Case 1: Croak-A-Cola

To reach the index of the series, click here: Fairy Tail: Black Glass Previous Chapter: Case 1: A Toadally bad situation

They stood outside her door, she counted three of them but could feel the glare of one more from outside her window. A large man was at the head of the pack, he stood where the worn out wooden stairs met the stained white carpet. His black hood was down unlike the others in his group, showing even in the dim lighting his large, sweaty red face filled with excitement. His small eyes almost bulged in anticipation and he licked his lips, a faint smile on the very corners of his mouth “Hello Araseph.”

Araseph felt the slightest tinges of fear wrap around her heart “Can I help you?” narrowing her eyes she searched her memories for anybody who even resembled the man before her. How odd was it, that in this far off distant village somebody actually knew who she was, she thought to herself.

“Do you even know me? Ah of course you wouldn’t. My apologies, how stupid of me to think the great ‘Captain’ Araseph, coming from her mountain palace to grace us lowly people with her presence, would even remember me.” The man sung, his chin bouncing with every syllable “I am so so SO honoured to be with you, ‘my fair lady’. What would you like me to do for this rare opportunity? Bow? Kneel? Kiss your feet?”

“Leave” Araseph happily suggested.

The man roared with laughter as he stepped closer to her door. The hem of his robes dragged along the old wood, splinters catching the cloth on the ground. “You would like that, wouldn’t you? Be all alone with no one to care about you. Where is he anyway? That Arch-Sage of yours?” “Hmm? Nothing to say? What’s wrong...are you sick?” He continued to monologue “I heard you usually say some mean things, always trying to get the last laugh’, was it? But here you are, all alone and quiet, but most certainly with a strong, brave face on. Very respectable for someone like you...oh but then again, who are you? A fake captain, a puppet of the Arch-Sage...ah yes, and also, a War Criminal”

Araseph paled as she realized what these people wanted. Struggling to keep her voice steady she slid her hand to the table near the door, slipping what she hoped was Soren’s calling card into her vest. She said “Whatever you want, it can wait ok? I’ve got a case to solve right now”

“Oh, hear that people? Our lovely Captain has an important case to solve! More important than even talking to us apparently!” The group of black cloaks chuckled underneath their hoods as the man began to pant even harder.

“Get out of here, I’m not going to tell you again.”

“You know, I was almost a Captain once” the man ignored her “You know what they called me? ‘The Raging Bull-Dragon’ because of how tough I always was”

Araseph grimaced at the title “You may want to reconsider that name”

“Shut up, you stupid child. Now then, all my life I work for the Council, doing the missions, training the new kids, and one day I get told I’m being promoted to Captain. But you know what? That never happened now diddit? ‘Cause you know what? Your precious Mr. Arch Sage went and revoked my promotion because he wasn’t a ‘fan’ of how I did my missions. ‘Too many casualties’ he says. Ain’t that a funny story?”

“Not particularly. Are you sure the reason wasn’t that Soren didn’t find you funny? He loves my humour and I’m a Captain now”

The Bull-Dragon sneered “And the best part? Some little girl comes out of nowhere and takes my promotion, she finishes one mission and she suddenly goes up a rank...sounds suspicious to me”

“I’ll have you know, that was actually quite the mission I had to do there”

“So, I get searching, looking and asking around. ‘Who IS this girl?’ and you know what they whisper to me? ''‘Araseph Araseph, she’s the one who killed Serum. She’s the girl from Fabula Nova who started the Sunrise Theatre, the one who almost got Pergrande Kingdom on us’'' and turns out, sure enough, she’s the one that went and killed my lovely parents during the war. Now ain’t THAT a funny story? The girl who became the Captain I was supposed to be, is the dark mage who went and started the Sunrise Theatre and killed my family”

Araseph said nothing as a blade of regret went through her heart.

“What’s this? No comeback at all? Why, it’s almost like you’re feeling sorry about it. Bet you’re scared now huh, no big bad mage to be by your side and hold your hand this time eh?” “What do you want” “I want you, Ms. ‘Captain’ to say you’re scared of me and you’re very, very sorry for being such a bad girl”

Araseph grit her teeth at his condescending tone, her history was something she didn’t remember at all. But even though she didn’t remember even a second of it, from the destruction and hate of everyone around her, she really was sorry for her actions during that blank space.

“Fine. I’m sorry. I really am sorry. Are you happy now?”

The man smiled “I don’t think you’re being genuine dear. In fact, I’d say that you’re actually mocking me right now”

“I already asked you. What do you want? You want me to help you get a Captain rank? Fine, I’ll solve this case and give you credit. Would that help make you feel better?”

