahead laugh. And enjoy chapter 6! Chapter 7 is almost finished to so expect another update soon!

Chapter 6-

They stepped out of the inn, the cool morning breeze brushed its way past a determined looking Lucy Heartfilia. Sting Eucliffe punched his left fist into his right palm with a smile.

"Where do we start?" He asks Lucy.

"Well, I suppose we ask the citizens if they've seen anything or knew anyone that's disappeared and try to connect the dots?" suggested Lucy.

"Then let us begin." Rogue stated monotonally.

The three mages walked down street after street questioning the people they passed by, this was usually done by Lucy and Rogue as they told Sting to keep his trap shut for coming off as rude and arrogant. They gathered information that some had sighted glowing green eyes lurking in the shadows around town. Lucy desired the security of Natsu, Erza and Gray to hide behind as she sulked in fear at the thought of terrifying monsters with green eyes surrounding her. It was with that thought that she made a new decision. The decision that she wouldn't come across as the weak one in the strongest team in Fairy Tail, she would face her fears instead of hide from them, she wouldn't rely on others, she'd let others rely on her. She decided to be strong, for her mother, her father, her friends, the people of Fiore, and for Fairy Tail, the closest thing she had to family. She would no longer let people see her as weak. So when anyone told her about glowing green eyes and un-animal like growls and shrieks in the darkness, she did not cringe in fear, she stood strong and fierce prepared to fight no matter what opponent she was faced with.

From the information Lucy was given, she able to assume that they only appeared in dark areas, so in order to find the source of the disappearances she would need to investigate at night. Lucy was at this moment ever so glad to be accompanied by the twin dragons of Sabertooth.

"We will continue our work tonight, it appears the disappearances only occur in dark places. Night seems pretty dark I think." Lucy stated,

"So what do you suppose we do tonight? Go looking for the thing in the midst of the darkness?" asked Rogue.

"Well, we could always lure the thing out to us… If it strikes in the darkness when not many witnesses are present we can lure it out using Miss Heartfilia as a damsel in distress." Sting said with an evil smirk.

"NO." Lucy said plainly.

"He has a point, going looking for it in the dark in a place we don't even know is stupidity, but if we lure it out we have a better chance of finishing this quickly and easily without getting a damsel in real distress." Rogue stated.

Lucy sighed. "Is bait really all I'm good for?" she muttered to herself.

That night Lucy appeared to be walking alone down a dark street of Wimbourne. I will not show fear, I will not show fear, I will not show fear! I refuse to show fear! She told herself over and over. It was and wasn't helping in a way, she did remember to not show fear but deep down she longed for her old team back to support her, she knew that no matter what happened they'd always come running. Lucy got angry at herself for always relying on others to save her, Stupid Lucy! You can't rely on them now, you got to prove you belong on the strongest team in Fairy Tail, you don't want to be replaced by Lisanna! Idiot Lucy, why would you even think that? They'd never replace you. Your making Lisanna come off as a bitch when you think that! Lisanna is a sweet girl….

Lucy's thoughts were interrupted when she felt a sudden rush of wind pass her on one side as if something real fast passed her. She saw slight flashes of green pass her. Her heart leapt and pounded fast in her chest as she reacted as fast as possible almost on instinct. She pulled a golden key from the leather pouch on her belt and waved it across her body,

"Loke!" she cried, hoping he had heard her because she didn't have time to summon him properly. Loke leapt into action looking around for the enemy. It sure was fast, Lucy had her whip in hand by her side and was standing back to back with Loke. The green eyed creature was too fast, Lucy didn't even see it as it darted past her leaving scratch marks across her stomach. It had three sharp claws. Loke launched a fist forward somehow making contact with the creature. It rolled into the ground, and that's when Lucy saw it.

It had pale grey skin, three long, sharp claws with green poison like residue coating them, they had bloodshot red eyes the size of tennis balls and glowing green pupils. It had large bat-like wings with few dirty and rough feathers on the back, it had black stained sharp teeth and was short as half the height of Lucy.

The creature stood back up, Lucy cracked her whip and roped it around its neck and pulled on the rope enough to strangle it but keep it at a distance.

"Loke! Throw me over it!" Lucy demanded.

"What? No you're crazy, why would you?"

"Just trust me and do it or I'll ask Virgo."

"Ready then?"

"GO!"

Lucy placed a foot on Loke's Palms and he boosted her into the air high over the creature. As Lucy went through the air she held her whip in both hands above her head as soon as she passed it she cast her whip forwards like a fishing line and as she landed, she sent the goblin-like creature over her head and slamming head first on the stone path in front of her. Lucy retracted her whip from the creature's neck and hooked her whip back on her belt. Sting and Rogue appeared in front of her.

"And where were you?" asks Lucy,

"It looks like you handled this quickly and easily without us." Said Rogue,

"True." Lucy had to admit.

"But that wasn't the only one." Sting said, "We found another one attacking a man on West Cresent Street. Same little goblin thingos."

"Those goblin thingos are actually the minions of something very dangerous perhaps." Added Loke.

"Who's this Lucy?" asked Rogue,

"This is Loke, he is Leo the spirit leader of the twelve gates of the Zodiac." Lucy finished.

"Is that so?" said Sting, "What's so dangerous about a few little feral goblin scum?"

"Because they are infinite. They are mere puppets of the Demon-souled Goblin of the book of Zeref." Loke said.

"Zeref!?" Lucy repeated.

"Those goblins are merely his puppets that devour human souls to sustain their life. The only way to finish them will be to lower the Demon-souled one's life force to low enough where it has to merge with its minions to expand its life force. Then you will had to not just defeat it, but destroy it." Loke explained.

"Why do you know all this Loke?" asked Lucy.

"I looked into the book of Zeref with Crux after Lullaby, Deliora and Acnologia. Fairies have a habit of running into demons it seems." Loke concluded.

"If it's from the book of Zeref we don't stand a chance alone." Said Lucy,

"Are you forgetting about us already Miss Heartfilia?" asked Sting, "You know if we can slay dragons, I'm sure some pesky little goblin won't be a problem, demon-souled or whatever."

"It's actually double the size of a human." Loke commented.

"Still small compared to a dragon." Remarked Sting.

"Well it's a creature that likes the dark, and has to hide somewhere pretty big. There is nowhere for it to hide except for the Crocus Mountains I suppose. Maybe there is a hidden cave or something?" Lucy suggested.

"We'll return to the inn tonight then and search for it tomorrow." Said Rogue.

"You should get that wound checked out as soon as you can Lucy." Said Loke as he vanished back into the celestial world.

Lucy stared down at the three claw marks engraved across the left side of her stomach, the wound seemed to be intoxicated with that green and black venom-like poison but Lucy thought it felt and acted just like a normal wound.