Hi guys. So I'm back. It's been a month. I know, and I'm really really sorry, I can't apologise enough! Lots of things have been happening and I had such a bad writer's block (Loke's a cool character but I just cannot for the life of me write his personality properly for some reason. And you don't want to know how many times I rewrote blocks of the chapter). But yes, I'm back! Hope you all enjoy.

Oh and I have to say - over 40 favourites, over 60 followers and over 10 reviews? Thank you all so much for your support and kind words! As a celebration (and apology for the long wait) this chapter is extra long, with a little bonus omake at the end. The support you guys show honestly motivate me a lot so please continue to do so and I'll try my best to write faster and better stuff.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or The Gamer. I don't earn any money from this.

Four months later.

The Heartfilia heiress suppressed a groan of frustration as she roughly pulled at her blonde curls. Absentmindedly, her eyes skimmed over the rows of neatly printed words in front of her, none of the them actually sinking in. She sighed, flipping the book shut and (not so carefully) tossing it onto her bed. Without figuring out a way to escape this house - she wouldn't call it a home, never a home - with her celestial friends safely by her side, she couldn't even focus on one of her favourite pastimes.

Four months. Lucy had been stuck for four months, trying to figure out a way to get the key to the display case. She knew it was in her father's study room somewhere but her father was holed in there practically all day and when he wasn't he locked it up.

The only ones who had the key to Jude Heartfilia's study room were himself and...

"You know, I saw Mrs Curtis and the butler making out in the empty guest room on the second floor the other day!"

Lucy paused and shifted closer towards the voices. They were slightly muffled with most of the sound being obstructed by the wall, but she recognised the voices – it was Maggie and Samantha, the two younger maids in the mansion.

"No way, ye've got ta be lyin'. That's gross! Curtis and Gilman, t'gether? I do not like the image my mind is conjurin'."

The voices moved away and Lucy pressed her whole body flat against the wall, ear glued to the cool stone. They were slowly fading but she could still make out the next Samantha's next statement quite clearly.

"Please, it's even worse actually witnessing it. There I was mopping the floor and I heard some weird sounds. So I see this room that's got a half opened door, and I peeked in to investigate... And there they were. I seriously wish I could wipe my memory right now."

The walls have ears indeed.

Two days later.

Most animals can be quite patient when hunting. The wolf stilled its movements and listened carefully for the slight squeak or rustling of leaves from the dancing mice, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce once they identified the exact location of the sound. The rattlesnake lay motionless, coiled and camouflaged in the grass as they waited for the bird to be at its most vulnerable to jump out and squeeze. The eagle owl perched on a branch in the dark, waiting also, for the unfortunate hare to stumble into their range before swooping in, talons outstretched, swiping with one effortless movement to snatch it away from the ground.

Well this predator was patient enough to have waited four months for this moment. Her trap was set.

Sharp, brown eyes focused on the lone figure strutting up the long hallway, chin jutted proudly. Completely oblivious to the talons waiting in the silence of the shadows to snap out and swipe. Like the owl she stayed still, waiting patiently for her moment to strike.

The prey paused.

Perfect.

"[Manipulate]."

Lucy walked up to Mrs Curtis, smiling politely at the head maid.

"Mrs Curtis, I hope you have been well."

Mrs Curtis sniffed as her eyes immediately latched onto Lucy's attire.

"Miss Heartfilia, what are you doing walking around wearing only your nightgown? You know this is utterly inappropriate for a young lady such as yourself." She sneered.

Lucy looked down submissively as if she was agreeing with the old lady, inwardly doing an excited hop.

Her prey was right where she wanted them to be.

"Yes, Mrs Curtis, it is indeed very important to be 'appropriate' at all times. I'm very sorry for not heeding to the correct dress code." Lucy nodded emphatically, appearing as though she wholeheartedly believed what she was saying.

Mrs Curtis relaxed, nodding. "It is good you know, so hurry up and go change."

Lucy made no move to leave.

"Say, Mrs Curtis. As the head maid of the Heartfilia family you're very knowledgeable in what's 'appropriate' and what's not, right?"

"Yes…" The woman drawled, not entirely sure where the conversation was going. She shifted so her arms were crossed, waiting impatiently for Lucy to continue.

"So what do you think of... workplace affairs? It's very unprofessional and inappropriate, am I correct? You know, my father hates unprofessionalism. It'd be a terrible shame if anyone were to be caught… not that I'm saying there were anyone like that. But just think about it! He'd be so mad he'd fire anyone immediately! No matter if you were the butler or if you were the head maid!"

Lucy smirked, watching Mrs Curtis slowly pale as she caught onto what the girl was saying. Her mouth opened then closed repeatedly, gaping like a goldfish at the girl standing in front of her. The old woman stuttered out a few incoherent words as she pointed a shaking finger at Lucy, letting out inconsistent puffs of breath as she did. She watched in fascination as the head maid's face shifted from being as white as a ghost's to a deep angry purple, scrunched up and wrinkling unattractively like a shrivelled prune.

"You – I – how did – What – What do you want?" Mrs Curtis whispered frantically, glancing around anxiously as if she was checking to see if anyone had heard.

"Who, me?" Lucy widened her eyes innocently, "I don't want anything from you! I was just curious on your thoughts about office affairs! I didn't mean anything by that, really. Why are you reacting so strongly to this, anyway?"

Mrs Curtis' cheeks puffed out in anger or embarrassment, Lucy didn't know. Probably a bit of both.

"Don't lie to me, girl! You know, don't you? Who told you! This could ruin everything! I could lose my job – I'm going to – who told you? Was it Gilman? That no good, worthless –" Mrs Curtis clutched Lucy's shoulders, shaking frantically as she rapidly fired off questions.

Perfect.

"Thank you, Mrs Curtis." Lucy smiled broadly at the blubbering woman, "No it wasn't Mr Gilman who told me. Actually, you told me!"

