Chapter Four

A/N: Thanks to everyone who followed this story, and to the guest who reviewed! This chapter was a bit later than I would have liked. So much exposition that to me boring but is ultimately essential. Well, I hope at least you don't find it boring! I updated some parts of the preceding chapters but none of the events have changed, it was just stylistic elements and some mood-building.


A loud crash echoed around the town square, a chair flying out of a bar and breaking into pieces when it struck the cobblestones. Lucy and Wendy exchanged embarrassed looks, wondering which of their comrades was responsible for the altercation. "A thousand Asteroid it's Natsu." Charle sniffed the air snootily. She was presently in human form, having decided that one flying cat was suspicious enough. Happy took off towards the brawl with a cry of 'Natsuuu!'

Unaware that Natsu was presently employed as a human water heater, the girls followed Happy leisurely. They entered the tavern to find Happy trapped in the fist of a man so burly, he would have put Elfman to shame. "Oh no no, you're not having this one too! This is my catch!"

His opponent, a whippet thin man with foot-long nails, sneered. "Woah man! That quarry was rightfully mine and you well know it! You tried to usurp my hunt, just like you're trying to usurp this one. I saw the blue beast first."

Crack! A pewter tankard flew past Lucy and smashed on the street next to the aforementioned chair.

"Charle! Help!" Happy wailed, struggling to break loose. The two men were taken aback when their prey spoke, enough so that the first man loosened his grip and Happy wriggled free. He sped behind Lucy and hid, only peeping out to send reproachful glances at the two men.

"Woah, that thing is sentient? What are you trying to do Hugo, you know that's against our code!" The skinny man was holding his arms up, as if to indicate that he had nothing to do with the situation.

"Ha ha ha, what are you talking about Ludovic, you saw the Bird-Cat first, you said so yourself. It's your kill!"

"That's not a Bird-Cat, that's an Exceed!" Charle declared, giving the men her fiercest stare. They turned to her, puzzled.

Wendy observed that both men had their upper arms tattooed with a woman wielding a bow and arrow. "I think they are in some sort of hunter's guild," she whispered to her companions. Meanwhile the hunters had encircled Charle, examining her carefully from all angles.

"Say Ludo, why do you think this cute little girl has cat ears?" the muscular one asked.

"Woah, they're adorable! You think it's the latest style? Maybe I should buy some for my little girl." The skinny one hovered over Charle's head, tapping her ears with one of his long nails. Charle transformed back into her cat form with a whoosh, causing both men to fall back and let out yelps of surprise.

"Yo Ludo! That girl is a cat!"

"Woah Hugo, the girl is a cat!"

"Come on, let's go, we don't have time for this," Charle said, turning her nose up disdainfully at the two buffoons on the floor. She had just taken a step towards the door when she stumbled, her eyes wide and unseeing. Images of a forest flashed before her eyes. A giant pig towering over their group. Shocked faces as a bright light flared across the clearing. Then, a body on the ground, blood pooled around its boots. She put a hand up to her head, trying desperately to grasp the visions and see more before they slipped away.

"Charle! Are you OK?" Wendy was on her knees before the Exceed. The distraction was enough, the future slithered out of Charle's grip and was gone.

"Wendy," Charle said desperately, "I had a premonition. I saw a forest. And a pig. It was huge, bigger than any pig I've ever seen!"

The hunters overheard her statement. "A huge pig you say?"

"Woah! That sounds like the Great Dread of the Conturbatus Forest!"

Recollecting that one of the twelve Guardian Spirits was a pig, Lucy affixed the boys with her sultriest expression. "Alright boys," she said, one hand on her hip and another behind her head. "Why don't you buy me a drink? Then you can tell me all about this Great Dread."


Erza awoke with a start, an unfamiliar weight across her midsection. The wizards had taken a single room in Cassiteria in order to save money and they were currently sleeping family style, squashed together on a queen-sized bed. Wendy had been grateful for her small frame for the first time in her life when she realised she was the only one who could comfortably fit on the tiny couch in the room. She lay there now with Charle, sleeping peacefully. It took Erza a moment to assess her surroundings and realise there was no threat, just a familiar muscular arm across her waist.

She looked to her left and saw a pair of indigo eyes watching her. Gray quirked an eyebrow as if to say, 'Can't sleep?'

She looked pointedly at the arm athwart her waist in response.

