Frozen Heart
Chapter 22
“Void Magic!”
Every Phantom Lord member braced themselves, already knowing what move Aria would use.
“Zero!”
…
Blinking in confusion, he looked down at his hands and tried again.
“Zero!”
…
“Having performance issues?” Jack snipped, greatly amused.
Gajeel about broke down in a fit of laughter at the look on the normally-blindfolded man’s face, and Lucy sputtered, turning red as she registered the innuendo.
“You idiots should have done your homework.” The winter-girl noted, smile brightening with actual affection at the sounds behind her. “I may be snowballs and fun most of the time, but I’m not called the Guardian of Winter for nothing. My specialties?”
She was the cat that had cornered the bird, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.
“Wind and Snow Magic.”
Aria’s eyes widened in horrifying realization moments before she moved.
In a burst of wind, Jack was in his guard, ice-encased foot coming up to catch him in the chin.
The force snapped his head back and literally lifted Aria off his feet, a position the winter guardian swiftly took advantage of.
Grabbing the lapels of the man’s jacket, she slammed her shoulder into his chest and twisting, throwing him over her head and, consequently, through a wall.
The lesser Phantom Lord members gaped, shell-shocked, as Jack dusted off her gloved hands in satisfaction.
In no more than three moves, with only the slightest application of magic, she had single-handedly defeated the strongest member of the Element Four.
Maybe Gajeel wasn’t the one they should be worrying about…
Said Dragon Slayer was too busy admiring his snowflake as she approached the fallen Aria to really care what they thought.
“Now that I’ve taken the edge off…” Jack mused, yanking the dazed giant of a man up by his collar. “Why don’t you tell me where your two idiot friends are? Unless you want to figure out which of these walls leads outside.”
“Totomaru and Sol…should be in the core room for the Jupiter cannon.” Aria admitted, sweating bullets.
The winter-girl smiled, sickly-sweet and chipper.
“See, that wasn’t so hard.”
Her fist proceeded to slam into his face with a CRACK, and she dropped the unconscious man as blood exploded from his broken nose.
Shaking away the tingle of pain around her knuckles, Jack turned to her audience with a more genuine smile that still made the weaker mages cower.
“Well, I feel a lot better! How about you guys?”
Gajeel let out his signature laugh, obviously pleased, and his guild-mates attempted to blend in with the wall behind them.
No wonder he liked her so much…
“You guys should get out of here while you can.” Jack advised, spinning her staff leisurely in one hand. “I’m gonna go pay those two a visit and catch up later.”
Lucy practically had a heart attack, flailing as much as she could in her restraints.
“What about me?! I can’t even get up!”
“Don’t worry, Gajeel can carry you out.” She assured, sending said Dragon Slayer one of her sweeter smiles. “Right?”
Damn it, but he about melted into slag on the inside at that look…
“Whatever.” Gajeel muttered, trying and failing to appear put-out over the request.
Something cool and soft pressed again his forehead, like brushing your fingertips over smooth ice, though it took a few slow moments for him to realize she was right there and that what he had felt was a kiss and-
Well, his brain pretty much short-circuited around there.
Cheeks shimmering with the faintest trace of frost, Jack gave a half-hearted wave to a gob-smacked Lucy and took off.
He rebooted once she was gone, shaking off the faint tingle under his skin and scowling at the gawping blonde that seemed horribly confused with her life at this point.
He growled, picking her up by the back of her shirt as he stomped towards the door.
“Come on, Blondie. Time to go.”
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Totomaru groaned, forcing himself to sit up amidst the rubble as Sol rolled over, whimpering pitifully.
Those Fairy Tail mages had been much stronger than expected…
All five lacrima were shattered, and even the metal supports were twisted or outright broken off, likely from that Elfman’s rage when Sol threatened his sister.
Maybe they should have reconsidered this whole ‘antagonize Fairy Tail’ thing…
Sol squeaked like a frightened mouse, and Totomaru swung around, eyes widening in horror.
Jack stared them down, expression thunderous as ice spread in jagged spikes from her bare feet.
