Enjoy!
Nashi groaned as she and the others stopped.
"How far away are we?" She demanded.
"Maybe another day." Simon replied, wiping the sweat from his brow, "Half of one if we're lucky."
"Kill me." Elise said, falling over on her face. "Let's just stay here for the night."
"Oh good, are we stopping?" Ultear asked, sitting down next to the already passed out Elise. "Because I'm completely beat."
"Alright well, stargazing is cool." Damien said, laying down an closing his eyes. Nashi took initiative to go and break off a few branches from the trees around them and threw them in a pile around her friends, and threw a fireball a them, igniting them.
"Remind me why we chose a job in a town with no train station?" Drake asked. "And remember, I'm a Dragon Slayer."
"It paid well." Simon replied. "A day or two walking is worth all that money."
"I agree with that." Drake said, looking over at Nashi. "My wallet feels pretty empty." Nashi rolled her eyes.
"Oh please." She said. "You didn't do a damn thing to stop me, stop trying to make me feel bad." Drake just laughed, which made Nashi laugh.
"Alright well, if you two are just going to flirt, I'm going to sleep." Elise said, lying back. Everyone watched her getting comfortable and close her eyes, waiting a little bit before anyone spoke.
"I'm scared she'll remember at any moment." Ultear said lowly. "That blackout at the beach terrified me."
"It's the same for all of us." Damien said from his own position lying down. "I thought for sure she'd find out. Apparently she passed out at home too."
"Mavis, it must be hard for her." Drake said, "Not knowing what happened to her, why everyone is avoiding talking to her about it. The headaches, I mean."
"She'll find out eventually, that's the thing that worries me the most." Nashi said. "I just hope she can take it when she does eventually find out." Silence fell upon the not sleeping five, before, one by one, they all excused themselves to go to sleep. Nashi was the last one to do s, as she tried to keep the fire going as long as possible before she too decided it was too late for her to still be up. Yawning and leaning back, Nashi rested on her arm and close her eyes, drifting off into a deep, interrupted sleep.
Once they had all woken up, they continued on their long walk to the town in the middle of nowhere. Truthfully, Nashi was a little suspicious that a town that was, as she said, in the middle of nowhere, could afford to pay them so much. After all, all that jewel could be used much better to better the shitty situation in said town.
"You'd think they'd spend our paycheck on the town." Simon said, pointing out Nashi's on thoughts. "I almost feel bad knowing I'm getting paid to be here."
"Oh well." Ultear said. "Let's jus get this over with so we don' feel too guilty." Nashi looked over at Damien at these words.
"Where does our client live again?" She asked. Damien scratched his head and looked around.
"Uh, I think it's...Okay, well that makes a lot of sense."
"What?" Elise asked. "What's the problem?"
"He lives up there." Everyone followed Damien's finger and saw a giant estate at the top of a hill just outside of town. "Which I guess makes sense, because I doubt any sensible person I this town would spend that much money on anything that wasn't themselves or their family." Nashi did have to admit, seeing that estate made the paycheck make a lot more sense. She followed her friends through town and up the hill, which gave them a better view of just how terrible looking the town was. Buildings were destroyed, people looked hurt and untreated, and everything just looked terrible.
"What he hell happened here?" Nashi asked. "It looks like there was some sort of huge fight."
"Huh, it does." Elise agreed. "Come to think of it, that may be why we're here."
"Definitely." Simon agreed. As they reached the house, Damien leaned forward and gave it a few hard knocks. Silence followed. No one answered the door, no one called from inside, nothing.
"Did they hear us?" Ultear asked.
"Here, I got it." Elise said. The girl turned her fist into iron and gave the door as many knocks as Damien, albeit they were much louder. Still, nothing came. After Simon and Ultear also tried, Drake's ears twitched.
"No one's home." He said. "I can't hear anyone moving around inside."
"Where could they be?"
"Or something happened." Nashi said, walking forward. Before anyone could question her she melted the door handle and kicked it open, walking inside.
She was right.
It looked as if a bomb went off inside the estate. Furniture had been thrown everywhere, the floor was destroyed in some areas, and the house looked destroyed.
"Shit." Elise said. "Some shit went down in here."
"Drake, can you hear anything?" Nashi asked, but her friend shook his head.
"Nope." he said. "There's no one in here."
"Do you think he's...?" Ultear didn't need to finish her sentence, it was obvious what she meant. The group went of the stairs, now all on edge and ready, even if Drake couldn't hear anyone. They all checked the surrounding rooms, but all they saw were destroyed things. Once they had checked all of the rooms, the only one that remained appeared to be the office behind the double doors.
"Ready?" Simon asked, a sword appearing n his hand. After everyone nodded, Simon slowly opened the door, revealing the torn up office. All of them walked in and looked around. Nashi walked around to the back of the desk, and gasped.
"Uh, guys?" She asked. Everyone walked to her, and looked where she was.
"That's the client, isn't it?" Damien asked. The man in question was sprawled out behind is desk in a torn up suit, his face frozen in a state of fear and pain.
"Mavis, what he hell happened here?" Ultear asked.
"Who knows." Nashi said, bending down and observing the mans face. Just when Nashi was about to let it go, she spotted a weird mark on his chest. Ripping his shirt and tearing it off, Nashi observed the marks on his chest, circular in nature, and looked like intense burns. Cuts and bruises also marked up and down his chest. And, for some reason, Nashi recognized the marks.
"Alright, I don't think we have much of a choice but to lea...!" The door slammed shut. Nashi jerked up at the sound to find a shadowing barrier between them and the door.
"Drake, you said no one was here." Simon said.
