Past Forces

Iron Meetings
"Hmm...It is quite clear...I am at the middle of nowhere." Kiryu said. He sat down on a rock, taking his time, in some kind of forest. He was frankly too old for an adventure. His schedule typically involved just sitting all day, taking medicine, rinse and repeat until Lamia's weekly visit and check up. Quite honestly, the only disadvantage of letting her live alone was his own health, but Kiryu didn't want to keep her sheltered forever. Especially after the Dragon's Attack. "Well...no use moping around." Kiryu got up, beginning to walk in whatever direction he can. Kiryu took a deep breath, sniffing a few times before catching a preculiar smell...It was human...yet quite dragonic at the same time. Only one kind of human can have such a scent...

The scent grew stronger. Kiryu knew he was on the right trail for the source. He passed by several trees and branches, moving them aside. And taking a rest every few minutes. His old bones not allowing him such a long walk anymore. "I am too old for this...I must find a hobby after this..." Kiryu mumbled to himself. He eventually picked up another smell. This time, it belonged to something else...Meat cooking. It certaintly made him hungry. As he drew closer, he eventually reached what looked like a small camp, and there, sat a young man, riddled with piercings, possessing a distinctive long, messy hair, as well as red eyes, chowing down on what looked like a well cooked fish, wearing a long duster, above old ragged clothes.

The young man was Gajeel Redfox, of the now gone Fairy Tail Guild. Gajeel stared at Kiryu, who looked back at him through his mask. "...Ahem, excuse me, young man, I...".

"Iron Dragon's...!" Gajeel quickly jumped up from his seat, as he accumulated magic energy, and iron within his lungs, eventually reaching up to his throat "Roar!!!" Gajeel unleashed a massive wave of scrap metal, and magic energy together, tearing apart everything it came across, leaving a large dent in the forest, and all the trees being cut to tiny pieces "Heh...I knew it...You're not a human, are you, old man?" Gajeel said to Kiryu, grinning.

As the dust cleared, Kiryu stood in his spot, his body covered in metal. The liquified metal formed into a knight's armour, as Kiryu formed a blade in his hand "Why the sudden attack? I was merely going to ask for directions to the nearest town." Kiryu said to Gajeel.

"Don't screw with me. That smell..." A smirk suddenly appeared on Gajeel's face, spitting out a bone from the fish he didn't properly remove "You're a Dragon, aren't you? An Iron Dragon to boot, like my father.".

"..." Kiryu sighed, liquifying his sword and removing it. He turned around, as his armour began to vanish as well "I have no time for this.".

"Wait! Where do you think you're going?!" Gajeel shouted at Kiryu, stopping him midway "You're the first Dragon I've met in ages. I have many questions. My first is...why do you look human?" Gajeel asked Kiryu, clearly, he won't be satisified until said questions are answered.

"Kids these days...so rude..." Kiryu turned back to face Gajeel "Fine. I'll answer your ques-..." Without warning, Kiryu stopped Gajeel's punch with one hand. It was only a few seconds, but Gajeel managed to close the distance between them, in an attempt to strike Kiryu "Do you want answers...or a broken body?" Kiryu said, sounding mildly irritated.

"Heh. What will an old man do?" Gajeel said, taunting Kiryu. He wanted to test and see if this old man was really a Dragon. He could say he was. But words mean nothing as opposed to action.

"This old man..." Kiryu's grip on Gajeel's fist, beginning to crush it. Gajeel appeared visibly affected, flinching a bit "...will show you the strength of the past era." Kiryu kicked Gajeel in the chest, sending him flying into several trees, before striking a pose. Both his arms were spread to the sides, as if ready to attack.

Gajeel managed to block Kiryu's kick on time by employing his Iron Dragon's Scales. His entire body was covered in metallic scales, protecting him from that brutal kick "That's indeed not an old man's strength..." Gajeel said. He noticed Kiryu took a pose "Tell me! Did you know my father, Metalicana?!".

