Chapter 15

'Sting?' Lucy thought as she opened the door only to see a stranger at the door. He looked around the same age as her. Lucy blinked in confusion. She wasn't a random guy.

"Umm. Can I help you?" Lucy asked. Nervously. The stranger grinned. 'Creepy.' Lucy thought as she shivered a bit.

"Yes. You see my horse ran away when I made a stop to rest. I was wondering if you know any nearby guilds to help me find my horse. I hate to admit it, but I have a horrible sense of direction and I lack a bit in the magic department." The stranger said. 'This guy has to live underground if he's never heard of Sabertooth.' Lucy thought.

"Of course. The nearest guild is called Sabertooth and it's just a small walk away if you walk in this direction. You can ask the locals to help you further. Although the building is hard to miss since there are banners surrounding it and it's also the largest in the town." Lucy said as she pointed East. She looked back at the stranger and it was as thought he was not paying attention to her. As soon as she finished talking, he looked interested again.

"Oh. Alright then. I'm a bit embarrassed to, but could you go with me. Like I said I'm no good with directions I'm afraid I might get lost. Maybe this is why my horse left me. I'm so useless." The stranger joked as he scratched the back of his head. Lucy tried her best to not look annoyed, but she couldn't say no.

"I don't mind at all. It's a nice day to go for a walk anyway. I'm just going to grab my coat and keys first." Lucy said as she turned back to grab her stuff. 'I know I'm not supposed to leave the house, but this will only take an hour!' Lucy thought as she grabbed her celestial keys.

"Take your time." The stranger said.

A bit of time passed as both Lucy and the man walked. They were more than halfway to the town. It turns out the guy's name was Stewart and he was traveling back to his grandmother for her 90th birthday. He was also a librarian who had ambitions of getting some of his work published. He knew of publishers, but he could not find their buildings as he would get lost trying to find them. Lucy had changed her mind about Stewart being a nuisance. It was refreshing to get to know someone and he had a few interesting things to talk about.

Things were going well when someone from behind tore Stewart's bag from him. Lucy quickly turned around and saw a man with a large build spinning the bag. A few papers fell out on the ground.

"Oh no! Those were the poems I wrote for gran-gran!" Stewart said as he scrambled to pick up the papers, but his stand was stepped on by the larger man. Stewart grunted in pain.

"Stop it!" Lucy shouted. The larger man only laughed.

"Looks like gran-gran is going to be disappointed. Listen here young lady. You better come with me if you know what's good for you." The man said. Lucy was perplexed. Why her? Screw that.

"Gate of the Lion, I open thee!" Lucy said as she summoned Loke.

"I'm sorry hime-sama, but Loke refused to be summoned. He asked me to accept his punishment." Virgo said. Lucy's jaw dropped.

"Virgo!?" Lucy exclaimed.

"Yes, hime-sama?" Virgo replied. Lucy shook her head. 'Neve mind that.' Lucy thought.

"Virgo please help me get rid of this guy!" Lucy said as she pointed at the large man. Virgo hummed in agreement as she got into a fighting stance.

"Please get back hime-sama for the safety of your unborn children." Virgo said. As much as Lucy didn't want to she followed Virgo's advice and took a few steps back, but only felt her arms get restrained. 'What?' Lucy thought as she looked behind her. The same large man was behind her. 'When did he-' Lucy thought. The large man laughed triumphantly.

"Hime-sama!" Virgo shouted.

"My magic helps me create a double of myself" The man said and continued laughing. For a large person the man quickly took off. Virgo was about to tail them, but was confronted by the other double. They were heavily engaged in battle and in the back Stewart could only watch. He gathered his papers planning to run away, but remembered Lucy's kindness. Even though she was pregnant she was willing to help a total stranger like himself. It was time to return the favor. He left his bag and ran quickly to the direction of Sabertooth for help. He hoped his sense of direction would not fail him this time.