''Lullaby?''
Gray, Erza and Lucy were talking on the communication lacrima to the rest of their group, having just boarded the train. With Hope's plan having ensured that the four of them would arrive in Clover Town quickly, their group was due to catch up soon.
''Yes, we were able to capture one of the Eisenwald members and interrogate them.'' Endymion explained. ''His group didn't seem to know much, they seem to be low level and only select members were entrusted with the entire plan. We think it's supposed to be some sort of powerful magical item. They were supposed to meet here after a few of their members attacked Era.''
''Wait, how'd they pull that off? I thought a place like Era would be really well protected...'' Lucy interjected.
''They likely have members whose abilities make it a simple matter.'' The phoenix returned.
''Makes sense-any idea where they're supposed to meet?'' Gray inquired.
''At the train station.'' Hope replied. ''We don't really know what they're up to yet but the man mentioned something about making sure their plan's effects would spread wide. We just explained everything to the officials in town so they're going to help.''
''Nice work, the plan's already working great.'' The ice mage smiled.
''Indeed. Now, just one thing...'' Erza raised an eye as she looked at Natsu and Happy, who seemed rather unnerved. ''...what's wrong with them?''
Hope sighed and turned to them ''Guys, did you seriously believe that?''
''Hey, you saw how he made it look!'' Happy exclaimed.
Gray raised an eye ''Okay, what happened?''
Endymion huffed ''I had to get creative to get this information...''
The Eisenwald member had proven to be surprisingly defiant, despite Natsu's attempts to force the truth out of him. Evidently, he feared his guild's retribution far more than anything they could dish out.
''Fine, forget getting info. I'll deck him and we can leave...'' A fed up Natsu started.
''Hold on.'' Endymion flew over, giving the dark mage a once over. ''Hmm, I think I know how to deal with this...''
''You do?''
''Warren did help me learn more on Telepathy magic. I can see why he treats it so carefully, it can be quite a dangerous power...'' The phoenix trailed off.
''So you can read minds like Warren now?'' Happy wanted to know.
''Oh, we did talk about that before. I've never had a chance to try, he did present a few precautions on the matter. Users who treat this carelessly have been known to damage their targets' minds before...''
''W-what?!'' The Eisenwald member squeaked.
Hope knew where Endymion was going with this. He almost felt bad for the man but for now it was best to play along. ''Oh, you mentioned something about how careful one had to be with mind magic because even a little mistake which seems nothing could be big trouble, right?''
''Exactly.'' His guardian and partner affirmed. ''Hm, I think I've learned quite a bit myself. It's about time I test this out...of course, I've been avoiding this considering the risks...those who tamper recklessly with mind magic could easily leave their victims a vegetable.'' He ignored the man's alarm. ''But needs must...I suppose.''
''W-what? Wait, you're not seriously going to...!'' Happy's eyes were wide.
''Y-you wouldn't do that! You light guild mages don't have the stomach for it!'' Their enemy tried to bluster.
''Are you sure you want to take the chance?'' Endymion asked, making him stiffen. ''I mean, that's an awfully big risk you're taking. Dark guild members always seem to underestimate us without any cause but do you really want to bet on something like that? Besides, you seem to be holding to some ridiculous human standards. I only care what select humans think of me-why should I be beheld to human rules after what people like you did to me?'' The man gulped.
''Hey, hold on...!'' Natsu started. They didn't have to go that far...
He stopped when Hope grabbed his arm and shook his head, giving him a reassuring look. This made him pause-were they up to something?
''There's always a chance that everything would work out but really, you're just better off telling us what you know.'' Hope informed, ignoring his friends' glances. ''Are you really prepared to put yourself at risk now?''
''I...I...'' The man stammered.
''That's enough. We tried being reasonable about this but if he wants it the hard way...'' Endymion trailed off meaningfully.
The man couldn't take it anymore ''Stop, stop! Don't do it!''
''...and he effectively told us everything after that.'' Endymion finished.
Gray spared Natsu and Happy a flat look ''...And you two actually bought it?''
''Honestly...'' Erza sighed, looking exasperated.
''Hey, you didn't see it! It totally looked totally real!'' Happy exclaimed defensively.
''Ah, hello? It's called acting.'' Lucy deadpanned.
