Minutes before they arrived at Oshibana, a small army unit had been dispatched inside to take care of the problem but had yet to return. On their way inside, they had a good idea of what happened to them once they found them unconscious on the floor with all their armor and weapons broken. They stood no chance. Thankfully, it didn't look like they suffered much damage enough to seek medical help, they were grateful for that at least.
As soon as they marched up the stairs and appeared in front of Eisenwald, someone began to laugh mockingly at their arrival. The entire guild of Eisenwald stood before them.
"I knew you'd come. You Fairy Tail flies." The man with the scythe on his back said. The dominating presence this person had compared to the rest of them made it easy enough to guess that he was the ace of the dark guild: Erigor. He sat atop this train that they hijacked from Kunugi Station with his guildmates standing below.
Erza stepped in front of them and looked straight at him. "What is your goal? What do you plan to do with Lullaby?" she demanded to know with power in her voice. "Are you planning on using that demonic flute on the Magic Council?"
Erigor inclined his head and smirked at her guess. The man lowered shook his head and laughed, flying off the train. "The Magic Council?" he repeated. "No, it's too early for that."
Karissa narrowed her eyes.
He's using wind magic.
If it wasn't the Magic Council they were currently after, then what would he be planning to do now? The Fairy Tail members watched him carefully as he flew closer to them. "What's here at the train station?" Erigor flew around until he stood atop of the pole that had four speakers attached to it.
The black haired girl clenched her fists, he wants to broadcast it through the station's speakers?!
"You plan on broadcasting the Lullaby?!" Erza glared at him.
The silvered haired mage reached for his scythe and took it out, it made the light guild mages ready themselves. He lowered his scythe towards the speakers and knocked his blade against the metal. "I wonder how many thousands of onlookers are gathered around here? And if you increase the volume, it'll reverberate through the—"
Karissa's fingers twitched.
What an asshole.
She was familiar with loss.
The pain.
Lucy eeped in surprise when a gust of wind blew her skirt and lifted it up. She flinched and shut her eyes for a second and kept her hair in place. When she opened her eyes, she realized that Karissa had disappeared from her position in front her. Instead, she was also flying in the air and she had an ice sword pressed against Erigor's scythe.
"Oi! Karissa!" Gray called her name for acting so suddenly.
"Don't be reckless!" Erza warned her.
From small breeze blowing around them, Karissa's hair swished lightly behind as she glared darkly at the man before her. Not even the slightest intimidated by her attack and face, Erigor merely lightly pushed against her sword as a way of mocking her futile attempt to attack him.
"Oh? A fellow wind user?"
"You want to broadcast it and kill all the people here? Then we'll just destroy all the damn speakers here." She declared before casting a wind spell that thoroughly destroyed the speakers beneath Erigor, causing him to fly away from her. She had tried slashing him when he moved, but she missed. He stared at the broken pieces on the floor for a moment before bringing his attention back on her.
"You fool. A station as big as this has more speakers hidden around, you won't be able to get to all of them."
Karissa darted at him and slammed her ice sword on his scythe once more."And you want to get your rights back as a guild when you deservingly lost it?" she shot back mockingly with a smirk on her, leaning her face a bit closer as she snickered. "You look like a bunch of children wailing and asking for attention in all the wrong ways. Your rights will never be returned like that."
Karissa sensed that her words hit a nerve since his face twitched. Erigor growled in annoyance before pushing her back with force. Karissa caught herself with her wind and kept herself upright.
"You're testing my patience, you fly." Erigor appeared in front of her in a gust of wind and aimed a kick at her. Her arms shot up and blocked his hit that sent her flying to the ground. She landed on her feet with a stumble.
As Karissa dropped back in front of Lucy, the blonde haired girl could only silently stare at her like as if she grew another head. The shy girl that she saw on the train and during the ride to fetch Natsu was gone. Now, there was different person standing there.
So far, Lucy had noticed that every Fairy Tail she met so far had something peculiar about them. Prior to entering the station, she figured that Karissa was the normal one. But now...
Was she actually two-faced or something?
"Tch, that fucker." Karissa cussed darkly, frightening Lucy.
"It doesn't matter anymore. Now that we've come this far, we don't want rights anymore. It's power! Those with power can wipe the past clean, and can rule the future."
Suddenly a man from Eisenwald crouched down and slammed his hand on the floor. "Too bad for you, flies!" He gave them a twisted grin. "You won't get to see the new dark age because you're going to the afterlife!" From his position, he emitted magic power that summoned up shadows that raced across the floor.
Karissa and Gray readied themselves as they watched the shadows approach them, but they were taken back when the shadows moved past them.
Erza whipped around. "Lucy!"
The shadows shot up menacingly before Lucy, making her freak but were easily destroyed by fire after Natsu got back up on his feet, now recovered from his motion sickness.
The man looked surprised, "You?!"
"I knew I recognized that voice." Natsu grinned while cracking his knuckles.
"The guy from the train?" Karissa glanced at her friend.
"Yeah, and I need to get some payback."
Just as Natsu said that, Erigor vanished before their eyes. Without delay, Erza asked both Natsu and Gray to chase after Erigor which they did after being told twice. Karissa watched them leave a cloud of smoke behind as they fearfully dashed away.
"They're going after Erigor!"
"Leave it to me!" said a member with a hat that reminded Karissa of a bee. He had these wires attached to his fingers that he used to latch on the railing on the higher floor, pulling himself up. The one controlling the shadows earlier decided to assist him in hopes of beating up Natsu for what he did to him. He left in a puddle of shadows.
"After we clean up these guys, we're heading after them, too." Erza observed the rest of the guild that stayed behind.
"Three girls against this many!?" Lucy panicked as she slowly took some steps back.
A couple of members of the dark guild began mocking them, laughing as they did so.
"We're gonna pluck off your wings, fly-babies— EH?!" The man with whiskers on his face was suddenly pulled towards them.
