feral | sting eucliffe

LX | TA

Episode 60: The Armada!

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"ROUGH RIDE," Minerva commented with a small grunt, scrambling to stand up. The four had landed harshly on their knees, skin scraping the dirt ground as they slowly rose to their feet. The statues were still up, creating a twisted maze as a few had more marks than others, most likely the doing of their comrades.

Mest tilted his head up, hearing a loud 'pop'. Looking to his left, the four mages had returned, the tensō lacrimas curled up inside Minerva's hand. Taking one glance at their heaving and slightly dizzy forms, Mest instantly reached his hand out. Catching the signal, Minerva dropped the lacrimas in his hand before falling to her knees again.

The Kingdom of Bosco to Joya was quite the trip and seemed to be taking a toll on her magic power. Teleporting quickly, he made sure to keep his eyes out for any oncoming attacks. He couldn't waste a second, going back and forth from one side of the battlefield to another. Finally spotting Natsu—who was now accompanied by Wendy—he tossed a lacrima.

The girl quickly caught it with the help of her exceed. "Fly by her neck!" He shouted as a vague instruction. Although the younger one had no idea what the lacrima did, she had no choice, but to put faith in her comrades. Nodding, she let out a yell towards her companion. They rose to the air before diving back down swiftly, the lacrima brushing Akane's neck.

The older girl's breath hitched all of a sudden, eyes growing dull as she instantly slumped to the ground. Natsu grew frantic, catching her flawlessly and sending Wendy a worried glance. "She's fine, just passed out." She muttered, hands glowing a light green before diffusing. Mest continued this, going to and fro each opponent.

Eventually, they had all collapsed. Just as Galena had attempted to parry Mest's blow, he swiped her neck with the lacrima, the magic transferring out of her and into the crystal. He quickly caught her as she fell unconscious, collapsing into his arms. The stone army retreated as well, kneeling down once before trudging back into the stone cave.

The Headmaster scowled bitterly, blue eyes glinting in the light as he watched the Kyuuseishu's comrades take their limp figures farther away in an attempt to let them rest and heal up. His plan was going to waste. A small smirk slowly shaped his lips as he realized the change in situations. Of course, he had a plan B. Who wouldn't?

A light chuckle left his lips as he grinned sickeningly, surprising the dragon slayers who could hear his deranged cackles from a quarter of a mile away. Still standing on top of the tall stone structure, he cracked his knuckles and smiled maliciously. He waved one hand down, a blur of white following his actions. "Heed my call!"

A bunch of feet planted into the ground, kids rising with an eerie glow in their eyes. They all murmured a quiet agreement, staying still as they stared out at their opponents. Sting's jaw went slack, cobalt eyes widening. "No way." Gray copied his expression, looking towards the crowd and noticing one girl in particular.

She had bright green hair and golden eyes, looking eerily like Gray and Juvia's last opponent. "They took her too?" He muttered under his breath, realizing that she was left alive unlike the rest of her companions. Kagura grit her teeth, fear sparking inside her as she held her blade. "Erza, we don't stand a chance." She pleaded a retreat.

Although she was known as a strong warrior with near to no fear in her heart, Kagura couldn't help, but let a sliver of doubt slip through her. Erza⁠—who was equally terrified—refused to wear her heart on her sleeve, requipping as bandages wrapped around her breasts and long pants adorned her slender legs.

She brandished her sword, equipping it along with her Japanese cloth armor. "It's too late to back down now, Kagura. We can't possibly leave these problems for the citizens to deal with." Kagura's eyes widened, watching her role model's position shake slightly. Indeed, Erza's arms were shaky, her grip on the sword not as tight as it usually is.

Jellal nodded, "She's right. Someone has to end this war and if it happens to be us, then so be it." He said, cloak billowing in the wind slightly. Wendy's mood dropped, watching the trio talk as the others listened intently. Her heart hurt, looking at all the poor kids nearly her age. "I don't want to hurt them."

Lucy cracked her whip, releasing it at her side as it flowed with brilliant amounts of magic power. "We won't. We'll just have to knock them aside to get to him." Her last word came out in a bitter tone, her left hand holding a key. Wendy timidly nodded, her best friend slipping out of her arms to land swiftly in her humanoid form.

Although Carla had a large bruise on her left calf, she still attempted to stand up, gritting her teeth and wiping her scratched cheek with her hand. "Keep your guards up; they all follow his orders." For once, Happy copied her expression, tail swishing as he slapped a piece of cold fish against his other paw. "Aye, sir!" 

The headmaster waved his hand once, the children following suit in some sort of offensive stance. He smirked coldly before dropping his hand from the air, children crying out as they rushed forward. Instantly, all mages jumped into action. Lucy hissed, a searing pain appearing on her right forearm. "Why can't they take any attacks?!"

The headmaster heard their cries, grinning widely. "Since you're near your deathbed, I might as well tell you! You see, all these kids are equipped with a resistance to magic power. Essentially, their clothing is simply armor meant to absorb magic power and using it to their own benefit. It's called technology and I discovered it years ago! Isn't it wonderful?!"

He clapped his hands, watching another blast go off. "These kids are much more useful than my last test subjects. Go on, have fun, my children!"