Chapter 4: Lullaby: Mass Murder Magic

Chapter Three

The call of train whistles sounded in the air, a common occurrence at the Magnolia City Train Station. The large indoor station was bustling with activity as crowds of people either went to their trains or departed from them. Despite the bustle and groups of people talking to each other as they walked, the station was peaceful.

Well, mostly peaceful.

"Why the hell do those two monsters even need help?!" Natsu demanded angrily as he glared at Gray, who looked back at him just as much frustration reflected in his eyes.

"How the hell should I know?!" Gray shot back, who was dressed in a long, white coat over a blue shirt, white pants, and black boots. "Besides, if they actually do need help I'd be more than enough by myself." He said and Natsu slammed his forehead against Gray's.

"Then you go! I don't even want to get involved in this!" Natsu roared and Gray slammed his head against Natsu's in retaliation.

"Fine, then don't go!" Gray roared back at the other Fairy Tail mage. "Then you can just get yourself killed by Erza afterwards!" Gray added as they struggled.

"Will you two just knock it off?!" Lucy screamed in frustration and they both stopped to look at her in confusion. "Geez!" She said as she let out a sigh of frustration. "Why can't you two get along?" She asked as she crossed her arms under her chest.

"Why are you here anyways?" Natsu asked as he also crossed his arms over his chest.

"Mira-san asked me to go!" Lucy screamed as she resisted the urge to pull at her hair in frustration and fear.

"It would be great if those four actually came together as a team, but the fact that Gray and Natsu don't get along with each other worries me. Lucy, could you tag along and play mediator?" Mirajane asked as she washed a glass.

"Eeehhh?!" Lucy yelled as she stared at Mirajane in shock.

"Puun…" A small, pure white shivering form said as it sat next to Lucy.

"I'm only here because Mira-san asked me to." Lucy restated firmly as she looked at the two of them unhappily.

"I bet you really wanted to come along, didn't you?" Happy asked with a smile.

"No way." Lucy asserted before she blinked and then looked down at Happy in surprise. "Wait, if those two really needed a mediator why not you?" She asked before bringing her hands to her mouth. "Uwah… pity on you. Mira-san forgot about your existence." She said in mock pity but the blue cat seemed unfazed.

"Aye." Happy said as he raised one paw up in confirmation.

"Why do you always carry your sleeping bag, huh?" Gray asked angrily as he and Natsu once again glared at each other.

"To sleep on it, duh!" Natsu shot back without hesitation.

This is going to be troublesome… Lucy thought with a sigh before bringing her hands together in a clap and smiling mischievously. "Ah! Erza-san, Link-san, this way!" She yelled and they both froze.

"Let's be nice to each other!" Gray said as they put their arms over each other's shoulders and smiled widely.

"Aye aye, sir!" Natsu said and they both pumped their free fist into the air in a celebratory manner.

"This is funny!" Lucy said as she burst into laughter.

The two mages quickly caught on to the game and turned incredulous looks on her. "You tricked us!" They both yelled in surprise.

"Aye." Happy said.

"Maybe you two really do get along after all." Lucy giggled and Gray turned to the side and kicked the ground as he put his hands in his pockets.

"No way... why do I have to work with those two?" He asked sulkily before his stomach whined. "My stomach hurts…" He went on more quietly.

"Want a fish?" Happy asked as he held up a salmon.

"No!" Gray yelled angrily as Natsu looked at Lucy in confusion.

"Why are you here?" He asked and Lucy's eyes shot open in shock.

"Weren't you listening?!" She demanded angrily.

"Sorry, did we make you wait?" Erza asked and Lucy turned around to see her and Link walking up, Erza pulling a large amount of luggage behind her in a wooden wagon.

"Too much luggage!" Lucy yelled in surprise and Link winced as his ears twitched.

"Hmm?" Erza's eyes became evaluating as she looked at Lucy. "You were in Fairy Tail yesterday…" She said and Lucy straightened in surprise before bowing forward.

"I'm a new member, my name is Lucy." She said then stood straight again. "Mira-san asked me to tag along so I'll try to be useful." She said and Erza smiled at her.

"I'm Erza, nice to meet you." She said then looked at Link as he pointed at Lucy. "I see… you're the one that Link heard about while he waited for me at Fairy Tail." Erza said and Lucy looked at her and Link in confusion. "He said he'd heard you defeated a mercenary gorilla… you're very promising." She said and Lucy's shoulder slumped as she looked down.

