Erza flew across the rooftops, the performance of her Black Wing armor slowed by the weight of the large shield she had requipped for the extra needed protection. Having taken to the skies, she'd been able to determine the approximate location of whoever was shooting at them; but upon closing in, she was alarmed to see more than one sniper to contend with.
As she took cover behind a church steeple, she took stock of what intel she'd been able to discover so far. She was now sure there were no more than eight snipers, each one placed several blocks apart from one another, and each taking turns firing at either her, or towards Gray's position. To complicate matters, they all fired their own variety of weaponry, requiring her to requip a different shield depending on what form of projectile she was having to block.
Every street within sight was deserted, all villagers having retreated into their homes at the first crack of gunfire. At least she had little collateral damage to worry about.
She had to consider her options carefully. Without a doubt, they would cover each other if she tried to attack one head on. She'd also learned from the last time she was put in this very same situation. No ground would be gained if she allowed herself to be bogged down behind her shields. Therefore…
"Now that I've pinpointed each of you, I will offer the same mercy you've shown the citizens of this village, and come at you with my full arsenal. Requip!"
In the blink of an eye, scores of magic swords could be seen hovering in the air, all pointed towards eight distinct locations between them. Without delay, nor giving her enemies any chance to surrender, she sent her swords flying. The crashes all around were deafening, and several buildings and towers suffered the brunt of her wrath. Soon, all sounds of destruction had ceased, and with them, also the constant firing.
Though eager to return to the others, she had to be sure none of the gunmen would recover enough to still do them harm.
With careful leaps, she made her way to the nearest sniper's nest, ever watchful of hidden danger. So far, all the gunmen appeared to be neutralized. Landing on the roof, she waited a few beats, listening for sounds of stirring, hearing only the skittering fall of debris, and the unnerving quiet that always came after a clamorous battle.
Of course she had no intention of causing fatal injury to any of her targets, aiming instead for support beams or load bearing walls. Recalling all her swords to her pocket dimension, she held one at the ready, waited for the sounds of shifting materials to end, and swung herself from the roof onto a balcony. Crouching low as she landed, she squinted and coughed as she tried to see through the kicked up debris. Waving her free hand, she brushed aside floating dust and loose threads of cobwebs, finally able to see through the fog. What she found within was… unexpected.
A teenager, perhaps a year or two older than Romeo, lay unconscious on the floor, a small caliber hunting rifle loosely clenched in his limp fingers.
"These cretins are recruiting children into their evil schemes?" she fumed.
"Spare me the pretense of indignant outrage. You legal guilds have long accepted children into your fold."
Erza put her back to the nearest wall, eyes roving for the source of that voice. It was so quiet, distant sounding, but had come from so near, she suspected the speaker was right beside her. It hadn't been the boy, who still lay prone on the floor.
"Show yourself! Are you too cowardly to face me?"
"How can you contend with the master, when you haven't yet finished off the puppets?"
"Puppets?"
A feeling of dread hit the pit of her stomach, and without conscious thought, she ducked below a crumbling wall, right before a concussive force slammed over her head. Peeking through a crack in the wall, she looked frantically to and fro, until she caught the reflection of sunlight off the barrel of another weapon. One of the other gunmen was still active.
Whoever had fired at her was now aiming towards Gray's position again, firing off more of those same concussive rounds. It was more quiet than a conventional weapon, a high pitched whine followed by a soft blast. Their aim was accurate, but as far as she could tell, they couldn't penetrate Gray's shields.
"Your instincts are impressive. I can't wait to see how the other will fair."
It can't be the gunman talking, not if they're so preoccupied with their onslaught. Was the mage speaking to her? How? Where? Had the mysterious foe followed after her? They must be nearby to have seen her movements just now. That would honestly be the best thing that could happen to them. If she could force a confrontation with the mage, she'd gladly take the heat off of Gray. Though still muted, that voice sounded closer somehow. If it would speak once more…
"You may think me bold to ask this of you, but my friend has been ill for a long time, and is not up for an arduous fight. Though I loathe to divulge a weakness, I wish to appeal to any sense of honor you may have, and bid you to leave him alone, and to fight me instead. Please."
This was a calculated risk she was taking, revealing such a disadvantage in their party. She also hated the sour taste left in her mouth at that confession. It sounded awful to her own ears, to voice such doubts. She felt little relief in how those words were also spoken in deception—at least she tried to convince herself so. She knew Gray was capable, but being able to fight didn't mean he should have to.
