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Chapter 40
The Maiden of the Sky
Meanwhile, the Oración Seis made their way back to the base that was hidden in an ancient village that had long since been forgotten in a cave by the waterfall. Wendy and Happy had found themselves thrown onto the cold hard floor with Brain standing over them with a dark grin on his face with the Oración Seis behind them.
"Hey! You don't need to be so rough! Especially with a girl like Wendy!" said Happy.
Brain looked at Happy and then grabbed a handful of Happy's face squeezing hard making Happy struggle in pain trying to break free.
"Let him go!" pleaded Wendy not wanting to see the blue cat suffer.
Surprisingly, Brain did what Wendy had requested by throwing Happy to the ground like he was a ragdoll.
"Happy are you okay?" asked Wendy worriedly. "You're not hurt too bad are you?"
Happy struggled to his feet as he put on a reassuring smile for Wendy. "Don't you worry little lady," he said. "For now, I'm gonna do my best to find a way to get us out of here."
"Thank you Happy," said Wendy as she wrapped her arms around Happy hugging him for comfort.
"OK. What's the deal taking this girl Brain?" asked Razor. "Is there something special about her?"
"Maybe she's connected with Nirvana or something," suggested Cobra.
"I doubt it. I don't really see anything that special about her," said Angel.
"I know! She must be worth some money!" said Hoteye palm-fist tapping. "You're planning to sell her to the highest bidder right? Oh yeah!"
Cobra looked at Hoteye completely baffled and put off with what Hoteye just said. "First of all Hoteye, I can't even begin to tell you how messed up that is even for you. Secondly, you do realize that money isn't the answer to everything right?"
"Come now Cobra. You should know by now that money is all that you need!" said Hoteye. "It has the power to buy everything! Even love! Oh yeah!"
"Oh give me a break," said Cobra rolling his eyes.
Brain then explained. "The reason this girl is here is that she uses what is called 'Sky Magic' which gives her the ability to heal others using healing magic."
The rest of the members with the exception of Midnight and Shark eyes widened with surprise.
"Healing magic?! How is that even possible?" asked Racer.
"Isn't that a type lost magic?" asked Angel.
"Yes. A lost magic that has long since been forgotten long ago," said Cobra. He then turned to Brain. "But what good is a healer to us?" Suddenly Cobra then put two and two together and immediately knew what Brain had in mind for Wendy. "Wait... you don't mean...!"
Brain then smiled wider than before as he threw out his arms in elation. "That's right Cobra. She is the key. With her powers and abilities, we shall revive him!"
"Who are you guys talking about?" demanded Happy. "Him who?"
"I don't really know what's going on," said Wendy trying to be brave. "But if you're asking me to help you then you can forget it! I'd never do anything for bad guys like you people!"
"Oh yes you will," said Brain giving Wendy a sideways glance. "Once you find out who it is, there's no doubt that you'll be willing to help him." He then turned to Racer. "Racer. I want you to bring him here at once."
"You got it, boss," said Racer. "But it'll probably take me an hour to get it from there and back again even with my speed."
"That's fine," said Brain as Racer disappeared.
"So that's what you're up to," said Cobra a smile working it's way to his lips. "Once he's revived, we'll be able to find Nirvana in no time at all. Guess you're not called Brain for nothing."
"Cobra, Angel, and Hoteye," said Brain. "Until then I want you three to continue the search for Nirvana."
"But it's a waste of time. Why even bother?" complained Angel. "It would make more sense to continue the search once he's revived."
"I'd rather not take any chances," said Brain. "Midnight, Shark, and I will remain here."
"Something tells me that those two won't make very good company," said Hoteye as he looked at Midnight still fast asleep and Shark standing aside quietly.
"Well then, we better get going," said Cobra. "Man... this is gonna be boring."
"Then how about we make this into a race?" asked Angel. "Whoever finds Nirvana first will win a prize-"
"In the amount of one million jewel!" interrupted Hoteye excitedly. "Oh yeah! Count me in!"
"Don't you think that's a bit much?" deadpanned Angel as she along Hoteye and Cobra left the caves in search of Nirvana.
Happy turned to Wendy feeling a bit puzzled. "Hey, Wendy. Do you have any idea who these guys are talking about?" he asked.
"I don't know myself," said Wendy. Then he looked at Brain. "For that matter, what exactly does Nirvana do? You can at least tell us that much."
Brain smiled. "It's a very powerful magic that has the power to switch light with darkness."
"Switch light with darkness?" puzzled Wendy. "I don't understand..."
"Me either," said Happy. "But I can tell that that's not a good thing."