"That was… Natsu… and it wasn't a gorilla" Lucy said sadly.

"This mission might be a little risky, but I think you'll be okay." Erza said confidently, getting a nod from Link.

"Risky?!" Lucy screamed and once again Link winced.

"Please refrain from screaming like that unexpectedly, Link's ears are very sensitive." Erza said and Lucy brought a hand to her mouth

"S-sorry." She said and Link nodded his head before turning towards the train.

"Hmph." Natsu said and Link paused as everyone looked at Natsu. "I don't know what our task is, but I'll go on one condition." Natsu said and Erza looked at him with mild surprise.

"Condition?" She asked as Link tilted his head curiously.

"What are you, retarded?" Gray hissed as he looked at Natsu in surprise before he looked at Erza nervously. "I… I would work for free if it was for you Erza." He said as Erza continued to look at Natsu steadily.

"Name it." She said as Natsu looked back at her just as steadily.

"When we return, I want to fight you and Link one on one." He said and Lucy and Gray looked at him in shock as Link brought his palm to his forehead. "I'm different from back then." Natsu continued confidently.

"Y-you IDIOT!" Gray yelled in shock as he stared at Natsu. "The first fight with either of them would be enough to kill you!" He went on but Natsu's eyes never wavered.

"You've really grown up." Erza said as she smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. "I'm not very confident in myself… but very well." She said and Link raised an eyebrow at her.

"What do you mean you're not confident?!" Natsu demanded angrily. "Fight me seriously!" He roared before pointing a finger at Link. "And don't think I've forgotten how you trapped me and ran off, Link!" Natsu yelled and Link gave a helpless shake of his head before looking at Natsu with a steady gaze and nodded once in agreement.

Fire erupted from Natsu's head as he looked up excitedly. "I'm in! Let's do this!" He roared in anticipation.

Link closed the door to the compartment car they had been assigned before sitting down across from Natsu, Gray, Happy, and Lucy. Link gave one big yawn before he held his right hand towards Natsu, who looked at him in confusion before he was encased in Link's Nayru's Embrace. "What's the big idea?!" Natsu demanded as he rose up slightly and the train starting to move. "Let me out! Right now!" He roared and Happy, Lucy, and Gray looked at Natsu in surprise.

"Natsu, you're not getting motion sickness." Lucy said and Natsu blinked as he looked out the window.

"Aye." Happy said as he continued to look at Natsu in surprise.

"Fufufu…" Erza laughed softly in amusement at their reactions. "Surely you three haven't forgotten?" She asked of Natsu, Gray, and Happy but they just looked at her blankly. "Nayru's Embrace negates impacts from all but the strongest of blows, something like the jarring of a train is easily absorbed." She said and Natsu smiled widely as he turned to look at Link again.

"Thank yo-!" Natsu cut himself off when he saw Link's head drooped down, his arms crossed over his chest, and his eyes closed. His breathing became the steady rhythm of sleep as he had his green hat now on his lap; thus allowing his blonde hair to sprawl out in random directions.

"So he finally reached his limit." Erza said with a small sigh. Link's body moved around with the bumping of the train as he snored softly and Erza smiled at him slightly.

So cute! Lucy thought with a smile before her expression turned thoughtful.

"Now that I think about it…" Lucy said as she brought a finger to her lips thoughtfully. "The only magic I've seen in Fairy Tail is Natsu's and Link-san's, and I've never heard of a magic that looks like his." She said and Link's eyes fluttered then one eye cracked open slightly before Erza punched him in the stomach. Link gasped before being sent back to unconsciousness and fell over sideways.

"That should make sure he stays asleep." She said as she caught him and laid his head on her lap gently.

Everyone looked at Erza in blank shock before Lucy shook her head to clear her thoughts. "What… what kind of magic do you use, Erza-san?" Lucy asked a little nervously.

"You can call me Erza." Erza said as she looked at Lucy.

"Erza's magic is beautiful." Happy said with a broad smile. "Lots of blood comes out at the end, her opponent's blood." He said as he put both paws into the air.

"How is that beautiful?" Lucy asked as she looked down at Happy nervously.

"It's nothing special." Erza said before indicating Gray with one hand. "I think Gray's magic is more beautiful." She said and Gray looked at her curiously as Natsu "hmphed" and looked up.

"Hmph!" Gray said as he held his left hand out, palm up, and put his right fist on top of it and immediately a cold wind began to blow around his hands as he maneuvered the fingers of his right fist before moving it up to reveal an ice sculpture of the Fairy Tail mark.

