Chapter 61

As Shadows Rise

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Magic"

Flashback

Location / Date / Time Skip

The stead Erza and Mirajane rode stopped at a creek, quenching its thirst. "Listen, you know that Jellal is one of their targets, right?" Mirajane spoke up. "If you'd rather be guarding him, we can handle the chairman."

"Jellal is quite tough to track down." The redhead confessed. "Even I don't know where he is. And if they somehow manage to find him, he can handle himself. I'll find him, but our first priority is protecting the chairman." She glanced past the model and looked towards Nicholas. "Are you almost done?"

"Ohne sek." The male mumbled, chewing on rocks from the creak-bed. With large swallow, he stood up and returned to the two. "Let's go."

"I've spent more time on my hobbies since retiring." Crawford Seam explained as he poured all three guests a cup of tea. "This tea is made with leafs from my garden."

"Yeah, that's great. Can we get back to the reason we're here?" Nicholas asked, only to get hit in the back of the head by Erza.

"Now, now, I understand where he's coming from." The former chairman replied. "I take it this business with my former colleges is what brought you to my allegedly secret home."

"You see, we have some questions." Mirajane started after a sip.

"I'm sure you do. You wish to know about Face." Crawford replied. "With everything that is happening, I'm blessed to know wizards like you are around."

"Fairy Tail's first objective is to destroy this Face before Tartaros can use it." Erza explained.

"If you tell us where it is, that'd be a great help." Mirajane added.

"I'd like nothing more, but I can't tell you what I don't know." He replied, shocking the trio. "It's not that I'm unwilling, but not even I was informed about its location."

"How could Tartaros know something that you don't?" Erza question.

"In lieu of that, could you tell us the names of the council members connected to Face?" Mira asked. "We'll do everything we can to keep them safe."

"I wasn't given access to that knowledge either." He replied. "This weapon could devastate the entire world! thus we sought to minimize the number of people who knew about it. Not even the people who are linked to it know about it. We hoped these precautions would protect Face."

"What sick mind came up with this weapon in the first place?" Nicholas mumbled.

Erza and Mirajane glanced at the door before raising out of their seats. "Looks like mire guests have arrived." Mirajane declared.

"Twenty, maybe even more." Nicholas mumbled as he stood up from the floor.

"You should find a place to hide, sir." Erza suggested as the walls exploded, revealing dark armored warriors. The two girls glowed in magic power as Nicholas coated himself in scales. All three swung their arms and blasted the squad back, destroying a portion of the house. "I think this is the first time the three of have fought on the same side before."

"Twilight Ogre, but that was more of a smack down." Mirajane in her demon form chuckled.

"Let's get to it, shall we?" Nicholas asked as he cracked his neck.

With Elfman and Lisanna

"Let her go! Don't do this!" Elfman begged, only for Sayla to ignore his pleads. "I don't want to kill my sister again! I'll find a way to fix this! Just stay strong, Lisanna! Make it stop!"

Sayla finally opened her eyes as Lisanna passed out. "Begging? That is what you're reduced to? So be it." She stared walking over to him and stared the man down. "I'll let her live if you sell me your soul."

With Natsu's Group

Natsu suddenly snapped up, pushing Wendy aside as she healed him. Marching over to Michello, he picked him and started shaking him. "Where's the old chairman? Spill it!" Michello told him everything before Natsu grabbed Happy and the two took off. "Full speed!"

"Natsu, what's this about?" Happy asked as they flew over the land.

"How did I not realize this before now!?" Natsu said, hating his own stupidity. "No one, not even members of the current council could know where the former ones were living, or where this Face thing is. So how the hell did Tartaros find it? They didn't figure this stuff out on their own. Someone told them."

"Who would do that!?" Happy asked.

"No clue, but it must be someone powerful." The pinkette replied. "Someone high up in the council. I hope I'm wrong, but we gotta hurry and get to Erza!"

