In the Council HQ, Siegrain was working on something due to the rising incidents in Fiore lately. It didn't give the Council such a good name that people were capable of easily throwing the country into panic and they were more or less powerless to do anything about. However, at the same time, because of their cooperation with the Princess, they were able to quickly subdue the situation. "It's a shame we were unable to capture that man who caused Fight for Fiore…I was looking forward to another public execution. What happened to him?"
"It is unfortunate…" Lahar spoke while entering Siegrain's office, nodding after doing so. "After his conflict with Jellal, his body tore itself apart. Perhaps it was due to all of the magic he gathered having an inverse effect on his body. It is difficult to say, but the results of that fight left him a dead man. A fitting end for someone who believed he could control the fate of magic within this country. We have begun taking measures to ensure that it will no longer be so easy for these lawbreakers to throw our country into chaos."
"Is that so?" Siegrain leaned back in his seat, resting his elbow on his desk and his face upon his fist. "Tell me, what is it you and the others have come up with? I want to see nothing but success, for people are starting to take us lightly now. I need something to make an example out of once again. The Princess securing our cooperation has restored some faith in us, but we need more power in our hands once again."
"I understand, sir." Lahar gave a firm nod. "Odin, Doranbolt, and I have been working on a system to implement within the skies of Fiore. This will make it much more difficult for anyone to intercept the airwaves to display lacrima images around the sky, also, this feature will allow us to easily track those who decide to do so."
There was a satisfied grin on Siegrain's lips at Lahar's plan. "Excellent work, Lahar. I do approve of this plan, and it should be able to give us that edge we need against these lawbreakers. I won't tolerate anything less than public execution after this incident. These up and coming villains need to learn that the law is nothing to take lightly." The grin on Siegrain's lips shifted to something more sadistic…he wanted blood, there was no hiding that.
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There was a surprise visit from a few members of Dealer to Fairy Tail. After hearing about what happened to Cynthia, Jack, Spark, and Ace decided to drop by. Jack and Spark wanted to be there for Wendy as her friends, as much as they could be. So, while they were mingling with Alex, Wendy, and Carla, Lisanna and Ace were out in the back. Ace decided to test Lisanna a bit, holding his hands out as she threw a few fast punches at them. "Not bad, not bad...!"
Lisanna was glad she had someone like Ace making sure she didn't get rusty. After a few moments of this, they stopped. Lisanna had a bottle of water ready, and she took a sip from it. "I have to say, I wasn't expecting to see you, Ace..."
"Yeah, well, I heard what happened." Ace said while pulling out a snack and beginning to chew on it. Loudly and obnoxiously as ever, which made Lisanna's expression turn into a deadpan one. This habit of his was getting old, but it had to be intentional at this point. "Lucy told Tia, and she told me...and then Jack and Spark heard about it...it really is a genuine loss for you guys."
"Wendy is taking it the hardest." Lisanna said while rubbing her arm. "Nobody is hurting more than she is. Getting her to smile has grown harder these days, even though everyone's trying their best. She is, too. But it's just..."
"I know." Ace looked off to the side. He looked into the guild through an open window. He could see Jack trying to make a grand show of a story, while Alex, Spark, Wendy, Carla, and Romeo watched. It managed to make Alex and Romeo laugh, but the smile Wendy gave was still fairly empty. "But there is one thing she has that's keeping her afloat. That's all of you."
Lisanna smiled faintly, and she nodded as well. "We know. We're all here for her. I just worry that it's not enough..."
"It's enough." Ace crossed his arms. "She has an amazing support group. Friends coming from other countries just to make sure she's alright. She's got her friends and family right at home doing the same thing. It won't immediately heal the wound, but it'll keep it from growing deeper."
"Are you trying to sound cool in front of me?" Lisanna leaned forward, giving Ace a teasing grin. His words were true, but he always had to phrase things like that.
"What? Something wrong with it?" Ace rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling a little bit.
"How long are you guys going to stay?" The youngest Strauss asked, walking back towards the guild with Ace.
"Just a few days. Can't stay forever, but Jack and Spark say they don't plan on leaving until they see a smile on her face." Ace said.
"Jack said that?" Lisanna quirked a brow.
"Spark said that." Ace corrected. "Jack said something more along the lines of 'she better smile or else'."
"Of course he did..." Lisanna had a slight sweat drop. Still, the idea that Wendy's friends from the other countries came to see her. It did warm her heart. It made her think that maybe Wendy would be alright after all...
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"Sigh…" Luke was in a somewhat nice room in Fukomakura. He still didn't have an exact idea of where he was, but Desdemona was treating him nicely…minus the fact he hadn't been fed in a few days. All he had on him was an orange soda and half a bag of chips that he already finished. "What's the holdup…" He questioned silently while looking around. Luke didn't understand what was taking so long.
A few minutes later there was a knock at the door, and Ophelia stepped inside. "Oh good, you're still here. Get up, Mother wishes to see you now. Or rather…see you prepared anyway."
"Pushy…" Luke sighed before standing up, following behind Ophelia. They passed through the main hall, where Kize was swinging on the chandelier.
"WOO! YEAH!" Kize shouted in excitement.
There was a male with black hair and in a fancy suit smoking a cigar. This was Orsino, a rather loyal member to Fukomakura and Desdeoma. "Do not swing on that." He said while blowing out a puff of smoke.
