"It's been pretty quiet around the guild hall…"
The blue haired water mage observed the dining hall in front of them. One that was normally filled with dark guild members, was a ghost town.
After infiltrating Grimoire Heart nearly two weeks ago, the Fairy Tail wizards haven't learned as much as they'd hoped. While they knew of the Magnolia Raid, the details were only given to special members of the guild.
Thankfully, Erza Scarlet was able to rise up in the ranks of the Dark Guild quickly. Being strong enough to go toe-to-toe with the Seven Kin of Purgatory had it's perks. Gray has been doing everything in his power to do the same. However, the ice mage wasn't having nearly as much luck.
From the day Titania showed off her strength, she gained attention from every single person in the guild. Admittedly, it worried Gray. If they were to show off their powers in an extravagant way, it could give insight into their identities. In addition to her newly acclaimed fame, she's been separate from her partners most of their time at Grimoire Heart. Juvia and Gray are hopeful that Erza's having more luck than they are.
Unfortunately, Loki wasn't able to give them as much assistance as they'd hoped. However, he was able to give them an interesting piece of information.
"I'm sorry Gray… I can't stick around."
"What?! Why?" The Ice Mage was pretty heated over the entire situation. It wasn't like his friend to back out of something he agreed to. After only being at the guild for a couple of days, the Lion wasn't proving to be as much help as Gray had hoped.
Loki took a deep breath, his hands were on top of his head as he began to pace back and forth. "I was spotted… Recognized as a Celestial Spirit."
"Who on Earthland has that kind of power?" Juvia questioned.
Leo couldn't stop the words that rushed out of his mouth. The Spirit was losing his mind. "Let me begin by saying that I didn't even realize he was in the guild-"
"Who? Loki, what's going on?" Gray looked at his friend, concerned. It was then he finally noticed how panicked Leo truly looked. He was doing his best to catch his breath, but failing.
"Everyone needs to take a few deep breaths…" The water mage said quietly.
In an effort to calm his nerves, the lion did as he was told. He took several minutes to breathe, making sure to inhale and exhale deeply. Once he was feeling better, Loki finally spoke. "There is a Celestial Spirit among the Seven Kin."
Juvia gasped, her hand covering up her gaping mouth.
"What? How could you not know? Aren't you like the King of the Zodiac?" Gray fumed.
"I don't exactly have a tracker on every Celestial Spirit." The Lion rolled his eyes. "I see most of them at least once every month or so, in the spirit realm. All of them except that stubborn old Goat. To be honest, I don't remember the last time I saw Capricorn. He's been living in Earthland for years."
"Isn't that dangerous for them?" Juvia questioned.
"Yeah, it could kill them.." The Ice Wizard glanced at his friend. "What happened when he saw you?"
"I walked down the wrong hall and got lost." Loki admitted, much to his own frustration. "I accidentally bumped into him, and he instantly asked me what I was doing in the guild hall."
"Caprico was extremely condescending, especially since he knows I'm a part of a guild. He told me to leave before I jeopardized what was going on here."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Juvia asked curiously.
"I'm not sure… I'd like to think that my old friend hasn't gone to the dark side. However, we can't rule out the possibility."
"Did he say what he was doing here?" Gray raised a brow.
"I tried asking, but he dismissed me." The Lion sighed. "He mentioned something about finding a girl. I'm afraid that he's a part of the group that's trying to find Lucy. If he is, then I need to be there to make sure she's safe."
"I'm sure Natsu would be able to handle it, Loki." The Ice Mage mentioned soothingly.
"That's not the point. It's my duty to protect the holder of my key at all costs. Now that my cover's been blown, I'm of no use to you here." Leo sighed. "If I stay here, there's no doubt in my mind Capricorn would say something to the Guild Master. I'm not going to put the three of you at risk."
"Here." Loki pulled a small black and gold circle out of his pocket. It seemed to be a button of some kind. There was an outline of a Lion on the outside. " If you get into some serious trouble, please use this. I'll do whatever I can. I just can't be seen hanging around."
