Here is the next chapter.
It is, however, on the shorter side, compared to the first chapter that is.
Consider the first chapter a double feature.
You know how they play a double feature of an episode when it's the opening or ending episode?
But Hopefully still just as good.
Hope you enjoy!
Now on with the show!
Laxus and the Thunder Legion walked up to a giant mansion that looked like it had seen better days. Laxus tilted his head before checking the address again to make sure it was the right place. He shrugged as he saw that it was the correct address.
Laxus sighed. "Let's get this over with." He said before moving forward toward the doors.
Laxus could never understand why rich people always had two doors instead of just one. But now that he thought about it, Fairy Tail had double doors. Maybe it was because it was the size of the building that made it seem like it was necessary to have them.
Once they reached the door Evergreen stepped forward and knocked on the door. It was her turn to greet the client and get the information they needed. They took turns minus Laxus unless he was on his own. They stood at the door waiting until Laxus went to sigh when his eyes snapped open.
"Something's not right," Laxus stated moving toward the door.
"What do you mean?" Evergreen asked.
Laxus sniffed the air before a growl escaped as he slammed his fist through the door. He expected the door to shatter into pieces but it didn't. It disappeared along with the rest of the mansion. The team stepped back as they watched the building disappear.
"What?!" Evergreen gasped.
A dark laugh echoed around them making them spin around looking for the source. Laxus growled as he narrowed his eyes to what looked like a cross in the middle of where the mansion was. The wooden cross had a very familiar symbol in the middle of it. At the base of the cross, there was a tombstone that said 'R.I.P: Here lies Fairy Tail'.
"Is this some sick joke?" Bickslow asked through gritted teeth.
"Well, obviously this was some sort of trap. But for what?" Freed asked thoughtfully.
"Does it matter?" Evergreen huffed. "Whatever this-" She pointed her hand toward the cross moving it up and down, "is, it's not funny in the least." She stated, crossing her arms under her chest.
Laxus sighed feeling irritated. He wanted to turn back around and go back to the guild and report everything back to his Gramps. But he had a feeling that they were forgetting something. And for the life of him, he couldn't remember what that was.
The team was looking around waiting to see if anything was going to happen when Bickslow's four totems floated in front of them. They were lowly humming a tune as they bobbed up and down.
"What's going on?" Evergreen asked as she took a step back from the floating totems.
"I don't know..." Bickslow muttered as he tried to take control of them. He gritted his teeth. "I'm being blocked," Bickslow growled.
"How on Earth can you be blocked?" Laxus asked fighting the urge to back away from the humming totems.
"I don't know." Bickslow ground out still trying to take back control.
The totems bobbed up and down as they started to dance in a circle. The totem's humming turned into a singing that made the team's eyes go wide.
"London Bridge is falling down
Falling down, falling down
London Bridge is falling down
My fair Lucy"
"No. Lucy." Evergreen whispered in horror.
That's when it hit Laxus. That's what he was forgetting. It wasn't a what though, it was a who. He couldn't understand how he could have forgotten about Lucy, the bubbly blonde that caught his eye from time to time.
"Build it up with Iron bars
Iron bars, Iron bars
Build it up with iron bars
My fair Lucy"
The totems continued to sing and dance, bobbing up and down in a circle.
"Bickslow, shut them down," Laxus growled turning his face toward him.
"I'm trying!" Bickslow grunted as he concentrated on his totems.
"Please hurry! They're creeping me out." Evergreen hissed.
Bickslow ripped his helmet off as his eyes glowed brighter than they normally did. He had to ramp up his magic to overpower whatever had taken over his babies. He wasn't going to let whoever or whatever it was win.
Laxus' head snapped toward the town. "What is that?" Laxus asked his eyes wide as what looked like Iron poles shot up through the ground in the distance.
"Iron bars will bend and break
Bend and break, bend and break
Iron bars will bend and break
My fair Lucy"
The iron poles started to bend before they snapped in half falling toward the town below. Laxus heard the screams of the villagers in the distance as the poles fell upon them. But it was one scream that echoed in his ears that he wished he could unhear.
