Fairy Tail: Next Generation - Volume I

Chapter 4: The Puppeteer

Maniford was a city thickened with filth and life, decorated with crimson stains from crimes no one was convicted for.

The city was built in rows, running in never ending lines of homes, overpriced apartment, bad coffee shops, disgusting offices, and crowded bars.

Each alley had a tale to tell, seeing so many different things through the years. One in particular, in a dark and heavy night, was the temporary home to Liddan and the exhausted Marigold.

"Okay..." Liddan panted, Marigold slumping off his back as she regained the energy to stand. "What exactly happened?"

Marigold took a deep breath, combing her fingers through her hair to pull her bangs out of her eyes. "Puppet Magic, specifically Blood Puppet Magic."

"And why did we run?" Liddan's voice rose and twisted in irritation, feeling like a coward for not sticking around for the fight.

"Because, this entire thing was a trap to get some of Fairy Tails members to turn them to their side so they can trap the rest of the guild with their magic." Marigold, who recognized the irritation, hissed quickly. "Blood Puppet Magic allows the user to take over a person's mind and body as long as they have a fresh sample of their blood."

She brushed off her legs leisurely, and Liddan couldn't help but be annoyed by her nonchalant attitude. His hand grasped her shoulder, and she whipped her head around to meet Liddan face to face. "So can we save Nashi and Malcon?" He said quietly, his confidence weakened.

"Of course," she said without hesitation and a smile, attempting to lighten the mood."The blood sample lasts only a couple days. So we can either cut the caster's contact with the victim for a couple days, which can be hard. Or we can defeat the caster making him loose control over the spells."

"Great, so all we have to do is defeat that guy. And we'll be good."

"No."

"No?!?"

"He wasn't the guy..."

"How do you know all this?"

"Well, ever since we've started the mission, I've noticed lots of things about all of the people around us. They had been cut."

"Cut?"

"Yeah, cut. They had bandages on their wrists, I saw tons of people with them, even Mr. Monte was being controlled."

Liddan thought back for a moment, and remembered taking notice to the tight bandage around his wrist. He sighed, handing his head down lowly in disappointment. "So...I take it we aren't getting paid?"

Marigold shook her head, her hair tossing off her shoulders as she did so. "Nope."

"Darn it."

Marigold nodded her head sympathetically, she looked to her leather bag to her waist, and flung the clover off, digging her hand inside the sack. As her hand emerged from the infinite purse, she held in her hands a bag of cookies. Chocolate chip, to be precise.

As he hand stretched out towards Liddan, he looked at the bag in a grotesque fashion, as though she were offering him a dead rat. "How long have those things been in there?" His voice clinging to suspicion.

Marigold dropped her arm and rolled her eyes. "They've been sitting in a pocket dimension for awhile, okay? I'm trying to make you feel better."

Liddan reluctantly took the cookies into his hands, opening the tight sealing with a quick thrust of his hands before digging one into the bag to find a cookie. He pressed the cookie to his closed lips, and hesitantly opened his mouth and slipping the brim of the cookie into his mouth to take a bite.