“Found you.”
Every Phantom Lord member braced themselves, already knowing what move Aria would use.
“Zero!”
…
Blinking in confusion, he looked down at his hands and tried again.
“Zero!”
…
“Having performance issues?” Jack snipped, greatly amused.
Gajeel about broke down in a fit of laughter at the look on the normally-blindfolded man’s face, and Lucy sputtered, turning red as she registered the innuendo.
“You idiots should have done your homework.” The winter-girl noted, smile brightening with actual affection at the sounds behind her. “I may be snowballs and fun most of the time, but I’m not called the Guardian of Winter for nothing. My specialties?”
She was the cat that had cornered the bird, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.
“Wind and Snow Magic.”
Aria’s eyes widened in horrifying realization moments before she moved.
In a burst of wind, Jack was in his guard, ice-encased foot coming up to catch him in the chin.
The force snapped his head back and literally lifted Aria off his feet, a position the winter guardian swiftly took advantage of.
Grabbing the lapels of the man’s jacket, she slammed her shoulder into his chest and twisting, throwing him over her head and, consequently, through a wall.
The lesser Phantom Lord members gaped, shell-shocked, as Jack dusted off her gloved hands in satisfaction.
In no more than three moves, with only the slightest application of magic, she had single-handedly defeated the strongest member of the Element Four.
Maybe Gajeel wasn’t the one they should be worrying about…
Said Dragon Slayer was too busy admiring his snowflake as she approached the fallen Aria to really care what they thought.
“Now that I’ve taken the edge off…” Jack mused, yanking the dazed giant of a man up by his collar. “Why don’t you tell me where your two idiot friends are? Unless you want to figure out which of these walls leads outside.”
“Totomaru and Sol…should be in the core room for the Jupiter cannon.” Aria admitted, sweating bullets.
The winter-girl smiled, sickly-sweet and chipper.
“See, that wasn’t so hard.”
Her fist proceeded to slam into his face with a CRACK, and she dropped the unconscious man as blood exploded from his broken nose.
Shaking away the tingle of pain around her knuckles, Jack turned to her audience with a more genuine smile that still made the weaker mages cower.
“Well, I feel a lot better! How about you guys?”
Gajeel let out his signature laugh, obviously pleased, and his guild-mates attempted to blend in with the wall behind them.
No wonder he liked her so much…
“You guys should get out of here while you can.” Jack advised, spinning her staff leisurely in one hand. “I’m gonna go pay those two a visit and catch up later.”
Lucy practically had a heart attack, flailing as much as she could in her restraints.
“What about me?! I can’t even get up!”
“Don’t worry, Gajeel can carry you out.” She assured, sending said Dragon Slayer one of her sweeter smiles. “Right?”
Damn it, but he about melted into slag on the inside at that look…
“Whatever.” Gajeel muttered, trying and failing to appear put-out over the request.
Something cool and soft pressed again his forehead, like brushing your fingertips over smooth ice, though it took a few slow moments for him to realize she was right there and that what he had felt was a kiss and-
Well, his brain pretty much short-circuited around there.
Cheeks shimmering with the faintest trace of frost, Jack gave a half-hearted wave to a gob-smacked Lucy and took off.
He rebooted once she was gone, shaking off the faint tingle under his skin and scowling at the gawping blonde that seemed horribly confused with her life at this point.
He growled, picking her up by the back of her shirt as he stomped towards the door.
“Come on, Blondie. Time to go.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totomaru groaned, forcing himself to sit up amidst the rubble as Sol rolled over, whimpering pitifully.
Those Fairy Tail mages had been much stronger than expected…
All five lacrima were shattered, and even the metal supports were twisted or outright broken off, likely from that Elfman’s rage when Sol threatened his sister.
Maybe they should have reconsidered this whole ‘antagonize Fairy Tail’ thing…
Sol squeaked like a frightened mouse, and Totomaru swung around, eyes widening in horror.
Jack stared them down, expression thunderous as ice spread in jagged spikes from her bare feet.
“Found you.”