"...Metalicana...?" Kiryu's body became covered in metal "I apologize. I did not meet many Dragons. I befriended no one." Kiryu thrusts his arms forward, as thousands of blades, forged from liquified metal, quickly shot forward at Gajeel. It was as if blades were raining from the heavens down on him.

"Oh..." Gajeel could only watch in awe at this quick weapon creation. But regardless, he could dodge, and by becoming untouchable no less. He activated his Iron Shadow Dragon Mode, his shadow gaining a shimmer when the light reflected on them. Gajeel shot forward towards Kiryu, his body now phasing through all the blades, with no harm done to him.

"What?!" Kiryu had never witnessed this before. A Dragon Slayer in possession of two elements?! It was inconcievable to him. He had fought and killed many Dragon Slayers 400 years ago, and they all followed one rule; one element each. So how? Regardless, Kiryu had to focus on his foe. Even if this was a new trick, he had to stay focused.

But before he even knew it, Gajeel was before him, face to face "Iron Shadow Dragon's...!" Shadows were gathering around his mouth, and he could sense a large amount of power emanting from Gajeel. Kiryu was going to get hit by a powerful roar "...Roar!" A large, black wave struck Kiryu, but admist the blast, a metallic arm emerged from the blast itself, grabbing Gajeel's head, lifting and tossing him aside.

Gajeel managed to land safely on his feet, quickly turning to see Kiryu in full armour, unscathed from his roar "Impressive...You have mastered two elements...I've never seen a Dragon Slayer perform such a feat before." Kiryu said, as he created two blades in each hand "But will it suffice?".

"Ha, trust me, I have more tricks up my sleeve." Gajeel said, smirking in confidence.

"Oh? What? Are you going to pull a third element?" Kiryu asked, rather mockingly.

"What? No! You think Dragon Slayers can actually pull that shit off?" Gajeel replied, pondering the thought of a triple elemental Dragon Slayer.

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't make much sense...How did you get those shadows anyhow?" Kiryu asked, this time sounding serious about getting an answer.

"I ate the shadows of a Shadow Dragon Slayer." Gajeel's demeanor suddenly became serious. It was became he remembered Rogue, and it has only been 4 years since he and everyone else...

"Oh, so it means combinations are possible...? Hmm...Intriguing...Oh, wouldn't the fusion of certain elements form into one? Like fire and sand becoming glass?" Kiryu sounded leginimately curious about the possibilities of this new discovery.

"I guess so...But they'd still be a seperate form, from what I've seen." Gajeel shrugged. He hasn't exactly met that many Dragon Slayers, so he couldn't compare.

"Oh! So many possibilities exist! Like plasma!" Kiryu sounded excited at such a thought.

"Or mud!" Gajeel retorted with equal excitement.

"Or even twilight!" Gajeel was dead silent to Kiryu, he had no idea what Kiryu meant by that.

"Uhh...what?" Gajeel raised a brow at this...twilight Kiryu mentioned.

"A combination of light and darkness." Kiryu replied, clarifying what he meant.

"That...sounds stupid." Gajeel replied. He sounded oddly specific about avoiding such an element existing. Light and darkness? What difference would it be if they fused? From what he heard, Future Rogue possessed said ability, but it merely had shadows or light with the quality of the other.

"Right, right." Kiryu cleared his throat, taking a moment to allow both him and Gajeel to move pass that awkward conversation "Shall we...continue?".

"Yeah, yeah." Gajeel's entire body became covered in iron scales, activating with his Iron Shadow Dragon Mode, giving him a darker shade of grey, compared to how it typically appears. He swiftly charged towards, becoming a shadow in the process. He would naturally be intangible, making about any attack delivered towards him null.

"So, that's it eh?" Kiryu said, stabbing the earth with the blades in his hands "I will show you...the true power of an Iron Dragon!" As Gajeel drew closer, Kiryu planted both his hand into the earth "Dragon Power...Metal Rising!" With that said, the earth began shaking, as metallic structures potruded from the ground. They all formed from a liquified state, becoming solid and shaped like spears and blades. They all pointed upwards, and covered a large area surrounding Kiryu. However, Gajeel easily phased through them, as he drew closer to Kiryu.