Laxus' face paled as he heard that scream in the distance. His feet started moving before his brain could catch up with him.
"Boss!" Bickslow called out as he caught the totems as they fell out of the sky.
"Let's go!" Evergreen said as she took off to follow Laxus.
"What's going on?" Bickslow asked confused.
"It's Miss. Lucy. She's in the town." Freed said before following after the others.
"Well, he could have said that before he just took off," Bickslow grumbled but ran after the others.
Ten Minutes Earlier
Lucy walked out of the bathroom rubbing her hair with a towel. The shower definitely was needed. She walked over to her suitcase and pulled out her outfit. She figured she would get started as soon as the sun would start going down. That's when the grave robbers tended to strike. She just had to figure out what to do until then. She knew she was supposed to meet someone here but the lady downstairs said that something had come up. She wondered what that was but then thought that it really didn't matter. She knew what she had to do.
After pulling her purple tank over her head and putting it in place she sat on the bed where she started brushing her hair. She separated her hair into two parts and tied them at the base of her neck into pigtails.
She had just gotten done tying the second pigtail when something dropped onto her head and then into her lap. She blinked as she stared down at the wooden totem.
"Peppe?" Lucy whispered in disbelief. She wondered what he was doing here. Wasn't he supposed to be with Bickslow? She sighed. "What are you doing here?" She asked out loud as she raised the totem into the air and looked at it while she moved it from side to side.
The totem vibrated before it started to hum. It floated in the air, its movements were jerky like a puppet would be.
"Peppe? What's wrong?" Lucy asked as she stood from the bed.
She wanted to reach out to it but the glowing red eyes made her step back knocking herself back onto the bed. She stared at it as it started to shake and growl. Its eyes glowing red then green. Back and forth. They settled on green and turned to her.
"Run Lucy. Run. Get away, Lucy. Get Away." The totem chanted before its eyes turned back to red.
"Peppe?" Lucy whispered as she moved across the bed backward.
"London Bridge is falling down
Falling down, falling down
London Bridge is falling down
My fair Lucy"
The totem sang as its red eyes glowed brighter.
"Oh, this can't be good?" Lucy mumbled as she got off the bed on the other side.
The totem bobbed up and down as it went in a circle. Still humming that same song. Lucy slowly made her way backward toward the door. Her eyes never left the glowing red-eyed totem. She was just about to the door when the next verse started.
"Build it up with Iron bars
Iron bars, Iron bars
Build it up with iron bars
My fair Lucy"
The ground beneath her feet shook and rumbled. "Really not good," Lucy said as she tried to keep her balance. She looked around and saw the hotel room starting to fade. "What? What is going on?!" Lucy shrieked as the floor beneath her feet started disappearing.
That's when she saw the giant iron pole shoot through the ground right in front of her face causing her to scream. She fell onto the ground as more giant iron poles came through the ground.
"Where's Gajeel when you need him?" Lucy muttered as she pushed herself up to her hands and knees. She paled as she heard the next verse start. "Oh, no..." She whispered with widened eyes.
"Iron bars will bend and break
Bend and break, bend and break
Iron bars will bend and break
My fair Lucy"
She couldn't help but stare at the iron poles as they began to crack. She watched the crack get bigger and bigger before it broke off. She couldn't think, she just moved. She lunged forward out of the way with a scream as it crashed behind her directly by her feet. She looked behind her with wide frightened eyes.
Lucy couldn't help but look at Peppe. She knew he wasn't responsible for this, that he was being used to scare her. And it was working, but she couldn't leave Peppe behind. She didn't think Bickslow would be happy if she did.
She saw the totem swaying from side to side, the red glowing eyes starting to dim. She heard the beginning tune of the next verse start but before it could start the light went out in its eyes. She lunged toward it catching it before it hit the ground.
Lucy sighed in relief. "I've got you, little guy." She whispered. She looked up but saw more poles shooting through the ground. "Oh, boy," Lucy said getting to her feet and hugging the totem to her.
She heard a crack behind her but she didn't want to look. She knew what would be there. She also knew that she'd never be able to get out of the way in time.
