"Again!" Gajeel roared.
Sting was panting with exhaustion, but he stood up and tried to activate Dragon Force once more. Two weeks had passed since the events of the Fighting Festival, and Sting had taken Mystogan's words to heart. The White Dragon still didn't know what, "Edolas" was, but Mystogan had told him to be ready for it, so he wanted to master his Dragon Force Mode as quickly as possible. So he had asked Gajeel to tutor him, since the Iron Dragon Slayer had considerable experience utilizing the Final Form of Dragon Slayer Magic.
Gajeel had warned him that it wouldn't be easy, but Sting wasn't fazed. He pushed his body beyond it's limits to master the powerful magic. When they had first started, Sting hadn't been able to hold Dragon Force for more than a few seconds. But he persevered, and was now capable of using the spell for almost a minute. Gajeel was, to his credit, slightly impressed, even if he never admitted it.
Sting shook himself and charged at Black Steel, feeling scales materialize all over his body. He buried his fists in light, feeling the power rise far beyond what he was normally able to use thanks to the Dragon Force.
He lashed out at Gajeel, yelling, "White Dragon's Holy Fist!"
The Iron Dragon was also utilizing Dragon Force, and he raised his arm to block, shouting, "Iron Dragon's Sword!"
Sting's fist rammed against the Iron Sword, and he managed to push Gajeel back for a moment before Black Steel tossed him aside with the blade. The White Dragon hit the ground hard and felt the Dragon Force dissipate, but he stood up again, facing Gajeel.
He's strong! I never realized how strong he really was. I hate to admit it, but he might actually be stronger than Natsu…
Sting jumped when Gajeel snapped him out of his thoughts. "That's enough for today. You'll just hurt yourself if you keep letting me smack you around." he grunted.
Sting nodded at him, still breathing hard and not really in the mood to argue. He slowly fell to the ground and lay down on his back, staring up at the sky.
How much longer, Natsu…?
"Want something to drink?"
The White Dragon looked past his feet to see Lucy walking up with Happy and Lector, carrying a pitcher of lemonade. The cats were carrying some plastic cups.
Sting grinned and sat up, "I'd be crazy not to."
He and Gajeel grabbed a cup from the cats, and Lucy poured them some lemonade. The Dragon Slayers downed the drink in one go and Sting groaned in satisfaction, "Ahh! That's the best after training!"
Lucy laughed and Gajeel smirked. Lector prodded Lucy's leg, getting her to look down at the small cat, "What is it?" she asked.
"Aren't you going to tell them? Remember what Mira said?" Lector replied.
Lucy's eyes widened, "Oh, yeah! Mira and Erza called for a meeting at the guild. Apparently, the Master has something he wants to tell us when he gets back from his meeting." she explained.
Sting raised an eyebrow, "Wonder what that's about…" He murmured. Gajeel just grunted.
/
The group went back to the guild together. Sting was pretty tired after his training with Gajeel, so he took a seat at the nearest open table he could find when they arrived.
Rogue, who was sitting a table over, wrinkled his nose as the White Dragon walked inside. "At least take a shower before you come here. You reek." he said flatly.
Sting just growled at him to shut up and rested his chin on the table. Lucy took a seat next to him and watched Mira, who was in the middle of the guild hall, use a light pen to draw a diagram in the air.
"What is that?" she asked.
Sting looked up and eyed the writing hanging in midair. His eyes widened in surprise, "That's the Baram Alliance! But why…?" The White Dragon seemed confused.
Lucy looked at him in question, "What's the Baram Alliance?"
Sting answered her slowly, "The strongest group of Dark Guilds that control all the minor ones. It's made up of three groups: Tartaros, Oracion Seis, and Grimoire Heart. Then there's Raven Tail, but they don't operate inside the Baram Alliance."
Juvia looked over at them with a happy look on her face, "All the Dark Guilds that Gajeel, Rogue, and I destroyed came from Oracion Seis."