Gray followed her gaze and clocked Natsu reaching over Erza to hold Lucy's hand in his sleep. A wicked grin appeared on his face and he opened his mouth to tease his comrade when he was pinned down by the glower in Erza's eyes. 'Don't you dare,' it seemed to say.

He pouted at her, somewhat emboldened by the knowledge that she would not risk leaning over a sleeping Natsu to punch him. He learned too late that Erza's eyes were as effective a weapon as her fists. He gave her a sheepish look in lieu of an apology, not wanting to disturb the stillness of the night with his words.

Her expression softened. Sometimes she hated how fearful of her her comrades were. Sometimes. Most of the time she really enjoyed it. It meant she got her way far more often than anyone else. She looked over at Gray, his silhouette outlined by the moonlight seeping in through the window, and felt an inexplicable fondness for him. They had known each other the longest out of all the members of the group. Maybe that was why they worked so well together.

It was her turn to quirk an eyebrow at him. Why was he still awake? He understood her unspoken question and nodded towards his seldom clothed torso. Erza stifled a laugh. Of course Gray would not be able to sleep in pyjamas. He had not even owned any before Lucy had put her foot down. No way was she sleeping in the same bed, albeit with two people betwixt them, as a naked man. No way. She still hoped to be married someday. Gray had found a single store open at that late hour and bought the first pair of pyjamas he found. That was how he came to be clad in furry pink broadcloth with a motif of strawberries running over his body.

Gray grinned back at Erza. It was good to see her smile after her forlornness earlier that evening. They stayed like that, carrying on a wordless conversation until the two of them drifted to sleep.


Sunlight danced on the blades of grass in the clearing making shimmering diamonds of dew condense onto the green. The crisp morning air was abuzz with the sounds of life; birds called to each other from the trees and tiny animals scampered about foraging for food. A spotted deer grazed calmly by the edge of the woods, enjoying the idyll. Suddenly, its ears perked up and it fled swiftly away. The small animals followed suit, taking refuge in their burrows or in the hollows of the trees. The birds took flight as well, their wings beating a cacophony as they escaped mere seconds before an angry ball of fire and ice rolled into the dell.

"Take that, Freezer Breath! Fire Dragon Iron First!"

"Oh yeah? Bring it on. Ice Make: Boxing Glove!" Gray sheathed his fist with ice and met Natsu's punch with his own.

Lucy and Wendy watched the two wizards destroy most of the glade and get started on the surrounding forest. "Um Lucy-san, shouldn't we stop them?" Wendy asked nervously. Lucy turned to glance back towards the forest. The young men had started arguing about fifteen minutes ago, Lucy had no idea over what. It was probably something inconsequential. It almost always was. In the background Gray yelled, "Ice cream is superior to hot pot in every way!" Yup. It was definitely inconsequential. She hoped Erza would hurry up and catch up to them, there wouldn't be much forest left to explore at the rate Natsu and Gray were going.

They had left Erza behind about two miles ago, when her gigantic cart of luggage proved to be too wide for the narrow forest paths. She had conscripted Happy and Charle into helping her, insisting that the others go ahead and that she would catch up shortly. That had been over an hour ago.

Whumph! Another tree cracked in half when Gray swerved to dodge Natsu's roundhouse kick and used the opening to deliver a punch to his abdomen, launching Natsu away. His expression of smug satisfaction turned to one of alarm as Natsu rose from the carcass of the fallen tree and charged into him with superhuman speed, sending Gray flying clear across the clearing. Gray dusted himself off and was back at Natsu in a flash.

Lucy turned back to watch the two clowns battle it out. 'Ten more minutes, then I'll step in,' she lied to herself. There was no way in hell she was approaching those two in the middle of a brawl. She valued the integrity of her body too much for that.

Natsu and Gray were taking aim to launch flying kicks at each other when an inquisitive rabbit poked its head out of the ground, slap-bang in the center of the glade. Both the mages swerved at the last minute to avoid it. Lacking full control over their direction of motion, they found themselves being propelled along the same trajectory.

"Look out Lucy-san!"

Lucy looked up just in time to see two feet flying right towards her face. She ducked an instant before they made contact, the two men missing her head by a hair's breadth. She whipped her head around to discover the person who had just jogged up the forest path behind her had not been quite so lucky.

Too late, Gray and Natsu realised that the flight path they were on was taking them directly at the person they feared the most. A person who was soon to have footprints on her face that were as red as her hair.


