1,182Well, here it is. Chapter 2, fresh and warm! This chapter is focused mainly on action. My experience with writing fight scenes is really limited, so do forgive me. I've been practicing by breaking down anime fights onto paper. My latest training session was with Boruto vs Hanabi. I want to get better, so that your reading experience will be much greater and my works easier to read. Without further due, enjoy!
07.03.22: This chapter has been edited.
"Now!"
At the exact same time the five mages launched from their positions, dashing forward. Running side by side, Gray and Gajeel rushed together at the rear, with Mirajane being slightly ahead of them, and Erza taking the lead. Right in front of them was Salamander, charging at them like a raging bull.
The distance between them was rather big, however it didn't take them long to close it. Just mere meters away from her opponent, Erza positioned her sword near her left hip and kicked the ground as hard as she could, greatly increasing her speed and covering her teammates in dust.
Giving Salamander no time to react, Erza dashed right through him at incredible speed, cutting him across his left pec up to the shoulder. Blood splurged out of the fresh wound, as the force of the strike knocked him off balance, as he began to fall onto his back. After a split second of shock, he regained his composure and planted his leg back on the ground. He turned around and grabbed the knight's ankle, locking it in a tight grip. Using brute strength, he swung her body above his head and smashed her into the ground, knocking the wind out of her lungs. He quickly got on top of her and took a swing with his right hand. Erza's eyes widened in shock, as she saw his fist making its way towards her face at incredible speed. Her head, still spinning from the crash, and the current lack of oxygen left her unable to defend herself. Seeing there was nothing she could do at the moment, Erza grit her teeth, awaiting the strike.
But it never came. The Dragon Slayer smashed his fist into the ground right next to her face, splitting it in the process. His face was so close to hers, she could actually see his onyx eyes through the narrow gap between his bandanna and scarf. She stared into them, her own eyes wide open. He missed on purpose? But...why? she asked herself in thoughts.
The man clicked his tongue and grimaced, as the blood from his wound dripped onto Erza's face. Having realized he did not miss on purpose after all, Erza was ready to retaliate, until he spoke. "Please, I don't want to fight you. Just let me go." he whispered to her, pleading. He sounded like he was fighting something, his plea desperate and anxious.
"Too late, prick."
Upon hearing this voice, Salamander quickly turned around, only to be nailed by an iron club, as Gajeel smashed his right cheek with incredible strength. The Fire Dragon Slayer's head was blown back with unnatural speed and angle, surprising even the Iron Dragon Slayer. What the...did it affect him this much?
It didn't work. Erza noted. At the very last moment before impact, Salamander twisted his neck and threw his head back, letting the club slide off his face, reducing the damage to minimum.
The rogue mage quickly twisted his head back to where it was, completely unhurt. He caught Gajeel's extended arm and pulled it towards himself, throwing a long hook with his left hand at the same time. Just before Salamander could land his punch, Erza kicked him in the stomach, knocking him into the air, which loosened his grip around Gajeel's arm, allowing him to snatch it out. Both Fairy Tail mages jumped back, as their opponent landed on his feet few meters away from them. Salamander lowered his arm, with Erza's foot imprinted on his bandages after blocking the blow.
Both parties took a deep breath, staring at each other, not moving an inch. Trying to think of their next move, Erza couldn't focus properly, as one thought clouded her mind.
This man...is strong.
Lucy and Juvia entered the now reduced to rubble guildhall. Limp, unconscious bodies of Dragon's Claw members were littered all over the floor, as those capable of walking escaped the building in haste, some of them dragging their downed comrades towards the exit.
"That man did all of this?" Juvia asked, looking around the place.
"Yes. But for now, let's focus on our job." Lucy replied, her voice still shaking. She found a trapdoor just underneath a fallen pillar. With Taurus' help, she pushed it aside and grabbed the handle, pulling the heavy door upwards, revealing dusted stairs. Thinking to herself that Salamander wasn't lying about the guild having a basement, she and Juvia walked down a couple of stairs, only to feel ground above them shake heavily.
"I think it'd be safer if we closed the door." Juvia noticed, turning around. She grabbed the thick wood and pulled it down, closing the door behind them. It got much darker, the only light sources available being torches strapped to the wall, placed every 3 meters away from each other. Lucy grabbed one of them and pulled it out, using it to boost their vision. The stairs led them quite deep under the ground, as finally they could see their end, large door getting bigger with each step. Lucy pulled the door with all her strength, but it didn't even budge. Lightly pushing her aside, Juvia sliced the wood with her water. Lucy kicked the now cut wood with her foot and knocked a large piece down, granting them entrance. Lucy ducked under and walked into the room, only to feel her eyes widen in fear.
The room was seemingly empty, with the only visible object being a thick pipe, as long as the room itself. On this pipe, eight females were hanging, their feet 1 meter above the ground, their hands bound as chains between their cuffs were thrown over pipe, robbing them off any chances of escape. They were all fairly young, some of them no older than Wendy.
Lucy covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes tearing up. Juvia just stood beside her, just as shocked.
"How...how could they do this?" Lucy asked through her tears.
Juvia regained her composure and walked towards the girls. "We have to cut them down. They're not dead, just exhausted and weak." she said, her voice choked.
Lucy nodded and summoned Cancer, who helped Juvia cut them down. As he cut through the chains, Juvia caught them with her water, nullifying their fall. She placed them all by nearby wall, setting them in a row. Some of them were covered in bruises, clearly earned for fighting back. They were all underweight, their skin shriveled up from dehydration.
