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isabellafoster13 · 2 years ago

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WARNING: MENTIONS OF TORTURE AND REFERENCES TO SEXUAL ASSAULT!

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Decisions, Decisions

"We should give him a chance," Rufus argued for the umpteenth, looking between Freed and Midnight as the three of them stood in the middle of the hotel room that their small group had gotten for the night.

Midnight shook his head, "there's too much of a risk. What if it's a trick? He could just be trying to get us to trust him so he could kill Lucy, and maybe the rest of us, while we sleep."

Rufus argued back, "we don't need to trust him. All we need to do is hear him out, at the very least."

Freed countered, crossing his arms over his chest, "I agree with Midnight. We don't even need him."

Rufus turned to Freed, his eyes narrowed into a glare, "don't need him? He knows his comrades well enough to know how to capture them. He also knows more than we do about Starfall."

Midnight sighed and closed his eyes as he stuffed his hands into his coat pocket. "We don't need to know anything about any of them, or a bunch of information about Starfall. We just need to collect as many keys as we can before they do, and then capture them so we can take their keys and throw them into the Magic Council's prison."

Rufus turned his gaze onto Midnight. "It would help us in convincing the Magic Council of their crimes. It'll also help with figuring out who they are and why they are doing this, for their trial. Starfall is something that the Magic Council needs to know about."

Freed was the one who responded, "We can gather information about them once we capture them, something with Starfall. We do not need Nyx."

Rufus questioned, his voice softened noticeably, "and what about Nyx? Why should he be given a serious punishment when he had a change of heart and didn't take part in the worst of their crimes? If anything, he's more of an unwilling accomplice."

Midnight groaned, opening his eyes to stare at Rufus in disbelief. "Rufus, don't tell me you're actually convinced that he's innocent in all of the."

Rufus shook his head. "Not innocent, just not as bad as Terra and Lust."

Freed questioned, "so what? Do you believe him when he said that he never wanted to do any of this? That he truly does want to help us?"

Rufus responded softly, "isn't it possible?" He then added, his voice a bit louder, "maybe it's true. I'm not saying that we should unwaveringly trust him, I just think that we should consider that he could have been genuine and hear his out."

Midnight almost yelled, "he tortured Lucy almost to death! He allowed Yukino, Sorano, and the Queen to be tortured to death! He kidnapped and tortured you-"

Rufus snapped back, "and you tried to destroy the world twice, tried to kill Lucy and her friends during both of those attempts, and tried to use Lucy as a sacrifice!"

Midnight's eyes widened and he flinched away, albeit slightly. He looked taken aback as anger continued to swim in his red eyes.

Rufus added, his voice quieter, but still stern, "you have no right to speak on his crimes when you've done worse!"

Lucy, having spent the entire argument looking through the book that Rufus had gotten from Nyx, looked up at Rufus' outburst. She jumped off of the table that she was sitting on, placing the closed book on it next to her. She raised her hands in a placating manner and spoke in a calm and stern tone, "let's calm down. We can't afford to fight."

The three men looked at her for a few moments before Rufus took a step away from Midnight, responding with a much calmer tone, "you're right, I apologize."

Lucy nodded. She looked between the three men as she spoke again, "I understand where you are all coming from. Midnight, Freed, your worries are perfectly understandable. Nyx could be trying to trick us with the intention to harm us. However, Rufus is right in that it's possible that Nyx is being truthful." She dropped her hands and stared down at her feet, continuing, "Nyx was the one who tortured me. Terra and Lust never laid a finger on me, only ridiculed me whenever I was in my cell." As memories of her torture began to flood into her mind, tears burned her eyes. She screwed her eyes shut and forced herself to continue, "something that I remember well was the look on Nyx's face whenever he would torture me. He looked like he was uncomfortable but was trying to hide it. It seemed like he didn't actually like doing it. He didn't torture me nearly as badly as Terra and Lust tortured Yukino, Sorano, and Hisui."

Rufus spoke, his own tone low and eyes cast downward, "that's how he looked the few times he waterboarded me, and when he was in the basement whenever Terra would visit."