Natsu took it in stride, he wondered if they had a plan but it looked so convincing that he hadn't given it much thought. ''You guys really had us going. What, you had it all planned or something?''
''It was just something I came up with on the spot-I didn't have time to tell Hope so it was lucky he caught on.'' The phoenix replied.
''I just don't think he'd do something like that.'' The boy stated simply.
''Then that stuff you said...'' Happy started.
''Most of it was true but even if I could read the fool's mind, I'd never go that far. By the way, your faith in me was very much appreciated.'' Endymion added sarcastically, the two shot him apologetic looks at that.
''So I guess we'll see you at the train station?'' Gray cocked his head.
Hope nodded ''We explained everything to the town's officials, they're going to help us. They made sure the station would be empty and I think they might be summoning Rune Knights soon.''
''Nice! See you guys then.'' Lucy returned.
As the group of three drew nearer to their destination...
Gray turned as Erza walked in ''So, how'd it go?''
''The conductor was very understanding-he was naturally frightened when I explained everything but he did appreciate the warning. I told him I'd ensure the coast would be safe before we allow anyone off the train.''
''That's good, for all we know those lowlives might have arrived.'' The ice mage noted grimly.
Lucy agreed ''Actually, it might help us too. Let's see if we can find anyone who stands out when the train stops. I don't think any Eisenwald member would take being delayed well.''
The two nodded back and they waited. A short while later, the train came to a stop and they immediately set out.
None of the three paid attention to the conductor trying to make up an excuse for the passengers. He would likely avoid telling them the truth just to avoid causing a panic. The last thing they needed was to head out and risk running into Eisenwald.
Erza was beginning to wonder if Hope's guess had been wrong after all. Everything seemed to check out but they couldn't find any suspicious person...
Her thought came to a screeching halt when she heard a scream. Alarmed, the knight mage hurried to the source just in time to catch a glimpse of a shadow slithering across the ground. A young man looked in on shock while a woman hid nearby, both staring at the odd sight. Erza rushed past them, her eyes narrowing as it took a corner. She thought fast, noticing Gray nearby. ''Gray, use an ice wall!'' He blinked. ''Just do it, there's no time!''
Blinking, he quickly cast the spell, making the shadow stop. It barely avoided the ice but this gave Erza the time she needed to catch up. Switching to a halberd, she quickly stabbed into the ground. A man jumped out of the shadow just as the halberd crackled with electricity.
''What the-?!'' Gray stared while Erza stepped up, her eyes narrow.
''You're better than I thought, Fairy pests.'' The man sneered, noticing Lucy hurry over. ''But you're not messing things up now!'' He snapped his fingers, two big spheres of shadows formed above him and hurled them at the trio. The spheres merged, releasing widespread waves of darkness. Erza quickly re-quipped a shield to fend them off. They had to be careful, they couldn't take any chances with all the innocents present.
Unfortunately, the man was thinking along similar lines ''You light mage types are always too soft. Too bad for you, I don't have such a problem.'' He waved a hand, conjuring shadowy blasts which he launched at numerous directions. Gray quickly destroyed a few with his magic, noticing they were heading towards the passenger area.
''Leave them out of...'' The words died in Gray's mouth at the sound of a window breaking, making him realize that the man had used their distraction to escape.
The remaining members of Eisenwald were all gathering at the station in large groups. Most were rather bewildered to see how empty the area was but they couldn't stop to think about it for long, fearful of defying the orders of their superior.
Little did they know, the people were asked to avoid the area to ensure their safety. The officials were keeping a low profile, focused on protecting the town while looking out for the people.
''Hah, I don't know what you guys are worrying about-this'll be a cinch.''
''Well, how about that...'' The unfamiliar voice made them pause. ''...maybe you guys aren't as stupid as you look.''
''What?!'' The speaker began looking around. ''Hey, who said that?!''
The next thing they knew, waves of heat surged, striking members at random while others tried to dodge. Their sheer intensity made it somewhat hard for them to see and thus they missed Natsu charging in with fists a flame, fighting those in his way
''Fire Dragon's Crushing Fang!''
One of the enemies yelped as he tried to get away from the attack ''W-who is that kid?!''
''Doesn't matter, he can't take us all...wha-?!'' The speaker stared as Hope, Happy and Endymion appeared at the area's three exits.
