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Chapter 144

The Vulcan's Head

NO POV

In an unknown facility far away, a demonstration was taking place, the participant being the young woman with green hair tied in a ponytail with blue eyes named Amina. Amina was surrounded by several floating lacrimas that whirred and swirled around as they aimed at her preparing to fire. However, Amina stayed where she was, wiggling her fingers as she licked her lips, eager to get started.

The lacrimas then shot towards her, firing intense beams of magic. However, Amina immediately took a great leap shooting high into the air, dodging them. She clenched her fists, and from her hands, a thick black ooze seemed to spread over them morphing into a pair of black claws, and with a mighty swipe, she obliterated three lacrimas in a manner of seconds.

As the lacrimas continued to fire at her, Amina, using her strange claws, deflected the beams, and sent them back towards them, destroying a couple more. As she flashed a predatory grin, she pounced straight toward a lacrima grabbing on and ripping it in two. As she fell, she landed on another lacrima, and pierced through the metal armor. The lacrima sparked and crackled as it began to fly off its course, until it crashed straight towards another two, as Amina jumped off.

As she landed back on the ground, Amina's black coated hands bent and changed, turning into a pair of canons. She aimed and fired a rapid series of magic blasts that destroyed one lacrima after another, while having a grin on her face. As she continued obliterating them, someone was watching her from afar from behind a one-way window, the same man who had spoken to the girl before.

"It seems that Amina's gotten a good grasp on her enhancements," the man said. "Although there's some room for improvement, I'd say she's more than capable for our cause. What say you, Master?"

From behind the man, someone else stood behind him in the form of a projection. A man with long black hair with white tinges that went past his waist with braid on the side of her face, and wore a long fur-trimmed coat, and red eyes.

"Very impressive," the projection said. "I didn't expect someone like that girl to withstand your "enhancement." However, destroying lacrimas could only prove so much. Our plan requires people who can function in the real world, and Father doesn't like to waste time."

"Then what would you recommend, Master?" asked the man.

"Put her through a final test," the projection said. "A test that will not only show her worth, but also how dedicated she is for our cause." The projection paused. "Capture Wily Falconer."

"But are you sure, Master?" asked the man, worriedly. "It might be a bit too soon for Amina. Not to mention, unlike you and the others, she hasn't fully synchronized with-"

"All the more reason to test her," interrupted the projection with a glare. "If she intends to join us in our cause, then she must learn to adapt and grow stronger as did we. Father will not tolerate weaklings, so tell her to capture Willy Falconer, alive, and then we'll talk."

The man was a bit startled, but he bowed respectfully. "Very well, Master. I shall send her immediately."

WILLY'S POV

It wasn't too long before I made it back to the tavern. When I walked in, I could see Natsu, Lisanna, Elfman, and Mira over at the bar, Mira busily at work washing dishes from behind the counter, and Elfman, Lisanna, and Natsu talking to one another, while Romeo, Wendy, Carla, and Happy were at another table with Kinana waiting on them. Wendy and Romeo looked up at me when I walked in.

"Hi, Willy," greeted Wendy. "Welcome back."

I answered with a wave as I walked past them. "Hey there, guys," I said with a light smile. "How's it going?" I then came up to the bar. "Hey there, Mira. I just finished up this job. You think you could sign me off?"

"I will in just a minute," said Mira. "Let me wrap up this last dish."

"Hey, Willy. You just missed the craziest thing just now," said Elfman. "There was this girl with a pink dress named Michelle, and she was as cute as can be!"

I then looked across to Elfman. "This girl wouldn't have happened to be carrying a large suitcase, and she cried a lot, would she?" I asked.

Elfman was surprised as was Lisanna. "Wait, how did you know about that?" he asked. "Have you met this girl before?"

"Well, yes, but I just happened to run into her on my way back," I explained. "She wanted directions to the tavern, so I helped her out, although she got a bit overemotional afterward. Anyway, what did she want? I mean, she came here, right?"

"Yup. Supposedly, Michelle's a distant relative of Lucy's and is a member of the Lobster family," said Mira. "And she also arrived with a memento from Lucy's father. She seems to be an adorable girl."

