The Fairy Tail team along with Juvia stormed the Tower of Heaven, blowing past the opposition in their path.
Gray knocked out one of the guards out ''Sheesh, they sure are persistent. Oi, Erza! Think they might be more of those cultists you told us about?''
Erza beat back another enemy before answering ''I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. A number of our captors managed to escape prison...for all we know, some might be here.''
"Wait, so Jellal would really work for those lowlives even after what they put you all through?''
The redhead tightened her grip on her sword, grinding her teeth as she thought back to their encounter in the cave. ''...I think he's already shown that he would sink as far as it takes for the sake of his goals.''
Once again she couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if she had taken action sooner. Jellal had played everything up just the way he wanted...and now she had to face her old friends, who thought she had betrayed them.
Erik was right, she still wasn't as ready to face them as he was. Even now, he and Cubelios seemed so confident and strong...she envied that.
She cursed Jellal once again, wondering why things had to be this way. And just when they should all have been free of this terrible place...
It didn't take them long to conclude that they were likely being watched, one reason being that their path was obstructed with a good number of traps. The fact that over half of them activated in such a timely manner only confirmed their suspicions. Also, there was some sort of magic set up that allowed their enemies to teleport to specific areas, which they used to try and ambush the group here and there.
Erza had just finished deflecting three beams that came from previously hidden devices in the walls with one of her weapons. She'd mistakenly assumed the danger was over, only for more beams to come from various directions...
The problem was instantly solved by Belle, who immediately cast Mirror Water to get rid of the trap. The staves reflected the beams, effectively ending the issue.
Lucy let out a relieved sigh but Erik was frowning. One look at Belle told him that she picked up on the same issue he had.
Her next actions served to confirm that thought.
You...complete...blockhead!'' The cat exclaimed, whacking Erza's head with one of her staves. It didn't hurt, but it was enough to make her pause. ''The only reason you walked into that trap is because you're rushing into things. You would've been fast enough to avoid it.''
"For the last time, quit trying to tackle everything on your own-there's a reason we're all here!'' Erik added.
Gray's eye twitched, hadn't they been through this? ''...Should've known she wouldn't listen the first time around...'' Erik and Belle had already made it clear-the entire reason they were so angry with her was her attempts to shut them all out earlier. She better not had think they would actually hold her responsible for any of this...
Just as he was about to verbalize the thought, the creation mage was distracted by a snort of laughter. Confused, he looked at Happy ''What's so funny?''
"Did you see the look on Erza's face when Belle hit her? That was hilarious!''
Natsu snickered ''Fair enough-that was totally good...''
Oh, come on, take this seriously.'' Lucy chided, though amusement danced in her eyes. ''...But I won't deny she is being a blockhead.''
"Right?'' The two chimed in before all three started laughing. Before the others quite knew it, they were just as amused. They hadn't even realized they needed the release but this felt good.
"All right, all right...'' Erik smirked. ''...Jellal's scent is coming from our far left. Let's keep going.''
Belle frowned ''I know you guys are following Jellal's scent but did you find Riku's at all?''
Erik made to respond but his eyes widened as he caught a familiar scent. Immediately on guard, he noticed something fast coming their way and quickly noted the intended targets. Calling out a warning to Natsu and Lucy, he was relieved to see the two duck at once.
"What was...?'' Lucy's eyes widened at the sight of the bullets lodged in the walls behind them. In moments, a man in a suit followed by a big number of guards came out from the other side of the room. The strange part about him was that his head seemed to be shaped like a polygon of sorts.
Erik's eyes narrowed. He had changed a whole lot but he knew who this was ''Wally...''
"Hey, you three. Been a long time.'' The new arrival smirked at Erza, Erik and Cubelios.
Happy blinked ''Wait, is he one of your friends?''
"We used to be friends.'' Erik corrected, raising up a fist that was coated in poison. As much as he would rather not fight them, they were the ones who lead to this awful situation. If they really did believe in Jellal's plans, then he would stop them.
"Well, what're you waiting for? Get them.'' Wally ordered. That was the guards' cue and it was pretty much pandemonium after that.
Spells were unleashed in various directions, projectiles flew, weapons clashed as the two groups fought all out. Wally turned out to be proficient with magic too, to Erza and Erik's mild surprise. He could use Polygon magic, which turned his body into blocks. It allowed him to attack, defend and even teleport. He also employed Guns magic which seemed to combine with his first magic, turning his arm into gun and firing shots with varying effects.