"Wah!" Lucy said in surprise as she looked at the small sculpture with a smile. "It's beautiful." She said and Gray shrugged.

"It's ice magic." Gray said as he left it floating in the air.

"It doesn't really fit you though." Lucy said but Gray just offered another shrug.

"Who cares?" He asked before he shot a glare at Natsu as he chuckled at Lucy's comment.

Lucy suddenly paused before she looked at Gray then Natsu. "Ice." She said as she pointed at Gray. "Flame!" She said as she pointed at Natsu before her eyes widened in realization. "Ah! No wonder you two don't get along." She said then giggled into her hand.

"Is that so?" Erza asked curiously as she looked at both Natsu and Gray who just crossed their arms and looked in different directions.

"Who cares about that?" They both said at the same time and Lucy giggled again as they both tensed up before they turned to glare at each other.

"What is Link-san's magic?" Lucy asked a few minutes later and Erza smiled slightly.

"Link calls it Hylian Magic." She said and Lucy cocked her head curiously as she looked up and thought carefully.

"I've never heard of a magic like that before." She said and Erza nodded.

"Link's the only person currently known who uses it, and it covers a wide variety of abilities." Erza said and Natsu, Gray and Happy all nodded their heads.

"Like this crystal?" Lucy asked as she pointed at Natsu.

"Aye." Happy said as he raised a paw up. "Another kind involves his ocarina." He added and Lucy looked at him in confusion.

"His what?" She asked and Erza reached into the armor on her left forearm and pulled out the Fairy Ocarina.

"This is an ocarina." Erza explained as she held it up for Lucy to see. "It's an instrument from his homeland that works somewhat like a flute." She said before putting it back.

"Oh, so it's like music magic!" Lucy said as she brought her hands together.

"Aye. Also he can do a variation of Erza's magic." Happy said before Natsu clapped his hands together impatiently.

"Erza! What is it you want us to do?" Natsu asked as he crossed his arms.

"Yeah, the idea that you actually need help is rare, let alone that you don't know if Link's help would be enough." Gray said and Erza nodded her head.

"Yeah… let me explain." She said as Link shifted slightly in his sleep. "I was on my way back when I stopped at a bar in Onibas where mages gather. While I was there some folks caught my attention." Erza said and everyone leaned in slightly, Natsu pressing his forehead against the crystal.

"Hey! Where's my damn beer?!" A man roared as he and three others sat at a table. Erza, who was sitting at the bar with a glass of water, looked back in mild annoyance at the ingrate. "Why are you so slow?!" A man with dark hair and whisker marks on his face demanded. The man was tall, that much was obvious even when he was sitting, with his dark hair arranged in the front to go up in a flat tuft resembling a cone. He sore simple attire that consisted of a zipped, brownish jacket with a large collar over a dark shirt, dark pants and simple shoes.

"I… I'm sorry…" A blonde waitress said nervously as she walked up with a flagon of beer.

"Byard, don't get so angry." A tan man with a pointed nose and sharp chin next to him said as he smoked a cigar. The man wore a distinctive jacket, light in the low part and dark in the upper one and on the sleeves, which came equipped with a tight hood covered in black and light stripes with a light shirt under it and a pair of simple pants and shoes.

"How can I not be angry, Rayule?!" Byard demanded as he brought his flagon up impatiently.

The waitress, who had been heading towards him with a new mug, froze as the beer flew from the flagon in the waitresses hand to his empty one."Hieeeek!" She screamed in surprise as her eyes went wide.

"We finally found the "Lullaby" but it was all sealed up!" Byard yelled as he slammed his flagon on the table, the impact sending some of his drink out of his the container. "Now we can't even break the damn seal at all!" He continued to rant before he brought his flagon up to take a swig of his beer.

"Idiot! You're too loud!" Rayule hissed and the third man at their table nodded his head.

A rather unusual looking man, he was short, hunched and fat with strange features. He didn't seem to have a visible nose, and possessed very large lips, with his face on the whole resembling that of a fish. His green hair pointed upwards in many rounded, curved spikes. His attire consisted of a crimson jacket with lighter edges and a high collar, held closed right under it but otherwise being left open, over a light shirt. Unfortunately the shirt was short and revealed much of Karacka's stomach as it fell just short of his loose, blackish pants which were held up by a simple belt and tucked inside boots. He also wore a massive necklace around his neck, consisting of several, very large metal discs connected by a rope. "Yep. Too noisy." He said in a deep voice.