"This is...cruel." stated bluntly Juvia, anger building up inside of her. "Worse than cruel. I can't even find words to describe this." she added. Despite her anger, she was thinking about something else entirely; Salamander ended up telling the truth. Just what the hell was going on in here?
Suddenly, the youngest girl twitched, her eyes opening slowly, as Lucy immediately rushed to her side. Upon seeing the women, the girl curled herself into a ball in fear.
"No, please! I'm sorry!" she yelped in horror.
"We're not going to hurt you." Juvia said softly, smiling at the girl. "We're here to help."
The girl looked at the blue-haired mage in confusion, shifting her gaze to Lucy. The blonde opened her bag and pulled out bottled water, opening it and lifting it to the girl's mouth.
"Here, drink." she whispered. The girl quickly grabbed the bottle and started to drink with loud and big gulps, as if afraid Lucy would change her mind.
Upon drinking from the bottle, she dropped her arms, panting heavily. Lucy took the bottle away from her, well aware that too much water could cause more harm than good in her current state.
"You're safe now." Lucy said, putting her hand on top of the girl's head. Tears started to form up in her eyes, as she launched herself into Lucy's arms, sobbing loudly as she grabbed the blonde's blouse. Lucy quickly hugged her back, breaking down as well.
"You're safe now...you're safe.." she repeated, petting the girl's hair.
Tears forming in her eyes as well, Juvia checked on other girls. None of them were responding, most likely locked down here here for far longer than this little girl.
"This is despicable."
Juvia turned around, only to see Lucy's enraged face, as she glared with fury in her teary eyes. "There are no words that can describe this cruelty. How could the Council let this happen?! These people have been begging for help for months! How could they miss something so obvious?!"
Juvia simply frowned, unable to respond to that. It was hard to disagree with the Celestial Mage.
"Let's stay here until they finish. Evacuating these women with these 5 monsters rampaging above is too dangerous." she said to Lucy, receiving a nod in response, the girl crying herself back to sleep in Lucy's arms.
"This prick.." Gajeel growled, glaring daggers at Salamander, as he and his guildmates stood right next to each other, panting.
They tried to gang up on him several times and overpower him with numbers. However, he simply dodged their attacks or made them crash into each other, making a four-versus-one impossible to pull off. Even though his head wound continued to pump out blood down his face, his instincts and reflexes remained superior to theirs. A part of Erza was glad the wound was there, for even she wasn't sure what would have happened if he was perfectly healthy.
"We won't get anywhere like this." she mumbled to her friends, hoping Salamander wouldn't hear her. "Instead of attacking him all at once, we'll split into pairs. Me and Mirajane, Gray and Gajeel. We'll be taking turns. It's much easier to coordinate our attacks with one partner, than three. Me and Mira will go first, you two follow up if we get into trouble."
Gray and Gajeel nodded, putting their rivalry aside. It wasn't the first time they had to work together against a foe.
"On my signal." Erza said.
Just when Erza readied herself to strike again, something flew right past her, as Mira dashed towards Salamander.
"Mira, wait!" she yelled after her friend, only to be ignored by the Demon. This stubborn idiot!
She threw a powerful punch at Salamander's face, only to have it blocked, as he raised his left forearm to protect himself. The Demon immediately followed with her left hand, this time going for a hook. Her plans were interrupted were interrupted by Salamander's fist, which was now a hair away from her face. Dodging at the last moment, she felt his strike go right past her left ear, wind finding its way into her ear drum. With his arm extended over her head, she immediately followed through, this time throwing a right uppercut, aiming for his chin. Suddenly, she felt her own chin flying upwards, as Salamander kneed her right under her jaw, knocking her body upwards. Not even a second later he felt his head ring like a bell, as Mirajane retaliated with a right hook to his temple. Both mages stopped for a moment, shaking off the damage. Once they recovered, they stared each other in the eye for a second, before dashing forward with incredible strength, as their forearms crashed, both of them mirroring each other's movements.
An incredible exchange of blows and kicks erupted between the two mages, their movements becoming almost a blur, neither giving the other even a moment of rest, with the Dragon Slayer's flames appearing seemingly out of nowhere, both from his missed and landed attacks.
"Shit, I don't see any openings." Gajeel grit through his teeth and watched the two mages slug it out.
"Neither do I." Gray said, angry at his lack of commitment to the fight. "Still, they're both incredible, I can't even follow their movements."
"Me too." Gajeel admited under his nose, his anger rising.
Suddenly, Salamander's head was blown back, as Mira mage landed a right straight to his jaw. However, he quickly answered back by connecting an uppercut into her stomach, making her cough up some spit. After that, they resumed the exchange, their movements once again becoming unreadable.
"She's doing it! She can take him down!" Gray said, as watching his friend put up a fight against a guy he thought was unbeatable filled him with confidence.
"Wrong."
Both Gajeel and Gray looked at Erza in surprise, as she stared at the fight with a frown glued to her face.