"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" Kize shouted. At that moment the chandlier fell right on top of Kize and shattered violently, leaving the sensory mage a bloody mess on the floor. "HOLY SHIT! I MEAN THIS FEELS GREAT BUT FUCK." Just because he enjoyed pain didn't mean he couldn't feel it…
"Yikes…" Luke shook his head slowly.
"Dumbass…" Ophelia shook her head before pushing Luke forward. "You're not here to sightsee, you're here for another reason, come on now."
"I'm going, I'm going…" Luke grunted. It was only a few minutes longer before he was pushed into a room where he was promptly strapped down to a table by the half breed. "Yeesh…what the hell is all this…?"
"Can't have you squirming around when it all begins…" Opehlia explained, and suddenly Luke was not liking where this was going…
"Forgive me for being late…" Desdemona walked into the room, merely dusting herself off. "Thank you for being oh so patient with me, Luke…" The woman gave a smile…but it was completely devoid of any emotion, it was just there for show and nothing more. "I've brought you here today because you a mage with exceptional potential, and I want to bring that potential out in you."
"That doesn't explain the table…nor why your little girl here has strapped me down to it…" Luke responded.
"For this process…I'm afraid I'm going to need you awake for this. It will be painful, but I'm certain you will be able to endure it, my dear…" Desdemona's false smile contained some sweetness, but it was highly debatable if it was false or not. Luke was having second thoughts about this, but by now, it was far too late to object…
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To make matters worse…whatever this woman Desdemona was planning, she already branched out to other mages at well who also went missing for a few days. In two other 'torture' chambers, there was: Roxanne Ericks. The woman went looking for Luke and she had…some 'business' to attend to with Desdemona as well. At the end of it all, she was captured and subject to…experimentation. The woman's body was bruised and cut and stripped of clothing, orange eyes were wide from the amount of pain and her body just shuddered violently. Her breathing was shaky and it was unknown if she was even conscious…
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There was a building somewhere in a deep forest in Fiore. It was still under construction, however it was almost complete. At the top of the tower was a cannon-like structure that still needed some work to be done. Just who was the mastermind behind such a creation? Aiden Viscard, now that he was freed from the Council Prison during the transfer to the Stronghold. Not alone; he had several people backing him up now; Hyde, his right hand man…and a few others, those who would be revealed in due time. A tall woman with emerald hair and purple eyes. She was quite a looker, as everyone else was. This woman's name was Emeraude Verde, and she was a highly skilled scientist…perhaps superior to Aiden in some aspects. "I can only wonder what you hope to accomplish with such a contraption?" The woman questioned.
"I intend to enact my revenge against this country." Aiden responded. "Time and time again, I have been foiled…but this time, I shall built a weapon that none can stop. I also realized my flaws from my previous plans…that is what science is all about: realizing the flaws in experiments in order to make them perfect."
"I suppose you've a point there." Emeraude ran her fingers through her hair. "I suppose you'll do far better than that man who tried and failed all by his lonesome."
"He was a fool." Hyde shook his head. "He arrogantly believed he could tame Fiore on his own. The play he constructed was doomed to fail. He couldn't even stand to stick the landing in his own finale."
"If he accepted our offer, it would've gone differently. But he needed to understand the price of his own arrogance." Aiden said. He then glanced towards Emeraude. "I'm surprised you got involved at all."
"The Princess was fighting a noble cause." Emeraude admitted with a faint smile. "Her words resonated with me, do I didn't see the harm in lending her a helping hand. I respect a ruler that's willing to fight for their people." She then checked her nails. "By the way, what exactly happened to Mr. Hosonaga? Was he captured?"
"Supposedly, he died after his fight with Jellal and his friends." Hyde explained. "His body gave off a strange black and red aura. Despite the fact that he lost all of the magic he accumulated, he was capable of fighting with terrifying strength."
"..." Emeraude was silent for a moment. Her expression shifted to that of brief surprise. "Is that so...?" "Could it be..."
"Your expression changed." Aiden noted, tilting his head very curiously. "Do you know something about what happened to our dear friend?"
Emeraude sat down, crossing one leg over the other. "Perhaps. I cannot say for sure. And even if I could, it is not something that you are obligated to know. Not until your current plan is a success, that is. I cannot wait to see the genius of Fiore in action."
"Worry not," Hyde said while tapping his cane against the floor. "The script has already been written, all that is left is to gather the actors and prepare the audience for the greatest show they have ever seen. This time…the script shall be perfect!"
"I've told you the steps I've taken to get here." Aiden said while crossing his arms behind his back. "From start to finish. The sacrifices I've made were small, but significant. My plans have been foiled time and time again, but no more. And once you see what we are capable of…" Aiden stared Emeraude right in the eyes, that malicious grin of his appearing. "You will tell me everything you know about Pergrande's scientific secrets…"
To that, the woman just held a smirk of her own. "Ooooh, how I would love to do so…but you must prove that you're even the slightest bit worthy of this information. You want my knowledge? Then you must earn it. I cannot divulge my home country's secrets so easily, my dear~" With that, Emeraude turned on her heel and began to walk off, swaying her hips whilst doing so. She was a mature, experienced woman…with several dark secrets in store for everyone.
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Next Time: The Strongest Maker.