Hopefully, it wouldn't matter, because whether the enemy agreed to her wish or not, all she needed was a response, so she could pinpoint the location of her prey, and end this fight quickly. She held her breath as she awaited a reply, not expecting any form of cooperation.
"You speak of honor as if it were a tradable commodity—"
Erza turned swiftly, swinging her sword in a wide arch, but slicing through little more than air and dust motes. A lone strand of spider silk clung to the tip of her sword as she brought it back to a guarded position.
"—but would it not dishonor your friend to deny him the chance to fight—"
That voice came from another location, to her side, but again, there was nothing there but the balcony trellis, and the view beyond, into the distance where she could barely see the glint of the sun off of Gray's ice shields, mere specks to her eyes.
"—to deem him too weak to even try?"
Erza knitted her brow, confused. That voice was still so faint, but also near, and coming from right in front of her… no, it was lower, almost to the height of the handrails. Edging closer to where she'd heard it, she started to wonder if the gunman had stashed a radio near there; but again, there was nothing but the view beyond, framed by a torn spiderweb, several strands of which flowed in the soft breeze.
"I have no doubt he is more than capable of defeating you," Erza baited, waiting for her foe to contradict her, to challenge her belief, to insult their childish faith in each other.
To give away their position.
"Why do I hear fear in your voice?"
Erza leaned over the trellis, searching for a listening device, a lacrima, a summoned familiar, something that must have been relaying that person's voice to her. Nothing.
"Perhaps it is not normal for a slave trader to feel concern for their comrades, but our guild mates are family."
She crouched down, eying the floor, the railing, the balusters, still not finding the source of the disembodied voice. However, this close to the open air, she did notice something that hadn't stood out to her until now.
There was no breeze. The sky was bright, the weather calm, no wind to speak of.
What was causing the spiderwebs to flutter?
"You think I am a mere slaver? How poorly you've gathered your intel."
She found it!
They weren't fluttering— they were vibrating!
'They're communicating through the webs! They were never here! They're still over there with the others!'
"Your friend suffers for it now."
!!!
She'd almost lost all sense of reason as she switched to her Flight Armor, leaping on top of the baluster, ready to jump to the ground, to race back before it was too late, only to leap back, a bullet just missing her feet.
"You've no time to save him. You have so many others to worry about."
Before Erza could utter a word to demand an explanation, she reacted, picking up a loose brick, and hurling it at the unfortunate teen who had briefly held his rifle aimed at her head. It made solid contact with his nose, and Erza winced in sympathy. He may have been an enemy, but he was still a kid. Her concern turned to shock when the kid stumbled a little, not from pain, but simply due to physics as the brick impacted his face. He didn't cry out in pain, or shake off any dizziness or discomfort. He raised his rifle again and took aim.
Erza jumped away, requipping and readying a shield, but noticed too late how the muzzle was aimed just off to the side. She felt the whiz of the bullet as it flew past her before she heard the crack of gun fire. Ducking behind her shield, she took a moment to look behind her, seeking for the intended target.
Her heart sank as she found it. Across the way, on the second floor of a small retail space, she could see one of the windows was now shattered. Screams of shock and horror issued from several people beyond the glass, though she couldn't tell from here if anyone had been injured. She couldn't waste time to find out. Movement from her right, and several streets away, drew her attention.
From on top of the rubble of another sniper's nest, another gunman was taking aim at Gray's position. Slamming her shield into the teen she'd been facing, she knocked him down, took his weapon, and tossed it to the ground as she raced to the second gunman. With not enough time to reach them, she requipped another shield, making it appear in front of them just as they fired their weapon. The bullet ricocheted, hitting them in the thigh.
To her amazement, they barely flinched as a hole was torn through their leg. Now that she was closer, she could discern the gunman was a gunwoman, and once again, not one she'd typically associate with the title. This woman wore a smart looking blouse with a finely pleated—if bloody— skirt, her hair held neatly in a tight bun. She looked like she should be teaching kindergarten or shushing people in the library, not gunning people down in the streets.
Erza was two rooftops away when she heard the distinct whine of a pulse weapon being charged, this one from beyond the first nest she'd taken out. It was too far to discern what that gunman looked like, but their weapon was massive… and aimed at a school!
She changed course, meaning to stop that weapon from firing, but another shot rang out. Then another. Her flight armor gave her the edge she needed to dodge, but it was becoming clear what was happening. All the snipers were covering each other. No matter which one she chose to go after, the others would do whatever it took to keep her distracted.