Erza was annoyed. Her luggage cart was too big to comfortably manoeuvre the tortuous paths of these accursed woods. No wonder it was called the Conturbatus Forest, it was certainly causing her enough trouble. When a wheel of the dray had gotten caught in protruding root for the fourth time that day, her patience wore out. She had instructed her comrades to go on without her, corralling the Exceeds into her service. She had a devious plan to get her luggage moving and it did not bear witnessing. Not by her comrades at least. The Exceeds were much easier to bully. After all, she frequently bullied Lily into doing her bidding and he was considerably tougher than these two. "Yosh!" she clapped her hands together. Time to set her plan in motion.

Thirty minutes later she was so frustrated that it felt like the red stressmark at the side of her head was going to permanently tattoo itself onto her skin. Happy and Charle lay exhausted on the ground, their breathing laboured. The harnesses around their bodies stretched to the limit with every exaggerated puff of air they exhaled. "Maybe if I rearrange the load bearing cables," she pondered aloud, stroking her chin.

"H-hey! Wait a minute!" Charle was on her feet, terror evident in her expression.

"Enough Erza!" Happy moved to stand protectively in front of Charle, his arms akimbo. "We're not strong enough to lift it so please stop!" He knew he would regret saying that. He did not need Charle's foresight to know that intense physical training was in his future. He would probably end up looking like Lily. Happy shuddered at the thought.

Erza had been trying to arrange her luggage cart in such a way that Happy and Charle would be able to fly it out of the forest, directly to the campsite the others had been sent ahead to find. Alas, Happy was right. She would have to find another solution.

"Just stuff it in your pocket dimension."

Erza shot Charle a look. Would she be lugging twenty bags across the continent if it was as easy as all that? Her pocket dimension had limited space and the more things that were in it, the more magic energy Erza expended. 'Although,' she said slowly to herself, 'maybe a compromise can be worked out.'

Twenty minutes later, Erza was jogging up the path to catch up to the others, the way forward evident by the carnage Natsu and Gray had left in their wake. Sweat dripped down her face. A face that had taken on a bilious green tinge. A face that was soon the recipient of one sandaled foot and one booted foot that came flying out of nowhere.

Most people react poorly to being kicked in the face. And Erza was not most people. One anticipated her reaction to be hyperbolic. However, no one was quite expecting an assortment of weapons, armour and other paraphernalia to spew forth from her body the moment Natsu and Gray made contact with her face. Erza had overstuffed her pocket dimension and it was taking its revenge by expelling every single item she had ever placed into it. Lucy and Wendy had to duck and dodge to avoid the articles that were currently raining down upon the clearing. They exchanged a relieved look when the last of it, a wooden sword fit for a toddler, stabbed into the ground beside them.

Unfortunately, their relief was short lived as two cats appeared on the horizon, a large dray swinging below them. The conveyance pitched dangerously to one side, the bags upon it close to sliding off the forest below. "Watch out!" they shouted in unison. But by the time the words distinguished themselves in the ears of their listeners it was too late. The Exceeds came crashing down, the bags thumping onto the wizards below. Natsu let out a faint 'oof' as the wind was knocked out of him yet again. Lucy tried to run away but she did not get very far before the wooden trolley clattered onto her. A plaintive 'why me?' was dimly audible from the dirt under the cart. In the end, only Wendy was left standing. A drop of sweat hovered by her temple as she looked at the destruction surrounding her. Finally, she ventured, "Um, let's make camp here, shall we?"


The unforgiving Giltenese sun was directly overhead when they stumbled upon the first tracks. Or to be more accurate, they realised that the uneven ground they had been treading on consisted of large cloven hoof prints, the spoors so wide and deep that it was impossible to discern them from natural variations on the landscape until they got to higher ground. Their entire guild hall would have fit into a single hoof mark, swimming pool and all. "How big is this thing?" Lucy wondered, her eyes wide with awe.

"Natsu, do you have a scent?"

Natsu copped a squat and touched his nose to the dirt before answering Gray's question. "It's faint, but I can still follow it." When he received a nod from the members of his team he jumped up, gung-ho. "Let's go get that key! I'm fired up!"

They tracked the Guardian Spirit for hours, covering miles and miles of forest. The group carried on without pause until they came to a deep ravine. A multitude of colours dotted the ravine floor, but they did not pause to inspect it, their quarry did not lay there. An animal that could leave such giant prints could easily step over the ravine, as though it were nothing more than a crack in the dirt.

