Secrets, part 22
The guild seemed as normal as ever despite current events. Hantu and Grem loudly joked with each other while Acheron and Ahiru played chess nearby. Yung-Li expertly carried a conversation with Koko as she quickly signed with her hands. Bored, Yona and Van had dragged Erza and Natsu to the local bar, never knowing that an agent of Noctis watched their every move. Deep below the city, Jasper retreated to a remote cavern where he wouldn't be bothered. His usual gentle persona had shattered at the revelations his father had shared with him just hours before. Furious, he held a stone in his palm, watching it slowly melt with his corrosion magic. He knew who he was this morning. Why did it have to change?
Blythe had dragged Gajeel, Kavi, and Wendy into town along with their exceed companions. Lily and Charle felt more like chaperones, but at least everyone was getting a break from the crushing tension that was consuming Serpent Wing. "We're here!", beamed Blythe happily. Gajeel sighed, annoyed. It had to be a bakery, didn't it? Wendy asked if she could bring some cake back for Erza as they entered. It was nice having some form of normality. Kavi smiled faintly to himself as he watched Blythe interact with Wendy. Why did he have to be so cute all of the time?
Outside of town, someone was taking his last drag off his cigar. He exhaled the smoke slowly as he stared at the town of Primrose. Snuffing the smoke on a nearby lizard, he smirked to himself. "Seems like it's been years", he sighed. Nearby, a pair of eyes wore a wicked smile at the small creature's distress. Shadows concealed the details, but if one stared long enough, you might make out a human form under the trees. "It has, hasn't it?", cooed the dark being. "You're already showing enthusiasm, Dubhan. I can hear it in your voice...Why don't you come out in the sun for a bit? It's been a long walk", sighed the first man. He dropped his bag and sat against the stone where he'd cruelly killed the defenseless reptile. "You know I detest the light, Master", said the shadow thing called Dubhan. "And it amuses me to watch you squirm. Now shut up and sit down", yawned the seemingly calm leader of Noctis.
Annoyed, Dubhan dispelled his dark cloak. His long ponytail whipped in the wind. It nearly reached the back of his knees when idle. He sat across from his Order's Master with a disgruntled 'hmph'. "You really are twisted", he spat. Noctis' leader grinned to himself. "I created you, didn't I?". Dubhan glared at the encroaching sunlight as clouds drifted overhead. "At least it'll be over soon. Wink's already in position. Aerona and Judd are keeping themselves occupied", he grumbled. Then a creepy low laugh emanated from the mage. "I can already smell the blood", he chuckled in twisted amusement. Sadly, the only two things he ever learned to love in life were death and darkness. Thus, he kept them close and listened to no one other than his Master. Squashing ants with his thumb, he smirked to himself, "You're next, Blythe."
At the town tavern, Erza had happily gambled enough for the day and headed back to the guild to confer with Veda. Natsu and Happy weren't much into cards, so after a while, they headed out to drag Lucy around town and maybe bug Gray for the fun of it. Still the local trouble makers had their fun. Yona slammed down her winning hand. "Take that!", she laughed. The man she and Van were currently working over was a stranger in a long duster. Van could simply 'enhance' their luck and took turns winning to avoid being discovered. As she reached for the chips, the stranger plunged a knife into the table a mere inch from her hands. The barman watched them nervously. Whenever Van and Yona caused trouble, it usually ended up being expensive. The only reason they hadn't been banned was due to the guild paying for the repairs.
"Whoa, what was that for?!", spat Yona. The man across from her glared from beneath the brim of his hat. "Do you think I'm stupid?", he asked stiffly. She exchanged glances with Van. It looked like the gig was up. "Just calm down. I'm sure we can talk this out", offered Van. As he rose to extend a hand in peace, the stranger sent him flying. The bar cleared as he skid across the floor. The man stood up. He was much bigger than anticipated. The light hit his face, revealing an older man with scars and a spiteful look. Yona slammed her hands on the table as she got to her feet. "Hey! There's no need for that! Take your damn money!", she yelled, shoving the chips toward him. "That's not enough", stated the man coldly. "What are you on about? That's more than what you brought to the table. Just take it and get out of here", she argued. Van staggered to his feet and cracked his jaw back into place. He eyed the stranger wearily as he spit out a tooth. "Don't you take that tone with her. If you have a problem, you take it up with me", he growled. Yona sighed. She really didn't need to be rescued.