"Your vile tactics will not go unpunished!" she seethed as she called forth another shield, her strongest one, making it appear before the pulse weapon just as it fired. Quickly changing course again, she returned to the first nest, finding the young teenaged boy slumped over. His state of consciousness made no difference to her. She'd chosen this location because she'd managed to disarm this one, so had little to fear of resistance, and much to gain in a defensive position.
She took a moment to take a breather as she considered her options. Not only did she have a number of assailants to contend with, but from her observations so far, they seemed to have a high threshold for pain, and wouldn't fall easily. They also had no qualms against targeting civilians. She cast a glance towards the office building, finding no movement. This worried her, for she knew first responders would be reluctant to approach to give aid while under fire. There were likely injured people in that building, with many soon to follow if she couldn't end these snipers quickly.
"Are you still in the game?"
That voice again! Where was it coming from? Searching frantically, she saw no more spider webs nearby. Had she been mistaken before? No, everything pointed towards the webs being the source of that voice. Then where… There!
At the tip of her own sword, that lonely thread was still stubbornly attached. It glistened as it trembled, vibrations whispering such arrogant laughter at Erza's expense.
"Enough of these outrageous attacks on the civilians! Face me fairly, you evil fiend!"
"If you're so concerned for those poor fools, you should check your own tactics thus far. You're so quick to engage with my dolls, you've given little thought to their own plights."
A new horror dawned for Erza.
"You mean the gunmen—"
"—All under my thrall. They have no control of their actions. Even unconscious, they move at my whims. You've made the one beside you useless to me, taking his weapon and all. The poor boy. He had planned on hunting some small game to help his mother feed his little siblings tonight. I wonder if he ended up killing anyone in that office building.
"Still, useless as he is now, having one less puppet to control makes it easier to command the rest—including you."
Erza bristled at that remark.
"I am under no one's command but my own!"
"You amuse me with your indignant anger, but your strings are different from the others. I need not extend my webbing towards you. No, your bindings are the people hiding in your midst. They're trapped wherever they've taken cover. Many will be foolish enough to attempt escape. They won't get far. Nor will those poorly structured buildings provide any real protection. Bullets will shred through those walls like paper.
"If you value their lives, keep them safe. Run yourself ragged trying to keep up with all of my dolls. You can block them with as many shields as you want, but they'll just take new positions while the others cover for them. Also, keep in mind that knocking them out does nothing to stop their movements. I'm still in control.
"…Though I suppose if you really want to end this, you could kill them all now. These powers seem to have no effect on corpses, so you might have a chance. How badly do you wish to return to your friend?"
Erza had no words to respond. The mage was right. She couldn't allow the civilians in the area to be in danger. This situation has become all too familiar, having to put their lives above that of her friend.
However, there was one factor she and the mage had both failed to consider.
Gray.
Regardless of his condition, or his magic status; despite his worrying behavior in the last few hours; putting aside all worry and doubt she herself may have been fully justified to feel; she still believed in him. He'd trained for months before he'd even gotten his powers back. She knew what he was capable of, and she also knew he'd faced far greater challenges than what was before him now.
This mission may have dealt them the shittiest hand it possibly could, but she knew with all certainty that he would go all in, and nothing would stop him from coming out the winner. She would put her trust in him, and not allow her worries to steal her focus from her own fight.
If this was to be a battle of attrition against eight—now seven—foes, she had the perfect armor for the job.
"Requip!"
In a blinding flash, she was now garbed in her Ataraxia armor. True to its name, she felt a calm settle over her, allowing her a sharpened clarity that would enhance her ability to anticipate her opponents' moves, and meet them accordingly. She spread her wings out, allowing the eight swords which comprised it to pull away, each one directed towards its own target, save for the one she kept at the ready.
With her previous sword stowed away, there was no web to carry her words to the other mage, but she still spoke aloud.
"Your confidence will be your undoing. For the lives you put at risk, the wages will be harsh; but I won't be the one to visit this judgment upon you. You will soon learn the consequences of underestimating a Fairy Tail mage."
I keep getting confused when I read "flight armor", but it doesn't allow Erza to fly.
Missed you guys! As I type this, I'm currently listening to a family of raccoons scurry around in my attic. My dogs are raptly attentive, and my cats are confused and trying to follow the sound. Thought that'd be a fun thing to share. See y'all next time I get a chance to update!
Next chapter: Gray confronts Fallen Blossom