So, time for the next chapter, and we're jumping pretty much right into probably one of the most important arcs in my story. The Oración Seis. So, let's get right into it!
Chapter 35: Dark Legacy
Title Song: Into the Fire - AtomMusicAudio
After the Fantasia Parade, Cait Shelter travelled back home to their village. There, they got back into the regular routine of training, helping the village and taking jobs.
Marcus was coming back into the guildhall with Dan, Alicia and Emi in tow, having gone and collected several wagons of logs from the forest. To protect the Worthwood Sea, Cait Shelter controlled where they cut the trees down, and always replaced the fallen trees with new saplings, which always got a head start thanks to Emi's Green Magic.
After handing over the carts to the carpenters, the four stepped into the guildhall. Lana had already made their drinks by the time they reached the bar. "Thanks Lana," Marcus said. His ice tea was very welcome after the morning routine. He noted the Master was missing from his chair. "Where's the Master?"
"Master Roubaul was called away on an emergency conference," Lana said.
Both then noticed Daiki had been doodling with his brush. Looking over, they saw at least forty bubbles linked to one large one, with three names in it. Each bubble had a name of their own. Two were slashed out, and another was completely isolated from the others.
"Wait… I think I know this…" Emma said.
"It is a chart of all known Dark Guilds. I wanted to show some of our younger members just how much darkness was in Fiore," Daiki explained. "News has reached us that they have been a slight more active as of late."
"What's that bubble in the middle?" Asked Emi.
"It's the Balam Alliance. Three Dark Guilds that stand together at the top of the food chain. Grimoire Heart. Oración Seis. Tartaros. All three control the movements of an equal number of Dark Guilds. You recall the incident that happened in Clover with the Eisenwald Guild," Marcus brought up.
"And Ghoul Spirit, which was taken out by the Thunder Legion from Fairy Tail as well," Carla added.
"But there's one guild on this chart that acts independently to the others. Raven Tail," Alicia noted.
"Speaking of the Balam Alliance," All turned as Roubaul stepped into the guildhall. "I have come with news from the conference. Oración Seis has been on the move as of late. We have been asked to form a coalition of guilds. Fairy Tail. Blue Pegasus. Lamia Scale. And us, Cait Shelter. Our objective is to destroy the Oración Seis."
"No way. We're going to war with Oración Seis?" Hyde blinked.
"Correct. I'll be selecting a team of you kids to go and join the strike team. For those who don't go on the mission, I will ask that you remain here on standby," Roubaul nodded, walking through the gathering and climbing into his chair. "Now. Listen well. I never want to put you brats in harms way. I never want to see you head off into potentially mortal combat. Oración Seis are a guild of killers. They will not hesitate to end your lives. But I have faith that you will come back successful."
The horse drawn cart went along the road. Destination: Guild Master Bob's residence. It was the meeting place with the other guilds where they would get more of a briefing on the Oración Seis' movements and members.
Marcus was driving. "These new motion sickness pills work a treat. I don't feel as much a slight twitch of illness," He said.
"I'm glad. Troia only works so much before it becomes ineffective so it's good that you found something that can help," Wendy said. She was sat beside him, watching the road from the front.
In the back was the rest of their team. "Not sure if I was one of the best calls for this. I'm sure Daiki or Dan would have been a better choice," Alicia said.
"Master wanted Daiki and Dan to hold back. And don't sell yourself short. You're plenty strong yourself you know," Hyde pointed out.
Carla and Melody sat in their cat forms. "Thousand jewel Natsu's coming," Melody said.
"That's a given. Salamander might be a bit of a brainless brute, but his strength and tenacity goes without question," Carla said. "I expect Titania and Sarah to be there too. That tomcat will as well."
"You didn't see him in Magnolia. That 'tomcat' as you call him is stronger than you think," Melody said.
"Looks like we're here. And not the first it seems," Marcus noted another cart with a boar outside.
Tying their horse to a tree, the team of six stepped into the building. Seven figures stood in the middle of the large mansion, one sat on the floor.
Marcus immediately recognised the salmon pink hair of Natsu sat down, still recovering from transportation. Standing randomly around the room were the rest of Team Natsu. Erza, Gray, Lucy and Happy. Also standing were Sarah and Kione.
"Hey. Glad to see you again so soon," He said.
"Likewise. I'm glad we can count on the Fairy-Cat alliance to hold strong," Sarah smiled lightly.
