Chapter 18 - Running Out of Time

It was not hard to leave the Magic Council's jail cell; it was just a tedious process. Locki had been imprisoned for murder, after all. And while he was absolved in the end, he still needed to go through the process of logging his magic signature as well as other miscellaneous documents that he chose to zone out for.

The only thing he paid attention to was the magic signature. It was common knowledge amongst the Council that everyone can have different magic affinity and mutability. As such, they had devised a system to keep track of strong mages and high-danger targets through the use of magic items that absorbed a mage's residual particles or whatever they measured.

Though, the complex mechanisms of the item went over Locki's head. Instead, he paid more attention to the fact that such a device existed. He logged such information away in his head for the off chance that he needed it.

Not that he was planning to go against the Magic Council anytime soon – or at all for that matter, but he figured it was nice information to have. Just in case.

Locki took his time on his walk home, enjoying the sun beaming down on his face. A couple of people gave him suspicious and wary glances, and the blonde noticed several eyes that poured his way from the darker alleyways that lined the streets.

Guild mages. He assumed, but it was more likely they were gang members and those associated with said magic guilds. Still, they were the same in his eyes. Both of them could not stand the sight of him, yet they couldn't strike him out of fear of retaliation. A retaliation that would soon have the strength of the Magic Council if everything went right.

If everything went right.

Those words echoed in the back of Locki's head. He knew what he needed to do, planned out most of the key points he needed to be successful, and even gained a significant shield in the form of the Magic Council. It was all he needed to buy enough time to build up his guild so that he had a fighting chance.

As such, he needed things to go right.

And the first step laid before him.

Scarlet Hand's guild building lay in front of him, pristine as when he last left it. Which wasn't that long of a time, but Locki felt like he spent days in that jail cell even if it was only one.

The teen felt a bit anxious as he reached the doorway. The wooden shutters for the windows were drawn and the door's heavy nature served as a way to block prying eyes just as much as to block the sun for Gyutaro and Daki. However, to him, it seemed like some sort of barricade that was expecting an ambush.

In a way, he had been like that in the days before he set Kagura and Daki off. Now, he was nervous for a different reason.

He needed Gyutaro on board with him. A simple enough step, but one that required the demon to not give in to his bloodthirsty tendencies. A fight he knew they would lose, considering the four S-rank mages spread between the four magic guilds plotting against him.

Locki had known that Gyutaro was dangerous, and he hoped to build up some rapport with the demon. Yet, the first time he and Gyutaro worked together he had unknowingly dragged the demon's sister into a scheme that dealt with Zeref's Cults. It was certainly not a sparkling story that would appeal to the demon, and he had no idea how Gyutaro would have acted while Locki had been locked up. For all the young guildmaster knew, he could be walking straight into a den of traps so that he could force Locki into some deal to get his sister out of Scarlet Hand.

A little paranoid, though Locki felt it was good to err on the side of caution. It didn't help that his [Carpentry] skill highlighted areas where traps could be expected; not that it actually told him where traps were. Sadly.

With a shaky breath, the teen briefly pushed the door, feeling for any springs or listening to any mechanisms that could spell his demise. When he found nothing other than a heavy door, Locki slowly opened up his guild.

"That old bat finally let you out, huh?" A gruff voice greeted him from behind the bar portion of the room.

Locki paused, suddenly unsure. "Berrel? What are you doing here?"

Berrel shrugged, stifling a harsh cough. "Well, after those idiots ruined my bar, I figured I should take advantage of the contract I still had for Scarlet Hand. I'll supply food and drink for a seven-three split now. The seven is me, by the way."

"Seven…" Locki felt he ran into a different sort of trap, but counted his blessings that Gyutaro hadn't decided to attack him nor skip town as he was gone. Then, the barkeeper's words finally hit him. "Wait. Why are you the seven? When did this happen?"

"Your guild mate signed off on it. He said, and I quote 'whatever, just don't bother me.'" Berrel explained with a shit-eating grin.