"I see," I said. "So, where is this Michelle person now?"

"She went home with Lucy last time I checked," said Lisanna. "Michelle hasn't eaten in over three days, so Lucy offered to get her something to eat while showing her place. Haven't seen them since then."

Mira soon came up with the book and signed me off, showing that I completed my job. I then got up from my stool, and was about to take my leave.

"Hey, Willy? You heading out?" asked Natsu.

"Yeah. I was going to go home and get some rest," I told the pink-haired kid. "The last job wore me out a bit, so I'll see you guys later."

"You sure you don't want to take some time and rest for a bit?" asked Elfman. "If you're feeling tired-"

"Don't worry, I'm fine," I said. "Besides, I got to take care of some things back at home, and they can't wait. But thank you for the offer."

I then walked away, exiting the tavern, looking forward to a day of staying at home. After I left, I once again found myself walking through Magnolia's streets without using my wings to fly to my apartment again. As I walked, I glanced around at the citizens, who were all busily at work, going about their daily routine. Then I happened to walk past a couple of men, reading the paper while drinking tea.

"Man, it's just terrible," said one. "What is this world coming to?"

"What is it this time?" asked the second. "Something bad?"

"Yes. Another church burned down," said the first.

I then stopped and looked back, and feeling a bit curious; I pretended not to listen as I eavesdropped on their conversation.

"You're kidding," said the second man. "That's the fifth one this week. I've heard about several other churches being burned down all over Fiore. It's a darn shame, I tell you. To think that someone would stoop so low to burn down churches."

"Yeah, I hear you," said the first. "It also says that even the Magic Council's stumped as to who's doing this, but they're trying their darndest to find the culprit."

"More like they're dragging their boots," said the second, rolling his eyes. "If they were trying as hard as they claimed, they would have caught the guy already. I just hope that these incidents don't interfere with the Archbishop's visit."

"Oh, yeah. It's about that time of year when that guy visits this area," said the first. "I think he's going to be doing some ritual or something."

But I didn't pay attention to what they were talking about after that. I was mostly intrigued by the burned down churches the two men were reading about in the paper. It made me wonder who exactly was behind the incidents and why they were doing it. At first, I didn't think it had anything to do with me, but then I had a thought. It was a bit of a stretch, but these incidents might have been connected.

"It's obvious that some dark guild's behind the fires, but maybe there's a possibility that they're being caused by whoever killed Finn. It's a long shot, but it could be possible. Looks like it's time for me to hunt for some info again."

Later that night, I waited until everyone in town was asleep, including Lucy, who was right next door to me. When I was sure that everyone was sleeping, I got out of bed and began changing my clothes. I wrapped my neck, wrists, and ankles to cover up my scars, and I put on my black pants, hoodie, boots, and my falcon mask. Then I quietly opened my window and stepped out, shutting it behind me, and took off into the misty night.

After a while, I was in another town a great distance away from Magnolia, thanks to a few train hopping and flying. It was a place called Belsart that was just between Clown Town and Oshibana. This place wasn't well known and didn't even have a guild, but dozens of wizards came here to trade information and or buy things from the black market. It was a great place to find info, but if you're not careful, you could wind up getting yourself into a bad situation.

When I arrived in town, I glanced down from a rooftop, trying to find a particular location. After a few seconds, I spotted it just a distance away. It was a pub that had a giant neon sign that flashed bright letters that read, "The Vulcan's Head," with a large head of a Vulcan drinking a mug of beer. I jumped from rooftop to rooftop until I landed in an alley where the pub stood a few feet away. Once I arrived, I made sure that no one else was around, then I walked out of the alley and towards the pub entering it.

Inside, there were lots of people, mostly men, with a couple of women either drinking their cares away, playing poker, watching dancers, and having a good time. Overall, this was just like something you would see from on a media lacrima where all the bad guys hung out.

I made my way towards the bar to my left, taking my seat close where the bartender was serving a couple of drinks to some patrons. The guy was a stout gentleman with bushy black hair yet a clean chin. When he finished, he came over to me.