Being stronger than the two of them, she had much more insight into the situation. Although she had to admit she was surprised with her rival's skills, she knew it wasn't enough. Despite putting up a great fight, Mirajane was receiving more hits than he was. Her Satan Soul was a powerful and tough form, but in terms of toughness, this man was on another level. She looked at her sword, gripping it tightly as she remembered the feeling she felt when she cut him - despite putting a lot of strength behind that slash, the cut was shallow. Dragon Slayers were known for their tough bodies, necessary to contain their destructive magic. Back when they used to spar, Laxus would catch attacks from her weaker armors with his bare hands, despite being her equal at the time. Even if Mira was tough, sooner or later her body would give in, leaving her at his mercy. Stepping in to help her was currently out of the question. Despite having his hands full with Mira, the Dragon Slayer was paying attention to other three mages, positioning himself in a way that prevented them from helping their friend. He clearly had a lot of experience in fighting multiple opponents at once. Cursing her powerlessness, she gripped her sword so hard her knuckles hurt and focused on the fight, readying herself to jump in at first chance.
"I hate to say it, but there's nothing we can do now. If we attack him, there's a chance we will hit Mira." she told her friends through her teeth. "For now, we must forget the plan and place our trust in her. As soon as there's an opening, we're going in."
Gray and Gajeel nodded, waiting for their chance to jump in.
Erza's prediction came true, as Mirajane's movements started to rapidly drop in speed, to the point where now she couldn't land a single hit. Salamander, on the other hand, started landing more hits, injuring the Demon even further. He swiftly dodged her right kick by sidestepping to his left and nailed her with his right elbow, bloodying her nose and knocking her back in the process. Mirajane shook her head to clear her nostrils from blood and dashed forward, throwing an extended left straight. Dragon Slayer dodged it, slipping his head to his left.
Erza's eyes widened upon seeing this. What he just did was a common mistake, as he placed his head in the opposite direction of where it should be, right in the middle of Mirajane's space, giving her a perfect chance to strike. Did he have a plan...?
With Mirajane's arm still over his right ear, Salamander swung his right arm above hers, aiming his cross counter at her unguarded temple.
Erza's eyes widened in shock: if that blow landed, it'd be over. She had no way of blocking it, this scenario was just perfect for him. Fear growing inside of her chest, the knight felt her feet leave the ground against her will, rushing towards her friend.
Suddenly she stopped in her tracks, as she witnessed the Dragon Slayer's punch being stopped - Mira bent her elbow and locked it into Salamander's, killing his punch. His eyes widened in surprise, as he pushed his arm forward in vain. Keeping his right arm locked, the Demon raised her free arm, ready to strike back.
You're mine! she thought, her fist mere centimeters away from his unguarded jaw.
Salamander raised his left arm, putting up a guard. He then arched his back, narrowing his figure in the process and pushed his locked arm towards Mira's face. Despite using the exact same amount of strength she used to lock his arm, Mira was unable to contain his sudden growth in power, as he smashed his fist into her left cheekbone, knocking her body back in the process, as her lip and nose left rivers of blood in the air.
"What the hell?!" Gray yelled in shock. "How?! She had him!"
For a moment, Erza forgot this man was an enemy, as she couldn't help but find this move amazing. When he threw that wide swing earlier, his left side was completely unguarded, as his left arm was around his waist. This extended his chest muscles, not allowing him to draw in their full power. By putting up his guard up and arching his back, he narrowed his muscles, giving himself a tremendous boost in power, allowing him to easily bypass Mira's block.
Mirajane, seemingly knocked out, suddenly put up her hand, placing it right in front of Salamander's face.
EVIL EXPLOSION!
The attack hit him point blank, as both his and the Demon's bodies have been blown back by its force. Mirajane flipped in the air and landed on her side, rolling on the ground, seemingly out of commission. Salamander, on the other hand, landed on his back, sliding on the ground. As he finally stopped, he turned around onto his stomach, and pushed his knees under his torso, trying to get up. Upon succeeding, he straightened himself up, looking at the ground and panting heavily, as blood dripped onto the ground from his freshly widened head wound. His bandanna was blown away and his scarf slid onto his neck, leaving his face exposed. Grimacing from pain, he turned around to face Fairy Tail mages, revealing his covered in blood face and pink hair.
ICE MAKE: WAR HAMMER!
Not giving him a chance to recover, Gray joined the battle, smashing his ice weapon into fire mage's torso. His attack was blocked, as the Dragon Slayer crossed his arms on his stomach at the last moment, reducing the damage. Igniting his fists, he smashed the hammer like glass and stepped in towards the ice mage, ready to strike back. However, Gray was ready, and as soon as Salamander stepped in he was met with an ice spear making its way straight towards his face. Barely dodging, the spear grazed his cheek, leaving a small cut. Continuing his dash, he closed the distance between him and Gray and pulled his arm back, ready to strike.
FIRE DRAGON'S...
Salamander's head was blown back once again, as Gajeel, covered in iron scales, nailed an iron club into his right temple. Losing balance, he was forced to run in an awkward way to prevent his body from falling onto the ground. Just when he regained his footing and turned back around, he found two mages throwing themselves at him with their fists, Gray's covered in ice, forming hardened gloves. A wild exchange of punches, kicks and blocking erupted between the trio, as ice, fire and pieces of iron along with sparks splashed all over the area. Fairy Tail mages were pressing the Dragon Slayer hard, not giving him a chance to strike back, forcing him to block and dodge their attacks.
