Author's Note: Sorry…It's been a minute. Thank you for all your support and patience :,)
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
But if I did, maybe I'd give Mirajane some more love and victories in the plot. She was so badass when she first re-awoken her Satan Soul when she fought against Freed. Nothing will ever top how cool that was. Oh, I would also make Demon Halphas a canon form. But seriously, girl was still kind of underused in the fight against Tartarus even though she could snatch Demon Souls and manipulate demon particles. I mean, mad props for taking out Seilah and destroying those respawning pods. But I guess absorbing the soul of a demon while it's still alive is way tougher than it looks.
As always, please feel free to give me your constructive criticism, feedback, suggestions, etc. as they are all welcome. Or simply just drop your support in the Review section (*finger hearts at our "Chapter X hype"-peoples*).
Spells and attacks will be in bold. Thoughts, flashbacks, and emphasized phrases will be italicized.
Lamia Scale Thanksgiving arc - Chapter 16 - Gravity Will Crush You
~ Ravine Depths, North of Margaret~
When Romeo woke up, he found himself face deep in shallow waters undulating above a stone floor. A tranquil flowing stream resounded through the murky abyss. Pushing himself to his knees, the Fire Mage examined his surroundings. Above, the night star's glow faintly illuminated the physical rock bottom he fell into. To his right was a rock wall that with nothing with nothing to climb onto. To his left was a dark, rocky slope that led to a weathered streambank.
"Ravines are formed by long-term erosion. The fact that I'm by a running stream must mean I'm in the pits...and that I might've been carried some ways off..-"
"A-choo!" Romeo suddenly sneezed. After rubbing his nose with a wet sleeve, he looked down at the clothes that Sherria enticed him to rent on their sudden shopping spree before the Thanksgiving Parade, "Not even half a day in and I've scuffed these clothes real bad. Sherria's never going to let me hear the end of it..."
Other than being littered with dirt marks, the once-dapper maroon vest was mildly tattered and lost all its buttons. The right sleeve from his black dress-shirt was completely torn off, exposing his red Fairy Tail guild mark. Romeo sighed before he trudged towards the nearby slope to his left in segway to the craggy streambank. Every time he lifted his lower limbs, water would trickle from the sopping hems of his maroon dress pants back into their source.
Treading carefully to avoid slipping, Romeo gradually scaled the slope onto the stone platform of the streambank. After securing his position, the Fire Mage took a breath of exhaustion. Romeo shivered upon exposure to the chilled night air. Promptly, he conjured a small red flame from his right hand. The warmth of his flames proliferated through his body, gradually evaporating the residual water that clung to his ruined wardrobe.
"Much better," the dark purple-haired mage cast a sigh as he stared into the crimson sparks that flickered from his fingers, "And now to find Wendy, Carla, and Sherria..."
Romeo's eyes followed the trajectory of the flowing waters, "Most likely, all three of them are further downstream...Then, that Gravity dude must be upstream."
Contemplating the formidable adversary that sent them down here stirred an internal turmoil within Romeo. He recollected s series of old traumatic thoughts about the time before the harrowing 7-year time gap, "Bluenote Stinger...Wendy said this guy was a former member of Grimoire Heart. He was an elite member among others the guild fought on Tenrou Island. Before...before..."
A flashback of the remnants of the guild being forced to evict the old guild building. Thibault of Twilight Ogre's incessant harassment. His father coming home with bruises and abrasions from unwarranted beatings. A black dragon menacingly flying over the rubble of the guild hall displayed itself in his mind.
Snapping back to the present, Romeo took three deep breaths before calming down. His onyx eyes were filled with a mix of anger and sadness. He looked back at the downstream direction once more.
...
...
Somewhere downstream, the bodies of Sherria, Wendy, and Carla were scattered along a small, stone embankment under the shade of the carved gorge walls. Wendy and Sherria's dresses were wet, tattered, and stained with dirt. Sherria's bows were lost somewhere along the fall; her magenta locks fell down her shoulders. At some point between the crash and being washed downstream, Carla reverted back into her Exceed form.
"...Nghhh..." Wendy wiggled her brows before waking up opening her eyes.
"Ugghh..." Sherria, who was also awake, staggered as she tried to raise herself to her legs, "That was some fall we took. You okay Wendy?"
"...I'm...fine." Wendy sat up and scanned the area around her. Nothing but black rocky walls, a light stream, and the starry night glow peeking from above lay in her line of sight.
"Where are we?"
"That man from earlier sent us crashing down here," Sherria looked up to one of the walls of the ravine, "It seems we were carried by the stream to wherever we are now."
Wendy finally noticed Carla was not awake yet. Her heart sank to her stomach.
"Carla?"
Sherria, too, began to look at the white-furred Exceed with concern for her health.
"Carla?" the panic in Wendy's voice increased as she immediately turned the white-furred Exceed over to check if she was breathing.
To her relief, Wendy could discern a steady, occasional chest rise on the Exceed's small body.
"Oh God...that scared me," Wendy sighed in relief.
"Thank goodness she's just sleeping," Sherria smiled temporarily before fixing her gaze upstream, "It's unfortunate Romeo-kun isn't here with us..."
"Again, with the weird honorifics..." Wendy held back a frown before blushing, "Ah! This is not the time for that, Wendy. We need to focus!"
Cradling Carla in her arms, the bluenette stood up and sniffed the air. Sherria noticing Wendy was trying something couldn't keep her inquisition at bay, "Did your dragon's nose catch anything familiar?"
"Nothing...the smell of damp rocks and soil is everywhere." Wendy explained in disappointment.
"Darn. Our best lead has been knocked out. Guess we're only left with logic." Sherria kept looking upstream, "Not to be rude to Romeo-kun, but most likely he must've been washed upstream. He's probably heavier than both of us."
"Eh?" Wendy furrowed a brow at her friend, "Is this an appropriate way to decide his location?"
"It's all we got left," Sherria sighed, "Alternatively, we could split up and cover more ground. But what if one of us runs into that guy from earlier?"