The three wasted no time charging into battle. Happy flew up and unleashed a flurry of feathers. It didn't look like much at first but those who thought so regretted the notion at once. The feathers wound up being as hard as rocks, as their unfortunates targets found out. With another flap of his wings, Happy sent out feathers that exploded on contact.
When a spear using enemy tried to attack the feline, his path was blocked by Hope, who stopped his incoming weapon with a pair of black, white and gold pistols. The boy moved quickly, shooting a light blast that stunned the attacker and smashing his head with the pistol a second later. When three enemies attacked them with magic, Hope raised his weapons, which changed into a pair of blades in a flash of light. The next thing they knew, he had disappeared only to reappear behind them and they realized too late that they had already been cut.
Happy grinned to himself as he watched the boy take down more enemies in a similar manner. He very much doubted that any of them would be quicker than Hope, who was already one of the fastest members in the guild. A cry behind him alerted the cat to more trouble. Noticing a shadow, he quickly flew up in time to avoid a club that almost hit him. With a flap of his wings, he blinded the attacker with a few feathers before summoning more that struck hard and true, knocking the enemy out. Endymion flew past him, conjuring a wave of light that blew several attackers away.
''Any problems, Happy?'' He inquired.
''Nope, we've got this!'' The cat chirped.
When Erza's group caught up to the four of them, it was to find Natsu and Hope standing back to back against a large, burly man that was nearly twice their size. Neither of the boys was daunted though, in fact, they were handling him with ease.
Dodging his attacks, Natsu punched the dark mage in the gut hard enough to leave him winded. He still managed to look up and sneer ''That all you got?''
Unexpectedly, Natsu smirked. The reason became clear when the enemy felt something cold on his side, bringing his attention to Hope, who was holding a pistol to his shoulder. Without further ado, the boy fired, blasting the target into a wall with a golden beam.
''Guys!''
The two looked over at Lucy's voice, Natsu dusted his hands ''Hey, took you all long enough. We've just been taking out the trash.''
''We've encountered a few pieces of those on our way.'' Erza informed, thinking back to the two groups of Eisenwald members they had defeated. They also had to intervene to save a military unit which had almost been destroyed by the dark mages. ''I assume by the enemy numbers, they likely caught on to something amiss?''
''Yup, looks like some of them split just before we found 'em.'' Natsu returned. ''We've been taking out the stragglers, Hope got Endymion to trap the ones he could find in barriers. We're still trying to figure out where the rest of them are though.''
''Wait, you mean they escaped?'' Gray blinked.
''...No.'' Hope said after a moment, hearing news from Endymion over their mental link. ''Happy and Endymion are keeping an eye on things...they just saw someone with spiky black hair dispel a couple of the barriers.''
The ice mage scowled ''That's the prick we saw on the train! Where are they?''
''This way.'' Hope lead them to where their two friends were, coming face to face with the remnants of Eisenwald lead by the man in question. If one looked closer, they would notice the cuts and bruises he was trying to hide.
Their numbers may have been cut down but they still formed a sizeable opposition.
The man scowled ''You again-I should've known...''
''So these are the flies giving you all trouble, Kageyama?''
The new voice made many eyes travel up, finding a man with spiky silver hair looking down on them. Erza recognized him easily from the wanted posters ''That's Erigor, the Shinigami...''
''I have to admit, it was a surprise. I always figured Fairy Tail was the sort of guild who'd just charge straight into battle but from the looks of it, you flies actually thought things through...'' Erigor drawled. ''...not that it actually changes much. You won't win.''
''Oh, yeah? Come down here and say that, you dress wearing wind bag!'' Natsu challenged.
''You're not going to get to the guild masters!'' Gray added.
The man quirked a brow. ''You figured it out? Well...I'm almost impressed.'' The mocking tone in his voice was clear as day. ''Let's see you try to stop us. By playing Lullaby, we'll make sure everyone receives judgement. The old farts are just going to be the first to go!''
''Playing Lullaby? What does that mean?'' Happy wondered.
Those words made Lucy remember something ''That's why...guys, I read about it before. Lullaby's a cursed flute, it plays a song that kills those who hear it.''
''What?!''
''Why would do something like that?!'' Erza demanded, nothing would condone all those deaths in her eyes.
''I said it before, judgement. There's so many ignorant fools out there who live unaware that others like us had their rights stolen. Well, we're never going to stand for that.''
