The next day, Sting and Rogue were sent off to... well... get caught. They met in an open field where Mavis stood, expectantly.
"Are you two ready?" she asked them.
"To die? Why not," Sting shrugged sarcastically.
"Be safe Sting!" Lector called from the camp. Sting gave a half-hearted wave back at the cat and then let out a huge exhale.
Mavis wrote some runes on the ground before standing up and smiling at the two.
"Best of luck," she smiled at them.
Suddenly, a large portal opened up before the two and Mavis gestured for them to walk in.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Rogue muttered.
"What? An insane suicide mission doesn't sound fun to you?" Sting laughed.
"No... no, it doesn't," Rogue sighed.
The two stepped through the portal and the mission to overthrow Acnologia began.
"Bye, bye Rogue!" Frosch waved as the two disappeared into the portal that vanished a few seconds later. Mavis looked at where her spell had been cast and let out a sigh.
"Best of luck you two..." she muttered.
Rogue and Sting found themselves stepping into a small alley between two huge buildings. Sting looked up at the large multi-story buildings in small amazement.
"That's huge," Sting gawked. Rogue slid past him and peeked out of the alley, his eyes widened.
"No... that's huge," Rogue corrected. Sting walked over and peeked out as well, his jaw practically hanging open when he spied what Rogue was looking at.
The city that splayed before them was larger than anything either of them had dreamed of and in the center of it was a grand stone castle whose windows were glimmering in the rising sun.
"Is it too late to go home?" Sting asked in a bit of a whine.
Rogue rolled his eyes and then strode through the streets, "Come on, let's go find the largest group of soldiers we can and do something stupid."
Sting groaned but jogged to catch up to his brother.
The purpose of the celebration may have left a sour taste in Sting and Rogue's mouth but there was no denying the amazing proportions that the townsfolk had gone to in order to create an air of joy. Game tents had been set up and people were laughing as they played the (likely rigged) carnival games. Food stands filled the air with good smells and people sold their homemade wares. It would've been incredible... given different circumstances.
As they grew closer to the castle, Sting's pocket began to grow warm. In confusion, he reached in and pulled out his mother's old key, stopping in the middle of the street.
"Sting?" Rogue asked, turning to look at the blonde who was studying the key in his palm.
"It's... it's warm?" Sting asked himself.
"What?" Rogue asked.
Aquarius's key was thrumming with power, almost glowing.
"Why is it - " Sting began to ask when the key almost flew out of his hand. He stumbled, keeping it in his grip as the key pulled him for a moment down the street.
"WHAT WAS THAT!?" Sting almost screamed.
"I..." Rogue pondered, no answer coming to mind.
The key was still weakly tugging in Sting's hand, much to the mage's confusion.
"I'm going," Sting told the key, walking down the street in the direction the key led him.
"STinG!" Rogue hissed.
"The key wants me to go this way," Sting defended over his shoulder.
" The PLAN!" Rogue hissed, gesturing down towards the castle.
"Just give me a few minutes," Sting shrugged, keeping his eyes glued on the key in his hand.
Rogue threw a prayer of patience up at the heavens before he went to follow Sting.
They had walked only a few minutes when the key suddenly went cold and still. Sting looked up and around, looking for anything that may indicate the reason for the key acting up.
"It stopped?" Rogue asked, peering over Sting's shoulder.
"Yeah... I don't get it - " Sting began.
"I DON'T CARE WHAT THE HELL YOU THINK, I'M TELLING YOU THIS SPIRIT WON'T MAKE A CONTRACT WITH ME!!" someone shouted over the crowd making both Sting and Rogue look over to an angry woman who was leaning over a counter of a ware's tent and threatening the owner.
Sting took a few steps closer, much to Rogue's horror.
"Look, you bought the key, I can't control what the spirit in the key does," the seller scowled, crossing his arms.
"I BOUGHT THE KEY FOR THE SPIRIT, YOU IDIOT!!" the woman yelled, waving a golden key around.
"No refunds," the seller growled.
"You don't believe me!??" the woman was almost shaking in fury. She raised the key. "OPEN! GATE OF THE RAM, ARIES!"