The sun was now tilting towards the western horizon and Happy thanked his stars that the sun set late in Giltena. He would not show it to the others, especially not Charle, but he was a bit apprehensive about facing down such an enormous creature in the dark. He carried Natsu across the gorge, Charle and Wendy visible in the periphery. Erza requipped into her Black Wing Armour and insisted on carrying Gray and Lucy across herself; eager to redeem herself for her part in the morning's escapade. "We're here," Natsu said to the others, walking to the edge of the treeline. The ground dipped precipitously, falling away several hundred feet towards a mountain of stone. A cave. The woodland around the cave shrank away, as though afraid of what resided there. Even the grass did not dare to grow before its yawning maw.

Thunder rolled ominously in the distance. Wendy looked up at the clear sky, puzzled. "It's snoring," Erza answered her unspoken question.

Something glinted by the mouth of the cave. There, leaning against the wall with all the insouciance of a juvenile delinquent, was the second key. The group immediately reorganised itself into a tight circle.

"Let's steal it!" Happy had a sly look on his face.

"No Happy-san, what about the 'be just' clause?"

"The key IS just standing there, it's not like there's a riddle to solve." Lucy was keen to avoid fighting anything that gargantuan. "In fact, it could be argued that the Guardian Spirit WANTS us to take it."

"She has a point, let's just take it and get away from this monster as fast as we can." This was the clearing from her vision. Charle was sure of it. There had to be a way to prevent the rest of it from coming true.

"Pfft, we can take him. Isn't that right flame-brain?"

"Yes Natsu, what do you think?" Erza asked the vacant space where Natsu once stood. "Natsu?" she repeated, blinking. The entire group turned to the spot where Natsu was supposed to be but all they could see were red dashes emanating from an empty Natsu-shaped silhouette.

"Yo Mister! Wake up!" Natsu was at the entrance of the cave, waving his arms above his head. "Hey, Piggy-chan! We're here for the key!"

The deafening sounds of a behemoth stirring rumbled from deep within the vast cavern. One bleary red eye opened in the darkness and peered at the chink of daylight filtering into its quarters, wondering who had the gall to so rudely interrupt its sleep. It poked its massive head out of its nest and inspected the pink haired human smiling cheerily at it.

The others watched with trepidation as a giant snout emerged from the dark and sniffed Natsu. Suddenly, with a speed that defied its bulk, it shot towards Natsu and tossed him up into the air with a mere flick.

"Natsu!" Happy cried. Lucy found herself reaching for her keys.

Natsu spun through the air, utterly bemused. His body turned one cartwheel in the air. Two. Three. Before plopping down with a dull thud on the Guardian Spirit's nose. "You're here!" it squealed. It shifted its immense bulk and trotted leisurely out of the cave. "I've been waiting ages! It's been quite dull around these parts. What took you so long? Don't tell me you went and saw that idiot Dog before me? I try so hard to make a ruckus and keep the gossip up about this place but people always go see the Dog first. I've tried negotiating with the Heavenly Emperor's Daughter but she absolutely refuses give out my location as a clue. It's really quite annoying." It paused and surveyed the rest of the astounded group. "Oh my, there are so many of you! And all so young and good-looking! All I got last time was a grizzled old lech. He wouldn't spend any time with me. Too eager to get back to the broth-," it paused, eyed little Wendy apprehensively and changed its mind about what it was going to say, "the broth erm, restaurant in the next village. Yes, it serves excellent soup. Well, at least I got a small furlough after that, so I can't complain too much.

"Right, I suppose introductions are in order! Then I can give you the Task." It bent its head and allowed Natsu to hop off before continuing, "Let's start with you little man, why what lovely hair you have. Excellent colour even if I do say so myself." It wiggled its enormous pink ears and preened.

The others, dumbfounded, just stared at the two, heads jerking from Natsu to the Pig as Natsu made the introductions. It was only when the Guardian pointed out that it was rude to stare that Erza remembered herself.

"Please excuse our poor manners," she said, executing a brief bow. "What is this Task you speak of?"

The Guardian Pig let out an exasperated sigh. "Don't tell me she failed to explain the Tasks of the Quest?"

Lucy shook her head. "No."

"Really," the Guardian said peevishly, "Whatever will we do with that girl? I suppose she spent too much time with her boyfriend and was horribly late to meet you?" He continued without waiting for an answer. "To obtain the Keys from the Guardian Spirits you are meant to complete a Task. The Task varies depending on the Spirit. Sometimes it's a riddle, sometimes a battle, sometimes both if your riddle isn't particularly good. It can be anything really as long as it is reasonably difficult to accomplish. Can't have too many of you Questers obtaining the Great Gift, you see?"

