Quest for the Eighty-Eight Keys

Chapter Sixteen: A New Addition to the Group

Lucy walked through Podsolnukh, Loke's key in her hand. She looked around at her surroundings every few minutes and listened for any sound that indicated a breaking and entering.

Just before she, Freed, and Rufus parted their ways to search for the dark mages who were robbing houses every night, Lucy taught her two partners how to channel their magic into a golden key and launch celestial fireworks into the night sky, alerting the other two of the location of the dark mages they were looking for. When they parted, Rufus took Cancer's key, and Freed took Libra's key.

Lucy focused her attention on the group of mages who she was on the lookout for, trying to not let her mind wander to the three mages who she was indirectly combatting, especially Nyx. She tried to not remember how she could feel his dark eyes bore into the back of her head. She tried to not remember how he spoke, sounding as though he truly didn't believe in the mission he and his two partners were on. She tried to not think about how the young man seemed to haunt her memories. It was his memory that chased away what little sleep she used to be able to get.

The celestial wizard looked down at Loke's key, contemplating summoning him for a distraction. She raised his key, just about to summon him, when she heard the sound of wood breaking and a woman screaming. Lucy whipped around to see a woman being held to the ground by a large, dark figure, and three other dark figures walking into a house, the door seeming to have been broken.

Lucy raised the golden key into the air and made a circle with it, causing golden fireworks to burst into the sky. Rufus and Freed should be there in mere minutes. She then called out, "Open! Gate of the Lion: Loke!" She then broke into a run as Loke appeared beside her and ran alongside her. She then requiped Taurus' key into her hand and placed the key's blade to her chest, calling, "Star Dress: Taurus Form!" She was then instantly clothed in a different outfit. She paid no mind to the numerous scars that covered her body, her mind too focused on stopping the dark mages, saving the screaming woman, and taking the keys that one of these mages had.

Lucy and Loke came to a stop before the mages who had just exited the house with an assortment of household items in their arms, shouting at them, "your nights of robbing these innocent people are over!"

One of the mages who was holding an expensive-looking lamp sat the object down and stalked toward the celestial wizard and celestial spirit, sneering, "and who's going to stop us? A kitty and a bimbo?" Lucy observed that the dark mage was a small woman, seeming to be only slightly bigger than Levy. She had green hair that was styled in a choppy pixie cut and her figureless body was covered in revealing clothing that was similar in style to the clothes that Sorano used to wear. The only difference was that there were no angelic feathers and her outfit's color was black instead of white.

Lucy took a step back, forcing away the reminder of Sorano. She then bit back, "we're not alone!"

The woman crossed her arms over her chest, saying with a tone that was tinged with sarcasm, "really?"

Before Lucy or Loke could say anything in response, a masculine voice spoke, "really." In a flash, Freed, the one who had spoken, and Rufus were standing beside Lucy and Loke, ready for a fight.

The man who was holding down the innocent woman released her and walked toward the mages who were threatening them. He waved his fellow dark mage off before he spoke, "I guess we have some pesky bugs to crush." He then made a gesture with his hand, resulting in the woman and one of the men attacking Freed as the two other men attacked Rufus.

Separated from her partners, Lucy looked to Loke, ensuring that he was ready to fight. When she got a nod of affirmation, she looked back to the man, who she assumed was the leader and celestial wizard who had the keys she was after, and she launched herself forward with Loke, the pair aiming to punch the man together. However, the large man with dusty brown hair swiftly pulled a silver key out of his pocket and summoned, "Open! Gate of the Tucan: Tucana!"