"Shit!" Beard exclaimed and he ended up spitting out some of his beer as his eyes shot open in surprise.

"It's not like we can break the seal even if we had more people." A dark haired man, his black hair was pulled into a tight ponytail with his excess hair styled up to resemble the top of a pineapple, also sitting at the table said with a smile and they all looked at him curiously. He was dressed in a white, high collar jacket over a black shirt, white pants, and black shoes with an onyx stud in each ear. A wicked gleam shone in his black eyes as he regarded his curious companions but he merely smirked in reply.

"What are you talking about, Kageyama?" Rayule asked as the man pushed his chair back.

"I'll take care of the rest, so you guys just go on and head back to the Guild." Kageyama said before he stood up. "Please let Eligor-san know I'll definitely come back with Lullaby in two days." He said with his smirk still in place as he walked away.

"For real?" Rayule asked in shock as the others looked at him in equal surprise. "Did you figure out how to break the seal?" He asked and Byard slammed his beer flagon down in celebration.

"Way to go, Kage-chan!" He yelled as the man walked out of the bar.

"Lullaby?" Gray asked curiously as the train started to slow down.

"The Lullaby… is it some sort of magic to put people to sleep?" Lucy asked as Natsu cocked his head curiously, trying to figure out the big deal. Why does that sound familiar? The blonde wondered curiously as she crossed her arms under her chest and looked down contemplatively.

"I don't know…" Erza said as she looked at them seriously. "But since it was sealed, it probably contains some powerful magic." She said and Natsu sighed as he shook his head.

"Erza, it just sounds like a job they were doing." Natsu said and Gray nodded his head.

"As much as I hate to agree with the flaming retard-""What?!""-it doesn't sound like anything special." Gray said; ignoring Natsu's fiery outburst, literally as flames shot from his mouth, and Link's ears twitched slightly.

"Yeah… that's what I told myself as well and didn't think any more of it…" Erza said as her expression never wavered. "Until I remembered the name Eligor." Erza said and they looked at her curiously. "The ace of the Mage Guild Eisenwald, Shinigami Eligor."

"Sh-shinigami?!" Lucy squeaked in surprise at the title. Her sudden fear ruined her focus and she forgot all about trying to riddle out the distantly familiar sounding magic.

"It's a nickname he was given because he kept taking assassination requests." Erza said as her eyes narrowed in disgust. "The Council prohibits mages from taking them, but he chose money instead." Erza said as the train came to a stop.

"Link, wake up." Erza said as she looked down at him and gave his shoulder a gentle shake.

Link stirred then yawned before he slowly sat up straight, rubbing his eyes as he did so. He shot Erza a small glare as he rubbed his stomach but she merely offered a small smirk in reply as her right eyebrow cocked curiously. After a few seconds, Link just shook his head before he let Natsu out as he gave another yawn before he put his cap back on, adjusting it only slightly to ensure a snug fit.

"Excuse me." A black haired man in a white, high-collared jacket said as he accidentally bumped into Link when he walked out of his own compartment. Link merely offered a small grin and a shake of his head before he followed the others off the train.

"So then six years ago… the Guild was ousted from the Mage Guild League and categorized as a Dark Guild." Erza said as she pulled her wagon off the train.

"A Dark Guild?!" Lucy yelled in surprise as sweat poured from her and Link winced slightly.

This is going to be one of those jobs… He thought with an internal sigh. Wait… what Guild? He wondered as he looked at the four of them, for he had been passed out during Erza's story and didn't know the full story.

"Lucy, your skin is producing juice." Happy said as he hovered next to her and Link laughed into his hand as Lucy glared at Happy.

"It's sweat!" She retorted angrily while Natsu laughed loudly.

"I see…" Gray said seriously as he adjusted his pack.

"Wait!" Lucy called out and this time Link glared at her slightly and she quickly covered her mouth with her hands. "Sorry." She said before continuing. "You said ousted… but didn't they get punished?" Lucy asked and Erza stopped to look back at her.

"They were." The blade mage confirmed with a nod. "Eisenwald's Master was arrested and they were ordered to disband." She said as the train whistle blew before moving. "However, most Dark Guilds simply ignore the order and continue functioning." Erza said and Lucy brought her hands to her mouth in shock.

Lucy's face became pale as she considered what she was about to be a part of. "M-Maybe I'll just go back home…" She said as she stumbled towards a bench.