Karissa, who had pulled him towards her with her wind magic, lunged forward with her arm reeled back. As soon as his face got closer to her, she threw down her fist and punched him into the ground. With the force she had that was enhanced by her wind magic, she made him dent the flooring, knocking him out. The Eisenwald said nothing as Karissa straightened up without a sound.
She stomped her foot on the member's body. "Enough talk."
Taking that as the cue, Erza summoned her usual sword into her hand. "And if you try insulting our guild in front of our presence again, I won't guarantee that you'll see tomorrow."
"You talk big but you're nothing but girls!" They shouted before charging towards them.
"Ice Make: Frigid Thorns!" Karissa swung her arm downwards and touched the floor after doing her stance, spawning three large spikes in line in front of her, injuring several of the guildsmen before her.
Erza was already cutting down more than she did in a single attack. She didn't expect anything less.
"Damn you!" a member appeared behind her and tried swinging a club behind her head. Her eyes went wide for a second before she ducked, missing the attack by a hair. She moved closer to the ground to place her hands on the floor. Then she pushed herself back with her hands to kick the guy square in the face, sending him flying upwards with a muffled cry of pain.
In the moment in which she was still recovering from that kick, other Eisenwald members darted towards her with their own attacks ready. Karissa brought her arms to her chest in a hugging manner before extending them rapidly. "Howling Gust!" sharp wind surrounded her body a dealt damage to those around her before expanding and sending them flying away from her from the shockwave.
Karissa landed on one knee and stared at her opponents like a cat watching its prey carefully.
"Next." Karissa straightened up her fist in her palm. "Ice Make—" she stopped and blinked owlishly when she felt something moved past her. The Eisenwald members she was planning on taking down where suddenly without weapons and their hair was gone, they looked bald. Curiously, she looked behind her and saw a man that came from out of nowhere. He reminded her of a crab.
"Impressive." Erza complemented.
Lucy looked back with a hand behind her head, she looked pleased by getting complimented by such a powerful woman. "Oh! Thanks! But it was no big deal!"
Karissa frowned. "What is he?"
"It's a celestial spirit of mine."
"Next time, say something. I could have frozen him or something." Karissa looked at her apathetically.
"S-Sorry!" Lucy stepped back, not quite sure how to take her words.
The black haired girl kept focusing on the fight instead of helping Erza and Lucy. The reason for that is because she was seeing how much progress she was doing with her batch of Eisenwald freaks. The faster she dealt with them the faster they'd be able to catch up to Erigor.
If I get my hands on that flute... I'm stepping on it!
Karissa sidestepped away from a bunch and then grabbed the person's arm. They yelped as she proceeded to throw him into the train in a rather violent manner. He didn't move after that.
The problem is that there's still so many of them left.
"Ice Make: Ten Blades!"
She used the improved spell she created at the age of eight. They were shaped like Dauphine hour watch hands. They levitated around her slowly before picking up the pace and swirling around her threateningly, challenging anyone to step forward. Like as if she was a conductor, they moved according to her hand and arm movements, hunting and chasing down those who continued to stand and oppose her.
It's taking too long.
Karissa stopped her attacks when she felt a bright light shine behind her. She caught a glimpse of Erza in her Heaven's Wheel Armor rising in the air with her swords circling around her. Karissa shattered her blades and leaped away with her wind to carry her far away from the dark guild members, she didn't feel like getting hit by Erza's swords today.
"Circle Sword!" Erza along with her swords came swooping down to deal a devastating blow on them, wiping them all out.
"I'll take you on!" the man that Karissa had pummeled first was somehow conscious again as he was charging at Erza after being one of the two people left standing. Easily, Erza took him down with a single strike after finding an opening.
Karissa landed back on the ground and stared at the larger member who just seem to be trembling. He gaped at them and took a step back.
"Ice Make—"
"Forget this! I'm out of here!"
Karissa dropped her hands in disbelief. "Wha...! HEY! ... What a coward."
"He might be heading towards Erigor." Erza guessed after returning to her regular outfit. Karissa made a survey around the platform to make sure no one was faking their defeat so that they could escape while they weren't looking while Erza asked Lucy, in a rather intimidating way, to go after the one who ran, leaving Erza and Karissa alone together since Happy accompanied her.
Karissa glanced at Erza when she heard her armor move. She found her going down on one knee and lowering her head, she seemed a bit drained. The black haired girl frowned at the sight.
"Hey, Erza. You going to be okay?" she went over to her side.
"Yes, I'll be fine after catching my breath." Erza heaved out a breath. "Don't worry."
Karissa sighed and put her hands on her hips. "I swear, next time, you're letting me get drained. Okay?! At least make use of me when I'm useful!"
Karissa and Erza had a relatively good bond. When Karissa first met Erza, she was a bit socially awkward since she always stayed in her corner. Whenever she tried to talk to her with Cana, she would get ignored. But somehow that didn't deter her younger self from trying to talk to her. When Erza finally began to open up, she was able to talk with her more amicably, allowing the scarlet haired girl to feel at ease.
Then when Karissa became more reclusive, Erza took it upon herself talk to her and encourage her to come out of her corner whenever she noticed.
Karissa felt somewhat grateful since she had lost courage to do such simple things.
"You're not a magic tool ready to be used, Karissa. You're my friend." Erza straightened up, feeling a bit better. "If I can handle it, I won't burden you with the task."
Karissa crossed her arms and inclined her head a little with a frown. "It's not a burden..." she mumbled as her gaze skittered away after hearing Erza's honesty.
The taller woman smiled at her bashful state.
"A...Anyway, I'll go outside and tell the people to get away from here." she ran off to the exit. "You just take it easy for now!" Karissa told her before running faster.
There was no time to waste.
―
"You're one of the people who barged in earlier... Do you know what's going on?"