Crawford Seam's Home

Nicholas threw one soldier into a group before bring his Morningstar spell down, crushing them. "That the last of them? Erza asked as the three returned to their normal forms.

"I'm not the only one who thinks they went down too easily, am I?" Nicholas asked, both girls shaking their heads.

"Control of the former chairman should be their top priority, yet these guys were nothing more than soldiers." Mira added. "Shouldn't they have sent a demon."

"This whole thing stinks, and it's not just cause of all the flowers in the old dude's-" A thud caught his attention as he turned to see Erza and Mirajane fall to the ground. "Hey, you two-" Something hit the side of his neck, making him flinch and grab it. "A dart?" Taking a sniff, he went wide eyed as his vision became blurry. "Damn… you…" Nicholas cursed to the side before falling over.

Crawford picked up the women and carried them into his house, a communication lacrima on the table. "Crawford reporting. We need to move before my cover is blown." He declared as an image of Kyouka came on.

"Well done, former chairman." She said with a smirk. "Could you bring them back to the guild hall for me? And don't forget the male behind you."

Natsu looked down and pointed through the forest. "There!" The cat nodded and carried his friend downward before reaching the ground. Natsu looked around and stared at the battle scarred ground. "Someone fought here." Racing forward, he stormed through the open hole and looked around.

"No one's here." Happy mumbled.

"No… I can smell them a little." Natsu said, looking around. "What happened here?"

"There's a lot of herbs here." The Exceed held his nose in disgust.

Natsu leaned down down next to a cup and started sniffing. "A sleeping drug…"

"Someone made them fall asleep?" Happy asked.

Growling in anger, Natsu slammed his burning into the ground, completely destroying the building. "Natsu, you just destroyed the house of the former chairman!" Happy shouted as he fled for cover.

"The chairman is the one allied with Tartaros." Natsu growled.

"That's why Tartaros knew where Face and the old council members were!" Happy said with a pop up. "But how'd he hide the drugs from Nicholas' nose?"

"He must have burned herbs to hide it." Natsu mumbled, sniffing the ground. "I won't forget a scent again. I'll find them."

Tartaros

Erza groaned in pain as she slowly opened her eyes. "Are you finally awake?" Erza went wide eyed, finding herself completely naked, chained to a wall by her wrists and ankles. She looked up and stared at Kyouka. "Welcome to Tartaros, Erza Scarlet."

Looking up, she glared at the demon. "Where is the ex-chairman!? Where are Mira and Nicholas!?"

"You needn't worry about the former chairman." Kyouka replied. "He's our ally, after all. After our plan is carried out, he'll become the chairman once again. You three fell into our trap and we captured all of you."

"Don't lie to me!" She growled back, struggling against her binds.

"Stop resisting." Kyouka chuckled. "Your chains are infused with bane particles. You won't be able to use magic as long you're bound."

"Where the comrades I was with!?" Erza shouted.

"They're alive, if that's what you're worried about." The demoness replied. "I'm going to remodel their bodies and make them both my slaves."

"Stop!"

"Enough whining." Kyouka ordered as she walked into her face. "There's something I want to ask you. Tell me where Jellal is." Erza went wide eyed at the request. "I know that you two have a close relationship."

"W-why do you need Jellal?" Erza asked back.

"Tell me where he is." Kyouka touched Erza's forehead and the human screamed in pain. "My Curse allows me to alter people's sensations. I've already made your sense of pain as sensitive as possible." Erza panted in exhaustion as the demon pulled her hand away. "Tell me."

"I don't know…" Erza gasped out.

Kyouka waved her hand, one of her fingers turning into a green whip and slashed Erza. The redhead screamed in pain as Kyouka chuckled at the tears in Erza's eyes. "We were going to kill all the ex-councilors to remove Face's seal. However, we finally found out the names of the three members sealing it. Two of them are already dead, but the last one…"

She pulled Erza's head up and looked her in the eye. "Do you mean…"

"If Jellal dies, Face's seal will be broken." Kyouka finished, shocking Erza. "Maybe I've said too much. Now you'll never tell me."