"That won't work!" Gajeel reached Kiryu, rising from his shadow, as his power was building within his stomach "Iron Shadow Dragon's...!" However, he was quickly interrupted once a large metallic wall rose before him, shielding Kiryu "What?!" His attack was averted, as he quickly took a step back "H-...He has his metal cover this place underground?!" Gajeel thought to himself, processing the fact Kiryu could very well create an unlimited supply of metal for himself "I'm an Iron Dragon Slayer...and you're an Iron Dragon...beating you shouldn't be difficult. I'll just eat your metal!".

"Fine then." Kiryu said, as the metal wall liquified, changing shape and form, as well as the many other spears and blades. They all shifted into humanoid arms with claws "Dragon Power! Million Armed Force!".

"That's...a mouthful." Gajeel stayed put, as all the arms lunged at him. Thanks to his current state, he could easily phase through them, all of them doing nothing to him "What do you plan on achieving? You can't touch me.".

"I know. But...can you?" Kiryu asked Gajeel, sounding confident.

Gajeel looked around, all the arms surrounded him, ready to strike at a moments notice. It was if they were waiting themselves, and that no matter how fast he moved, they will catch him, and tear him to shreds. He could use his roar, but Kiryu's hands were still within the earth, so he can more than likely erect another wall to defend himself. He could try something else perhaps...

"Tch..." Gajeel clapped his hands, as his shadow began to spread around him. It reached to Kiryu, and within seconds, arms of pure darkness erupted from the shadows, quickly reaching to Kiryu. But alas, the were all stopped, and easily destroyed by Kiryu's metallic arms.

"You need to grant them physical form to touch me." Kiryu said "As such, unless you can be intangible and tangible at the same ti-..." Suddenly, a brilliant glimmer was in close proximity to Kiryu, and it took him a second to notice. Gajeel, now with a lighter tint to his scales, was before him. Within seconds, he ran and reached him while he was distracted by his shadowy arms.

"Steel Shadow Dragon's Ro-...!" Before Gajeel could unleash his roar, Kiryu quickly slammed his hand on his face, blocking the roar, causing it to implode in point blank range to both of them, creating a large crater in the process.

As the dust settled, Gajeel only had light scratches. His scales being more than enough to protect him "Keep track of the time and don't lose focus..." Gajeel thought to himself.

Kiryu lunged through the cloud of smoke, holding two swords in his hands. He quickly swung at Gajeel, who could only block at the small window he had to react "Impressive power!" Kiryu said, pushing both blades against Gajeel's arms, slowly but surely cutting through his scales "But, can a human really gain the power of a Dragon? Can you truly kill me like the ones before you?" Kiryu taunted Gajeel, intending on making him put more effort into this battle.

Gajeel quickly phased through Kiryu, allowing his blades to pass through him, but by doing so allowed Kiryu to strike the earth. The force of his blades sent air pressure travelling forward, cutting the ground even further. Gajeel looked in shock at the display of Kiryu's strength "He still has this much strength, even as a human?!" Gajeel quickly stepped away from Kiryu, putting his guard up and ready.

"You..." Kiryu stood back up, turning around. His breathing got notably heavier, and he seemed to be struggling to breathe "Iron Dragon's...!" Kiryu picked up his strength, and pushed through. Gajeel quickly prepared his own roar, and in unison they both declared.

"...ROAR!!!".

The two dragon's roars clashed. The power of steel and shadows, facing a true Iron Dragon's Roar. Despite being a storm of metallic shards, the power of Kiryu's roar still held up against Gajeel's, infact, it begun to tear through it. But, Gajeel pushed through, putting more might into his roar.

"GWOOOOOH!!!" Gajeel roared, adding more power to his roar, enough to allow it to overpower Kiryu's.

"Keh..." As if giving up, Kiryu took the full brunt of Gajeel's roar, becoming engulfed in it, as it eradicated anything else that came its way, cutting through the forest, leaving it more damaged than it already is.