Lucy looked at Rufus, noticing that he cringed a little when he mentioned Terra's visits. She nodded and looked at Freed and Midnight. "The possibility of Nyx being genuine in his claims of wanting to help can't be denied."

Freed questioned, "so then, what should we do, Lucy? I'll go with whatever you decide."

Lucy looked back down at the floor. Honestly, she wasn't sure what she wanted to do. Acknowledging that Nyx could be telling the truth was one thing, but actually giving him any amount of trust was a different thing...something that she wasn't sure she could do.

She looked back at the table that she had been sitting on previously. Next to the closed book were the silver keys that Freed, Rufus, and Midnight had gotten for her at la Cour de Velours. She had yet to make contracts with her new spirits. She sighed and turned back to her friends, answering, "give me some time to think about it. I'm going to leave so I can make my new contracts alone."

Without waiting for an answer from her friends, she picked up the keys and left the hotel room, making her way to the park that sat in the middle of the large town.

Lucy sat on the edge of a fountain, which rested in the middle of the park. She watched the centerpiece in silence. It was a stone statue of a young woman clothed in flowing robes. She held a water jug above her head, from which three streams of water strongly flowed. Her stone face was set in a serious expression as she stared ahead.

The sight of the statue reminded Lucy of the time she and Natsu took Asuka on a small job to earn some money. Aquarius hadn't been pleased about having to act as the fountain, but went with it when Asuka remarked upon how pretty she was.

Lucy couldn't help but chuckle at the memory. It was one of her fondest, seeing Aquarius actually show an emotion besides anger, even if it was only when a child called her pretty. She turned away from the fountain and stared down at the keys in her hands. Her heart suddenly felt heavy and tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She quickly wiped the tears away and ignored the heavy feeling in her heart, knowing that Aquarius wouldn't like seeing her like this. Her talk with Scorpio helped her to remember that.

Taking a deep breath, she raised one of the keys and looked it over. The blade wasn't particularly special, as far as gate keys went, while the bow was of a rabbit head with perked ears. She pointed the blade of the key and called out, "I connect to the World of Celestial Spirits! Heed my call and pass through the gate! Open! Gate of the Hare: Lepus!"

In an instant, Lepus stood a few feet in front of Lucy. The celestial spirit took the form of a short, teenage girl. She was dressed in a black leotard with hot pink accents, and hot pink flats on her feet. Her hair was white, which contrasted with her brown skin. Her eyes were a bright blue color. On her head was a headband with black and white rabbit ears attached. Lucy was quite sure that her outfit even had a cotton tail on the back.

Lepus gasped at the sight of Lucy and bounced forward, taking the blonde's hands into her own and pulling her up into a tight hug. Lucy yelped at the sudden action, but allowed it, nonetheless. When Lepus rested her head against Lucy's breasts, the celestial wizard chuckled. "I guess I don't have to ask if you want to make a contract with me."

Lepus shook her head before she pulled away and took a couple of steps back. She clasped her hands behind her back and beamed, "I've waited so long for you to get my key, Princess! I was scared that one of them would get it first, but I knew that you would get it eventually!" Her voice was high-pitched, not in an annoying way, but rather, in an adorable way.

Lucy smiled down at her, feeling her heart warm a little at how happy the small spirit seemed to be. "I'm glad I got your key too." She sat back down before she asked, "what can you do?"

Lepus' smile widened into a grin as she exclaimed happily, "I'm a really, really, really fast runner! I can outrun the fasts person in your guild, promise! I'm also really, really, really good at espionage! I can turn into a rabbit, so I can spy on anybody without being noticed! And, and," she lifted one of her feet to rest on the fountain beside Lucy. The blonde observed the leg that was offered to her to look at, noticing that Lepus' legs were surprisingly muscular. "I have really, really, really strong legs! My kicks can break down any kind of wall or door!"

Lucy smiled up at the spirit. "That's amazing!" When Lepus retracted her leg, Lucy continued, "what days can I summon you on?"

Lepus answered with a small hop, "any day except for Saturdays and Sundays!"

Lucy nodded. She stood up and opened her arms, silently offering a final hug. Lepus leaped into her arms, giving her a tight embrace. Upon pulling away, she said goodbye and returned to the Celestial Spirit World.

