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September 14th, X778


The cellar was dark, chilly, and damp. The smell of earth was heavy in her nose. Scared despite the brave face she was trying to put on, Lucy rubbed her hands together and puzzled over what she ought to do. She was exceptionally lucky that they'd chosen to not root through her things. She didn't want them noticing her keys. But it did make her wonder why they'd not – until she recalled their biggest weapon against strangers: a literal goddess under their thumb.

Lucy began checking out her surroundings without much else to do. There were no Vhalis here, at least. That was the last thing she needed. She suspected the wards Levy had set up somehow prevented them from entering the area. She just hoped that protection spread to Natsu and the others.

There was nothing in the cellar but a singular, rectangular window, no more than a foot tall and two or three wide. It hung just above her head. Lucy couldn't peer out of it without jumping a little. She lifted her hand to touch it, considering. She could squeeze herself through if she could haul herself up that high, but it was made of plexiglass, which would be a hell of a lot harder to break than actual glass.

Several voices suddenly called out, muffled by the cellar walls. Lucy flinched. She eyed the window before grudgingly settling beneath it, wrapping her arms around her legs and planting her chin on her knees. She'd need to wait until there were less people out and about. She needed to have a better chance at not getting caught. And when she did escape, she was going to kick Gajeel's ass. She didn't need to scold Wendy, who had nothing to do with this, and Natsu, who probably felt guilty enough to make up for it all.

Waiting did give her time to figure out how she planned to escape. She couldn't use her hands to break that window, and Lucy didn't think any of the keys she'd used thus far would be too helpful. She fumbled with them in her pocket as she thought it over, and one particular key grew warm. She yanked it free to study it. Taurus, she noted, cocking her head. She'd not used this particular key yet.

She sat there for what felt like ages, waiting. Eventually, the sun had fallen behind the horizon, and there were no signs of any people out and about. When Lucy hauled herself up, managing to peer out the window of the cellar for a few moments, she couldn't see anyone either. She didn't even hear any signs of someone outside. They were really confident about keeping her in, which worried Lucy immensely. Was it because of Levy? Regardless, she'd try.

"Alright," whispered Lucy as she hopped down. "I don't know what you do, but help me out? Please?"

The key she'd been holding began to shift, growing heavier and heavier until Lucy found herself holding what she thought might be a war hammer of sorts. It was larger than she'd have liked and would likely make a racket, but she weighed it confidently in her hand. "Let's do this," she muttered, bracing herself. She hefted it up and over her head. It slammed against the plexiglass. A grin split over her face when she realized the hammer somehow muffled the crash as it went straight through. Lucy broke the window a little more to make more room, and then tucked the key it turned into back in her pocket with a whispered thanks.

Lucy threw her bag out first, then hefted herself up with a grimace. She squeezed through the window and pulled herself forward on her elbows. "Ha," she whispered, proud of her escape attempt.

Her pride vanished as tattered, dirty white fabric fluttered in her face. Lucy snapped her head back to look and discovered a familiar face peering down at her. Levy looked mildly amused by her escape attempt, blue hair framing her exhausted face rather than ragged clumps. "You're quite resourceful."

Slowly, Lucy finished crawling through the window. She ignored the sting of a cut on her cheek from broken plexiglass. She stood up cautiously and brushed her hands off, then grabbed her backpack. "Thank you?" Lucy said uncertainly, voice quiet. She glanced around, wary of anyone who might come running. She'd been trapped longer than she'd have liked, and she was sure Natsu and Wendy would be frantic. She'd been meant to meet Natsu at noon; it was well past sunset now.

Levy studied her with unnerving intensity. "Gajeel…he's truly here?"

"Natsu, too."

Levy recoiled as if Lucy had thrown a brick at her. "They shouldn't be. Gajeel can't wander this plane for too long without wreaking havoc, and Natsu is never granted permission to leave Valhalla."

She didn't know. Lucy's lips parted at the realization that Levy did not know about the Fall. How long had she been imprisoned here? They didn't have the time to get into that right now though. Not as Levy said hastily, "You need to guide them away from here, before Erigor knows they're close."

Suspecting Erigor to be the man with the tattoos that Lucy had met, she said urgently, "Do you know where your diale is? Gajeel said it was here. We thought you might be trapped by it – that someone had it."

