Chapter 52 - Red Eyes

Fairy Tail: Paths of the Soul

It was a little after four in the afternoon when Davin received a call from his daughter about their mission. A sleepless night of worrying had him on edge for the past twenty-four hours, but after hearing that they'd succeeded in their job and would soon be coming home, he and many of the guilds senior members breathed a long sigh of relief.

That feeling didn't last however, as around nine in the afternoon, just as Davin was about to lock up the guild for the day, they received another call. This time from the Magic Council. Jaina answered this time, and her face went pale only a moment after picking up the phone. Davin's daughter, and most of the team she was on, had gone missing!

The news spread like wildfire, and it was unanimously decided that the guild master would be traveling to Creghurst Town to join the search. With someone staying behind to call them if any more news came through, Davin, Jaina, and Isa frantically rushed to the train-station. Jon, who was just as concerned about Axel, met them there, as did Leo, who had gotten a call at the Vamiro household as well.

The five of them set out for Creghurst as fast as the train departures would allow, having no details about the whereabouts of their missing members. Isa got another call half way into their three-hour journey where, to the sounds of Elligr blubbering in the background, Peltin informed them that their missing members been found. They'd been roughed up, but they where alive.

The relief they felt was immense, but that didn't make the long train ride any less excruciating. The question of how serious the injuries where came up multiple times, which Jaina half suggested, half ordered them all not to think about.

The group flew out of the train car the second it pulled into the station. A council member greeted them there, and informed them that everything was alright, but the consensus was that they'd believe it when they see it. Jon, being the oldest, began to fall behind the others, and Isa decided to wait with him and catch up later.

Eventually, they where led to a large, temporary base of operations the Council had set up. Tents filled the streets, lining abandoned buildings and filling vacant lots wherever possible. Two of the Council's airships, the Manta and the Ramora, still circled overhead, searching the area for criminals who may have escaped the initial secure and sweep. The largest of the ships, The Megalodon, had landed in a large intersection, and now sat as the center of operations. From there they where directed towards three tents dedicated to treating the injured, where they where informed the members of Blazing Soul where currently recuperating.

"Shelly?!" Davin called, finding a sea of unfamiliar faces looking back at him. "Shelly, are you here!?"

"Shh..." One of the nurses shushed him. "Come with me."

Despite Jaina shooting the nurse an annoyed look, they followed along without a word. There where far more people than any of them would have assumed, and none of them looked like criminals. Many where crying, but they all seemed to be tears of joy.

Turning a corner, Davin and Leo both gasped. Shelly sat on a gurney with a doctor tending to her leg, which had a nasty looking gash running along the calf. "Shelly!" They called together, rushing to her side.

Shelly looked at them in surprise and jumped to her feet. "Dad!" She fell instantly, wincing the second she put any weight on her wounded leg. Davin caught her before she hit the ground, pulling her in close. "Oh my god, I was so scared..."

"I know sweetie, I know." Davin threw his massive arms around her, cradling her head against his shoulder. "It's alright, you're safe now."

Feeling her shake, Davin realized that his daughter had begun to cry. Apparently, she'd been holding it back for a while, because the tears really started to flow when she looked back up at him. "Dad I... I'm so sorry..."

Confused, Davin pulled back and gripped her shoulders. "Sorry about what?"

"I..." She mumbled something, rendered incoherent through her tears. She wiped her face with the back of her arm, then tried again. "I lost my phone. One of the bandits took it."

The sigh of relief Davin breathed was quickly followed by a nervous laugh. "That's OK." He pulled her in close again, resting his head on her shoulder. "That's OK, honey."

Jaina waited back, biting her upper lip and griping at her stomach with her one arm. Tender moments where never her strong suet, and she hadn't had a drink in almost three hours, so she wasn't really sure how she was supposed to process the emotions she was feeling right now.

Jon skidded around the corner a moment later with Isa trailing up behind him. He allowed a moment to catch his breath, seeing Davin holding his daughter in his arms, then cleared his throat. "Axel?"

Shelly pulled away and wiper her eyes, pointed between two tents around the corner from the one where she'd been treated. "The boy's tent is back there."

Jon wasted no time in getting there, disappearing from sight as fast as his tiny legs would carry him. Isa rested a hand on Jaina's shoulder, and together they breathed a huge sigh of relief. "What happened?" She asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

"T-there was..." Shelly choked on one of her sobs. She pounded her chest and cleared her through, and the tears finally stopped. "A dark guild was robbing the trains. We caught a few of them, but the others kidnapped us when we went to call the council. One of them started chasing me, and..." Part way through the explanation, Shelly noticed Leo was present as well, and her sobs resumed. "Oh, Leo..." She mumbled, wrapping her arms around her brother.