There was a loud sound of a doorbell and a flash of light. Sting closed his eyes for a minute and when he opened them there was another woman standing by the first's side.
The celestial spirit Aries.
"I'm sorry," the timid girl muttered, looking very uncomfortable.
"THERE! Now, tell this oaf what you told me!" the woman ordered.
Aries shifted uncertainly on her feet and trembled. "I... I can't make a contract with any other wizard..."
The seller was visibly tense and he glanced at the crowd who was watching uncertainly. He leaned over the counter and glared at Aries.
"Listen, you little punk, you've pulled this stunt for years now and enough is enough. This is your new owner," the seller threatened.
Aries looked petrified but she shook her head viciously. "I can't! I'm already bound to a celestial wizard and she's done nothing to break her contract with me so I won't break it either!"
"Did you steal this key!?" the woman hissed accusingly at the seller.
"I didn't steal anything, I found this useless spirit's key on the side of the road. Left there and forsaken, don't you start accusing me." The seller then glared at Aries.
"You've been in my possession for years now, you're owner is either dead or abandoned you. Now just make a contract with this nice lady here now."
Aries was almost on the verge of tears but she shook her head and tumbled. "No... I'm sorry."
With that, she disappeared in a gentle shimmer of gold. The woman holding her key clenched it and then slammed it on the counter.
"Give me my money back now. You're nothing more than a scam," the woman threatened.
Sting turned to walk away, done with being a spectator when there was another sound.
"HAPPY ATTACK!" something yelled, darting out of the air and slamming into the seller. The large man stumbled back as something small and blue rushed around snatching keys from the vendor and then taking off into the sky. It was a blue cat with white wings.
"NOT YOU AGAIN!" the seller cursed taking chase after the cat.
"Another flying cat?" Rogue asked in amazement.
Something in the back of Sting's mind twinged and without thinking he took off after the seller who was chasing the cat.
"STING! WAIT!" Rogue yelled, running after him.
The chase went on few a few minutes until the seller raised a hand and fired a minor magic blast that hit the cat's wing and sent him tumbling into a street. Sting arrived right as the man tried to pry the keys from the cat's paws.
"Give them back you mangey feline!" the seller growled, shaking the cat as he tried to reclaim his property.
"NO! THEY'RE NOT YOURS!!" the cat hissed trying to keep a grip on the keys. "THEY DON'T WANT TO BE SOLD, YOU CAN'T KEEP TRYING TO DO IT TO THEM!!"
"Get lost, cat!" the seller yelled. The keys were ripped from the cat's paws and the seller kicked the cat off into the side. The man went to kick him again when Sting jumped in.
"HEY!" Sting shouted, striding up and grabbing the man. He pushed the man against the wall and glared at him.
Rogue ran over to help the poor cat who looked battered and bruised from many years on the street.
The seller pushed Sting away and scowled. He was a beefy man with a round face and abnormally large nose.
"Quit it. You got your property back, don't take it too far," Sting growled.
"This cat's been stealing from me for years. He never learns," the seller growled.
"THOSE AREN'T YOUR KEYS!" the blue cat yelled angrily.
"Then where's their owner, huh?" the seller shot back.
"THEY'RE NOT YOURS!" was all the cat had to yell back, tears in his eyes.
"Hey, " Rogue soothed the cat.
"NO! It's not fair. The spirits don't want to be sold but he tries to sell them anyway! He's the one who doesn't learn! He stole those keys!" the cat yelled.
"I didn't steal anything, they were on the ground!" the seller yelled.
"SHE LOVED THOSE KEYS! I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!!" the cat yelled back.
"The keys are trash anyway, if you want them so bad you can buy them off of me!" the man scowled.
"I don't have anything!" The cat yelled.
"They're not making you any money anyway," Sting offered.
"Shut up," the man scowled. He turned to stomp away. "They're not making me any money because they'r stubborn pieces of work. If I had any sense I'd break em and sell their magic pieces off to someone who needs magic like that."
"NO!" The cat yelled, getting to his paws.
A line had been crossed and now Sting was mad.
"Whether they make you a profit or not, they still deserve to be treated right. Aries was loyal to her master, that doesn't give you the right to treat her key like trash," Sting vented.