Fondness caressed Levy's face as she brushed a finger against her ear. "He would know," she murmured, pausing as she touched a steel bar that crossed through the top of her ear, stretching the width of it. Levy dropped her hand. "No. I don't. I've looked, and looked, and looked, and I can't find where he's hidden it." Grief flooded her eyes before it was erased just as quickly. "And you won't have the time to search before Erigor knows something is wrong. I'll have to tell him that you've escaped. I don't have a choice."

Lucy felt terrible about threatening to abandon the goddess where she was. She was clearly miserable. Who knew what she'd been through in her time under someone else's control? "We'll get you out of here," Lucy promised fiercely, understanding Gajeel's ferocious determination. "I'll be back–"

"Do not," snarled Levy, a mournful expression replaced with centuries of wrath, "put other gods at risk. Should a man like Erigor control the god of warfare – the sun – then the world will be in ruins."

"I won't let them get hurt." It came out kinder than Lucy thought.

Levy's shoulder slumped. She gestured to the treeline behind the cul-de-sac. "That way. I can't sense them, but the trees whisper to me. Go that way. Oh," she added as Lucy turned to leave, already trying to figure out how she would tell Gajeel she'd left Levy behind, "I can only give you a few minutes. I'll deny them the warning as long as I can, but…"

Run like hell then. Lucy gave her a final smile. "Thanks," she told her, and then took off at a sprint. She'd not stop running until she found someone else to help her avoid the danger she'd put herself in. She'd have to break free of Levy's labyrinth first, but as long as she kept going straight, surely someone would find her. She had Natsu's scarf, after all.

Tree branches and thick, green shrubbery tore at her face as Lucy ran, and she hissed at the sting of their blows. She did her best to twist around trees without slowing her pace, watching every step she took as best as she could in the dusk that made it nearly impossible. A different fir tree seemed to appear right in front of her face every few moments.

The braying of hounds caught Lucy off guard, and terror wormed its way in. They had hunting hounds. What the hell was wrong with these people?! There were Vhalis that could be attracted to them because of those hounds! Regardless, chilled by the idea of being caught by them, Lucy pushed herself to move faster. She fished in her pocket as she ran, trying to figure out which key she wanted to use if it came down to it.

Had it been one dog, Lucy might have stood a chance with Scorpio's dagger or even Taurus's war hammer. There were definitely more than one though – she could tell simply by the barking and howling deafening her. "Come on, come on, come on," chanted Lucy as she ran, breathless. She could practically feel those jaws snapping at her heels, feel their teeth tearing at her skin–

She screeched when she slammed into something. She bounced off, nearly tumbling back to the earth, but a hand snagged her arm to prevent her from falling. Lucy reeled back, ready to fight to the death – only to wheeze a semi-hysterical laugh. "Gajeel," she choked out, and he stared at her with widened eyes, clearly not having expected to find her in this way.

"Help," Lucy added hopefully, baring her teeth in a wild, humorless grin. A dog brayed behind her. When she looked back, there were a few loping into view. They'd have been beautiful animals in any other situation, with their drooping jowls and long ears and heavy wrinkles. Lucy recalled seeing them on the internet – a Bloodhound, she believed, bred for tracking.

Gajeel snorted and rolled his eyes. He shoved Lucy aside with a surprisingly gentle push. Lucy was more than happy to let him take control of the issue, too tired and scared to pretend she was in her right mind to handle the situation at hand. Gajeel smirked at the hounds, dropping into a crouch with his elbows perched on his knees. "Not bad for a bunch of mutts," he commented.

A hound lunged for Gajeel's face with a snarl, but Gajeel handled the attack with ease. He scruffed the dog and pinned it to the earth. The snarl that burst from deep in his chest was a thunderous sound. The other hounds froze, unsure. One even whimpered. Then, almost as one, they turned tail and ran. The one Gajeel had pinned thrashed until he released it and when he had, it bolted after the others with a yelp. Gajeel rocked to his feet with a snicker. "You're a fuckin' mess," he told Lucy as she doubled over, hands on her knees, and greedily gulped air down into her lungs.

"Thanks," she gasped, scowling lightly at him. She straightened. As one hand raked through her tangled mess of golden hair, Lucy tightened her other around the keys still clutched tightly in her fingers – so tightly blood pooled in her palm and stained the metal. "Hey," Lucy muttered, still breathless, "just so you know…Levy sends…her regards."