''Your rights were stolen because you murdered innocents.'' Endymion pointed out coolly.
''Exactly, besides you're never going to get your rights back this way.'' Lucy added.
''We don't care about that.'' Erigor said dismissively. ''They have to pay and we're going to tear down light guilds everywhere in the same stroke. Your dear old masters are dead meat!''
Natsu growled, his fist igniting but the man was already flying up. The members of Eisenwald quickly hurried to surround them, clearly intent on blocking their way. Erigor smirked ''I don't have time to waste on you flies.''
As he flew out of sight, his companions attacked...
Numerous weapons clashed and blasts of magics flew as the battle continued. It quickly became clear to Eisenwald that numbers were the only thing they had on the Fairy Tail contingent. They were clearly outclassed, as much as they refused to admit it out of pride. Endymion had opted to stay back and defend Happy, who was getting low on magic power. Neither were concerned, though, their friends were more than able to pull this off alone.
Taurus knocked a number of them with a few strikes. Erza requipped to her Heaven's Wheel Armor, a silver, wing themed armor and flew up. ''Blumenblatt!''
Summoning a myriad of swords, Erza watched as the blades surged, striking all her targets down. She quickly launched them to attack again to unleash her Pentagram Sword attack, taking down all opposition around her.
''Wow, incredible!'' Lucy exclaimed, she knew Erza was strong but seeing this was amazing. Judging from Taurus' low whistle, she knew the spirit was just as impressed.
Gray mowed enemies down with a few ice blasts. He swiftly created an axe to block an incoming attack, kicking the attacker down and knocking him out. Not missing a beat, he froze a few earth spells coming his way, taking the casters out with numerous ice lances. He continued to fight, systematically taking the opposition down.
Natsu and Hope on the other hand, were fending off Kageyama, who had taken to using his shadow magic to try and sneak up on them in the chaos of the battle. With Natsu's enhanced senses and Hope's sight magic, he never had much of a chance to pull it off. He was soon joined by fellow Eisenwald members Karacka and Byard, who used their Phasing and Light magics to fight the boys.
Kageyama rolled his eyes when he saw Karacka try and fail to attack their enemies ''Idiot. If it was that easy, I would've been done by now.''
''Hah, don't compare me to you. You'd already lose then!''
''What was that?!''
Byard fired a light spell at Hope, who simply sliced it apart with one of his swords. Natsu snorted ''You idiots are never going to nail Hope with light magic.''
''Don't get cocky, Salamander! We're going to kill everyone who interferes with the plan!'' Byard retorted.
The dragon slayer felt it was less confidence and more stating a fact but he decided not to argue the point. Kageyama fired shadowy tendrils at the two of them but he and Hope destroyed them with rays of light and spheres of fire.
''Is that all you got? Do something useful!'' Karacka snapped.
''Back at you, you bastard!'' Byard retorted.
Natsu raised an eye as they continued to argue ''Are they seriously doing this now?'' Hope gave him a look, which he correctly understood. ''...Not. A. Word.''
The boy merely smiled and shook his head. He had been about to point out that he and Gray fought plenty like that but...''Let's just take them down then.''
''Yeah! Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!''
''Luminous Tornado!''
Kageyama's eyes widened at the attacks, quickly diving into his own shadow to dodge. And not a moment too soon.
The next thing they knew, Karacka was still standing, but that was because he had used a couple of his guildmates as a human shield.
''What the hell?!'' Natsu growled.
The man sneered ''Might as well make some use for those weaklings.''
''What the hell is wrong with you?! They're your own guildmates!''
Hope remained quiet but his expression showed that he was just as disgusted. He leveled one of his pistols and fired. Karacka used his magic to avoid the attack but it was no good. Hope snapped his fingers, the shining bullet broke up in to several small spheres which rained down on the surprised dark mage, knocking him out.
Only very few stragglers remained but they seemed to be to scared to fight. They were outmatched but the fear of their superior's retribution was strong, it was like they were stuck between a rock and a hard place.
However, the choice was soon taken out of their hands.
''Pathetic.'' Erigor's cold voice made many of them shiver as the man revealed himself to be flying up high above the station. ''I thought even you fools couldn't screw this up with so many of you here. Well, you're going to answer for this just like the others.''
Before anyone could react, he cast a spell that surrounded the station in a huge wind barrier. With a wave of his hand, blades of wind surged from the barrier. Most of them struck down the stragglers, including Kageyama.