"Marcus, Wendy, Alicia and Hyde. Not to mention Carla and Melody. Good. I remember you all being exceptionally strong wizards," Erza said. "It's good to have you here."
"Yes! They're here at last!" A voice cut out.
"At last!" Echoed two more.
"Hello!"
"Hello!"
"Fairy Tail!"
"Fairy Tail!"
"Cait Shelter!"
"Cait Shelter!"
"WIZARDS!"
What the hell is… oh god no… Marcus realised what was happening.
A spotlight got their attention, casting down on three individuals standing in the room.
The first was an unkempt, messy haired, brownish-blonde young man. He wore a dark, double-breasted suit with a pair of distinct light lines around his sleeves and at the bottom of his pants. The Blue Pegasus emblem was embroidered on his left shoulder. He wore this over a blue, pinstriped shirt, closed around the neck by a dark tie and polished dress shoes.
The second was a younger, shorter boy with blonde hair in a neat bowl-cut. He wore the same outfit as the first, with key differences being cross-like motifs on the sleeves and pants and a pink shirt underneath. His emblem was lilac on his left shoulder and wore a purple tie around his neck and polished loafers.
The third was a darker skinned young man with dark, spiky hair at shoulder length. Like his others, his outfit was a suit, the jacket left open to show a yellow, leopard-print shirt. The collar was left open to show a small metal necklace around his neck. He wore polished, dark dress shoes.
"We're so glad you've come!" They all said.
"We are…" Blue.
"The Blue Pegasus…" Pink.
"Elite crew…" Yellow.
"The Trimens!" All three.
"Hundred Knights Hibiki Lates," Blue said.
"Holy Knight Eve Tearm," Pink said.
"Still Knight Ren Akatsuki," Yellow finished.
Marcus was already growing a migraine from these three. And he knew that if these three were involved… he wasn't far behind. In fact, he could smell him already.
The trimens began to try and woo the girls, starting with Erza, then Lucy. It wasn't working. Then they tried Sarah and Kione. "Enough," Sarah said. Purple energy wisped around her. "I'm not interested in your stupid games."
"And I've already got myself an interest…" Kione said.
Mission failed, the trimens turned their interest to Cait Shelter, beginning with Alicia. "Back off boys. Dan won't be pleased to see you flirting with his girl," Hyde said.
"And even try with Wendy and I'll freeze you where you stand," Marcus added.
"Not interested," Melody and Carla both said.
"Calm down men. Give these ladies some breathing room," Another voice spoke up, coming down the stairs.
Marcus inwardly groaned. He'd met this… man before. And his dragon slayer nose hated every second of it.
"Yes, Ichiya, sir!" Ren said.
"Him? Oh dear…" Erza mumbled.
"It's been a long time Miss Scarlet," The voice, Ichiya, said.
"Yes… a long time… I never expected to see you here," Erza… no… Erza Scarlet was trembling.
"Oh it's been far too long, my sweet honey! But do not cry! For I am here!" Ichiya said. He was a short and stout man with a rather rectangular face. A large flat nose and prominent cheekbones. He had dark eyes and orange, wavy hair. His attire consisted of a white suit with elbow long sleeves, with distinctive pants ending below his knees in dark hems. On his shoulder was his emblem in orange, and under his jacket, he wore an orange shirt and a red bow tie. A blue rose was on his left breast, and he had a bandolier of vials around his right hip.
"My sweet honey?!" Demanded Lucy and Happy. Sarah snorted.
"A surprise! A reunion! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes!" Ichiya spoke, sliding down the railing. The trimens echoing his words with gusto.
"We didn't know she was your girlfriend Mr Ichiya!" They said. "Please forgive our rudeness."
"That is not true!" Erza snapped. Sarah was laughing quietly behind her.
"You idiots! We have work to do!" Ichiya barked at the trimens, who tidied up their mess in a moment's notice.
"Enough with the flirting." Marcus had seen and heard enough. "This isn't a social call and you know it."
"He's correct. And let's see some courtesy. Lamia Scale deserves better respect," A new voice came from the door.
A white-haired young man had appeared in the doorframe, sporting a white jacket reaching down to his waist, distinguished by large, dark fur trimmings around the neck and cuffs, together with similarly dark belts circling each of his arms, one above the elbow, the other above his furry cuff. Underneath was a dark purple tunic, with light purple trim. His pants were made of what seemed to be snakeskin, with a pair of simple dark boots.