Locki could only groan. He could overturn the contract, but that was something that needed to be done soon before it became legally binding, and any process with Fiore was too tedious to deal with. After all, he needed to start preparing for the Magic Item Exchange that False Giants had started. It was more pressing than a steady stream of money.

"Fine. Fine, just consider it as me paying off my debt." Locki said, waving off the larger man.

Carefully, the guildmaster looked around, eyeing the barrels of alcohol and kitchenware that were organized behind the bar counter. He then saw two mission completion papers stacked on the counter. Both were signed with payment held under them by an empty glass.

"This?" Locki took a paper, looking over the contents. He was a little startled to find that Gyutaro had taken two miscellaneous jobs, and he hurriedly hid the two tier 1 Blue Prisms that appeared into his pocket.

"Your mage went out and did a few odd jobs when it appeared you were still out." Berrel helpfully supplied. "Anyways, I'll be here till my bar gets repaired, and then I'll send someone to take over here as soon as I can. Though, while I am here, I do have a few bits and pieces that might intrigue you."

"Oh? I thought you quit." Locki leaned his elbows on the counter. He knew Berrel back when the guy worked with Scarlet Hand regularly, but instead of a barkeep, the man had been the main source of information for the guild.

Berrel just chuckled softly. "Everyone just assumed I did. Alcohol loosens lips, and while I don't have fancy magic, I can still hear perfectly fine. But, that's not the information I am here to give you. One of the people I knew had some information on the Tower of Heaven."

Locki schooled his features, tilting his head slightly. "How much is 'some?'"

"Apparently, someone in Magnolia has been asking around about it as well. I think you should know who's ballsy enough to do something like that, especially since that's where that line of information stops."

Fairy Tail. Locki held back a sigh at the revelation. Because while there had been other magic guilds in Magnolia, only Fairy Tail was ever strong enough to do something so overt and still get away with it. And now, they were probably his only avenue to pursue more information about the Tower of Heaven without the threat of Cults.

"Thanks, Berrel. I'll do something about it. Payment?"

Berrel shook his head. "I'll put it on your tab. Besides, I might as well pay my rent somehow. You got something you want to know?"

Locki hummed, trying not to smile at such a fortune. While Lon had supplied him information, Berrel knew a lot more about the darker secrets of the magic guilds. Something that would directly increase the potency of his Curse.

"Can I know some secrets about the magic guilds around us? The more personal, the better. And…" Locki paused, stifling a bit of anger that rose up suddenly. "What have you got on Desertio?"

"Hmmm." Berrel closed his eyes. "I can get you the information, but…" he pulled the money out from under the empty glass on the counter. "Two more of these, and I can get everything on your desk. Though, why Desertio? Last I heard the king had died, and a succession war was scheduled in a year or two."

Succession war. Locki had heard that Desertio had heavy traditions, but it was something that many people simply didn't pay attention to when Fiore was so far away. However, he felt like he had an idea on what his so-called brother's mission would be.

Locki sighed, feeling exhausted with the thoughts of everything he needed to do. He really needed that assistant soon or else he'd work himself into an early grave.

"Don't worry about why I need the information." Locki waved off Berrel's words. He felt that half of it was because the man was also fishing for information of his own. You could never be too sure about these types.

Berrel didn't take offense and just nodded. "By the way, you should talk to your guildmate soon. He hasn't eaten at all since I saw him, and now, he's been training since last night as well."

"He'll be fine. Just send him my way when he comes out." Locki said, getting up to walk over to the guildmaster's room.

He tried to hide it, but the conversation brought him back to better times. Where all he needed to do was sleep, read a good book and relax. It was simpler when he didn't need to look over his shoulder or deal with all the politics that hid behind the power that were mages.

Only when Locki had got behind the door to his guildmaster room did he finally exhale the long sigh that he held back. Berrel had always been a good guy; someone who supported Locki and his father in any way he could. Locki had spat on that relationship enough times that he didn't know if he could redeem it. After all, there was only so much alcohol that Berrel was willing to give to the teen before he became a nuisance.