As if on que, Rift stepped out from around the corner. He froze when he saw Jaina, but didn't look that surprised about the others being there as well. "Hey so..." He was smiling, but scratching the back of his head apologetically. "I'm sorry boss. I messed up real bad."

"You!" Jaina shouted, taking an aggressive step forward. "Where the hell where you in all this, huh?" Noticing that he didn't have a scratch on him only seemed to intensify Jaina's anger. "How the fuck did this happen?"

Many of the nurses shushed her, but Jaina didn't seem to care. Her single red eye burned into Rift with a fury that she hadn't felt for a very long time. "I... Was going to call it in." He wasn't grinning anymore; and it appeared he knew exactly how at fault he was. "We'd caught the guys we where sent to find, but lost our hotel room. The guys where tired and wanted to camp out, so I thought I'd let them rest and go deal with the paperwork myself."

"So, you led your team into the city with the highest crime rate in the whole damn country, and just walked off into the night?" She barked at him. The nurses and doctors all glared angrily at her, and Isa gripped her shoulder to try and calm her down, but nothing seemed to help. "Do you have any idea what could've-."

"Jaina..." Davin said in a commanding voice, stopping the conversation cold. "Right now, it can wait."

Just like that, the fire in Jaina's stomach died down. Isa however, after taking a moment to look around, still had questions. "Where is Amber?"

A nearby doctor, who had been listening in on the growing squabble, approached with a clipboard in hand. "The men are around the back, various assorted injuries to both. One nasty case of Knock-Out-Shroom poisoning reported for one, Geno Azteck, and a miner case of magic-deficiency-syndrome for Axel Dawngrave. Amber Rymoon is in the other tent, just that way." Jaina took off running in the direction he indicated, but Isa stayed behind when the doctor flipped the page to elaborate. "She's alive, but fared a little worse..."

Not far from the others, Jaina skidded into another tent. Her peg leg slipped sideways on the gravel road, forcing her to catch herself on the tent leg. She could see inside the tent from where she caught herself through, and instantly spotted Amber. She was laying on her stomach with a doctor stitching a shallow stab wound on her back, and two more stitched wounds sat on either side of that one. She could tell there was more, but that was where her vision stuck. "Holy... Shi-."

Amber sat up and turned her direction, instantly trying to get off the gurney. "Jaina!"

Two nurses grabbed her shoulders, trying to keep her from getting up. "Miss, you need to stay still or-."

"Amber, stay put." Jaina ordered, cupping her jaw in her hand. She was no stranger to injury. Her own lost limbs and the years since of treating others had desensitized her to the sight, but the state Amber was in still made her stomach churn. "Just let the doctors do their job."

After a few minutes had passed, Amber was wheeled into a different part of the tent, across the road from where Shelly was situated. Jaina stepped inside and hid her reaction rather well, but Isa, while still remaining silent, seemed quite a bit more alarmed.

A smoky curtain divided her from the outside, which was good because all she had on was a dark grey bra and her sand colored cargo shorts. It wouldn't have really mattered how naked she was through, most of Amber's torso was covered in bandages. Both her shoulders, and most of her tummy where enveloped in cloth. Another bandage wrapped around her left thigh, and another over her right ankle. Yet another bandage had been applied to her right cheek, and her entire right hand was consumed by a thick wad of medical tape and gauze.

"So..." She mumbled quickly, well aware that they where concerned for the shape she was in. "It looks worse than it is."

Jaina dropped back onto a tentpole, going week in the knees. Isa seemed a little more composed, but only a bit. Hearing her condition from the doctor lessened the shock. "What happened?"

"A fight." Said Armeria, sitting on the gurney next to Amber. "We won."

"You won?" Jaina chuckled nervously, pushing herself up to her feet. "You look like that, and you say you won? What the hell does the other guy look like?"

A cool breeze blew through the tent, causing Amber to shiver when she tried to answer. Faster than lightning, Isa unzipped her hoody and draped it around her shoulders to protect her from the cold. Though she herself wore nothing more than a black muscle shirt underneath, Isa didn't seem bothered by the frigid night air at all. "Where is your shirt?"

"It's, uh..." Jaina interrupted, picking up a shredded and bloody black cloth from a small bin on a table next to the gurney. It was in tatters, none of them could really tell one part from the other. "In need of replacement..."

Isa covered her mouth, the garment provided a pretty big indication of what they'd been through that night. "On god..." She mumbled, trying to look anywhere but at Amber's cut up shirt. "We're so sorry Amber, this should've never happened."

Nodding her head, Jaina balled up the shirt and threw it back in the bin she found it. Seeing as how well Amber seemed to be taking things though, she tried sounding a little more upbeat. With a smile, she said. "So, new girl. First job working for the Magic Council; how do ya' feel?"