Gajeel returned to normal, falling on his knees. He actually felt an impact from that battle, short as it was. "Damn...he was a tough bastard..." Gajeel took a few moments to let everything sink in "Oh, shit, is he dead?" Gajeel quickly ran towards Kiryu's location. He saw Kiryu lying unconscious on the ground. He kneeled down, and shook him a little "H-...Hey, are you dead?".

"Urgh..." Kiryu stood up, rubbing his head in pain. His mask was back on, by some miracle, and his cloak covered his body once more "You...are a rough one." Kiryu said, commenting on Gajeel's fighting style "You...have alot of promise, but, still a bit clunky.".

"...You just got hit by my roar, don't insult me!" Gajeel snapped at Kiryu, rather baffled by his treatment of him.

"Say what you want. If I was a few hundred years younger, you'd be on the ground, bleeding and maybe dead." Kiryu said "I'm not like I once was in my prime...".

"...Right." Gajeel turned around, walking away, but was stopped by Kiryu who pulled him back towards him with a metallic arm "Hey!".

"You're coming with me. I need an assistance." Kiryu said, beginning to walk while casually pulling Gajeel from behind.

"Hey! Quit it!" Gajeel struggled to free himself, even biting the metallic arm.

"I need help to find my granddaughter and great grandkids." Gajeel immediately stopped struggling the moment Kiryu said that "I am an old bastard, and I can fall over and die at any moment. That's why you won. I'm not as strong as I used to be. So, I need someone as strong as you to help me, in return, I will train you." Kiryu said, putting his kind offer to Gajeel.

"...Fine then." Gajeel said, sounding somewhat irritated "I'll...help you. But, after we're done training, I'm going my way, you got it?!".

"But of course. Oh, also, do not tell anyone I am a Dragon. It is a secret." Kiryu kindly asked Gajeel, who nodded in reply, as the two began walking side by side.

Serpent and Princess
"Hmmm..." Lamia sat in a restaurant, looking over the menu, while also occasionally staring at the map of the area. It has been around a day or so since they left Desierto and entered Stella, a country known for its great wealth, as well as attractions, being a primary focus for tourist attractions, most commonly possessing casinos for gambling one's wallet dry. But, at the moment, Lamia was more busy trying to find something to eat, accompanied by Kuro, Hanzo and a shrunken Kugoku.

Sadly, Hanzo's trenchcoat, hat and sunglasses didn't do well in hiding his true appearance, as he stood out like a sore thumb. Yet, Lamia herself didn't care that much.

"Umm..." A waitress walked over to the table of misfits, carefully examining each one of them, even the small orange fox with nine tails who was sitting next to the large blue man. "Would you like to make an order?" She asked, being rather cautious around this bunch.

"Oh, right, uhh...Lesse. I'll take the pork. Extra hot and with that stupid apple in the mouth." Lamia said, sounding almost as if she didn't even care what she'd eat "What'd you like Kuro?".

"Hmm...Chicken!" Kuro replied, energetically.

"Okay. What'd 'bout you big guy?" Lamia said, directing her attention to Hanzo.

"Booze." Hanzo replied. Quick and simple.

"Anything else?" Lamia asked.

"Another booze." He really had nothing else in mind.

"If we're doing orders! I'd like some duck!" Kugoku replied, his sudden speech catching the waitress off guard.

"The weird orange fox is talkiiiiiiing?!"" The waitress was shocked, but she tried, and remained diligent. It is her duty to remain calm around her customers. Show she is serious in her duty, never fret nor belittle her customer, no matter who or what they are "Ahem. Is that all?".

"Depends." Lamia said, resting her head on her hand "Do you sell maps of the world?".

"Uhh...No." The waitress replied.

"Then off with you! And get me some cola! With extra ice!" Lamia said, with a sudden burst of energy "Actually, toss the cola with ice. I just want a big cup of ice cubes.".

"Yes, ma'am." The waitress left, having taken everyone's orders, and hurried back to deliver them "Fox! Woman! Womachild! Blue man! I'm too scared! Send someone else!" The waitress thought to herself and she reached her destinaton.