It didn't take them long to learn that the battlefield was booby trapped-something Wally tried to take advantage of as his forces kept pushing forward. Natsu barely avoided a blast of lightning that came from the wall while Juvia put out fire from another trap. Wally seemed to know exactly where the traps were, clearly setting out to have the group fall to them.
Happy helped Lucy get away from an enemy attack just as she was summoning a spirit only to be caught off guard when a trap released a burst of wind that almost sent him flying out the battlefield. A moment later, he was surrounded by a water sphere that brought him to Juvia.
The girl quickly canceled the spell, catching him then ''Are you okay?'' She frowned as the cat coughed. ''Juvia's sorry, that was the only thing Juvia could do...''
"G-give me a minute, I'll be fine.'' He assured, waving a paw. ''Thanks.''
Juvia gave a small smile, her eyes narrowing as more of the guards began to surround them...
Juvia put out a combination of fire spells with a big wave of water, Gray quickly used it to freeze their attackers. Natsu punched an enemy away, noticing Erza defeating another. He hadn't picked up on it at first but she really was acting a little off. The dragon slayer didn't doubt that this entire ordeal hit her the hardest. He could admit to being a little miffed with her too, not for hiding all this but for how she was going about it all. She kept acting like she would face everything alone. They were friends and family-she was the one who repeatedly stressed as much. What happened to that?
It was obvious that she was struggling with guilt but this wasn't what Riku would want. He interfered to help because he cared. It couldn't be easy for her to fight her old friends but there was no other way. He scowled, remembering what Erik told them earlier. The R-System was intended to revive Zeref. They were totally nuts to even want such a thing in his opinion...
"Stun Bullet!'' Wally fired a number of yellow shots at Erik, who had already dodged-having expected the attack. He fired a dragon's roar in retaliation but Wally teleported by using his polygon magic, he didn't escape unscathed as Erik unleashed a few poisonous projectiles that sent him reeling. He fired another bullet, this one on the ceiling. It activated a trap, releasing what seemed to be a flash bomb. Erik quickly covered his eyes, easily dodging a few enemies who tried to capitalize on this chance. He also hears some advancing on Belle, who had luckily covered her eyes before the flash went off. Cubelios quickly swooped in on them, slamming one into a wall while thrashing the other three. Belle smiled at her before casting Solar Ray on the last enemy near them, requipping one of her staves. The sight made him smirk, count on those two to have the other's back.
A number of magic lances appeared when another trap was triggered, heading towards Juvia. They were swiftly destroyed by Saggitarius' arrows, to the blue haired girl's surprie. She looked at Lucy as she joined her ''Hey, you're trying to help us-of course we'd do the same for you.''
"Thank you...'' She managed. ''...Juvia supposes Lucy-san is nice-even if Lucy-san is a Love Rival.''
The blonde blinked ''Ah, what?'' Where did that come from?
As Erza used Blumenblatt and Erik unleashed a Poison Dragon's Roar to take down some of the remaining guards, she shook the thought of and tried to focus on the situation at hand. Juvia seemed to do the same for cast another spell as Saggitarius raised his bow. Happy lifted Gray into the air and the ice mage prepared to attack Wally, only for the latter to teleport again. He fired some glowing shots which the two quickly avoided only to be kicked down hard by Erik, taking him by surprise. As he pulled himself up, he missed Belle flying nearby and the little cat proceeded to use Wild Tornado to blast him high into the air before he crashed down.
"All right!'' Happy cheered, seeing no enemies able to fight anymore.
Wally pulled himself slowly, wincing. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew he had lost. ''D-damn...'' He pursed his lips as the group surrounded him. ''...well, go on then-kill me.''
Erza's fists clenched ''Do you actually think we'd do something like that?''
"I didn't think you'd betray us but hey, shows what I know, right?'' He retorted.
Lucy scowled ''And who exactly told you that, huh? Erza wouldn't do such a thing. If you were friends, the least you can do is give her the benefit of the doubt. But all you've done is accept everything Jellal told you!''
"Yeah, can any of you even think for yourselves?'' Gray demanded coolly. ''You actually wasted all this time rebuilding the damn thing when you could've made something of your lives.''
Wally bristled ''What do you know, huh?! Jellal saved us! Of course we'd stay here for him-we're making our mark in the world. It'll be a real world of freedom!''
"And you think reviving Zeref would do something like that?'' The ice mage snapped. ''Yeah, Erik told us everything. You're definitely out of your damn minds-anyone with half a brain can tell you that bringing that lowlife scum back would never turn out well.''
Erza couldn't have said it better herself ''That aside for the moment, where's Riku?''