"May I borrow that?" Karissa pointed at the megaphone in his hands.
"Huh? But why?"
"I need to say something." Karissa held her hand out and stared at him with a straight face. The man holding the megaphone sweat dropped as he felt the impatience and irritation radiating off her, contrasting her exterior display. He didn't challenge her patience any further and simply gave it to her without saying anything.
Karissa cleared her throat.
"A melody of death will be playing in five minutes by a dark guild. Get away from here as fast as possible. Thank you."
Karissa lowered the megaphone and was about to hand it back to the staff member. But then she brought it back in front of her mouth.
"Oh and, yes, this is the time to be panicking. Run if you don't want to die."
There was a brief pause.
Everyone started screaming and running away.
Karissa put down the megaphone and looked at the staff member, "You should run too." the girl held out the object for him to take back but all he did was run away from her in fear. Karissa blinked. She simply dropped the object on the ground without a care and looked at the crowd fleeing away.
"There might still be some people nearby who are oblivious to the situation..." she mumbled to herself as she felt the wind pick up. She brushed a piece of her behind her ear. "In that case, I should quickly find all the speakers and destroy them all before it's too late. Hopefully Gray and Natsu are keeping him busy..."
?!
The wind was picking up and becoming stronger, an abnormal phenomenon for such a beautiful day.
Karissa whirled around and her eyes went wide as she found the train station surrounded by a whirlwind.
"The hell is this?!"
It looks... intense and really dangerous. I shouldn't go near it!
"Oh? A little fly is outside?" A familiar voice spoke from above.
Karissa whipped her head up only to find Erigor flying in the air above her looking quite smug. Her dark brown eyes narrowed at the sight of him upon realization. The one who caused this powerful whirlwind was that assassin.
She got into a readied stance as he kept watching her.
"No matter." Erigor directed his palm at her. "It won't be an issue."
Karissa's eyes widened and darted to her left when she felt a gust of wind approaching from that direction. Quickly, she leaped backwards and made sure that her wind carried her away from the whirlwind. As a wind user, she knew that the spell he just casted around the station wasn't something she should take lightly.
His goal isn't mass murder in Oshibana. If it was, he would still be inside the station in the broadcasting room or something.
If he defeated Natsu and Gray, he still wouldn't be out here.
It's not the Magic Council you're after right now... nor was broadcasting the Lullaby here.
So, what is your aim?!
Karissa charged wind vortexes in her hands and threw them at Erigor. The man dodged the attack in midair and glided in the air towards her with taunting her mockingly. But she didn't respond to it as she wasn't the type to retaliated in verbal clashes with her enemies.
I need to destroy that flute!
Karissa swung her arms up and created a wind barrier when he slashed his scythe at her. He leaned closer to her as she glared at him silently.
"I really don't have anymore time to waste on you, you pathetic wind user." He spat in her face before removing one hand from the scythe's handle. She sensed the magic power emanating from his palm. He was going to blast her back into the station!
"Ice Make: Twin Blade!" she created two sharply pointed ice swords in both hands, surprising Erigor for a brief moment. That small opening was enough for her to maneuver herself in the air to kick the man square in the chest as she dispelled her own wind barrier, forcing him downwards.
She was no stranger to aerial combat.
After learning of Ur's death years ago, she told herself to get stronger in whatever gift she was given, she did not slack off in training her molding ice magic nor her wind magic. She strived to improve in order to become the proficient wizard, in both fields of wind and ice, that she was today. It was necessary.
With a shout, she pitched the ice blades downwards after him, they spun after him at full speed.
"Your mere ice is nothing!" Erigor shouted, taking his scythe in both hands and doing a slashing motion towards them as he rose back up.
Move!
The two swords diverted directions, splitting up the moment his blade came close to shattering them away. Erigor's eyes widened. Karissa glared down at him from her position above. The ice blades made a U-turn before slashing him on his back simultaneously.
"D-Damn!" Erigor winced. The ice blades flew past each other and was making another U-turn to strike him once more.
"I'll knock the hell out of you and take that flute!" Karissa yelled as she flew down the moment she found her opening. "Ice Make...!"
"Don't underestimate me, you fly! Wind Palm!" His hand covered in a spiraling current of wind before shooting it at her. Karissa's eyes widened at the speed of it. She was barely able to dodge it when she hastily glided away, it grazed her cheek. She glanced over her shoulder and noticed a bell tower falling down from his attack.
Karissa clicked her tongue.
"Wind Shred!"
The black haired girl backed away as a barrage of wind blades came flying her way.
"Wind Lance!" Karissa casted and sent her own barrage of sharp wind arcs. Then he vanished just as her attack was about to hit him. He was appearing in brief flashes around her.
He's fast! Damn it! Where the hell—?!
All of a sudden, she felt her hood get pulled, causing her to choke as her jacket's collar rose up to her throat. She felt herself tilt and then get thrown backwards. Erigor appeared in her field of vision, becoming smaller and smaller. Karissa's eyes went wide. He had thrown her at the whirlwind with a blast of wind!
The wind around her was becoming stronger fast.
Karissa spun around in mid air and felt dread fill her being as she got closer to the wind.
"That'll tear you to shreds if you don't think fast!" He laughed.
Shit!
Erigor watched as the woman got pulled along the currents of the wind, leaving her fate unknown.
―
A black haired wizard was dashing through the halls as soon as he defeated his opponent. He needed to find Erza in order to inform her of the situation. Karissa's hunch about targeting someone with authority was right on the money. Eisenwald's true goal resided in Clover, the town up a head, where the Guild Master conference was being held. They were planning to play the melody of death and kill them all.
"I need to hurry!" Gray picked up the pace.
As he sped off in the hallway, he came across an open-air balcony that greeted him with a powerful gust of wind. He stopped in his tracks, his eyes going wind at the wind barrier surrounding the station.