"You have a point," Wendy lowered her head, crestfallen, "I don't think any of us can handle him on our own."
"You mentioned that he was from Grimoire Heart," Sherria probed for information, "And Carla said he was a Gravity Magic User named Bluenote Stinger."
"That's right. He's really strong. And I mean, really strong," Wendy's voice became more unsettled as she recounted memories from Fairy Tail's battle with Grimoire Heart, "When we fought him on Tenrou Island, it took one of our best S-Class Mages to beat him- Gildarts. And that was 9 years ago. Can you imagine, just how much stronger he may have gotten since?"
Sherria gulped. It pained her to see Wendy so downtrodden. Furthermore, the intel she gave her did not make their predicament easier. The Sky God Slayer walked up to Wendy and gave her a much-needed hug.
"Hey, it's going to be okay. You've been through far worse things. Each time you've been knocked down, you always came back up stronger."
Letting go of their embrace, Sherria cast Wendy a soft grin to provide her some solace, "If we're sure we can't beat him, then our best bet is escaping him. Let's just focus on finding Romeo for the time being. Okay?"
"Okay. Thank you, Sherria. I really needed that," Wendy nodded. Still, her agreement did not betray her worries.
"No worries, Wendy!" Sherria winked before pointing upstream, "Let's head this way. I'm sure we'll find Romeo somewhere along the way."
"And when you guys reunite, you guys can share a passionate embrace!" Sherria swooned as she let her fantasies run amuck:
"Romeo-kun! Wherefore art thou, Romeo-kun?!"
Within Sherria's reverie, a crestfallen Wendy called out incessantly to her beloved Romeo amidst a daunting search in the murky bottom of the ravine.
The party of three stumble across a bruised and battered Romeo who lay in the water.
Noticing his unconsciousness figure, Wendy with rosy cheeks, exclaims in shock, "Ah! Romeo-kun!"
That angelic voice he thought he would never hear again awakens him from his slumber.
Vulnerably, he grunts, "Ughhh...Lady Wendy, I thought I would never hear your sweet voice again."
Hurriedly and oh-so dramatically, she tossed Carla away and ran to his side, "Oh Romeo-kun! Woe is me! You are injured!"
Wendy kneels down by her beloved's side, casting a healing glow over the boy's wounds.
Brazenly, he grabs her wrist.
"Ah! " Wendy's breath hitched at the sudden touch, "Romeo-kun, what's wrong?"
"Wendy-chan...I feel such immense pain" Romeo solemnly and seductively guides her hand onto his chest, "Over here...my heart aches with a passion hotter than my flames for you. Only you can fix this pain...with your lips!"
"Oh my, Romeo-kun!" Wendy swoons in the reverie as she falls into him, "How bold~!"
"Wendy-chan!"
"Romeo-kun~!"
"NOOOO!" Wendy with tomato-red cheeks flailed her sleeping cat over Sherria's dream cloud, "Sherria, that is way too crazy! We're only teenagers!"
Sherria gave Wendy a thumb's-up as she led the way upstream, "Ah, this too is a form of love. You have my full support!"
"Nope. Not happening." the Sky Dragon Slayer vehemently denied, following Sherria with much of the weight lifted off her chest.
~ Central Park, Margaret ~
With Shinji busy pursuing the cloaked interloper into Margaret's alleyways, Lyon, Sherry, Ren, and Aria were left to fend against the ferocious Orochi. Around them, the once verdant park became festered with charcoal scorch marks from the ongoing violence. The vibrant parade floats that toured the lively boulevards of the city were now laid in shambles. Panicky townsfolk fled in all directions. Injured guild members from Lamia Scale were being dragged off the park's premises by those who were not caught in the eight-headed beast's multi-magic breath attacks.
With most of the park vacated, save for the amphitheater, Lyon held his hands together. An intense, chilling air emanated from his hands as he entered another spellcasting stance. He looked to the others briefly before casting a spell, "I hope you guys can forgive me."
"I don't like how ominous that sounds," Ren replied unsure what the silver-haired mage meant.
"Lyon-san?" Sherry questioned her former guild mate.
"Ice Make: Enclosure!"
Bringing his entwined hands the ground, Lyon unleashed two, high ramparts of ice to both sides of the azure-scaled beast. The creature, incapable of discerning what the purpose of this attack was, looked on confused as it was intentionally left unscathed. A third wall and fourth wall connecting the ramparts formed, successfully trapping the Orochi within the barricade's confines.
But this also became a death cage for the four mages inside with it, Lyon included.
"Eh?! Lyon-san?!" an exasperated Sherry shook Lyon by his shoulders, "Did you intend to get us killed by locking us in here with this beast?"
"I-I didn't attempt this earlier because I didn't want to trap anyone injured," Lyon explained.
Ren put a hand on Sherry to soothe her, "Hey, not that I'm worried about you, but it's going to be alright. Lyon just kept everyone else safe by locking that icky, scaly thing in. We just have to finish what we started."
"Oh that's easier said than done," Sherry retorted sarcastically.
"Um...Ren-san, Sherry-san?" Aria pointed to their entrapped adversary.
While the mage's bantered, three of the Orochi heads were firing their own breath attacks onto the ether crystals that plagued its exterior. Two of its entrapped heads soon became freed in the process. In doing so, the heads regained their full range of motion without the restriction of the odd stalagmites. The other head cast its healing breath to resuscitate the ones that were lopped off earlier by Shinji. Immersed in jade luminescence, two new, elongate heads arose from their once decapitated stumps. In the nick of seconds, eight pairs of blood-red eyes stared sinisterly at their prey.
"Oh hell..." Ren cursed.
Lyon and Sherry looked wide-eyed as their predicament reverted to maximum danger. Six magic circles lit up in front of six jaws ajar. They fired a conglomerate breath fused between magics of fire, lightning, wind, acid, darkness, and water. Havoc incarnate sprawled towards the four mages.