Deep inside the Worth Woodsea, the Allied Forces had split into several different groups to search for the Oración Seis. Natsu, Gray, and Carla made one group, another comprised of all the Lamia Scale wizards; Jura, Lyon, and Sherry, Ichiya, Eve, and Ren made the third, and Lucy and Hibiki chose to stay behind to watch over Erza. She was still unconscious from the pain and the poison was continuing to spread on her arm traveling upwards to her body.
"It looks like it's getting worse," said Lucy as she held Erza's hand. "Come on you guys... please hurry."
"You know that won't do any good right?" said Hibiki. "Being impatient is only going to stress you out more Lucy. Instead of worrying, why don't we give them a hand?"
"How can we do that?" asked Lucy turning to Hibiki.
Hibiki then held out his hand and the activated his Archive magic. A large screen-like display with a large keyboard appeared before him. He started typing on the keyboard and various displayed and maps appeared on it.
"Some of us are on the move while we're staying behind," said Hibiki. "Our coalition may have just been thrown together so I may not consider ourselves a team, but we need to think like a team if we're gonna stand a chance against the Oración Seis."
Lucy watched as Hibiki went to work using his Archive magic feeling a little curious. "Archive. That's the name of the magic you use right Hibiki?"
"That's right," said Hibiki as he continued to type. "It's a magic that really comes in handy whenever you want to keep tabs of people. By the way Lucy, how come you didn't go with the others?"
"Well I couldn't just leave Erza alone," said Lucy smiling sadly. "Besides I'm not all that strong like Natsu and the others. In fact, I'm practically the weakest fighter in the guild and in this group. I'd just get in the way."
"Come on. Don't sound so modest," said Hibiki. "I've heard some rumors about your strength that say otherwise. I've heard about how you took on nineteen vulcans that were ten feet tall and beat them all up. Then in the battle between Fairy Tail and Phantom when you knocked out Phantom's Master Jose with your bare hands. And also in Acalypha, you single-handedly took out a dark guild that had over a thousand men!"
"OK. I can't even begin to tell you how much those stories were exaggerated," said Lucy flatly. "Anyway, I should be asking you the same question. I would've thought that you'd have gone with Ren, Eve, and Ichiya."
Hibiki turned to Lucy and smiled. "Isn't it obvious? A man like myself can't leave two pretty girls all alone."
Lucy couldn't help but smile. "That's so sweet. You're a lot nicer than Sorcerer Weekly made you out to be."
"Good to know," said Hibiki as he typed on his keyboard more quickly than before. "Anyway thanks to my Archive magic, I'll be able to keep track of everyone who went to look for Wendy and make sure they know about our current position. Once they found Happy and Wendy, they'll be able to find us and save Erza too."
"Wow. You've got everything covered huh? I'm impressed," said Lucy.
"It's no big deal. Just doing what I was taught thanks to Ichiya," said Hibiki.
He looked back up on the display and three small windows opened up each showing three bunches red dots that came in threes moving through a different part of the map.
"I've found all of our groups," he said. "Now all we have to do is wait until one of them finds Wendy and Happy."
In the first group, Natsu, Gray, and Carla were searching through the forest trying to find any sign of their friends and the Oración Seis. As they ran through the forest with Carla using her wings to keep up, Natsu was still feeling a little curious as to what Carla had said about Wendy being a dragon slayer like him. He wanted to know more about her.
"Hey. Carla right? You said that Wendy's the Sky Dragon Slayer right? What does she eat for power then?" asked Natsu. "And does it taste any good?"
"Air of course," replied Carla. "And I honestly have no idea."
"I don't know how's that any different from breathing," murmured Gray.
"By the way, you should know that Wendy wanted to join this mission was because she wanted the chance to meet you," Carla said to Natsu.
"How come?" puzzled Natsu.
"I thought it would be obvious," said Carla. "It's because you're a fellow dragon slayer. She wanted to ask you something regarding the dragon that raised her. Apparently, it disappeared over seven years ago and she was hoping if you knew anything about where her dragon was. I believe she called it Grandeeney."
Natsu hummed as he tried to think of anything familiar about that name. Unfortunately, he could think of nothing. Then he came up with an idea.
"Hey! What about Laxus? Maybe he knows," he said.
"I doubt Laxus would know," said Gray. "Besides he's not even a real dragon slayer. Gramps said it himself."
Suddenly Carla noticed something that made her eyes widen in shock. "What is this?!" she cried.
Then Natsu and Gray stopped running and they couldn't believe what they saw too. Before them, was a part of the forest that was covered in a thick black mist causing the trees and everything inside it to turn into black as well.