The older woman barely had time to react as Lucy strolled to the window and pulled back the curtain to reveal a faintly glowing orb the size of her palm.

"This is a recording lacrima! Everything you said just now? That's been recorded into this cute little thing and ready to be broadcast throughout the whole mansion. Isn't it so nifty?" Lucy rolled the orb back and forth in her hand, looking utterly fascinated by it, "And before you ask, my father was the one who allowed me to use this magic. He wanted more… accurate information on the efficiency of the servants in the mansion."

Mrs Curtis, if possible, got even redder.

"You're lying! Your father would never –"

"You tell me," Lucy cut her off, shooting her a frosty glare, "how Jude Heartfilia thinks. To him, everything's value is based on their usefulness. His disapproval of magic? Well at the time he prohibited it because it hindered my growth as an heiress. Now? It's just another useful tool. You, on the other hand… your value just decreased, by quite a bit. And don't even think about trying to grab this and running for it, I made copies and sent it to random servants across the castle as soon as I touched it just now."

The head maid shook in her spot, cowering as she stared at the Heartfilia heiress.

"P-please, Miss Heartfilia. I'll lose my job, I'm not young anymore, I won't be employed again! Wh- what do you want from me? What do you want? I'll give it to you!" She scooted closer, grovelling at the blonde's feet.

"I told you, I don't want anything from you! However…" Lucy smiled kindly down at the lump lying in front of her.

"What is it? What is it!"

"Well… I am going to be inheriting the Heartfilia estates someday along with my husband…" Lucy drawled, watching as the woman nodded emphatically, eager to agree, "And, naturally, I'd want to familiarise myself with my future office room, which is currently my father's. Unfortunately, my father is a very… private… person, and so apart from him, only you have the keys to the room. I'd like to borrow it, just for a little while. Pretty please?"

The clanking of a key being pulled off the keychain sounded throughout the room.

[Manipulation] succeeded.

[Beginner's Manipulation]'s level has increased by one.

"Was that a good bluff, or was that a good bluff?" Lucy cackled deviously as she pressed the button on the glowing orb, watching as the light flickered desperately for a moment before dying out.

It sure was a good thing Mrs Curtis couldn't tell the difference between magical lacrimas and plain old children toys.

This was it. She had all everything in plan. Now all she had to wait was for the right time.

Three weeks later.

Loke was bored. This was a rare occurrence in and of itself considering he was in the company of a beautiful young lady but...

Man, he'd forgotten how dull these high class parties were.

"Oh look, my love! That's my father over there, let's go say hello! I'm sure he'll like you!" Hannah (his new girlfriend) gushed, dragging Loke along by the arm towards a group of identical looking men, all holding a glass of wine in their hands and wearing immaculate black suits.

Loke himself was also wearing a black suit, for the first time since she... for the first time since he'd begun serving his permanent sentence on Earthland. He felt a lot closer to his identity as "Leo the Lion" than "Loke of Fairy Tail" without his characteristic sunglasses and green hoodie jacket.

Subtly, he adjusted his tie. It suddenly felt constraining and tight, chokingly wrapped around his neck like a leash.

"Daddy!" Hannah cried out happily as the pair neared the men. She let go of Loke's arm, running towards a man with a bald, egg shaped head.

Loke took advantage of her distraction and slipped back into the crowd.

Honestly he liked Hannah enough, she was a sweet girl but...

"Loke, we must be soul mates!"

"I know my dad may not approve but I love you!"

"... And when we marry, I'm sure my mum will be so..."

Loke shifted uncomfortably. Sure he was a flirt, but he wasn't cruel. He'd make it very clear that he wasn't looking for a serious relationship before starting to romance girls, but this one was so sure she could 'tame the bad boy'...

He didn't even want to come to the party but...

"Please, Loke! My daddy really wants to meet you!" Hannah whined.

Loke grimaced slightly as the girl clung onto his sleeve. Taking a step back, he pulled his face into a gentlemanly smile.

"I really don't think that's a great idea..." He stated carefully.

Hannah burst into tears.

"B-but y-y-you p-promised and I-I love you a-and" she wailed, covering her face with her hands.

"Uhhh..." Loke looked around, noticing a crowd gathering.

Loke flailed his arms around, flapping them uselessly as he (desperately) tried to stop the onslaught of tears pouring out from the girl. It wasn't like he'd never made a girl cry before but he still had no idea what to do in situations like this. In all honesty he kind of wanted to cry a little himself, purely out of frustration.

"C'mon, Hannah, don't ruin that pretty face with tears, okay? Please stop crying, you're kind of making a scene..." Loke said nervously.

Hannah let out another shriek of despair, hiccuping and blubbering incoherently and holy crap this girl could cry.

"Jeez, what a jerk... did he make that girl cry? What's wrong with him?"

Loke twitched slightly as he registered the whispers of the crowd. Their judgemental eyes were really starting to annoy him and Hannah was still crying and –

"Alright! Alright I'll go to the party, okay? So stop crying!" Loke caved.

And so here he was, attending the party... and trying to avoid Hannah and her father.

He expertly weaved around the waves of people on the dance floor, trying to put as much distance between him and his current girlfriend as possible. Glancing around, Loke found a secluded corner. Swiftly he strode towards the area, hiding himself behind a white pillar. He leaned his head against the cool marble while he rubbed his temples slowly.

He guessed he'd have to avoid Hannah for the rest of the party. Absentmindedly, he registered the melody resonating from the corner where the live orchestra was playing. The atmosphere created by the classical music was one that Loke was unaccustomed to, being much more familiar with the beat heavy, blasting tunes of the clubs he usually dwelled in.

Abruptly, the lights dimmed and the music stopped.

