Lucy had to run to keep up with Cobra's long, purposeful strides.

"Wait!" She called, trying not to trip on the uneven cobbles. "Talk to me, Erik! Where is it? Who has it? Hey!" She ran in front of him, blocking his path. She grabbed his arm when he tried to move past her. "Will you slow down for a second?" She said angrily.

Cobra looked at her. "It's Ery."

"Ery?" Lucy repeated, staring at Cobra in bewilderment. "I mean- I heard she has magic, but she doesn't seem like the type of person to put her hometown at risk for the sake of a fancy magical item that she probably can't even use!"

"Yeah, but she's also ill. She's dying, Heartfilia. That's something that's bound to push anyone to pretty extreme measures."

"Dying?" Lucy gaped. "Are you sure?"

"You saw her, didn't you? She's not exactly the picture of perfect health." He wrenched his arm free of her grip and caught her wrist instead. "Come on. It's time we had a talk with her."
Vaguely annoyed at being dragged along, Lucy nonetheless allowed Cobra to lead her through the streets while she thought about this new information.

It still seemed like a leap, but it made as much sense as anything else. It saddened Lucy to think that Ery was dying. She seemed kind and sweet, and far to young to die in such a way. If Ery was deliberately hiding the doll to keep for herself it would explain why Hikaru had to have spent so long looking for it, but not why he wanted it so badly in the first place. Was it possible he was in a similar situation? Or, more likely, did it have something to do with Kain?
Cobra led the way through the small town, ears pricked for any hint of where Ery Noboru might be. Once, he paused in the middle of he road, then sharply changed direction as he picked up on a distant sound.

Before too long, they saw Ery leaving the the large brick building that housed Elder Makoto. As she walked towards the town square, Cobra and Lucy followed hurriedly.

"Ery!" Lucy called, and Ery turned around in mild alarm. She relaxed when she saw the two mages approaching her, but only slightly.

"Lucy!" Ery replied, smiling. "How are you? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, thank you. We just need to ask y-"

"Do you have it?" Cobra cut in harshly.

Ery frowned in confusion. "Have what?"

"The doll that this 'Hikaru' is looking for. You have it, don't you?"

Lucy winced at Cobra's aggressive demeanor. "Erik…" She said softly but firmly, hoping he would take the hint.

Cobra ignored Lucy. "Where is it?" He pressed.

Ery sent a wide-eyed glance towards Lucy as a silent plea for help. She took a step backwards, a little frightened. "I don't know what you're taking about!" She insisted.

Cobra was unconvinced. "You know, I'm pretty good at telling when people are lying, even without listening to their thoughts." He said, advancing. He grabbed Ery's wrist, intending to remove the charm that hindered his hearing and learn where she had concealed their prize.

Lucy jumped forwards. "Erik! Stop it!" She shouted in horror. She lunged forwards to separate them, but she was too late.

Ery thrashed in panic. "Let go!" She cried, slamming her other other hand into Cobra's chest. A surge of magical energy erupted from her palm, and the ground on which Cobra stood splintered and quaked. Taking the full force of the strike, Cobra was violently thrown backwards. Even Lucy, though not the intended target, was forced to stagger away.

Caught off guard, Cobra still managed to kick his feet under him and land somewhat gracefully. Before he had he chance to do much else, the road beneath Cobra's feet rocked and cracked. Gigantic chunks of rock rose from the ground and whirled about fiercely in the air, creating a barrier between Cobra and Ery. Lucy stood stunned to one side, at a loss as to how she could possibly intervene without making it worse.

Cobra narrowed his eyes and grit his teeth in anger. He advanced again, prompting Ery to shriek in fear and stumble away. The jagged rocks in the air suddenly changed course and zoomed towards Ery's perceived assailant. Cobra dodged around them, utilising his Dragon slayer speed and strength. The few boulders he could not avoid he shattered with a sweep of an elongated, scaled arm. He approached Ery and delivered a painful blow to her stomach. As she cried out and staggered away, he caught her by the neck with one hand and with the other he sorted through the charms on her wrist until he found one with a deep, royal blue lacrima, like the one Lucy showed him.

Just as he managed to tear it off her wrist, he was suddenly forced backwards as a different unseen assailant blindsided him and roughly pushed him away with a barrage of strikes. He scrambled backwards, and stared at his attacker.

Lucy had had enough. She stood shielding Ery, with Loke at her side and a golden key in her hand. Cobra had far overstepped the mark this time. Never taking her eyes off the Poison Dragon slayer, she slowly slid Loke's key back into her pocket and reached for her Fleurve d'etoile, preparing to fend him off forcefully if need be.

Cobra blinked in incomprehension. "Lucy? What the hell do you think…?"

"Are you kidding me?" Lucy cried. "That's my line! What were you thinking?"

"She attacked me, for crying out loud!"

"She was scared, you idiot! And, by the way, not without reason!"

Cobra scowled. People had gathered around the edges of the square, drawn by the commotion. A nervous chatter had started up, and they were staring at Ery and glaring at Cobra.

"…Just so you know, I was right." He said, holding up the lacrima. "She does have the damn voodoo doll."

Lucy turned and stared down at Ery, who was hugging her knees to her chest.

"Ery…"

"I need it." Ery insisted, staring at the ground. "Please. I need it. I have to… it has to work. I can't die yet." Tears formed in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks, but somehow her voice held. "…I don't want to die yet..."

"Ery." A voice to their left spoke up. The mages turned to see Makoto standing outside the door to her home, watching them with a grim expression.

"Is it true?" She said gently, directing the question to the young woman on the ground.

Ery looked up sadly. "I'm sorry. I was going to give it up after… I just need to get it to work."

Makoto shuffled forwards slowly, her footsteps the only sound be heard across the square. She stopped at Ery's side.

"Ery, there are some things even magic cannot accomplish." She said softly. "You knew what keeping this a secret would do to us. You should have turned it in. Apart from anything else, if Hikaru had found then out you would have been in danger."

She held out a hand. Ery paused and reached into the folds of her oversized coat. She withdrew a small, tattered and almost childlike doll.

Lucy nodded to herself.

Yes… that's exactly like the one Kain had.

Makoto took the doll and thrust it towards Lucy.

"Here." She said. Her tone was dangerously low, and her eyes were cold. "Take the damn thing. I don't care what happens to it, I don't care what you have to do. Deal with Hikaru, finish your job, and then the two of you get out of my town."

Lucy hesitantly took the doll, then swallowed nervously as the old woman turned and stalked back to her house. "Makoto, I'm sorry for what-"

Makoto stopped and cast a glare over her shoulder. "You will still be paid, but I don't entertain thugs here. Think yourselves lucky my granddaughter was unscathed."

Lucy's eyes widened and darted back to Ery, who had climbed to her feet with her eyes downcast.

Her granddaughter?

Makoto continued back to her home, with Ery following close behind.