"It's you," Gray gasped.
"It's you…" The newcomer greeted with the same distain.
"Care to fill in the blanks?" Marcus leaned towards Happy.
"Lyon Vastia. He and Gray share a history and trained under the same master. Long story short, Lyon tried to dethaw a demon encased in ice shell by their master. Gray and the rest of us managed to stop him," Happy said.
"But he wasn't alone then, and he isn't now!" A female voice added. "Marionette attack: Carpet Doll!" The carpet on the floor rose up, sending Lucy and Kione flying.
"What did I and Kione do?!" Lucy asked. Kione landed without trouble. "Wait a tic. I know that magic."
A pink haired woman was at the door. Compared to Lyon, her outfit was very simple. She was a curvaceous girl wearing a pink dress with black trim which went to below her knees, and pink pumps.
"And she is?" Sarah asked.
"Sherry Blendy. One of Lyon's comrades from the Galuna fiasco. Ignore all the stuff she spews about 'Love'," Lucy explained.
"Enough!" A powerful voice cut through the senseless prattle. "We are here to work as a group to destroy the Oración Seis!"
The newest voice was belonging to a commanding presence. He was bald, and had a stern look on his face. He wore a blue and white sash around his neck with a gold trim at the base. It stopped halfway down his torso, showing his impeccable physique. His arms were wrapped in scale sleeves, and he wore a black long loincloth held by a simple belt. The loincloth had a motif of white arches with the Fleur-de-lis cross above each arch. It was lined by yellow fur.
"Is that…" Hyde gasped.
"Yes Jura." Lyon nodded.
"That's Jura?" Erza asked.
"That's really him?" Ren speculated.
"Lamia Scale's top man. Iron Rock Jura," Hibiki elaborated.
"Who?" Natsu asked.
"That guy is one of the Ten Wizard Saints! Like Makarov and Jose," Sarah said.
"Hang on. Seven from Fairy Tail and six from Cait Shelter? We only needed three," Sherry said.
"That's not a boast pinkie," Sarah said, her face back to being stern. "If anything, it shows your Master is underestimating the Oración Seis. Wizard Saint or not."
"Regretfully, we're all that were available," Jura explained. "Regardless, it seems all four guilds have arrived. We can begin the briefing whenever ready."
"Excellent idea! Right after I make a letter of the alphabet," Ichiya said, and scurried away to the little troll's room.
"TMI!" Marcus said, covering Wendy's ears. Sarah was doing the same with Kione.
When he came back, they could finally start. "Much better. Now. To the north of here lies the Worthwood Sea. There, the ancients sealed a powerful force. A magic called Nirvana!"
"Wait… in the Worthwood Sea? That's practically on our doorstep!" Hyde gasped.
"Although, the woods are massive. It could be on the far side for all we know," Alicia noted.
"We don't know much about this magic other than it's name… and that it's destructive in nature," Ren said.
"And that the Oración Seis wants it badly," Eve added.
"We know that's why they've been on the move lately, and most recent intel said they're at the edge of the Worthwood Sea," Hibiki continued.
"To that end…" Ichiya said.
"We must destroy the Oración Seis," The four said. Posing, again.
"Enough posing…" Marcus sighed.
"I'm glad it's not just me…" Lucy agreed.
"I think they're starting to grow on me," Gray chuckled.
"We may have the advantage in numbers, but remember," Ren said.
"We can not underestimate them," Eve added.
"They're incredibly strong. We may well be in over our heads," Hibiki finished. He snapped his fingers, a yellow window of magic appearing with a second window with keys underneath.
"That's archive magic," Jura noted.
"Always wanted to see it in action," Alicia admitted.
"And it does what, exactly?" Sherry asked.
"Stores information. Very handy magic," Hibiki said. "Such as these photographs of our enemy. Don't ask how we got them." As he was speaking, six images appeared before the allied forces.
"First up is the snake wizard, Cobra," He said, enlarging one image. The man in question was wearing a smirk and had dark red hair. He wore a white trench coat with a purple inside and purple cuffs, over a dark grey shirt. On his upper arms were a metallic brace on each arm. Below the belt, he wore red pants with black diagonal lines. Flanking him was a large purple and white snake.
"Beady eyes and a mischievous smirk. He looks like trouble to me," Natsu frowned.
"Talk about the pot calling the kettle black," Gray, Lyon and Marcus all said.