Lucy requipped her new key to join the others before she picked up another key and looked it over. The blade resembled the feather of a peacock and the bow was shaped like a peacock with its tail feathers spread, small gems decorating the the tail, blue and green in color. She pointed the key and called out, "I connect to the World of Celestial Spirits! Heed my call and pass through the gate! Open! Gate of the Peacock: Pavo!"

With a flash of silver light, a tall, young woman stood in front of Lucy. Her skin was pale and her blue hair was pulled into a high bun, a peacock feather clipped to it. She was dressed in clothing that was reminiscent of a ballerina, a blue leotard, and a wide tutu skirt that was patterned like the tail feathers of a peacock. Encasing her long legs were green leggings and on her feet were black ballet shoes. In her hand was a folding hand fan, also stylized to resemble the tail feathers of a peacock. Her green eyes stared at Lucy without much emotion, her pretty face expressing just as much emotion.

Lucy smiled, greeting the spirit, "hello, Pavo. I'm Lucy. I was wondering if you'd like to make a contract with me?"

Pavo answered coolly, "I don't have much of a choice."

Lucy hesitated at her response, but quickly continued, "what can you do?"

Pavo answered, holding up her fan, "my fan produces feathers in an assortment of colors. Each color has a different effect. the blues create cold attacks, the greens create a blinding fog, the whites create a shield or barrier, the blacks create nullify attacks by engulfing them, and the tans create sand attacks."

Lucy's smile got a bit bigger. "That's very useful!"

Pavo nodded her head. "Yes. I am one of the more powerful silver-keyed celestial spirits."

"I can see why." Lucy stuffed her bandaged hands into her pockets and asked, "what days can I summon you?"

Pavo's answer came with no wait, "any day that does not fall within the first week of each month."

Lucy nodded, committing the agreement to memory. She then said, her voice soft and kind, "I'm happy to be working with you, Pavo. Welcome to the family."

Pavo gave a small curtsy as she responded, "I look forward to your next summoning of me, Miss Lucy." She then straightened and disappeared with a flash of light.

Lucy gave a small sigh, hoping that she would eventually be able to get Pavo to open up a bit. She turned back around and picked up the third key. She looked down at the silver key and its design. The blade didn't resemble anything of note, but the bow was circular with a green shield on it, and blue gems dotting the edges. She smiled down at the key and raised it. "I connect to the World of Celestial Spirits! Heed my call and pass through the gate! Open! Gate of the Shield Constellation: Scutum!"

Within a few seconds, a celestial spirit that looked like the stereotypical knight in shining armor appeared. Lucy was only able to take in their armor-clad form when the spirit dropped to one knee, kneeling before her as though she were royalty. Feeling her face heat up in embarrassment at the sudden action, she stuttered out, "um...h-hello, Scutum. I'm Lucy. Would you like to make a contract with me?" Her embarrassed smile felt a little strained and she hoped that it wasn't visible.

Scutum, clothed in shining steel armor that covered every part of their body and a green shield on their back, responded, head still bowed, "greetings, My Lady. I am honored to be your spirit. I pledge to you my service and protection for as long as my key is in your possession."

The celestial spirit's voice was deep, telling Lucy that Scutum was a male spirit. She nodded at the acceptance of her offer. She reached down and took Scutum's arm into hers, gently urging him to stand. Once he followed her silent order, though, with slight hesitance that Lucy ignored, the blonde spoke, "what can you do?"

Scutum answered, "as a defense-oriented celestial spirit, I am capable of shielding you and your allies from any type of attack, no matter how strong. It is my sworn duty to protect my keyholder and their allies. You will always be safe whenever you summon me, My Lady, this I swear to you."

Lucy smiled up at him. She kind of liked having such a devoted spirit, though she also hoped that she would be able to get him to show more emotions and relax, if a little bit. She enjoyed seeing her spirits have fun and be themselves, wanting them to be free of celestial wizards who would abuse them, along with the fear that would accompany such a thing.

"What days can I summon you on?"

"Whenever you need my services, I will be there at your every call."