Lucy looked kind of nervous, "Waah…I hope they don't attack us for revenge…"
Sting shook his head, "You don't have to worry about that. It's really more of a nonaggression pact than an alliance."
That seemed to reassure the blonde girl a bit, but Erza had a serious look on her face as she addressed the guild, "With that said, as of lately, it seems as though Oracion Seis's activity has risen considerably. They're obviously up to something."
"About Oracion Seis…"
Everyone turned to the entrance to see the Master walk in. The old man continued, "We're going to attack them."
The guild was totally silent for a moment.
Then it exploded, "WHAT?!"
The only people in the hall who managed to keep a straight face (Or at least, not completely flip out) were Sting, Erza, Mira, Gajeel, and Rogue. They raised their eyebrows in surprise, but said nothing.
Meanwhile, Mira smiled at him and said cheerfully, "Welcome back Master!"
There were many loud slapping sounds as everyone in the room facepalmed.
Lisanna stuttered, her voice small, "Master, what? You can't be serious…"
Makarov looked serious, and his words reflected the expression on his face, "I am completely serious. At the last meeting, we decided to do something about Oracion Seis's suspicious activity. But this is not an opponent we can defeat on our own, since the Baram Alliance might retaliate here if we attack them ourselves. So we have made an alliance of our own, putting four guilds together to crush them: Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Caitshelter. Each guild will send a few chosen members to a rendezvous point at Master Bob's manor, where they will execute the plan to destroy Oracion Seis."
Erza stepped forward at this, "So, which members are going? You must have thought about it on the way back."
Makarov nodded at her, "I have. I've put together what I believe will be an effective team for this mission." He cleared his throat, "The members I have chosen for this mission," he started, "will be Erza, Gray, Lucy, and Rogue."
Erza and Gray didn't look too surprised. Rogue raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
Lucy? Oh yeah. Stunned.
Sting too, he stood up quickly at the Master's words, "Hey! Why not me?!"
Makarov looked him in the eye, "You're Dragon Force training is still in progress, and as a result, your body is not currently fit for battling opponents as powerful as Oracion Seis."
Sting growled in disappointment, but he was pretty much drowned out by Lucy's shriek.
"WHY ME?!"
The Master gave her a grin, "Don't sell yourself short, Lucy. You're definitely strong enough for this, and you are familiar with Erza and Gray's fighting style. In addition, you've also worked with Sting, so since you know how another Dragon Slayer, Rogue in this case, would act during a battle, I'm confident you're a worthy addition to this team."
Lucy didn't look convinced, but Makarov just kept talking, "Anyways, I want the four of you to get ready. You leave tomorrow morning."
With that he proceeded to walk to his office, leaving the guild members still frozen with shock.
Lucy shrieked again, "You've GOT to be kidding me! Why the hell do I have to go on this stupidly dangerous mission?!"
Sting grumbled something along the lines of, "So noisy" which earned him a smack on the head from the blonde girl.
/\/\/\/\/\
The next day, the group was sent off to Master Bob's manor to meet with the rest of the alliance. Erza was driving the cart, while Lucy was complaining to Gray in the back while Happy, who had come on Sting's request to keep an eye on Lucy (Although he completely denied it), was munching on a fish. Rogue was trying to keep a composed expression while his body was wracked with motion sickness.
"Seriously! Why on earth am I coming along, anyway?!" Lucy griped.
Gray just shrugged and gave her an apologetic look. Erza called at them from the front, "We're here. Everybody out."
"Aye, sir!" Happy replied.
Lucy and Gray got out of the cart, Rogue following them slowly, trying to hide any trace of his motion sickness for the sake of his dignity.
The group entered the manor together, looking around for their new allies. But no one was in sight.
Gray tch'd, "Guess we're the first ones here."
A sudden chorus of, "Welcome!" rang throughout the building.
Three guys appeared from the back of the room, clapping their hands and repeating their chorus. The group's hosts identified themselves as the Trimens from Blue Pegasus, and sang their names together as Hibiki, Ren, and Eve. A fourth person revealed himself behind them, a short, and clearly ugly man who Erza identified distastefully as Ichiya.