"Next up is, based on his name, uses some form of speed magic, Racer," Wearing a white and red tracksuit, white glasses with yellow tint, and yellow hair that jutted up above his head.
"I dunno what it is… but I don't like the looks of this guy," Gray admitted.
"I don't either," Lyon agreed.
"Then there's a wizard who's willing to wipe out an entire military unit if the price is right," Hibiki said, the third image was of a larger man with a rather odd, geometrically angled face and orange, wavy long hair, wearing a black loose shirt with light sleeves adorned with dark merged rhombuses. A large white collar goes down his front covering his shoulders and had a sash around his waist. He wore red pants, and had a necklace made of red beads and a pendant hanging from it. In his hand was a strange book. "'Divine-Eyes' Hoteye."
"The guy kills for money?" Sherry asked.
"Turns my stomach," Jura growled.
"And mine. Nasty line of work," Hyde frowned.
"She's gorgeous, but just as viscous," The only female of the group was a woman with white hair, a blue sash tied around her head. She wore a white, swan-styled dress that was open at the front, flaunting her cleavage. The dress closes in a V just above her navel, before poofing out sideways like lower wings. She wore a cloak that looked just like those of an angel. She wore blue gloves that reached to her upper arms, and matching stockings that stop just above her knees. "This is Angel."
"She's the 'Beautiful-but-deadly' type huh? Is this chick for real?" Lucy asked.
"The next member is such a mystery, all we know is his name, Midnight," Hibiki said. This man was very feminine, with dark purple hair and lipstick on his face, but the angle of the image obscured his eyes as he was sleeping cross-legged on a magic carpet. He wore a black fur vest with white fur trim around the shoulders and waist. His mark was on his right upper arm. A white sash was wrapped around his waist, above a pair of yellow pants with black spider web-like patterns. He wore red boots and spiked wristbands.
"That's an odd name. Does it correlate with his magic?" Asked Erza.
"And finally, the Commander of the Oración Seis. Brain," Hibiki brought up the last image. This man was the oldest, had neat silver hair that reached his shoulders, dark eyes and dark skin. He had unique markings on his face that take the shape of straight black lines across his face. His outfit consisted of a white cloak that he left open, with black furs lining the edges. On his toned chest was the emblem of the guild. Below the waist, he wore dark blue pants that had white furs spiralling down to black boots. In his hand was a staff of black wood, going up to a skull with a mohawk made of leaves.
"And there you have it, the Oración Seis. Alone, they can wipe out entire guilds, and together, they're unstoppable," Hibiki said.
"There's more," Sarah said. She stepped forward, walking up to Hibiki. "If I have mental images and want to share them through this magic, can you help me?"
"Sure. Just focus on that thought," Hibiki nodded. Two more images appeared.
"About two, maybe three weeks ago, Kione and my parents broke out of Era's Maximum-Security prison. Originally, they were members of Eisenwald, but I always remember them talking about how they were loyal to higher powers. Seeing these six… I have no doubt they've come to the Balam Alliance. They might even have attached to the Seis as independents," Sarah said.
"First, our mother. Kuroyuki Radcliffe, Mistress of the Mist. Uses dark ice magic, loved to freeze her targets and make them suffer before putting them out of their misery. I never saw her victims, but I remember hearing their screams," Sarah said. The woman she was pointing to had raven-black hair that trailed to her hips. Her skin was deathly pale and wore a pitch-black dress with two snowflakes as the only change in colour on her dress skirt.
"Then there's our monster of a father. Jūryoku Radcliffe, AKA, Jūryoku the Unmovable. Master of gravity magic and vibration magic and often used it to squeeze his contracts to pulp or pull them apart. It was him that blinded Kione as a kid, as punishment for not being strong enough for his teachings. Popped them and forced me to watch. It was horrifying. He wanted her to become his successor," Sarah said. "My mother just threw books on Void magic at me, and I've learnt everything I could from those texts… but Kione…"
The male was where the siblings got their hair colour from. He had platinum blonde hair that was flattened against his head. He wore a black bodysuit with a green jacket. His eyes were closed in the image, but you could tell he was strong just by looking at him.
"It was torture… every day… it was torture…" Kione said, quietly. "I promised Master I wouldn't, but if I get the chance… he will feel what I felt. A thousand-fold."
"If you do see one of these two, be extremely careful. They might have been in prison for five years, but muscle memory doesn't take a lot to kick in," Sarah said. She nodded to Hibiki.