Gajeel turned his right arm into a sword and slashed horizontally at Salamander, making him lean backwards at a ridiculous angle. He didn't get to recover from this position, as he found Gray right above him, smashing his ice fists like a hammer into his chest, crashing him into the ground. Feeling air leave his lungs, Salamander looked up, only to see both of his opponents right above him, pulling their arms back and ready to strike. In one quick motion, he lit his legs on fire, brought his knees to his chest and kicked upwards, his feet planting themselves under both men's chins, knocking them upwards. Shifting his weight backwards, he landed on all fours and watched as Gray and Gajeel landed on their feet, blood dripping from their lips, inside of their mouths cut.
Salamander quickly launched himself towards them, catching them off guard. He closed in to Gray and put his open palm on the man's bare chest.
FIRE DRAGON'S GRIP ATTACK!
Gray's body was blown away by an explosion of fire, severely burning him in the process, as he crashed into a nearby house. Using this as a chance, Gajeel attacked Salamander from the side, seemingly blindsiding the rogue mage..
IRON DRAGON'S HARD FIST!
FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!
Ground split beneath them, as both Dragon Slayers smashed their fists against each other. Flames and shards of iron shot into the air, as both men grit their teeth, neither budging an inch. Suddenly, Gajeel felt himself being pushed backwards, as his scales began to break under pressure of Salamander's strength. Gritting his teeth in pain, Gajeel threw another punch with his left fist, only to have Salamander smash into it with his right hand. Unable to completely overpower each other like this, both men joined their fingers, pressing against each other at full strength. Roaring furiously, both men locked themselves in a power struggle, as their feet started sinking deeper and deeper into the ground. Gajeel felt every muscle in his body tense up in response to his opponent's power. He felt himself push Salamander back, as the fire mage took a short step backwards. Feeling that, Salamander lit his whole body on fire, gripping Iron Dragon Slayer's hands even harder, cracking his scales like thin ice. Growling in pain, Gajeel felt his knees slowly buckling under Salamander's strength, his scales cracking even further with each second. Knowing that he will lose this power struggle, Gajeel puffed his cheeks out, ready to launch his attack point blank.
IRON DRAGON'S...
Gajeel's head was blown upwards, courtesy of Salamander's kick landing under his chin, which stopped his roar before it got out of his mouth. Gajeel started to fall backwards, as Salamander let go of his damaged hands, scales falling off his body, revealing his bruised palms. Fire Dragon Slayer let his opponent fall to the ground, not attacking him any further. Panting heavily, he kept his eyes on his downed opponent.
He didn't get to rest for long, as the last thing his eyes registered before his body instinctively dodged was an edge of a red sword making its way towards his face: Erza, who was done checking up on Gray and Mira, used the opportunity to catch him off guard, slashing at him with incredible strength. Salamander jumped back, breathing loudly as damage he received up until this point was starting to build up, and his strength fading. Not giving him a chance to recover, the knight quickly dashed towards him, expecting him to jump back once again. At this point, tiring him out was the wisest choice. To her surprise, instead of jumping back, he stepped in, quickly closing the distance between them. He smashed his left shoulder into her figure, rendering her unable to strike with her sword. Pressing against her, Salamander quickly rotated his body and weight and despite mere centimeters between them, he delivered a powerful punch to her left side, slightly denting her armor.
Erza gasped, feeling dull pain take over her left side. Feeling this position was too dangerous for her, she jumped back, creating distance between them. However, as soon as her feet touched the ground, Salamander dashed again, smashing himself against her body yet another time. This time, however, he immediately followed through with another body blow, hitting the same place as before, denting the armor even further, drilling it into her body. Erza grimaced in pain, as she lifted her sword arm and brought it down onto his back, smashing it with her sword handle, immediately jumping backwards afterwards.
He's closing the distance to kill my range... she noted in her thoughts, clutching her aching stomach as she panted lightly. He's not giving me enough time to get in position. He already figured out this armor restrains his flames, so instead of using them, he focuses his magic into his fists, boosting his physical strength. This armor does not grant me enough speed to retreat safely. Changing out of it would be my best option. However, if I Requip into another armor, I may have problems with his fire...
Salamander used this chance to regain his breath, staring at Erza with his eyes half open. He was definitely reaching his limit, his body getting heavier and heavier with each minute
Regaining her breath, Erza took a fighting stance, thinking about her next move. Salamander's strength was a testimony of pure training and experience. Despite being an enemy, she couldn't help but respect this person. If it's to defeat this powerful foe, she was willing to take a risk.
REQUIP: HEAVEN'S WHEEL ARMOR!
White light covered the redhead's entire body, blinding Salamander. When it faded away, Erza sprung her wings, as dozens of swords appeared behind her back. Salamander's eyes widened in shock upon seeing the amount of weapons she possessed. He grit his teeth, fighting the pain, as flames once again covered his entire body.
Like I thought, as soon as I changed into another armor, he unsealed his flames. I must end this, before it's too late!
She pointed her sword at Salamander, as blades behind her hand began to spin.
"Dance, my bla-"
Just before she could strike, something flew right past her, as Mirajane dashed towards Salamander once again, getting in Erza's line of fire. This time, she used her wings to greatly increase her speed, as she held her hands behind her torso, building up her magic.
Upon seeing the Demon charge him head on, the Dragon Slayer leaned back, puffing his cheeks out. Knowing this position all too well, Erza's eyes widened in terror, as she yelled after her friend.
"Mira, don't!"
SOUL EXTIN-
FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!