"So, what is our plan?" Hanzo asked Lamia, crossing his arms together, patiently waiting for his alcoholic drink. Ironic, considering he was transparent and looked like he has no stomach or lungs.

"Simple. Find a bunch of good, detailed maps, and use them to get home." Lamia said, as she tried to pinpoint their current location on the map she had. They were in the country named Stella, thanks to asking people, and were in Oscuros Town, quite an ominous name for a town... "Amon and Aph know, if we ever get seperated, we head straight home to meet up. But, before that, we should check nearby places too." Lamia said "I believe that Lily couldn't teleport us too far. We were in Desierto, so we should check countries around it. So, after we finish inspecting Stella, we head to...Joya. We passed it before.".

"Oh, yeah we have...I think it had something to do with me sticking out?" Hanzo rubbed his chin, remembering how everything went in Joya. Clearly, even after 100 years, the country still remember how he sliced their beloved king's statue in half while fighting a group of Dark Mages. If only he held back, and didn't also cut several building along the way.

"Right. Anywho, until we find Lily, Circe, and Noma, we're not heading home." Lamia said, being serious about the matter.

"Oh, and those are your children I assume?".

"First two are, third is our family pet." Lamia replied to Hanzo, being too focused on her map, marking potential territories to head to and in what order.

"Ah, reminds me of my own child, her name wa-...".

"Hello~" Hanzo was cut short by the arrival of a new waitress, who appeared unaffected by the group's oddities "I brought you the beverages. Your food should be ready soon." The waitress said, speaking in a cheerful and energetic tone.

"Oh, why thank you, miss." Hanzo said, grabbing a bottle of alcohol, and carefully opening it, being aware he can break it without meaning to.

Lamia took a glance at the waitress, and yet suddenly she had a surprised and shocked expression on her face. She quickly put down the map, and stood up, leaning closer to examine the waitress "You..." Lamia said, causing the waitress to back her face a bit farther "You're Lucy Heartfillia, aren't you?".

The waitress, named Lucy, nodded, a bit confused as to how this woman knows her "Umm...May I help you...miss?".

"...Hanzo." Lamia snapped her fingers, signalling the large nosed blue man.

"Plan 13?" Hanzo asked Lamia to be assured.

"No. Plan 4." Lamia corrected him.

Hanzo sighed, grabbing his bottle of booze and standing up "Shall I now?".

<p class="MsoNormal">"One moment." Lamia turned to Lucy, grabbing her by her shoulders "I can't explain everything here, so..." Without warning, Lamia kissed Lucy's lips, causing the blonde waitress to blush, but shortly after, lose consciousness "HA! I knew keeping some knockout drugs hidden under my tongue was a good idea." Lamia said, wiping her mouth "Still tastes like shit though..." Lamia carried the unconscious Lucy on her shoulders, as she gave Hanzo the cue to start.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Atleast I have my booze...".

<p class="MsoNormal">"Wait, what about my duck?!" Kugoku complained, but was cut short when Hanzo unsheathed one of his swords, and tore down the wall next to him, quickly sheathing his sword and grabbing Kugoku "Wait, my duuuuck!!!" For some reason, Kugoku really wanted that duck.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Kuro, c'mon! We're out!" Lamia gestured to her daughter, jumping outside over the table, and outside, soon followed by Kuro.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Where to mommy?" Kuro asked her mother.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Anywhere!" Lamia quickly blitzed out of the area, followed by Hanzo carrying Kugoku, and of ocurse, Kuro, all while she carried Lucy over her shoulders.

<p class="MsoNormal">A while has passed, and eventually, the entire town was after Lamia and her group. Branded as the "Freak Show", and wanted for vandalism, kidnapping, taking beverages without paying for them, and sexual harassment.

<p class="MsoNormal">Luckily, they managed to slip by for now, hiding not in the town, but above it. Specifically, Kuro created a platform of Black Lacrima, large enough to keep everyone afloat, and high as well. In addition, she managed to go above the clouds, so seeing them will be difficult. Even without the clouds, they'll only look like a black speck in the sky.