Wally looked confused ''What do you mean? Haven't seen him ever since the last time we met.''
She scowled ''Don't lie! Jellal kidnapped him-he attacked us a while ago. That's why we knew what was going on!''
"But that's...why...?'' Wally sounded lost. ''...He shouldn't have any reason to...''
Erik arched an eye, looking pensive ''...He really doesn't know.'' Frowning, he carried on. ''Jellal really had you all played, didn't he? It's true-he wants something from Riku and he has no idea what. He had no problems trying to kill him or Erza, or a whole lot of innocents. Is that someone you can work with? Someone you can call a friend?''
I...''
Natsu harrumphed at the lack of response ''Come on, guys.''
Yeah, we're wasting time. Let's go!'' Belle added.
Jellal got back to his feet, wincing. Stunned at the turnout, he hardly acknowledged the room shaking around them as his thoughts spun fast.
What on Earthland happened? He had just been in the middle of finishing up his plan with Riku when everything really went out of control. Really, it had been an improvisation on an idea he had a while back but it was Riku's intervention in the cave that made him go for it.
Riku was here as both bait for Erza and to let Jellal use something he found handy. The curse.
He learned enough about darkness dragon slayer magic to know that it was activated when Riku was in extreme distress or danger. Thus, he intended to break the teen to make sure it would happen. He had meant to manipulate his former friend into a weapon once is started. All that power-he was sure it was something which would please Zeref. He had everything set up and the spells he had in waiting activated just fine. But moments later, something really strange happened.
It began with a rather sudden spike in the magic he sensed from Riku. He'd seen the boy surrounded with the dark aura he knew was associated with the curse. But then the power grew much, much more-almost surrounding them in darkness. In seconds, the two of them were blasted to opposite sides of the room. Jellal clenched a hand around his bleeding arm, barely seeing that Riku was out cold up ahead. He wondered Riku might have been able to stop it somehow...but that shouldn't be possible.
Still, what on earth was that power? It was like nothing he expected. And he couldn't shake the feeling that something was really, really wrong about it...
Shaking the thought off, Jellal decided it didn't matter in the end. He wasn't likely to get some answers now and staying here would be stupid. Riku was effectively useless to him and this was a waste of time. He needed to treat those wounds. He didn't doubt for a second that Erza and Erik were coming to fight him. The thought made him smirk, wondering if they knew just how they were helping him.
The group decided to take Wally with them, agreeing that just leaving him be was more trouble than it was worth. The fact that he still believed he and his allies were in the right was upsetting but Erza didn't know how to make him see the truth yet. Wally seemed supremely confident that they would fail in the end so he didn't struggle much, he just believed in their odds.
Just the thought that her oldest friends could all be like this made this even more painful. The situation was bad enough as it were but the more she came to learn...how had Jellal turned them all into this?
As the group continued to storm the tower, they were startled when the upper area they had were approaching fast began to shake. The tremors forced them all to stop in their tracks to keep their balance.
"What just...?'' Gray stared.
Natsu blinked ''An earthquake?''
"We're on an island, remember? Something's wrong.'' The first returned, looking at Wally then. ''What's up there?''
"Just prison cells and rooms with stuff Jellal kept. It's where he set up the magic that lets us teleport around the tower too. Nothing too special.''
"Doubtful.'' The two looked at Erik, who was frowning as he kept his gaze up ahead. ''I've got Riku's scent...it's from there.''
Natsu concentrated his senses, picking up on the same thing ''Then what're we waiting for?!''
They found their way to a circular hall with many doors, leaving the dragon slayers to lead the way. Just as the two were about to take them to the source of the scent, they realized they weren't alone.
A tall, buff dark haired young man with an eye patch and a turban had teleported here. He appeared just as surprised to see them, his eye quickly focusing on Cubelios, Erik and then Erza. ''You're really here...''
It didn't Erza long to notice a few familiar features that immediately brought one name to mind ''Simon?''
He nodded ''It's me. You three look well-I'm glad.''
Needless to say, this behavior threw them for a loop. Especially after seeing Wally's demeanor, Simon definitely appeared sincere. But what did this mean?
As it were, Wally himself began demanding answers ''What're you saying, Simon? We're enemies!''
"No, they're not my enemies. They never were.'' He returned at once. ''I couldn't believe Jellal's words. Not really-I didn't know what to think at first. I knew he didn't tell the whole story but you're still our friends. I decided to watch and get the truth. Jellal pretends to be friendly but I came to realize that he's changed...and not for the better.''