Salamander's flames consumed everything on their path, quickly catching up to the white-haired mage. Knowing she doesn't have enough time, she threw her incomplete attack into the flames, causing an explosion mere two meters away from her figure, evading being completely consumed by flames. However that wasn't enough, as the explosion was so powerful it leveled all houses nearby, sprawling them like thin cardboard. Erza struggled to stay in position, her wings not strong enough to fight the wind pressure. A giant cloud of dust has risen where the explosion occurred, greatly reducing the knight's field of view.
"Mirajane!" she called after her friend in despair. Being closest to the blast, she was in grave danger..
Suddenly something flew out of the dust, as Mirajane's limp body, still in her demon form, crashed into nearby ruins. Erza wanted to go to her friend, however she could still sense Salamander's magical power, meaning he was not defeated just yet. She shifted her attention at the dust cloud, her opponent still behind it. This turned out to be a good decision, as Salamander dashed towards her with incredible speed. This speed surprised her, as she only had enough time to send three swords his way, only for him to duck right under them.
FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!
Closing the distance, he delivered a powerful punch to her unguarded stomach. Erza coughed up some blood while the strike sent her flying right into the last remaining building in the alley, crashing it down in the process.
Breathing heavily, he closed his eyes in exhaustion, his head wound constantly oozing blood, weakening him. His ear twitched, as he heard footsteps behind him. Quickly turning around, he noticed Gray and Gajeel running towards him. Fear grasping his chest, he tried to back up, in hopes of buying at least couple more seconds of rest. His plan failed however, as he couldn't bring his feet up. Looking down, his eyes widened in terror, as he noticed ice covering his legs up to his knees, sprawling all over the ground. With no time to break out, he braced himself for impact.
IRON DRAGON'S LANCE: DEMON LOGS!
Gajeel launched 7 sharp iron spears in the fire mage's direction. Unable to dodge, he simply put up his arms to minimize the damage. The blades plunged themselves in his flesh, two blocked by his forearms, and one hitting his right shoulder. Fourth grazed his left thigh, and the remaining three spears missed their target. Setting his feet on fire and flexing his arms, Salamander broke the ice around his legs and pushed the blades out of his body simultaneously. He then grabbed the blade still sitting in his shoulder and pulled it out in one, swift movement. This cost him dearly, as he failed to notice charging Gray, who smashed Salamander in the face with his ice gauntlet, staggering the Dragon Slayer.
Salamander took couple steps back, his vision blurry, as Gray's attack messed up his nose. With tears in his eyes he shifted his gaze back onto his opponents, only to see them right in front of his face yet again.
ICE MAKE: GAUNTLET!
IRON DRAGON'S HARD FIST!
Fairy Tail mages planted their fists deep into Salamander's stomach, making the man cough up a lot of blood, blowing him back in the process. He remained on his feet, sliding on the ground, however his body buckled over, blood dripping onto the ground from his open mouth. Seeing this as a golden opportunity to finish him off, both males dashed once again, reading up exact same attacks they used a second ago.
Suddenly, Salamander started to loudly breath through his gritted teeth, almost growling. He quickly shot his head up, his covered in blood face twisted with pure fury and his eyes still alive. He stepped in towards Fairy Tail mages and delivered a swift and powerful punch right under Gajeel's left ear whilst roaring like an animal. Iron Dragon Slayer's eyes covered with mist, as he fell onto his face, rocked. Just when Salamander was about to counter Gray as well, a beaten up Mirajane sneaked up on him from behind, locking him in a nelson.
"Now, Gray!" she yelled struggling to keep the rampaging Dragon Slayer in her grip. "Take him down!"
Before Gray could attack immobile Salamander, the fire mage jumped backwards, with Mirajane still strapped to his back. Leaning towards the ground, he put up his legs and ignited them on fire. Turning his feet into thrusters, Salamander crashed himself and Mira into the ground, with enough force to split the surface beneath them. The Take Over mage gasped loudly, all the remaining air she had escaping her body, her eyes losing their focus, as her mind faded into unconsciousness. Dropping out of her Satan Soul, her grip loosened, allowing the Dragon Slayer to get back up and turn around to face the now charging at him Gray and Gajeel. He grit his teeth and unleashed a giant wave of flames that swatted the both of them like flies and severely burned them. He then turned to Mira and raised his hand, ready to strike.
"Don't!" the still hurting Gray yelled in a desperate attempt to save his friend's life, as he was now rushing to help her. Much to his shock, Salamander complied. Upon seeing the woman's defeated figure he stopped his attack mid-way through, freezing in place. After a moment, he turned around to face the ice mage, ready to fight him. But once again, that's not what his eyes found.
In her Flight Armor, Erza crashed into Salamander, kicking his chest with both legs that sent him flying. Trying to stop himself, he planted his fingers into the ground, leaving claw-like marks on its surface, his shoulders crying from pain. This allowed him to stop himself from crashing, as he stopped just in front of ruins of a house. Hearing something making its way towards him, he quickly shot his head up, only to see a furious knight staring him down.
REQUIP! she yelled, white light covering her figure once again, blinding Salamander. Once she stopped changing into another armor, he opened his eyes, only to feel them widen in pure terror, fear reaching every inch of his body.
PURGATORY ARMOR!
As soon as she Requipped, Erza brought down her spiked mace into Salamander. He quickly crossed his arms over his head, igniting them on fire, catching the blow with his already damaged forearms. The strength of this strike was so great it drilled his feet into the ground, as he yelled out loudly in pain, feeling his bones crack.