Lucy nodded. The contract-making ended when she thanked Scutum, welcomed him into the family, and watched as he bowed to her before disappearing. She turned around to pick up the last key. She looked over the key's design. The keyblade appeared to be frozen, with three icicles hanging from it. The circular bow had a sparkling river designed on it.

She raised the key and called from the last time that evening, "I connect to the World of Celestial Spirits! Heed my call and pass through the gate! Open! Gate of the River Constellation: Eridanus!"

A bright flash of silver light signaled the arrival of the celestial spirit. Lucy held the key to her chest as she gazed upon the young woman who appeared. Eridanus was tall, with a curvaceous figure and a beautiful face. Her white hair was low, braided bun, a few curled strands framing her face. Her eyes were an icy blue color that sent a shiver down Lucy's spine, and her skin was pale. Light blue eyeshadow was dusted around her eyes and on her lips was a clear lipgloss that made her plump lips shimmer in the light of the setting sun. She was dressed in a floor-length, sheath gown. It was pale blue in color and had a frost-like design running up the skit before it faded upon reaching the bottom of her bodice. The sleeves were mesh and off the shoulder, reaching her elbows. Her elbow-length gloves were white. Around her neck was a light blue chocker that had a white, icicle-shaped crystal hanging from it.

Eridanus curtsied to Lucy and bowed her head as she spoke, "greeting, Lady Lucy. I've heard much about you. It is a pleasure to serve as your celestial spirit." She then straightened and raised her head, a warm smile on her face and a softened look in her eyes.

Lucy snapped out of her stupor, having been taken by her new spirit's elegant appearance. She smiled back and responded, "I'm happy to meet you too, Eridanus. Um...you've heard about me? I hope that what you heard wasn't too bad."

Eridanus raised a hand to rest over her mouth as she gave a light laugh. Lucy was nothing short of memorized. Even Eridanus' laughter was elegant. "I assure you, My Lady, everything that your spirits have told me was good, very good. Even Aquarius has told me good things about you."

Lucy felt her heart clench and warm at the same time upon hearing that. "She did?" A hopeful smile found its way to her face and her grip on the key in her hands tightened.

Eridanus nodded with a lovely smile gracing her face in return. "Yes. Aquarius would mask her compliments of you with complaints, but it's not difficult for me to see through her words and into what she really means."

Lucy gave a silent sigh, bowing her head to look at the ground. A feeling of happiness washed over her. She wasn't sure why, but hearing that Aquarius spoke positively of her, even if the comments were masked as insults, made her feel rather happy. She then looked back up at Eridanus and asked, "what can you do?"

Eridanus folded her hands in front of herself and answered, her voice so calm and serene that it probably could make Lucy forget her worries, if for only a short while, "I am specialized in Ice Magic, this being regular Ice Magic and Ice-Make Magic. Though, I must note that while am powerful in terms of magic, like Pavo, I am one of the more powerful silver-keyed celestial spirits, I am afraid that I do not have much talent when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. Physical fights are not something I can do much in."

Lucy shook her head and offered a reassuring smile, "that's alright! Your power is still very useful and I have plenty of spirits who can take care of physical fights."

Eridanus nodded her head once, seemingly in acceptance at the attempted reassurance. Lucy next asked, "what days can I summon you on?"

"Any day you wish, My Lady, I am always free to offer you my services."

Lucy nodded. After thanking Eridanus and welcoming her into the family, she watched as the celestial spirit disappeared in a flurry of sparkles. She requipped her remaining keys to join all the rest of her keys. She then sat back down on the fountain's edge, her mind drifting to the argument that had taken place just a couple of hours ago.

She still wasn't sure what they should do. She knew that Nyx could be tricking them. If that was the case, then things could get bad very quickly. However, he would also serve as an important source of information. To be honest, Lucy was torn between the two options.

As her mind dwelled on the situation, a familiar voice broke her out of her thoughts, "mind if I join you?"

#fairy tail #lucy heartfilia #freed justine #rufus lore #midnight #macbeth #ocs #eridanus #pavo #scutum #lepus #some angst #multi chapter story #chapter thirty eight

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