"So, what'll be for tonight, buddy?" the bartender asked me. "Something hard or soft?"

"A water will do just fine, thank you," I told him. "And put plenty of ice in it."

"Whatever you say," said the bartender. "One cup of water coming up."

The bartender then went to get me my drink while I waited where I sat, listening to the sounds of the pub that went on around me. As I did, I sensed someone walking up to me, which caused me to turn around. It was a young woman who appeared to be about a few years older than I was, wore a bikini top with a pair of skintight shorts, and thigh-high socks with boots. She also had long light pink hair and looked pretty curvy.

"Hey there, Mr. Masked Man," the woman said to me. "You here all by yourself? If so, then how's about you and I have a couple of drinks together? Just the two of us?"

Knowing that this girl smelled like trouble from the look of her, I didn't say anything trying my best to ignore her. The girl then wrapped her arms around my neck from behind, making sure that her chest was pressing against my back as she spoke right into my ear.

"Come on, sweetie. I know you're feeling lonely," she cooed into my ear. "How's about you and I go and have a little fun~? I promise you that we'll have a good time~."

At that moment, I looked towards the girl. "Sorry, but I don't have any money, so I can't accommodate you and your needs," I said. "Besides, I ain't interested, so why don't you mosey along?"

The girl then let go of me and walked away in a huff, when I was sure that she was out of sight, I couldn't help but let out a sigh with relief.

"Geez. That girl was pressing on me like nobody's business. I thought for sure that she wouldn't let me go. Man, if I'm not careful, I could end up in somebody's bed, and that's a bad road I don't want to walk on."

The bartender then returned, placing a cup of water with big chunks of ice before me. "There you go, Mac," he said. "Fresh from the freezer, on the house."

I gave the bartender my thanks and started to drink my water, when I heard a loud cheer coming from just a few feet away. I looked behind me, and I saw a group of five men playing a game of cards, which from the looks of things, appeared to be poker. One of these men, who was muscular, bald, with a long beard, laughed with victory and scooped up a large pile of Jewel in his hands.

"Oh, yeah! I win again!" the bearded man said. "Looks like it's my lucky night!"

The other four weren't as happy, and three got up from their chairs and left save one that remained. Not long after that, two more men came up to Beard Boy's table, one guy appearing to be thin as straw, and the other was a small chubby little guy. Little Chubby then placed some jewel on the table as did Mr. Skinny.

"Deal the cards, Mac," Mr. Skinny said. "We're playing, too."

"Fine by me," Beard Boy grinned. "I've been on a hot streak, so keep the jewel coming!" He then began to shuffle his cards, preparing to deal them out, when he looked across to the man that remained from the previous game, which was a man with a scarf wrapped around his lower face.

"What's the matter, chump? You going to bet or what?" Beard Boy asked. "Or is this game out of your price range?"

Bandanna Lad looked at his remaining jewel, hesitant and silent, furrowing his brow. At first, I was expecting him to pull out while he still had his pride, but then, the most surprising thing happened. Bandanna Lad dug into his pocket and then placed something on the table in his hand.

"I'm going to use this as payment," Bandanna Lad said. "It's all I have."

Then, my eyes went wide with shock, my heart almost stopping in its tracks. The item that Bandanna Lad placed on the table on top of the jewel, was a vial filled with a familiar black substance. The moment I saw it, memories of my time back in the B.O.M.D flashed through my mind as I stared right at it. Beard Boy and the others inspected the vial and couldn't help but feel less than impressed.

"And what the hell is that supposed to be?" asked Mr. Skinny. "Looks like you took some water from a septic tank and put it in a vial."

"That stuff is no ordinary liquid," Bandanna Lad said firmly. "That's a special kind of drug designed to enhance all of a wizard's powers and capabilities."

"You're pulling my leg!" Little Chubby snapped. "There's no such thing!"

"It's true! This is real!" insisted Bandanna Lad. "I stole this from a guy in a fight once. I heard that this was made by someone who specializes as a scientist and a wizard. I figured that it'd be worth something, you know?"