"Dammit. Everyone stand back!" Lyon beckoned everyone to position themselves accordingly. Everyone promptly scurried behind Lyon. With everyone safe, Lyon put his hands together to summon a shield of ice to lessen the blow," Brace yourselves! Ice Make: Shield!"
Lyon summoned an icy shield consisting of hexagonal patterns in the nick of time before it was cascaded by the elemental breaths spawned from six of the Orochi's heads.
"Nghhhhh..." Lyon tried to fortify his shield by pouring in additional magic power. Having spent a good fraction of it conjuring the barricade, the silver-haired mage was nearly drained. There was a limit to how much he more he could endure without compromising his capacity to fight alongside his allies. Nonetheless, the cracks zigzagged from the edges of his shield towards the center.
In the brief seconds that followed, Lyon solemnly looked behind at Aria, Ren, and Sherry who stared back at him with equivalent concern.
"Aria, teleport Ren, Sherry, and yourself out of harm's way," Lyon told her.
"Bu-!" Aria tried to rebut.
"Now!" Lyon yelled. He would not take anything less than a 'yes' for an answer.
"Lyon-san, you can't be serious!" Sherry protested.
"Trying to play hero is not a cool look dude," Ren expressed he was against Lyon's decision with fake nonchalance.
"Aria!" Lyon sternly shouted to the pinkette,"This isn't a request. Teleport everyone else out of here. I'll be fine."
"I-" The pinkette gave the silver-haired man one last gaze of resistance. Looking past the Ice Make mage, she could see the shield was near its breaking point.
"Aria!" Lyon pleaded once more.
"Alright..." Aria took a deep breath before squeezing Ren and Sherry's upper arms.
Sherry looked to Aria incredulously, "Aria, you can't-!"
"Wait-!" Ren could not complete another word
Following instructions, Aria teleported herself, Ren, and Sherry from the line of fire.
Lyon chuckled for a moment as looked where the three once stood. The cracks on his shield converged at the center before shattering. Six elements, albeit briefly weakened, broke through the wall. Without a moment's repose, he was enveloped in a cascade of tumultuous elements. Whatever agonized onomatopoeias he could muster were drowned in chaos.
...
...
Aria reappeared with Ren and Sherry in tow from the top of the left rampart.
"Lyon...san..." Sherry, utterly devastated, covered her mouth.
"Sherry..." Ren tried to put a hand on her shoulder, but his wife swatted his hand away.
Her magenta bangs shadowed eyes as she brusquely walked up to Aria and slapped her across the face. The noise was loud enough for the three of them to hear the echoes.
She glared at Aria with anger in her deep blue eyes, "Aria-san...what is the meaning of this?"
Aria clutched her swollen, pink left cheek as her face dropped down in self-disappointment, "I'm sorry, Sherry-san...I only did what I was told. If Lyon-san had lost control of his shield for even a second, his shield would have broken. We all would have been caught up in the blast."
"Still...there had to have been another way!" Sherry was choking back tears.
"Babe, she's just a child trying to make best of a hot mess." Ren hugged Sherry from behind, "I also don't agree with Lyon's white knight moves. But I now for a fact he's a tough guy. He's the new ace of Lamia Scale. There's no way that massive breath attack would've done him in. Let's just calm down and think about what we can do right now and worry about the rest later. We can't let Lyon's efforts go to waste."
Wiping her eyes, Sherry took a deep breath, before rationalizing her thoughts. She looked to Aria, a loving fan of hers she just slapped across the face from pure anger. She clutched one of Ren's enwrapped hands, "You're right. Please, let me go now."
"You won't do anything irrational?" the Air Mage inquired of his spouse.
"No. I owe my dearest fan an apology," Sherry looked to Aria with penance for what she just did half a minute ago.
Ren let go of her. Sherry rushed to Aria to give her a hug.
"I'm sorry, Aria-san. I shouldn't have lost my cool like that."
"I-It's fine," Aria returned to embrace, "He was your guildmate. Please know I never wanted to do that either."
Ren whistled, giving his two fellow ladies a thumbs up, "Good talk. Now that this whole thing is over, let's focus on the real problem down there.
The tanned male pointed down the rampart at the eight-headed beast slowly slithering towards the smoke where its breaths made contact with its prey.
"We're back to square one now that all eight heads are back in action," Ren ran hand from his forehead into his pitch-black locks.
"The innate desire to survive is a form of self-love, " Sherry peered down pitifully at the creature, "Regardless, that regeneration ability feels like cheat skill to go up against. No wonder this is a monster that even S-Class Wizards have a rough time with..."
Aria materialized two crystal daggers into her hands. She eyed two particular heads among the octet, "Found them."
"Found what exactly?" Sherry tilted her head in slight confusion.
"The heads that can heal the others, " Aria confirmed.
"We know of one of them for certain, but the other one is trickier to find, " Ren chimed in.
"How did you find them?" Sherry asked.
"Looking back, I was able to immobilize two among six of the heads when Shin-kun and I were up close to the Orochi. I froze one head in the back and one in the front..." Aria analyzed.
"Oh, I see," Ren smiled in relief as a lightbulb went off in his head, "A frontal head with healing capabilities would be kind of useless because it could easily get caught in the line of fire. Putting it the rear is more adaptive because it can heal the offense with less chance of getting attacked."
"It is most likely as you say," Aria pointed down to the creature, "I also found something else. If you look closely at the creature, there are multiple, small patches of exposed flesh. Breathing acid, lightning, and fire onto itself when trying to remove the crystals I planted must've fried or melted off some of the scales."
An additional caveat to the beast blasting Aria's crystals off of its own body was that they chipped away at the protective hide provided by their scales, leaving multiple weak spots.
"If I can insert my crystal knives into those weak spots, I can dish out actual damage," Aria concluded, "But the act of getting close is still too risky."
"The creature may have eight heads, but thanks to Lyon-san, its moves are more limited. The odds may still be in our favor," Sherry highlighted, "Furthermore, if Ren-san and I might be able to get a few of those heads off your back."