The short man then began to start sniffing at the Requip Mage, who swiftly kicked him away towards the door. He flew like a bird until his head came in contact with a hand, which froze him entirely.
The hand's owner spoke in an irritated tone, "Well, this is quite the greeting, isn't it? Do you lot really consider yourselves superior to Lamia Scale?"
Gray blinked at the newcomer for a moment, then his eyes widened in surprise and recognition, "Lyon!"
Lyon turned towards him and his eyes grew large as well, "Gray!"
Happy flew towards him with a huge grin, "So, you went and joined Lamia Scale? Cool!"
Lyon smiled fondly at the little cat and patted his head, tossing the frozen Ichiya to the side. "It's been a while, Happy. Still obsessed with fish?"
The cat nodded happily, "Aye!"
Lucy pulled on Gray's sleeve, "Hey, how do you guys know him?"
Gray smiled, eyes focused on Lyon as he recalled previous years, "He was Ur's apprentice alongside me. We were in Fairy Tail for a few years, but he left about three years ago to get stronger on his own. I guess he found something he liked in Lamia Scale."
Lyon heard that last bit and nodded, "I did. I found someone I can surpass as a stepping stone to beat Ur."
Erza raised an eyebrow at that last bit, "Oh? And who would that be?"
"Well, Jura obviously." A voice rang out in the hall, and suddenly the rug on the floor came to life. It moved around a bit before it settled down, leaving a women with dark pink hair standing a little ways away from Lyon.
Lucy frowned at the name. "Jura?" she echoed.
Lyon nodded, "Yeah, he's the Tenth Wizard Saint. This is Sherry by the way." He gestured to the woman, who smiled at them.
Ichiya suddenly reappeared, the ice removed from his body courtesy of his three charges, and began to sniff at Sherry, sighing, "Ah! Such a beautiful perfume!"
Sherry, like Erza, kicked him away, although she added a shriek to it.
The short man was sent flying towards Lucy, who shrieked in reply, "NOT TO ME!" and kicked him at Erza, starting a kind of twisted soccer game.
Gray met Lyon's gaze again and grinned, "So, you get any stronger?"
Lyon smirked at his fellow apprentice, "Would you like to find out?" he demanded, slowly placing a fist on his open palm, which Gray mirrored.
Rogue watched the group a ways off, rolling his eyes in exasperation. Do they have to be so damned noisy?
The Shadow Dragon was still feeling a little sick from the ride up here, and his head hurt too much to deal with this kind of conflict.
Ichiya suddenly flew at him, a stray shot from Erza. Rogue caught Ichiya by the leg and held him up in midair, staring at the busted up face in disdain. Ichiya pointed at him with his typical finger gun gesture, "Ah, thank you! However, while it may be somewhat clouded by the scent of my own blood, I would like to go back and continue to inhale the perfume of the ladies back there. If you'd please!"
Rogue's eyebrow twitched.
He then brought his arm back and threw the Blue Pegasus ace across the room at blinding speed. Ichiya's cry of, "MEEEN!" was suddenly cut off as he smashed through the wall of the manor.
The Trimens turned towards the Shadow Dragon and yelled at him, "Hey! How dare you throw our sensei in such an undignified way!"
Rogue almost lost his cool. Almost.
He opened his mouth, unsure if he wanted to reply with words or a breath attack, but a deep voice at the doorway stopped everyone, "Cease this! We are here to create an alliance to fight Oracion Seis! We do not have time to bicker!" Rogue turned to see a tall, bald man with a staff at the entrance.
Lyon smiled at the newcomer, "Jura, you're here."
Erza narrowed her eyes, "So you're Jura?" she asked slowly.
The Wizard Saint regarded her for a moment before he replied, "Yes. And you would be Titania Erza I presume?"
The Requip Mage nodded in response.
Rogue eyed the man with interest. He had an air of power and authority about him, one he had only felt in the presence of Makarov, Jose, and Ur.