"Again?" Natsu asked as he crossed his arms over his chest with a small sigh.

"It was a blunder on my part…" Erza said with a self-recriminating tone and shake of her head. "If I only had remembered his name back then..." She paused for a moment I would have destroyed all four of them."

"Right… if it had just been the four at the bar you probably could have handled them." Gray said and Link blinked as he looked at Gray in confusion. "But when it's the entire Guild…" He trailed off and Erza nodded her head.

"They got a hold of this magic called Lullaby and are plotting something. I judged we could not overlook this matter." She said and Link gave a small sigh as he quickly got tired of not knowing what was going on.

"So we're looking for this Kageyama, right?" Natsu asked and Erza nodded her head before she looked over at Link as he raised an eyebrow at her curiously.

"Alright!" Natsu exclaimed with a feral smile as he slammed his right fist into his left palm excitedly. "Where do we find him?" He asked but Erza shook her head.

"He has black hair up in a ponytail that looks like a pineapple, but he's probably-" Erza was cut off as Link grabbed her shoulder and turned her quickly, his eyes wide.

"What is it Link?" She asked seriously and Link pointed back into the train station. "You saw him?" Erza asked in disbelief and Link nodded his head. "You idiot, why didn't you say anything?!" She demanded as she glared at him angrily.

Link simply looked at her with a flat expression while everyone sweat-dropped, not sure if they should mention she had knocked him out before her story. His expression spoke volumes, though, and Erza's anger quickly disappeared to be replaced with mild embarrassment for her outburst. Before anything else could be said, Link was running flat out back to the station and everyone was quickly after him.

Kunugi Train Station

The black haired man chuckled happily to himself as he held a wooden flute with a skull at the end of it, a skull with three eyes. "Eligor-san will certainly be pleased." He said then tucked the flute away before his eyes tightened slightly. But still, who would've thought I would see Link Kokiri on my way from Onibus... Kageyama's eyes closed as he pondered the incredible odds of such a thing happening. The others also must've been from that damn Fairy Tail… He thought before he simply shrugged as he felt the train come to a screeching halt. Well, that's one stop-

"KYAAAAA!"

Kageyama's eyes went wide as a loud shriek of terror shattered his contemplation before he heard a voice that brought a wicked smirk to his face. He quickly stood up and walked out of the compartment in time to see an extremely tall, lean-built and yet mildly muscular man with silver hair, pointed upwards in spiky strands on top of his head except for a portion that hung down to the left of his face in a distinctive tuft and reached down to his shoulders. His dark eyes were circled by dark lines and each of them had a simple tattoo right below it that consisted of a pointed line going down vertically, crossed with two more, larger horizontal lines. The upper part of his body was similarly tattooed, but with much larger, intricate and blue-colored motifs, which took on spiraling forms and adorned his shoulders, biceps, pectorals and back. His lower body was covered in different layers of clothing; a long, worn skirt, reminiscent of a hakama, below a darker, shorter cloth, held up by an even lighter and shorter one tied like a belt. He also wore a black scarf wrapped around his thin neck, with its edges hanging on his back and had traditional geta sandals on his feet. His attire was rounded out with a pair of distinctive dark gloves, each adorned by a light "X" on the back, and by bandages wrapped around his forearms. "Hello, Eligor-san." Kageyama said with a small, respectful bow and his smirk still in place.

"I heard you were coming back on this train." Eligor said in a deep, bored tone as he walked up to the black haired man. His features, frightening enough, were made more terrifying with the large scythe he carried effortlessly in his left hand; the shaft bouncing slightly off his shoulder with each step. "I've been waiting for you, Kageyama." He said as the sound of people screaming, evil laughter, and items being thrown to the ground came from outside.

Kageyama's smirk widened as he stood up straight while Byard and Rayule walked on to the train. "I managed to break the seal, Eligor-san." Kageyama said as he pulled out the demonic looking flute and held it out. "Feast your eyes on this." Eligor looked at it for a few seconds before he reached out with his right hand and casually took it from his minion's hand.

"I see…" Eligor said as he looked at the flute impassively. "This is it… the forbidden magic, Lullaby." He said and an evil smile stretched his face into diabolic delight as Rayule and Byard gave smiles of pleasant surprise.

"Good job, Kage-chan!" Byard roared and it wasn't long before many others joined them in the train after his congratulations.