Lucy paled even as Taurus took her away from one of the projectiles ''Why...?''
Happy thought he might be sick at the sight of the bleeding dark mages ''He's horrible...''
''Bastard!'' Gray spat. Hope bit his lip but hurried to tend to them, refusing to let people die because of Erigor's cruelty.
''Later, Fairy flies! Watch as everything crashes and burns around you!'' He taunted, flying off.
''We've gotta stop him!'' Natsu growled. Just when those lowlives couldn't sink any lower...how could they treat even their own comrades like this?
''...Taurus, go back.'' Lucy said after a moment. ''I can get help but I can't keep both your gates open.''
''Got it. Be careful, Lucy-san.'' The spirit returned, fading into light as he returned to his world.
Erza gave her a curious look ''Lucy?''
''Give me a sec-Gate of the Maiden, I open thee! Virgo!''
The new spirit emerged within a flash of light, jumping up high and landing before Lucy.
''I have arrived, Princess.'' She said with a curtsey.
''...Huh?''
Gray blinked, noticing how Happy's jaw dropped while Natsu and Lucy appeared dumbfounded. ''What's wrong with you three?''
''Who's that?'' Natsu and Happy asked.
The ice mage looked at him like he was an idiot ''Weren't you two talking all about before?''
Virgo blinked ''Is something wrong?''
''Why do you look so different? It's like you're two completely different people!'' Lucy pointed out.
''Ah yes, you mean this?'' She turned into a huge, flat faced giant with squinty eyes, making those nearby recoil. Virgo carried on when she took up her original form. ''I'm a loyal spirit which takes whatever form that suits my master's taste.''
''...That explains it.'' Happy nodded. Everlue's maids were all rather ugly after all, his taste was definitely horrible.
Natsu was about to approach the spirit only to be cut off by Erza ''Look, this is fascinating and all but Lucy, how can she help?''
''Right, sorry.'' The blonde winced, recalling that they were short on time. ''Virgo, I know we don't have a contract yet but we need your help, fast. Can you dig a tunnel to help us get out of here?''
''Certainly.''
It took a while but they were able to find Erigor, who was in fact just up ahead. They weren't too far away from the guild master's HQ now...
''Ice Make: Rampart!''
The man's eyes widened as the thick ice structure formed in his path, forcing him to stop. He looked back, scowling as the group caught up to him ''You even made it here, huh...? Fine, I won't let you stop me now!''
Natsu leapt up, propelling himself with flames. ''I've been waiting to punch your face in, you bastard!''
''Well, you're going to have to wait much longer, take this!''
Happy gasped as his partner was struck by a wind blast, hurrying to catch him. ''Thanks buddy, but you're running on low, right? I got this.''
''You sure?'' The cat saw his determined expression and grinned. ''Kick his butt!''
''Yeah!''
''Tough talk, you little fly. Eat this!'' Erigor sent out a storm with a wave of his hand but Natsu took care of it with a Fire Dragon's Roar. He directed the attack to strike Erigor but it was easily repelled. ''Hah! My Storm Mail takes care of your flames. Let's see you get a scratch on me!''
He unleashed a few attacks from his Magic Wind Palm, generating vortexes that destroyed what they touched. Natsu deftly dodged the attacks while Hope defended the others with Aegis. Deflecting more of Natsu's flames, Erigor cast Storm Shred, using compact wind blades to strike. Natsu dodged most of them, with only one nailing the mark. Regardless, he pulled himself up, using another Fire Dragon's Roar.
Gray scowled as the man deflected the move ''What did he expect? He shouldn't fight this guy.''
Erza, however noted that Natsu was unfazed. Was he up to something?
Her suspicion was proven true when the teen smirked. Gathering a large amount of flames in his hand, he surprised many by condensing them as much as possible. As a result, a sphere of flames gathered around his fists and he proceeded to punch the enemy. Erigor just laughed, expecting the Storm Mail to protect him again.
Thus, he was shocked speechless when he felt the intense heat of the attack, realizing too late that his defense was ineffective. Wincing, he quickly pushed Natsu back with a burst of wind, alarmed.
''What just...?'' Gray stared.
Lucy was smiling ''I get it. By condensing the flames, he's multiplying their power and effect, Erigor's magic won't do him much good anymore.''