She thought it might have been the first sincere smile he'd ever given her.


Lucy couldn't stop the smile that broke over her face when she spotted Natsu. His pink hair, dulled by the nighttime sky sprawled out so beautifully, stuck up in every direction and was lit only by the small fire he'd been building. "Natsu!" Lucy called, and he forgot his fire entirely. He snapped around, starting towards her with a relieved look on his face.

"Luce!" he yelped, and Wendy whipped around like a little whirlwind. She bolted over with a small cry, and Lucy laughed when Wendy crashed into her, throwing her arms around Lucy's waist.

Hugging Wendy back tightly and ignoring the irritable white feline glaring up at her, Lucy admitted, "I got caught. It might be a little worse of a situation than we initially thought, too." As Wendy pulled back to inspect the scratches on Lucy's skin, she launched into her tale, going into as much detail as she could. She ensured to stress the danger of the situation; there were guns, multiple men, and some kind of ceremony that freaked her out when she so much as thought of it. As she spoke, she and the others all settled onto the ground near Natsu's fire.

"So, how'd you get out of the cellar?" asked Natsu, poking at the embers. He rested only a few feet from her, with Gajeel on the other side of the fire from Lucy. Wendy had already retrieved one of her first-aid kits to tend to the multitude of scratches Lucy sported on her hands and face, and Lucy flinched when they stung from the ointment being dabbed on them.

Lucy flashed Natsu a quick, wicked grin. "How else? I used a key."

Gajeel's head snapped towards her so fast, she thought he'd pull a muscle. "You used a what?"

Lucy blinked once at him in confusion. "A key? Natsu gave them to me a while back, before you showed up." She pulled the ring out and jingled the keys pointedly to show him what she meant. "I used the Taurus key this time – to smash out a window."

Natsu beamed in pride even as Gajeel bristled like an angry porcupine. "Those are meant for the gods."

Not wanting to witness a fight between the pair yet again, Wendy scrambled to her feet and pointed to a spot to their left. "I'm going to go wash the ointment off my hands. I'll be right back."

"Watch out for Vhalis," Lucy called, concerned. She was reluctant to leave Gajeel and Natsu and go with her though, worried Gajeel might start another physical fight with Natsu now. Wendy beamed, promised to do so, and headed off with Charle hot on her heels.

"Lucy needs 'em more than we do," argued Natsu with a shocking amount of patience. "Besides, she didn't lose them, and because she has the keys, we know for sure Levy's around, and–"

Gajeel snarled, ready to throttle him, and Lucy intervened. She didn't want to risk another fight when they had more concerning things to worry about. The pair had been doing rather well on not breaking into fights recently. She'd hoped they could keep that streak going, and they didn't really have time for it. "Look, there was something about that Erigor guy…I think he's the one who has the diale, and I think he's the one we need to be worried about."

"No, we don't." Gajeel rocked forward, eyes gleaming with malice. "I can make sure he's not a problem ever again."

"He has Levy's diale," reminded Natsu. "If you kill him right away, we might not be able to find it. He's the only one who knows where it is." He glanced at Lucy, furrowing his brow. "A diale would show signs. If you dropped my scarf somewhere, there'd be signs of it – charred patches of ground, stuff like that. It'd burn. It'd smoke. Did you see anything that might show where Levy's is?"

Lucy shook her head. "Levy said she couldn't find it either. What kind of signs would we–"

"Gajeel."

The voice bounced off dark trees, warm and despairing at the same time. They all went entirely still. Every muscle in Gajeel's body seemed to lock up, and after a moment of complete, utter silence, Gajeel rocked to his feet. He spun around to face the springtime goddess hovering in the shadows beside a nearby tree, eyes glittering like those of a pixie in the darkness.

Slowly, Lucy began rising to her feet. Natsu stood, too, frowning at Levy from across his fire. "Levy," he said warily, eyes flickering with uncertainty. Levy hovered in the shadows, expression as blank as it had been earlier in the day. She scarcely seemed to recognize them. Her attention remained solely locked on Gajeel, and guilt twisted over her face before vanishing as if it had never existed at all.

Lucy realized two things. One, Wendy was across the way, likely clueless as to what was now happening. Two, Levy was there – away from the cul-de-sac she'd been imprisoned in for who knew how long, and it wasn't likely that she'd be alone.