Erza's eyes widened in surprise, shocked that he managed to block this strike. Gripping her weapon even tighter, she pressed harder, grinding him into the ground even further, as his knees started to buckle.
With this, I will end it! she shouted in her thoughts, gritting her teeth as veins popped on her forehead, blood flowing down her face from her wound, very similar to Salamander's. She pushed down with all her strength, bending the Dragon Slayer like a pocket knife, as his muscles cried out in agony. With his knees mere centimeters away from the ground, he suddenly roared furiously, his magical power rising, as flames once again covered his entire body. In one powerful move he used remaining strength of his entire body, shooting himself up and shaking Erza's attack off in the process. Blood splurged all around him, his torn, bloodied bandages falling onto the ground, sliding off his purple and swollen skin, as he knocked Erza's mace out of her palms, launching it into the air.
Erza shook off her shock almost immediately, and stepped towards him, delivering a powerful kick to his neck. Salamander's body was knocked to his right, as he extended his right leg, preventing himself from falling. He faced Erza, ready to strike back, only to get punched in the exact same spot once again. His body bowed to the knight, his ears ringing, as black curtain started to cover his eyes. With barely any strength left in him, he lifted his head upwards, trying to attack her back.
Erza raised her arms above her head and grabbed her left hand with her right, before bringing them down onto the back of Dragon Slayer's head, crashing into it with enormous force. His legs buckled under the weight of this blow, as he was now kneeling on the ground in front of the knight. As he desperately tried to get up, Erza repeated the motion and crashed into the back of his head once again, creating a small crater beneath them. With just his right hand and left knee preventing him from falling, Salamander still tried to get up, unable to lift his own body weight. Roaring loudly from anger and pain, Erza lifted her right leg as high as she could, and brought it down onto his head, stomping him into the ground. Panting heavily, she raised her leg once again, ready to kick him for the second time.
"Erza, stop!" someone called out to her. "He's had enough!"
Breathing loudly, Erza looked in direction of the voice, noticing Gray, as he stared at her with fear written all over his face. But he wasn't afraid of Salamander - he was afraid of her. Looking down, she felt her eyes widen.
Salamander stopped moving, his figure drilled into the ground, as he laid unconscious by Erza's feet. Blood began to pool beneath his face, which was now sunken into the ground. Breathing loudly, she was slowly calming herself down as the adrenaline wore off, and the weight of what she's just done started to weigh in on her. Her eyes teared up as she looked at her armored hands, covered in the Slayer's blood, guilt and disgust clutching her heart - she actually tried to kill this man. She looked to her right, where Gray was, as he just stood there, his shocked eyes still glued to her figure. Unable to look him in the eye, she shook her head to the side, Requipping back into her Heart Kreuz Armor and made her way to check up on her friends. As she wiped the blood off her right eye, the memories she tried to seal away resurfaced yet again. She had to keep herself busy to swat them away.
Gajeel was already back on his feet, although staggering and tripping. Making his way towards Erza and Gray, he waved his hand as a sign of "I'm ok." Mirajane was right where she was, still unconscious. Her body was covered in burns, bruises and cuts. Without doubt she took the biggest punishment, engaging Salamander on her own, the wounds she inflicted on his body being a key to his defeat.
"Gajeel, can you...?" Erza asked the Dragon Slayer, her eyes glued to the ground, pointing at the beaten Salamander with her thumb.
"Yeah." he muttered, passing her as he dropped onto his ass right next to Salamander and started to wrap him around in iron bars.
While Gajeel was restraining the rogue mage, Erza wiped her eyes off and looked around. The village was basically destroyed. More than half the buildings have been leveled to the ground, and the remaining houses were heavily damaged. Dragon Claw's guildhall was now a complete ruin. Thankfully, the thick trapdoor to the basement was still locked tightly, with Lucy, Juvia and the supposedly kidnapped women still inside and safe. With no bodies to be seen, Erza figured out the villagers and beaten guild members evacuated the village as soon as the fight started. Since the mayor knew Blackhill would become a battleground, he definitely must have had prepared a plan.
Gajeel finished restraining Salamander, now wrapped him from his collarbones to his hips in iron bars. He pushed the beaten rogue mage upwards, making him sit on the ground, his limp head hanging above his lap and dripping blood onto it.
Looking around, Gray walked up to Erza whilst clutching his aching arm.
"I'm glad you told Lucy and Juvia to hide." he told her. "This was just messed up."
"No shit." Gajeel growled in agreement and limped in their direction. "Punk had way too much energy. I'm surprised he's even breathing after a beating like that."
Erza simply bit her lip in response. She did it again. She broke her promise to Master. Her friends were not in mortal danger - despite everything they did to him, Salamander was not fighting to kill. She couldn't blame him for hurting her friends, even if she wanted to - they have attacked him. Hating him for defending himself would not only be stupid, but it'd make her a hypocrite. And yet, when he struck her, when she saw blood leave her mouth, and a red curtain cover her right eye, that eye, her nightmares resurfaced. She tried to kill an already defeated opponent.
Erza grabbed her arms, hugging herself; the thought of Gray not being there to stop her made her body shiver.
"I say we wait for Gramps." Gray said, him and Gajeel discussing their next move. "The villagers have evacuated, and Lucy and Juvia are safe. There's nothing we can do more."
"I guess." Gajeel nodded whilst massaging his aching jaw. "Can't you use your ice on her? She's the main reason we took this bastard down." he asked, pointing at Mira with his thumb.