The ‘Raging Bull-Dragon’ laughed “Must be nice, with all your ranks and credits, being able to give away the credit of a mission ranked so highly so freely. But no, that’s not what I want at all. Do you know what I want?” “What?” “Sweet sweet revenge”

A fist of black metal crunched into her chest, sending her slamming into the wall. Araseph used the wall to get herself back up, at which one of the black cloaks ran in and kicked her in the rib, doubling her over and blowing out all oxygen in her lungs.

Coughing and wheezing she rolled onto her back and called out “Seriously? We’re going to fight?”

“Fight?” Someone called from outside the room “Who said anything about fighting. It’s a four on one dear, we’re going to beat you to a pulp and then slash you all up. I wouldn’t really call that a fight now would I Lawson?”

A second man, likely Lawson, chuckled ‘Right-o. Let’s get to it then”

A boot came for her head, which Araseph rolled out of the way of. Rolling backwards she got to her feet but stumbled a little, enough of an opening for Bull-Dragon to slam into her, his reinforced metal body blitzing her through the wall and into the forest. Soaring through the air, Araseph snapped back from the reaches of unconsciousness and softly landed on a branch. She gently tapped her chest and figured from the feeling and from what Soren had once taught her, two...maybe three of her ribs were broken?

The moonlight darkened and a figure came flying at her, she dodged under his swing and grabbing his hip, tackled him into the trunk, flicking her elbows and knees into him as he tried to push her back. She grunted as he tried to shove her with what looked like magic ropes, feeling the strain in her ribs. Pushing him away from the trunk he fell off the branch. As he fell another two people came, the one on her left noticeably slimmer than her companion. The man lunged with a knife and the woman fired a blast of energy from the palm of her hand, sizzling when it hit the tree trunk. Araseph ducked and balancing on her hands, kicked the man into the energy thrower, hopping forward and spinning in midair to kick them both with her heel into the night forest. She grit her teeth against the pain in her ribs as she prepared to leap after them but, when a bead of sweat slid into her eye Bull-Dragon came from behind and with a bear hug, held on while they both dropped to the ground head first.

The Bull-Dragon’s grip loosened a moment before crashing, the moment Araseph pushed off the man to dodge the pile drive, heavily rolling several metres away from the crash. Panting heavily, she staggered on the spot- and a knife drove into her back.

Araseph screamed and a beam of energy seared through her check, where her nose would had been just a second ago if she didn’t move. It slashed through her face like a freshly ploughed field and with it her scream rose even higher. Before she collapsed, magic ropes lunged out of the shadows and bound her limbs apart, keeping her upright. Bull-Dragon chuckled as he strode up to her, his whole body coated in a black metallic sheen, completely unharmed from his reckless attack from before.

“Don’t worry hun, I ain’t the type to kill those that can’t fight back. Of course, I'm pretty lucky I chose tonight to go after you, when you’re all exhausted from your little detective work” He flashed an awful grin “I’m just going to give you a good beating, and after that Lawson’s gonna cut you all over. When he’s done, there won’t be an inch of you on your pretty face without a scar. You hear that missy? Even if you get the best doctor around, some scars run deeper than just the skin. Every time your Arch-Sage leaves you, you’ll remember this moment and you’ll regret your whole life he left you alone. Granted, you don’t bleed to death after all this” “Try not to die Captain” Lawson laughed out “I want to have my fun tonight”

“Don’t” Araseph fearfully whispered, blood dripping from her lips.

Bull-Dragon and Lawson paused and looked at each other, Lawson hunkering down to look her in the bloody eye “Did I just hear that right? The great Captain Araseph begging for mercy?”

Her vision blurred. She spit blood at him as she cleared her throat, and through her crying, screaming heart she managed to croak out “Just joking. Do your worst.”

Bull-Dragon laughed uproariously and brought all his metal magic to his fist, driving it at Araseph, the spikes on his knuckles changing the pitch of her screams with every blow.

Araseph awoke, lying face up on the forest’s soil. She tried turning her head and felt all the muscles in her body scream. Simply just breathing was a colossal task. She couldn’t wipe away the blood and dirt in her eyes, so she tried to blink before remembering her eyelids were slashed up.

She could make out something pink sticking out of her vest-pocket an arm’s reach away, her vest having been torn off when Bull-Dragon had moved from her face to her stomach. She moved her arm but it wasn’t easy, some of her muscles had been cut. With trembling, soft fingers crusted with blood she whimpered in the cold air and tapped the Tarot Card her roommate had given to her on her birthday.

“Hey Cuddles!” Liza’s voice answered lovingly “I finally managed to get home, and the steak’s almost done. Where are you?”

“Liza” she cried “Help me.”