<p class="MsoNormal">Lamia placed Lucy down, slightly unbuttoning her shirt to allow her to breath, noticing it was rather tight on her chest. Such a bothersome uniform to work with all day. "Oi, wakey wakey." Lamia lightly slapped Lucy's cheeks to wake her up, but to no avail "Yeesh, my knockout drug was too strong...".

<p class="MsoNormal">"Why did you do that...?" Hanzo asked Lamia, all while drinking from his bottle.

<p class="MsoNormal">"This missy here is named Lucy Heartfillia. She's a survivor of the Dragon's Attack from four years ago." Lamia began to explain "I'm sure you have no idea what that is, being locked up in Desierto for a century.".

<p class="MsoNormal">"You're correct." Hanzo replied.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I can decyfer it was an attack by Dragons, right?" Kugoku said, stating the obvious.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Thank you, Mr. McObvious Faceman." Lamia replied "It was basically an event in which many dragons exited a gate, returning from 400 years ago, to this time. They were all dragged from a period of war, and as you can expect, it didn't go well. Everyone died. Within merely 3 days, Crocus was as good as gone off the map. But, through some stroke of luck, they all vanished at once. Many people who bravely fought against the dragons died, and Lucy, was believed to have been among them." Lamia said, glancing over to the unconscious Lucy "She was from a guild named Fairy Tail. Granted, I never knew them. They all looked like a bunch of wankers, now that I think about it. But...they looked like a fun bunch too. A family. So, seeing that she is alive...makes me...I don't know, I just feel like I wanna get to know her.".

<p class="MsoNormal">"...Pfft, you women and your feelings." Kugoku said, only to recieve a boot to the face by Lamia, hitting his nose "You devil! How dare you harm my wonderful nose!" Kugoku snuggled near Hanzo for protection, while caressing his nose.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Hahaha!" Hanzo suddenly bursted out laughing. Probably drunk. "I see, I see! Such an invigorating story! Ah, could it be that you have survivor's guilt? Or is it! That you wish to comfort this poor missy that lost her valued friends and family? How honorable for a dishonorable person such as you!" Yep. Definetly drunk.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Nah, I probably just feel like we have something in common." Lamia said "'cides, I find it weird that she's all the way in Stella. She probably had too many memories back in Fiore...".

<p class="MsoNormal">"Urgh..." Lucy grunted, waking up "I had a weird dream...I was assaulted by a stitched woman, who had a blue man with a big nose...and a...tiny orange fox..." Lucy said, rubbing her forehead in aggravation "I need to stop eating sugary sweets before sleeping!".

<p class="MsoNormal">"Ahem." Lamia coughed, catching Lucy's attention.

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucy looked over at everyone staring at her. Her face was both terrified, but also comically shocked. However, looking around even further, she noticed she was among the clouds, and looking down, noticed her shirt was undone "Kyaa!" Lucy shouted in fear, panicking "Am I in heaven?! Did I finally die from too much stress?! Are you God?".

<p class="MsoNormal">"Okay, calm yer marvelous tits, and lemme answer them accordingly. No. No. And yes." Lamia said, walking over to Lucy, and sitting down infront of her "Name's Lamia. And you, Lucy Heartfillia, nice to meet you." Lamia extended her hand to Lucy, who was still trying to adjust to everything happening right now.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Umm...W-...what do you want from me...?" Lucy asked Lamia, shuddering, and clearly fearful.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Well, first off, I wanna ask you, how the hell are you alive after the Dragon's Attack, when the rest of Fairy Tail died?" Lamia asked Lucy, rather blunt about it too.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Dragon's Attack...? Fairy Tail...? I...don't know what you're talking about..." Lucy said, much to Lamia's surprise.

<p class="MsoNormal">"...Do you remember someone under the name of Natsu Dragneel?" Lamia asked Lucy, who shrugged in return. It was obvious to Lamia now "Oh my shit, you have amnesia." Lamia said, rubbing her head in irritation "Well, that just means I should take care of you!" Lamia declared, pointing at Lucy.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Eh...?" Lucy still dumbfounded by Lamia's words "Wait, why?! Why do you carry such responsibility over me?!".