"Wow, you giving me a good idea? Did that guy knock some sense into that thick head of yours?" Gray asked him mockingly and raised his eyebrows.
"Screw you. I'm too tired to deal with your shit." the Dragon Slayer sighed as Gray playfully punched him in the shoulder and started tending to Mira "What do you think old man's planning to do with him?" he asked Erza, only to be ignored.
"Probably lock him up in the guild. I still don't know why he wants to talk to this guy, he's just another-"
Gray stopped talking as he stared at something, his eyes widening in terror. "You're fucking kidding me, right?" he muttered to himself in pure fear.
Gajeel noticed that and turned around, his eyes shooting open as well. Erza was too lost in her thoughts to notice, and only Gajeel's yell managed to wake her up.
"TITANIA!"
Redhead's head quickly turned around in his direction, snapping her out. Before she could ask her friends what was wrong, she already knew the answer, immediately Requipping a sword.
Salamander stood up from his spot, still bound. He breathed through his teeth loudly, making animal-like sounds, as blood dripped through his teeth onto the ground. His eyes were focused on the trio, fire crawling out of his skin, as he covered his entire figure in flames. His restraints began to crack, breaking upon the pressure.
"On my signal! He's too weak to fight back! This time, we-" Erza's orders were interrupted, as Salamander destroyed lower bars clutching his body, sending pieces of metal flying in all directions. He panted heavily, his body still covered in flames that have now begun to crack the remaining bars on his body.
Gray rushed towards the rogue mage, smashing his fist into his open palm.
"Gray, wait!" Erza yelled after him.
"He's so weak he will go down from a push! I can freeze him in place and knock him out!" he screamed back, icy mist covering his body.
But he was too late. With one last push, Salamander broke through the remaining iron bars surrounding his figure, as they fell to the ground with a loud thud. His flames pushed Gray off-balance and put a stop to his charge. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he roared into the night sky. It was so loud, Gajeel's head felt like it was going to split, and even Erza had to cover her ears, grunting from pain. It wasn't a human scream: it sounded like a cornered animal, who had nothing to lose.
Salamander's roar came to an end, along with his flame cloak, making Fairy Tail mages think he had finally burned out. But not even a moment later his body blew up with an aura even bigger than before, tugging around his figure, as a cloak of flames and lightning covered his body entirely. Roaring loudly once again, he launched himself towards Gray at inhuman speed, backfisting the raven-haired mage into his liver, immediately knocking the light out of his eyes. Gray's body was sent flying to the side, as he crushed into rubble.
"Impossible..." whispered terrified Gajeel, witnessing his guildmate being swatted away like a fly.
Salamander inhaled his elemental cloak back into his mouth, his cheeks puffed out and body leaned backwards
LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON'S ROAR!
A tornado of fire and lightning launched itself of his mouth, reducing the ground beneath into nothing. Gajeel simply sat there and watched death approach him, not even budging to run, or defend himself.
Salamander's roar made contact, as it splattered all around the village - Erza Requipped into her Adamantine Armor and got in front of Gajeel, protecting both him and Mirajane from the blast. The knight's feet planted themselves deep into the ground, as she used everything she had to push against this powerful attack.
No, not yet! she encouraged herself, as she felt her shields crack from the pressure.
After couple more seconds of struggle, Salamander's attack died down. Before it dispelled, it shattered Erza's shields into tiny pieces, blowing her gauntlets up as well. Sharp pieces of metal planted themselves deep into her now exposed skin, as she dropped to her knees. Panting heavily and her eyes tearing up from the pain, she laid her limp, destroyed arms on her lap. Forcing herself, she lifted her head up and looked at Fire Dragon Slayer with her teary eyes, awaiting his next move. He just stood there, exhausted, his magic barely above zero and his enemies scattered around the area on the ground, with him being the only one left standing. As the animal-like fury was slowly leaving his eyes, he looked at his shaking hands, his expression changing drastically. He then looked back at Erza, meeting her gaze, before slowly shifting his gaze onto her hands. His eyes widened on pure terror as he spotted something on them, and just like that, all his reason seemingly returned to him..
The knight's eyes widened, as she noticed his eyes, which were now overtaken by guilt. The previously animal-like pupils were gone, replaced with teary, onyx eyes. The bandages, shredded by her earlier onslaught have now fully slid off of his arms, revealing his injured hands. Erza looked at them and felt the hair on her neck stand up, as terror clutched her throat with an icy hand.
They both stared at each other for just a few seconds, but to them, it felt like hours. Each of them knew exactly what they were looking at, but were unaware that the other was doing the same. Pink rivers ran down Salamander's cheeks. He mouthed something to the redhead, before a wall of flames appeared before his body. Once it dispelled, Salamander was nowhere to be found, finally able to retreat in peace without the threat of being followed, or engaged further.
Erza brought her head down and leaned her body towards the ground, meeting it with her forehead.
Lucy and Juvia came out of the basement, but not before pushing away some logs and rubble off the door first. Both women shot their eyes wide open in shock upon seeing the state the village was in. Lucy then spotted her injured, defeated friends, and immediately rushed towards them. Noticing the state Mirajane was in, she ran up to her and called out to her worryingly, taking in the extent of her injuries.
Erza's body started to violently shake every few seconds, as she could no longer contain her pent up emotions. She had reached her limit, everything flowing out at once, as she just sobbed to herself out of frustration, guilt, pain, anger and confusion.