I suppose that's to be expected of a Wizard Saint, he thought.
The Trimens, having drawn their attention away from the Shadow Dragon, had started hitting on Lucy and Erza.
Gray yelled at them, "Hey! Quit messing with our princesses, playboys!"
Eve smiled nastily at him, "Gonna stop us? We're strong you know."
Rogue snorted quietly, but Eve noticed and turned that evil grin on him, "Don't believe me? I can always prove it to you."
The Shadow Dragon met his gaze with intimidating red eyes, "Is that supposed to frighten me?" The words were quiet, but menacing.
Eve didn't seem to notice the threat and shrugged, "Well, someone of lower than average intelligence may not understand that it's a bad idea to pick a fight with us."
Rogue nodded as he digested that speech. Then he suddenly vanished.
Eve blinked for a moment and frowned. Then he felt something under his jaw. He looked down slightly and his eyes widened.
The room got very quiet, all flirting and messing around aside. Rogue's sword was unsheathed and pressed against Eve's throat. The Dragon Slayer was standing back to back with the Triman, his arm held out at length to the right with the blade running opposite so the point dug into Eve's skin.
Eve, meanwhile, didn't move, hardly breathed. When did he get behind me…No one can move that fast! He thought, completely stunned for once.
Erza broke the silence with a warning tone, "Rogue…"
The Shadow Dragon didn't move, speaking quietly at the frozen Triman behind him, "You don't seem to understand. My power is greater than the power you have."
Most of the people in the room, aside from those from Fairy Tail, stared at him warily. Ichiya watched him with curiosity rather than alarm, despite the fact that a sword was at his student's throat. Jura as well, regarded the Shadow Dragon with interest, secretly impressed with his uncanny speed and reflexes.
Makarov chose well, he decided.
The Wizard Saint cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, "Well now, shall we get down to business?" he asked meaningfully.
Rogue eyed him for a moment before he removed his blade from Eve's neck and sheathed it quietly. The Triman quickly stepped away from him, sweating and looking a little shaky. For the rest of the conversation, he made sure that the Dragon Slayer was always within his line of sight. Rogue showed no further interest in the Blue Pegasus Mage, but was silently pleased.
That should keep them in their place, he thought with satisfaction.
His attention was diverted to Jura, as he continued to talk, "Since everyone's here, perhaps we should start the War Council."
Lyon interrupted him, "Afraid not, Jura. The representatives from Caitshelter are still missing."
Sherry sighed in frustration, "Honestly! They think we can wait for them all day?"
Ichiya raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean, 'They'? I've heard it's just a single person." he remarked.
The room got quiet again. Gray broke the silence, stuttering in shock, "They sent one person for a job like this?!"
Lucy followed up, eyes huge, "H-hold on! Just how crazy strong is this guy?"
"Kya!"
The room was suddenly filled with a loud squeal at the door. Everyone turned around to regard the newest addition.
A little girl in a blue and yellow dress was lying on the floor, right where she tripped. She slowly got up on her hands and knees, groaning, "Owwy…"
The members of the alliance in the room stared at her in shock. The girl got up and brushed herself off, eyes glued shyly to the ground in front of her. "Umm..Uh…Sorry I'm late. I'm the member from Caitshelter. My name's Wendy."
Lucy's jaw dropped, "A kid?!"
Lyon's eyes were huge, "A little girl?"
Rogue was regarding her with a frowned. "Wendy…?" he muttered quietly. He knew that name from somewhere, but couldn't remember where he'd heard it before.
Jura was the only one who seemed unaffected for the most part, though he had been momentarily surprised, "Now that everyone's here, let's get started." he said.
Gray looked at him like he was crazy, "Hold on, man! Who the hell sends a little kid to take out one of the Baram Alliance?!"
Sherry smirked, "She's a bit pitiful on her own, isn't she?"
"Oh? But she isn't alone miss-too-much-hairspray."
Another voice rang out in reply to the Lamia Scale Mage, and the attention was once again focused on the doorway. Rogue watched with perhaps a little less interest as a white cat strolled up to the group at Wendy's side.