She accepted her fate closing her eyes and tightening her hold on the totem in her arms. "It's not your fault. I hope you know that Peppe. I don't blame you." She whispered to the limp totem. She felt arms wrap around her but it didn't register at first. Only once she heard the crash of the pole did her eyes pop open. She looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Loke..." She whispered.
"Like I'd let a giant metal pole take you out. Give me some more credit than that Princess." Loke quipped.
Lucy smiled and nodded. "What do we do now? We can't fight an enemy we can't see." She said looking around.
"The caster has to be near. We have to find them." Loke said grabbing Lucy's arm and pulling her out of the way of another falling pole. "And we better do it fast!" Loke growled.
Lucy nodded. "Right. And how do we do that exactly?" Lucy asked.
Loke looked in thought before shrugging. "Maybe Plu?" He asked.
Lucy shook her head. "I don't know if he'd be able to track someone he doesn't know that he's looking for. Anyone in the guild sure. But a random person, I don't think he could." Lucy explained looking in thought. She wasn't sure if she should give it a shot considering the situation. They were dodging falling poles every few seconds. How would she get the chance to summon Plu? "All right." She said suddenly as they jumped out of the way of another falling pole. She grabbed the silver key and broke out into a run heading toward the forest treeline. "Come on, Plu, I need you!" Lucy said holding the key in front of her.
There was a gold flash of light leaving behind the small shaking white snowman-looking dog. "Plu!" He said holding his paw up.
"Plu! I need to track an unknown magical presence. Can you do it?" Lucy asked grabbing him out of the way of a falling pole.
Plu gave a sharp nod before jumping to the ground and sniffing around.
"Think he can find them?" Loke whispered to her. Lucy shot him a glare as Plu growled at him. Loke held his hands up in surrender. "Sorry! Just asking!" Loke chuckled.
Plu went back to sniffing as he made his way into the forest Lucy and Loke behind him. He smelled the forest and nothing but dirt and trees at first until he got further in. He stopped in his tracks and lifted his nose in the air. He sniffed before taking off with a growl.
"Plu! Wait up!" Lucy called out to him as she broke out into a run to go after him.
"He's fast," Loke grumbled as he ran with her.
Lucy followed Plu clutching the totem tightly to her. She didn't want to lose it. Bickslow would have her head if she did. The thought of why the totem was even with her briefly crossed her mind, but she dismissed it when the totem started acting crazy.
Plu ran into a clearing and stopped as he growled up at a man with a black hood who sat on a branch of a giant tree that sat in the middle of the clearing. Lucy and Loke skidded to a stop right behind Plu and looked up at the branch. They couldn't see his face fully, but they saw the smirk that he sported peeking out from under his hood.
"I'm surprised you were able to find me." The man chuckled. He sounded way too amused. "Fairy Tail, hm?" He asked as he nodded. "I was waiting on some Fairy Tail wizards to make their way here. But I could have sworn there were more of you." He shrugged. "Oh well, you'll do nicely." He continued as he jumped down from the branch.
"This guy gives me the creeps," Lucy mumbled under her breath.
"No kidding," Loke mumbled back.
"Plu, head back," Lucy commanded.
Plu growled one last time at the man in front of them. He didn't like being sent back but an order was an order. With a flash of light, the dog spirit was gone.
"Ah! How lovely. You're Fairy Tail's Celestial Wizard." The man sounded giddy as he rubbed his hands together. "This must be my lucky day, I always wanted to have a Celestial Wizard as a souvenir. My guild master is going to love you." The man gushed.
Lucy fought the shiver that wanted to go down her spine. This guy really creeped her out. She knew she was missing something about this entire situation. Nothing that was happening was making any sense to her at all. She could still hear the poles crashing to the ground back in the town. The weird thing was it didn't go near the treeline. Maybe this man was controlling everything? She wasn't sure but she did know that she couldn't let him go.
She knew she should have been paying better attention instead of thinking but she couldn't help it. She saw it coming toward her but she couldn't react quick enough.
Her hand was flying toward her whip at her hip when it hit her.