"I don't know! I really don't know where he is!" Erza shouted.

"How about this? Tell me where he is, and I'll let your friends go." Kyouka offered as she walked around. "If you don't, all three of you will die." She whipped Erza again and the redhead screamed in pain. "I see… Shall we have some more fun, then?"

"Those three idiots destroyed my home!" Crawford shouted in annoyance as he walked alongside Franmalth. "I wasted my entire pension on that abode."

"Calm down, ex-chairman." The demon requested. "I'm sure you know how much gold you'll make when the plan is successful."

"I guess I can stand my house being destroyed to make it look like you kidnapped me." He chuckled. "What's happened to Erza's team?"

"Lady Kyouka has begun torturing the redhead." Franmath explained. "As for the other two, they'll make fine cannon fodder for our army."

"Just kill them all!" He ordered. "If they come back, someone will suspect something."

"Don't worry, no one will ever find this place." The demon chuckled as they rounded a corner.

"Hm? What's that?" Crawford pointed out the window and stared at the thing growing closer to them. "You said no one would find this place!"

"I found you!" Natsu shouted as he slammed his fist into the traitor. The force cracked the stone behind him and rocked the base, catching everyone off guard. The ex-chairman was knocked out cold as he turned to Franmalth. "What you'd do to my friends!?"

"You just busted a wyvern sized hole into our guildhall and you expect me to talk!?" The demon shouted back. "This fortress is worth a fortune! It costs so much, you can't even begin to comprehend-"

"SHUT UP!" Natsu launched himself forward and punched him in the face, knocking him back.

With Kyouka

The ceiling of the cell shook violently, catching the demoness' attention. "Someone's making a fuss." Erza hung her head in exhaustion/pain as Kyouka looked up. "Yagdorida…"

A newt/octopus hybrid crawled out of a hole in the ceiling, its tendrils hanging around Erza. "Keep an eye on this one. I'm going to check on the boys upstairs." The tentacles started sparking electricity as they inched closer to the redhead. "Don't touch her yet." They pulled back instantly out of fear. "If I let you act now, I wouldn't get to see you break."

With Natsu

Franmalth instantly snapped up, shocking Natsu. "Now you've assaulted me! Do you know how much that costs!?" He flexed and his armor snapped off, spikes jutting off his back. "I'll take a thousand of your souls!" His arm stretched forward and Natsu rolled to the side, only for the arm flesh to web out and hook him. "Got ya…"

Energy shot off and Natsu screamed in pain. "What are you doing!?" He roared out. "Can't move… Feel weak…"

Happy flew over and bit down on the arm, shocking the demon. "Get this monster off me!" Franmalth shouted as he flung his arm about, trying to loosen the cats grip.

Natsu raced forward just as Happy let go. Franmalth unleashed a barrage of punches that Natsu dodged before applying a claw-grip to the face. "Fire Dragon Grip Strike!" Fire burst off the hand and blasted the demon back.

"Now your cost is doubled!" The spiked demon shouted.

"Cool down, Franmalth." A voice from behind requested as Silver walked forward, icy mist rolling off him. "I can handle things from here. Take the old guy before you go."

"Fine with me." The cyclops chuckled as he dragged Crawford away. "I'd love to watch, but the chairman has some work to do."

"Fire wizard… You must be the man who melted all that ice back in Sun Village." Silver guessed.

"Then you must be the thing that froze it." Natsu surmised, his breath now visible in the cold air.

"Thanks, I really owe you one." The armored man chuckled. "I was mortified when I heard the news. Could have sworn that dragon's soul was a demon. Was just trying to kill it..

"You smell an awful lot like someone else I know." Natsu declared. "Gray Fullb-"

A blast of ice froze Natsu solid as Silver lowered his hand. "Don't EVER mention that name in my presence, kid." He growled as Happy fled in a panic.