Just like Happy and the others…he thought.
Speaking of Happy, he was staring at the white cat, who seemed to be female, as though he had found love at first sight.
Wendy looked at the cat with a startled expression, "Charle! You followed me!"
Charle nodded, "Well, of course I did. You can't handle something like this on your own." she said matter-of-factly.
Sherry seemed a little miffed at her earlier remark, but Jura started the War Council before any further interruptions could ensue, "Now then, let's get started. As you all know, our mission is to seek and destroy Oracion Seis. We have chosen Master Bob's manor as our temporary base because, as it so happens, Oracion Seis is operating very close by. Ichiya, I believe you have the rest of our strategy set up?"
The short man nodded in response and turned to Hibiki, who held his hands out in front of him. A computer board and screens appeared in midair.
Jura raised an eyebrow, "Archive? That's a rare magic." he remarked.
Hibiki nodded his thanks before explaining the strategy, "Alright then, we don't really know much about Oracion Seis's members, other than there are six of them, and they are all extremely powerful. We have pictures and names to them, but their magic types are still a mystery. I'll show you what we have."
A screen flickered in midair for a moment, before the image of a man with a very long and pointed nose appeared. "This one's called Racer. We think his magic may involve high speeds."
The screen flickered again, this time to show a man with an odd, somewhat squared face. "This is Hoteye. He uses earth magic, and he only fights for profit." Hibiki continued. Jura shook his head in disgust.
The third person was a pretty girl with white hair and a feathered dress. Rogue's eyes widened instantly, but Hibiki kept talking, "This girl is called Angel. Again, we don't have much on her, but we think she uses Celestial Spirit Magic from some earlier reports-"
Suddenly, he was cut off by a guttural growl. Everyone turned in surprise to look at Rogue.
The Shadow Dragon's eyes were dark and he quietly hissed, "That one's mine. Don't any of you dare interfere."
The room got absolutely silent for a while. Lucy broke the silence, "You know her?" s
Rogue looked away, "It's none of your business. Just make sure it stays that way."
Lucy flinched away from him, mentally noting to avoid Angel at all costs. Apparently, most of the other alliance members silently agreed with her. Jura stared at him with a guarded expression for a moment, before gesturing for Hibiki to continue.
Rogue only half paid attention the rest of the time. Hiding in Oracion Seis, huh? But you won't get out of this alive, Sorano. I won't let you hurt Yukino ever again…
The screen flickered a fourth time to reveal a man with spiky brown hair with a purple snake at his side. "This man is Cobra. He's a mage that uses venomous snakes, as you can see." Hibiki explained.
Gray narrowed his eyes at the image. "Don't like this guy, he looks like a nasty piece of work." he muttered.
Happy smirked at him, "He kinda looks like Gajeel."
Rogue regarded the man for a moment, before dismissing him with little interest.
The next picture was one of a black haired man apparently sleeping on a magic carpet. Hibiki looked distastefully at this one, "This guy's called Midnight, but that's all we know about him."
The final image was of a white haired man with an odd pattern of lines over his face and a skull staff. "And this is the leader, Brain. He can use Dark Magic with that staff. That's all the members of Oracion Seis. Now, our strategy is pretty straightforward. We brought in our magical bomber, Christina, to destroy their base. We don't know for sure where that is, but once we locate it, we'll erase it with Christina, and hopefully the guild members themselves. We'll search in groups of no less than three people, and we will have a telepathic connection at all times. Well, I think that's all. Did I miss anything?"
He looked around at the group, who all shook their heads.
Lucy looked a little nervous, "We're going to drop a bomb on these people? Isn't that a little excessive?"
Erza shook her head, "No, more than likely, they'll avoid it somehow. And even if we did hit them, I can't imagine just one bomb would be enough to kill them." she remarked.
Lucy and Wendy stared at her in horror. Lucy shrieked, "How stupidly powerful ARE these guys?!"
Lyon just shrugged at her, "They can't be all bad if the guild masters think we can take care of them on our own."
