The Water Dragon Slayer Soars

Chapter 17 Thunder Palace

Back at the Guildhall just after Evergreen's defeat.

A cracking sound filled Aviana's ears and then she could see and move again. Shards of stone lay around her feet and looking around she saw that the other girls had similar looks of confusion and alarm on their faces. Shards of stone lay around their feet as well. "Wha-what's going on?" Levi asked.

"I don't know the last thing I remember is Evergreen," Cana replied.

Then the master, Natsu, Happy, and Gajeel came over. "Thank goodness," said Makarov.

"Master what is happening?" inquired Lucy.

The master, Natsu, and Happy explained everything. "So Laxus has been forcing the guild to fight amongst itself?!" Aviana cried.

"Unfortunately yes." said Makarov, "But now that you all are back to normal we have to tell everyone so that we can find and finish off the Thunder Legion as a guild, the way we should have from the beginning."

"It won't be that easy you old geezer," said Laxus's voice. Then in a flurry of runes, he appeared in the middle of the room.

"LAXUS!" Natsu roared and launched himself at him. Sadly, it was just an illusion of Laxus cause Natsu passed right through and crashed to the floor.

"Give up Laxus. The girls are free so you have no hostages anymore." Makarov said, calmly.

"No. The game continues. I've activated Thunder Palace." Laxus replied. "It will go off in exactly one hour. Will you keep resisting or will you just give up and retire 'master.'" Then the illusion dissolved Laxus laughing as he disappeared. Aviana's hands clenched since Gajeel and Natsu were still here she figured that she wouldn't be able to leave as well.

The master was panicking, "What on earth are you thinking Laxus!? Are you trying to drag civilians into this!?" Then his face tightened with pain. Grabbing his chest he slumped to his knees on the floor.

"This is bad! He needs his medicine." Mira cried and ran off to grab it.

"Why now of all times?" hissed Cana helping the master get on his side to ease the pain.

"Please master get a hold of yourself!" Levi cried.

Natsu apparently was more concerned about what Laxus had said. "Hey old man what is the Thunder Palace," he asked. Sadly the master had passed out from the pain and couldn't respond.
Just then Mira came back downstairs carrying the master's medicine, "Everyone looks outside! It's terrible!"

Everyone ran upstairs and out onto the guild's balcony. "What ARE those?" Natsu asked. Floating in a loose ring around the city's perimeter were lacrima all of them sparking with thunder magic.

"I think they're lightning lacrima," said Levi shielding her eyes.

"Each of those are charged with so much lightning that if they discharged they would destroy Magnolia!" Cana cried.

"Well, I won't let that happen." Bisca shouted, "Requipped Sniper Rifle!" she crouched near the railing and magic circles aligned the shot. She fired and one of the lacrima exploded.

"Nice shot Bisca," said Lucy.

Bisca smirked, "I'll take out every last one of those things." Then the air around Bisca sparked and a blast of lightning zapped her. With a scream of pain Bisca fell.

"BISCA!" Cana yelled racing to her side.

"What was that!?" Aviana cried also kneeling next to Bisca. Fortunately, she was still breathing.