Chapter 68 - Vax Culhorn

Fairy Tail: Paths of the Soul

The inside of the building looked just as foreboding as the outside, or so Axel learned after exploring it's first few floors. It wasn't the deathly quiet that got to him, nor was it the lack of lighting, it was the chill in the air. It'd gotten so cold that he could see his own breath. It wasn't a natural cold either; there still wasn't any wind, and fall had only just started. A chill like this should still be months away.

Trudging along the empty hallways, Axel would occasionally come across some form of machinery, stretching from the ceiling to the floor. Slowly turning gears, cranking leavers, pipes that would creek and swell occasionally. It all seamed to be part of the same contraption, but it all looked so haphazard that it seemed like it'd fall apart at any moment. The one thing that Axel did notice, however, was that the machinery grew more frequent the higher he went.

THe clime became somewhat arduous after the first few floors. Some stairwells had been blocked, either by debris or more machinery, and he was trying to be as quiet as possible, while still going as fast as he dared. Amber’s scent would get stronger the higher he climbed, but he'd caught someone else's smell as well. The strange thing was that it was familiar to him. He guessed it was the masked man, but hadn't remembered getting his scent before he took Amber. Something definitely wasn't right about this.

Coming out of what had to have been the tenth set of stairs he'd climbed, Axel glanced through a nearby broken window. He was getting pretty high now, and could see the bottom of the massive, bulbous machine next to the building. He looked back just in time to see something scuttle out of sight. He jumped slightly, making out a few tiny lights in the darkness down the hallway. It was another of those bug machines, the same one that'd transported them all here. Except there was more than one of them. He couldn't tell how many, and they scuttled backwards any time he tried to get closer to one, but Axel pressed onward when he realized they did nothing but watch him.

"This is so weird..." He mumbled to himself, running a hand across a nearby cluster of pipes. Almost every wall was adorned with some manner of machinery now, and Axel could make out a dull humming noise coming from the floors above him.

The next set of stairs opened up into a much larger room, looking like it occupied at least three stories and took up the whole width of the building. A vast spire of pipes, lights, and other parts that Axel couldn't even begin to describe was built into the back wall, with a bright glowing orb resting in a pedestal at the top. Closer to the floor there was what looked like an operating table, which was connected to the spire with a mess of pipes, tubes and diodes. A cool mist obscured the floor, which seemed to be emanating from the spire as well. Other contraptions littered the walls, and more of those clockwork insects crawled over them like a hive of bees.

Choosing to ignore them for the moment, he sprinted towards the center of the room, leaping over lengths of pipes and cables that stretched across the floor. There where only two other doorways, besides the one he'd entered from. One looked like an emergency exit, bot wa so decrepit that it seemed ot have not been used in years. The second was a large hole in the wall, leading to a suspension bridge that led into the back of the bulbous machine standing next to the building.

Axel sprinted across the bridge to the alien machine. The inside of it looked even more alien looking. More machines and gears, glowing parts, and the chill in the air seemed to be at it's worse. Axel didn't care though, he could smell Amber's scent coming from dead ahead. She was so close now.

The trail finally ended at a doorway, a dull brown drape being the only thing blocking his entrance. Axel threw the thing aside and charged in, electricity surging to the palm of his hand in anticipation of a trap. "Amber!" He cried. "Amber, where-!?"

Axel trailed off when he realized the room was empty. He could see everything from the doorway, and there didn't appear to be anywhere to hide, but Amber wasn't there. A small bed sat in the far corner, a handful of shelves where bolted to the walls, holding little more than a few children's books and the odd piece of machinery. A window overlooked the bed, maybe a foot in diameter, and provided the perfect view of the desert ruins around them.

"What...?" Axel mumbled, unable to formulate a thought. The scent ended here, the whole room smelled like Amber. And yet, she was nowhere to be found "The hell...?"

"Who are you?" Axel's heart jumped. He spun around to see the same, featureless mask he'd seen at the guild hall staring back at him. Frantic, a bolt of electricity surged to Axel's hand, which he swiped at the man like he was delivering a slap. He shut his eyes from the sudden flash of light, not knowing what to expect, but stumbled forward when his attack hit nothing but air. The man was now stood a few feet further down the hall, rubbing the chin of his mask and holding his elbow. "Hostile... Yet, afraid." He mumbled, seemingly vocalizing his thoughts. "I'm sorry, I think I've frightened you."

Axel took a breath to calm his nerves, but could still feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Electricity surged up and down his forearms, arks of it jumping between his fingers, but he held off on attacking just yet. "Where's Amber?" He growled through gritted teeth.