Natsu crashed onto the floor of the cell, stripped naked and bound in chains. "Gimme back my clothes!" He shouted, slamming his face against the bars as the two guards walked away. "That includes my scarf! Oi! Dumbasses, I know you can hear me!"

"Natsu…?" He turned around and saw Lisanna pushing herself up, just as naked as he was. "Natsu!? Why are you here!?"

"Lisanna! Your clothes!" The pinkette shouted before she looked down. A flustered blush over took her and she kicked him in the face, forcing him to turn around. Sitting back to back, Natsu grumbled about the lack of clothes. "You got captured too, huh?"

"Yeah, but I don't remember a thing…" She mumbled back.

"Erza, Mira and Nicholas should be here too. I gotta get to them one way or another." Natsu declared.

"They got all three of them!?" Lisanna shouted in shock. "For us to get completely beaten like this, one after another. This time our enemies like nothing we've seen before."

"No, they're not." He spoke up to his girlfriend. "I'm gonna come out on top, I promise. But we gotta get out of here first."

"Natsu…" Lisanna smiled at his optimism before shaking her hands. "These cuffs are cutting off our magic. What should we do?"

With Sayla

Sayla walked forward to Kyouka, whom was sitting on a couch. "Have you discovered the identity of the three with seals?"

"Yes." The torturer chuckled. "I must admit, the ex-chairman's Super Archive is quite impressive."

"Then there is no more further need for these useless killings?" Sayla asked, hopeful for an end to the bloodshed.

"Yes." Kyouka nodded. "Two of the seals were among the council members we already killed. The only one remaining is Jellal. Once we find him and kill him, Face will activate."

"Will you find Jellal soon?" The horned demon questioned.

"Erza will spit it out soon enough." The torturer chuckled. "Your Macro curse could do the same as my process, but there's no fin in that. More importantly, I don't want Fairy Tail to interfere in our plans any further."

"I shall see to that." Sayla smirked. "I am preparing a story befitting the Fairies last day."

Kyouka smiled and stood up, leaving her wine glass behind. "Come, Sayla. It's been a while since I took care of you."

Fairy Tail

"We went to the ex-chairman's house, but we couldn't find any trace of the five." Carla explained to the other members.

"All we found were broken weapons and rubble from the house." Lucy added.

"And my nose isn't good enough to find them." Wendy mumbled in disappointment.

"If only we knew where Tartaros was, then we could launch a counter attack." Levy said.

"Gajeel, could you sniff them out?" Pantherlily questioned his partner.

"If Wendy couldn't do it, neither could I." Gajeel answered. "Besides, a scent doesn't linger for that long."

"And we still haven't heard from Lisanna and Elfman." Brianna added. "Just what the hell are they up to now?"

"Tartaros… you detestable demons." Makarov mumbled.

"I found it!" Everyone looked up to see Happy falling onto a table. "Erza and Mira and Nick got captured and that ex-chairman is a! Natsu and I found-!"

Slate walked over and held his face shut. "Breath, Happy."

The blue cat nodded and took a deep breath before explaining everything. "Their hideout is some kind of floating cube thing." He finished.

"How can we track something that moves?" Cana asked.

"Leave it to me! I'll calculate their course of travel!" Levy declared before turning to Happy. "I need you to tell me everything about how you got back here." The blue cat nodded and the two went off into a corner.

"Everyone else, prepare for battle!" Makarov shouted, making the whole guild cheer. The doors behind them opened and Brianna turned around to see Elfman stumbled into the guildhall. Unbeknownst to all, his eyes were wired and focused.

Yeah, this is getting dark now. And this is going to get darker from here on out. This is the arc I've been waiting for because what I have planned is going to blow your mind. Really hope you enjoy reading it as much as I do writing it. This is only going to focus on the FT side of things, mainly cause another story has the other end of things. (You know the one). Not much left to say so see ya next time.

Beta read by General Feng Xiang