Fairy and the Demon

Chapter 6: Dark Forest

Laxus and Elfman were carefully moving ahead in the forest trying their best to see where they were stepping, since according to Elfman it would be too risky for them to use any lights. It would only make them easy targets for beasts.

"Feels like we've been wandering around for hours already", Laxus huffed.

"It's two in the morning", Elfman said when checking his pocket watch. "So yeah, we've been wandering around quite some time already."

"You still know where we're going?"

"Yeah, no worries. The cart definitely came from this direction", the bigger man said pointing ahead. "It seems like there have been a road here long time ago. Now it's hard to even notice it but the ground is unusually flat and going in straight line."

"I believe you if you say so", Laxus muttered. "I just want to find Gramps and get the hell out of here, this place is creeping me out", he grunted and looked around.

He wasn't really sure what made this forest look so dark. There wasn't really that much trees around them and it seemed like most of them had already lost their leafs. It felt like there was just some unexplainable mist and darkness lurking all around them and it wouldn't go away no matter how much light there might be.

The forest simply felt unnatural and it made Laxus shudder.

They continued walking, constantly looking around. Laxus grunted and he stopped when he saw something weird.

"Look at that", he said to Elfman who looked at the direction he was pointing.

There was a small cliff not far from them and under it there were something Laxus and Elfman both didn't expect to see even in a dark and mysterious forest like this.

Furniture. Three of them.

"It seems like they've been there for decades already", Elfman said. They could barely even see them in the darkness.

"Some people are ready to travel long distances to dump their shit", Laxus grunted. "Let's continue", he said and they were about to start walking when suddenly they heard snarling and a loud yell.

"Makarov?" Elfman said but Laxus frowned.

"No, didn't sound like him", the man said.

"There's someone else here too?" Elfman said surprised.

"Dunno, do you think it would be wise if we go -"

Laxus couldn't even finish his sentence when suddenly they heard loud stomps as someone was running towards them.

"Guess we don't need to go see if we can help", Laxus grunted and Elfman quickly reached down, hurriedly gathering a few branches and took off his backpack. "What are you doing?"

"Torches", Elfman said and he found bandages. "We can't outrun them and we don't have weapons, we can only try to scare them to stay away since they're already coming here. At this point, hiding would be pointless", the man quickly said and shoved an unlit quickly made torch for Laxus. The man didn't question his decisions, he just took out the box of matches Mirajane gave him.

Elfman stood up, they both lit their torches and just then they could see how something was approaching. They braced themselves and Laxus narrowed his eyes, trying to see who was coming towards them. It certainly wasn't Makarov.

When the man finally got in the range of light, Laxus and Elfman were both surprised to see it was Gajeel.

"The hell are you doing here?" Laxus snarled.