Juvia seemed skeptic ''Assuming that this is true...'' And for Erik and Erza's sakes, she sincerely hoped it was. ''...why didn't you do anything about this before?''
"I didn't think I could.'' He admitted. ''I've seen what he did to some of our former captors...'' A look of disgust flashed across his face. ''...believe me, you don't want to know. As much as I despised them, I don't think they deserved that fate. We were trapped-whether the others knew it or not. And...I know it's no excuse, but I did the only thing I could in that situation. I wouldn't have put it past Jellal to kill me if I had made a stand, I was too weak to do anything back then. I had to hold out, for the goal that kept me going through those terrible days.''
Thanks to his magic, Erik knew that he was telling the truth, informing the others as much. Thinking back, he could remember Simon mentioning along those lines before. The memory was a little vague but they had once talked about what they would do once they were free years ago...
Erza felt a great measure of relief at those words. Simon actually had faith all this time? He hadn't turned his back on them-that was so, so good to hear.
"So you know what Jellal's really up to?'' asked Happy.
"I don't have all the details but I know he's planning on using the Tower to activate the R-System now that it's finished.'' Simon admitted. ''He hired members of Trinity Raven, powerful mages from Death's Head. I know part of his plan involves some sort of preparation and help from Era but he's awfully secretive about it...''
A certain suspicious figure immediately came to Erik's mind at that. Someone he had never trusted and someone he knew was in the city right now. Before he could verbalize the thought though, Wally spoke ''How could you betray us? Betray Jellal?''
"I know the truth.'' Simon returned. ''They've been our friends for years-don't they at least deserve a little faith? You were awfully quick to denounce them just on his words. Why does Jellal deserve trust and they don't?''
That silenced Wally and Belle spoke up ''What does he want with Riku?'' Simon looked confused and the cat quickly explained things.
Simon frowned ''I see...he did mention a new plan-something about prey too. Either Riku had a part to play in all this for him or he's...''
"Bait to bring me here.'' Erza finished for him, earning a nod in return. It didn't surprise her, Jellal had made it clear that he wanted her to play a part in his plans long ago. Just the thought made the guilt rise back up but she tried to focus. ''Natsu, Erik-you said we were closing in on the source of his scent, right?''
The former nodded, looking to one of the distant doors ''That way...''
Just as they were about enter the area, they were found by Sho and Millianna. Like Wally, the two were just as upset with Simon for helping the group. Simon was adamant in his stance however, trying to get them to understand, not to just blindly hold their misguided faith.
The ongoing argument was put on hold by a fed up Erik ''Enough. You made your stance clear-well, so will we. We're going to tear this damn thing down once and for all. No one's backing out now-old friends or not, if you insist on this idiotic path, you're going to pay for it.''
"Damn straight. You guys have got to be out of your minds to think reviving someone like Zeref would do any good.'' Gray spat, thinking of the devastation Deliora caused at his former home. Zeref was that demon's creator, he wasn't about to forget that. Their line of thought made no sense to him. For crying out loud, the man was the darkest mage in history!
"We're going to save Riku and you're not going to stop us.'' Lucy added firmly, idly noting that the two appeared taken aback at this. So they didn't know either? What did this mean?
The room was a complete wreck. Half of it was blocked by debris, most of the structures and items present destroyed and they could see a few tell-tale signs of rune magic here and there. It was as if a bomb or something similar went off here...
They quickly found an unconscious Riku at the far end of the area. He was battered, cuts and bruises all over his body and blood dripping down the side of his head. There were a few visible other injuries and judging by what they could see, there were plenty more where that came from.
Belle wanted to cry. She knew what would be waiting for them was not going to be pleasant-especially after learning what Jellal was like...but nothing could've prepared her for this. That looked so painful...
The Fairy Tail group hurried over to see to him while the rest could only look on in shock. Those who believed in Jellal were especially alarmed, their feelings about their old friends were a mixed bag. They had decided to fight them they couldn't simply forget their bonds all together. Millianna wound up voicing the thought this sight raised for all three of them ''D-did Jellal...? No, he...he wouldn't do this...''
"Wake up.'' Simon's tone was cold but he was clearly repressing trying and failing to repress his anger. ''Jellal doesn't care about anyone but himself. I tried to tell you all before but you wouldn't hear it. Just look at this! Has he really done anything to earn this loyalty now?''
"But...but that's...'' Sho stammered.
Cubelios smacked Natsu's arm with her tail as he began to carry Riku, making sure to angle her body to hold their friend up. ''Hey, what was that for?!'' He cried.