"Sherry-san, that's a great idea!" Aria's eyes sparkled. Never in her lifetime did she think she would be able to fight alongside the guild-crossed lovers.
"Look at you being all chipper and pitching in," Ren smiled at his wife, before reverting to his usual coy composure, "I-I mean, what do you suggest?"
Sherry giggled. The magenta-haired beauty poked her husband's chest, "Simple. I have to use my magic with yours."
"A Unison Raid?" Ren looked flabbergasted.
"My magic is very compatible with my natural surroundings. Air should be no exception. But using someone else's magic to form the basis of one of my Dolls is something I've never done before." Sherry explained.
"It's worth a shot," Aria expressed her support for Sherry's idea, "If we can create multiple air locks over the Orochi's heads, then it can't fire breath attacks at anyone. Best of luck Sherry, Ren. If anyone can pull off a Unison Raid, my two favorite guild-crossed lovers would be among the top of the list ~."
"Hearing that from a dear fan makes me not want to disappoint you." Ren grinned at Aria's empowering words, before turning to Sherry, "What say you, wifey?"
"No way can we let her down after hearing that," Sherry smiled to Aria, "Just make sure to buy us some time, 'kay?"
Aria flashed her guild-crossed lovers a cheeky grin and a thumb's up.
"You got it!"
~ Back Alleys, Margaret~
Suspended and suffocating, Shinji was at the mercy of Kurohebi's acquired Air Magic. The Raven Tail mage grinned at the Swordsmith mage like he was ready to gut him up and tie knots out of his entrails. Despite the threat in front of him, Shinji maintained steady respirations; but not long enough to prolong his plight.
"Oh? You're awfully calm for someone who's running low on air, " Kurohebi jested with his dry voice. His slit, onyx pupils scanned Shinji from head to toe, "Hmmmm...You're an odd one. Most people would have fallen unconscious by now..."
Shinji did his utmost to preserve his composure, "Stay cool Shinji...stay cool. Don't give this creep the satisfaction..."
"Good..." Kurohebi's lips curled into a sinister smile, "I like tough nuts! The tougher the nut, the more fun it is to crack!"
"Ah shit...well that backfired big time..." Shinji internally sweatdropped.
Kurohebi raised a hand towards Shinji. A bright Air Magic Circle immediately materialized.
"Aerial Shot!"
An intangible sudden force weighed down upon the ground. Various rubble subsequently levitated from the surrounding architecture as if the air was snatching them from the walls, buildings, and alleyways.
"Go! Mess him up!" Kurohebi yelled, prostrating his hands towards Shinji.
At the black-lipped man's command, all the gather debris were launched at Shinji.
Holding his breath, Shinji braced for pain.
The first stone jabbed him square in the gut. The second struck the leather pad on his left shoulder. A third one rammed into his right knee. The fourth hit his left foot. The fifth struck him in the face. Blood trickled down from Shinji's right nostril.
After that fifth stone, his vision began to blur. Kurohebi was transitioned between his usual lanky self and a pulsating blob of black and green.
"Out of breath already? I thought you would put up more of a fight," Kurohebi taunted.
"Damn coward...The second I get out of these restraints; I'll show you a good fight...But right now...it's getting a little hard to breath..."
Straining his breath, Shinji began struggling to breathe. His diaphragm spasmed as he heaved for more air from his oxygen deprived sphere.
"Ah..." Kurohebi's provocative demeanor switched to an elated one, "Don't worry. No one's going to come. You can take your time since no one can hear you."
Knowing the Fairy Tail mage was completely at his mercy, Kurohebi gestured his hand. The anoxic sphere encasing hypoxic Shinji moved towards him at his beckoning. The Swordsmith's sapphire eyes met Kurohebi's pitch-black orbs. He smiled elatedly as he delivered a message to Shinji, "Lady Arvesque sends her regards."
"Arvesque?! How do they know each other?" Shinji's eyes widened at the familiar name.
"Your reaction just now was perfect!" Kurohebi hissed, "She told me you would be shocked if I mentioned her name. But I guess the real shocker for you is that she's still alive...Hahaha! Serves you right, you cold-hearted creature! When people of your type don't do your job right, the loose ends can always be traced back to you..."
The rest of the strange man's ramblings became incoherent as Shinji's struggles for air worsened which each second that ticked away. Soon, his struggles for breath slowly subsided. His own body began to realize the futility of prolonging this agony. His sight stayed blurry until he noticed he was soon fading in an out of consciousness.
Before everything faded to black, Shinji was enveloped by a white light that pulled him out of Kurohebi's anoxic chamber and onto the other side of the canal. He gently landed next to a blue-braided male who was conjuring said light. Another man, with a dog-like appearance, stood next him.
Toby growling as he glared daggers at Kurohebi, "Wroooohhh, seeing the likes of you again after all these years in my guild's city really pisses me off!"
"Haha..." Kurohebi covered his mouth with his black-painted nails to stifle his laughter, "Still crying about that sock I tore?"
"Grrrrrrrr..." a million veins popped on Toby's forehead, "At least my guild didn't cheat and get disbanded all those years ago."
"Tch." Kurohebi's smugness was completely wiped off his face.
Toby pinched the right nerve because the facts spoke for themselves.
"You got him there, Toby," Yuka sighed before turning to Shinji. The bloody nose and sparce bruising were hardly of concern.
Assessing the situation, Yuka knew what he needed to do. The Wave user turned to Toby, "Toby, our guest from Fairy Tail needs medical attention. How does a rematch with the guy you shredded your sock sound?"
A fire burned in Toby's eyes unlike before, "WROOOOAHHHH! Hell yeah, you bet I am!"
"Good," Yuka nodded, "But please, focus on buying us time. This guy is more dangerous now that he copied Ren's Air Magic."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, you mangy mutt," Kurohebi glowered at the Lamia Scale Mage, "What happened last time could easily happen again."
The black-haired man summoned another Air Magic circle, "Aerial Shot!"
Once more, a plethora of rubble and debris were siphoned from the wreckage then hurled at the dog-man.
"Grooooohhhh!"