The man flicked his long coat aside, ready to achieve his goal. He'd waited long enough. His mark was right here. Strange symbols decorated his clothing and, even more worrisome, he was loaded to the teeth with weapons. He pointed a pistol squarely at the dragon slayer. "You see, you've gone and insulted my intelligence. That has a steep price", he said far more calmly than he should. The barman took cover in the back, leaving the mages to defend themselves. He'd seen them brawl before; He was certain they'd be fine. Van stepped in front of the gun. "Didn't you hear me? Your fight is with me", he said with a steely glare. "You mages are all alike. You think you can take whatever you want from the rest of us. Some of us are plum tired of it", said the gunman. He had a thick western accent and he wasn't scared to pull his trigger. Van could see it in his face. "You've got your money, what else do you want?", asked Van, trying the diplomatic route. The man sighed, hiding his eager grin. "You don't get it. You cheated with magic, something I can't prove, but her", he said, nodding toward Yona, "She cheated the old fashioned way and I just can't allow that. Now step outta the way." He'd stalked Van long enough to know his weak point - Yona. Van stood his ground. He wasn't about to move. The gunman raised his other hand. In one swift movement, he'd fired something from a device on his wrist. An electrified dart hit Van in the chest. This stranger had damn good aim. The current ran through the mage's body, causing tics and twitches, but he refused to move.
Yona set her hand on his shoulder once the current ceased. "Just move, Van. I can take him", she assured. "Like Hell", he said across his shoulder. She took a closer look at his face. Something was wrong. His expression was taught and grim. Was there something about this stranger that he sensed that she had missed? Come to think of it, he did smell of blood...a lot of it. "Fine by me, mage. If you won't move, I'll take your life instead of hers. It's all the same to me", said the man, cocking the gun. Yona leaned close to her friend and argued at a whisper. "Are you stupid?! Let's just leave! This guy's crazy!", she hissed. A smug grin crossed Van's face. "Don't worry. Even if he shoots me, I can harden my skin. It won't be fatal. Can you say the same?", he smirked. He had a point. She'd seen him do it before during a fight. He could enhance just about anything, including the toughness of his body. She'd seen a knife break in two upon his torso once, but something didn't feel right. "Still", she argued. "Time's up", said the stranger. Without another word, he fired. Trouble was, that was no ordinary bullet. Yona gaped in horror as blood spattered across her face and body. Van was still standing, but he was trembling violently, as if he could barely hold his stance.
The stranger smirked as he gathered the chips and money on the table. "I guess I forgot to tell you. This here spitfire uses explosive rounds", he said smugly. Tipping his hat politely, he said, "Nice doin' business with ya." As he turned to leave, a sinister smile appeared over his face at the sound of Yona shrieking. She'd seen the left side of Van's chest. A huge hole was dripping sinew and pouring blood all over the floor. Unable to hold his posture, Van fell. She caught him as best as she could and laid him back. He had a serene grin as he looked into her face. "See? That wasn't so bad...", he wheezed. "Stupid!", said Yona, fruitlessly trying to hold her in tears. "Why didn't you just leave like I told you?!", she yelled. Van's breathing was quickly becoming more labored. He glanced at his blood soaked hand. "Does it look that bad?", he asked weakly. "Just shut up and hold still", said Yona, determined to save him. She focused hard, trying to keep his blood inside of his body while people in the street clamored for help. She tried with everything she had, hoping Erza was close enough to get Blythe, but things didn't look good. One lung had been completely obliterated and she could actually see his heart. It had a nasty tear in it. Her hands shook as she tried to hold him together. "Damn it! Why is this so hard?!", she thought. Blythe made it all look so easy. Where was he when she needed him?! She moved her fingers as she'd seen him do and used all her focus to control the water content of the blood.