"Interesting," Beard Boy said, as he picked up the vial inspecting it. "This thing's worth a fortune on the black market." He looked back at Bandanna Lad. "Alright, then."

Hearing this, I slowly rose from where I stood, my eyes never leaving the table where the four men sat. The very lead I had been looking for since I started this search. I knew right then and there; I had to get my hands on that vial. And there was only one way for me to do it.

I quietly walked on over and took my seat just in between Bandanna Lad and Mr. Skinny. "You got room for one more?" I asked.

Beard Boy and the others looked up, a bit surprised to see me.

"And who might you be, Bub?" asked Little Chubby.

"Just someone passing through that's taken an interest in your game," I replied, as I slapped a couple of large bills of Jewel on the pile. "That should cover it, right?"

Beard Boy's eyes sparkled as he almost drooled in delight. "Yes, it will," he said as he grinned. "Let's play."

He soon finished shuffling his deck and dealt the cards, each one of us getting five cards for a hand. I took a good look at my hand, trying to see what my chances were. The cards I had seemed to be suitable enough, but the most important thing was to keep my wits about me, which was the most important thing when playing this game. We all then exchanged a card or two, and after a few minutes, we were ready to show our hands.

Little Chubby went first. "Check this out," he bragged as he set his cards down. "A three of a kind."

"Hah! I got you beat, chump!" laughed Mr. Skinny as he slapped his cards down. "Got myself a straight!"

"A Full House," said Bandanna Lad, smiling as he showed his cards.

Beard Boy then laughed. "Sorry to disappoint you, boys, but those cards ain't worth spit up against a four of a kind."

He then laid out his cards on the table, showing that he had four tens. The others let out disgruntled and defeated groans, knowing that they lost the game. But then, as Beard Boy was about to take his winning, I placed my hand on the table in front of them, causing everyone to look towards me. When they saw what I had in my hand, their eyes almost popped out of their sockets. My hand had cards comprising of a two, a three, a four, a five, and a six, all of them being in the same suit being spades.

"Y-You got to be kidding me!" cried Mr. Skinny. "A Straight Flush?!"

"So it would appear," I said, as I folded my hands. "It seems as though I've won, so I'll be taking my earnings now."

I had just barely grasped the vial along with the jewel on the table, when suddenly, Little Chubby and Mr. Skinny all shot to their feet, glaring daggers at me.

"This is a load a crap!" snapped Mr. Skinny. "You cheated!"

"Yeah! You had to have switched up the cards somehow!" accused Little Chubby. "Admit it!"

"How could I have possibly done that when you saw the dealer deal the cards yourself?" I asked calmly. "It sounds to me that you two are acting like a bunch of sore losers."

The two dug into their clothes, and each whipped out a magic handgun. The moment they did, the entire atmosphere changed, and some people even stopped to stare.

"Oh, a wise guy, eh?" Mr. Skinny scowled. "Let's see how tough you are when you got these in your face!"

"Yeah! Admit you cheated, or we'll blow your brains out!" demanded Little Chubby.

I remained where I stood, not saying anything as I glanced up at them, wiggling my fingers as I got ready. Then, I straightened out my hand, I rapidly sliced at them two times, aiming for their guns and cutting them in two, and then I gave them both a swift kick to their jaws knocking them both flat on their backs onto the floor. As Little Chubby and Mr. Skinny groaned in confusion, feeling stunned, I used my magic to cover my hands in water, turning them into long blades and pointed dangerously at their faces, causing their skin to pale as I gazed at them.

"As I said before, you're both acting like sore losers," I told them. "Normally, I would punish those who would threaten me with their lives, but since I'm in a good mood right now, I'll let the two of you off with a warning. But the next time you try a stunt like that again, you won't be so lucky."

Little Chubby and Mr. Skinny looked at my blades and then back up to me and nodded in understanding. I then took my prize money along with the jewel and then took my leave, walking away from the table. As I walked away, my heart couldn't help but start beating a few ticks faster.

"Whew. Well, that was a bit nerve-wracking. If anything else happened, then there would have been a whole ton of trouble. But on the other hand, I got my lead."