With ironically cat-like reflexes, Toby swiftly bounded between flying debris. In a matter of seconds, Toby successful landing onto Kurohebi's side of the canal.
Each piece of debris that Toby scaled off of flew towards Yuka's and Shinji's vicinity. Unamused, the blue-braided mage cast his Wave Magic to create a protective barrier over Shinji and himself. All debris that came into contact with his Wave field shattered.
Yuka furrowed his broad, indigo eyebrows in dismay,"Toooobyyyy...you dolt! This is not how you buy time for others!"
While keeping up his Wave field to block out the oncoming bricks and stones with one hand, Yuka switched his attention to Shinji.
"No good, he's not visibly breathing..." a concerned Yuka extended his free hand to cast another spell over Shinji, "Wave Echo"
A glowing funnel of white light extended form Yuka's hand, enveloping the unconscious swordsman. Stopping around his chest area, the ring began to emit a a sound transmittable only to Yuka. This spell enabled Yuka to check if Shinji's heart was still beating. The Wave mage sighed in relief, "Thank goodness I can detect a heart beat. Wouldn't set a good precedent if we lost one Fairy Tail's young ones while they were our guests."
On the other side of the canal...
"No way, that mutt has gotten a little faster since our last bout..." Kurohebi frowned.
"Grrrrr..." Toby growled at the Raven Tail mage, "I can finally get revenge for my precious sock!"
Brandishing two sets of elongated, emerald nails, Toby rushed towards Kurohebi, "Have a taste of my Mega Mega Jellyfish Paralysis Claw!"
"Tch. You couldn't land a scratch on me last time," Kurohebi clicked his teeth before extending another hand forward, "What makes you think that this time will be any different?!"
Kurohebi blasted a mass of air directly at Toby. Sensing the atmospheric change inbound, Toby sidestepped before proceeding.
"What the...He dodged?" the Copy user's eyes widened.
Closing the distance between them, Toby swiped his paralytic nails at his opponent, "I got you now, you sock-tearing wanker!"
Kurohebi immediately hopped backward to avoid getting slashed.
"Grrooorohorohohrohorohoroh! ROOohhhh!" Toby continued to bark and holler with each attempt to rake Kurohebi. Still, his efforts were to no avail. Kurohebi proved too agile to be outdone in close quarters combat.
After another attempt, Kurohebi did a 180-degree pivot and kicked Toby in the upper back.
"Grooooh?!" Toby nosedived straight into the cobblestone ground from the force.
"Your unclipped nails are pointless if you can't outmaneuver someone in close-quarter's combat," the Copy mage sneered condescendingly as he raised a hand to cast the finishing blow," Aerial."
Just like Shinji, Toby was too became trapped in a near anoxic sphere.
"It's over now," Kurohebi snickered in satisfaction as he walked towards the entrapped Lamia Scale mage, "While I'm at it, how about I snatch your second sock so they can join each other in the shredder."
Yuka was preparing to cast his Wave Magic watched his guildmate from afar, "Toby..."
When Kurohebi got under a yard of the fallen dog-man, Toby abruptly jerked his head to face his adversary. A multitude of veins were popping all over Toby's forehead. Most notably, his cheeks were puffed up from holding in his breath.
"Ughhh..." Kurohebi cringed at Toby's shenanigans.
Unaffected by the oxygen-deficient sphere, Toby clasped his paralytic nails together like a javelin.
" Mmmh mmhh mmhh Mmhhh (Translation: I got you now)!" Toby's words were muffled as he homed in on the black-lipped wizard.
"Don't speak when trying to hold your breath!" Kurohebi swerved away from Toby's lunge.
Now free from the anoxic zone, Toby released himself from his breath-hold. Still, the furious veins on his forehead did not dissipate. Toby raged as he jabbed forth another set of viridescent claws, "You put me in that choking chamber in the first place, you asshole!"
"Duly noted," Kurohebi sarcastically replied tilting his constitution away from another swipe.
The two engaged in a dance of predator and prey. Toby incessantly swiped left, right, top, and bottom. With each slash, Lamia Scale's resident dog-man pick up his pace. Despite his adversary's endeavors, Kurohebi continued to evade Toby's attempts to immobilize him near-effortlessly. After ducking another perilous swipe, Kurohebi conjured a blast of Air Magic at his enemy.
"Groohh?!" Toby exclaimed as he was blown a few yards back.
Catching his bearings, Toby rotated his body midair before landing on the cobblestone road on all. Standing up again, Toby growled as he kept his eyes on his target, "Grrrrrrr..."
"Good grief. This dance of ours is starting to bore me," Kurohebi glared at Toby with dissatisfaction, "Sure you've gained more speed and stamina, but those things alone bring nothing all that new to the table."
A foul idea emerged within Kurohebi's mind upon espying Yuka tending to Shinji on the other side of the canal. His sable lips curled into a vile grin," Oh."
Eyeing his new prey, the black-lipped man rotated his hips in an attempt to turn towards his new targets. Halfway through his pivot, Toby suddenly closed the distance between them.
"Don't even think about taking your eyes off of me for a second, jackass," Toby snarled at Kurohebi as he swung his claws at his enemy again.
Kurohebi effortlessly ducked and glided around each swipe. He smirked condescendingly at his dumb adversary, "As I said, what point is there is your pointless clawing around if you can't even land a hit? Stupid mutt!"
Waving his hand, Kurohebi produced a blast of air that propelled him back from Toby.
"Grooh? Too bad for you."
Toby planted his feet into the stone floor to prevent himself from being blown away. He subsequently clasped his clawed together. Where each claw tip touched, green sparks crackled and phosphoresced, "Sometimes old dogs can learn new tricks!"
"What on earth?" Kurohebi furrowed a brow in confusion.
"This is revenge for my precious sock you tore! Jellyfish Lightning!".
"Drat, damn dog actually grew a pair of brain cells..." the black-lipped man grimaced at his impending downfall.
