The Book of Gajevy

7.The Ice Labyrinth

"Part two is the Ice Labyrinth." The master called. The pairs gather in front of him as he spoke. " In the Labyrinth there are four wyvern scales hidden in its depths. Not only must you find them, but you must fight against the creatures that live inside, as well as any other mage you come across. The three S-class mages included." He continued. "I could fight Erza?!" Natsu asked excitedly. " Natsu that's not something get excited about." Happy whined. Levy frowned as she thought. " What with the look Shrimp?" Gajeel asked, lightly nudging her. " It's day one and already our number are going to be cut in half." He grinned. "It's just going to make the rest of the exam a lot tougher. Can't handle it then no one is cut out for S-class right?" She smiled and nodded.

" You will now walk down this path until you are delivered into the labyrinth," The master said as he pointed into the darkness at the back of the cave. "Delivered?" Grey asked but the master just grinned wickedly. "Off you go!" He said, waving them into the darkness. There was only a moments hesitation before the group started for the path way. Before long it was dark, but Natsu had lit his fist on fire for light. They weren't walking for long before the three slayers stopped, all cocking an ear. " What is it?" Lucy asked but they remained silent. Suddenly each slayer grabbed ahold of their partner, seconds before the ground opened beneath them. " Kyaahh!!" The women screamed as each pair dropped into their own hole.

Gajeel clung to Levy as he turned his hand to iron, using his claws to slow their desent. A large rock eventually caught Gajeels claw and stopped their fall, leaving them suspended mid air. " Well, that was fun,"Levy huffed as she clung to Gajeels frame. "Any ideas how much farther the ground is?" Gajeel asked as he looked into the darkness. " I can find out. Don't drop me." She said as she reached into her bag that Gajeel had hung on his shoulder, having caught it in their fall. "Never," He grinned and she smiled with a flush. She pulled out a glow stick and broke it, shaking it to mix the liquid. "Now don't make a sound." She said and he nodded. She dropped the stick and slowly counted. When it finally hit the ground they could still see it, a good two stories down. "That's not bad." He grinned, and with no warning, let go of the wall.

Levy was so surprised she didn't even have time to scream before Gajeel landed in a crouch. Torches lining the walls suddenly flared to life, lighting the tunnel they landed in. The labyrinth walls were indeed ice, and their breath escaped them in fogs as they glanced down their two path options. "Let's start this way," Levy pointed down to the right as she took her bag from Gajeel. He nodded and followed the bluenette as she made her way down the corridor. They came to a four way intersection and Levy frowned. "Do you know what Wyverns smell like?" She asked as he shook his head. "Hmm well you pick which way to go." She said as she took out her light pen before marking the wall of the hall they were just in.

"What's that?" He asked as he lead her down his choice of halls. " It's a mark incase we come that way again, we know we've been down that way." He nodded as they walked. They passed several more intersections and made several more marks before entering a large room. Barely inside, they had to tuck and roll to avoid a burst of lightning. " You've got to be kidding." Levy whined as she stood to face down Laxus, a scale in hand. "Piece of cake." Gajeel said, grinning like a mad man "I'm not holding back." Laxus said as lightning coursed around him.

"Wouldn't expect ya to." Gajeel said with a smirk before turning his arm to iron. Levy, pen at the ready, began running plans through her head. A flash of light and Laxus was gone, reappearing behind the script mage. She was ready though, and she rolled out of the way as Gajeel sent a pillar towards the blonde mage. " Solid Script:Oil!" She slapped the word at Laxus' feet, causing him to raise an eyebrow. He rose his hand to throw a bolt towards her, but the sparks ignited the oil in a small explosion.

" Iron Dragons Roar!" The tunnel cleared away the smoke, and Laxus barely managed to get out of the way in time. A bolt of electricity shot towards Gajeel, also known as the human lightning rod. He braced for the hit, but inches from his skin the lightning altered course. " What the-" a screech sent his heart into over drive as he saw Levy, a metal pole in her hand, collapse with burned hands. "Focus Gajeel!" She snapped at him, getting unsteadily to her feet. His attention was snapped back to Laxus as another bolt came for him. Taking a page from Levys book, he quickly made an iron pole and threw it, making the lightning explode away from him.