"Ahem. I'd like to thank you all for attending this party. As you all know, we have recently branched out the Heartfilia railways into the City of Thyme, and this calls for some celebration..." The man on the podium spoke, microphone amplifying his voice so all the guests could hear.

That was the host, Jude Heartfilia. Loke scanned the large ballroom with bored eyes – frankly, he didn't really care all that much about the Heartfilia railways or whatever... Everyone else seemed to be paying attention though.

He caught a bit of movement in his peripheral vision. Turning around, Loke's gaze shifted just in time to see a flash of blonde hair as one of the exit doors closed shut.

'Interesting…'

"Miss Heartfilia, I'd like to offer my congratulations on behalf of the Jean-Pierre family to the expansion of the Heartfilia railways..."

Lucy nodded politely towards Francis, keeping her smile plastered on her face the entire time. Letting the chatter of her 'future fiancé' wash over her, she inconspicuously rubbed her hands together, trying to rub the cold sweat producing on her palms due to her nervousness away.

This was it. Tonight was the perfect chance to infiltrate the study room.

Now if only she could get away from Francis...

"Ahem. I'd like to thank you all for attending this party. As you all know, we have recently branched out the Heartfilia railways into the City of Thyme, and this calls for some celebration..." Jude spoke, capturing everyone's attention.

The room quietened as the live orchestra stopped playing. Francis turned his attention towards the podium.

Lucy couldn't help the wide grin in anticipation that split her face as she quietly slipped out of the hall. The door gently clicked shut behind her.

She could hear a set of footsteps walking down the hallway. Lucy paused, hiding behind a large potted plant as she waited for the person to pass. Peeking her head out she could make out the shape of one of the maid dresses. There were some maids still walking around tonight, though most of the employees were in the ballroom serving the guests and all that.

Lucy navigated through the mansion quietly, trying her best not to alert anyone to her presence.

A skill has been created through a special act.

Through continuously slinking in the shadows, a skill to make you more unnoticeable, 'Sneak', has been created.

'Neat.' Lucy thought as she waved away the notification, immediately checking out her new skill.

[Sneak (Active) Lvl 1 Exp: 0.00%]

Sneaking, you don't stomp like an elephant when you walk.

When active, 5% less likely to be noticed.

Lucy activated the skill, before continuing on her path. She passed two more maids unnoticed before she finally reached her destination.

Click!

The door unlocked.

Lucy shivered slightly as she felt a cool breeze against her skin. The curtain flapped quietly as wind gently blew through the still open window. She'd broken into her father's study, and he was just a few corridors away.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped towards her father's study table. Her hands reached out over the table top to grasp the handle of the desk drawer. She opened it, hands reaching in to shuffle the papers out of the way t -

"Care for a dance?"

Lucy whipped her head around.

What was she doing?

Loke followed the blonde haired girl from a distance, watching as she hid behind potted plants and pillars from the stray Heartfilia employees while making her way determinedly towards... wherever she wanted to go. He would admit she was pretty good at remaining undetected.

Was she a thief? It wouldn't be surprising considering Jude Heartfilia was such a wealthy tycoon that someone would try getting their hands on some of his treasure.

She stopped in front of one of the doors. The jingling sound of keys echoed softly down the hall for a few seconds before there was a click as she pushed the door open.

Well, Loke didn't really care for Jude Heartfilia but he was still a proud mage of Fairy Tail. Sitting by and watching someone get robbed didn't really sit well with him. So he followed her in.

She was shuffling through drawers, back turned to him. He stepped into the room quietly. She still didn't indicate any sign of noticing him.

"Care for a dance?" He drawled, breaking the silence.

Her head whipped around to the direction of the voice. Loke gave her a crooked smile, watching as her stance shifted into a defensive one.

Hm... she was quite beautiful, despite the whole stealing thing.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Hm, me?" Loke replied, smiling innocently, "I'm just a random passerby. I couldn't help but notice a gorgeous lady walking around, and so I followed. Mind telling me what you're doing here? Because it doesn't look very good for you, sweetheart. You snooping around for some quick cash? While I don't really like fighting women, I do feel obliged to stop you."

The blonde beauty bit her lip as she glared at him. Someone didn't seem happy with him interrupting in their business. Her eyes darted left and right as if she were looking for an escape but both of them knew that he was blocking off the only exit to the room. Scowling with frustration, she took a step forward.

Crap. Loke wasn't lying, he really didn't like laying a hand on women. Hadn't he already done enough damage? A woman had already died at his hands.

Well, he only needed to stall long enough for someone else to find them.

"Excuse me, what is going on in here?" A voice from outside the room called out firmly.

Well it looked like he didn't have to stall too long after all. Loke turned around to smirk triumphantly at the thief, only to see her whisper something under her breath. He couldn't hear what she'd said, but felt a sense of dread wash over him.

"Help me!" The blonde beauty cried out pitifully.

Wait, what.

?

Lvl ? Loke

HP:? MP:?

This was the first time Lucy had seen question marks instead of the trusty information her [Observe] skill usually gave her and she had come to rely upon.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Lucy demanded suspiciously.

Question marks generally meant one thing in games. This person standing in front of her's level was way higher than hers. And there was no way she'd be able to beat him. Just who was he? She had never seen someone this strong before.

Quest Alert

Haven't you ever heard of the term, curiosity killed the cat?

Objectives:

Figure out Loke's identity.

Bonus Objectives:

?

?

Completion Award:

200000 Exp

20000 Jewels

400000 Exp per bonus objective.

? on completion of all bonus objectives.

Completion Failure:

?

Yes – No

What.

Lucy gawked at the completion award. How many zeroes was that?! A guaranteed 200000 Exp upon completion? Just who was this Loke guy?!

"Excuse me, what is going on in here?" A voice from outside the room called out firmly.