"The trees... what the heck is going on?" wondered Gray.
"Talk about creepy," said Natsu with a hint of worry who was also unnerved at the sight.
Then a pair of voices was heard.
"Word on the street is that all of this was caused by Nirvana right Big Bro Zatô?"
"That's right. It's a power so great that not even the planet can take it. Everything it touches withers up and dies."
"Yeah. Cuz word on the street is that all of this was caused by Nirvana."
"There you go repeating yourself again. Seriously you gotta stop doing that Big Bro Gatô."
"Oops. Sorry, Big Bro Zatô. I didn't even notice."
The three to turn around to find themselves standing in front of the two leaders of the Naked Mummy Guild Gatô and Zatô and they weren't alone either. The entire Naked Mummy guild was there with them and they had the three completely surrounded. Carla was worried by the overwhelming numbers, but Natsu and Gray weren't worried in the slightest. If anything, Natsu was excited especially upon seeing Gatô and Zatô.
"Oh wow! I don't believe it! Those two are monkeys!" Natsu said grinning as he started acting like a monkey himself. "The dumbest monkeys I've ever seen!"
Then one of the members pointed an accusing finger at the two seething in anger.
"Hey! You guys are members of Fairy Tail! Your friends with that blonde girl! It's your friend's fault that I got in trouble!" he shrieked.
"Ooh! Now that one's a really angry monkey!" said Natsu.
Then Gatô recognized Natsu and Gray too. "Oh yeah. I remember them too. They're friends with that blonde girl who ruined our plans in Acalypha."
"Oh yeah?" said Zatô. "Well, I'd say it's time we give these punks a little payback. Courtesy of Naked Mummy."
"Naked Mummy? What the heck is that?" wondered Natsu.
"Come on Natsu. Don't be stupid," said Gray. "They're the dark guild that Lucy told us about the other day."
For those who don't know what they're talking about, a while before this the Naked Mummy guild made an attempt to rob a bank in Acalypha to pay the Oración Seis their protection money. However, due to a misunderstanding with her father and some circumstances, Lucy came to Acalypha and managed to stop them in their tracks.
"This is bad," said Carla worriedly. "This was all a trap! The Oración Seis tricked us into thinking that we'd be facing only the six of them."
"Well I say the more the merrier," Gray smirked his hand flaring with icy magic power.
"Works for me! Bring on the monkeys!" said Natsu gleefully.
Carla looked at the two completely shocked. "What in the world are you two saying?! We should run while we have a chance! They're too many of them!"
"No way we're running," said Gray. "Besides they were so kind enough to come to us, if we ran away that would be rude. Not only that but once we beat them, they're gonna tell us where their base is. Till then we ain't leaving."
"Hang in there Happy and Wendy," said Natsu as his fist ignited with fire swinging it like a windmill. "Once we beat these jerks, we're gonna come straight to ya!"
"Don't underestimate us! You're messing with The Naked Mummy, a dark guild working under the Oración Seis!" said Gatô.
"You think that a little fire's gonna scare us?" said Zatô smirking. "You must have a death wish."
"Yeah! Don't underestimate us! You're messing with The Naked Mummy guild, a dark guild working under the Oración Seis!" said Gatô.
"You just said that already you dummy!" snapped Natsu.
"That aside, this is the end of the line for you Fairies!" said Zatô as he and his men got ready to fight.
"Here's an idea bro," said Gatô. "What do you say we show these punks just how terrifying Naked Mummy can be?"
"That sounds like a great idea," said Zatô. "We'll make quick work of them so bad, they won't even know what hit em."
"Yeah. Let's make sure these punks know just how terrifying Naked Mummy can be," repeated Gatô.
"You just said that Bro, but I agree with you," said Zatô.
"Oh. Sorry about that Bro," said Gatô. "But if we really wanna show just how-"
"Get em boys!" interrupted Zatô. "Teach those two a lesson!"
At the sound of his call, all of the Naked Mummy members came charging straight for Natsu and Gray. From a glance, it seemed that the Naked Mummy guild would have the advantage when it came to numbers, but Natsu and Gray weren't intimidated. They both got ready to fight, eager to beat every last of the members. All Carla could do was watch with worry.
"I'm starting to think that these Fairy Tail wizards are completely insane!" she said. "Do they intend to defeat every one of these guild members by themselves?!"