"Amber?" The masked man inquired, tilting his head to the side. "How do you know Amber?"

Axel's arms dropped, and the electricity faded away. "W-what?" He couldn't think of a response. Was this guy just trying to confuse him? Because he'd certainly done that. But based on the fact that he seemed to be waiting for an answer, it didn't look like he'd done it intentionally. That thought though, only confused Axel more. "You... Where at the guild. You attacked the guild master." His memory of the event was a little fuzzy, things had happened so fast, after all, but this had to be the same guy, right? "You took her, right after we showed up. You just grabbed her and vanished."

The masked man seemed to think on this, then snapped his fingers. "Oh, you're one of her friends." He disappeared suddenly, reappearing a little closer than before. "You're... Geno?" He tilted his head to the side, but quickly shook the thought away. "No, no, you're much skinnier than she described. You must be Axel. Axel Dawngrave, aren't you?"

Axel's mouth almost hit the floor. How did he know that? How could he know that? Amber must've told him, but why would she do that? "Tell me where she is." He tried to sound intimidating, but it came out sanding more frantic. The thought of what this guy must've done to Amber was making it hard to stay calm.

"She spoke rather fondly of you." The masked man continued, dropping Axel's guard once again. "You let her stay with you. You and your cat friend. She tells me you're quite the cook." He teleported, this time reappearing right next to Axel. Too stunned by what he was hearing, he didn't even fight back as the man took his hand to shake. "I must thank you for looking after her for me. I've been quite worried since she left."

"Left?" Axel stumbled back in a daze, unable to follow the conversation. "Are you saying you knew her?" It took him a moment, but Axel thought back to everything Amber had ever told him. She'd only mentioned a few people from her life before joining Blazing Soul, and right now there was one instance that was screaming in his head. "You're her dad?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes." He mumbled, nodding his head slightly. "My name is Vax Culhorn."

"You..." Axel mumbled, his mind racing through all the other things Amber had told him. "You're a dark mage. You kill people..." He said frantically, trying to make sense of the situation. "You attacked Shelly's dad. Amber ran-."

"Shelly?" Vax questioned. "Oh yes, she told me about her too. A sweet girl, by the sound of it." He glanced up at the ceiling, but didn't seem to be looking at anything in particular. "Hearing Amber speak of her reminded me of my own family. What a small world we live in."

Axel gritted his teeth, growing annoyed be the man's rambling."Where. Is. She?"

"Oh... She stepped out some time ago." Vax hummed, seemingly unfazed by Axel's tone. "She refused to leave her room for the longest time, but became worried when my proximity alarm went off. She insisted on joining my vanguard in scouring the city for intruders."

Of everything Axel had heard, the part about her room was the only thing that stuck. He glanced around again, finally realizing why Amber's scent was so strong. But... this place was so cold, so barren. It suddenly made so much more sence now, why she seemed to spend so much time in her room at their house. If this is where she lived before, his tiny, do-it-yourself house back in MArrow City must've looked like a palace. "This... Is her room?" He gasped in disbelief.

"Indeed." Vax nodded. "Though, if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do."

Axel turned just in time to see Vax disappear. "Hey, wait-!"

Desperate for answers, Axel raced back through the hallways after him. He followed the masked man's scent all the way back across the bridge to the room with the spire, finding Vax standing before another contraption. It looked somewhat like a piano, but with rows upon rows of keys and a great magic display lighting up most of the wall above it. Graphs surged and shrunk, numbers fluctuated up and down, and new boxes of text sprung forth at an impossible to read pace, all while the man pounded away at the keys.

"Hey, you!" He called, trying to get his attention. Vax ignored him, and Axel stepped closer to him. "Listen to me!" The masked man still failed to respond, and Axel angrily kicked at a bundle of wires sitting next to his foot. "Answer me, dammit!"

No sooner his foot touched the ground again, did Vax appear before him in a flash, striking him across the face with the back of his fist. "Be careful!" He roared, crouching down and fiddling with a cable that Axel had kicked in his sprint. "You cannot damage my machine, you cannot!"

Stunned and surprised, Axel failed to catch himself. The back of his head slammed into the cold tile floor, gritting his teeth and snapping his eyes shut tight. He jumped to his feet, electricity arcing all across his body, and unleashed a bolt of lightning in Vax's direction.

There was no connection however. A dull, transparent wall of magic grew in the air from Vax's outstretched hand, dissipating Axel's lighting bolt the moment it made contact. "I'm sorry... That was uncalled for." Vax mumbled, his hand covering the glowing strip of light that ran vertically up his mask. "Forgive me, I... I lose myself sometimes. I'm so busy with work, you see..."