It was one of the guards in the mansion, Lucy recognised the voice. She was in trouble. She was doomed. If her father found out she ever broke in here, she was dead. She had to do something. She could, she could…

Lucy quickly accepted the quest (hell yes she was going to do this) as she quickly formulated a plan in her mind.

"[Manipulate]." She whispered, staring at the handsome stranger in front of her.

?

Lvl ? Loke

HP:? MP:?

She felt just a tiny bit guilty for what she was about to do to this person who was just trying to do something he thought was right, but…

In all honesty she was angrier at him for destroying all her carefully laid plans. It was irrational, she knew, he didn't deserve her ire but why did he have to be so nosy? If he'd just minded his own goddamn business she could have finally gotten her ticket out of this place.

Fuelled by this sense of frustration, she let out a high pitched cry, "Help me!"

Ignoring the startled look on this Loke character's face, she waited half a second before the guard (she recognised him, he'd started working here a few months ago, Simon was his name) came bursting into the room.

Quickly ducking herself behind the guard, she pointed an accusing finger at Loke.

"He's an intruder!" She cried out, making sure to and a few trembles in her voice to make herself seem more fragile and scared.

Simon glanced confusedly at her, but never shifted his focus away from Loke.

"But what are you doing here in the first place, Miss Heartfilia?" He questioned.

Loke took a moment to register the fact that the guard seemed to know the pretty thief. He opened his mouth to ask about the blonde haired girl's identity but was cut off by the aforementioned girl herself.

"I was enjoying my time at the ball when I saw him lurking around suspiciously. He left the ballroom and I decided to follow him to see what he was up to!" Lucy started, glaring accusingly at the spiky haired man.

Loke stared incredulously, mouth opened. She did not just do that.

"Excuse me sir, but you have to believe me. This woman is lying -"

"And then," Lucy continued loudly, cutting him off, "I found him here, no doubt trying to steal something!"

Loke suppressed a scowl as he watched the guard nod sympathetically at the girl. This was not going well for him. The guard seemed to believe the girl and at this rate it seemed like he was the one that was going to end up in a whole lot of trouble instead.

"I tried to stop him and he…" she broke off, letting out an anguished sob before covering her face with her hands.

Loke inwardly scoffed. Come on, there was no way the guard would fall for that act - she was good but she overdid it with that -

"And he… touched me, in- inappropriately! H-he was g-grabbing my arm and t-trying to push me a-against the wall and…"

What. What. Did this sneaky lying woman just insinuate that he tried to-

"What." Loke repeated dumbly.

The next few hours were the most blurred and confusing of his life as more guards poured into the room and dragged him out. He remembered protesting weakly, all which fell onto deaf ears as the men hauled him out of the mansion, the last thing he saw as the doors closed being the satisfied smile of the blonde thief.

As he was handed over to the royal guards and dragged to the nearest prison cell which would be his home for the next few days, he ran his hand through his spiky hair.

He cursed the beautiful blond burglar for even daring to think that he'd ever ra- do such atrocious things to a woman, cursed the guards for being so stupidly gullible, and cursed himself for letting Hannah drag him to the stupid party in the first place.

If this incident got out to Erza, he was so dead.

You have slept in a tree. HP and MP are 10% restored.

The bark scratched slightly, but not uncomfortably, against Lucy's arms as she shifted on the branch. A thick net of leaves stretched above her, shielding her from the blinding sun. Random rays of light filtered through the gaps of the canopy, splashing on her face and body. The slight pink hue colouring the sky alerted Lucy that it was almost sunset.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the peaceful, slightly lazy atmosphere of the late afternoon.

When she was younger she'd always come to the forest. It lay just outside of Heartfilia property, next to the mountains. She had loved taking long walks and having picnics here with her parents when her mother was still alive.

This was her favourite spot, an oak tree standing at the edge of a clearing.

Lucy picked slightly at the bark, peeling some strips off.

She'd failed. It was all going to plan, she'd gotten the key to her father's study, she'd even managed to sneak into the room. She was so close, so close…

All because of that stupid spiky haired no good nosy 'gentleman' who didn't know that meaning of leave someone alone –

Lucy sighed, running her hand through her hair in frustration.

No it wasn't his fault, not really. He was doing the right thing trying to stop what he perceived to be a thief trying to steal someone's valuables. And he wasn't wrong; Lucy had been trying to steal something.

Throughout the past few weeks Lucy had manipulated and blackmailed, deceived and now she was trying to steal…

"[Skills]." Lucy said tiredly, waiting for the alert window to pop up.

Gamer's Mind – Passive – Max – Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Allows peaceful state of mind. Immunity to psychological status effect.

Gamer's Body – Passive – Max – Grants a body that allows for a user to live the real world like a game.

Observe – Passive/Active – 2 – Through continuous observation a skill to observe objects, situations and persons was generated that allows information gather to be quick. The higher the skill the greater the data is obtained.

Beginner's Manipulation – Passive/Active – 3 – Allows the user to adapt or influence a person or situation to suit their purpose or advantage.

Meditation – Passive/Active - 9 – Clearing the mind and relaxing the body grants a more balanced, focused spirit.

Barter – Active – 1 – Grants the user a better deal when purchasing or selling items.

Fishing – Active – 1 – Allows the player to catch fish, an item which can be sold or used as an ingredient in cooking.

Tailoring – Active – 5 – Allows the player to cut and trim fabric to create the clothing you want.

Dancing – Active – 6 – Move your body and feet rhythmically to the music.

[Beginners Manipulation (Passive/Active) Lvl 3 Exp: 3.46%]

Influence others using nothing but your sharp wit.

Passively increases WIS by 0.2%

When active, an additional 12% to CHA.

[Meditation (Passive/Active) Lvl 9 Exp: 18.03%]

Clearing your mind while meditating allows you to become more focused in normal life.

Passively increases INT by 2.

When active, restores additional 28 MP per minute.