"Thank you, Sarah. So we have twenty to their potential eight, but that's our only advantage," Hibiki said.
"Um… can I volunteer to stay behind? I really don't feel like dying today," Lucy asked.
"Not this time. We're not sitting on the sidelines again," Wendy said. "I admit, before I met Marcus, I probably would have the same reaction, but not anymore."
Carla smiled at Wendy's confidence. "Fear not my friends," Ichiya said. "There's more to our operation than mortal combat. Perhaps with your help, we can locate the enemy's stronghold."
"Of course. With them searching the entire Worthwood Sea, they would need somewhere to camp while they look for this ancient magic," Marcus nodded.
"Right. We know they've got to have a base there," Eve said, Hibiki bringing up an overhead picture of the forest.
"Once we locate it, we'll gather the Oración Seis inside," Ichiya said.
"And how do we do that?" Asked Gray.
"We beat 'em up and drag their butts there!" Natsu grinned.
"He's way into this…" Lucy sighed.
"Then what?" Erza asked. "What happens next?"
Ichiya pointed to the sky. "Then, we give them a one-way ticket to oblivion! Courtesy of Christina! The majestic pride of the Blue Pegasus guild."
"I thought I could feel something above us…" Kione said.
"No way! I'd heard about the Magic Bomber, but I thought it was just a myth," Sherry gasped.
"Colour me impressed. We're going all out on this…" Marcus said.
"Whoa! Is that necessary? There's only six, maybe eight of 'em," Lucy blinked.
"That's the type of enemy we face," Jura barked. "Under no circumstances should you ever engage the enemy in solo combat. Remember, our best action is to divide the enemy, then devote two, maybe three wizards to each fight."
Nods all around came as response to his words. Even Lucy. Marcus noted this. "You sobered up fast. Ready?" He asked.
"Well if Wendy and Kione are being calm, then I should just swallow that bitter pill and do my best," She shrugged.
"That's the spirit Lucy. We need the Lucy that stopped the entirety of Fairy Tail with a single command. We need the Lucy that went off on her own to save her father from raiders attacking a merchant guild," Sarah said.
"You know about that?" Lucy asked.
Natsu punched his palm. "Let's go! I'm all fired up!" He grinned, blasting down the door and running off. "Time to hunt me some demons! Ready or not, here I come!"
Everyone watched him go. "Huh. Well… guess he's right about something. Might as well roll out!" Sarah said.
"You know, when he gets all fired up… it's really hard not to let it get contagious," Marcus grinned to Wendy.
"I'm with you there," Both started running after Team Natsu. Sarah and Kione followed, with Hyde, Alicia, Carla and Melody right behind them.
Marcus quickly caught up the others. Wendy's speed enchantments allowed everyone to keep up with the Fire Dragon slayer.
"Now this is more like it," Hibiki liked the boost he was getting. "Support spells can be really helpful. Thanks a lot Wendy."
Everyone found Fairy Tail, minus Natsu, standing at a cliff. "Where's Natsu?" Wendy asked.
"Down there. He stopped a bit too late," Gray said.
"Well, I can think of one way down. Gray? Lyon?" Marcus said, forming the maker stance.
"Ice Make: Super Slide!" All three pooled their magic together, forming a huge, spiralling slide into the valley below.
"Let's go!" Marcus led the way, dropping down the icy slope. Landing with a flip, he waited for the next arrival, before continuing the run into battle.
The rest arrived in turn. Some coming down the same way, others making their own way. The trimens were floating down in a black air bubble. Sarah carried down Kione with her void wings, Carla, Melody and Happy coming down with their wings, Melody carrying Lucy.
Everyone caught up with Natsu, passing into the forest. "Something's up… our end of the forest doesn't have this weird scent to it…" Marcus said.
"It's spookier in general… so odd…" Wendy agreed.
Suddenly, everyone was overtaken by a large shadow. Looking up, they realised what it was. "Look at that!" Alicia gasped.
"Yeah… I see it," Hyde grinned.
"That's the Magic Bomber, Christina," Erza spoke up.
"I want one!" Natsu begged.
"It certainly lives up to the hype!" Gray agreed.
It was a huge airship, with a Pegasus motif. Four legs served as thrusters, while the belly had a massive lacrima in the middle. There were cannons everywhere, up the neck, down the legs, and two large wings serving as aerodynamics.
