"Begone terrorists!" Was the words the civilians frequently shouted at their intruders. Their numbers weren't as many as the soldiers but they were able to back both Erza and Jellal in a corner since the two and the rest of the wizards agreed to not harm any civilian no matter what. However, since they began to fight back after Stark's announcement, things couldn't be more difficult for the two right now.
Jellal and Erza tried to stay close while avoiding attacks, which were constant. The latter eye'd the former. "What should we do now? I can't imagine they'll stop anytime soon." She asked before noticing a male angel running towards her with a stone debris. She blocked the attack with her blade as the civilian tried smashing it on her before Jellal grabbed Erza and activated his Meteor to fly on a small building.
The two landed safely but were quickly pursued by the citizens that flew towards them. A few of them began to conjure some small beams made from magic. Jellal raised one arm towards the group before stating "It may be unorthodox, but I have an idea." He proceeds to conjure a Hexagon Barrier which effortlessly blocks any attacks directed at the two. The blue haired mage proceeded to place his other palm on the ground and unleashed a small smoke screen.
"Quick, in one of the alleyways." Jellal urged before he and Erza leaped off the building, leaving behind coughing civilians behind.
Erza glanced at Jellal while running. "So what did you have in mind?" She asked.
"It's very clear that they have little to no experience in using magic in battle due to how sloppy they use their spells. If we can keep avoiding them they'll run out of energy eventually. But it's also wise to avoid any contact with them directly." Jellal answered as the two turned into an alleyway. "But we also shouldn't have them go after any of the others, so we can direct their attention to where we're at and have faith in the others." He finished as the two hugged the walls.
"I see. It's unfortunate that we have to be bait but I'm sure they can handle themselves trying to find Wendy without us." Erza assured.
Jellal raised an arm. "I'm going to launch a flare, we'll book it after that alright?" He warned. Erza immediately nodded her head.
Once the smoke cleared out, the civilians noticed a flame attack launch in the air several feet away.
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The sound of fire burning was heard as Natsu and Happy continued on inside the castle, leaving the wreckage the fire dragon slayer left behind as well as a knocked out Balrus. Running up the stairs, the two came across their first fork in the road as there were two separate rooms to enter. The one being right up the stairs to a long hallway and another being an open path that leads to a staircase.
Natsu crossed his arms. "The castle being empty is gonna make things harder..." He acknowledged.
Happy slid off Natsu's shoulder and flew in front of him. "How about you try picking up any scents? Carla should still be here right?" He suggested.
Natsu lightly pounded one fist on his palm and his eyes lit up. "Good thinking buddy!" He praised his companion before quickly sniffing the area and picking up something above the two. "I think I got something above us! Looks like it's the stairs then! Let's go Happy!" The pinkette urged.
"Aye!" Happy agreed.
Natsu took a step towards the staircase and held his breath as his nostrils absorbed air. He then roared out at the top of his lungs which echoed throughout the castle. "WENDY!"
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As Natsu's roars are heard, Carla manages to strike a hit as she cartwheels her way towards Sync and lands a kicking blow at her scythe which sends the angel girl sliding back a couple feet and stumbling a little. The Exceed lands on her feet and continues to be on guard.
"Always so reckless..." Carla thought out loud, hearing Natsu's roars.
Sync manages to stay on her feet but is noticeably shaking after hearing the sudden breaking in of Natsu and the explosions heard from below. Chelia took notice and raised an eyebrow.
"W-whats going on...?" Sync mumbled, a small amount of green aura rising from her body. "What happened to Balrus? Where's big bro...?"
Chelia approached Carla from behind and whispered to her. "Hey...is she doing okay?"
"Hmph. This one doesn't seem to be experienced with battle." Carla bluntly noted. "We can use that to our advantage."
"L-little harsh don't you think...?" Chelia muttered.
Sync manages to snap out of her stress by smacking her cheeks with both palms and picking up her scythe again, the green aura vanishing as well. "No! I can't give in yet! Big bro is counting on me!" She declared as she twirled her scythe and pointed it at the two once more. "Starky is still here! I'll take you both down and assist him!"
Carla squinted her eyes in frustration. "Looks like she's back on her feet, stay back Chelia!"
"I won't let bad guys like you pass! I *will* defeat you!" Sync blustered as she flew upwards and twirled her scythe above her head, about to strike down below.
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"Water Slicer!" Juvia swung her right arm as several blades of water hurled towards Torian.
Torian smirked as he took off in the air and flew around Juvia to avoid the blade projectiles. He clenched his halberd tightly and rocketed towards the water mage, preparing to strike her with it. He swung his weapon as Juvia collided with a water claw as the impact splashed the water around the two. Torian backflipped in the air and landed on the cloudy surface, but he immediately sank under. Juvia remained on guard but noticed the angel pop out in front of the fortress entrance as he dusted himself off.