Five Minutes Earlier
Laxus and The Thunder Legion got to the town but they weren't able to get a good look around to try and find Lucy. There was no end to the poles shooting through the ground and then breaking and falling onto the town below them.
Laxus landed on his feet and quickly sniffed the air. He knew he didn't have much time to try and search for her before another pole would fall but he had to try. He knew he probably looked like a dog with his nose in the air sniffing the air but he didn't care how it looked, all he cared about was finding Lucy.
He jumped out of the way of a falling pole when he caught her scent. Lightning crackled around his form as he landed on a fallen pole.
"That way!" Laxus shouted to the rest of the team as he pointed to the forest treeline.
He jumped from the pole he was perched on heading toward the forest. He looked behind him to make sure the others were right behind him. He saw Evergreen and Freed flying while carrying Bickslow between them. He kind of felt bad for his friend. He's never seen Bickslow without his totems. And he had to admit the man looked depressed that he had to be carried around instead of riding on his totems.
He shot ahead knowing the others would keep up. They stopped at the tree line and looked around. The poles didn't come out this far. They were mainly situated in the town. Which Laxus thought was strange, but it made sense if the one behind it was using the forest as a hiding spot, they wouldn't want the spot trampled by poles.
Laxus sniffed the air again to make sure this was the right way. He caught her scent and knew she wasn't far from where they were.
"She's that way," Laxus said pointing into the forest.
"Why does it always have to be dark forests?" Evergreen grumbled.
"You just don't like getting leaves and sticks in your hair," Bickslow said, an eye roll clear in his voice.
"Stop it both of you. Ms. Lucy could be in trouble." Freed snapped with a hiss.
"Sorry!" Both Bickslow and Evergreen said at the same time.
Laxus shook his head, he always wondered why he kept them around. All they would do is bicker with each other. It gave him a headache most of the time, but as he thought about it, it was entertaining at times. But then there were times like this when the bickering was slowing them down.
"Let's go," Laxus growled before charging ahead.
"Right!" All three of them said as they followed behind him.
Laxus tried not to rush through the forest to find Lucy, he didn't want to lose his head if they encountered a horrible situation. That was the last thing they needed. He knew Lucy was a magnet for trouble but hoped they would get lucky this time and she'd be fine.
He heard the fluttering of wings behind him, so he knew the others were right behind him. He didn't pay much attention to where he was going because all he could focus on was Lucy's scent. The farther he went the stronger her scent got, until he got to a clearing and he saw something that made him see red.
All he could was watch. It seemed like it was happening in slow motion.
Lucy was standing there, her hand moving toward the whip at her side. The man that stood in front of her had his hand outstretched facing Lucy. Roots from the ground shot up through the ground as they headed toward Lucy. They wrapped around each other making a point at the end. The point was heading right toward Lucy's heart. He knew he would never make it in time to stop.
All he could do was watch.
"Peppe?" He heard whispered from behind him.
Peppe? He didn't understand what Bickslow's totem had to do with this situation but he couldn't focus on that. All he could focus on was Lucy.
As the pointed end of the tangled roots came closer and closer he saw what the voice behind him was talking about.
Lucy clutched a totem to her chest looking like she was protecting it from getting hurt. He couldn't understand that. The totem was made of wood, and it wasn't like Bickslow didn't have a ton more of those things lying around.
He watched in horror as it came closer and closer, but what he wasn't expecting was the once dead-looking totem's eyes glow. Next thing he knew Lucy was off her feet in the air.
But it wasn't enough to miss from getting hit by the spike made of tree roots.
It pierced her stomach going straight through her back.
He could see it all. How the spike pierced her skin, how it ripped and tore at the speed that it was going. How her blood burst and splattered outward. How eyes widened at the impact or was it from when she went airborne? He wasn't sure but it was like her face was frozen.
He knew it would take a long time to get that vision of her face out of his head.
Then he heard it.
A gasp and a whimper.
Then a groan of pain.
That's what snapped him out of it.
Laxus didn't know what happened next, but all he could hear was a roar that shook the ground beneath his feet.
And That is it for that chapter!
I hope you enjoyed it!
Stay tuned!
And as always, Thank you for the support!