<p class="MsoNormal">"Because! As a fellow survivor, and doctor, I carry responsibility over the injured, the helpless, and the ones who have shared the same pain as me!" Lamia declared, standing up and extending her hand to Lucy once more "So, Lucy Heartfillia, will you come with me?".

<p class="MsoNormal">"Uhh..." Lucy had no idea how to react towards Lamia. On the one hand, she sounded very passionate about it, but on the other hand, she did weird things to her...

<p class="MsoNormal">"Calm down, will ya? Poor thing's probably confused." Kugoku told Lamia "She probably just needs time to adjust and decide. I mean, you did kidnap her.".

<p class="MsoNormal">"I had to." Lamia said "If I mention shit like Dragons in a place, people gon' call me crazy.".

<p class="MsoNormal">"So having the whole town after us is somehow better?!" Kugoku snapped at Lamia for her flawed logic.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Of course! Now we can go willy nilly and steal shit without having to be worried about becoming wanted, when we're already wanted!".

<p class="MsoNormal">"Your logic makes me question how humanity has evolved!".

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucy simply whimpered in the corner of the platform as she saw a heavily scarred woman, arguing with a talking fox with nine tails. Not something one sees everyday, that's for sure.

<p class="MsoNormal">Meanwhile, back down at the town itself, the Rune Knights of Stella searched the entire place for these thieves. Even moreso because Hanzo and Lamia were among them, having been recognized by the authorities. It was shortly after the Council's invasion that Lamia and almost everyone involved becamse notorious by the Magic Council, especially in other countries near Fiore.

<p class="MsoNormal">One of the knights bumped into a man by accident. He stood back, appearing irritated "Hey! Watcha i-...!" The knight quickly went pale upon realizing who he bumped into, and fell on his rear from sheer terror.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Ah...how rude." Marx said, looking down on the knight, with his hands in his pockets "You bump into me and tell me to shove it?" Marx lifted one leg up from the ground "Your mother did a terrible job." With one kick to the man's face, Marx sent the knight flying into a building, catching the attention of the other Rune Knights "Whoops...kicked too hard. I think I heard a skull break.".

<p class="MsoNormal">"Halt!" Rune Knights surrounded Marx, all pointing their spears and swords at him "You are under arrest for assaulting a Rune Knight, as well as many murders and crimes! Marx Dagonet!".

<p class="MsoNormal">"I'm quite popular." Marx said with an arrogant tone, pulling out a black sphere from his pocket "Ah, let's see...No, this isn't the place either." Marx paid no mind to the soldiers surrounding him, being more focused on his own thing.

<p class="MsoNormal">"H-...Hey! Don't ignore us!" The Rune Knight shouted at Marx, failing to be intimidating.

<p class="MsoNormal">Marx turned his head to the Rune Knight, his eyes widening with glee "Meh. Svarga." With one motion from his hand, a large burst of energy erupted from around Marx, tearing apart the area around him, leaving a large crater, and miraculously leaving Marx unscathed, as he walked out of the crater. "Welp, better keep lookin'.".

<p class="MsoNormal">In another part of town, a woman stared outside her window, having felt the tremor of the explosion, as well as seen a bright light from afar. The woman sighed, standing up and looking outside her window. She had a simple looking apartment. Nothing too grand, or too luxurious "I suppose I asked for this when moving here..." The woman said, walking away from the window, and leaving the room.

<p class="MsoNormal">"The fuck was that?" Lamia said, having also noticed the large explosion happening from afar.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Oh, leave it." Kugoku said, resting "It's probably just some Dark Mage attack, nothing we should trouble ourselves with.".

<p class="MsoNormal">"Meh, I guess you're right." Lamia said, holding up five cards in her hands "Hey, Lucy, wanna play Uno with us?" Lamia asked Lucy, who was silently sitting aside, watching everyone play this card game.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Umm...O-...Okay." Lucy slowly crawled over to them, being deathly afraid she'll fall down. She also refused to look down, because despite the platform being black in color, it was transparent, so she could look down and see the enormous height. Lucy sat inbetween Hanzo and Lamia, with Kugoku also being next to her.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Here." Lamia gave Lucy five cards "Y'know how to play Old Maid?".