"What in the...?" Gray stepped closer to the balcony. "Don't tell me we're stuck in here. Shit."
All of a sudden, a woman with long black hair was practically tossed at his feet, startling him. Their face was hidden from their hair being sprawled everywhere, but their clothes were a dead give away despite being somewhat shredded.
It took him a second to process what happened.
"Karissa!" Gray kneeled down. He reached for her shoulder and moved her so that he could get a better look at her. He moved her damn hair away from her face, revealing a wincing expression. At least she was conscious, so that was good.
"What happened to you?" his hands hovered over her body, not quite sure where to put them.
"That piece of crap, Erigor..." Karissa sat up and held her arm, the one she landed on, and glared at the wind barrier. "I was fighting him outside the barrier but he caught me off guard and tossed me in here. I think he was trying to kill me when he did." She wiped off the blood on her cheek with her sleeve.
Gray observed her for any serious injuries. "What do you mean?"
Karissa looked at him with and pointed at the wind barrier with her thumb. "You try to touch it and it'll make mincemeat out of you."
Gray's eyes widened and he looked back at the wind barrier. And she got caught in that?!
"Are you okay? Can you stand up?"
She sighed and pushed herself up. "I'm only fine since I surrounded myself with my own wind. It helped lessen the damage."
She noticed the dried blood on his forehead and his white jacket.
"Your other arm is bleeding." Gray pointed out while making sure she could stand.
"Yeah, well, I was a bit slow so that's my fault. Don't worry, my legs aren't injured though. So, I'll be fine."
Gray stared at her. "Are you sure?"
Karissa huffed. "I swear. Just a few minor cuts here and there. Nothing bad."
Gray eyed her suspiciously until he heaved out a breath. There wasn't any time to question her right now. That stupid habit of hers whenever it came to hiding injuries really ticked him off. If he found out she was lying, she was going to get an earful from him.
"Can you do something about it?" Gray nudged his head towards the wind blocking all their exits.
"If I could, I would have done it by now." Karissa sighed as she moved her hair out of her face.
"Maybe a dude from Eisenwald can figure it out."
"Maybe."
He patted Karissa's back as a way to tell her that they needed to move, and then, he started running back to where he would have access to the first floor. Karissa had no trouble running by his side.
...
...
...
"So, that's where he's going." Karissa gritted her teeth angrily. "Damn, I should have fought harder to stop him. I can't believe I let the meeting in Clover slip my mind too."
"There's no point in regretting that now. We need to find a way to get out of here as soon as possible if we want to save Gramps."
"Right."
―
...
...
...
Earlier, Erza had grown suspicious of Karissa's prolonged absence after she finished tying up the dark guild members and thus decided to go check on the situation on her own. That's when she learned of the wind barrier surrounding the station. She had tried getting through the barrier on her own, but that only resulted in her arm getting injured in the process. With only the rest of Eisenwald at her disposal for a solution, she began questioning those who were conscious.
"Erza!"
The scarlet haired wizard looked up without letting go of the man's collar. She spotted the two ice wizards on a higher floor.
"Gray? You're not with Natsu? And Karissa, how did you end up...?"
"I got into a scuffle with Erigor outside before getting thrown inside." Karissa replied bluntly.
"We split up." Gray replied to his own question. "And never mind that now! Eisenwald's real objective is the town down the line from here! It's the place where the old guys are having their regular meeting! They plan on using the Lullaby there!"
Gray put his hand on the rail before swinging his legs over the rail, dropping down to the floor below. Karissa followed in suit and landed behind him.
"Erigor's getting closer to the Masters while we waste our time in here..." Erza said, frustrated by their current situation. "Karissa, is there anyway you can dispel the wind barrier?"
Karissa shook her head, rubbing the back of her neck. "Sorry. I can't."
Gray, who was already getting fed up by how much time they were spending in the station, growled and marched over to kick an Eisenwald member. "Don't they know how to nullify the wind barrier?!"
"Stop it. I already tried. They know nothing—" Erza gasped. "I just remembered!" She quickly turned to look at her two friends. "There was someone called Kage in Eisenwald! And if I remember correctly, he broke Lullaby's seal all by himself!"
Karissa's eyes widened. "Right! I forgot about that! So, that guy's a dispeller!?"
Gray wiped off the blood from his forehead. "Then he could dispel the magic wind wall, too!"
Karissa snapped her fingers. "It's the guy that went after Natsu! Natsu told me he was the guy he met on the train. We have to find him!"
"Then that's gonna be easy. That idiot causes a ruckus everywhere he goes." Gray smirked at her.
"Let's go!" Erza ran off with the two following after her.
Their next objective was decided: Find Natsu and capture Kage.
―
As Gray mentioned earlier, it was quite easy to find Natsu. The three of them were running in the hallway until they heard the station rumbling along with a shout. It gave them quite the hint as to where the fire wizard was located.
The three mages ran back and followed the sound of Natsu's victorious laugh. Kage was slouched against a against the well, looking beaten, as expected of Natsu.
"Natsu!" Erza shouted down the hall. "That's enough! We need him!"
For once Gray seemed pleased with Natsu as he grinned. "Good job, shitty flame!"
"Just stay there!" Karissa pointed at him when he looked at them dumbly.
"What's on with you guys?" he asked curiously as the three rushed past him. "We have no time to explain. We were looking for him." Gray said simply before Erza summoned out of her swords, and grabbed Kage by the front of his jacket, shoving him up against the wall with her sword pointed at his face.
Kage visibly winced.
"I want the wind barrier to be dispelled at once. You'll gain a new cut every time you say 'no'."
Kage whimpered and eyed the tip of the blade next to his cheek.
Natsu stepped back as his mouth dropped open. "Hey... he's all worn out. That's too cruel!"
Gray clicked his tongue. "Shut up!"
"Threats like these are efficient." Karissa pointed out flatly. "So let her."