For four months, ever since she'd received her quest to leave the Heartfilia mansion Lucy had been stuck trying day after day to think up an idea to unlock the display case and finally free her friends. And each day she was faced with failure, failure and more failure. Her father had decided to stop going on business trips now of all times so she wasn't able to snoop around and find some clues as freely as she wished.

In order to 'prepare' her properly for her marriage to Francis she was practically drowned in extra tutoring lessons on top of her new lessons on sewing, dancing and letter writing. The only skill she could really practice was her meditation which she managed to fit in half an hour or so every day before she slept.

While the plus side was that both sewing and dancing increased her DEX by five points and gave her two new skills and her tenacious studying had increased her INT by nine points, she was beginning to run out of time.

Her father and the Jean-Pierre family were beginning to push the process along faster, and if it was up to them she and Francis would be engaged very, very soon.

But did that justify her means of escaping? Lying, manipulating, blackmailing… before this whole Gamer business she hadn't even dreamed of doing all these things. Things that… things that her father would probably do in order to further his business.

No. This was her freedom and her celestial spirits' freedom she was talking about. So she may have... bent some rules... in order to do so but personal freedom was more important than any of that.

You have entered a hidden dungeon. Recommended level: 8

Wait, what?

Lucy was suddenly very aware of just how silent the forest was. Just moments before she was surrounded by the noises of the wind blowing and the birds cawing. Her hair stood up on end as she sat stiffly on the branch.

She hadn't realised she'd been sitting here for so long; the sun had already set. Hearing a rustling sound, she turned to see some movement near the edge of the clearing.

Abnormally Large Wolf – Lvl 7

Well, wasn't this just wonderful?

Lucy barely had time to react before two more wolves stalked into the clearing.

This was getting better and better.

Lazily, they inched towards the tree Lucy was sitting in.

What did they say about wolves again? They could wait a long, long time for their prey. And uh, what did wolves eat again?

"[Observe]."

Abnormally Large Wolf – Lvl 7

HP: 400/400 MP: 60/60

[Observe]'s level has increased by one!

'Yes, it levelled up!' Lucy celebrated internally. Maybe this would give her some new information…

Abnormally Large Wolf – Lvl 7

HP: 400/400 MP: 60/60

While generally wolves feed on hares, mice, and other small mammals, due to the abnormally large sizes of these wolves they hunt larger prey, for example humans. Like you! Beware of their claws and teeth. When they find their prey, they are extremely persistent and will hunt them until they're dead.

'Wonderful. Thank you so much for basically telling me I'm about to die.' Lucy thought angrily.

Taking a deep breath, Lucy calmed her thoughts. What could she do in this situation?

She literally had no battle related skills, and she was stuck in a tree. If she were to climb down she'd be dead before she could say 'eep'. Clearly she couldn't just wait it out and hope that the wolves would just leave after a while, her [Observe] skill told her as much. She really didn't see how she could get herself out of this situation.

She was so dead.

Just as Lucy was about to let out a cry of frustration, she paused. She could have sworn she heard a roaring –

Abnormally Large Bear – Lvl 9

HP: 900/900 MP: 10/10

This bear is a typical more brawn than brains type of guy. As well as being abnormally large, this big guy is also abnormally slow, in all senses of the word. Though it might not be the sharpest knife in the kitchen, it does have the sharpest claws in this forest. It can even tear through bones with ease!

Lucy didn't even know how to react anymore. Did her magic not comprehend that now was really not the time for jokes?

She locked eyes with the bear. It gave another mighty roar as it stood on its hind legs, claws reaching out to swipe at the tree she was resting on.

She was about to die a horrific death by becoming the chew toy of three wolves or skewered by a bear.

Or maybe not.

Lucy stared, amazed, as the wolves howled and fell into a defensive stance, surrounding the bear. At some silent signal they all attacked at once, jaws sinking into the furry coat of the bear. As if it finally understood it was being attacked, the bear howled in agony before swiping down at one of the wolves. It's claws struck true as it sank into the wolves' neck.

Critical hit!

Abnormally Large Wolf – Lvl 7

HP: 0/400 MP: 60/60

It was like staring at an accident. It was bloody, gory and disgusting, but Lucy couldn't look away. She watched as the first wolf let out a whimper and dropped to the ground, unmoving. The bear stumbled blindly as he swiped at the other two wolves, backing into the tree Lucy was sitting in.

She couldn't help but let out a shout in surprise as the branch shook violently, threatening to throw her to the ground. Hugging to the trunk, she vaguely noticed the wolf that had clung onto the bear's back had taken the full impact of that hit, dropping to the ground.

Abnormally Large Wolf – Lvl 7

HP: 340/400 MP: 60/60

The wolf shook its head before lunging again. Why were they even fighting?

Probably because they all wanted her for dinner and she was barely enough to feed one of them.

Lucy watched in morbid fascination as the bear finally swiped at the last wolf, slashing at its eyes. Really, they should be called abnormally aggressive wolves and bears instead.

'What will happen once they finish fighting?' Lucy suddenly thought, 'Whoever the victor, they'll be wanting to claim their price... me. I have to get away somehow.'

The blinded wolf howled in agony as it stumbled around, trying to regain its balance.

'Well whatever the outcome, the winner's still going to be pretty injured. Maybe I could wait here for the right moment, and as soon as I find an opening I could strike... but I barely have any strength, I probably won't even put a dent in their health...'

Lucy wasn't all that strong right now; currently she was level five. It was extremely hard to gain experience to level up in the mansion. She got some from the little quests her tutors gave out once in awhile and when her skills levelled up but it was nowhere near enough.

She'd managed to gain two levels, getting five stat points to distribute per level. She had yet to distribute them to her stats as there really wasn't any need to rush, and she'd wanted to put more thought into it first.

Well maybe now was a good time to put it to use.