''Get 'em, Natsu!'' Happy called.
''Che, let's see you handle this. Emera Baram!'' Erigor cast, conjuring a large concentrated blast of wind blades that flew at them. Natsu pushed past it, much to his shock, moreso when Hope once again defended the others.
Natsu made another condensed sphere of flames ''Eat this, Fire Dragon's Burst Impact!''
Erigor's eyes widened when he threw the sphere and it seemed to implode, the initial strike throwing him back before the spell consumed him, leaving him to crash down hard.
Natsu turned to his friends as they hurried over, grinning as Happy cheered. Erza smiled ''Well done.''
''Heh, I knew I could take him. But man, Hope, you're brilliant! Burst Impact works great!''
The younger boy just laughed, it had just been an idea he thought of a while back but ''Well, it's thanks to...'' He stiffened, seeing something move behind Natsu, immediately taking action.
It all went so fast, most weren't even sure what happened. One moment a shadow appeared behind the dragon slayer. The next thing they knew, Hope was standing behind him as Kageyama appeared, blocking some shadowy tendrils that came rather close to hitting Natsu.
''You again?!'' Lucy recoiled as a surprised Natsu recovered, glaring at the man.
Kageyama scowled, trying to retreat but his path was blocked by Endymion, who had also seen what happened. ''And just where do you think you're going?''
''You want some, you scumbag?'' Gray stepped up.
''Hold on, Gray.''
''Why?!'' The teen rounded on Endymion.
''It's simple. There's no point in fighting someone like that.''
Baffled, Gray was about to question the statement but then he spotted the answer. Kageyama's white coat was almost completely red at his right shoulder, bringing his attention to the blood dripping from his side. ''Wait, so then...?''
''Yes, as you can see, he didn't escape Erigor's punishment.'' Endymion stated before looking at the dark mage. ''Are you actually trying to fight now? You can hardly stand.''
''Shut up!'' He barked. ''I won't let you...you're not getting in the way. We didn't come this far just to fail!''
''And what good is any of this going to do?'' Hope demanded. ''All your plan does is just give people more of a reason to come after you. Those deaths are completely pointless. Why are you even fighting? For a guild that thinks nothing of sacrificing each other on a whim?''
''Yeah, don't be foolish. It's only by luck that Erigor hasn't killed you, some of your own comrades weren't so fortunate.'' Erza grimaced a bit as she thought back to the enemies back in the station. ''What reason is there to keep this up? Those fools back there don't see it but they were all expendable, Erigor already lost. That's enough.''
''No!'' He barked, stepping back. In his free hand was a creepy, wooden flute with a three eyed skull etched on it. ''None of you understand, what do you light guild types know, huh?!''
''We know there's a chance you can actually redeem yourself, you idiot!'' Lucy snapped. ''This is no way to live. Think! It's just like Hope and Erza said, this entire battle is pointless. You're in no shape to keep going. Own up to your actions-you lost your rights because of what you did but now you started this horrible plan. You still have a chance to turn things around-the point is, you seem set on wasting that chance!''
''No matter how much you all mock us, we're all proud to be a part of Fairy Tail. It's where we found our home, our friends, our family. Do you believe the same of your guild, are you proud to be a part of Eisenwald?'' Hope's question made Kageyama freeze. That was partly due to shock as he realized that he truly couldn't answer that. The more he listened to them, the more pointless their entire battle was.
''Just hand Lullaby over. If you cooperate, we'll make sure the Rune Knights know and it'll be in your favor. Like the girls said, you can make things change for the better. I think it's safe to say that Eisenwald is done for. But it's not over for you yet.'' Endymion added.
He didn't show it but all those words were affecting him deeply. Kageyama figured it was all over after what happened at the station. But now...he wanted to believe, to believe that it wasn't too late...
Lost in thought as he was, the man missed the eyes in Lullaby's skull glowing. ''Feh!'' The voice made everyone start as the flute rolled out of his hand. ''This is why I can't stand humans. So weak...is this enough to shake your resolve?''
''It's talking!'' Happy cried.
''What the heck?!'' Natsu's jaw dropped. ''Oi, shadow guy, what's the deal?''
''I don't know!'' Kageyama's shock was evident on his face. ''Erigor's the one who told us about Lullaby but we just knew about its death song...''