Gray smirked at his fellow apprentice, "Why don't we see who can take down the most of them?" he challenged. Lyon grinned back at him.
Lucy stepped forward with her hands up, "Hey, hold on! Don't you guys remember the strate-eek!"
The last bit was due to the fact that Gray and Lyon both stripped their shirts off and flew out the door. Sherry quickly followed them, calling for Lyon to wait, while Lucy and Erza pursued Gray. The Trimens took the cue and chased after the exiting girls. Charle grabbed Wendy's hand and ran outside, with Happy close behind them.
Jura yelled after the group, "Wait!"
Rogue just sighed. He knew this was bound to happen.
He and Jura started to run after the group when Ichiya stopped them, "Forgive me, friends, but I am still somewhat curious about you two, particularly you, Jura. As one of the Wizard Saints, you must be incredibly powerful."
Jura shook his head modestly, "No, no! That's just a title. I'm the least of the Wizard Saints. I don't even compare with mages such as Makarov. There is a massive gap in power between him and myself."
Ichiya smiled oddly, "That's good, I suppose. I was getting worried you would be unbeatable."
Rogue turned around at that. Something was wrong with his tone. Jura must have sensed it too, because he spun in unison with the Dragon Slayer. But they were too late, and got a face full of Ichiya's magic perfume.
The two mages coughed and spluttered as they inhaled the fragrance. Jura roared at him, "What is the meaning of this?!"
Ichiya smiled and his form glowed for a moment before splitting into two small, blue creatures. Jura stared at them in shock, but Rogue hissed in fury, "Gemini…you little…!"
The two spirits laughed in unison before disappearing, leaving the real Ichiya in their wake.
Jura grunted in pain, "Damn! My magic power…it's been drained considerably."
Rogue cursed. The aces of Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale were already down, and the real fight hadn't even gotten started.
The Shadow Dragon hissed at Jura, "Get Ichiya. We have to warn the others."
The Wizard Saint nodded and picked up the unconscious mage as they struggled to their feet, running after their companions with what energy they had left.
Lucy was scared. The group had raced off towards the nearby forest, the Trimens taking the magical bomber, Christina, out right off the bat. But no sooner had they begun to wonder where Rogue, Jura, and Ichiya were when a massive explosion tore Christina apart.
When it hit the ground, six figures had appeared out of the smoke. The group was stunned when they realized that Oracion Seis had revealed themselves. Gray and Lyon had immediately attacked them, but Racer sent them both flying backwards with unbelievably fast attacks. When Lucy attempted to help them, she was stopped by a copy of herself, who beat her down with her own whip. Sherry also tried to assist the Ice Mages, but Hoteye caught her with his earth magic, sinking her in quicksand.
The Trimens attacked Midnight in unison, but their attacks simply bent around the sleeping man. In their shock, they became easy prey for Racer, who knocked them all unconscious. Wendy was hiding behind a boulder with Happy and Charle, watching the fight from a distance. Erza had engaged Cobra at first sight, but no matter what she did, she couldn't hit him. Lucy thought he must have some way to predict her, no other enemy had ever avoided Erza's attacks with such ease. Cobra had immobilized her for a moment, when something seemed to surprise him. He backed off in shock, which gave Erza the opening she needed.
Titania charged him, but Racer kicked her away, shouting at Cobra to wake up. Cobra tch'd and sent the huge snake at his side after the Requip Mage. The serpent bit Erza's arm and threw her aside, leaving her doubled over on the ground in pain. After that, Oracion Seis had regrouped and Brain started charging massive magic power in his staff.
That was what terrified Lucy. They were helpless right now.
Then Brain saw Wendy and his eyes widened in shock. The spell he was creating vanished.
Racer looked at him in question, "What's wrong?"
Brain's eyes were glued to the little girl, "Wendy…!"
Wendy stared back at him for a moment in fear.
Racer nudged his leader, "Aren't we in a hurry?" he asked, a little edgy.