After a moment of brief happy thoughts, Locki glanced around his room, expecting everything to be the way it was. Except, there was another addition to the empty shelves that sat within the depression of his wall. An ivory tusk with splatters of dried blood that stained it. He knew where that came from, and he hadn't expected his guildmate to take back a souvenir when he had been fighting for his life. A little macabre, he thought. Maybe it was different for demons? Hopefully.

Locki put those thoughts in the back of his mind as he zeroed back in on his desk. He circled around to the back, shielding his eyes from the strand of sunlight that pierced through the blinds behind his work area. Without much thought, he found one of the lower drawers of the desk; out of sight and uncomfortable to reach for even when he sat down. They were there because he put things he didn't care for in them. A way to organize the trash that he couldn't reasonably get rid of, and didn't want anyone getting into.

Yet, as soon as his hand touched the handle to the drawer, he paused. Locki had always tried to do everything with confidence. Even when that confidence was faked, he shouldered through the problems until he made it. More often than not, he did it. So, he wondered when he got so timid when all he faced were a series of words from a man he didn't care much for.

"Even in death, the man continues to annoy me." Locki clicked his tongue, yanking the drawer open in a quick motion.

Inside the desk were a series of paperwork; old mission completion documents from before Locki became the guildmaster. They detailed heroic exploits of his father and his men. Tales that would be fit for bards or adventurers of all ages to gasp and regale to bright-eyed youths.

Locki pushed those aside carelessly, searching for the letter he had shoved in long ago. After a few minutes, he produced a slim, bone-white letter. On the front were stenciled letters, raised and bolded as if to emphasize their importance: For when time requires it, Locki Wyn.

"How pretentious." Locki said, chuckling to himself. Many mages liked to think highly of themselves, himself included, but he never expected it to run in the family.

However, he stopped to inspect the letter. He turned it over constantly, looking for more to it but found none. All it was, and seemed to be, was just a boring, old letter. In a way, Locki was both mollified and annoyed at how much emotion he was putting into this.

Carelessly ripping open the letter, Locki spilled the contents on his desk, finding two pieces of paper that had been folded up inside. The blonde pursed his lips at how long the letter seemed to be, knowing that he needed to read this to understand just what was the deal with his supposed brother.

Then he paused, letter in hand. "And how the hell did that work? Did dad really sleep with the queen of a country?"

Locki felt conflicted on the issue suddenly, but decided to do what he had been doing lately and put it out of mind. Falling back and settling into his chair, Locki opened up the letter to read aloud.

"Dear son, or Locki, whatever you want me to call you. I never thought I would write this, nor did I ever want to. I've been talked into this, really." Locki frowned as he spoke, already hating it. Just like his father to make the idea of writing his last words to his son like pulling a tooth out.

"To tell the truth: I never expected you to show up at the guild's door. You were a complete surprise, and to be honest, I found you a hassle." Locki put down the letter for a moment, rubbing his forehead.

Calming himself down, Locki continued reluctantly, "While I am skeptical about your abilities, I am told you'll do fine. Probably. My faith in you currently is pretty low already, but anyways–"

Locki put the letter down again, and then promptly decided that he should just skim it. He quickly noticed that his father's letter had nothing other than insults and the constant need to put him down, which he had slightly expected. However, even if he expected the comments, he never really dwelled hard on it.

He… didn't think it would affect him as much as it did. Still, he knew he shouldn't expect much from his father in the first place. It was only at the end of the first page did he find what he wanted to know: the information about his brother.

"I also only heard about your half-brother at the moment of writing this. But don't worry about anything happening to you. The politics about Desertio is weird; not sure about it, really. Though, I am told that the king should be dead by the time you get this letter, so…" several lines were scratched out till they were illegible. "Well, help your brother, I guess. That's all."

Locki tossed the paper across the room, feeling disgust. "'That's all'? That's what he ends it with? Damn old man."