Erza pressed him harder against the wall. "Understood?"
The Eisenwald member didn't say anything for a while. Karissa hoped he had the common sense to do as she said or else she was seriously going to go through with her threat. Hell, she was willing to bet they all would since time was of the essence.
"... U... Underst—" Kage suddenly coughed out a blood when a sword was run through his body, startling everyone. A few seconds had passed for Gray, Karissa and Natsu as they registered what just happened in front of them. As he fell forward, they could see an Eisenwald member inside a wall with his hand held out in a way that looked like he was holding a sword. Erza quickly dropped her sword and held Kage who had passed out from the literal backstabbing betrayal from his comrade.
"Kage! Hang in there!" Erza cried. "We need your help!"
Karissa and Gray bolted to their side at a loss. Their only hope...
"Seriously!? Shit!" Gray put a hand on the guy's shoulder, not quite sure what to do.
"We need to do something quick!" Karissa looked at the sword. They couldn't pull out the sword unless they wanted him to bleed to death.
They didn't have anything to treat his wound.
We need to do something!
Karissa grabbed Gray's hand to grab his attention. "Did you see any first aid stuff when you were—" She flinched when she saw Natsu leap in her direction with his fire. He flew past her and broke through the wall, clobbering the guy who betrayed Kage.
The black haired girl simply stared at Natsu, who stood above him, he was seething with rage.
"Kage! Pull yourself together!"
Karissa snapped out of it upon hearing Erza. She watched as she tried shaking him awake.
"Erza!" Karissa cried, worried about the how the agitation might injure him further.
"He can't! He's unconscious!" Gray tried to reason with her.
"I can't let him die!" Erza shouted.
"You can say that, but he can't use his magic in this condition!" Gray raised his voice since she was clearly being unreasonable and desperate.
"He needs to do it!"
"He can't do it, Erza!" Karissa interjected, backing her friend up. "He just can't! Now, do you want to let him die now?! If we treat him fast then he might wake up later!"
After calming the two down, Karissa suggested they look for some medical supplies that the train station should have stored somewhere. Natsu, Gray and Lucy (who arrived shortly after), went off to find the room where it was stored, leaving Erza and Karissa with Kage. Karissa took that moment to freeze and shatter the sword with her ice and temporarily freeze his wounds shut. It would help reduce the damage by cauterizing the best way that she could before the others returned.
Once Kage was treated, they went outside to face to wind barrier problem.
...
...
...
Karissa charged a vortex of wind in her palms and launched it at the wind barrier. When Karissa saw the gap appear within, she reached out her hand but then quickly retracted it once the barrier's winds sealed up the whole rapidly.
A vein popped on the side of her head as she glared in front of her. Karissa whirled around and stomped away next to Gray. Erigor's wind barrier was definitely a hassle.
Natsu, who clearly saw her attempt, still ran towards it with a fistful of fire, only to be sent rolling away with fresh cuts.
"See? That's what happens when you try to bust through." Gray said while looking back at Natsu.
That didn't stop him for trying again though.
Even when Lucy told him to stop, he still tried busting through in spite of getting hurt every time he did. Karissa looked over her shoulder. Erza was still trying to make Kage wake up by staying by his side and watching him.
We've already wasted so much time here... we need to get out.
"Ahh!" Natsu exclaimed while throwing his arms in the air. He turned around to face Lucy with a grin, "We could use your spirits!"
Gray and Karissa looked at the two upon hearing that.
"I was able to transport between places by going through the Spirit World at the Everlue mansion, remember?"
"Transport?" Karissa repeated with a quirked brow.
"Well, a normal person would die if they did that. You can't breathe. And anyway, the gate can only open where the Celestial wizard is."
"Huh?"
"In other words, if you wanted to pass through the Spirit World to escape, the least you'd need is a Celestial Wizard outside the station."
"Ah, okay. So, there's still no hope right now." Karissa sighed next to her friend. "So now what?"
Gray shrugged with his arms crossed. "Don't look at me. I have no clue." He glanced at Kage on the floor with a deep frown. "Unless that guy wakes up, I don't see us getting out of here any time soon."
I don't want Master Makarov to die from a stupid melody...
Karissa played with her hands anxiously without realizing it.
Gray and Karissa were proven wrong the moment Happy let out a cry of realization. Karissa had honestly forgotten that he was with them seeing how quiet he was. It turns out that, because of their last job together, Lucy was able to acquire a spirit key named Virgo. According to Happy, Virgo was capable of drilling holes, it was possible that she could drill a hole under the wind barrier for them to finally get out.
Judging by Lucy's reaction, he was correct.
After summoning the spirit Virgo, Lucy asked her to dig them a hole out of there, which she did without delay.
Karissa allowed everyone to crawl through the hole before she did. Before she even reached the other end, she could already feel the wind coming from above. The girl poked her head out and her hair was already whipping around everywhere, much to her annoyance. She planted her hands on the ground to push herself up, but she quickly dropped back down after feeling a sharp pain on her arm.
It was the arm she landed on earlier.
"Are you serious... Erza! Can you help me up, please?"
"Did you hurt yourself?" Erza reached for her injured arm to pull her up while Karissa used to better one to make the job easier. "Sort of."
Karissa blinked and observed the area around her, then she suddenly felt something fly into her eye. "Ow! What the heck?! Ugh..." She stepped back a little with her hands covering her eyes, just in case more things went into her eyes. Then, her heel hit something just as she fell back on her butt.
"Owww...!" She angrily removed her hands off her eyes only to see the shadow user Kage on the floor, she twitched. "Oi! Natsu! Why did you just leave his ... body...?"
Where'd he go?
"Princess!"
Karissa looked behind her curiously.
Lucy was covering the front of her skirt while her maid spirit Virgo covered the back. "Your underwear can be seen!" she said seriously unaware of her own being perfectly displayed in front of Gray who turning a bit red at the sight.