"If you care so much, then buy the damn key," the seller scowled, going to walk back to his tent.
"If Aries has another master, shouldn't you be trying to find them?" Sting pressed, walking up and placing himself in front of the man.
"Look, I don't care where the damn sheep's owner went. I've had that key for two decades and she's been pulling this stunt every time I finally find someone to pawn her off to."
"Then stop trying to sell her and try finding who she belongs to!" Sting yelled.
The man stood to his full height, which was maybe a foot taller than Sting and glared down at the blonde.
"Run home, blonde. I've got a business to run," the man growled.
Sting was too angry to be subdued.
"Business!? This is a damn scam and you're keeping spirits here against their will!!" Sting hissed.
Neither the seller or Sting noticed, but a few of the other keys in the seller's hand trembled a bit at the sound of Sting's raised voice.
"They're not just things you can sell off! They're alive! They have feelings!" Sting had no idea why he was so heated but he did know that from the moment he had laid eyes on Aries he knew those things were true. Spirits were just like any other person.
"Scram, kid!" the seller threatened, his face growing red with rage.
"No!" Sting shot back rather childlike.
The seller leaned in towards Sting, sneering.
"Move along, or things will get ugly," he threatened. Before Sting could do anything there was a flash of light and the sound of a doorbell.
Someone stepped between Sting and the seller, gently pushing Sting back. When the brilliant light stopped Sting looked in awe at the spirit that now stood between him and the seller. Dressed in a suit, glasses gleaming in the sunlight stood the celestial spirit Leo the Lion AKA Loke, though Sting had no clue who he was.
"Do not threaten him," Loke scowled, glaring the seller down.
"L-Leo!?" the seller gawked, backing away into his tent. "Y-you're out of your key!"
"Loke!" the blue cat smiled.
"The name's Loke," Leo sneered. "I opened my own gate to make something clear. Don't threaten this man."
"W-what?" the seller gawked.
Loke gestured to Sting but his fierce eyes stayed fixed on the seller. "We've stayed in your possession only because we have nowhere else to go but this man is the son of Lucy Heartfilia, our master."
Sting's head shot up at the sound of his mother's name, his eyes wide. The blue cat's eyes widened as well.
"What are you talking about!?" the seller demanded.
"Our contract with Lucy makes something very clear," Loke continued. "We are bound to protect her family as long as our contract remains. That means that as long as you care to keep us here you will not threaten Sting."
Well, everyone except Loke was confused. The seller looked petrified, Sting was looking on in amazement, Happy was watching Sting in disbelief and joy, and Rogue was flabberghasted.
"W-wait... if you're Mom's spirit... then - "Sting began.
"I am Loke, the celestial spirit Leo," Loke turned and smirked when he looked to Sting.
"How are you still bound to Lucy?" Rogue demanded, walking forward. "She's dead."
Loke raised one eyebrow, "Well if she was dead then I wouldn't be bound to her, now would I?"
That made Sting and Rogue take a step back in disbelief and amazement.
"Wait... so... are you saying -"
"LUCY'S ALIVE!?" The blue cat asked in joy. "You're saying Lucy is alive!!"
"Hey Happy," Loke greeted. "It's been a while."
Happy rubbed tears away with his paws and smiled. "Yeah."
"How are the other keys?" Loke asked.
"I have them all safe!" Happy smiled happily.
"Good," Loke nodded. He then looked to the seller. "Now... Scram."
(Guys I've literally been spelling Sherria's name wrong my whole life and no one has corrected me and I feel like an idiot... I don't know where "Chelia" came from but I swear I thought that was how her name was spelled. NOPE! It's Sherria.
I feel stupid. It's fine though.
I should fix it but I am really, really, really lazy and have given up on making this book god solo... I'll fix it later... maybe... when motivation appears.
ALSO - sorry this update is late, I lacked all inspiration last week. This may not be my favorite book to write but I am excited for future chapters and I sure as hell am NOT leaving you guys hanging.
BAD BOOK OR NOT IT MUST BE FINISHED!!
Anyway, have a good day/night. Bye!!