"Be gentle, you idiot. He's hurt bad!'' Lucy scolded, to which the snake nodded.
Simon was about to step up and help them when he noticed Riku stirring. The other three paused as they picked up on this too.
"Riku?''
He raised his head slowly after a few moments, cringing at the movement. Blinking blearily at his surroundings, Riku barely registered his friends' relief at his awakening. He seemed dazed and weary, which was why what happened next really threw them for a loop.
Riku suddenly stiffened, his eyes widening as he took everything in. Then, to general surprise, he recoiled-the confusion and shock warring in his eyes mystifying them. He winced at the movement and Cubelios quickly moved to make sure he wouldn't hurt himself any further.
Gray frowned ''Oi, take it easy!''
"Yeah, you shouldn't be moving now!'' Belle cautioned.
"What's wrong? It's just us.'' Happy added.
A few of the others tried to reasssure him too but Riku didn't seem to believe them. Erik thought fast, concentrating his sound magic on him to find out what was going on. He was struck by how frantic Riku's thoughts seemed to be at first but it didn't take him along to find out why.
The revelation quickly made him take action, walking past his confused friends. Grabbing Riku's shoulder, he spoke in a firm tone ''Listen to me, this isn't an illusion. It's real-that was all just a sick, twisted trick. Just look around and see for yourself.''
Riku did so after a moment and Erik carried on, the others remaining quiet since the poison dragon slayer's approach was clearly working. ''See? Nothing happened to any of us-or back home. We're all just fine. You were right to have faith, we're all really here. We came here for you.'' Riku seemed to calm down somewhat at this. ''I'll say it no matter how times you need to hear it. Nothing happened, that was a lie. I can hear it, you actually beat him at his own game. This isn't an illusion, it's real. You're going to be fine-we'll make sure of it.''
Riku's expression made it clear that he wanted nothing more than to believe that. His exhaustion got the better of him in seconds and he collapsed against Erik and Cubelios. Belle was about to ask about this when a livid Erik suddenly growled ''That bastard's going to pay...''
You know what happened?'' Simon inquired.
"Jellal tried to break him!'' He informed angrily. ''Riku's thoughts were a mess but he knew the gist of what happened. That bastard wanted to activate the curse. He thought he found a way to take control of him with it active. You know what that means.'' Erik added pointedly to his friends, whose expressions told him that they understood. ''Jellal only cares about his damn goals, everything is just to revive Zeref. He made that pretty clear to Riku. The traitor went after Riku all because he could, he wanted to either make him into a puppet or even use for the R-System so he tortured him, he had Riku bound in a trap that sealed most of his powers and attacked him. When that didn't work, he used another magic he had ready here. It's made in a way to stir the target's worst nightmares and make them appear real.''
"What?!'' Several voices cried, stunned.
Belle looked stricken, after all she had a very good idea what such nightmares were when it came to Riku. ''S-so...when he saw us...''
"He thought it was another set up.'' Erik confirmed. ''Some of those illusions are seriously messed up. He saw Magnolia burning, most-if not all of us dead in some. What I think was his family being attacked by a huge black monster. There's even a few where it looked like he lost to the curse and attacked us. Even a couple where we walked out on him. The only thing keeping him going was that he couldn't believe it was true but Jellal subjected him to those illusions for hours. Riku couldn't remember at first but he actually stopped Jellal. That's why this place is such a mess, all that magic clashed in the end and it self-destructed. The curse did almost activate but Riku kept control. It was hard but he tried to stay strong just like he promised everyone. His will power made all the difference in the end.''
No one could speak after that. Just the thought of facing such a thing, your worst fears and nightmares over and over was horrifying to say the least. Belle teared up as she hugged her partner tightly, her heart breaking for him. How anyone could do this was beyond her. She tried to remind herself that he triumphed in the end but it was little comfort. This was too cruel.
Erza felt sick as fury and guilt kicked up in equal measures. All of this happened because he saved her. Riku had always been there for her. They'd joined Fairy Tail together, worked hard to learn about magic and excel. He had been more open-minded than her about the guild. Even though he'd told her he had his own reservations about trusting other, (which she later learned was thanks to Acnologia) he felt he couldn't stay like that so he tried to work on that. In his own way, he helped her acclimate to Fairy Tail without even knowing it. He had always called her strong but she believed it was the other way around, today was just another example of that.
He had endured this because of her...she couldn't imagine how terrible the last few hours were for him...