"Alright, let's split up and start searching for their base," Erza said.
"I'm flying the bomber thing!" Natsu called.
"Not happening!" Gray and Sarah objected immediately.
Whatever happened next, Marcus couldn't tell. One second the airship was fine, the next, a massive explosion burst from the right. Several more followed in kind, ripping the airship up from inside.
"That is NOT good," Hyde said.
"That's an understatement," Alicia frowned.
Christina was going down.
At the far end of the Worthwood Sea, back at Cait Shelter, Roubaul opened his eyes. "The first shots have been fired… Nirvana… be careful, my kids…"
Marcus took a sniff, and even through the flames from the wreck, he could smell something was coming. "Gray." Natsu had smelt it too.
"I know. Everyone stay frosty!" Gray called back to everyone.
"Stay close to me," Marcus said to Wendy. He had good reason to be cautious. Seven figures emerged from the smoke. He felt a shiver as he set eyes on the dark wizards he had just been briefed on.
Cobra. Racer. Hoteye. Angel. Midnight. Brain. And Kuroyuki. Sarah's mom.
"The Oración Seis… in the flesh…" Alicia breathed.
"Lowly maggots, swarming together," Brain sneered.
"I'm afraid short stuff won't be making it to the party," Angel winked. The two little blue figures floating around her giggled.
"And neither will that big bald wizard saint!" One spoke.
"We took them down!" The other added.
"They're defeated?!" Lyon gasped.
"Impossible!" Hibiki agreed.
"There's terror in their voices. I can hear it…" Cobra smirked.
"The quicker we wrap this up, the better. I'll run you over so fast it'll make your heads spin!" Racer warned.
"Money determines strength in this world, oh yeah! If you save but a penny today, it'll become a vast fortune in the future!" Hoteye said. "Furthermore…"
"Enough with the preaching Hoteye," Cobra and Racer butt in.
"I have to admit… I didn't expect you to show yourselves…" Erza said.
Marcus took a deep breath. "Wendy… Get your enchantments ready… we'll need them…" He muttered.
"Right…" She stepped to the back beside the trimens.
"Ready?" Natsu asked.
"You bet," Marcus and Gray both said.
"Wanna invitation?" Cobra smirked darkly.
"You bein' here is enough for us!" Natsu and Gray grinned. Marcus leapt after them.
The next thing he knew was that he was flying through the air, a serious bruise forming in his stomach. The hell?! I never saw it coming!
"Marcus!" Wendy gasped.
"Natsu! Gray!" Two Lucys called out. Before one turned and started whipping the other.
"Sherry!" Lyon called, the two advancing on Hoteye. Alicia and Hyde rushed in behind them, Alicia's staff forming her scythe.
"I see you!" Hoteye countered before they could make a move. "Oh yeah! Forget love! All you need is money! Money's all you need!" A yellow magic seal appeared and caught all four in a wave of earth rolling in on itself.
Sarah and Kione found themselves before Kuroyuki. "Ice hearted bitch…" Sarah growled.
"Language dear!" Kuroyuki laughed, waving her hand and black ice settling on their bodies.
"Since when did you care about what I said!" Sarah snapped. She coated herself in the void, breaking the ice and charging at Kuroyuki. "Void Magic: Nova Crusher!" She called out, shooting forwards for a headbutt.
"Still using the void are you? Guess you weren't as useless as I took you for…" Kuroyuki said. "Black Ice Tomb!" She shot icy lightning at Sarah from her hand, which hit the girl directly, momentum resulting in Sarah being encased in ice completely.
"Sis! Repulse!" Kione called out, blasting at the spot she felt Kuroyuki standing.
"Hmm… the pathetic freak…" Icy boots held her down, weakening the shockwave. "Black Ice Lance!" A spear of black ice threw itself at her, shattering into miniature ones that broke on impact. Kione wailed at the storm of ice.
Meanwhile, Erza was struggling with Cobra, and Natsu was back on the ground after Racer stopped him from waking Midnight. Racer had also knocked out all three trimens in a second.
Marcus got back up, seeing Kuroyuki standing over Sarah and Kione. "That's enough from you! Ice Dragon ROAR!" He called out, releasing his breath attack. The attack slammed into her with no challenge, and Marcus was hopeful at landing a hit.
He was absolutely horrified to hear an inhaling noise coming from in the smoke. When the dust settled enough, he was shocked to see Kuroyuki slurping up his ice. "There… there's no way! What is this?!" He demanded.
