Dawn of Adventure {Book One of The Paths We've Traveled}

Chapter Sixty-Two: She is Mighty

"What the hell?" Erza pressed her palm against the newly formed wall, brain not quite catching up with what she was seeing. "Where did this come from?"

"I'm not sure," Carla said, wings keeping her aloft by Erza's shoulder. "That girl simply clapped her hands, and the wall moved. Perhaps this whole labyrinth is sentient? I'm unsure."

"Woah, hey!" Erza and Carla turned, coming face to face with Lucy and Happy and Lucy. Erza paused, blinking for a long moment until she remembered Gemini's copying abilities. The Lucy she assumed was the Spirit waved happily before vanishing in a shower of golden light.

Lucy stared at the now empty space. "Uh, bye, I guess." Then she smiled, adjusting the low neckline of Loki's Star Dress. "I'm glad you guys are okay!"

"Yes, same for you." The two groups met in the middle of the large empty room, Erza checking over the blonde for injuries. "I was worried when we split up, but all seems okay."

"Is Wendy with you?" Carla asked, turning in a circle despite the distinct lack of any objects that could be hiding her best friend.

"Uh, no. She isn't. I honestly have no idea where she is, or Natsu and Gray."

Carla sighed, crossing her arms in frustration. Happy frowned, noticing the change in emotion. "What's wrong, Carla?"

"She had a vision earlier," Erza explained. "She saw me and her together, Natsu and Gray together, but then she saw Lucy and then Happy and Wendy together."

"And if you two were together, then what went wrong?" Carla finished, wings fluttering ever so slightly.

Happy sunk into Lucy's arms, his own worry evident on his face. Lucy bit her lip. "She'll be alright. I mean, you never fully understand your visions until after everything's happened. Maybe when you saw Happy and Wendy together, you saw them after this is over?"

"Yes, that's true." Carla sighed again, pushing away her anxiety.

"I think what we all should be worried about is Gray and Natsu together," Erza said, attempting to alleviate the mood. "That combination has never ended well."

Lucy laughed, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, last time they fought together almost caused that entire town in Coracre to collapse. We're lucky they didn't kick us out immediately."

"Especially because that was where you found the directions to the wizard holding Aquarius's key."

"Yeah, I would have been screwed without those directions." Lucy's free hand brushed against the top of her newest and yet oldest key, a small smile gracing her lips. "Thank god for kind strangers."

"It's for them that we take these jobs," Erza agreed. "To help them after all they have given and done for us."

Happy snorted. "You say that like Natsu wouldn't drag us out here anyway."

Erza chuckled, shaking her head and stretching her arms behind her back. "Very true. Although I think we all enjoy a little action."

They were prevented from saying more as the faint sounds of shouting and rasping stone reached them. The girls and Happy looked up to find a gaping hole in the ceiling several feet to their right, the hole the end of a chute that must have been several stories long. And something was rapidly approaching, their shouts growing louder and louder.

Gray and Natsu fell to the ground in a heap, limbs splayed and bones aching from the impact on the hard stone. Gray groaned, shoving Natsu off of him as he rubbed his head. "Dude, what the hell was that?"

"I think they realized they were losing." Natsu sat up, adjusting his scarf. He finally took the time to look around and take in his surroundings as he rose to his feet. He broke into a grin. "Luce! What're you doing here?"