"Strength, strength, put it all in strength!" Lucy whispered frantically, dumping all the points in.

She vaguely noticed the bear's claws slicing through the blinded wolf's body. Maybe she should have put some in her VIT...

Then again, even with the boosted VIT she'd probably still die with one hit.

Lucy grunted as she broke off a thick looking branch from the tree. It wasn't much of a weapon... but better than nothing. She crouched on the branch she was sitting on ready to strike at a moment's notice, returning her attention to the fight.

It wasn't much of a fight. Despite the fact that the wolves were so much faster and agile than the bear, their HP and attack, and defence were significantly lower, while each of the bear's deadly strike critically damaged the wolves.

Abnormally Large Bear – Lvl 9

HP: 78/900 MP: 10/10

However, the wolves did inflict some serious injuries onto the bear before they fell. The bear groaned in pain as it hobbled around, looking around confusedly.

'Now's my chance!'

Lucy let out a loud cry as she jumped out of the tree, thick branch held high above her head. The bear barely had time to turn around towards the noise before she plunged the tip of the branch into a wound one of the wolves had previously inflicted.

Critical hit!

Abnormally Large Bear – Lvl 9

HP: 0/900 MP: 10/10

With one last roar the bear dropped to the ground, dead. Lucy yelped as she lost her balance on the bear, falling flat on her face with an "oof!"

Multiple alert windows popped up, but Lucy ignored them.

'There may be more of these beasts in the forest. I can't stay here!'

Scrambling to her feet, Lucy ran towards the Heartfilia mansion without looking back. She felt slightly sharp pains shooting up her feet – jumping from a tall tree onto a giant bear was actually not as fun as she'd imagined. Kind of like how your stomach would hurt if you belly-flopped into water.

You have left the hidden dungeon.

Her feet still continued to move, she refused to stop until she was safely locked behind her bedroom doors.

The doors slammed shut as Lucy gasped for breath. Unceremoniously flopping onto her bed, she waited a few minutes for her breathing to calm before she turned her focus to the alert windows.

A skill has been created through a special act.

By finishing an enemy with a critical blow, a skill to finish an enemy, 'Deadly Strike', has been created.

[Deadly Strike (Active) Lvl 1 Exp: 0.00%]

Stab straight at a vulnerable or previously wounded spot to deliver a critical blow.

When active, 100% chance of critical hit.

50% chance of missing target.

Congratulations! Your level has increased by 1.

Lucy hadn't really payed attention while she was kind of running for her life back in the forest, but she guessed she gained some experience... a lot of experience from 'defeating' that bear. Even though really, the wolves were the one that bit a chunk out of its HP.

Wow, though. That one single monster gave her that much EXP... If it weren't for the fact that she almost died she'd actually go back to try gain some more levels...

You have slept in your bed. HP and MP are fully restored.

"What am I doing." Lucy sighed as she stood at the edge of the forest, staring up at the looming trees as the moon illuminated the night sky.

You have entered a hidden dungeon. Recommended level: 8

Lucy had figured out a neat little trick. If she stayed just on the edge of the hidden dungeon she could step right out of the dungeon and the wolf wouldn't follow her. After a few minutes of growling and snapping its teeth at her, it would lose interest and turn around to start heading back into the forest. It was at that moment where she would attack, sometimes with her [Deadly Strike] which allowed her to chip off a decent amount of hitpoints from the giant beast. It would turn around to attack her after recovering from the blow but Lucy would take the advantage of its moment of confusion to run back outside the dungeon.

It kind of felt like cheating and it was an extremely tedious process considering she had to carefully goad the enemy to the edge while not getting hit herself but it was well worth it for the experience.

Abnormally Large Wolf – Lvl 7

HP: 40/400 MP: 60/60

The wolf growled for a few more moments, pacing near the edge of the hidden dungeon before turning around.

"[Deadly Strike]!" Lucy yelled as she stabbed the wolf in the back.

With a whimper the wolf's HP lowered to zero and its carcass disintegrated before Lucy's eyes.

"... did that wolf just leave loot behind?" Lucy stared incredulously, the knife she had managed to pilfer from the kitchen still gripped tightly in her hand.

Last time she hadn't stayed behind so she wouldn't have known.

"Jewels? It left behind jewels? And a wolf pelt?" She picked up the loot gingerly, brushing her fingers over the wolf fur, "But where do I keep this? I can't just lug this thing back with me..."

Lucy contemplated this as she stared down at the goods.

"Maybe," She mused to herself, "Let's try... [Inventory]?"

Several small boxes appeared in neat rows and columns, making a perfect square on her right side. On the left side the same small boxes spread on top of a light outline of a person's body. In one of the boxes was a mini image of the nightgown Lucy was currently wearing (her nightgown was literally the only piece of clothing she owned that she could move vaguely comfortably in).

Months of having this Gamer ability and only just now did Lucy figure out that she had an inventory button. Well to be fair the amount of things she owned was actually very little, which was surprising as she came from such a wealthy background, so she never really needed to put things into an inventory.

Well, better late than never.

With that mindset Lucy placed the wolf pelt and jewels into her inventory, before turning back to face the entrance of the hidden dungeon.

Time to get some more experience.

One week later.

Due to lack of sleeping and proper rest, you have gained the temporary status effect, "Exhausted".

"Ugh..." Lucy groaned as she stumbled into the library, bumping into the door and a few tables along the way.

"[Status]." She called out weakly as she dropped unceremoniously into her chair.

Name: Lucy Heartfilia

Class: The Gamer

Title: None

Level: 8

Affiliation: Heartfilia family

HP: 150/150

MP: 440/440

STR: 15

VIT: 5

DEX: 14

INT: 37

WIS: 12 (12.072)

LUK: 3

SPD: 6

CHA: 14

Status: Heartfilia Heiress (+1 CHA & +1 INT per Lvl, +50% experience gain to the [Manipulation] skills), Celestial Mage (+1 INT & +1 WIS per Lvl), Exhausted [Temporary] (-50% all stats, experience gain to skills and HP & MP restoration rate)

Lucy Heartfilia is the only child of Jude and Layla Heartfilia and heiress to the Heartfilia estates. She strives to become a strong celestial mage like her late mother.