After taking a deep breath, Amber said. "I've been kidnapped, tied up, blindfolded, leered at, I'm dead tired, I hurt everywhere..." She glanced across the lane at Shelly in the other tent, gently sobbing into her brother's shoulder. "And I'm really glad I came along."

"Oh, sweetie..." Isa threw herself at Amber. She wasn't sure where any of the wounds where, and she didn't want to hurt her, but she just couldn't contain herself. She pulled Amber's head in against her shoulder, pressing the side of her cheek against her temple. "You did a good job."

"A real good job." Jaina nodded in agreement. "You just earned yourself free meals at the guild for at least a..." She trailed off, noticing a commotion coming from down the street. Some of the doctors in the road had stopped dead in their tracks, and a number of Rune knights where running towards the disturbance. She stepped out of the tent to investigate for herself, a bad feeling growing in her stomach. "What the hell?"

Isa let go of Amber, stepping out to investigate. Davin stood up as well, and even Shelly pulled away from Leo. Isa grabbed one of the knights on the way past, looking down the street in concerned. "What's happening?"

"Prisoner escape." He said shortly, shaking her hand off. "Civilians should stay here, we've got a-."

A sudden crash down the road demanded their attention, and a dark blue mass rolled out into the street. It had to be roughly fourteen feet tall, resembling a werewolf but with two sharp horns and spines growing from it's back. It thrust its head to clear the smoke, leering at them down the street. "Think your fuckin' chains can hold me?"

To the adults, it was a new site. But to Shelly and Amber, who exchanged a horrified glance, it was an all to familiar form. "Dad, that's him!" Shelly said in a panicked voice. "That's Oran. That's the guy who's been after me all night!"

They all turned to look at the monster, who somehow had narrowed in on Shelly. "Hey there, little mouse. Up for another game?" He growled through a large, toothy grin. "Tell me where Jak is, and I won't rip you in half!"

Rift kicked off the wall, hanging his sunglasses in the collar of his shirt and cracking his knuckles. Leo stepped forward as well, shaking out of Shelly's pleading grasp and emanating a warm golden light from his entire body. It was Isa though, who approached the monster, brushing between the two men without a word.

Rift looked up in surprise, "You uh... You want this one?"

Isa continued down the street, not uttering a word. Shelly clung to Leo's arm again, nervously looking back at her stern-faced father. "Dad, will she be OK?" He remained silent as well, but seemed to be focusing more on the monster than the woman approaching it. "Dad, say something!" She urged.

Looking back at Armeria, Amber pushed off the gurney. "We need to help her." She was wobbly on her feet, even after Armeria transformed into a crutch for her to walk with. "She needs to-."

"Woah there, girl. You're in no state to be helping anybody." Jaina grabbed her around the waist, stopping her from following. "Don't worry, Isa can handle herself against that freak." Amber began to mumble something, gritting through the pain of her aching wounds, but Jaina was preoccupied with something else. "That's a look I haven't seen in a good long time." She thought aloud. "Remember that face boys, that's what Isa looks like when she's pissed right off."

Isa stopped a block away, as many of the knights had cleared the street. "What the fuck is this?" Oran growled at her. "Think a scrawny thing like you can take me on?"

He pawed at the dirt with his knuckles, and a spurt of blood flew from a gaping wound on his shoulder. "You're injured." Isa said shortly. "And surrounded. You've got no way out of here."

Snorting in disapproval, Oran hunched over and took a charging stance. "I see one way..." He mumbled, digging his claws into the dirt. Another spurt of blood flew from his wrist, but the pain only seemed to fuel his frenzy. "And it's straight through you!"

Oran leapt forward, leaving a rooster tail of clawed up dirt behind him. Isa reached out into the air, and a book appeared in her hand. The ground began to shake under Oran's gallop, but Isa remained unperturbed. Another book appeared, followed by another, and another. The last one remained in her hand, while the others began to slowly circle around her. "Don't say I didn't warn you." Isa mumbled softly, waving her hand out to the side. "4 Spell Formation - Grand Mirror Wall!"

The books flew open, four streaks of light carved a vast glowing circle into the air before her. With Oran's horns merely inches away, the barrier began to shine like a massive pain of glass stretching across the entire street.

A sickening crack filled the air. One of Oran's horns violently snapped off, and the rest of his huge body crumpled into a large, bleeding heap. It looked like he'd just ran into a massive metal wall, but even that description didn't seem to do it justice. Isa, standing just a foot behind her impregnable wall, remained untouched.

The runes faded from the air, and the barrier began to evaporate away. Three of Isa's four books disappeared. And the last she tucked under her arm. "Brute..." She spat under her breath.