Brain recovered from his shock and nodded, before firing a stream of dark energy at Wendy. The magic wrapped itself around her and Happy, and teleported them off to who-knows-where.
Lucy screamed, "Wendy! Happy!"
Brain turned to Hoteye, speaking emotionlessly, "Finish them."
Hoteye bowed and began to use his earth magic. The ground around the defeated group heaved up and started to cave in on them. Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and covered her head, bracing herself for the impact. But it never came. She tentatively opened her eyes, registering the scene before her.
Jura was standing in the middle of them, hands together. Several large pillars of stone had erupted from the earth and halted the enemy attack. Ichiya was standing up groggily, as though he had just woken up. Rogue stood beside Jura, eyes fixed on the enemies before them.
Or maybe just one enemy in particular. Oracion Seis stopped to appraise the new arrivals.
Angel caught sight of Rogue and her eyes widened in surprise. Then she smirked, "Well, look who it is. I don't suppose your girlfriend's around, is she?"
Rogue glared at her with barely suppressed fury, his words as sharp as a blade, "She isn't. And I'm happy about that, for once. She won't have to watch this."
Angel laughed at him, "Oooh! So scary! I suppose if you somehow beat me, you'll take this back?" She pulled out a black key with a serpent wrapped around it and waved it teasingly before him.
Rogue growled, more animal than human, and that almost scared Lucy even more than the Dark Guild. "When I'm done ripping the life out of you, I will get that key." he threatened, venom dripping from every word.
Angel's smile vanished and she glared at him in anger.
Jura rested a hand on Rogue's shoulder and spoke softly, "Ease your storm, friend. She's just provoking you."
Rogue snarled, but relaxed slightly. The Shadow Dragon's eyes never left Angel, however, as though her were imagining what she would look like when he was done with her.
Those thoughts were cut off, however, when Brain seemingly dismissed the newcomers with a flick of his hand, and slammed his staff against the ground. Dark Magic surrounded the group, and they vanished without another word.
Jura tch'd and looked around at the injured group, "Is everyone alright?"
They all nodded at him, but Lucy ran over to Erza. The Requip Mage's arm was a sickening purple color, and she was writhing in pain.
Erza gritted her teeth and managed to choke out, "Poison from the snake."
Lucy turned back to Jura with a worried expression, "We need to help her! And they got Wendy and Happy, too…"
Erza ripped some of the cloth from her skirt and bit it. "We don't have time for this. I can't fight with this much pain." She held her arm out and met Rogue's eyes. "Cut it off." she snapped.
Lucy gasped in horror. The rest of the group looked stunned.
Gray stepped forward with huge eyes, "Whoa, Erza…You can't be serious!"
Erza ignored him and was now glaring at the Shadow Dragon. "I'm completely serious." she grunted.
Rogue appraised her for a moment before he nodded. The Dragon Slayer unsheathed the blade at his hip, stepping towards Erza.
Gray quickly got in his way, "Stop! There has to be some other way! We can't just chop her arm off! She can't fight with just one!" he reasoned.
Gray and Rogue started arguing with each other, but Erza couldn't stay awake from the pain. Lucy caught her as she slumped to the ground.
Rogue pushed Gray aside, "Let me do it. It won't be as bad now that she's unconscious."
But Charle stopped him, "There is another way. If we get Wendy back, she can heal her."
Jura frowned at the she-cat. "How? I thought there wasn't a person alive who still knew Healing Magic."
Charle huffed at him and crossed her arms. "Wendy is the Sky Dragon Slayer. Sky Sorceress, Wendy." The group got very quiet.
Rogue was stunned. Another Dragon Slayer…
The Shadow Dragon suddenly realized why Wendy's name had struck a chord in his memory earlier.
Charle kept talking, "Her Sky Magic can heal Erza, but we need to take her back from Oracion Seis first."
Jura nodded at her, "Very well, then. A group will stay with Erza while the rest of us track down Oracion Seis and retrieve Wendy. Let's go!"
The Light Alliance roared together, all in unison, "YES!"