Natsu cracked his knuckles. "So Piggy-chan," he cut to the chase, "what task have you got planned for us?"


The task was daunting. The colossal size of the Guardian Spirit was daunting. But nothing was more daunting than the aura emanating from one Erza Scarlet. Coils of red magical energy looped outwards from her unwavering form. She had embarrassed herself that morning. She had put her teammates in peril. It was time now to restore her honour! She would accomplish this task flawlessly. "Requip!" Her battle cry echoed across the field. Blades flashed in a frenzy of motion. Her movements were so fast that they were impossible to follow. She leapt across the field, wreaking havoc and landed on one foot, her knee bent, her other leg extended perfectly behind her. Her enemies fell in her wake, rent asunder by the force of her blades.

"Right!" she turned to Wendy and Lucy, "Sous-chefs! Are you ready?"

Lucy and Wendy smartly saluted. The tall white hats on their heads mirroring the one on Erza's. The frilly white aprons that encircled their waists a reflection of their fearless leader's. "Yes Chef!" they chorused.

Erza nodded assuredly. Currently garbed in her Chef Armour, she had no doubt that she could complete the task of preparing a feast for the Guardian Spirit. "Recipe?" she had scoffed when the Spirit offered her some sheaves of paper, "cooking comes from the heart! The recipe is brought forth from your very soul! Your essence, your chi, your lifeblood must manifest itself in your cooking!"

The three girls were currently at the bottom of the ravine they had crossed earlier. The variegated blobs they had seen as they flew overhead earlier had been the Guardian Pig's personal farm. The corn rose high in the fields, the vegetables the size of vehicles and the fruit as lush and ripe as anything they had ever seen. There were no strawberries though, much to Erza's chagrin.

"Open. Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"

"Yes Princess, is it time for punishment?" Virgo too was wearing a chef's hat, choosing to emulate Erza's style by donning a one-piece swimsuit under it.

Lucy sweatdropped. "Why are you wearing a swimsuit?"

Virgo gestured towards Erza. "I thought it would suit the situation and provide some much needed fan service. Oh dear, did I make an error? I'm going to get punished for sure!" Lucy ignored her masochistic spirit and put on her Aquarius Star Dress. Meanwhile, Erza had walked up to Virgo and was earnestly complimenting her on her excellent choice of outfit.

"Alright Virgo, I'm going to need you to dig a hole about ten feet wide, all the way up to the Guardian Pig's cave!"

"Roger that, Princess!"

Erza and Lucy bounded up the tunnel behind Virgo. "You ready?" Lucy nodded to Gray when she reached the top.

"I was born ready," Gray replied.

"Alright Wendy! Give it your best shot!" Lucy called down the tunnel, before placing her foot in the puddle of water she had made with her canteen earlier.

A dim cry of "Sky Dragon Roar!" echoed from the tunnel, followed by a barrage of over-sized fruits and vegetables.

"Ice Make: Colander!"

"Aqua Metria!"

"Heaven's Wheel: Trinity Sword!"

The vegetables landed neatly in Gray's ice basket, before being washed by a torrent of water from Lucy. Erza's attack diced them into fine cubes, ready for cooking.

She walked up to the several cauldrons that had been laid out, pleased to see that Natsu had stoked their fires before he had left for the river with Happy and Charle. Natsu's assignment was to catch a few of the mammoth trout that proliferated in the river to the north. Of course, Happy had taken off faster than one could say 'Fish!'

Charle had been allotted the unwelcome job of babysitting the two and ensuring they stayed on task. A job she acquitted well, seeing as they returned minutes after the vegetables had been deposited in the cauldrons, the mammoth trout piled high on Natsu's shoulder. Happy lugged a twenty-foot trout all by himself, salivating at the thought of his dinner.

They spent an enjoyable afternoon together. Lucy, Wendy and Charle sipped tea with the Guardian Pig while Happy sat off to the side, meticulously devouring his gigantic fish. Erza flitted about the cook area, humming merrily as she haphazardly added ingredients to the pots. Natsu and Gray surreptitiously shadowed her movements. A stack of recipes piled high in Gray's hand. Natsu tasted and adjusted the food, cursing Igneel for his enhanced senses, the flavour of Erza's 'cooking' rendered ghastlier by dint of them. "Why can't you do this job?" he grumbled.

