Firefall || Fairy Tail

36: t h e i r . r e t u r n

Amber really needed a nap, but there was no time for that. Her footsteps were uneven as she walked back to where she had left the others, her arm wrapped around her to grip her shredded one.

"What the hell happened to you?!" Gajeel asked as the other members sitting in the small circle looked up to see what the Iron Dragon Slayer was talking about.

Natsu blinked, "I thought you were only fighting that little girl?!"

The dark-haired mage sighed, "She grew glass scales." Her eyes drifted down to the blonde figure whose head was currently laying on Juvia's lap.

"What is Laxus doing here?"

Gajeel answered, raising the Lightning Dragon Slayer's coat, "He came to deal with the guy with Bane Particles. He took the guy out and got this."

It was Amber's turn to blink as she thought about how bad he had been before the guild hall had even blown up, there was no telling what shape he was in now. The dark-haired mage closed the distance, sinking to her knees between Gajeel and Juvia. She reached her good arm forward, her hand beginning to glow in a cool red, but she stopped when the rune on her arm tingled.

"Amber, what's your status? Can you hear me? We have a few problems."

She pressed the communication rune, "I'm here, V. What's going on?"

"Oh thank everything." The half-sigh sounded through the link, "Are you okay? Have you been able to find Kia?"

"No."

"Damn it." Verani growled, "I'll keep looking after I help Erza and Minerva, but have you seen Laxus anywhere? I was sensing his magic till a few minutes ago."

"Yeah. He's here with some of us now. We got the blood for his antidote." Amber spoke calmly and clearly. She wanted to know why the blonde was helping Erza and Minerva and how those two were working together, but she also knew she needed to address the situation with Laxus quickly and efficiently. She knew that her blonde best friend would stop at nothing to find them if she learned what Laxus had done and the state he was in. The extra worry would do nothing for Verani but distract her.

"That's good, but Amber, we have a bigger problem. Erza said that-"

"Give me a second, V." The Blood mage cut her off as she heard the others around her mention the Ice-Make wizard that she was now noticing was missing.

"He's powered up somehow. A lot." Gajeel explained. "You'd have to see it. He's got this frozen aura around him that chilled me to the bone."

He and Juvia paused, their eyes taking them into their thoughts. Amber easily noticed this, resting a hand over the Water mage's. Snapping out of her memories, she looked at the Blood mage. Amber gave her a soft smile, "He's stubborn as hell. He'll be fine."

The bluenette nodded. Juvia knew that, but there was so much more to the story that the dark-haired mage didn't know. She wanted nothing more than to hug her oldest friend and confide it all in her, but now wasn't the time or the place.

Amber gave her hand a light squeeze as she rested the other on Laxus' chest, it beginning to glow that cool red again.

"What are you doing, Amber?" Levy asked.

"Wendy wasn't the only one who learned a thing or two while we were training." A faint smile crossed her lips, "She helped me with my Blood magic too. I can do a little more in the area of healing now, but not a lot. However, it should be helpful in Laxus' case."

Juvia blinked, "How so?"

"The Bane Particles are a foreign agent that has invaded his blood stream. I can't stop it or remove it, but I can try to contain it to only certain areas."