"Kehehehe, you really *do* use water magic." Torian cackles with glee.
Juvia glared at the Tenhei member. "And why does it matter that Juvia uses water magic?"
Torian pointed at the water mage. "Tell me, do you know that us Tenhei members have a special role assigned to each one of us? It's the title that proves our allegiance to our lord Izanagi."
"Juvia doesn't care about your role. You are merely an enemy in Juvia's eyes." Juvia shot.
"Ah come on!" Torian spreaded his arms out. "Don't you wanna know what mine is?"
Juvia did not respond and simply kept on guard. Torian chuckled as he placed one leg on a stone debris from the fortress and leaned one arm on it. He lowered his head and smirked as his sharp teeth glistened. He adjusted his blue tie.
"Chore boy." Torian stated.
Juvia's intense stare abruptly turned into a blank one. "Huh?"
Torian stepped off the debris and raised his halberd upward. "It's a chore boy's duty to keep the kingdom nice and tidy, I'm actually really good at it." He points the weapon at Juvia and reels the halberd back. "And I'm really good at using water!" He proceeds to throw the halberd quickly at the water mage.
Juvia remained still as the weapon went right through her chest and landed behind her. Torian widened his eyes and reeled back.
"Y-you were supposed to use your water magic to defend yourself, not get killed by it!" Torian criticized while panicking. However, he noticed that Juvia's insides were completely made out of water as they morphed back together.
Juvia appeared not harmed at all as she brushed her hair. "Juvia *is* water. Your attacks have no effect on her."
"A human that's also water?" Puzzled Torian. He watched as Juvia's water body finished putting itself back together and returned her body to her normal state.
He then noticed a scar on Juvia's stomach and squinted his eyes. "That's a nasty looking scar ya got there."
"Water Nebula!" Juvia summoned two pillars of water that swirled around each other. Torian quickly sidestepped out of the way as the pillars carved a hole in the fortress. Juvia shot a glare at the angel. "Juvia doesn't want to hear your pity, her scar does not concern you."
"R-right...sorry about that." Torian rubbed the back of his head, he didn't realize that would give out a big reaction from his opponent. "But...if she's made of water..." The angel thought before cracking a toothy grin.
"Juvia has heard enough from you! She needs to take care of you and regroup with my darling Gray!" Juvia blustered before spreading her arms out as her legs transformed into a rapidly spinning water cone. "Water Jigsaw!"
Torian stood casually as the water mage began to zip towards her opponent. The angel slowly raises his right arm and points two fingers at Juvia which causes her to abruptly stop in her tracks. Her spell ceases to be active as well as Juvia was caught off guard.
"W-what's going on?! Juvia's body...!" Juvia exclaimed, trying to move any part of her body but not budging.
"Looks like it works." Torian taunted as he lifted his index finger which got Juvia to raise her right arm.
Juvia gawked at her body suddenly moving on its own before scowling at the Tenhei member. "You! How dare you, what do you think you're doing?!" She fumed, having a feeling this was his doing.
Torian proceeds to lift his middle finger as Juvia's other arm lifts up and cackles to himself. "Tell me young lady, have you heard of Kinesis Magic?" He asks before lowering both fingers as Juvia was suddenly pushed on the ground by some invisible force.
Juvia grunts as she continues to try and move her body. She manages to slowly look up towards her opponent before realizing that this power was very familiar to her. Her former guildmate, Totomaru used similar magic called Pyrokinesis which allowed him to move fire to his will.
"That expression tells me you've at least heard of it." Torian noted. "I use a variant called Aquakinesis which allows me to control water to my will. It's quite handy getting some of that water from beneath the clouds." The thin angel bragged.
Juvia gritted her teeth as she attempted to push harder to move her body in this state, but Torian's hold was too strong. With the addition of the amount of magic she used up here draining a good chunk of her energy, her chest was already burning. With her palms on the ground however, she manages to conjure a spell below the clouds as a magic circle appears beneath her.
Torian raised an eyebrow before noticing a water pillar erupting from under the water mage. The impact that launched Juvia severed the hold between the angel and water mage. The Tenhei member yelped in shock, quickly looking up and noticing Juvia about to cast another spell.
"Water Cyclone!" Juvia unleashed a whirling torrent quickly at her opponent, hoping the attack lands before he controls it. However, Torian raised his left arm and pointed two fingers at the cyclone before spreading said fingers apart in a scissors sign, causing the attack to split in two. "You're kidding!" Juvia gasps as she is soon stopped abruptly. Torian raises his right arm to control her body again.
"Kehehe. You chose a pretty bad opponent to go up against by yourself." Torian mocked as he swung his right arm to the side which forcibly pushed Juvia towards the fortress' stone wall. At the same time as the water cyclone evaporates and rains below the angel, Juvia crashes head first into the stone building. Torian released his hold on the water as he observed the result of his attack, stone debris falling over.