Leaning back into his chair, Locki looked up at his ceiling. He thought back over the letter, trying to find something he could use beyond the constant annoyance was an effort. However, he quickly noticed a recurring theme within his father's constant shittalking: there was someone else who was giving the man his information.

Consistently, Locki saw his father mention how he was 'told' about certain things. Most of the information pertained to himself, but the thing that gave him pause was the fact that his father mentioned the death of Desertio's king. While Locki didn't really know how soon the king had died, he certainly felt it a little weird how his father seemed to mention it in a letter from more than three months ago.

Anger no longer clouding his mind, Locki turned back to the two pieces of paper he had tossed across the room. His father's letter had somehow landed facedown while the one behind it had fluttered to the top, letting him see the small amount of writing that occupied it.

And let him notice the difference in handwriting.

Locki made his way across the room, picked up the paper and immediately felt the handwriting was familiar. He looked over the paper, turning it over to make sure there was only writing on the front. When he made sure there was nothing other than the writing, he grew a little curious.

There were only three separate lines, written quickly as if the writer had rushed to finish. Locki paid more attention to these since his father's letter seemed less informative.

"When you read this, I have no idea how much time has passed, but I know you won't understand everything immediately. Instead, I give you two pieces of advice: one, you should not base your goal on greatness. And two, when you receive the deal from Destiny, and you'll know what I am talking about when it happens, [refuse it]." Locki frowned as he felt something through the words. It was almost imperceptible, but he still likened it almost to his own magic just more… subtle. Honestly, Locki wasn't even sure he felt it correctly despite his knowledge.

"Still," Locki turned the odd letter over in his hands. He knew there had to be a reason why someone else's advice was added to his father's last words, and whoever they were probably was there when his dad kicked the bucket.

The problem now was less about his brother and more about the mysterious origin of the other letter. Not to mention how 'destiny' had been capitalized, emphasizing something he didn't know.

Mysteries were something he enjoyed when he was reading, but such a mystery in front of him didn't make the teen feel better. In fact, he wished people would just tell him everything upfront instead of dancing around the topic.

Locki sucked in an annoyed breath, putting his father's letter at the back of his mind. He reread the point about a deal several times as if it held clues he missed. "Who would even write such random shit? Though, they wrote about someone who will offer me a deal as if there was a person named Dest–"

"Guildmaster?" A voice broke Locki from his musings as the teen found Gyutaro entering his office space. "What'd you need me for?"

The demon peered at the wrinkled letters in Locki's hands, smacking his lips awkwardly. "Do you, ah… need some time alone?"

Locki frowned. "No, why?"

"I heard about the letters from your old man from that old grandma." Gyutaro shrugged, watching Locki's own response. "She came by yesterday when you were taken in to explain you were under 'time out.' Then, she looked for the letter later."

Locki tried not to bury his head in his hands to hide his embarrassment from Lon's actions. Why she felt the need to word his imprisonment as something for a kid who threw a tantrum, he would never know. The fact that she explained that to the guild member he felt had a good chance of running away did not make him feel better.

"I'll make sure to have a word with her later, but no, I already finished reading my… father's letter."

Gyutaro inclined his head. "Shitty dad?"

Locki snorted, leaning back on his desk across from the demon. It was to both present a relaxed front, but to also allow for him to reach the blinds at a moment's notice. Just in case his guild member decided to try to terminate his employment early. Gyutaro also eased up as well, leaning against the doorframe as he shuffled away from the small beams of sunlight that still broke through the blinds.

"He certainly was a piece of work, but at least I got a place to live, money and food." Locki shook his head with a placid smile. "I just wished he hadn't dumped so much work on me."

Gyutaro hummed, seemingly in agreement. "Better than my dad, then."

"Hears to shitty parents, right?" Locki said jovially, smiling a bit as Gyutaro cracked a toothy grin.