Still, Van's vitals were plummeting fast. He was barely breathing at all now. His vision was badly blurred. He gazed at the shadow where Yona had been with a soft smile. "When we get this stitched up, let's go to dinner together", he said, reaching toward her. She nodded through her tears, struggling to control the massive pool of blood now surrounding them. "Sure", she said, desperate to keep him conscious. He grinned wide. She actually accepted for once. "In your face, Jasper!", he thought to himself. A light, strained laugh came out. "You know, Mama always said gambling would be the death of me..." As he reached for her face, his arm fell, leaving a wide streak of his blood down her front. "God damn it, hang on!", she screamed, now pressing her hands to the hole in a feeble attempt to stem what little pressure was left. A scuffle at the door and their friends burst in. Gajeel quickly stopped Wendy from entering upon observing the scene. Yona's prayers had been answered. Erza had been caught up in the commotion of the streets and managed to find Blythe in time. "Stand back!", ordered Gajeel, trusting Lily to get Wendy and Charle back to the guild. After all, someone needed to inform the others.
The blood mage reacted quickly, skidding through the fluid soaked floor to his friend's side. He set to work just as Kavi and Erza met each other's gaze. A steely determination was set in their eyes. Yona pressed hard on the wound as Van's blood started to obey her team mate. Blythe worked quickly, reversing the flow of Van's fading life. Yona showed a glimmer of hope in a faint smile. "Thank god", she thought. Just as she started to relax, Yung-Li and Koko burst through the doors. Koko started shaking at the sight. Yung-Li pulled her face to his chest so she wouldn't stare. He shied his own gaze, afraid to find out if they were in time or not. Lily had sounded intense, but they never imagined it would be this bad. Why did it happen? Van was hardly impervious to guns, but still, it should've only been a small hole. Gritting his teeth, the speed mage stared hard at Blythe's focused eyes and prayed for the best.
That's when hope shattered. Blythe frantically moved his fingers they way he always had, but Van's blood had ceased responding. What was left simply seeped over the mages. Blythe tried everything he could think of, but it was no use. The wound was too great and he was too late. "Stop pissing around and do something!", yelled Yona. "I'm trying!", spat Blythe, just as panicked. With a heavy sigh, Kavi stepped forward and placed his hands on Yona's shoulders. Gajeel stepped behind Blythe and likely offered a kind hand. Blythe shook his head. He wasn't ready to give up. "Who here has the same blood type?!", he shouted, not looking up from his failing magic. Everyone clenched shut their eyes. Van had a very rare type. None of them could help him.
"You did what you could", uttered Gajeel softly. The tone caught Kavi off guard, but he knew his fellow dragon slayer had history with Blythe. Besides, he was too busy trying to contain Yona. She fought against him hard as he pulled her back from Van's side. "Don't you dare give up!", snapped Yona. Tears formed as Blythe lowered his hands. He could no longer feel anything from Van's life force. It was just red fluid now; His soul was gone. His magic relied on manipulating both. "I'm sorry", he said, his voice shaking. Yona lowered her face as she began to tremble. "Where is he?", she growled. "Who?", inquired Kavi. "The asshole that did this!", she screamed, her voice echoing through the building. The barman slowly stepped closer. "They've got someone tailing him now, miss Yona", he said meekly. She tensed visibly. Kavi kneeled beside her and in a low voice said, "Leave him to the guild. You still need to process what just happened." She shook him loose and glared intensely at Blythe. "How could you let him die?!", she asked, tears falling freely. "What?", uttered Blythe, shocked and hurt. "It's your fault! You were supposed to be able to save him!", she yelled. Kavi was now physically holding her back. She was lunging with each hate filled word. "Yona, stop this!", yelled Erza, placing her arm between them. Mixed emotions flowed over her face as she meet her eyes. Then, finally, she broke. She sobbed into Kavi's shoulder, soaking him covered in their guild mate's blood. He held her in silence, knowing she needed to get it out. No one noticed Yung-Li and Koko slip from the room through the back door. The guild would certainly handle Van's killer.
