Fairy tail in trouble with Demons 6

Not even an hour had passed since Magnolia was wiped off the face of Earthland. Through sheer will did Gray and Cana manage to keep the cart holding Laxus, Lucy, and the woman who saved them named Samantha despite how badly they ached and wanted to stop and rest.

Twenty minutes into entering the forest did they run into a frightened Wendy who had the look of having just lost her innocence. But then again what twelve year old regardless of gender could witness what she did and still have it. When Wendy saw them she ran straight into Cana's arms crying her eyes out which made the brunette unleash her tears as well. Gray wanted to join them, sadly he had a feeling the were being hunted still so he kept vigilance.

Once the crying was done the man said they needed to keep moving fearing someone from that giant floating cube would spot them. "How did you survive the blast?" Gray asked the little girl.

"I was coming back from Poryuscia's and was heading for the guild." She began softly trying not to cry again. "Right when we were about to enter Charle had a premonition." Silence for over a minute until they had to stop to calm her again. "Charle got me out of range, but, but, but..." Tears flowing down again.

It wasn't necessary for her to finish. Grey and Cana knew the exceed must have not gotten far enough to save Wendy, but not herself. They had a hard enough pushing the rickety cart through the woods as it was with all the weight. Adding an emotionally distraught preteen on made is just that much harder.

Somehow lasting an hour thier bodies no longer willing to move the duo finally had to stop for a much needed rest. Looking over at the young man did Cana see a face that looked like the owner had a million questions running rampant in their mind. "What's wrong Gray?" Knowing he still hadn't the opportunity to let it out.

That question could have been answered with a million different answers. Still somehow he knew the answer. "How did I survive that blast?"

"Gray." Scooting closer to him wrapping her arms around his naked torso. Mentally preparing herself to help him for his turn to cry. "I don't know." Expecting him to finally break down. "But you did, and that's all that matters!"

"Charle sacrificed herself for Wendy." Images of the elder members of Fairy Tail running through his head. "You saved yourself and Laxus with your cards." Now his generation. "Lucy's Clock spirit saved her." He guessed. Unable to see Magnolia after it had gone to hell. "How did I survive while the others didn't?" The last thing he saw before being blinded by that deadly explosion was seeing his girlfriend Juvia being enveloped by it before him. Tears now breaking free wrapping his arms around Cana who took this as a chance to grieve some more. Strangely she was only in her bra due to the sweat making her shirt unbearable.

The two let out what ever they could as the sun continued to fall and night covered the forest they where still in. The others had a blanket over and each others natural body heat them to protect them from the cold. Gray and Cana on the other hand fell asleep in the others arms and stayed that way until morning when the sun woke them up. Just like they did for a short time nearly a year ago.

Hours Later.

Waking up was quite awkward for them. With the two being former lovers they had woken up together with less clothing than they did. Neither could remember why they broke up, but soon after both stayed single until hooked up with their now/former lover.

"Finally someone else is up." Wendy's voice helped breaking up past thoughts.

Scrambling apart did they look around to see what was around them. They were still in the forests bordering Magnolia. Nearby was a small creek. The wooden cart that looked like it had finally given out over night. Inside it only Lucy was still sleeping in it.

"She's looking better." Gray commented not seeing the bags under her eyes, or a lack of color she had a day ago. 'Then again she'll look like hell again once she learns what happened.' Looking in the cart he found his dark blue shirt he had taken off before pushing the cart and put it on.

"Where's Laxus?" Cana concerned for her boyfriend worrying about him all yesterday seeing how he struggled to keep himself breathing without any machine to assist.

"Over there." Wendy pointed toward a makeshift fire where the hulking man slept near. Hovering to his side was Samantha hands on his chest with her hands glowing gold as she chanted words similar to the ones spoken yesterday.

"What are you..." Wanting to know what she was doing until the bluenette got in front of her to stop her.

"She said she could help him." The Dragon-Slayer said looking guilty as her magic was unable to do so.

"If you couldn't do it what makes you..." Looking at the blonde mans face she saw his breathing had become normal no longer looking like he was struggling to breathe. Though he didn't wake up he looked like he had recovered. "Laxus." Nearly shedding more tears feeling, no knowing his life was no longer in danger of that curse.

"How?" Gray asked.

"Phew." Samantha wiped her brow. "Wendy he won't be waking up for a while, but the curse has been removed." Turning around did she see the raven-haired man called Gray was up along with the brunette woman. "Oh you're up Gray and Gray's girlfriend." Her voice coming out a lot more cheerful that it should have.

Both faces went bright red. Waving their arms out as she shouted. "We are not together...anymore." Mumbling the last word.

"Oh." Standing up get a closer look at the two. "From the way you two slept it looked like you were." Walking around the two. "Then again hold habits must die hard." Stopping in front of Cana. "My name is Samantha Stonewall." Giving a slight bow.

"My name is Cana Albarona." Awkwardly returning the gesture.