They didn't ask much about each other's parents, and neither of them shared more about them either. Yet, Locki started to feel more at ease despite his knowledge that Gyutaro could kill him in the blink of an eye. It was weird. They hadn't had a profound conversation, nor did they have a heart-to-heart, but the teen just felt like he could relate in the oddest way to the demon.

"So, what do you need?" Gyutaro asked again, crossing his arms as he looked down with a frown. "We gonna fight again?"

Locki paused as he saw the frown on his guildmate's face. "Hopefully not anytime soon. I am going to need your support when we go to a certain event that is coming up, and it'll buy us enough time to get our feet under us so to speak."

Gyutaro didn't say anything for a moment, causing Locki to grow a bit nervous. However, the demon's next words blew his apprehension away.

"How weak am I?" Gyutaro asked, not meeting Locki's eyes.

"What?"

Gyutaro shook his head. "'Buy us time.'" he parroted. "We'd only need time if we're the weaker side. Those… mages from before. I don't think I could have… beaten them alone. Shit. That feels horrible to say aloud."

"Wait, that's what you're worried about?" Locki asked, trying to wrap his head around how odd it sounded for the demon to talk about it.

"... yeah, I just don't want to lose my sister to people like that. But I don't know how to match mages like that. What if there are stronger ones?" Gyutaro said, growling to himself. He pushed to lock eyes with his guildmaster. "Are there stronger mages than those of that night?"

Locki sighed at how vulnerable the demon suddenly was. He didn't want to ruin Gyutaro's self esteem to describe how low level those mages were in the grand scheme of things. There was a reason why such a seemingly strong mage was only a leader of a small-time gang in a city far from Fiore's capital. All he could do was nod silently at Gyutaro's question, hoping he wouldn't ask for clarification.

Gyutaro just shook his head, chuckling to him as if he had been told a joke. "Damn. Who would have thought all those years would only match up to this?" lazily, the demon inclined his head in Locki's direction, squinting his eyes. "How do mages get stronger?"

"Depends on the mage, really." Locki tried to play it cool, trying not to set off the irate demon. "Most of the time training the body is enough, but sometimes a mage can learn new magic that simply increases what they can do. Some magic is rather dangerous by itself."

"Can I learn magic?" Gyutaro asked carefully.

Honestly, Locki didn't want Gyutaro to learn magic. On top of the fact that he felt the demon couldn't gain the magic container necessary for magic, Locki didn't want Gyutaro to have any ideas about leaving his magic guild. As much as the conversation eased Locki's largest worries when it came to the demon, he chose to err on the side of caution when it came to such a dangerous guy. In the first place, Locki needed Gyutaro's strength, but he needed someone more to take advantage of the openings his Curse could provide.

"I don't think you have the ability to learn magic." Locki said slowly, watching the demon's reaction. When there was no immediate sign of danger, Locki breathed an internal sigh of relief as he felt it was a good time to gain a stronger hold on the demon's loyalty.

"However, while I think you might not match up with magic, I think you can match stronger opponents if you have a better weapon than your blood scythes." Locki said. He had already gotten the idea to use his Prisms for his guildmates since Haunter gave him a manual. It would serve to allow his guild members to strengthen themselves while he could gain their loyalty with magic items.

"A better weapon?" Gyutaro perked up at the notion. Locki had known the demon had seen his rune armor, and he knew that the demon desired magic of his own to control. Rather than an obscure way of magic, Locki knew that a magic weapon would be more receptive to the demon's tastes. "Could I have a sword?"

"A sword?" Locki's lips twitched unnoticed. He would rather he didn't have another Honedge appear to threaten him.

"Yes, I have been practicing Breathing lately, and I think a sword might help."

Locki really wanted to know what breathing had to do with swordsmanship, but he didn't comment on it. Instead, he circled around his desk and pulled open a specific drawer. A sheen of blue lit up the ceiling as the tier 2 Blue Prisms rolled around inside their enclosure. Absently, Locki threw in the two tier 1 Prisms he got earlier inside while he reached for one of tier 2s, knowing he needed a weapon now. Though, he hoped he only needed a few Prisms to get what he wanted.