"With this, our plan is complete!" Rayule cheered and soon every Eisenwald mage were cheering for Kageyama's success as well.

"This flute was just a tool for "murder by curse" at first…" Eligor said as he tightened his grip on the Lullaby. "But then the Great Dark Mage Zeref further developed this flute into something special, a truly wonderful piece of terror." Eligor said as he brought the Lullaby up in front of his face. Lullaby… the mass murder magic that puts a death curse on all those that hears its melody!" He said before he started to laugh loudly. "Let the show begin!" He yelled as he thrust the Lullaby triumphantly into the air.

"OOOOHHHHH!" His Guildmates all cheered before they moved about to finish the preparations.

Fiore Countryside - Somewhere between Onibus Town and Oshibana Town

A green four wheel vehicle sped down a dirt road at high speed, following the train tracks as it kicked up dust. In the front seat on the outer part of the vehicle, Erza drove the vehicle with a long joystick as the SE, or Self-Energy, Plug siphoned off her magic in order to power the vehicle. Inside the vehicle Lucy, Gray, Natsu, and Happy sat somewhat nervously at the daredevil speeds while Link perched up on the roof with his legs gripped tight on the forward part of the vehicle to rest behind Erza.

"Lucy, are you sure about this?" Gray asked seriously as he sat across from her while Natsu looked like he was simply trying to stay conscious.

"N-not enough room... my foot..." Natsu grumbled before he brought a hand to his mouth as he gagged.

Ignoring the Dragon Slayer, Lucy gulped nervously before she nodded her head. "It… it was just supposed to be a made-up story though… that's why it didn't occur to me at first…" She tried to explain before she hugged herself tightly as a shudder went through her. They had just rented the magic vehicle before she had remembered the magic and had gone immediately pale.

Mass murder magic! Erza thought as sweat whipped from her face from the amount of magic she was pumping into the vehicle to speed it along. If Eligor got hold of such a thing… Erza thought before her eyes tightened and the vehicle put on a new surge of speed that made Link wobble momentarily on his precarious perch.

Not that he noticed much, as his own thoughts were echoing Erza's as the vehicle hit a jump that had all the occupants inside the vehicle yelling in fear.

It wasn't very long, a little over a half hour, before the Kunugi Station was in sight, and what a sight it was as they came to a stop.

Knights were stationed at several places around the station with yellow caution lines strung about everywhere. One Knight was busy talking with a train conductor as he tried to get the full story of what happened while a crowd of people stood in front of the increasingly frustrated guards.

"A bunch of men, all of them carrying scythes, suddenly took over the train!" One elderly woman cried out as she held off one Knight's arm and he looked down at her uncertainly.

"I know who they were!" Another middle-aged man said as he walked forward. "They're from that Dark Guild, Eisen-something!" He exclaimed and Erza looked back up at Link to see he was already looking at her.

Link's eyes showed his concern as he saw the sheen of sweat on her face but he closed his eyes thoughtfully. After a few moments he reopened them and shook his head to her questioning look, to which she made a small sound of annoyance before looked forward and took off at high speed once more.

Inside the vehicle, Lucy shook her head in confusion when they took off as Natsu slumped to the ground. "I don't get... why would they take a train?" She asked as she crossed her arms under her chest. "It can only go on the tracks, so it seems a poor choice to steal." She shook her head with a sigh after a few seconds and looked up at Gray, at which her eyes widened in surprise.

"But it's got speed." Gray remarked as he finished removing his jacket and put his hands under his shirt. "If they've got somewhere they're trying to reach in a hurry, it's the perfect vehicle." He said then started to take his shirt off.

"Why are you undressing?" Lucy asked nervously and Gray paused with a blink before he seemed to realize what he was doing.

"Huh." He said before he put his shirt down. "Anyways, the fastest way to get somewhere is via the train lines. Maybe they just need to reach somewhere fast to pull off their plan and can then scatter." Gray reasoned and Lucy swallowed as she considered that. "In that case, it won't matter if the route can be traced, because with enough of a head start only a few would be captured." He said confidently as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"B-but with the army after them, they'll still be captured soon enough... right?" Lucy asked but Gray simply closed his eyes in response.

Damnit... Erza thought as they followed the railroad tracks to Oshibana. Just what the hell is that Eligor planning with such dark magic? Erza's mind was working overdrive as she sought to figure out Eisenwald's scheme. Link, his concentration not split by powering or directing the vehicle, was working even harder in order to prevent what was certain to be a tragedy.