She would soon have her question answered as Natsu and Gray sprang into action. Natsu igniting his fist on fire let out a fierce cry and he slammed his fist into the ground making a huge shockwave which took out a wave of Naked Mummy members. Another Naked Mummy member attempted to shoot Natsu using his magic shotgun, but Gray grabbed the member by the face, freezing it and then threw him to the ground unleashing a wave of ice taking out another wave of guild members. The two continued to wreck house Natsu using his flames and Gray using his ice. Zatô and Gatô watched the two looking impressed but at the same time frightened by what they were seeing.
"Whoa... those guys look pretty tough eh Big Bro Zatô?" asked Gatô.
"Yeah, don't worry. Once they have a taste of our power, they'll be taken out like nothing," replied Zatô.
"Yeah. But these guys are a lot tougher than they-" began Gatô but then Natsu and Gray suddenly appeared in front of them and the two each gave a powerful punch to the brothers knocking them to the ground before they had a chance to react.
"Will you two shut up already?!" they yelled.
Then the man who was complaining about the two before seeing his bosses get taken out snarled at them.
"You bastards! How dare you take out Zatô and Gatô!" he shrieked as he whipped out a magic shotgun. "I'll make you pay for that! Taste my Magic Shotgun!"
He took aim and fired right at Natsu hitting him squarely on the back. The man smirked victoriously for scoring a hit, but his smirk quickly changed into shock for Natsu was completely unaffected by the attack. In fact, it didn't even scratch him. Natsu looked back towards the man and gave him a dark smirk causing the man to step back in fear. Then Natsu gave the man a powerful flame coated punch right into his jaw sending him flying up and away in the wild blue yonder beyond.
Soon after, every one of the members of Naked Mummy were taken out leaving Natsu and Gray standing victorious. Carla stood there completely dumbfounded not believing what she just saw.
"Whew. Man those guys were tougher than I thought," said Natsu wiping his brow. "They sure put up a fight."
"No kidding," said Gray. "You'd think that it'd be easier."
"Of course it would be difficult! What kind of idiot thinks that taking on an entire guild would be a walk in the park?!" snapped Carla incredulously. "You both were outnumbered a hundred and fifty to two at least! Just how reckless can you two get!?"
Natsu then walked up to Zatô and then grabbed him by the collar lifting him up. "All right laughing monkey! Tell me where your hideout is!"
Zatô laughed mockingly. "I ain't telling you squat!" he said.
Natsu growled in anger and then gave Zatô a wicked headbutt to his forehead knocking him out completely.
"I stand corrected," said Carla. "They're both are very reckless..."
Natsu then moved on to Gatô and was just about to interrogate him for answers when Gatô spoke. "Hey! They're all yours, buddy!" he said as he fell unconscious as well.
"Buddy? What does he mean by that?" wondered Gray.
"Well, well, well," said a voice from above. "I see you pesky little flies are still buzzing around. It makes sense that I would be the one to be sent to swat you guys down once and for all. Especially since I owe you from our last encounter you cinder faced brat."
Gray and Natsu looked in the tree to see a familiar foe that they fought in the past. He was lean and tall, wearing an outfit comprised of a pair of silver pants, black boots, a blue shirt, and a black coat with yellow trims. He had pale skin with spiky silver hair with some of it hanging on the left side of his face and he had black rights around his eyes with tattoos in a line pointing downwards.
"It's you again!" gasped Gray. "You're the guy who was a part of the Eisenwald guild that planned to take out Gramps and the others with the Lullaby flute! Erigor!"
"Oh yeah! I remember him," said Natsu. "However I roasted the wind-bagged jerk good!"
"That's right," said Erigor. "Ever since the Eisenwald guild fell, I became a bodyguard under the Oración Seis in the hopes that one day I would one day have my revenge! The day the Erigor the Grim Reaper would rise once again!"
"So basically you're here for a rematch?" asked Gray. "Sounds like fun."
"Yeah! I'm all fired up now!" said Natsu cracking his knuckles. "Hey, Gray! I got this one! Just leave him to me!"
"All right then," said Gray. "Just make it quick. We got places to go you know."
"You've got to be kidding me... He's going to fight again!?" sighed Carla. "Now you've gone completely past the realm of reckless."
"If you think that you'll be able to defeat me this time around, think again little fly!" said Erigor as he took off flying into the air.
Natsu then went on the attack taking a big jump and igniting his fist with fire once more.
"FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!"
Erigor flicked his hand and the used his magic to make a barrier of wind to protect himself from Natsu's attack. Fire and wind flew from their collision as Carla and Gray looked on.
"Are you sure this is wise?" asked Carla. "After all fire user like your isn't exactly effective against a wind user like that fellow."
"You would think so, but worry," said Gray. "And Natsu has had a difficult time against this guy before but he's gotten a lot stronger since then. He's got this."