Oran rolled over, forcing out a wheezed cough. "I'm not..." A rain of blood poured off his animalistic face, and he couldn't seem to focus on his target anymore. He slowly stood back up, amazing many of the onlookers by his display. "Finished... Yet..."

"Yes, you are." Davin approached the monster, gripping at his wrist. He flexed his arm, seemingly showing off his large muscles. But as they tightened, they grew. And grew, and grew some more. It did'’t end with his arm either, slowly his entire body began growing in size, until he was standing almost as tall as Oran's beastly Take-Over form. "For the crime of kidnapping, harassing, and assaulting my friends and family... As guild master of Blazing Soul: you're under arrest." Oran roared at him as the guild master drew back his fist, which seemed to emanate a glowing steam. "Smash: Larriot!"

A sweeping uppercut was connected with Oran's lower jaw, lifting the beast clean off the ground. Similar to how Rift had delivered the final blow to Django, Oran tumbled through the air, but did a full rotation before landing on his stomach.

Oran shrunk down to his human form, and Davin too returned to normal. Or at least, as normal as one can be for such a hulking man as himself. "Now learn from your mistake this time." He growled, showing anger for the first time any of then could remember.

The display was awesome, but that wasn't what Amber was focusing on. Isa had returned by the time Oran hit the ground for the final time, never once looking over her shoulder to see the outcome of the fight, and she looked a little frightening. The dull red eyes that usually looked so tired and inviting were bright and glaring, full of a familiar fire. She'd grown use to seeing that fire since joining the guild, but from Jaina, not Isa. The two of them where definitely twins, no doubt about it.

"Hey, sis..." Jaina murmured, noting the shocked look on pretty much everybody's face. "You're doing the scary-eye thing again..."

"What?" She seemed lost in her thoughts, but was brought her back to reality when she noticed Amber gawking at her. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her forearm, and quickly gave her a warm smile. "Sorry... Is that better?" Amber nodded slowly. The smile was Isa's, but her eyes still bore Jaina's fire in them. Their temperaments may have been completely different, but the two of them had more in common than just their appearance.

"Damn..." Rift approached, crossing his arms and watching a number of councilmen secure Oran. "You really messed that guy up."

"I turned his own strength against him." She said shortly. "He should've thought twice before blindly charging at us."

Almost the entire group was rendered silent by that comment. Even Davin, who had just returned, was speechless. "Damn, sis... You're scary when you want to be." Jaina said finally, leading Amber back to her gurney.

Many of them chuckled as Isa became flustered, nervously pulling her cap down over her bright red eyes. Davin knelt down and placed a hand on Leo's shoulder. He looked as if he was about to say something, but a dark-haired boy came skidding out from around the corner of the tents. "What the hell was that noise!?" Before he had a chance to respond, the youth looked down the street to Oran being dragged away and slumped his shoulders. "You guys in trouble again?"

Pulling away form her brother, Shelly wiped her eyes and smiled. "No Jak, we're OK. Oran tried to come after us again."

"Who?" The youth looked confused, as did Shelly. "Oh, you mean the big blue guy I punched?"

"Y-yeah..."” Shelly nodded.

Exchanging a glance with Rift, who just shrugged, Davin stepped into the conversation. "Young man, are you saying it was you who defeated that dark mage?"

Jak simply nodded. "Yeah."

"Really?" Jaina snorted, sizing the youth up. "How'd a scrawny thing like you do that?"

Jak turned his head to the side when he looked at her, then said. "Like this..."

Shelly widened her eyes. "Jak no! Wait!"

There was a bright flash, and the ground shook again. Where the youth and been standing now stood a fourteen-foot amalgamation of a reptile and a man. Massive, jagged teeth, a long lathery tail, clawed fingers at the end of muscular arms. To say the arrival startled them all would be an understatement. Even Amber, who had already heard the story, felt her heart nearly jump out of her chest.

Moments before he went on the offensive, Shelly planted her hands onto her brother's chest to hold him back. "Take-Over!" She shouted, instantly calming the mood. She and Davin exchanged a glance, and after a long sigh she said. "He uses Take-Over magic."

"You could've just said that!" Jaina roared in annoyance. Everyone calmed, Rift even began to laugh. But none of them turned their back on him.

"Excuse me." Everyone followed the low, authoritative voice down the street to find the head councilmen, Zephyr Odinshire admiring the scene. He seemed fixated on Jak, for a short moment at least, but when he shrunk back down to a human, Zepher addressed the entire group. "If you'd please follow me, Master Vamiro, there are quite a few matters about tonight's events to discus."

The councilmen turned to leave, while Davin, Jaina, and Isa all exchanged a glance. "Uh-oh..." Davin mumbled, patting Shelly on the shoulder and pushing her into Leo's arms. "This sounds like trouble..."

Next Chapter – A Very Long Night