Point: 15

Jewels: 1652

Lucy groaned as she slowly registered the temporary affects her one week of not sleeping properly had on her body. The past few days had consisted of her sneaking out of bed at night while everyone was asleep to get some training in at the hidden dungeon in the forest.

In all honesty she actually hadn't expected any adverse effects to come from her skipping a few nights of sleep, considering all it did was restore her HP and MP, which she hadn't really needed so far (she was very careful in the dungeon, she hadn't gotten hit even once yet.)

The results were satisfying and worth it though. In merely one week she had managed to gain two more levels, and levelled up [Sneak] three times by avoiding the night guards patrolling in and around the mansion and levelled up her [Deadly Strike] twice.

"You look like a zombie, Miss Lucy." Lucy started turning her head in the direction of the voice but stopped immediately as a wave of dizziness rushed through her.

Swiftly closing her eyes, Lucy again questioned her sanity in deciding that not sleeping for days was a good idea. Her improvement was definitely not worth the horrible effects.

"I'd get you some hot tea but this is the library and I don't want you spilling any onto the books." Bero's voice rang out.

Lucy muttered an incoherent reply, gently rubbing her temples as if to cast away the unwelcome throbbing in her head.

"I did warn you that this might happen. You are still human, after all." Bero sighed.

Lucy opened one eye and lifted her head slightly to glare up at the older man before returning to her 'dead' position. For a few minutes she was rewarded with blissful silence which did wonders for her headache as Bero shuffled around to organise some books.

"Oh, Miss Lucy. Here."

Lucy opened her eyes to see a book hovering in front of her face. She half swatted at it and half reached out to grab at it, looking at the cover.

You've obtained the skill book [The Anatomy].

Would you like to learn the skill?

Yes – No

"Your INT's over 30 now, isn't it? You can try learning this later, when you're less tired." Bero smiled gently down at the girl.

Lucy smiled back tiredly, "Thanks, Bero."

He nodded, before poking the girl lightly with his walking cane.

"You should go get some rest now, before you collapse."

Lucy nodded dazedly, before shakily making her way towards her room. Sleep sounded good right about now.

You have slept in your bed. HP and MP are fully restored.

Lucy blinked open her eyes blearily. Throwing the covers off herself, Lucy trotted towards the curtains, opening them wide. The sun had already set. Lucy would guess that it was an hour or so after midnight, judging by the position of the moon.

You slept well. Temporary status [Exhausted] has been removed.

Lucy was extremely glad that ordeal was over and done with. She was never going to try that ever again, no matter how dire the circumstances. It was a terrible experience that she wasn't willing to relive anytime soon.

But… it wasn't like she could fall back asleep now, Lucy felt really well rested and her mind was awake. What could she do?

A flash of inspiration struck Lucy.

Her father wasn't in the study room right now.

Sure there were plenty of guards hanging around the mansion right now but, maybe… she could take this risk and...

"… [Sneak]."

Lucy didn't really know what she'd expected would happen once she'd found the key to the display case that was trapping all her friends. She'd imagined that it'd be a pretty big moment with imaginary fireworks exploding behind her as she whooped and yelled in joy. Or maybe she'd be so happy that she'd start crying, tears of joy sliding down her cheeks as she clutched the key desperately to her chest.

Well, none of that actually happened.

All Lucy did as she stared down at the small innocent looking key that had been hidden between the pages of an old family photo album she didn't even know her father had possessed was utter a soft "oh".

She waved off the voice in her head that wondered why exactly her father hid it here of all places, gingerly closing her fingers around the key.

In all honesty she hadn't actually expected to find it so quickly and randomly. It was almost… anticlimactic, really.

Well, nevermind that. She done it, finally. She could finally leave. In fact, she could probably do it right now. She probably should do it right now. Her possessions that she was going to bring with her on this new adventure were already packed in a small bag in anticipation of finding the key a month ago (until Mr Handsome Gentleman got in the way). She should leave soon, just in case her father notices the little something missing in his study room.

Ba-bum.

Now her heart was finally starting to quicken in excitement and no small amount of fear as she realised she was finally free, she could leave right now, at this moment, as soon as she unlocked the display case and reunited with the friends she hadn't seen for years.

She wondered if Aquarius was going to be angry with her for not being summoned for so long? Or maybe she would be happy she had so much time alone with her boyfriend?

She wondered if Cancer's hairdressing skills remained just as sharp as before, considering his primary customer had been unavailable for so long?

She hoped grandpa Crux was doing well. And maybe when she summoned Lyra she could show her all the new songs she must have accumulated over the years.

As Lucy pondered on all this she didn't realise but her feet had taken her to the room where all her friends had been locked up. Adrenaline coursed through her as she inserted the key and, with a click, the display case unlocked.

Gently, she grasped the collection of silver and golden keys, picking them up one by one and staring at them with awe.

They were here, they were actually here. They were safe, she could feel them.

For the first time in years Lucy broke into a warm, glowing smile, one so wide her cheeks felt sore from the stretching. But she didn't mind.

Mama, are you watching me from up there? Because this is the start of my new life as Lucy, just Lucy. I'm not 'Lucky' Lucy of the Heartfilia family anymore. I'm finally free!

"Fucking wolves!" Gajeel growled as he transformed his leg into an iron rod, kicking the gigantic wolf straight in the stomach. Why the fuck were there so many of them?

A nearby shifting sound alerted him to the bear lunging from behind him. Ducking underneath the swipe, he extended his iron arm, punching the bear right in the face.