As Juvia continued to glance around, she noticed only a handful of wizards around. was next to her. Besides the trio, the water mage counted under twenty people in the vicinity.
"Where do you think everyone is?" The Spirit questioned.
"I'm sure they're all just getting ready for the raid." The ice wizard shrugged, keeping his head and voice down. "Dico's been driving everyone crazy. I'm sure everyone's just trying to keep him under control, or out of the way."
As of late, the Dark Wizard has been quickly deteriorating into a madman. Consuming more and more of the vicious syrup, Drip, the tattooed wizard's had several random bouts of irritation and paranoia. Just last week Gray remembered witnessing Dico throw one of his comrades out of a third story window.
"I think all of the Drip he's consuming is making him sick." Juvia noted. "Since we've been here, his intake has nearly tripled. I've even heard him trying to get several of the other members to partake at the same time."
"He's becoming reckless." The Ice Wizard rolled his eyes. "If he's not careful, he'll become a liability to the guild.
"Strip Tease!" Dico screamed from down the hallway. He looked as if he was on a mission. "Let's go, you're coming with me."
The Ice Mage stayed in his seat, grumbling at the awful nickname that he was given. Natsu was the only person to ever get away with that one. Someone else using it made his skin crawl.
"Are you deaf?!" The tattooed mage slammed his hand on the table. "I said let's go! We've got important work to do before tomorrow. Your little girlfriend can come too."
"G-girlfriend?!" Juvia's cheeks immediately began to redden.
"Where are we going?" Gray's tone was flat, reflecting his distaste for the dark wizard in front of him.
"You talk too fucking much." Dico rolled his eyes as he walked out of the main area. "There's something we gotta do before the big day!"
The Ice wizard and Water mage were led through a series of hallways, many of them were unfamiliar. The duo followed behind the tattooed dark wizard. Gray was getting an unsettling feeling. He felt lost after all of the turns they've made.
Dico opened a door to a dimly lit room. They could barely see inside. As soon as the ice mage heard the click of the door closing, he heard a scream.
"Aaah!" Juvia cried out. She'd been instantly placed in the chains on the wall. The cuffs drained the user of their magic power. The tattooed dark wizard shoved the woman, grinning toward the Ice mage.
"What the hell, man?!" Gray screamed.
"You see, a little birdie told me, that you two might not be who you say you are." Pulling out a small blade, Dico ran it across Juvia's skin. This caused her to wince and squirm out of the way. "Someone may have mentioned you're close to someone I'm trying to find. And I've put myself in charge of finding out the truth."
"Dude, you need to lay off that syrup, it's making you crazy!" The Ice mage screamed.
"Shut the fuck up!" A burst of magic power emitted from the tattooed wizard's hand. The blast threw Gray across the room.
"Gray! No!" Juvia cried out.
The Ize mage took a few moments to stand back up. The magic power that Dico emitted felt strange. It drained his energy instead of his magic. Gray felt weaker as he began to stand.
"Tell me sweetheart." Dico pressed the blade underneath the water mage's chin. "What brought you to a dump like this?"
"I-I was a member of Phantom Lord." The bluenette stammered. "I was in there guild before Fairy Tail came along. They got rid of our Guildmaster, and the group disbanded. I've been wandering around trying to find a new place to call home."
"So you've met the girl…" Dico grinned, his eyes widening.
"The girl? Who?"
"The BITCH that ruined my plans!" The tattooed wizard stabbed the blade into the wall, inches away from Juvia's face. "That Celestial Wizard that your guild took hostage."
"AAHH!" The water mage screamed, her body shaking. "I-I've only seen her. I've never actually met her!"
"Okay, okay." Dico pulled the knife out of the wall before he took a step closer. His body was touching Juvia's. The water mage could feel her energy being drained just from the contact. Dico's cold hands came up, brushing the side of her cheek gently.
"How'd you end up with the likes of him?" The tattooed wizard grinned. "I'd definitely show you a good time."
"KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OF HER!" Gray roared as he bolted forward.