Sure enough, Natsu was able to break through Erigor's wind barrier making Erigor's eyes widen in shock.
"FIRE DRAGON TALON!"
Igniting his foot on fire, Natsu landed a hit with a powerful kick sending Erigor back.
"I see you're even stronger than you ever been before," said Erigor gritting his teeth as Natsu landed on the ground. "Way to step up your game."
"Thanks for the compliment," said Natsu. "But I don't have the time to play with you right now Erigor. I gotta beat you up real quick so I can save Happy and Wendy."
"Quit acting so tough you big-mouthed brat!" snapped Erigor as he cast one of his spells putting his index fingers into an X in front of him. "I'll tear you to shreds with this! EMERA BARAM!"
Then Erigor unleashed a concentrated blast of wind towards Natsu. The blast was so destructive and so powerful that the landscape had changed completely. Dust and pebbles flew everywhere. Erigor dipped down towards the ground hovering from above with a big grin on his face.
"How was that you pest?!" he sneered. "You're not the only one who's gotten stronger. In fact, I've been training nonstop ever since you defeated me. Increasing the destructive powers of my magic as well as my strength so I could take you down for good."
Erigor seemed to be victorious, but then a large flame coming from Natsu shone brightly out of the dust causing Erigor's eyes to widen in shock.
"That was pathetic," said Natsu as he straightened up. "All you talk about is revenge this and revenge that. Seriously dude. How petty can you get? If this is about what happened before, get over it. But I guess I should be flattered though."
"Petty? With what? This isn't about Eisenwald or the Oración Seis. It's about me!" snarled Erigor. "I won't be satisfied until I take you down!"
"I'd like to see you try!" Natsu shot back as his magic power flared into life. "Bring it on! I'll blow you away!"
"MAGIC WIND PALM!" cried Erigor as he used another wind spell.
His hands were cloaked with spiraling currents of wind and then he clapped them together unleashing a devastating torrent of wind at Natsu. The attack hit its target square on, but Natsu still came at Erigor unfazed by the attack.
"FLAME LOTUS FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!"
Then before Erigor had a chance to counter, Natsu unleashed a devastating and fast barrage of flame coated fists punching Erigor repeatedly. He punched and punched until he finished with one more powerful blow. As the two fell to the ground, Nastu landed on his feet victorious while Erigor fell flat on the ground defeated. Carla jaw dropped with shock while Gray had an annoyed expression on his face.
"Incredible..." Carla thought. "I never imagined Salamander was this powerful. I guess I underestimated him."
"Geez. Took you long enough pyro freak," he said. "Why'd you have to drag out the fight? Need I remind you that we're on borrowed time?"
Natsu then grabbed Erigor and started repeatedly pounding his head to the ground trying to interrogate him.
"All right you stupid blowhard! Stop your napping and tell me where your creepy friends took Wendy and Happy!" he snapped.
"Oh brother..." said Gray pinching his nose. "This might take a while."
Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, the Blue Pegasus group were searching as well. However, they would soon encounter problems of their own. As they searched the forest, Eve suddenly realized something. A certain member of their group was missing.
"Hey, Ren! Where's Ichiya?" he asked. "I haven't heard a single man in a while!"
The two then stopped and looked behind them. Sure enough, Ichiya was nowhere to be seen.
"Where did he go?" wondered Ren. "I could've sworn that he was right next to us."
"I guess we must have lost him," said Eve. "What should we do Ren? Should we go look for him or keep searching for the Oración Seis?"
Before Ren could respond, there was a rustling in the bushes. Then suddenly Ren and Eve immediately found themselves surrounded by a mob of wizards. Every single one of them were wearing school uniforms what were checkered red with black lines and blue button-down shirts. However, the strangest thing about them was that every single one of their hairstyles had a strange appendage that pointed upwards like it was some kind of horn.
"What the heck?! Who are these guys!?" exclaimed Eve.
"Judging by their hair and outfits," said Ren. "I'd say these guys are the dark guild Black Unicorn!"
"But what's a dark guild doing here?!" Eve asked in shock. "Are they trying to get in our way or something?"
"What's wrong you silky haired losers?" jeered a male wizard. "You two gonna cry?"
"Yeah you dumb pretty boys," said a female wizard. "We work for the Oración Seis and we have our orders to take you down."
"Yeah! It's game over for you sissies!" said another male wizard. "We of the Black Unicorn guild are gonna take you both down!"
"Looks like we're in for a fight," said Ren. "You ready Eve?"
"Oh yeah. Let's show these creeps what we're made of," said Eve. "We'll show them what two members of the Trimens can really do."