He charge at Laxus, opening his second origin and quickly slipping into the shadows. Laxus spun, trying to find Gajeel in the dim lighting. "Solid Script: Darkness!" It was not one of Levys favorite spells, as she hated the dark, but it would give Gajeel an advantage. The torches were quickly snuffed out, and the only light came from the electricity leaping from the blonde mage. With his enhanced senses, Laxus could see Levy in the darkness but Gajeel was completely invisible. He felt a tug at his belt, where the wyvern scale was tucked away in his pouch. He spun, leg out to kick, but only met empty air.

He quickly reached into the pouch to find the scale gone, and when he turned, the bluenette was also gone. He smirked, "They may not have beaten me, but they sure out manuvered me." Back in the hall, Gajeel materialized out of the shadows with Levy in his arms. A grin was spread across her face as she held up the scale in her burned hands. " Got it!" She said with a grin, but Gajeel was frowning in worry for the tiny mage. "Don't give me that look Gajeel, I'm tougher than I look." She said with a soft smile and he huffed.

"I don't like ya gettin hurt." He muttered and she grinned. "I'm a Fairy Tail mage, it's what we do." He chuckled, ruffling her hair. "I'm guess that's true. Come on, at least let me carry you." With some arguing and huffing, Gajeel eventually set off down the hall with the script mage on his back. "Hold on Gajeel." She said, patting his shoulder. She was looking at the ice walls, it was thin here, and she could make out two figures. Before she could guess, the glass was shattered by a large beast like arm. " Fairy Machine Gun:Leprechaun!" "Solid Script:Guard!" Levy threw her hands in front of Gajeel, the word barely forming in time to block most of the force.

Gajeel quickly set the hurt bluenette before turning towards Elfman and Evergreen. "We saw you get the scale from Laxus. Now be a good boy and hand it over." Ever said as she adjusted her glasses. Levy clutched her bag and adjusted it so it was more behind her. Evergreen smirked before launched toward her, Gajeel was cut off by Elfman. Levy raised her pen, trying to run through any spells she had left. She was running low on magic and her whole body hurt from Laxus' lightning, but she couldn't let Gajeel down.

"Leprechaun!" Evergreen shouted, and Levy tried to write a guard, but the fairy was closer than she thought. A pained scream left her throat as the fairy attacked, her legs gave out on her and she collapsed. Evergreen approached her, standing above her with a smirk. Levy, her face hidden from view, had her own smirk. "Dynamite!" Ever gasped as the small red word appeared in front of the bluenette and tried to back away. A hole opened beneath Levy and she vanished into it just as the small word exploded.

It wasn't deadly, but Ever wouldn't risk it as she back peddled. Levy sagged in her hole, now completely drained of power and exhausted. Evergreen approached the weak woman with a smirk. It was no effort at all to retrieve her red hand bag and pull the scale from it. "Let's go Elfman!" She called, quickly flying through the hole they had made in the wall. "Your a real man Ever!" He shouted to his partner as he followed her, Gajeel quickly sprinting for Levy. She smiled weakly up at him from her hiding place. "Sorry Gajeel..." she said quietly and he shook his head, Gently pulling her out of the ground.

"Don't worry about it. Maybe we can find another one." He said as he lifted her into his arms and stood. She shook her head, a wicked grin on her face. She reached onto her jacket pocket and produced the shining scale to his shocked face. Before he could ask how she preformed such a trick, she waved her finger at him. A word, the very size and shape of the item in her hand appeared. It could fool the untrained eye but Gajeel, who had seen her spells for several months,  could make out the word scale. He grinned and kissed her head. "I love ya Shrimp! Gihi!" Levy smiled, a flush on her cheeks as he carefully jogged down the hall. They had been closer to the end of the labyrinth than they realized, and passed a bewildered Team Elfman as they went.

A large door blocked their path with four dents in the stone, two scales already in place on the door. Levy placed their own in the third spot and it easily swung open. Inside, Teams Natsu and Grey were there and they waved. Gajeel sat Levy on the ground gently and began tending to her burns and bruises. "Yer reckless Shrimp." He grumbled, only causing the woman to giggle.  Before long the door opened again as Team Lucy jogged inside, grins on their faces. Everyone was a bit battered and bruised but all in high spirits. "I was sure the rain woman would have made it," Gajeel commented as he stood.

Natsu began a snorting laughter. "That's cause she gave up the scale for her  Grey-sama." Gajeel groaned and rolled his eyes, the others laughing as Grey shrugged. "Congratulations. " Markarov said as he came from a side tunnel with a huge grin. "You four teams will be proceeding to day two. We will now return to Magnolia, and first thing in the morning the third trial will be announced at the guild." He announced.

{Long as hell. Sorry if the fights sucked.}