Why was he even doing this?

Gajeel Redfox, more commonly known by his epithet "The Black Steel Gajeel", was not a patient or sympathetic person. And this blubbering major in front of him was really testing the little bit of patience he had.

"You have to save us, good sir! We don't know where those gigantic wolves and bears came from, but they started appearing on random days, always appearing at night! My wife, she almost got attacked by one, and so many of the townspeople have been injured going through that forest! We fear that they'll start coming out of the forest soon and that would cause absolute chaos!"

Yes, this was one annoying man. Gajeel really couldn't care less about these mysterious beasts appearing at random times, he'd only come here because he heard there was some damn information about that stupid bastard dragon. He'd grabbed the first mission he saw on the board that was near the area.

And no, he wasn't looking for the no good metal freak because he missed him or some prissy bullshit like that. He wasn't like those little Fairies who shit rainbows out of their asses and frolicked in the fields of friendship with unicorns. When he saw that scaly sunnovabitch he was going to spit on him, to show just how much of a nothing he meant to Gajeel. Then he was going to beat him to a bloody pulp, to show just how much of a mistake he had made when he decided to teach Gajeel Redfox how to slay dragons.

And maybe, if he were a little more honest with himself, he'd ask Metallicana just why he left him that day, without a word.

"... And so I beg of you to investigate the forest and see where exactly these beasts are originating from!"

Gajeel let out a little 'tsk' before getting up, staring intimidatingly at the major.

"Whatever." He couldn't be bothered with this idiotic piece of shit.

So people were being attacked by these wolves or whatever. So what? Shit happens. That's why you had to toughen up and get strong enough to overcome it all. He hated weaklings like these, always pleading for others to help them when they couldn't solve their own problems.

Fucking weaklings.

Ignoring the major (who was still talking) he made his way out of the cosy house. It was almost night time right now, so he may as well head to the forest to check it out. The sooner he got this over and left this stupid place, the better.

That's right. For the first few hours of the night the forest had been happily wolf and bear-free. Gajeel had just been about to call it a day before the atmosphere in the forest had suddenly shifted. Whereas it had felt boringly peaceful before, in those few moments it had shifted into a more sinister and deadly silence. He had no idea what caused this change but he sure was glad. It made everything so much more interesting.

Well, that was, until he realised just how many of these things there were. It wasn't like he was in danger or anything but the wolves just kept getting in the way and it was getting so monotonous. They just never ended and he'd had enough, dammit.

"Cancer!"

"On it, ebi."

Gajeel barely had time to turn around before he saw a giant crab man slice a wolf down.

What in the actual fuck.

"Great job, Cancer!" There was a blonde girly dressed in some sort of fancy silk dress running towards them.

She hi fived the crab man (seriously what the fuck is up with that? Was that crab legs sticking out from his back holy shit this was some fucked up cosplay) before turning around to face him. Her stance shifted into a more defensive one as her sharp eyes pierced through him.

"Who the fuck are you?" Gajeel growled out.

Omake

Gray sighed exasperatedly as he looked down to discover that he'd once again managed to somehow lose half his clothes while he wasn't paying attention.

"Loke owes me a lot for this, dammit." He muttered under his breath as he backtracked a few meters to grab his shirt that lay abandoned in the middle of the floor.

It didn't matter that Loke had nothing to do with his stripping habit - it was still his fault he was even here in the first place.

He grumbled a little more as he put his shirt back on (sometimes he wondered why he even bothered when he was going to just lose it again- oh yeah, Erza), shifting around impatiently.

The clicking of the door opening followed by footsteps alerted Gray to the emergence of his wayward friend. He grinned amusedly as the guards stiffly escorted Loke towards him.

The two friends shared a smile (Gray's exasperated and Loke's sheepish) before they both left the place. A comfortable silence settled between them as they slowly made their way out of the Magic Council and back to the guild.

They continued walking silently for a few minutes, one focusing on his clothes so they wouldn't go running off without his permission while the other breathing in the refreshing air and enjoying their newfound freedom in general.

Finally, Loke sighed. Gray cocked an eyebrow, glancing at his friend.

"So… you didn't tell me you were visiting the prison cell." He smirked, teasing lightly.

Loke scowled, glaring at the ice make mage.

"Don't say anything. I don't even want to think about it." He grumbled, kicking a stray pebble that was unfortunate enough to be in his range.

Gray lifted both his hands in mock surrender.

"Okay, okay." He laughed, agreeing easily.

They descended back into a silence. Loke continued kicking pebbles as he walked, glaring down at his black leather shoes.

"There was a girl." Loke started.

Gray interrupted before he continued, "I thought you said you didn't want to talk about it."

Loke shot the smirking mage a withering glare, choosing to ignore his comment.

"I never want to see her ever again."

Gray glanced at his friend, slightly shocked. Well that was new. Apart from celestial mages and Erza, Loke practically flocked towards anything on two legs with a pair of boobs.

"She was the devil." His friend announced vehemently.

Gray was now pretty interested in a girl that could incite this kind of reaction from Loke, but the probability of them ever meeting was probably extremely low. He shared his thoughts with his fellow mage.

Loke grimaced at the thought of meeting that piece of work again, before grinning at his friend.

"Yeah, thank god I'll never have to see her ever again."

Gray grinned back, glad the orange haired mage was finally out of the funk he was in before.

"Heh, you never know. Maybe she'll somehow end up joining Fairy Tail." He joked lightly, laughing at the horrified look his companion shot him.

"Don't even joke about that, idiot!"

So yes, Lucy and Loke met. And didn't like each other. Hey, at least it makes things more interesting right? And then there's Gajeel.

I don't know when I'll have finished the next chapter, but hopefully within the next two weeks. Editing by myself without a beta is pretty damn tough sometimes haha.

Until then!

Lonely Box