<p class="MsoNormal">"I thought we were playing Uno...".

<p class="MsoNormal">"I never said that. I said we were playing strip poker." Lamia was clearly trying to get something out of this, much to Lucy's dismay.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I'm starting to regret this..." Lucy said. She couldn't attempt to run away, because she'd only fall and die, and who knows what these people can do.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Now, now, Lamia, let her start with something simple." Hanzo said "I believe this calls for a card castle!" Hanzo was unusually energetic about the subject "I always wanted to make a card castle! But it always fell and crashed! But with your help, with your tiny, delicate hands, I can achieve by dream of a giant card castle!".

<p class="MsoNormal">"..." Lamia suddenly felt incredibly underwhelmed after hearing Hanzo gush out about making a card castle "Let's just go Old Maid.".

<p class="MsoNormal">A while has passed, and everyone was casually playing cards, while being among the clouds, killing time until the authorities will get bored of them. Even Lucy seemed to be enjoying herself, actually winning some games after only now learning the rules.

<p class="MsoNormal">Kugoku's ears twitched, as he woke up, looking into the distance "What is this...?".

<p class="MsoNormal">"Hmm? Whassup there Fox?" Lamia asked Kugoku, noticing he was acting up.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I am sensing...a powerful source of power...demonic power..." Kugoku said, standing up and walking closer into the direction of this power. He quickly had a shocked expression, as a sweat bud ran down his face "I-...Impossible...!" Kugoku said, beginning to shiver "This power...! It's nearly on my level! Nearly on Hanzo's level!" Kugoku quickly turned to everyone "We have to get there quick!".

<p class="MsoNormal">"...Kuro, take us there." Lamia said, sounding serious. She put down the cards, looking into the distance where Kugoku did "Why do you care? I thought we shouldn't trouble ourselves.".

<p class="MsoNormal">"We shouldn't! But with this, we do!" Kugoku sounded more and more tense by the moment "You don't understand what a creature of this power could potentially do! Hanzo, tell her!".

<p class="MsoNormal">"I sense it too..." Hanzo said "I know this power...Could it be...?" Suddenly, Hanzo realized "The Thirteen Calamities...!" A sense of urgency quickly filled the air, as even the usually cheerful Hanzo began to panic "There is no time...We have to stop him from being freed! If we don't, it could mark the beginning of a truly horrendous catastrophe!".

<p class="MsoNormal">"W-...Wait, what do you mean?!" Lucy was beginning to panic as well, terribly frightened with how everyone was acting.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Listen to me, Lucy." Lamia sat down, as Kuro began moving the platform onto the direction of the power source "Whatever this...power is, you don't have to worry about it. You have us backing you up. Well, me. These two are kinda unreliable, and the third is my kid, so..." Lamia shrugged when referring to Hanzo and Kugoku, much to the demon duo's dismay "But, I just need you to trust me, and come with me after this. I'll make sure you remember everything, slowly and steadily.".

<p class="MsoNormal">"R-...Really...?" Lucy definetly wanted to remember her past, but even then, she felt a strange feeling that she didn't want to remember it either "...How can I trust you?".

<p class="MsoNormal">"After hearing who I am, and who my husband and wife are, you can't. But for now, please do." Lamia said to Lucy, sounding genuine in her desire to have her trust in her, even if temporarily.

<p class="MsoNormal">"...Okay..." Lucy said, albeit hesitant "And here I was, hoping I'd finally get employee of the month..." Lucy said, her misfortune knowing no end righ tnow. And just this morning, she was looking forward to trying and write her novel, but is now being dragged by these group of misfits, with a woman who stole her first kiss, and with a chance of regaining her memories. Even if she wanted to refuse, she knew she had no way of fighting back, Lucy had to deal with it for now. Just a bit longer, and she can escape. It all depends on her timing and careful planning.