The green sparks that gathered in Toby's joined hands coalesced into an electrical current. A bright green bolt of lightning rapidly shot from Toby's conjoined claw tips and struck Toby.
"Aghgahahgahaghaghagah!" Kurohebi flailed wildly as he was electrocuted.
When his just torment ended, a fried Kurohebi plummeted to the cobblestone. White foam frothed from his black lips.
"Grooooooahhhh!" Toby howled his much-deserved victory cry.
Yuka proudly watched his guildmate from across the canal, "Good on you, Toby. Good on you."
"Mmmh.."
Amidst the triumph, Shinji gradually came to. Noticing Shinji's return to consciousness, Yuka secured hand behind Shinji's upper back, "Steady now. Overexertion might make you black out again."
"Ugh..." Shinji clutched his forehead with his right arm before looking at Yuka, "Where did that black-haired creep go?"
"No need to worry about him, " Yuka comforted Shinji, "Toby mopped the floor with him."
"Oh," Shinji mustered a mild grin, "That's a relief...But what about the monster...back at the park?"
Yuka sighed, "Even if the Orochi is no longer in anyone's control, it's still a threat. Surely Lyon and the others can handle it."
Shinji nodded his nodded head in silence. His thoughts drifted to a cryptic something the Copy Mage told him moments ago.
'Lady Arvesque sends her regards'.
~Ravine Depths, North of Margaret, Upstream Path~
"Damn it! Damn it all!"
Tumultuous thoughts rattled Romeo's brain as his feet splashed the flowing waters along the upstream route. Romeo ran upstream for what felt like hours He knew he was setting himself to fight a losing battle. Bluenote Stinger was one of Grimoire Heart's strongest mages on par with the Seven Kin of Purgatory. Not to mention his Gravity Magic could work over wide areas of effect. Even though he would lose, why did he run towards certain defeat?
His feet stopped splashing in the stream. In halting, the young Fire Mage's trembling became more eminent. Up ahead, Romeo could make out a tall, foreboding back with black hair tied into a long chartreuse sleeve.
"And so, you arrived," Bluenote turned his head over his right shoulder, piercing Romeo with his periwinkle irises, "But you are not the one I wanted to face."
"Sorry, but beggars can't be choosers," Romeo feigned a smirk as he showed Bluenote his red guild emblem on his shoulder, "I'm still a mage of Fairy Tail. The guild that beat Grimoire Heart all those years ago."
"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! I'm really in for it now!" Romeo internally screamed despite the fact he just taunted the enemy.
"You talk too much for someone so puny," Bluenote turned around to face Romeo. An abrupt spike in magical energy erupted from the Gravity user, "Very well then. Let's see how you drop."
"Fall." Bluenote extended a palm forward. With a downward motion, Bluenote caused the gravity in the relative area to exert an increased downward force. The damp stone floor cracked with the intense pressure. The ravine walls crumbled and trickled down as parallel landslides in a duet of destruction.
"Ggghhhhh," Romeo suddenly found himself flattened to the ground as if he was being weighed down by a skyscraper. Barely able to lift his head, Romeo could espy the wave of boulders from the twin landslides closing in on him. A cacophony of drum-like crumbling ensued as the rocks tumbled down slope.
"Right from the get-go, I'm already in a pinch. I can't move a muscle!" Romeo internally lamented how seriously outmatched he was.
He was buried in the seconds that followed.
Bluenote released his gravitational exertion over the area before looking down upon the rubble.
"As I said before, you talked too much for someone so puny," he said apathetically.
...
...
...
Only the flowing waters navigating the altered terrain over the backdrop of the silent night responded.
Bluenote turned away and began to tread towards the city.
...
...
...
Not even five steps in, an explosion occurred behind him. A column of bright, orange flame cloud ascended from the epicenter of the conflagration with a deafening boom. Gravel, dust, mud, and water were scattered everywhere. Alas, Bluenote was all too close to the blast to shield himself from the impact.
"Nghhh!" the Gravity user grunted as he was battered by a flood of elements.
Owed to years of experience, Bluenote was quick on his feet. He immediately conjured a purple magic circle to manipulate the Gravity around himself, "Centripetal Axis!"
Every petrous fragment that came sprawling towards Bluenote suddenly swerved and rotated around him akin to the way the planets orbit the Sun. Multiple rings of rubble soon spun around him at rapid pace. Through the gaps between the rings, Bluenote could espy a figure exiting the flamy column.
Romeo bared multiple scratches and stains. Scattered patches of mud caked the once fancy rental slacks and maroon dress shirt. The bottom hems of his dress slacks were torn off at both of the shins.
"Ugh, I'm going to get a real big scolding when I go back to Margeret..." Romeo groaned.
"Not bad. It seems I underestimated you," the former Grimoire Heart mage lowered his brows, "Maybe I might find joy from watching you fly."
With a motion of his hands, Bluenote conjured five purple orbs. Each gravity orb he created siphoned a ring that orbited his entity until all rings transitioned from his person unto the orbs. Around these orbs the large rocks and debris spun ominously faster than they did around his person.
"Multi-Satellite Strike!"
By Bluenote's command, the boulder's revolving the orbs were released from their centripetal craze and launched at their intended target - the young Fire Mage.
Romeo clicked his tongue before leaping back into action. He lit up both of his hands with orange flames, "A fire in my left hand, and a fire in my right hand."
Before the barrage of gravity enforced rocks could crush him, Romeo combined the flames in both of his hands overhead into an amplified fiery sphere.
"Brilliant Orange!"
Romeo quickly hurled the giant flaming globe at the barrage. The infernal sphere burst upon contacting the boulders, engulfing everything in its pyres. A blinding radiance swept the local area. On the ground floor, Bluenote shielded his eyes once more with his broad arms.
"Now's my chance!" Catching a glimpse of his opponent's hesitation from the other side of the explosion, Romeo jumped into the air. His pointed his hands and feet backwards as he ignited them with more combustive orange flames, "Burst Propulsion!"