A few streets over, Judd walked smugly at a job well done. He'd even managed to cover the 'cause' with the ambient card game. As far as he was concerned, Yona's tortured scream was just a bonus. A certain change in the air stopped him in his tracks. "What do you reckon you're doing in these parts?", he asked stiffly. Several paces ahead, an imposing figure glared at him coldly. "What have you done?", demanded Puck. Judd tilted up the brim of his hat to see the unexpected figure ahead. The elf's furious eye stared back at him. "Just my job", sneered Judd. A shadow stalked the nearby rooftops, unseen by the shooter. "That man did nothing to deserve his fate", stated Puck, barely containing his hate. He'd always avoided conflict with humans as much as possible, but this was simply unacceptable. Judd smirked. "He was a wizard and a cheater. I'm not too fond of either", he stated distastefully. He sense strong magic around Puck, even if he appeared human to the naked eye. "In fact, I'm tired of you mage types thinking you run everything", he sighed. Puck watched his motions closely. "Choose your next step wisely", he warned. Judd grinned as he pulled his trigger once more. Puck stood solidly, staring at the bullet with an eerie calm as it flew toward him, a rather unnatural reaction. Most people would dodge or at least not be able to clearly trace the round's movement in time. Just as the explosive bullet reached the inch in front of his eye, it vanished.
Across from him, Judd fell victim to his own attack. His head was missing. Blood sprayed everywhere as his body collapsed. The sneaking shadow leapt down in from of its new master. "Are you all right, Sir Puck?", asked a girl. She appeared around fourteen, but very capable nonetheless. "Fine, Tepin. Your accuracy was exceptional", replied the elf. A few feet away, Yung-Li and Koko skid to a halt. He'd carried her so he could increase speed without leaving her behind. Quickly taking in the scene, it made little sense. The girl, Tepin, leapt behind Puck in surprise. She was still getting used to the guild members. Koko covered her mouth at the sight of Judd's corpse as her teammate set her down. She'd seen far too much blood for one day.
Puck sighed deeply as he looked over the body and then to his guild mates. "What happened?", asked Yung-Li solemnly. People were starting to gather and the authorities were on their way. Koko clinged to her friend's arm, still in shock. As the civil authorities arrived, they surrounded the mages, spears raised. "What have you done this time?", sneered one of the guards. "It wasn't them", said a young girl. The man turned to see the girl standing peacefully amid the gore. She stared at him with a calm expression. He stared back at the dark crescent moon tattooed over her left eye. The kid really creeped him out. "Dalia, what did you see?", inquired Puck. She sighed and briefly explained what had unfolded. Unamused, the local guards had little to go on to charge the guild. Curious why the young witch was present, Puck kept a close watch over her. Yung-Li didn't pay her any heed, nor did Koko. Within minutes their friend and partner had been lost and avenged with no time to process any of it.
After about an hour, Puck had talked down the guardsmen. He'd ordered everyone back to the guild, team one was still at the bar. Blythe kept staring at his crimson hands, trembling at his failure as Kavi held him tightly from behind in silence. Nothing he said seemed to help. Gajeel was helping Erza divert the public while Yona refused to leave Van's side. He was covered up now, but the local reporter wouldn't leave. The twins cried with Yona while Jasper confronted the seemingly emotionless man. They'd arrived moments after the others. Jasper seldom made himself imposing, but this reporter had to go. A hand firmly grabbed the man's shoulder. "He told you to leave", said Natsu with a deathly glare. The man glanced between him and Jasper's glowing green eyes. Shaken, he finally stumbled from the scene.
Lucy, Juvia, and Gray stood nearby, all eyes sorrowfully on Yona. They'd never seen her like this, so shaken and so frail. Natsu nodded toward their friend, prompting Jasper to try once more to console her. Beside himself, the incubus put his troubles aside. He'd have to tell Yona what he'd learned, but not now. It wasn't about him at the moment. Yona had lost her best friend. He silently crouched beside her, carefully guiding her into his arms. To his surprise, she pushed him away. "Yona?", ventured Ronen. "Just stop...All of you...", uttered Yona, her eyes downcast. "Stop pitying me!...I'm still alive, damn it!..." She was shaking terribly despite Rani trying her best. "I'm still alive", repeated Yona softly. "And that idiot...He's...He...", she broke down into tears all over again. He'd protected her. Why did he have to do that?! And just who was that asshole with the freaky gun?