Today, in this place, they have lost on several fronts.
An hour later, both Rune Knights and Fairy Tail reinforcements have arrived. Makarov brought along Wendy, Levy, Elfman and Lisanna. Upon arriving, both parties didn't even know where to start. Lahar split his forces into 5 groups, sending two medics with each of them. One group went after Salamander, another accompanied Lucy and Juvia downstairs, third patched up and arrested present Dragon Claw members, fourth protected evacuated villagers, and the fifth stayed with Fairy Tail mages. Wendy immediately ran towards Erza and her heavily damaged hands, but the redhead sent her to Mirajane instead, as her injuries were much more serious. She herself settled in with a Council medic, who, after patching her head up, carefully pulled shards of metal from her arms. While receiving treatment, she told everything that happened to Makarov, with Lahar standing nearby.
Makarov sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. Cursing his incompetence, he walked up to Erza and placed his hand on her armored shoulder.
"I'm sorry, my child. I've forced a far too heavy burned onto your shoulders." he whispered solemnly, unable to look her in the eye.
"It wasn't your fault, Master." she told him, her throat dry. "We came here prepared. None of us regrets being here today." she then grimaced, as the medic pulled out the last piece of her armor, and was now cleaning her arms from blood.
"I hope you're prepared to face the consequences, Master Makarov." Lahar said, looking at the elder from behind his glasses. "As grateful as we are for exposing Dragon Claw, you have officially broken the Council's laws. A trial is inevitable."
"I'm well aware of this fact." Makarov replied through his teeth.
Erza frowned, watching her hands being stitched up. She looked to her right, where Wendy was healing Mirajane, Upon seeing his big sister in this state, Elfman snapped and they barely managed to keep him away from chasing after the Dragon Slayer. Now, he was sitting right beside Mira, holding her hand in his own, as Wendy has already dealt with majority of her wounds. Gray and Gajeel were fine, with no life threatening injuries on their bodies. Their pride, however, was a different matter.
Gajeel was just sitting on the ground, his hands and head covered in bandages, as Levy gave him first aid(much to his annoyance) and some iron to regain his strength. He wasn't listening to the bookworm, who was sitting right next to him worried, as he just stared at his hands with a scowl glued to his face.
"...Are you listening, Gajeel?" Levy asked him for the third time.
He ignored her and looking at Makarov, he asked. "Can we go back already?"
Makarov didn't answer him, instead looking at Lahar questionably. Lahar looked around the place for a while, before responding.
"It appears we have dealt with the situation. Truth to be told, I should be bringing you, and your members in for what happened here, but I suppose there's no need for that at the moment. We know where to find you. We will send an official to inform you of the Council's decision. I think we can all leave for our homes in 30 minutes."
"You heard the man." Makarov said, looking at Gajeel.
The Dragon Slayer punched his hand in response. "Good. There's a certain asshole I have to talk with."
Two soldiers passed them by, leading a chained up mayor towards the prison carriage. He looked as if he had aged twenty years since she'd seen him an hour ago.
"What is to become of him?" Erza asked and watched the small man being pushed into a wagon.
"He is accused of dealing with the Underground and being partly responsible for the destruction of Blackhill Village." Lahar replied. "He could have greatly contributed the magic world by informing us of the deal he'd made with Salamander. Instead, he chose to reduce his home to rubble. I suppose this knowledge will be more of a punishment than whatever we grant him."
Erza frowned sadly. She understood his intentions. For those he loved, he decided to reject his personal good and stepped into a dangerous territory. Seeing no guilt or shame in his eyes, she felt slightly better.
Just like Lahar said, 30 minutes later Council carriages have appeared, ready to transport all casualties to safe destinations. Eight kidnapped women have been sent to a hospital, already plugged to IV's. Wendy used up all of her magic, but in exchange, she healed Mirajane to the point where she could walk on her own, although Elfman was more than willing to lend her a shoulder. Her right arm was in an arm sling, and she had cooling band aids glued to her not yet healed minor burns.
After being patched up, the Fairy Tail mages were sent directly to the next train station, all of them sitting in a carriage. Shortly after, they were aboard a train, traveling in complete silence, all of them tired and shaken up. Erza was staring at her bandaged hand, completely spacing out. She lightly made a fist, shifting her gaze onto the window, staring at the red, full moon peeking from behind clouds, as she remembered Salamander's last words to her.
I'm sorry.
To be continued in Chapter 3: Aftermath.
So...yeah. Before I get any further into this note, let me point out one, major thing that will be a major key to this story in the future - if you feel like I pulled xomething out of my ass, like giving character too much power, or changed character's behaviour: it will most DEFINITELY be explained in the future. There's only one rule I truly follow in my stories - don't put something in the series, if you can't explain it. If you felt like Natsu should not get out of this, I promise you, you will soon find out what was driving him this far.
If you're wondering why Natsu was so swift at fighting a whole group, and later on kept getting blindsided - head wounds mess you up. Badly. That's also the reason Erza didn't put him down with Purgatory Armor. She was bleeding from her head, just like he was.
Next couple of chapters will be mostly filed with dialogue, as Chapter 3 is where the plot really kicks in. This story is much deeper than it currently seems. Since I struggle with dialogue, next upload make take longer. Expect to see it in 2nd/3rd week of June.
Well, that's it for today. See you later!