Those once orange flames became fiery jets that accelerated Romeo towards his target. Still, the ruckus of such a spell was enough to put Bluenote on alert. Partially lifting one his forearms over his eyes for shade, Bluenote could spot Romeo gunning for him as breakneck pace.
"Hmph...Fall!"
Once again, Bluenote manipulated gravity to exert an additional downward force on the Fire Mage. This caused Romeo to plummet into the stone at an angle before skidding to a stop.
"You'll have to try harder than that if you want to lay a hand on me," Bluenote's apathetic words cut deeply.
"Nghhh...ha...ha...haha...hahahahaha!" amidst his gut-crushing pain, Romeo found himself laughing, "I bet...you're just too scared...to take...a punch to your *pfffft* face...hahahaha!"
"Silence! Fall!" Bluenote waved an arm, increasing the exerted downward vector on Romeo. Cracks formed along the ravine floor around the Fire Mage's body.
"BLEEEGHHH!" Blood spurted from Romeo's mouth as Bluenote's gravity mercilessly crushed him.
"The weak and unworthy should learn to be silent when in the presence of the strong. Weaklings who try to mess around with the strong should learn their place in the gallows," Bluenote waved the same hand he initially wove to undo his 'Fall' spell.
Romeo's motionless body lay flat in a sanguine pool.
"Hmph, got nothing to say?" Bluenote was half-tempted to cast another Fall spell on the defeated Fairy Tail mage, but a more entertaining idea popped into his head, "Disappointing. I guess all that's left is to send your unsightly corpse flying. Usually, it's more fun to send people into space when they are alive."
"Soar."
Raising a flat palm from his upper leg to the sky, a circular area which contained Romeo's body had an upward force exerted upon it. All contents, rocks, dirt mud, water, and blood were sent soaring like a smoky rocket into the night sky. A trail of dust from thar rocket's starting point flowed upwards with its launch trajectory.
"Wheeeewww~" Bluenote whistled as he watched yet another satisfying take-off, "That's one down, only three more to go...or maybe two and a half considering that cat is next to useless."
A purplish-blue spark zipped from the smoke and nearly singed one of the inward-point sideburns on his cheeks.
Bluenote hitched his in surprise.
When the dust cleared from the small patch of land he sent sprawling into space, a dark-purple haired boy with tattered clothes stood. Eerily-colored flames enveloped the outline of his figure. The flames were a mix of blue and purple, but it was hard to differ whether it was more blue or more purple upon first glance. Blood from Romeo's mouth dripped from his chin towards the crimson puddle on the floor. That blood drop became encased in bluish-purple flames; sizzling momentarily before dissipating. Only one of Romeo's eyes were opened. It stared back of Bluenote with exhaustion and resignment.
Bluenote's eyes widened slightly. He was not one to lose his composure over adversary tricks, but this one baffled him nonetheless. He could not rest his curiosity, "But how? Why didn't you fly?"
Romeo coughed a little more blood out before he could muster words. The droplets he spewed also evaporated into nothingness before hitting the floor.
"My indigo flames *cough cough*...are my last resort," Romeo explained, "Indigo is the color of the flame...*cough cough*...that eats magic."
"Flames that burn magic?" Bluenote found himself further baffled by the beaten boy's words, "You must be pulling my leg with more of your big talk."
Amidst the beyond wrecked state he was in, Romeo still managed to display a wide smirk for Bluenote to see., "Why don't you try hitting me with your strongest spell then? Better yet, would you like to see what happens if I actually hit you with this stuff?"
Bluenote glared at Romeo.
"This punk...either has serious a death wish or might be serious this time...Still, I clearly underestimated him. Being puny does not equate to being weak. Having a trick like that up one's sleeve is dangerous. Imagine if I got hit by those flames-!"
Another indigo flame whizzed past the Gravity mage before he could finish his thoughts.
A vein protruded from Bluenote's forehead, "You've tested my nerves my nerves for the last time, boy."
"Haha...hahaha!" Romeo sarcastically laughed as he staggered to keep himself upright in all his pain. The flame mage conjured a small wisp from the finger tips of his right middle and index fingers. He shaped right hand like a finger gun and wrapped his left hand's fingers around his right pinky and ring finger to form the hypothetical magazine, "Well go on then! Don't tell me you've gotten softer since your dark guild days!"
More veins became visible on Bluenote's face and neck, "Why you...!"
With his pride pushed to the edge, Bluenote vehemently juxtaposed his palms parallel in front of his chest. The force of 'pulling' was maxed to its apex, forming a dark purple orb in the space between his palms. Air, dust, pebbles, water, and blood were gravitating towards the purple, pulling orb. With each passing second, the orb grew larger and acquired greater suction of its surroundings.
"Boy, only one mage has lived to tell the tale about this spell. That wretched Gildarts from your wretched guild," Bluenote bitterly reminisced, "But Gildarts was an S-Class wizard. You. Are. Not. There will be return for you after this, boy."
"Bring it!" Romeo trembled as he taunted, 'I have nothing to lose, geezer!'
"Very well. Enjoy your trip to the void," Bluenote's pupils narrowed as he unleashed the sinister orb towards Romeo, "Black Hole!"
The powerful pull of the approaching black hole tore shredded stone from the ravine's floors like it was mere paper. Surely, Romeo would be disintegrated if he touched it as well. Despite the confidence he feigned on the surface, Romeo was still the same scared boy in the face of much stronger opponent. But these indigo flames...were no joke either.
Steadying his breath, Romeo transferred the indigo flames emanating from his body to a single point - the tip of his finger pistol. Albeit miniscule, puny even, the indigo flame was not one to be estimated by either the user or the opponent.
"Void Incendio."
A round projectile of concentrated indigo flame instantaneously zipped from Romeo's fingers into the inescapable pull of the black hole.
And pierced through it.
Bluenote's eyes were gaping further with disbelief. The irritation and anger that once flowed through the veins that pulsated on Bluenote's forehead were forcefully halted by the young mage's feat.