"Fine, then I guess my hands are going to you." Dico smirked, leaning in to the punch that Gray delivered to his cheek. The dark wizard moaned in excitement, creeping out the other two parties in the room.
"That felt good, wanna do it again?"
"You're a fucking creep.." The ice wizard cringed, causing him to drop his guard.
"But it's effective!" The tattooed Dark Wizard grinned, punching Gray in the stomach. "I'm just trying to get answers, my guy." Dico walked towards the man who was hunched over the ground. "You just remind me of a creepy emo kid… You don't have a dark bone in your body."
"You don't know anything about me." A cold aura began radiating from Gray. It felt dark and gloomy. "Every person I've gotten close to has been wiped out by Demons from the Books of Zeref. I've dedicated my life to learning everything there is to know about them."
The ice wizard's features turned dark, a grim look on his face. "That path has led me here. I know the Guild Master here knows about a lot of different kinds of magic. I need to learn from him in order to achieve my goal."
"Some time ago, I met Juvia along my journey. She seemed just as lost as I was." Glancing towards the water mage, Gray could feel his lips turn up into a half-smile. "Together we've been causing a scene everywhere we go. I'd hate to think about the bill we've racked up from the cities we've destroyed. But we don't know anything about this girl you're talking about, so let us go!"
Although it was a half-truth, the ice mage hoped that the crazy guy bought it.
Dico seemed to give his story some thought. However, the dark wizard still shoved him into the other pair of magic shackles.
"Who knows if you're telling the truth or not. Either way, having you in here until the Raid is over will ensure you won't ruin our plans." Dico grinned crazily. "Ta ta." He waved before he walked out of the room.
"Hey! You can't do this! YOU"RE FUCKING INSANE, LET US GO!" Gray screamed, although it was no use. The room was almost completely dark. The Ice mage could barely see in front of him, let alone how to get out of the cuffs. He had magic draining cuffs on his wrists and ankles, effectively immobilizing him. Gray's mind began to spiral, thinking it'll take forever for someone to find them here.
It was then he remembered the present Leo gave him.
"Juvia.." The ice wizard looked in her direction. "Did he cuff your wrists and ankles?"
"No… Just my wrists, I'm just hanging here…" The water mage said uncomfortably.
"Do you think your leg could reach the button in my pocket?"
"Button?!" Juvia's face immediately turned red.
"The one Loki gave me. If he could get us out of here, we'll head straight to Tenrou Island!"
"Do you think that's really a good idea darling?" The bluenette questioned. While she hated to doubt her beloved Gray, this plan seemed to be very risky. If they were caught leaving, then everyone would know they escaped.
"It's the only one I can come up with right now. We haven't seen Erza in days, and its unlikely she'll be able to save us. If any of us have a chance of bringing down Grimoire Heart from the inside, it's her. Besides, if we don't, this stupid dark guild is going to terrorize our friends and family without us.
"Dico said he was going to leave us in here until they got back. Who knows when that'll be! I doubt that idiot told anyone about us trapped in here. Please Juvia."
The water mage nodded and extended her leg, feeling Gray next to her. She maneuvered slowly, stretching her muscles to reach his pocket. "D-Do I just push it?"
"I'm hoping the force of you pushing on it through the fabric will be enough to activate it."
Juvia nodded, understanding what he meant. She used a little force to push on the button. However, since she couldn't hear or feel a click, she continued to increase her force. The water mage did this three or four times, until finally her foot slipped. It slid ever so gracefully across the Ice Wizard's groin. This gave Juvia a complete feel.
The water mage squealed, immediately pulling her foot away. OH MY GOODNESS! I just touched My Darling Gray's most private area! Juvia's mind began to race into a thousand different directions, most of them being explicit. If that's what he felt like now… Just imagine… The bluenette continued to squeal, until a bright light appeared in the room.
"Keep it down, will ya?!" Gray whispered in a loud voice.
"Did someone call?" Loki grinned, until he noticed the darkness of the room. "Woah, where are we?"
"Can you get us out of these, please? Hurry." The Ice wizard sighed. "I've had about enough excitement for one day…"