Boys, I swear. It's just underwear.
"It's no use... You'll never be able to catch up now. We... win..." Kage spoke next to her.
"You mean Natsu?" Karissa stood up. "He seriously left?!"
"With Happy!" Lucy realized when the blue cat was nowhere to be seen as well.
"We must hurry after them." Erza ran in the direction where they left their magic vehicle but she skidded to a stop when she saw that it was nothing but rubble.
Eisenwald destroyed their magic vehicle.
Karissa felt bad for the owner.
"Are you for real?" Gray groaned.
Those who left their belongings in the car were able to salvage it from it unscathed. From there, Erza located another Magic Four-Wheeler for them to use. It was different from the one they used to get to Oshibana. This one looked more like a tourist vehicle with its open air. There were no doors on this one. It only had a roof to protect those who sat in the back.
As Erza sat in front, Karissa shot up from her seat in the back and shoved her arm next to her, startling her a bit.
"Strap it on." She told her firmly. "I told you: I'm getting drained this time."
Seeing the insisting look in her eyes, Erza willingly gave up the SE Plug to her. She pulled on the plug and stretched it back so that the younger one could sit back and keep it strapped on. Gray sat next to Karissa with Kage next to him while Lucy sat across the three.
With a deep breath, Karissa focused her magic power on the SE plug and was easily able to get the vehicle moving at full speed.
Good. Just gotta keep it constant.
...
...
...
They eventually made it to the canyon. They were driving on the train tracks that would get them to Clover. It was quite an awkward ride with the injured man inside.
"I take my hat off to Eisenwald for their precautions. They made sure our vehicle was destroyed." Gray said nonchalantly as Lucy complained about the compensating the owner of their previous vehicle.
Kage scoffed. "And you stole another car. How irresponsible."
Lucy whipped her back. "We're borrowing it! Erza said so!"
As they drove deeper into Clover Canyon, Kage finally decided to ask a question that had been weighing on his mind.
"So, tell me... Why are you taking me with you?"
"Because you obviously need a doctor! And since everyone left town, you'll have to see one in Clover. Try to show some gratitude." Lucy replied as Kage kept staring at the floor.
"... I don't understand... Why are you helping me? We're enemies." He said while taking a glance at Lucy.
Karissa turned her head to give the guy a baffled look while he wasn't looking. Gray's eyes looked at her for a second.
We're not like you. We don't leave people to die like that.
"Oh, I get it... You're taking me hostage so you can try to make a deal with Erigor. Well you can forget it. He's as cold blooded as they come. He wouldn't do a thing for me." He muttered rather gloomily.
Karissa stared at him. Was he serious? Geez, he needed to lighten up. Were all dark guild mages this depressing?
Fed up with his nonsense, Gray leaned his arm on the back backrest and looked at him. "I can kill you right now if you wan a die that badly." Kage's eyes widened when he said that. "Everything doesn't have to be decided by life and death, you know. Think about the future a little, will you?" he sighed before looking at the view. "All of you."
Suddenly the magic vehicle jolted and jumped, tilting to the side for a moment, causing everyone in it to fall off their seats, Karissa watched as Lucy somehow rammed her ass into the injured man's face, knocking his head against the metal pole of the vehicle. Gray tripped over his feet as he tried checking on Erza, resulting in him bumping his head against Karissa's.
"Oww!" She whined, slowing down the four-wheeler.
"Oh, shit! Sorry." Gray held up his hands just in case she lashed out at him.
"Screw you!" she glared at him with small tears.
Gray already sensed her sour mood increasing so it made him make up for it by creating a small ice pack for her. He gently set it on the side of her head and waited for her to take it. She did.
"Thank you." She mumbled with a childish pout.
...
...
...
"Hey, good job." Karissa waved at Natsu as the vehicle got close to him. Erigor was lying in front of him and he was unconscious. Gray hopped off the vehicle before it came to a complete stop. His top was gone, leaving him only in his scarf and his pants. Karissa heaved out a sigh as she unclipped the SE plug from her wrist. She felt a little out of it. She didn't expect anything else since the route was much longer than what they previously traveled.
"Karissa, are you okay?" Lucy wondered as Karissa stepped out of the magic vehicle.
"I'll be fine."
Whoa... it's like feeling headrush.
"Are you sure? I'm sure you spent a lot of magic power..."
"Nah, I'm just not used to being this empty." She told her as she approached Natsu with Erza. Lucy stood behind her just in case.
Gray eyed the dragon slayer from head to toe. Then he cringed. "Wearing a scarf while you're naked makes you look abnormal."
Karissa snickered at him and nodded her head mockingly. "Yes, of course. Like you have room to talk."
Natsu clicked his tongue and scowled at the ice wizard. "Exactly. I don't need you to tell me that."
Erza looked at Natsu proudly. "Anyway, good job, Natsu. With this, we've protected the Guild Masters. Since we're here, we might as well go see our Master at the meeting place. We need to report this incident and ask about what to do with the flute."
Karissa shoved her hands in her jacket's pockets and slouched a little. "Can't I just stomp on it? That way no one gets to use it ever again."
"Destroying the flute?! I'm in!" Natsu grinned at her.
"I can shred it to pieces with my wind and you can turn it into ashes!" Karissa held up her hand.
"Sounds like a plan!" Natsu high fived her while laughing.
All of a sudden, the magic four-wheeler just sped past them, it nearly knocked them off the tracks and into the canyon.
Karissa squeaked out a foreign sound when her eyes looked down at the darkness of the canyon.
Holy...!
"Kage!" Erza yelled once she gathered herself up with the others.
"Freaking nearly knocked us over!" Karissa hissed.
"At least give us a warning before you move the vehicle!" Gray yelled as he turned around to see him poking his head out the window with a malicious grin.
"You were careless! Lullaby's mine now!"