"This is?" Gyutaro looked curiously at the Prism, already wary of the lightshow.

"One of my abilities." Locki explained. "With these, I can pull out items from anywhere."

[Do you want to use "Tier 2 Blue Prism" to summon a random special item?]

[Targeting system locating nearby nodes]

[Three dimensional nodes found]

[Would you like to use "Member – Haunter" as a node?]

[Would you like to use "Member – Gyutaro Shabana" as a node?]

[Would you like to use "Item – Shin'O Academy Paper" as a node?]

"What?" Locki froze immediately as he read over the information.

Gyutaro stood ramrod straight, concern leaking out for a moment. "Something wrong?"

"No, no nothing's wrong." Locki waved his guild member's worries off easily. He focused more on the third option he had never seen before. He had known that he could use members as dimensional nodes, so he supposed that only members could contribute as nodes. Apparently, there were more than tier 3 Prisms that he didn't know.

Hiding his intrigue, Locki picked the third option and was once again stunned by new information.

[Warning! Using an item as a dimensional node will destroy the object on use.]

Locki pursed his lips, pondering the issue. He already figured out what the new object was: the letter from his father and the other person. However, he already knew that he couldn't use Kagura nor himself as a node, so that meant objects from Ishgar might not be applicable for the [Dimensional Guild System]. If that was the case…

"What the hell are you? How did you get here?" Locki whispered as he picked up the two letters. His eyes fell on the paper written by the mysterious person, and as he focused hard on it like he did with other objects that appeared from Prisms a screen popped up in his vision.

[Shin'O Academy Paper]

A piece of paper imbued with mysterious energy.

Effects: Can withstand the test of time

It was an odd description. Something that certainly meant something to someone. A mystery that grew the longer he stared at it. Still, that didn't stop him from using it, purely for curiosity's sake. If it was truly an object from Ishgar, then he'd have an idea where and how the object came to being. However, if it produced something else, then he'd have to assume that whoever sent this letter also had access to Prisms somehow.

A thought that sent a shiver of thrill down Locki's spine.

Without another moment to second guess his decision, Locki converted the item along with the paper. In an instant, a black lacquered sheathe lay in Locki's hands while the paper that gave Locki advice had disappeared. The item was clearly a sword; another katana to Locki's internal sigh of annoyance. What was with him and these swords? At least it wasn't another Honedge.

Locki turned the sword over in his hands, finding nothing to be outstanding about it. The only thing noteworthy about it was the odd letters on the pommel of the handle. Looking at it seriously, Locki found the simple blade was anything but.

[Asauchi]

The ultimate form of all Zanpakuto

Effects: Can become anything

Feeling the need to bash his head on a wall, Locki felt it was par of course to trade one mystery for another. Still, while the effect concerned him slightly, he didn't see the problem with giving the weapon to Gyutaro. It was still a blade, and Locki had tried to change it when he read the effect, but all he received was a futile effort. Which meant that the effect had some random trigger condition, so hopefully Gyutaro would break it or get a new weapon before he figured out how to use it.

"How's this?" Locki said, tossing the Asauchi to the demon as if it were a piece of trash.

Gyutaro frowned as he pulled open the sheathe to find a dull-colored blade. However, he still nodded, bowing awkwardly to Locki.

"Thanks. I'll rely on this until I need another one."

"Sure." Locki smiled, feeling like he had gained Gyutaro's slight trust. It was a start that he certainly could work with. "By the way, get ready in a couple days. We'll go out to threaten a couple of people with the capacity to level the city."

Gyutaro opened his mouth, closed it, then shook his head emotionlessly. As he walked out, Locki focused on more important matters. Like how he was going to get an impressive enough magic item for the False Giant's guild to let him in unannounced. Idly, his gaze traced the tier 2 Blue Prisms that sat innocently within his desk.

He sighed, shoulders slumped. He was so close to a tier 3, too.