Within seconds, the flute transformed into a massive demonic creature, much to their shock ''I've waited long enough, your souls will be mine!''
''What's going on?!'' Lucy recoiled. Magic even allowed something like this?
Erza would quite like to know that herself but questions could wait ''Let's focus on stopping this monster!''
She charged along with Natsu, both striking the monster's arm with their blades and flames. Hope and Gray stood side to side, bombarding the enemy with light and ice arrows. Gray created an ice cannon and shot a blast at Lullaby. The demon was all set to dodge it until Hope surrounded the sphere in a silvery aura that made it go much faster, blasting the demon right in the face. This was Accel Force, a memoria spell that sped up time on objects.
Natsu struck next ''Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!''
Lullaby roared in pain and anger as the fiery waves landed, aiming to retaliate. Endymion waved a wing and rays of light struck its back before it could attack the teen, giving him enough to get Natsu out of its path. Lullaby fired a beam from its mouth but the phoenix flew up high to dodge, spinning around the enemy. A moment later, Lullaby was trapped in a shimmering gale that was not unlike Hope's Luminous Tornado.
Lucy smiled widely as she watched them go to town on the monster ''They're all amazing...''
''Lucy, why don't you help?'' Happy wanted to know.
''As much as I want to-I can't. I'm not sure I can summon a spirit and even if I could-I only have one choice at a time like this but...'' She sighed. ''...even I can pull off the conditions, she's a last resort. Emphasis on the 'last' part.''
He blinked, not expecting that ''Why?''
''It's Aquarius.'' was all Lucy had to say to that.
''...Never mind.'' The cat may have seen Aquarius briefly but he completely understood. The volatile spirit was more likely to do harm than good here. Their friends were doing more than fine anyway.
Lullaby got back up after Erza used Blumenblatt, snarling ''It's time-your souls are mi...'' It froze. ''...why can't I play my song?!''
''We've punched so many holes in you that it's never going to work.'' Erza raised a sword. ''It's over!''
With one final attack, the monster was history.
It was only after the battle that they realized they had other spectators...
''Gramps?'' Gray stared as Makarov hurried to the scene, followed by a few other people who had to be other masters.
''Good going, brats! Mira sent word about the situation. I did my best to hurry over but it kooks like we had nothing to worry about.'' Makarov said with a grin.
Hope felt something warm on his chest, bringing his attention to the pendant as it continued to glow. His eyes widened, did this mean...?
''Yup! We totally had it covered.'' Natsu beamed.
Lucy blinked as a thought occured to her ''Master, how'd you know we'd be here?''
''Well, the chaos from all the fighting did clue me in buft...'' He began to dig in his pocket. ''...it's really because of this.''
In his palm was a bright red shard which seemed as if it was part of a gem. Happy's eyes widened ''You found one?''
''I noticed it on my way hours ago. I wasn't sure at first but after what Hope said...'' Makarov trailed off as the item flew out of his palm.
Hope held out a hand and the shard settled there. He placed it over the pendant and it immediately integrated with it, filling up another missing area. Lucy looked over curiously ''So it's a part of that pendant?''
Endymion nodded ''They were lost years ago but Hope's been trying to find the pieces. They return the pendant's power.''
''Thanks, Grandpa.'' Hope smiled.
''Heh, don't sweat it, kiddo. For all intents and purposes, it's yours in the first place.'' Makarov shrugged. ''Man, I can't tell you what a relief it is...''
Erza blinked ''You were that worried?''
''Who wouldn't be?'' He stated as if it were obvious. ''But I actually meant that things worked out with only so little trouble. I was sure you brats teaming up would drive me into the red again for years!''
''What?! Master!'' Happy whined.
''Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Gramps!'' Gray snarked.
"Oh, quit complaining. Your history when it comes to demolition is in a leagueof its own." Endymion stated.
Makarov just laughed ''Come on, brats. You definitely deserve a reward after today.''
Well, let's stop here.
I wasn't sure how to handle this part but I hope it was good. I've decided to handle the pendant a little differently here, so for the record, that's three shards returned out of six. I want to get some more use out of it early on. Anyway, the battle went faster considering that Erza's magic wasn't drained because of that four wheeler so she was more than up to keep going, so they caught up to Erigor with time to spare before he made it to the HQ.
Anywho, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the story so far. Till next time!