"Is that why you attacked Shelly's dad?" Axel spat in frustration. "Because you where... Working?"

"It's a part of the job." Vax shrugged. "Violence is often people's first response when I tell them of my work... But I can't let that dissuade me. I go out and get what I need, when I need it. Magic is so hard to generate on its own..."

"Why?" Axel gasped, trying to keep him talking. Despite his rambling, he could tell Vax was powerful. ANyoe strong enough to leave the guildmaster in that state had to be powerful. He'd had blindsided him once already, and it wasn't that hard to believe he could do it again without having a plan in mind. "What the hell is all this for?"

"What is this for...?" Something in Vax's voice changed. He clenched his fists, throwing his arms out to the side. "To cheat death! Bring our dearly departed back to us! That's why I do what I do. If I can bring the dead back to life, it won't matter how many people I kill in the process! I'll have rendered death meaningless!"

"You can't be serious..." Axel forgot about any plan he may have had. Something so ludicrous couldn't be this guy's goal, could it? "How?"

"Magic..." Vax said, regaining the calm demeanor once more. "My magic, is very old. Back then, it was called Lifestream Magic. People used it to heal, grow crops, build structures..." He paused a moment, glancing at the great spire next to them. "But it could do so much more than that. With it fueling my machinery, I can revitalize a corpse back to life. Those vanguard outside where merely test subjects. I just need a little more time, then I can truly concur death."

"You're nuts..." Axel couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What do you need Amber for?"

Vax shoulders drooped, solemnly hanging his head. "I don't." His voice lost the frantic tone when he spoke. "She was simply a lost little girl I found along the way. She... Reminded me of my family... And so, I took her in." Axel clenched his jaw, if she didn't mater, why did he take her then? He took a step forwards to protest again, when Vax turned his back and teleported across the room, coming to stand next to the control panel next to the spire. "Now, if you'll excuse me... I'm so close now."

Axel took a defiant step forwards. "We're not done yet."

"Yes, we are." He argued, glancing over his shoulder. "Siri!"

Axel felt a cold chill over his shoulder, and was tackled to the ground just as he looked back. He kicked whoever it was away, rolling back up to his feet and ready to attack. A woman stood up before him, her face missing any skin below her eyes. Her skeletal jaw parted slightly, and a chilling mist fell from her mouth. "It's... So cold."

Silence filled the intersection, the sounds of distant fighting having long since faded away. "Your dad?" Zeke gasped in disbelief. "What do you mean, Amber? That guy in the mask is your father?"

"He... Raised me..." She mumbled, not looking her direction. "Taught me how to use magic... How to fight... How to-."

"Survive..." Shelly finished her sentence for her, remembering her odd fixation on survival the last time they where in trouble. not ot mention how unusualy calm she seemed ot be at the time. She couldn't make sense of this though. Why did any of this matter right now?

"Ok... So what?" Rift asked, crossing his arms. "He attacked the boss man. And according to Axel, you weren't exactly happy to see him. So what's stopping you from leaving?" Amber remained silent, which didn't help quell any of their questions. "C'mon Amber, you got to talk to us here. We can't help you if you don't tell us what the problem is."

"I don't want to talk." She finally looked up at him, furrowing her brow in anger. "I just want you to leave."

"Without you?" Rift chuckled. "You really thik we're going to do that? Adter you just told us all about how dangerous that masked guy is?"

Amber grimmaced, lowering her gaze to stare at the sand. "He won't hurt me... But he'll kill you if he finds you. So it's my job to make you leave."

"Amber..." Shelly huffed, taking a step forward. "We're here to help you."

"I don't want your help!" Amber screamed, stomping her foot in the sand. "I just want you to leave me the hell alone!"

Shelly backed away, surprised by Amber's sudden outburst. She stumbled however, dropping onto her butt. Rift caught her by the shoulder, flipping his shades up onto his forehead. "Hey, hey... We're just-." "I don't care!" She screamed again.

"Amber!” Armeria screamed back, jumping out of Shelly's grasp. "They want to-."

"Shut up!" She cried, clutching at her scalp with both hands. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" She was going into a full-on panic, and none of them had any idea how to stop her. "I won't go back... I can't go back! I didn't even want to join you guys in the first place! Jaina just kept pestering me into being a part of Blazing Soul. Then you started dragging me out on jobs, and missions, and... It was all so annoying!" He voice cracked, but that didn't stop her rant. The others just gawked at her in disbelief, not knowing what to say. "Now the guild master is dead. Vax killed you're dad, Shelly! He kills everyone who fights against him. No mater how strong they are, everyone ends up dead!" They all went a little ridged, Shelly even clutching her hand over her heart with a grimace. But Amber's screaming fit had robbed her of any stamina she had, and she quickly began gasping for breath. "I never... Want to see you guys... Again!"