"And since these guys are with Oración Seis, we can ask them where their base is," said Ren. "So make sure you beat em to a pulp."
"Will do," said Eve.
Ren smiled as did Eve and then the two of them got ready to fight as the Black Unicorn guild came charging straight for them. Ren and Eve then separated and went on the attack. Ren made the first move by using one of his spells.
"AIR MAGIC: AERIAL!"
Using his magic which specializes in air trapped a bunch of the Black Unicorn members inside it. The members felt the pair escape their lungs and their ears ring in pain due to the pressure inside of it. Then one by one they all fell unconscious inside the dome.
"It's no use," said Ren. "I reduced the oxygen all around you inside that dome. You won't even be able to stand up right now."
As for Eve as he was surrounded by the other members of the Black Unicorn Guild, he stood there calmly waiting for anyone to make a move.
"What's your deal?" asked a member. "You just gonna stand there and look cute?"
"We'll your cute face so bad, you'll look ugly!" said a female.
The member immediately attacked Eve from all sides, but Eve remained calm and composed.
"I'd be careful what I'd say," said Eve flashing a venomous smile. "Because I can make things really ugly if you underestimate me. SNOW MAGIC: TOTAL WHITEOUT!"
Eve then unleashed his magic by enveloping the area in a large snowstorm. The Black Unicorn members were blinded and hit by the raging snow until the snow died down. Eve was the only one that remained standing while the Black Unicorn members were buried deep in snow frozen and defeated.
"And that takes care of that," said Eve. "Wasn't even a challenge."
"Well then," said Ren as he grabbed the shirt of one of the Black Unicorn members. "Tell us where the Oración Seis is hiding! We know you're working for them, so tell us where they are or I'll use my magic to suffocate you."
The member he was holding weakly replied before passing out.
"They're... in... a deserted village in the West... that... belonged... to the ancients..."
"What the heck does that mean?" wondered Eve.
"Who knows," said Ren. "But at least we have a direction of where their base is. Let's start heading West."
"Right," said Eve as he and Ren resumed their search heading to the West.
In another part of the forest, the group comprised of Lamia Scale's members had also encountered a dark guild working under the Oración Seis. The members were all wearing red hoods and they were all carrying sketchpads.
"Damn it all," said Lyon. "I didn't realize they were following us until now. Who the hell are these guys?"
"I know these people," said Jura. "They're from a dark guild called Red Hood."
"Fear not Lyon my love," said Sherry. "They may have ambushed us, but they don't know who they're messing with!"
"Lookie what we have here!" said a Red Hood member. "It's the Wizard Saint Jura!"
"If we manage to defeat him here, we'll be famous!" said another.
"Is that what you think?" asked Jura. "Then come at us if you wish to be defeated that badly."
"Cocky old man! We'll show you just how terrifying the Red Hood guild really is!" said a member.
The Red Hood members than took their notebooks and began drawing at a quick pace. Jura and Lyon stayed on guard while Sherry scoffed cockily.
"And how is drawing a picture terrifying?" she asked.
"Be careful," warned Jura. "I know this type of magic. A magic called Picto Magic."
Then all of the Red Hood members cast their spell. "UNISON PICTO!"
In a puff of smoke, the drawings suddenly came to life and the three Lamia Scale members found themselves surrounded by strange creatures. They were pink with maroon spots, squirrel-like, and had green leaves on their chests. Some of these creatures were even holding axes for weapons.
"What the heck are these things?! exclaimed Lyon. "Goblins?!"
"Aww. How adorable," said Sherry. "They look so cute!"
"Don't let your guard down!" said Jura. "These things are vicious!"
The creatures then jumped towards them curling into balls and then pelting the three repeatedly. The attacks didn't hurt them much, but they were too many of them to repel. Lyon then went on the attack unleashing a wave of cold air to repel the creatures.
"Sherry! Attack them now!" he shouted. "Attack them and knock them away!"
"WOOD DOLL!"
Sherry responded by using her Marionette magic on a tree making it come to life. The tree doll swiped its hands knocking away more of the creatures. Soon all of them were on the ground defeated and crying.
"Aww... the poor little things," said Sherry feeling sorry for them.
"I said don't let your guard down," chided Jura.
"That's right! You should listen to the man!" said a Red Hood member. "Because while you were playing with those goblins, we managed to have time to draw this!"
"UNISON PICTO!"
Once again the Red Hood members used their Picto magic. However this time they managed a larger and menacing creature than before. The creature was tall, reptilian, green, had a white underbelly, had claws and wings on its arms and had orange spikes on it's back. Lyon immediately knew what this creature was.
"That's a wyvern!" he exclaimed.
