Weapon Wielder - Rogue Cheney x OC ( Fairy Tail )

Chapter Fifteen

Rogue groans in frustration, narrowed eyes on the corner of the ruins that he can see. The angle, leaving the rest of it hidden. The rocks specifically carved to make it impossible to climb along the Cliffside to get a closer look. The water below raging ferociously and slamming up against the mountain side, drenching it and making it even slipperier with moss combined.

"It's some sort of magical barrier." Lucy analyses, rubbing a finger over her chin, herself barely able to get a good view besides the crumbling exterior of a stone wall. "Which is a good sign, meaning someone still inhabits it as its standing strong."

"Her scent is strong as well." Sting adds, patting Rogue on the back whose eyes are still narrowed in the castle's run down direction. Minutes prior, they had attempted to fly through, yet stopped by a deep burgundy force field which has caused scalds and a numbing pain.

"There must be another way through, Rogue-sama." Yukino soothes gently, yet his body still stands tense, he couldn't even pass through the barrier in his shadow form. "For it to be in that state... it might have been attacked or something like that? Meaning there must be another way through."

Natsu being dropped as he bends his legs to soften the blow. Happy gliding down seconds later before his wings vanish. "Any luck Natsu-san?" Sting asks, removing his hand from Rogue's shoulder.

"There was a few old houses that are rubble... besides that, we found nothing." Happy replies for his partner who grumbles childishly, annoyed with not being able to find an entrance after being flown around the mountain. "Oh!

"A pond?" Lucy questions, stepping up beside Natsu, raising an eyebrow. Her eyes easily giving off her thinking intently. "It's irregularly placed..." A sudden look of joy passing her face as she clicks her fingers. "Take us there!" She gives Natsu a forceful push.

"Why Luceee?!" Natsu grumbles. "It's just an old, barely water filled pond."

"Lucy-sama?" Yukino asks gently, wishing for the blonde to elaborate. Lucy's outburst catching Rogue's attention and the slight glint of hope in his eyes barely noticeable. Frosche climbing into his hold.

"It was in a book I read years ago. We had it back in the mansion." She grins, as if recalling the memory; however the stares instantly make her snap out of it. "It was nothing but a fairy tale, but mentioned to get to the tall keep which is unreachable by foot, there is a passage through a strangely placed pond."

"So basically..." Lector mutters, adjusting his blue jacket.

"It could be the entrance to the keep..." Rogue finishes, his eyes narrowing and snapping towards Natsu. "Take us there!" However, before the group can move, a strange feeling passes through them all for seconds before vanishing. The wind having picked up pace and the smash of the sea against the rocks was stronger for those few seconds.

"I'm not making any promises, but it's an option." Lucy murmurs, not wanting their hopes to sky-rocket to find it another dead end.

"Take us there." Rogue repeats, Natsu nodding, grinning ear to ear before running off in the opposite direction of the Cliffside. Happy overhead. The group swiftly following afterwards.

"How far was it!? If they've already noticed us they could escape Natsu-san!" Sting calls out, dodging one of the many tree's surrounding them. "We can't let that happen! Not like always..."

"It isn't far!" He replies, Happy yelling an 'Aye!' from above. While dodging the tree's, they come across rubble and burnt cottages scattered across the mountain's side, yet they haven't stopped to look.

Skidding to halt, the group look at the small, few metre pond. The tree's tall surrounding it with thick shrubbery as if the block un-wanted visitors. With moss and weeds surrounding it, it's looks nothing more than an irregularly placed pond.