Chapter 14 : Collision Course on the Clover Canyon Bridge
The gap between the Queen's Express and the Eisenwald four-wheeler closed with terrifying speed. We were hurtling towards them on a narrow trestle bridge, hundreds of feet above the rocky floor of Clover Canyon. The members of the dark guild looked back, their faces a mixture of shock and fury.
"It's the fairies! How did they get here so fast?!" one of them yelled over the wind.
"It doesn't matter! Stop them!" another commanded.
A volley of magical attacks shot towards us—blades of wind, bolts of dark energy, shards of cursed crystal. They were trying to derail us, to send us plummeting into the canyon below.
"They're attacking!" Lucy shrieked, ducking for cover.
"I've got it!" Gray shouted. He stood firm, his hands outstretched. "ICE-MAKE: WALL!"
A massive, thick wall of ice erupted from the front of our cart. It deflected the first few volleys, but the sheer number of attacks was overwhelming. Cracks began to spiderweb across the surface of the ice. Gray gritted his teeth, pouring more and more of his magic into the wall, but it was starting to fail.
I could create a psychic shield to block this all, I thought, but that's not teamwork. Gray has stepped up to be the shield. My role, then, is to be his reinforcement. We do this together.
I floated to the front of the cart, right behind Gray. I extended my paws, and a shimmering, pink telekinetic aura enveloped his ice wall. The moment my power touched it, the cracks ceased to spread. The ice hardened, glowing with a faint pink light, now as strong as diamond. The next volley of dark magic shattered harmlessly against our combined defense.
Gray shot a surprised look over his shoulder. "Whoa... Thanks, Mew!" he grunted, a grin spreading across his face as he felt the strain on his magic lessen dramatically. He could now hold the wall with ease.
At the back of the cart, Erza was straining, her face beaded with sweat as she poured her own life force into the demonic engine. We were fast, but the enemy was still pulling away.
She's burning through her magic too quickly, I realized. She can't maintain this pace and still have enough strength to fight Erigor.
I zipped to the back and placed one of my paws on the demonic horn, right next to her hand. I closed my eyes and channeled my own psychic energy directly into the engine. It was like pouring high-octane fuel into a fire. The horn let out a triumphant roar, and the cart surged forward with a jolt that threw everyone back. Our speed nearly doubled.
Erza's eyes widened in surprise, and she gave me a sharp, appreciative nod. We were now working in tandem, her magic providing the ignition, mine providing the fuel. We were no longer just a team; we were a single, cohesive unit.
Erigor, seeing us gaining at an impossible rate, made a coward's choice. "WIND WALL: CYCLONE!" he roared, tearing up the bridge behind him and abandoning his own men.
"He destroyed the track!" Gray yelled.
The chasm appeared before us with terrifying speed.
"BRAKE!" Erza screamed, reversing the flow of her magic. The cart screeched, metal grinding, but our momentum was too great. We were going to fly right off the edge.
Not on my watch!
As Erza used her magic to brake, I used mine to anchor us. I shot out a thick tether of telekinetic energy, wrapping it around the entire cart and yanking backwards with all my might. The combination of Erza's braking power and my telekinetic force was immense. The cart bucked and screeched violently, fishtailing wildly, the front wheels lifting off the track and hanging over the abyss for one heart-stopping second before I slammed them back down. We skidded to a halt, inches from the edge.
The sudden stop had one immediate, predictable effect. Natsu shot to his feet, his motion sickness gone. "Alright! I'm gonna smash 'em!"
The scene was set. Erigor was gone. On our side of the chasm stood Team Natsu, breathing heavily but safe, thanks to a combined effort. On the other side, stranded and furious, was the rest of the Eisenwald guild.
Kageyama stumbled out of Horologium, who had protected him and Lucy during the violent stop. He stared at his former comrades, then at the spot where his master had disappeared. He had just witnessed a masterclass in teamwork. He saw a wizard shield his friends, a strange creature reinforce that shield, and then saw that same creature work in perfect sync with their leader to achieve impossible speed and avert certain death. He saw a family that fought for each other.
"Lord Erigor... left us..." he whispered in horrified disbelief.
"That's what dark guilds do," Erza said, her voice steady despite her exhaustion. She looked at me, then at Gray, a look of pride in her eyes. We had faced the crisis as one. She then turned her gaze to the wizards across the gap. "Now then... it seems we have some trash to take out."
Natsu grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Finally! Let's go!"
He took a running start, but Gray grabbed his scarf. "Hold on, flame-brain. There's a giant hole, remember?"
The problem was clear. The enemy was right there, but they were separated by a fifty-foot gap over a deadly canyon. The fight was at a standstill.
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