"Definitely not cute!" yelped Sherry.
"They're magic is strong indeed!" said Jura. "And they're remarkably skilled artists as well!"
"Now go wyvern!" said the first Red Hood member. "Do your worst and stomp those do-gooders flat!"
The wyvern then stomped after Jura and the others as the three ran trying to get away.
"What'll we do now Jura!?" asked Lyon and Sherry as the run.
"We attack!" said Jura as he stopped and turned around. "IRON ROCK SPIKES!"
He then used one of his spells to make several spikes made of rock erupt from the ground immobilizing the wyvern.
"Lyon Sherry! Attack!" he shouted.
Lyon and Sherry both jumped into the fray using their spells at the same time.
"ICE MAKE SNOW TIGER!" shouted Lyon as he created a tiger made entirely out of ice swiping its mighty paw at the wyvern's snout.
"MARIONETTE ATTACK! ROCK DOLL!" cried Sherry as she used her spell to make a golem out from the rock on the ground making it punch the wyvern into the air.
The wyvern at first was shaken by the overwhelming attacks from the two, but it regained its composure by flapping its wings and then swooped down towards the three with its talons bared. However, Jura was ready and waiting for him. As soon as the best was close enough, he unleashed another powerful spell.
"PRAYING HANDS! IRON ROCK POWDER EXPLOSION!"
Spikes of rock then shot up from the ground all of them piercing the wyvern at once. The wyvern roared in agony as it disappeared in a puff of smoke. The goblins had also disappeared too. The Red Hood members confidence had now faded and were now trembling in fear.
"But...how?! How did they beat the wyvern?!" exclaimed the first.
"Maybe we should have drawn something scarier!" said another nervously.
Jura then gave them a hardened glare. "You may think the things you draw are just imitations," he said. "But they're still living creatures and I cannot approve of you all using them carelessly to do your dirty work! Prepare yourselves!"
The Red Hood members could only scream in horror as Jura unleashed one final attack that shook the area. Dust flew everywhere. Afterward, Lyon had just interrogated one of the Red Hood members and he received the same answer Ren and Eve had received.
"What? An ancient village to the West? What does that even mean?" asked Lyon.
"Talk about irony," said Sherry. "They were sent here by the Oración Seis to defeat us, but they ended up telling us where their base was."
Then Jura turned his head towards a direction in the distance. He sensed something coming this way and it had a large magic power.
"Lyon. I want you and Sherry to head West," he said.
"What about you Jura?" asked Lyon.
"I'm sensing a tremendous magical power coming this way," said Jura.
"You think it could be one of the Oración Seis?" wondered Sherry."If it is, then maybe we should stay here and help you."
"No Sherry. You and Lyon do as I say and head West," said Jura. "I will remain here and engage the enemy. Remember we don't have time to waste. Now get going."
Lyon and Sherry were still reluctant to leave Jura alone, but they did what he said and left heading West leaving Jura by himself waiting for the enemy to arrive. It was very quiet with nothing but the wind blowing through the leaves in the trees and the bushes. Then Jura turned around behind him.
"Did you really think that you could sneak up on me?" he demanded. "Show yourself!"
"How foolish I must be for trying to outfox you," said a voice. "I'd expect nothing less from a Wizard Saint. Oh yeah!"
Suddenly the ground below Jura began to melt and give way and threatened to wash over him, but then Jura used his Earth Magic to harden the rock around him, turning it the into several pillars and then fired them at the perpetrator. The pillars seemed to have hit his target, but then the pillars melted away revealing Jura's attacker which turned out to be exactly what Jura predicted. One of the Oración Seis members, Hoteye.
"How surprising," said Hoteye smirking. "We both use Earth Magic and yet they're both so different. My softens and melts the ground while yours hardens it. However, I wonder which is stronger? Oh yeah!"
"Magical ability is irrelevant!" said Jura firmly as he prepared himself to fight. "It is the stronger ideology that triumphs!"
Hoteye only smiled broader. "I am afraid you're wrong Wizard, Saint Jura. No matter what the era, the ones that really triumph... are the rich! Oh yeah!"
Back in the caves, Brain along with Midnight and Shark were stilling waiting for Racer to return with Wendy and Happy watching nervously to see what would happen. Finally, with a loud thunk, Racer had returned carrying the large coffin from before. Brain smiled with glee while Wendy and Happy's eyes widened upon seeing the large coffin. It was big, shaped like a T, and was wrapped in chains.
"Sorry it took me so long getting here," said Racer. "The thing was so heavy that I had some trouble building up speed. After going through that ordeal I'm starting to doubt if I'm really the fastest."