And with that he sped off to Clover, leaving them stranded in the middle of Clover Canyon.
Natsu combusted into flames. "THAT BASTARD!"
"What the hell?! We even saved his life!" Lucy stomped her foot.
"After him!"
Our bags are in there!
My bag...!
My...
―
...
Karissa stared at the pair of headphones in awe. It was her first time seeing a store full of them.
"Wow!" she held it up to her friend. "Look Laxus! Look there are even different kinds!"
"Those are the normal ones." Laxus waved his hand dismissively. "Sound Pods are better."
"Well, whatever." Karissa giggled. She moved the maroon coloured headphones around in her hands. "I still think it looks cool!"
Laxus shrugged with his hands in his pockets. "Whatever floats your boat."
...
―
Karissa gritted her teeth.
They're already worn out as it is!
―
Karissa did her best to shortened the distance by carrying everyone with her wind magic but she wasn't able to do much because of her drained magic power. No one held it against her.
By the time they arrived, night had descended upon the town of Clover. They found the magic vehicle abandoned somewhere at the entrance of the town. Gray, Lucy and Karissa ran to it to get their things before catching up with Natsu and Erza. Karissa was so relieved that her headphones were in one piece.
Everyone but Erza knew where the Masters' conference was being held so they just let her lead the way.
As they made it up a hill, they found Kage standing in front of Master Makarov near the meeting hall, the flute up to his lips. They were about to dash down the hill until they were stopped by someone who told them to keep quiet.
"Shh! The best part is coming up. Just watch~"
Gray, Lucy and Natsu stepped away from the person in complete shock as they were creeped out by their appearance. Behind them stood a round elderly bald man dressed in a purple spaghetti-strap shirt. He had the mark of Blue Pegasus on his right shoulder.
Karissa kept quiet. Ah... it's Master Bob.
"You guys are so cute~ Totally my type!" Master Bob giggled behind his hand, giving Gray and Natsu a flirty look. The two boys held each other fearfully and backed away from Master Bob.
"Wh-Who is he?!" Lucy stared at him, confused.
"Master Bob." Erza identified, unaware of Karissa slowly inching away from the group.
"Oh~? Erza-chan, you've sure grown!" he said happily. The black haired girl saw how he turned his head to look at her, and then a huge smile erupted on his face. "Aw, Karissa-chan, it's been a while since I saw you." Master Bob floated towards her, stopping her escape attempt. He reached for her face and pinched her cheeks with a joyful look.
Her friends watched the scene with surprise. Those who knew her well must have figured that she was slightly annoyed by the gesture.
"Your cheeks are just as soft and stretchy as last time. How cute~"
Karissa had actually met Master Bob when she was on a job with Pandora and Van back when she was fourteen.
"Werr... I ghuugh thuat'shh a gugh thing." Karissa sweated dropped. "...Fhight?" she furrowed her brows.
"And your oriental look is so appealing as always~!" he cooed before gingerly releasing her face.
The girl rubbed her cheeks. Always touchy feely.
No one had really openly pointed out that characteristic back when they lived in Iceberg. It was only after a few years they began living in Fiore that people started mentioning it to them since other people in the guild also came from other places in the world. It was interesting to learn about those people's origins.
They remarked that the three of them looked a bit oriental, possibility hinting that Domilia and Zack were not born in Fiore. It made her wonder if people from the east were born with abnormal amounts of magic power as well.
"Like we said before, just remain calm and watch. This is getting good." The Master of The Quatro Cerberus, Master Goldmine told while leaning back on a tree, grinning confidently.
The members of Fairy Tail felt reluctant to listen to the Guild Masters as their own was in danger, but the confidence coming from them slowly made them back down with unease.
...
...
...
"Nothing will change." Makarov told Kage as he hesitated to play the Lullaby flute. "Humans that are weak will always be weak, no matter how much time goes by. But weakness is not always a bad thing. Humans are weak by nature after all. It's not easy to be alone, and therefore we establish guilds. Where we have friends and allies. To flourish, we work together and always progress. The clumsy ones may run into more walls than others, and they might also take the longer way to get there. But as long as we believe in tomorrow and put on foot before the other, we'll be able to find our strength. If you lead a strong life, you'll be able to smile. Without having to be dependent on a silly old flute."
In silence, the members observed Kage who trembled with the Lullaby flute until he finally dropped it. Convinced by their master's words, he fell to his knees and lowered his head, admitting his loss and regretting his decisions that led him to where he was.
With relieved smiles, the members finally approached the master. Master Makarov did a double take when he saw his children running up to him from out of nowhere.
"Why are you here!?"
"As expected!" Erza slammed their Master against her armor, hugging him close. "Your words were moving!"
Natsu laughed happily. He crouched down next to Master Makarov after he was put back down and patted his head like a child. "Gramps, you're incredible!"
"Stop patting my head if you really think so." Master Makarov gave him a look.
Gray breathed a sigh and put his hands in his pockets. "Then that settles everything."
Karissa stretched her arms above her head with a delighted smile on her face. "All that's left is to figure out what to do with the Lullaby flute." She dropped her arms back down and turned around to look at the abandoned flute. "I still say we break it." she said with a smirk, her hands had small wind blades swirling around her. Gray grinned at her toned excitement and looked over his shoulder to watch her.
"HEY! Don't go destroying it without me!" Natsu yelled, stumbling out of crouching position as he ran over to her. He brushed past Gray harshly and made him stumbled a little which obviously irked him.
"Watch it, you fire freak!"
Karissa stuck her tongue out playfully at Natsu. "Too late! Wind—"
Her spell was cut of when a demonic laugh sounded from the flute at her feet. Everyone behind them had ceased their chatter. Natsu skidded to a stop next to her and they both stared at it, their eyes wide open. Karissa and Natsu took a step back carefully, creeped out. Purple sparks and black smoke began seeping out of the flute as it spoke with glowing purple eyes.