"You're Gray right?" Giving a deeper bow. "Thank you so much for catching me yesterday."

"It was the least I could do after you saved us all." Gray dropped to his knees. "I'll never be able to thank you enough."

Trying to get him to stand up. "I was only doing my job." Looking embarrassed by what the man did.

"What is your job?" Cana asked thinking of how she killed all the demons.

"I'm an exorcist." The purple haired woman said proudly grabbing a hold of her golden cross keeping her white jacket together over her silver blouse. "Or." Looking at Wendy. "What you might call a Devil-Slayer."

"Devil-Slayer?" The three Fairy Tail mages asked together.

Grumble! Hugging her stomach before falling to her knees. "Hungry!" She whined.

Right then did the others realize just how hungry they were as well. Wendy stayed close to Samantha assuring her food was coming. Grey went as far enough into the forest to gather more wood for the fire. Cana made her way to the cart seeing what food they had grabbed before bolting. Luckily there was a good sized box of eggs in there, a pan, and a half- empty barrel of apples. She didn't explore mush after that deciding to just cook some eggs and apples. In five minutes she scrambled the eggs up, and handed out the apples for the four of them to eat for breakfast.

They ate in silence. That was until they were amazed at just how much the mysterious woman could eat.

'It must be a Slayer thing.' Gray thought seeing how she finished off her seventh egg, and third apple. He waited until she stopped eating before talking. "What was that you did yesterday? How did you kill all those demons with those strange words."

"You mean my exorcism chant?" Looking up towards the clear sky. "It's a Devil-Slayers ultimate weapon for killing demons." Looking at Wendy now. "Just like how you specialize in dragon I do the same for demons, but instead of overwhelming power I do it in a different way." Picking up a stick she started to draw on the ground.

"So demons are killed in a different way than sheer force?" Gray asked thinking of all the attack the Slayers landed at the end of the Grand Magical Games. Seeing how much damage they did to the dragons.

"They can be killed by force, but not everyone has strong magic like you do Gray." Admitting to be weaker than he was. "Much like humans learned from dragons how to kill dragons my ancestors leaned how to slay demons from a close source to their Creator." Still drawing on the ground.

"I don't know what you believe in, but the biggest difference between humans and demons is our levels of impurity's." Grabbing a hold of her cross. "I believe that all things were created by god, and demons were created by man, or should I say their Creator. Our impurities are our sins we commit, sins that can be forgiven. The demons are creations of our sins, sins that were never forgiven that their creator thought we should all pay for. Thus using humanities combined sins to create the un-holy"

"Who is their Creator?" Cana asked.

"Zeref! The Black Wizard! The Death Wizard? Creator of Demons."

"Zeref!?" All three repeated.

"I don't know the full story, but around the same time dragon's raged war with the humans another war was going on between humans and demons. With how many died from the war of dragons the war of demons isn't well known. Even to those who learned its magic." Samantha now admitting to not knowing the full origins of her own magic.

The Fairy Tail Mages stayed quiet waiting for her to continue.

Tapping the drawing she made on the dirt her stick was on a human figure. "Like with any magic the source comes from the wizard. But instead of magic I use three things in its place when fight demons." Tapping and saying in order. "Will!" Heart. "Conviction!" Head, "And finally Soul!" A circle drawn around the body.

Continuing. "Growing up I was brought up with a strong sense of what is right, and stronger beliefs that give me my conviction. My heart knowing my conviction is right allows me to harness the power of my soul. Once harnessed I can use my soul , and the prayer of the original language to purify all the sins used to create them, thus killing them."

"So in other words you kill them with forgiveness?" Gray putting it all together.

Nodding her head.

"Why didn't you or any other Devil-Slayer act sooner?" Cana yelled as she stood up looking angry at the purplette. "You could have attacked or helped up against Tartarus sooner, and saved so many lives!"

"Cana?" Wendy looked up at the older woman. Unsure of how to calm her.

Looking away guiltily. "I'm the last of my kind." Sniffle. "My father only managed to teach me the arts before he passed away when I was ten, and that was seven years ago." Looking at her hand that she put in front of her face. "Unlike other slayers out there my magic never developed so I had to teach myself how to handle any non-demons."

This time Cana was the one to look away. "I'm sorry." She apologized taking her seat on the ground back.

Tears began falling from Samantha as they always did when she thought of her father. "I only started to sense them a month ago, but there were so many of them. I didn't know where to start" Wiping her face dry as best she could. "Every time I got anywhere close I was too late." Looking back at the trio. "Yesterday was the only time I was able to save anyone."

Silence fell over them all.

"So you can sense Demons?" Gray asked breaking the silence after several minutes.

Nodding her head. "There's actually one close to us now."

"Where?" Gray, Wendy, and Cana all prepared to fight.

"There." Pointing behind them.

Quickly they charged only to see the ruined cart and a large tree right behind it.

