Scarlet Angel (edited)

Chapter 16

Jellal's PoV

We had been on the ship for a week now, these people were nothing like the old friends who I knew. Nothing but business and professionalism. Running the ship took all hands on deck, no one was exempt to the strict control that Snow had over the ship.

Layla was technically the top dog around here, but she followed orders and preferred staying away from people. Demetri and Snow often argued but nothing like Fairy Tail. The closest to a brawl that I've witnessed was a table being flipped out of anger before Demetri walked out of the captain's cabin.

I was busy with the chores that I had been assigned when Snow's voice rang out through the flying boat. "We will be over the East side of the island in 10 minutes. Prepare yourselves. Stick to the plan, mess up, and you will be torn to shreds by the army."

Soldiers assembled on the port bow, only a small part of the full army but perfectly in sync. The armored uniform glistened in the sun above the flying ship, the silver blending with the black. The centurions had a slightly different uniform, less armor and more freedom in design, though the colors were the same.

There was a sudden change in pressure as the ship was brought down, closer to the shore that we would land on. Not a moment later, the ship lurched to a stop, shaking and causing a few people to fall onto the deck. Soldiers fell into line, creating a perfectly packed square formation. There was nothing but serious faces, soldiers that would obey any order and wouldn't dare jeopardize the mission at hand. They all looked more ready than I felt.

A magic circle appeared under our feet, a second later the whole army, myself included, was brought to the edge of the island. Surprisingly enough, it looked empty. I could feel a faint magic power radiating from the ground itself, but it was otherwise almost lifeless. In the front of the mass of soldiers I saw a head of purple hair.

"This will be dangerous, follow all orders given. There will be three groups. One led by me, another led by Demetri, and the last led by Layla. The biggest group will be led by Demetri, he will be leading an attack on one entrance to create a diversion. My group will scout the island and find the most vulnerable points, including where the artifact is. Once we are finished, we will fire a signal and join Demetri's squad in attack. The last group, Layla's group, will be small, the queen's personal guard and Jellal Fernandez, they will be going in directly to get the queen's token. Disperse!"

The guards separated into their groups, the majority going with the red headed male with a short, well groomed beard. Snow took her group and led them directly into the forest. I turned a full 360 before seeing Layla, her pale skin and white hair making her seem like a ghost. There were three guards with her, all dressed in black, looking like they could move fast and silently. "Do you know what you're doing?" I shivered at hearing Layla speak. Her voice was cold, emotionless in a way that made it seem like the world could end and she still wouldn't feel a thing. Her gray eyes pierced my gaze and froze me to the bone.

"Yes ma'am." My reply came out in a hoarse voice, surprising myself. My heart thudded in my ears, blood hot and spreading through my body. I had better live up to their expectations, one mistake and I was dead.

Layla turned around and looked at the other three in her group, without saying a word, they straightened and saluted her. I couldn't see much else but they all nodded before forming a single file line, leaving enough space for a few more soldiers in between them and Layla. She looked back at me and nodded subtly towards the front of the line. I wasted no time in following her order.

She walked and we followed in a line. Like a lethal lion, hunting its prey silently. She moved with ethereal grace, almost like a ghost. Just like Nami. I could sense the soldiers behind me moving the same speed, carefully following their commander. After a few minutes of walking with no action Layla stopped mid step. She held out a hand behind her to signify that we were to go no further.

She lifted her hand to her ear and I saw a glimmer of light. A small communications lacrima in her ear. There must be one in Snow's and Demetri's ears as well. Layla murmured a few words and I heard static as she waited for a reply. One clear sentence rang out as she took her hand off of the lacrima.

"We're a go."

Then the explosions happened. There were multiple from either direction, not close enough to see through the trees but loud enough to hear from where we were. Layla wasted no time in moving again, quicker this time. More bangs rang out as we ran, the trees passing in a blur of nature's colors.

We got to a hairpin path and a string of curse words rang out from the earpiece that Layla wore. There was a brief pause before Snow's voice repeated back a direction and Layla continued running right. We didn't pass any guards or traps, so I guess the attention was all on the brute force of the attack at the main gate.

Layla slowed down, the trees thinned, buildings came into sight. We were by a mountain, it was to our right while the buildings bordered the rocky surface about 100 or so meters in front of us. Layla looked back at us, an unasked question on her mind. She glanced back at the buildings and, without warning, sprinted towards them, somehow not losing us through the distance and initial shock. It looked like we ran into an ordinary town, there were small buildings that seemed harmless. If it weren't for the magic energy that was now stronger, to the point of feeling like a wizard saint, and the explosions that could still be heard, I would've guessed that this place was an innocent shipping town.

"Alright, the token is actually in a guarded chamber in the- No. That can't be right. The mountain? Buried under the mountain?" Snow's voice was no more than a whisper through the lacrima but was clear in the odd silence of the ghost town. Layla took off again, heading towards the mountain, her white hair flowing after her without a single sound. With a sigh and small shake of my head, I ran after her, sensing the small group right behind me, following their leader. She found the entrance then stopped in her tracks. I skidded to a stop behind her and peered over her shoulder at the inside of the cave mouth. My jaw dropped in shock and a shiver went through my spine. What was that?