"Nothing but a bunch of cowardly wizards, each and every one of you!"
"The flute is talking!" Natsu freaked.
"Yeah..." Karissa agreed dumbly.
"I can't take it anymore! I shall feast upon your pitiful souls!"
The purple smoke gathered together in a big cloud above them before flashing a brief light, momentarily blinding them. The next thing Karissa knew, the ground shook twice and there was big monster towering above them, laughing evilly. It looked like a beast made out of out with a few cutouts on its body, it probably represented the holes from its flute form.
Ow...!
The girl with black hair winced a little when she felt a sharp pain in her head. She lifted a hand up to her temple.
That thing... it reminds me of...
It reminds me of Deliora...
Kageyama stared at the monster with widened eyes, "What is that thing?! I-I didn't know anything about this!" he scooted away.
Goldmine pushed himself off of the tree and took a good look at the creature before him, "That monster is Lullaby itself, meaning it's living magic. That's Zeref's magic."
Lullaby leered over them with its eerie smile. "Now... whose soul should I enjoy first?"
The Guild Masters who came outside the meeting room started running away to save themselves.
"All of yours!" Lullaby opened its mouth.
Yeah... not happening. I don't want to die today.
Before it could even proceed with whatever spell it was planning to use, four mages of Fairy Tail dashed forward without hesitation.
Erza requipped into her Heaven's Wheel armor and struck first.
Gray and Karissa scratched the floor with their shoes as they stopped a few feet away. They both slammed their fist in their palms.
"Ice Make: Lance!" Gray's ice lances flew at Lullaby, striking it in the middle.
"Ice Make: Trident!" Karissa's giant trident flew and pierced into Lullaby, destabilizing its equilibrium.
Natsu took that opening for himself. "Fire Dragon: Iron Fist!"
Lullaby stumbled back and turned its ugly head towards Natsu. "How impudent!" it roared and shot beams at Natsu who narrowly avoided it in time.
"Gray!" Karissa moved away from the attack and jumped up.
"Yeah, yeah! I know! You don't have to tell me!" Gray stood in front of the Guild Masters and casted an ice shield to protect them, impressing them greatly with his timing and his molding magic.
Karissa watched the monster carefully as she levitated with her wind. It didn't notice her yet. That was good.
That's right, keep your eyes on Erza, Natsu and Gray...
She lowered her head a little as she closed her eyes, she opened her hands in front of each and bent her fingers.
The nature of wind and ice attributed each other perfectly.
A violent current of wind began to form around her hands.
The result may as well be a storm.
Karissa's eyes narrowed as she slammed her right fist in her open left palm. "Ice Make: Thousand Spears!"
As the wind accumulated, large ice spears began forming until she created a tempest of wind and ice, lowering the temperature around her, emitting a strong feeling of magic power in the air.
My own kind of hailstorm.
She closed her dark brown eyes.
Concentrate...
Focus like you're threading a needle...
Several Guild Masters began shivering and complaining about the cold.
Goldmine quirked a brow as he felt the air chill. The other Guild Masters were also observing the girl in the air.
"A Singular Raid?" he identified as he watched her concentrate.
Lucy looked over her shoulder when he said that and then followed his gaze to look at Karissa, she was getting goosebumps from the chill. "A Singular Raid? Don't you mean Unison Raid?" she glanced at Erza and Gray who continued to attack. The others were fighting and buying her time to fire off a powerful spell.
Happy watched Karissa attentively next to Lucy. "It's like Unison Raid but with a single person. Just like the Unison Raid, it creates a powerful attack after uniting two kinds of magic together. It's not as powerful as Unison Raid but it's still very strong. It's an ability that very few wizards can perform, Karissa is one of those few."
"But why?"
"Because the amount of magic power that Karissa was born with lets her create a wind and ice spell equivalent to that of two different wizards casting each spell. Hence the reason it's called Singular Raid."
Karissa's fingers twitched as her eyes shot open. She threw her arms open, "Glacial Cyclone!"
Instantly, the wind and ice tempest soared in the air before charging down, freezing the leaves of nearby trees. The wind cut into Lullaby's body and the ice spears pierced into its body, the demon cried out in pain from her attack.
"Fire Dragon: Brilliant Flame!" Natsu threw a giant ball of flames at Lullaby as the final blow.
Karissa breathed out a cloud of white as the attack cooled down, the temperature was returning to normal around her.
The four wizards observed the demon as it stumbled back from taking on their magical assaults until finally falling back. Despite the obvious defeat, the four mages stood tall and waited readily just in case it got back up. It crashed on the building with a groan while mumbling words of disbelief. Then it exploded into fragments of light, raining down around them. It was oddly beautiful for a demon's demise.
Karissa sighed in relief as finally relaxed. Her eyes shifted to look at those who were down below, they were cheering for their victory. Karissa's eyes narrowed when she noticed her vision getting a little blurry. That was her cue to get back down before she hurt herself.
The youngest Sinclost flew down slowly next to Erza and Gray who smiled at her. When she got on her feet, she lost her footing a little. Gray reached out and grabbed her arm to keep her steady.
"You good?"
Karissa laughed lightly. "Yeah. I think that Singular Raid used up most of what I had left..."
She could always count on that one spell to make sure she felt a little drained.
Gray roughly ruffled her hair much to her dismay and just grinned at her. "You're complaining? I thought you wanted to feel like this once in a while?"
Karissa looked to the side as she stood straight. "I mean yeah..." she scratched her cheek with a finger.
It's true that she wanted to feel drained of magic power just so she could feel like the average mage, but that didn't mean she couldn't complain about it.
The Lullaby incident was resolved. Eisenwald had been stopped and the flute was destroyed.
...
...
...
But that didn't deter the other Guild Masters from being upset with them for destroying their meeting hall.