Just when Jellal couldn't sink any lower...apparently, nothing was beneath him anymore. Erik thought angrily, wanting nothing more than to hurt the traitor this instant. If only they could've learned about all this sooner, they might have been able to do something! Riku wouldn't have to go through this. Why'd it have to be Riku again? What happened the first time the curse activated was bad enough...
Simon mentally apologized to Riku as he picked him up, his expression twisting in pain and sorrow for a moment. If only he could've done something to avert this before-but Jellal really had them fooled.
The Fairy Tail contingent was aware that the curse activated when Riku was in extreme distress so the fact that he managed to suppress it after such a harrowing experience was amazing.
Natsu was so furious his flames activated in an instant. Turning to Sho and the others, he snarled ''It's about time we get some answers. Are you really okay with calling that jackass a friend? Riku never did anything to you guys. He's a brilliant friend through and through, he didn't deserve this!''
Erza steeled herself, her fists clenching as she stared her old friends down. If nothing else, what they learned here certainly took care of any reservations she had about fighting them. At the moment, all she could register was the sheer anger at what Riku had to deal with. ''Enough of this. You may hate me but our friends had nothing to do with what happened here. Riku still considered you all friends. His first concerns when he learned the truth were the four of you. Can you condone this?''
"Juvia agrees with Natsu-san and Erza-san.'' The blue haired girl's eyes narrowed as she continued. ''Jellal made his allegiance perfectly clear. Just like Simon-san said, he only cares for himself. Juvia suggests that you be careful with your answer for it will decide how we deal with you.''
Millianna finally cried out ''No! Of course we're not okay with this-it's despicable! You guys don't understand-we wanted to be free! We wanted to make sure no one would take our freedom again.''
"We thought you left us for good...'' Wally said weakly. ''...we didn't want to believe it but that's what it looked like. Then...what Jellal said actually sounded good. No one would use us anymore, we'd be in power.''
"You guys keep talking about freedom but that's not how it works!'' Lucy snapped. ''I get that what you went through was horrible but face it-all you did was chain yourselves to the past even more. Don't you see that using this thing hardly makes you any better than the people who imprisoned you?''
Sho lowered his head ''...You're right, Jellal played us and we let him do it. What happened to Riku is actually our fault...he definitely didn't deserve this. Simon tried to tell us too. But then why...what did we work for all this time?!''
Simon's expression softened somewhat, he knew all along that their friends wouldn't take the truth well but he wished they hadn't had to find out this way. ''Everyone, I know how we can help Riku. There's a room with devices which will make sure he's going to recover. But it's on one of the highest levels and the four of us are the only ones who can teleport. The teleport circles won't work for any of you.''
"That doesn't matter, we're going.'' Gray stated, Belle nodded at once.
"I say it's time we tear this hunk of junk down.'' Natsu declared, punching a fist into his open palm.
"Absolutely.'' Erik agreed.
Erza's expression was just as determined ''Yes. Jellal will answer for all he's done.''
And so the group headed up, Simon made sure to brief them in about what he believed to be the most dangerous opposition, Trinity Raven. With him and the others there, they were also able to avoid the traps in their way.
It wasn't long before they ran into some guards. They seemed to know what was going on for they decided to kill Simon and the others as well. Their words made it clear that it was on Jellal's orders, proving that the blue haired mage knew all what was going on.
They were peristent but the group fought them off, making sure to guard Simon, who was taking care of Riku. After defeating those enemies, they carried on, dealing with any opposition in their way.
Before long, the tower layout somehow began to change. It was almost like pieces of a puzzle, some would shift all of a sudden, others would disappear all together and even move to reveal a trap. When a trap released a big boulder that almost fell near Belle, Simon and Riku, Cubelios flew up, spitting up poison which destroyed it. The snake gave them a once-over, nodding as Belle thanked her before joining them. She nuzzled Riku's cheek and hissed lowly, saddened by all this.
Simon's expression softened, knowing how well the two got along ''...He'll be all right. It won't be easy but we know he's strong. I'll look after him, you just keep going like that.'' Cubelios gave a slight nod. ''I must admit, I can't believe how much you've grown.'' She flicked her tongue at him, making his lip twitch at the familiar gesture.
As she joined Belle, who still appeared downcast but kept glancing at Riku every once in a while, clearly concerned. He couldn't help but think they seemed close, the cat was clearly one of those who took the dragon slayer's predicament the worst. She had point blank refused to leave his side the entire time.
"Riku practically raised Belle.'' He blinked and looked at Erik. ''They're definitely close, they're not just partners. He's the closest thing she has to a parent.''