Silence returned, the echo of Amber's cracking voice slowly dissipating over the landscape. Zeke was the first to speak up, small tears forming in the corner of his eyes. "Amber... Do you-?"

"You're lying."

They all turned to Shelly. What Amber was saying should have affected her the most, but she just stared back at her without so much as a hint of an expression. Rift glanced between the pair of them, but already knew who he believed more. "Is she really?” He asked, setting his gaze on Amber. He flicked his shades down over his eyes, and crossed his arms with a smile. "Hell of a lie to tell."

"I'm not lying..." Amber growled through gritted teeth, the fatigue of her outburst slowly catching up with her.

"Yes, you are." Shelly nodded her head, a small smile slipping across her face. "You've never been a good liar, Amber. You haven't been able to lie to me ever since we first met in the guild's library."

"I'm not lying." She said again, this time a little bit louder.

"They why where you so happy?" Amber took a sudden step back, like Shelly's words had hit her like a ton of bricks. "You looked out for me when we took you on your first job, and helped us save Lir in the capital. Or..." She trailed off, glancing at the sand with a solemn expression. "Or when you saved me all those times when we where kidnapped." She slowly looked up again, the smile on her face growing a little bigger. "You smiled, you laughed… You never said it, but you always liked being with us."

Amber didn't respond as quickly, and her face turned a slight shade of red. "I... Don't-."

"What about the others?" Zeke added, small tears streaming down his face. "What about Carra? Or dad or uncle?" He snuffed in a big drip of snot hanging from his nose. Despite knowing that none of what she'd said was true, her words still seemed to have affected him a little more than they had Shelly. "Or Axel... Don't you want to see them again?"

"I..." Amber took another step back.

"How about Isa? Or Jaina?" Rift said, grinning like he already knew what the answer was. "They seem to love you like a third sister. Do you really think that if the two of them where here, that they'd leave just because you told them to?"

This time, Amber had no response. She just stared at the sand, her eyes hidden behind her bangs. A dull rumble echoed through the area, and in the distance a silhouette of a building dropped from sight. Rift turned to watch the thing fall, and whistled as it hit the ground. "Amber... They don't believe you." Armeria said softly, taking a few steps towards her. "They want to help you. So why won't you let them?"

"Because I can't..." Amber mumbled, finally sounding like she was calming down. "I told you already. You need to go."

They all sighed. For a moment, they dared to think that they'd talked her down. "What do you mean you can't?" Zeke asked, taking to the air. "Everybody's probably worried about us. They don't know where we are... We don't even know where we are." He flew towards her, reaching out like he wanted to give her a hug. "We don't need to fight anybody, we just want you back."

Just as he got close enough, Amber shoved him away from her. Tears of frustration and surprise flowed down his face, but couldn't bring himself to try again. Amber huffed, seemingly having trouble catching her breath. She slowly looked back at the others, as Zeke went sobbing into Rift's chest. "If you won't leave on your own, I'll make you." She stretched out her hand, glaring over her glasses at Shelly. "Armeria: Syrin..."

There was silence first. The others looked at her in shock, while Armeria's expression softened. "Amber..."

Gritting her teeth, Amber kicked her foot on the sand. "Armeria, do what I say!" The two stared at each other a moment longer before Armeria caved. Flowing through the air and taking the shape of a single edged sword in Amber's hand. Amber dropped the tip of the blade into the sand, clutching the hilt with both hands. "Just... Go away, Shelly."

"I won't!" She barked back at her, pushing herself up and brushing the sand off her legs. She fished through her book bag, pulling out two objects before allowing it to fall of her shoulder. "I can tell you're scared, Amber. You want us to help you. It's written all over your face."

Taking a quick step back, Amber shook her head. "Please..." She mumbled. "Don't."

Rift uncrossed his arms, his mouth hanging partly open as Shelly discarded a pair of short, pink sheaths into the sand. "Woah... Wait a minute..." He urged as Shelly took a fighting stance, a pair of short swords clutched in each hand "Where the hell did you get those?"

"I want to help you, Amber." Shelly said again, a small smile forming on her determined face. "But if you think you can scare me off by threatening us, then I'll fight you instead."

Next Chapter – Chapter 69 - Failures