"Behind the Tree?" Wendy asked not smelling anything out of the ordinary close by while starting to walk around the great tree that was behind the cart.

"In the cart." Samantha revealed the location.

Hearing that the Ice-Make mage ripped the covers off the cart to see only Lucy and what supplies in it.

"Its only Lucy in here." Cana said annoyed feeling like they had been tricked.

"That's the Demon."

"Lucy's a Demon?" Gray asked confused.

"What are you on?" Cana asked thinking the Slayer was high.

"Lucy is no Demon." Yelling to defend his Nakama as he watched the purplette stand up hands rummaging under her jacket.

"Let me re-phrase that." Looking down at the ground mentally preparing herself. "Lucy is not a demon." Hearing a sigh of relief being released by the duo. "She's possessed by one of them, and a powerful one at that. I'd guess that's how she survived the explosion."

Gray took a step back from Lucy. "Be-Behind her." Remembering seeing her body lying against the only wall still standing near Fairy Tail. "It can't be."

"It is!" Pulling something from the inside of her jacket.

Cana saw her pull a revolver out of her jacket pocket in her right hand. Instincts told the Card-Mage to use said cards. Reflexes only fast enough to harden the card to stop three bullets shot meant to go through the cart and kill Lucy.

Not wanting to waste anymore precious bullets Samantha pulled a knife out with her left hand. Throwing it into the air after making calculations on where it would land. The target her heart. At least it would have stabbed into her beating heart had an umbrella of ice not stopped the blade..

"You're not killing Lucy!" Gray threatened not caring he owed her his life. "I'm not losing anyone else precious to me!"

Stepping towards the Fairy Tail mages. "I don't want to kill her, but its what's best for her." Ready to fight with gun in hand and a second knife hidden in her boots she drew in her left.

"Then exorcise it out of her." Cana yelled just as ready as Gray.

"The demons possessing her is..."

"GRAY, CANA, SAMANTHA!" Wendy yelled running from behind the giant tree she was checking out. Unaware of the Slayer's two attempts to kill her Nakama.

Right then did the Devil-Slayer feel it, and nearly dropped both weapons. "Demons." Not believing she missed sensing any one of them. "Can I not sense them because of..."

Not even needing to turn around did the other two Fairy Tail mages begin to see more demons dressed in long ominous cloaks appearing from behind the sea of trees, and began surrounding them from all angles.

Looking around them did the four realize they had been surrounded by a demon horde. All of them with the same murderous red eyes.

"There's so many of them!" Wendy preparing to enchant her Nakama.

"Crap!" Gray cursed still feeling worn out.

"Fuck!" Cana shouted not believing the 'luck' they were having.

"Crackers!" Samantha shouted running in closer to the others. Looking at her revolver she saw she had only 3 bullets remaining and with how big the horde was reloading would nearly be impossible. "Double Crackers!"

"Do your chant." Cana ordered the Devil-Slayer. Sure she wanted to knock her silly for what she tried to do, but they needed to stay alive in order to do so.

"Triple Crackers!" Pressing her hands to her head. "My Soul's energy hasn't fully recovered from yesterday." she revealed.

"What?" Wendy questioned

"When performing an exorcism like I said I channel my soul, will, and conviction to vanquish the souls of the evil. Yesterday when I performed that mass exorcism I spread my soul too far." Readjusting her grip on the knife. "Right now I'd only be able to take out twelve, eighteen if I hadn't cured Laxus earlier."

'That's why she tried to kill Lucy.' Cana took a glance at the cart. 'The demon in her must be too powerful to exercise right now or yesterday with how far out it was spread. So she was forced to go for the kill instead, or risk it waking up.'

"And then you'd be defenseless against the rest of them." Gray said memories of how he had to catch Samantha yesterday once the feat was done. Looking around he saw Cana was still as ragged as he was. Wendy probably had the most magic of them all, but mentally might not be able to use it. Laxus if he were to get up now would struggle after being on death's door for nearly a month. Lucy could even the odds with her spirits if... "Lucy?" Now believing Samantha that there is a high level demon inside her. 'Could we trust her if she were to wake up right now?'

"You called." A half feminine, half masculine voice came from Lucy's lips as her eyes opened up. Body raising to its feet like a couple of invisible stings hoisting it up from the shoulders. Her eyes hidden behind her long blonde locks.

"Lucy!" Wendy scarred seeing how her guild mate just stood up.

"Lucy?" Cana asked cautiously sensing that everything about her felt off.

"The Demon!" Samantha full of worries knowing she didn't have the strength to fight it and win.

Even feeling, hearing, and seeing the demon hoard around them closing in all of Gray's attention was on his teammate. Or more so the Demon he felt waking up inside her that he refused to believe was there. "Is this the end?"

Little did any of the human know was that nearby hiding behind the hoard of demons was an even greater threat. One that choose to keep hidden until if felt it was forced to make a move. Even though deep down all it wanted was to kill.