"There is that look of confusion I crave!" Kuroyuki laughed. "I do so love it when an inferior being meets a higher power…" She said. "Dragons aren't the top of the food chain boy. Not compared to that… of a God…"
She took in a deep breath. "Ice God… Bellow!" Marcus was completely baffled when a torrent of black ice shot towards him. He stood his ground, prepared to return the favour… but he couldn't!
Every time he tried to start inhaling the ice, his body rejected it. And that meant he was taking the full brunt of her attack, powered up by his own.
Everything that could go wrong was going wrong. Jura and Ichiya were both missing. Half their force was out cold. Wendy watched with horror as Marcus dropped from Kuroyuki's attack. All that was left was her, Erza, Happy, Melody and Carla.
She buffed Erza with Vernier, giving Racer and Cobra a little scare, but she was next to fall, taking Hoteye's ground magic, a kick from Racer, and then Cobra commanded his snake, biting down on her arm. The Seis then gathered everyone into one bunch.
About to help, she felt a sickening power coming from the one member that hadn't moved yet. Brain was lifting his staff. A green, sickly energy was rising from their surroundings into one point. "Dark Rondo!"
"Wendy… run! Quickly…" Marcus grunted.
Brain paused his spell, staring directly at her. "Wendy…" He said. A look of surprise showed on his face. That turned into a grin.
"What's the matter Brain? You gonna cast that spell or what?" Racer asked.
"Do you know her?" Cobra asked.
"No doubt about it. That's Wendy Marvell. The Sky Maiden… We've made quite a find my friends. Grab her!" His spell changed, a green tendril reaching for Wendy.
"NO!" Marcus gasped. What willpower, he didn't know, but somehow, he was on his feet, charging after her. "Grab my hand! Bastard! Let her go! NOW!"
Wendy reached a hand back, hoping for some help. Seeing this, Marcus picked up the pace, and grabbed her hand. Digging in, he glared at Brain.
"Arrogant pest," Brain frowned.
Hoteye blasted away the others, preventing any extra problems. Brain just added more power, and Marcus was yanked off his feet, and suddenly, he and Wendy were enveloped in darkness.
"Where are we…?" He asked.
"I don't know…" Wendy muttered.
They could still see outside and watched in horror as Brain cast his original Dark Rondo. "NO!" Both gasped.
The Oración Seis left, and Marcus and Wendy could do nothing but watch as they left the others for dead.
Sarah sighed with relief. Being encased in ice was something she never wanted again. Coming to, she found everyone crowding around a downed Erza. A nasty purple was spreading up her arm. Jura and Ichiya had also rejoined them.
"Erza!" Evidently, she had missed a bit, because Lyon was holding a broken sword from Erza's flight armour.
"Damn it. If only Wendy was here…" Melody said.
"What'd I miss?" She asked.
"I got here just in time to save everyone. Sir Gray and Lyon were conflicting over Lady Erza's injury. She requested her arm be amputated to save her life. Gray disagreed," Jura explained.
"Wait a minute. What was that about Wendy?" Ren asked.
"Does she have anti-venom spells?" Eve asked.
"Not just that. She can cure fevers, relieve pain and heal wounds," Carla said.
"That's impossible. Everyone knows healing magic is lost magic," Sherry said.
"Even when she's the Sky Dragon Slayer?" Alicia asked.
Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale gasped. "That girl is a dragon slayer? Just like Natsu and Marcus?" Hibiki asked.
"Correct. However, that doesn't matter now. Wendy is the only one that can save Titania's life. We've seen her magic heal some really nasty poisons," Carla said.
"Wendy is our little miracle worker," Hyde grinned at the shocked expressions of Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale.
"Unfortunately, we just saw the Oración Seis make off with both her and Marcus! For what, I couldn't guess," Melody frowned.
"In that case… there's only one thing we can do," Lyon said.
"We're going to have to rescue Wendy and Marcus!" Eve nodded.
"OK. You guys ready!?" Natsu rallied.
"YEAH!" Came the group reply.
Melody: So, meet Kuroyuki Radcliffe.
Carla: She seems like a nasty piece of work.
Sarah: I had no idea her black ice magic was actually God Slayer magic.
Kione: So that means Marcus was at a real handicap against her.
Melody: Marcus and Wendy are somewhere in that forest. Let's go find them!
All: YEAH! Next time: The Girl and the Ghost!