She had mixed feelings when word reached back that Judd had already been dealt with. Part of her was glad and part of her wished she could have killed him herself. "Noctis", she spat. Kavi's keen eyes met her own. "Are you certain?", he asked. Yona bit her lip, furious at herself for not figuring it out sooner. Those weird symbols were a give away. Jasper felt her body tense as he held her close. She'd accepted his embrace during the last break down. The war had begun and both sides were down one.
Eventually, Puck himself came to gather his guild. Yona had run out of tears, but still refused to move. She sat with her knees curled to her chest, staring at Van's covered corpse. Puck leaned close, placing a warm hand on her shoulder. "Yona, it's dark out now. It's time to take Van home", he whispered softly. Taking a deep, strained breath, she slowly nodded. Across the bar, Gajeel and Kavi had managed to convince Blythe to at least wash up, but he still stared sadly at their fallen friend, feeling completely responsible. Slowly, everyone held a solemn procession as they carried Van back to the guild's undercroft. It was cool there and would at least slow decomposition while plans were made and Camille was notified.
Veda sang a long, sad tune in mourning as the guild gathered. The fairies paid their respects and stood back to let Serpent Wing mourn their own. When team four came for their goodbyes, Grem stared in deep thought. An empath and attuned to her beloved, Ahiru squeezed his hand. "Don't do it", she whispered. "But what if it works?", replied
Grem in a low tone. Wrapping her arms tightly around him, Ahiru sighed. "Chaos can change a lot of things, Grem, but it can't bring back the dead. Even trying your magic could cause a lot unpleasant things...I know you want to help...", she uttered. Weakly, she fell against his chest. He caught her just before she went to the ground. Wan and weak, she forced a small grin, trying assure him she was well, but truth be told, she was completely overloaded. So much sorrow in one place was beyond overwhelming.
One team four stepped aside, Dalia and Teresa took their turn. "I told him not to go out that day, but he did and became a target...If only he weren't so stubborn", muttered Teresa. She sighed heavily, placing her hand on Van's cold forehead. "We'll meet again", she said and gently kissed his eyelids. Dalia stood with arms crossed, uncomfortable. "Why'd you do that? It's creepy...Besides, did you even like him?", she snorted. Teresa's patience were wearing thin with her new ward. "It's an ancient custom, and yes, we were family the moment we joined the guild", she explained. "How'd you know where you were kissing?", asked Dalia, coldly observing the corpse. "My eyes at least work better than your stone heart, child. Now hush", chided the seeress. After some prodding, Dalia stepped close to Van. "Why's everyone so depressed? Just make him a zombie", she shrugged, still used to the coven's ways of doing things.
An ominous presence made the girl shudder. Puck stepped into the small cavern. "We do not practice necromancy, Dalia. One mustn't interfere with the natural laws", he said sternly. Dalia rolled her eyes. "Isn't that what magic is for?", she she retorted. Without warning, Puck placed two finger's against the girl's forehead and focused. Dalia stood dumbfounded as images filled her mind. When Puck stepped back, a single tear escaped the young witch's eyes. "Is that 'family' really means?", she asked meekly. Gently stroking her hair, Puck pulled her into a hug. "Yes, it is", he replied far kinder than expected. Teresa grinned faintly. Maybe there was hope for Dalia yet.
Elsewhere, Tepin did whatever she could to assist Veda. This was her home now, just as Nova wanted. Still, having new masters felt strange. Even stranger, Lucy smelled of her former friend. One wrapped hand was the only visible evidence of the scale imbedded inside. In time, Lucy would learn why it even happened, but for now, such questions would have to wait. Noctis was clearly on the offensive now. The unknown fact that the very master of such a dark order was entering town would only exacerbate the situation. Still, Van and Judd would be only ones to fall before this was over. The war had begun and all too soon the guild would learn Noctis' true purpose.
To be continued...