"Nonsense," said Brain. "Rest assured Racer that there's no one else in the world who can compete with your speed." He turned to Wendy. "Now then Wendy... you will now use your powers to heal the man inside this coffin."
"N-no way!" said Wendy trying to sound defiant. "I already told you I'm not going to help you and you can't make me!"
"Yeah! You heard the lady!" added Happy. "She told you she doesn't want to so there!"
"And I told you that she will," said Brain. "She doesn't have a choice in the matter!"
The coffin's chains were undone unwrapping around the coffin and disappearing. Then the front of the coffin slowly began to melt away eventually revealing a young man inside of it held up by more chains. He had blue hair, had patches of what appeared to be Ethernano all over his body, and had a red tattoo under his right eye. The moment Happy and Wendy saw this man, Wendy was in a state of shock while Happy's face turned into one of horror.
"No... It can't be... why is he here?! It can't be him!" he murmured shakily.
"Oh but is," said Brain. "Allow me to introduce you to Jellal. He's the man who had brilliantly infiltrated The Magic Council but fell victim to overexposure to Ethernano from the Etherion Blast and ended up in a catatonic state."
"You mean he's still alive?!" cried Happy.
"Correct," said Brain. "He may be unconscious, but he's still very much alive. Not only that, but he also knows the location of Nirvana. Once he is revived, he will lead us directly to it and you are the only one capable of reviving him, dear Wendy. After all, it's the least you can do after all he's done for you."
"Wait a minute...!" said Happy. "What are you talking about?!"
"No way... it's really him..." murmured Wendy her eyes not leaving the man in the coffin. "It's Jellal..."
"Wait a second... You know him!?" asked Happy incredulously looking at Wendy.
"Yes," nodded Wendy. "But... I'm surprised that you know him as well Happy."
"It's not like we're friends," said Happy glaring at Jellal's lifeless body. "He tried to kill me, Erza, and other people all for activating the Tower of Heaven. And as this jerk just said, he even got the council to fire the etherion blast."
"I know... I heard all about that..." said Wendy who now sounded slightly pained from hearing what Happy had said.
"But I still can't believe it. Is he really still alive?" demanded Happy.
"Yes, however, he's more like a ghost possessed by another ghost," said Brain. "A man filled with pitiful ideals. However... to you Wendy he's more like a benefactor giving you the greatest gift you've ever received."
"A gift? What does he mean by that?" asked Happy turning to Wendy.
Wendy said nothing clenching her hands at her sides looking like she was about to cry not sure of what to do.
"This is your opportunity to repay the favor," said Brain. "Revive him. Now."
"No don't do it!" implored Happy. "You can't revive him no matter what this guy says!"
Wendy still didn't respond unsure of what to do. Then Brain unsheathed a dagger from his hip and pointed it dangerously at Jellal. "So you're refusing? Then this man dies." He raised the dagger and brought down threatening to stab Jellal.
"NO DON'T!" cried Wendy.
At the last second, Brain narrowly missed Jellal's cheek stabbing the blade into the wall of the coffin. Wendy sank to her knees in relief but at the same time she was still grieving and worried stricken as to what to do. Then Brain raised his hand and blasted part of the floor next to Wendy purposely missing her as a warning shot.
"Revive him now," he said in a somewhat threatening tone. "It should be a simple task for you."
"No Wendy don't!" insisted Happy. "They're planning to use him to find Nirvana anyway so what's the point? You can't do it!"
Wendy eyes now began dripping with tears as she clenched her hands. "But I... I have to repay him... if it wasn't for him... I wouldn't even be here..." she wept. "He... was so kind... I heard about the rumors about him doing horrible things but... I can't believe it... I won't..."
"But Wendy they're all true," said Happy. "I swear they are. I was there and I saw it-"
"Jellal's not the kind of person who would do those things!" snapped Wendy suddenly raising her voice.
"But... he did Wendy..." said Happy quietly not expecting Wendy to raise her voice and now feeling sorry for the girl.
Wendy then looked back up at Jellal and then back to Brain. "Please... give me some time to think about it..." she pleaded her eyes stained with tears.
Brain smiled satisfied that he was getting through to her. "Very well," he said. "You have five minutes."
As Wendy continued to stare at Jellal trying to decide what to do, all Happy could do is watch completely powerless.
"Nastu... I sure hope you're on your way here..." he thought. "We sure could use your help right now. Please... hurry!"
If you liked what you read, feel free to leave me a review.
For those of you who are going through a little Shark syndrome, don't worry! There will be more of him soon enough!
Until then...
Dragoman out!