"Ah...'' Well, that definitely explained it. Somehow, it didn't surprise him at all. He could imagine Riku doing a really good job at it too. ''...I wondered what happened back there, so you did learn sound magic like you wanted after all.'' The former confirmed.
Simon glanced back at the others. No doubt Sho, Wally and Millianna were taking all this hard. He had tried to tell them, to hopefully find a way to deal with the situation but he was on his own.
"About what you said earlier, Jellal's plan in Era.'' Erik reminded. ''Does it have anything to do with a man called Siegrain?''
"I think so. Everything about him is just...off. You clearly know what I mean.'' Simon stated.
"Yeah, he's shady as hell...'' The dragon slayer stopped as the ground around them shook again and the area began to shift.
As a result, Wally and Millianna fell to a lower area where a number of enemies were waiting. Sho stiffened ''Guys!''
"We'll be fine!'' Wally prepared a gun. ''Get going, we'll catch up!''
"Yeah, they don't stand a chance against us!'' Millianna prepared herself to battle. ''Make sure you hurt Jellal real hard for us, okay?''
"Of course, but you had better not take long or else!'' Erza called.
Wally smirked and tipped his hat at her in acknowlegement. ''Go!''
It just escalated from there. The changing layout continued the group trouble, Lucy and Juvia were seperated next finding another enemy in wait. When it happened again, Natsu, Gray, Riku, Simon and Happy almost fell. Natsu barely managed to avoid the fall in time, trying to help them then but the walls were already shifting to close their path.
Gray thought fast, letting Simon join the others with one of his ice constructs. ''You better follow up on your promise, we're leaving Riku to you!''
Simon looked surprised but nodded after a moment before the walls closed. ''I expected that we'd have to fight them but not like this...''
It'll be all right. They won't lose now.'' Belle stated firmly.
"For sure!'' Natsu agreed.
They'll be fine.'' Happy said bracingly, offering Gray a smile which he returned.
"Yeah, let's make sure we will be too.''
"Aye Sir!''
"Ho-ho!'' A new voice crowed, bringing their attention to what looked like a humanoid owl in the air. Thanks to Simon's info, they knew this was Fukuro of Trinity Raven. ''So you're my opponents?''
As they came close to their intended destination, they found a new enemy lying in wait.
He was a man in his thirties, with pale blond hair and venomous green eyes. He was clad a dark trench coat with armor over his arms in legs, his expression appearing apathetic. ''So you're the people I heard about...hm, Fairy Tail, huh? Interesting.''
"What's interesting?'' Natsu demanded.
"Let's put it this way. My name's Ainsley Black, Typhon Claw's guild master.'' He didn't miss the recognition flashing in Belle and Erza's eyes at the name. ''Ah yes, I've heard all about you lot stopping my subordinate. I originally came here to avoid the people coming my way after that debacle but this is quite lucky...you people set me back quite a bit. I'll be having my revenge now.''
"Just try it.'' Erik stepped up, Cubelios slithering next to him. ''We're almost there. Go.''
"But...'' Natsu faltered at Cubelios' glare, clearly the snake agreed with her partner.
"We'll handle this.'' Erik said firmly.
Erza pursed her lips, not like this any better but she nodded after a few moments, leading the others ahead.
Once they reached the room, Simon headed to one of the pod like white structures in the center of the room. Once he placed Riku within it, the device lit up before a glass lid covered him. He looked to the others ''Jellal placed those here for emergencies. This'll take sometime but it's quite the effective magic.''
Thank you!'' Belle exclaimed, relieved.
He gave a small smile in return, noticing Natsu stop for a moment. ''Something wrong?''
"Look.'' He nodded ahead, bringing their attention to another of the devices, what took them by surprise was the amount of blood on its side. ''Jellal's scent is coming from there.''
Erza's eyes narrowed ''I see...he must have come here right after his plan with Riku failed. It's hard to imagine he'd escape unscathed after all that devastation.''
"Serves him right.'' Natsu growled. After all he put his friends through, Jellal got off lightly. But it won't be that way for long...
Erza watched the dragon slayer head out, unsurprised. Her eyes traveled to Riku before lowering, Simon then spoke ''Erza, I...in the end, I could make all the excuses out the world but I might as well have helped make this happen. I'm sorry.''
"Don't be ridiculous!'' She said at once. ''At least you actually tried to do something, you still had faith...if I wasn't such a coward...''