Now punctured, the black hole was quickly devoured from the inside by the flames of negation. Dark flames spewed from within the cracks and crevices. By concept, the raw magic power that Bluenote channeled into his spell was the fuel that the indigo flames need to spread and conquer. With one final eruption of indigo flame, the black hole completely dissipated.
"Impossible..." the Gravity muttered in disbelief.
Now there were two mages who have found ways around his infamous strongest spell. Both were from the same guild no less.
For the first time, Bluenote looked at Romeo for what he really was- a threat that must be snuffed out.
"Boy, I take back what I said. You did not disappoint."
"Glad to hear that," Romeo, nearing his wit's end, stood before the fearsome Gravity User with a fake smirk still plastered on his face, "Still... I'm completely drained...using Indigo flames takes more magic than other flames because...it negates other magics...In the end...I couldn't land a single hit on you..."
Romeo collapsed on the stone floor.
Bluenote waked towards Romeo's near-unconscious figure and lifted him using his Gravity Magic.
"Hmph. Any last words before I send you flying for good?"
No longer holding onto his facade, tears welled up in Romeo's eyes.
...
"Did you know...that in addition to having a good nose, Dragon Slayer's also have keen ears?"
Bluenote was oddly taken aback by the unusual last words, "You are one weird little...shit?"
The former Grimoire Heart mage sensed an atmospheric abnormality within the ruinous crater the two occupied. As a wizard well-versed in Gravity Magic, Bluenote comprehended the physics behind vectors and sensing when those vectors are "off". This time, Bluenote could pick up the air was moving chaotically within the crater.
What started as abnormalities in the air soon whipped up into dust devils, then cyclones. Bluenote was soon entrapped within a fortress of high-spiraling winds.
"What on earth?" Bluenote turned his head back and forth to check his surroundings. Upon turning his head back to Romeo's vicinity, he noticed the near-unconsciousness Fire Mage who was at his mercy was gone.
"Where the hell did that Fairy Tail brat go?" the Gravity User exclaimed.
"You took it too far," the familiar voice of a girl echoed through the roiling winds.
"Me? I only accepted his challenges. Brat had it coming, but he did not disappoint," Bluenote responded without a shred of empathy.
"I don't care about your disappointment!" she yelled in admonishment as a powerful gust from cyclonic barrier rushed at him head on.
In defense, Bluenote cast his Gravity Magic through one of his hands against the winds to counteract the force. While he was in a draw with one of the wind chamber's assets, another focused cyclone launched itself at him from a different location of the dome drilling into his back tearing apart his white coat and the back of his purple robe.
"Ggghh!" Bluenote winced at the abrupt, stabbing sensation; temporarily losing control of his Gravity Magic. The spiraling winds he blocked earlier proceeded and struck him square in the stomach, shredding the cloth that covered his abs.
"Tch..." the Gravity user covered his vitals with his arms as he heeded watch over every possible angle of assault, "Can't fight me head on? Coward, I dare you to show yourself."
As if infuriated by his words, three cyclones rushed forth at him from three different directions.
"Shit!" Bluenote cursed under his breath, before imbuing his Gravity Magic into his hands to offset the various windblasts. He successfully batted away the first and second gale rends, but the third sliced him across the back when he least expected it.
"Ack!" the sharp pain caused Bluenote to take a knee.
The spiraling winds cleared out, revealing a blue-haired girl, a white cat, and a magenta-haired girl holding onto Romeo's unconscious body.
Instinctively, Bluenote fixed his gaze at Wendy. Even in enemies, familiarity still bred some sense of comfort.
"Ah. It's you again, from Tenrou," Bluenote said blankly, "Don't tell me you were capable of all that..."
Ignoring Bluenote, Wendy glanced back to Sherria would was casting a healing glow over Romeo.
"Sherria, please take care of Romeo for me."
"Leave it to me!" the Sky God Slayer saluted her fellow Sky Sister, " Romeo-kun will be good as new by the time I'm done with him! You better clobber this jerkwad enough for the both of us though!"
Wendy nodded with a brief grin before she turned her attention to Bluenote. After she took a few steps forward, Wendy took in a deep breath of the surrounding air. As if heeding her call, the ether-laced air within the area diffused into Wendy's constitution. Her deep blue locks turned pink. Alabaster, angelic feathers and scales glistened as they sprouted from her shoulders and upper back.
"This spike in magic energy...It can't be-" Bluenote's mind was running a mile a minute, "Dragon Force!?"
"Wendy..." sensing a shift in the winds, Carla slowly stirred from her slumber.
"Wendy..." even while healing Romeo and keeping Carla close to her person, she was still beyond amazed by the new heights her friend reached with her magic since competing in the Grand Magic Games.
"It's been a while since I last let lose like this. Being reckless is not my style. But...when I saw how hurt he was after trying to do the impossible...Romeo-san...Please wake up soon...Until then...I won't stand down!" Wendy snapped herself out of her inner thoughts.
"I'm not the same as I was nine years ago either. Fairy Tail fought in the Grand Magic Games and won the war against Tartarus. I gained this strength while treading this path," Wendy looked Bluenote square in his periwinkle eyes with the fury only the Dragon of the Sky could possess, "Even if you are stronger than me, I'll show you how the difference between you and I changed over the last nine years."
Next Chapter: Pierce Through The Clouds
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...
Gotta make everyone lose some because if everyone was winning all the time, that wouldn't be balanced or interesting. Wendy using Dragon Force was definitely going to happen at some point since she's one of the female leads. Even with Dragon Force and Second Origin unlocked, is Wendy still outclassed? Who exactly is this Arvesque that Kurohebi mentioned to Shinji? But wow, not me having to rehash physics to make up spells for Bluenote.
Anyways, as always, please feel free to give me your constructive criticisms, feedback, etc. but please don't be too harsh with me.
If you're rude, Wendy will also trap you in a cyclone before socking you with her Secret Dragon Slayer Arts :3
Wendy: *powers up in spiky pink* Secret Dragon Slayer Art, Shattering Light: Sky Drill!
Author: *wipes proud tears with handkerchief* They grow up so fast... T-T