The angel rubbed the back of his head and felt a sweatdrop leave his temple. "Sorry Balrus. Looks like you'll have plenty of work to do once you've recovered..." He spoke to himself. He stood for several seconds and waited to see if Juvia recovered from the attack. Realizing she isn't moving, he turned his back and spread his small wings. "Now then, my duty calls for me to clean up our castle from those intruders..."
Right before Torian could take off, he felt his ankle wrapped by a wet substance and looked below in surprise. Noticing the water cane he looks back and sees Juvia standing back up, albeit barely. Torian raised a finger and split the water cane in two before turning back around to face the water mage. "Why did you get back up? You know you're no match." He wondered.
Juvia panted as her right arm returned to normal. "Because...Juvia promised Gray that she would take care of you! I won't let you get away!" She retorted.
"Listen, if you keep this up...you'll die." Torian emphasized, lowering his brow. "Is that something your friend really wants? Or that Gray guy?"
"Like..Juvia said, she doesn't..need your pity!" Juvia scoffed. She proceeds to raise her left arm and prepares to launch another attack, however her magic circle vanishes as quickly as it appeared. The water mage began to cough heavily, realizing that the combination of her magic usage and battle damage was already wearing her out.
Torian watched as his opponent tried pushing herself to cast a spell. The angel lowered his head and sighed as he lifted his right arm. He once again forced the water mage to stop before forcefully pushing her on the ground.
"That's enough." Torian urged softly. "You are incapable of defeating me, I'm a perfect counter. I don't know why you bothered splitting up when you were at the advantage earlier." He criticized while noticing that Juvia stopped trying to move. He released his spell and frowned.
Juvia's vision was getting blurry as she watched Torian turn his back at her and prepared to take off. The water mage dragged her fingers through the clouds and tried reaching out towards the angel. She began to think to herself.
"Why did Juvia even tag along...?" She wondered. "Was there any reason she came here in the first place?"
The water mage's vision begins to blacken, the last thing she sees was Torian flying away. "Does Juvia...even remember why she was here?" She realized right before her head plops face first on the ground. As her consciousness fades, she recalls something Torian said to her as a part of her body aches.
"That's a nasty looking scar ya got there."
While her face is buried on the ground, Juvia manages to utter something through muffles. "Drip drip drip..." The cloudy floor she laid on began to feel mushy and wet as the clouds turned from white to a dark gray. The wet floor washes on her face which manages to keep her conscious. She clenches the floor once more and a magic circle appears from below her.
Torian was wiping his clothes as the water was washing off of him while he flew. He then overheard the sound of rain from below.
"Hm?" Torian turned around and a water pillar was inches away from hitting him. "G-gah!" He panicked and swiftly flew out of harm's way. The Tenhei member noticed Juvia standing up but limped forward as she stood on dark gray clouds.
"Juvia remembers why..." Juvia mumbled. "It's because she is alive..." She clenches her scar as it continues to ache.
"I don't remember us having mushy clouds today..." Torian thought as his mind began to panic. He clenched his teeth and lightly growled before shouting "Why can't you just stay down?! You're going to get yourself killed!!"
Juvia shot her head up and glared at the thin angel. Her body ached as she raised both arms and several pillars of water erupted from the gray clouds. "Juvia won't die! She won't waste the life that was given a second chance!" She declared before clenching both fists and the water pillars began swirling directly towards Torian.
Torian's mouth gaped and quickly lifted both his arms and splayed all his fingers out, trying to get a hold of as much water as possible. He manages to stop several bunches of water, but is unable to stop all of them as the angel gets submerged in a scalding hot water pillar.
Torian feels his skin burning as his grip was released. "G-GAAAAAH! It's-it's hot! Why is the water hot?!" he yelped. The Tenhei member didn't give in as his small wings fluttered. He reeled his body back and used his Diver magic to boost himself towards Juvia.
"Juvia has a debt to pay! We Fairy Tail wizards will always go beyond for each other!" Juvia vowed.
While Torian charged through the hot water, Juvia activated her Sierra spell as she boosted her body through the water pillar she created and rammed her head directly at Torian's chest, causing the angel to cough out. Right after the impact, the water evaporated and rained below the clouds. Juvia's body returned to normal as the two fell on the cloudy surface, causing two bursts of mist to occur.
The gray clouds returned back to white and became dry again. Torian laid on his stomach with his arms and legs splayed out, knocked out. The angel had several red patches of burnt skin from the scalding water.
Juvia laid on her back and breathed heavily. Juvia begins to fully lose consciousness as her eyes begin to close and her mouth softly smiles.
"Juvia is sorry that she couldn't join back with you, my darling Gray. But she has faith in you, and all the others. And don't let her make the same mistake Juvia almost made..."