"Shadows are shadows." Drake replied. "If the asshole who did this was a shadow mage, him being a shadow would render him a shadow to my hearing, not a person." Nashi walked up to he friends from behind the desk, and everyone stared at her like she had a screw loose.
"What's wrong?" Nashi asked. Slowly but surely, Damien pointed at her stomach. Nashi looked down, and gasped.
A giant green magic circle had appeared there.
Before Nashi could react, the circle brightened, pain shooing up and down her body. She screamed as a small explosion sent her to the ground, and she hit it hard, breathing labored.
"Nashi!" Nashi heard the sound of more of these circles appearing, causing her friends to fly all across the room from the explosions. Pain circulating through her entire system as she tried to move, but the magic had done a number on her.
"What the hell was that?!" Damien demanded.
"Everyone okay?" Simon called.
"I think!" Ultear replied. "What the hell was that?!" Nashi thought about it for a moment. Green magic circles, pain, explosions. Her eyes widened.
"Rapture." She whispered, voice so low only Drake heard her.
"Mavis above..." He whispered.
"what did you say Drake?" Elise asked. Before Drake could respond, someone chuckled.
"So much magic..." It said, and the voice sent shivers done Nashi's spine. Lot's of magic...This'll be fun." Nashi hadn't heard that voice for months. It was the voice that haunted the deepest darkest part of her mind. Looking over at the doorway where the shadow covered, a figure stepped out. This figure had hair as black a midnight, haunting green eyes, and a smirk that haunted Nashi's nightmares.
"Apocalypse." She hissed, body shaking with rage. The former torturer laughed.
"Little Nashi Dragneel." he greeted, holding his arms out with a smile. "What? Uncle Apocalypse doesn't get a hug?" Nashi didn't have the brain power to respond, it was all too busy repressing her anger. "You've grown so much since I last saw you my dear, how are you?"
"Fuck off." Nashi hissed. Apocalypse laughed.
"Always with the spunk, huh?" he asked. Before he could continue, Simon sprung from his position on the ground and flew at Apocalypse, sword in hand.
Apocalypse caught him with one hand on the neck.
"My my, that is not how you greet someone." he said. green magic circles popped up all over Simon's body, and Apocalypse laughed. I'll give you the Phantom Dove greeting I'm sure your slaying friends are familiar with!" The circles brightened, and Simon roared with pain and writhed in Apocalypse's grasp before dropping to the ground, not moving.
"S-Simon?" Nashi asked weakly. The scarlet haired mage did not respond. Apocalypse chuckled.
"Truthfully, I had hoped all these months we've spent apart would've meant you guys weren't as big of pushovers, but..." He snapped his fingers, and more circles formed on all of them, exploding all at once. Nashi squirmed as pain circulated through her form, and when it finally stopped, she felt like she could barely move.
"Why the hell are you here?" Drake demanded. Apocalypse shrugged.
"Was on my way to the mission Zeus gave me and figured, you know, why not see some old friends before I carry out my mission." Nashi didn't know what the hell that meant, but she didn't like it. "If you haven't figured it out yet, I tortured this more idiot and made him write that request specifically asking for your team. Then, I killed him and kept him where he died, as evidence. Then, I had Quintus hide us all in the shadows until you got here. Speaking of Quintus, get the hell out here!" Nashi looked back over at the shadow over the door to find four more figures emerge from the shadows.
"Stop fucking with these kids, Apocalypse." The one on the far right said. "We have a job to do. Zeus will have our heads if we fail." Apocalypse sighed.
"Alright, I guess." Apocalypse smiled at Nashi. "I have to go Dragneel, I have people to kill and things to destroy. Oh, before I go..." Nashi watched as Apocalypse walked up to Elise, who was grabbing her head and writhing in pain. Apocalypse knelt down, grabbed her wrists, and made her look right at him. "Remember me?"
"I..I..." Elise shrieked in pain and blacked out, making Apocalypse laugh and throw her aside.
"See you Dragneel." He said, striding past her. "I've go places to be." Nashi watched him, shaking angrily as he did. Once they were gone, Nashi observed her friends; Simon and Elise were out, Damien and Ultear were barely moving, and Drake was watching her carefully.
"Nashi, don't do anything stu..!" Nashi didn't even hear him, climbing to her feet and sprinting out the door after Apocalypse.
Apocalypse rolled his eyes as Lennix gave him numbers.
"I don't care about an of that shit." He hissed. "Zeus sent us cause we can do it."
"Keep telling yourself that Apocalypse." Lennix replied. "It'll be your downfall eventually."
"Let's just go." Shuichi said, grinning and rubbing his hands together. "I'm really eager to do this."
"As you should be." Quintus said with a laugh. "I can't wait to hear all the screaming." Apocalypse listened to his guild mates talking and laughing about their objective, only half caring. Quite honestly, he didn't care about that. He'd do what he had to and do it good. That was that. Before we could say anything, however, he felt someone coming up behind them. He turned just in time to catch their assailant by the scruff of the neck. He laughed.
Well well Nashi." he said with a grin, meeting the girls angry glare. "Miss me that much, did you?"
"I'm going to kill you, you bastard!" Nashi shouted at him, and Apocalypse acted hurt.
"Is anything to say to an old friend, Nashi?" he asked, magic circles forming all over Nashi's body as he spoke. "Seeing as you survived this once way back when, I'm sure you'll survive t this time, right?"
"W-What...?"
"I seem to recall the situation being you taking that other girls session with me. So, right now, just as many effects are being used on you right now." Apocalypse grinned as her eyes widened.
"You...!" Apocalypse laughed as the circles brightened.
"Nice try, Dragneel!"
I'll just leave the chapter there. What is Apocalypse's plan? Who is Shuichi? I hope you enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try and get ten!