"Okay, that's enough-both of you!'' Belle cut in, surpising the two. ''What's blaming yourselves going to do now? I know Riku won't hold any of this against you. We all came here to end this. It's the right thing to do. Weren't we going to focus on stopping Jellal for good? Erza, you're still our friend-even if you're a blockhead sometimes. Simon, I only know what Riku told me about you but it's enough to tell you're a really good person. Now quit kicking yourselves down, that's exactly what he wants.''
Simon couldn't help chuckling after a few moments ''You take after Riku, you know that?'' She was just as gentle and honest as he was...
Belle puffed our chest proudly ''Good!''
Erza gave a small smile, not expecting anything less. Belle couldn't remember her name after Riku took her in. Riku once told them what inspired Belle's name. It was her innate strength and sweet nature, seeing how she bounced back after her rough circumstances. Belle's name was very fitting indeed.
This line of thought made her remember a conversation she shared with Riku one night years ago...
"You don't remember your last name?'' Erza asked.
"Nope.'' Riku stated, sitting opposite her. ''I haven't for a long time-never really cared before. Why?''
"Oh, no reason...I actually understand. I didn't care much either but Jellal and Wally think I should. They made it sound like a big deal and it felt kind of nice...that's why I have mine now.''
He blinked ''Yeah? So they gave you...?''
She nodded ''It's Scarlet. Jellal took one look at my hair and he thought it would fit. He said it'd be a name to remember.''
Riku tilted his head ''Huh, I think I get where he's coming from...''
"Say, how do you do it?'' Erza asked after a moment, leaving him confused. ''You're like Jellal, you really take care of us all even when it's hard on you. You both keep our spirits up like it's nothing. How do you do it?''
"Ah...not sure.'' He admitted. ''I didn't really think about it. Jellal probably has his own reasons but I just hate to see those lowlives knocking more and more people down. I've seen worse than them so they'll have a hard time trying to scare me.''
"Is that really all?'' Erza seemed a bit disappointed. Frankly, she was impressed that it came just like that to him.
The two sat in silence and Erza happened to glance at the sky then, which was when a thought hit her. ''...Starlight.'' Riku looked up at her as she stood. ''I think that can be a last name for you-Starlight!''
He blinked twice ''Where's this even coming from?''
"Your eyes remind me of the night sky.'' She admitted somewhat bashfully. ''Watching you makes me feel like I can be strong-you and Jellal make us feel better when we're down. Even Jellal's more cheerful thanks to you, it's like you help us all find our way just when we need it. You're gentle, like the light of a star, so that's why it should be Starlight!''
Riku seemed truly surprised, making her realize he wasn't aware of the effect he had any of them. It wasn't long since he joined their group...maybe that was why?
Riku smirked after a moment ''Someone's a lot more bold now.''
Erza flushed, knowing he meant the times she'd hardly said two words to anyone. ''D-don't tease me! I'm serious!''
"I know, I know...'' He smiled. ''...from now on, I'll be Riku Starlight. Thanks, Erza.''
The memory became one she truly treasured. Before she even knew it, she was comfortable around Riku. It wasn't apparent at first but he truly was gentle and they were all glad to have met him.
The thought reinforced her determination. They would stop Jellal for sure, she wouldn't let him hurt anyone else.
Well, let's stop here.
Sorry, this wasn't supposed to take as long. But I couldn't really focus on writing fanfiction for a while. After a whole lot of re-reading and adjusting plans when I had time to write, I'm preparing the final draft and hopefully get it published some day.
The next chapter focuses more on the fights, I just needed this one to lead to the next part of the arc. I'm going to get into what happened on Riku's end later, he's going to recover soon but this is going to have ramfications down the line. You can bet Jellal's not going to get off easy after this scheme. Erza and Erik have a lot they should talk to with their friends, it's just that they're all focused on this mess now.
The reason behind the reaction destroyed the room is that Jellal really almost set off a big problem. It has to do with the origins of the curse and Riku's terrible state at the time, he really was pushed to the limit. He was motivated by the promise to beat the curse and the promise to the Celestial King so his will power made all the difference. If it hadn't...let's just say things would've been BAD.
I figured I left the matter of Typhon Claw hanging up in the air after that job so here it is. The news brought all the attention on Ainsley and he allied with Jellal to avoid being arrested again. You'll see what he's like next chapter. Simon had to keep his head down as he was all on his own back there. He's thinking of Kagura and he wants to find her. I'm of the opinion that being gentle doesn't just mean saying and acting nice, sometimes you have to be harsh on the person when necessary. That's something Riku picked up from someone in the past and it stuck with him to this day. Belle learned it from him, even if she can't bring herself to say it sometimes they can both really get to the point when they have to.
Well, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Till next time!