"You're the one who worked as a fry-cook, remember?" That and Gray was not particularly keen on sampling the toxic sludge that was bubbling away in the cauldrons. Natsu opened his mouth to deliver an unwitty retort that would have invariably started a fight when a familiar voice asked, "What are you two upto?"

"N-nothing Erza!" they said in unison, their arms around each other. Gray tried desperately to hide the recipes behind his back and Natsu tried to distract Erza from the canisters of spices that were currently soaring into the distance.

"The beautiful bond of brotherhood shines between you despite the fight you had this morning. I am moved." She clasped them to her bosom.

"Hard-huh? Squishy!" Erza was not garbed in her usual armour and there was a lot more give to her chest than usual.

A stress mark appeared on Erza's temple. "True, I don't lose anything by having them squashed, but that doesn't mean you're allowed to feel me up!" Both boys were sent flying, bumps sprouting from their heads.

Day was edging towards evening when they finally finished eating. Silver glinted in Lucy's hand and soon the dulcet tones of Lyra's harp filtered through the clearing. The group lounged around, the atmosphere relaxed and conducive to loquaciousness. The Guardian Pig snuffled in a satisfied manner, its belly full and its tongue considerably loosened. "What lovely kids you are," it murmured equably, "worthy of the Great Gift I think. Trustworthy. Decent. Good. Why, I think you might be the ones who will truly understand the Quest."

"What do you mean?" Gray questioned. Beside him, Natsu stoked the bonfire till it was burning brightly, staving off the chill of twilight.

"Hmm? Nothing. It would be nice to have a good long sleep." The Guardian Pig looked into the fire wistfully. The longing in its voice spoke of something deeper than a mere nap.

Night was falling around them, the sky tinted lavender as the last rays of the sun extended from the horizon. The group was bathed golden in its dying light. Feeling fuzzy. Feeling content.

The peace of dusk was shattered by a loud bang. An arc of light cannoned across the clearing, striking the Guardian Spirit behind the ear, leaving its flesh charred and smoking. It howled and turned away. Tears streamed from its eyes and the smoke from its wound obscured the surroundings.

"Up there! In the trees!" Lucy pointed. But the setting sun blinded them, their assailant cleverly using it to disguise themselves.

"I trusted you!" the Guardian Spirit keened, misunderstanding the happenings around it. Still blinded by the smoke and pain, it lurched around the clearing recklessly. Bang! Another shot rang across the forest, this time nailing the Guardian Spirit in its side.

Natsu growled, signalling to Happy to fly him towards the assailant but another bang resounded through the woods before they could take off.

"Requip!" Erza donned her Adamantine Armour and dove towards the light, hoping to absorb it and spare the Guardian. Erza was fast. The blast was a smidge faster.

The world seemed to slow down for Lucy. All she could see were snapshots of what happened next. Crystal clear images that would be burned into her brain for eternity. Erza, leaping before the Guardian Spirit. Erza, realising too late the speed of the oncoming attack. Erza, raising her shield. Too slow. Too slow. The blow glancing off the edge of the shield, deflecting, twisting, reaching up into Erza's face. Her eye. Blood. Just so much blood. A golden burst of light as her armour disappeared, leaving her clothed in her white blouse and dark skirt. The blood blooming like a scarlet rose upon her chest. Lucy opened her mouth to scream.

"Erza!" The cry sprang not from her lips, the voice deeper, manlier. Gray.

The attacks were coming thick and fast. "Bastard!" Natsu cried, taking off towards the unknown attacker, Happy weaving in and out of the oncoming missiles.

"Ice Make: Shield!" Gray was before them, protecting them. "WENDY HELP!" His eyes were wild, beseeching Charle. "Get her away from here. Help her. Retreat. Retreat!"

But Charle could not move. She just stood there seeing another one of her visions come true. The angered Guardian Spirit towering over them. The light flaring across the clearing. Wendy and Lucy's stricken faces. Erza, on the ground, blood pooling around her boots.


A/N 2: The Guardians have been lovable doofuses so far and sadly #3 on the list is also set to be a distinct non-baddie. There wil be some baddies up after that though. #5 is giving me some major sinister vibes. Guardian #4 will feature a visit from a beloved character that is also the major obstacle to our ship! (I don't consider the other one to be too much of an obstacle, she's adorable and the canon is heading there but I don't feel it). Why am I revealing all this? Idk, just trying to keep you guys interested I guess. Please leave a review if you feel up to it. Thanks for reading!