Lucy had scarcely had the thought before there was an explosive amount of commotion that swirled around them. Gajeel bellowed in outrage and pain as the crack of a gunshot split the air, grabbing his arm instinctively as he staggered. His eyes bled with molten metal in his fury, just as quickly as golden ichor began to pour from the wound. Natsu barked Lucy's name in warning, lunging, only to stumble as another crack filled the air. Lucy shrieked Natsu's name, but couldn't take so much as a step towards him before something caught her hard over the head, stunning her. Lucy fell to her knees and was shoved onto her stomach from behind, face pressed into the snow and ice until she almost couldn't breathe. Lucy wiggled her wrist free of her pocket and shoved it painfully through her keyring to ensure they weren't lost as a scathing hum emanated from Natsu's vicinity, and her heart eased its panicked race just a little.

Natsu had likely been shot, but he was alright enough to be angry.

Just as suddenly as the chaos began, silence ended it.

"You have two options." Lucy recognized the voice immediately, frustrated that she'd not thought to keep an eye out for danger after everything. Erigor. And a few others, from the sound of shuffling in snow, slush, and ice. She should have known something would come from her escape. "I know what you are, and I know what the girl's not. You can either come along quietly, or I can shoot her through the head here and now. It'd be a shame," added Erigor wistfully, "to miss out on our little ceremony. But I'll make do if I need to."

Wendy. Lucy's head spun with panic and a lack of oxygen as Erigor pressed more of his weight down on her. She hoped Wendy hid, that they didn't find her.

"Well?" prompted Erigor when no one said a word.

Lucy turned her face to the side. Gajeel had ripped his attention away from Levy, gaze still churning with hot metal that glowed in the dark of the night. Even with only the fire to light his profile, Lucy could see blood dripping steadily from his fingertips. Natsu seemed no better, staring furiously at Erigor and cupping a hand over his neck. For a moment, Lucy nearly forgot to hold still, her panic increasing to a blinding level – until she realized he'd not been shot, for he dropped his hand. A bullet had merely grazed him. Several guns remained pointed at the pair of gods, who exchanged a quick glance. They came to a silent agreement.

Natsu said nothing, still humming, but Gajeel offered a curt nod. Natsu shifted uneasily as Erigor shifted, foot crushing his scarf against her neck. Lucy didn't dare try to move, even as Lucy wheezed for air when he shoved down. If Erigor figured out just what she wore–

Natsu's eyes flashed with the weakest of glows. "We agreed," he said coldly. "Now let her go."

Erigor laughed. He leaned down and wound his hand in Lucy's hair, dragging her to her feet. He grinned, almost amused by the way she hissed and pried at his hands, trying to relieve the painful pressure on her scalp. "No way in hell," he said smugly, and Lucy gave up when she felt something press into the small of her back. "You," Erigor ordered with a simple glance in Levy's direction. "Lead the way. We've got a ceremony to complete."

Levy faltered for just a moment before vanishing into the trees. Lucy could have sworn they bent aside, forming a path for them to follow. Erigor shoved her forward, past Natsu and Gajeel, and she craned her head desperately to catch Natsu's gaze when she passed. What do we do? she desperately wanted to ask him. Just because she often crafted plans for them to follow didn't mean she always had the answers.

Natsu tried to look reassuring as he rubbed the small trickle of ichor from his neck, but the pinch in his brow told her was as distressed and helpless as she was at the moment. He likely had the same questions as she did – the same fears, because he couldn't lift a finger with a gun pointed at her. Not unless Natsu was willing to risk his friend's life.

Lucy wanted so badly to check back just once to ensure their missing friend was safe, but she didn't dare. If they didn't know there was one more person running around, she didn't want to draw their attention to the matter.

She just hoped Wendy was safe and unharmed.


I ALMOST didn't update today due to some remodeling I'm doing, but managed to squeeze it in at the end of the day, and I'm thrilled about it. Chaos is breaking out and next chapter is one of my alltime favorites that I've written. ;)

Thanks to reviewers (BurstingDragons, xennia-x, Meow Orbit, stranger1999, dooryy, hopelesskar, Jellal Frenandes, Sir Sasquatch, XxStar'sDustxX, & takeagamble27!) as well as those who favorited and followed!