When I exited the bar, I inspected the vial with the strange substance, holding it between two fingers.

"I still can't believe it. The very same gunk that was used to experiment on me is right here in the palm of my hand. But it makes me wonder where that guy got his hands on something like this. If he managed to get some of this, then there has to be a source, or a manufacturer that makes this stuff. One thing's for sure; there's only one person I know who knows how to make this stuff, and has to be connected to all of this. Silver Beard."

The mere thought of that man, made my blood grow hot as I clenched the vial tightly in my hand. Just then, I heard a voice.

"Hey, you. The guy with the vial."

I looked up, and I saw Beard Boy walking up to me. Thinking that he wanted to get up in my face about the game, I tensed up, ready to pounce if he tried anything. But Beard Boy was smiling.

"I gotta say, that wasn't too bad what you just pulled off," Beard Boy said. "A lucky player and a skilled fighter are what I'd like to see in a person."

"Did you come all this way just to butter me up for my prize?" I asked. "Because I have no intention of giving up this vial."

"Now, come on. You got me all wrong, stranger," Beard Boy said. "I'm not interested in that weird stuff anyway. Although, I am curious as to why you would want such a thing in the first place, considering that you're already plenty strong enough."

"I need this for information," I told him as I looked back at the vial.

"Information, you say?" Beard Boy hummed. "Then today is your lucky day. Perhaps I could be of some assistance for your information hunt. My eyes have seen a lot of things, and my ears have heard a lot."

"I'm interested in finding out wherever this stuff came from," I said. "You said before that this was worth a fortune, so you must know something about this. If you want to get paid, I'd be happy to pay you for your info."

I then handed Beard Boy a lump of jewel as proof, and the guy's eyes shone with greed as he eagerly took it.

"Now you're talking, buddy," Beard Boy grinned. "So, what do you want to know?"

"Everything," I said. "Tell me what this is, where it came from, who's making it, all of that."

Beard Boy hummed thoughtfully for a few seconds before responding. "Let's see. For starters, that stuff you're holding is called Toxin Ooze, and it recently started showing up on the Black Market a couple of years ago. As that other guy said before, this stuff is supposed to be an enhancing drug that increases a wizard's magic power, strength, speed, pretty much everything a wizard uses in a fight. When it comes to where it came from, I have no clue, but rumor has it that it came from somewhere up north the continent, created by some crazy mad scientist. No idea what his name is, though. That's all I know at the moment."

"You sure you ain't just holding back information?" I asked, getting a bit impatient. "Because if you're lying to me..."

"N-No, sir. I'm telling you the truth! That's all I know!" Beard Boy gulped. "But, I do have something that you could use."

He then dug into his pocket and handed me a small card that had a fist holding a sledgehammer with large letters that read: "Hammerfist" on it.

"There's a guy I know that runs a fighting club somewhere in Akane Beach. His name's Swanson," Beard Boy said. "He's got more information about that scientist guy more than I ever could. Just show him that card he'll help you find what you're looking for."

"Well, thank you kindly for help," I said, putting the card in my pocket.

I then started to walk away from when I heard Beard Boy call out to me again.

"Hey. Stranger. What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't," I replied, as I broke into a run and jumped into the and onto the rooftops.

After a few more hours, I soon came back to Magnolia and was almost at the apartment complex. I felt pretty tired and a bit exhausted as I hopped and ran across the rooftops.

"Geez. What a pain. I thought I would never get back home," I yawned. "I can't wait to get back in my room and get some sleep."

I soon could see the apartment in view, and with one more leap, I landed right on top of it. I had just started to walk towards my window, going past Lucy's when I suddenly heard something that made snap my head towards the direction I heard it. What I saw made my eyes go wide from behind my mask. In Lucy's window, someone was staring straight back at me with eyes about as wide as a deer's, and it wasn't Lucy. It was the girl that I ran into earlier today, Michelle. The girl and I stared at each other, then the girl took a deep breath and let out a shrill scream.

"KYAAAAAAA! BURGLAR!"

That's all for now, folks! If you want me to improve on something or want to praise me, feel free to review!

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Dragomaster, signing off!