A Fistful of Magic
Author's Note: I believe Lucy is the most put upon and underdeveloped character in Fairy Tail. She was introduced as the protagonist of the series and yet seems to be the most harmless of all the main characters. I wanted to write a story where she uses all of her talents and resources to become a spectacular wizard. I'm not looking to grant her every magic in Fiore, I simply wanted to add to her repertoire and see what she becomes. Please don't expect any advantage to slip her by, and be prepared for her intellect to be brought to the fore front as I've felt the series (and most manga/anime in general) have forgotten that not all fights should be brawn first, brains second.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail
Being a Heartfilia had both its boons and its downfalls. As a result of what family Lucy had been born into she has always had access to the highest quality lifestyle money could buy; luxury vacations, gorgeous clothes and the most privileged education available. On the flip side, fate had taken her mother before her time and her father had spiralled into a financial obsession to distance himself from his grief, to the point he had even rejected his daughter leaving her with a detached, but brilliant, father figure. Under his tutelage she learned the importance of being dedicated, working hard and never giving an inch to anyone, although to this day she wasn't sure if she devoted herself so hard to his lessons for her sake or to gain an ounce of his attention. Nevertheless it had stood her in good stead all her life and was a part of her personality she was proud of, with it she had managed to convince him she had the right mind frame to be home schooled. Nowadays, as a woman of seventeen, her schedule revolved around her many interests, allowing her to focus on any subject she fancied- all from the sunny paradise that was her backyard.
Lucy lay basking on the sun-lounger beside the pool, the warm sunlight counteracting the slight breeze which rolled over the properties extensive lawns. Over the calming sound of running water she could hear her horses whinnying to one another in what she imagined was the horse equivalent of outrage. Above her a cloud crossed in front of the sun, causing her to shiver and open her eyes. Blinking the sun spots from her vision she picked up the magazine from where it rested on her chest. The Sorcerer was once again proclaiming its own outrage against Fairy Tail's most recent delinquency, siting the instigators as Salamander and Titania, and hysterically questioning what destructive quest they would embark upon next. Stifling a snicker at their hysteria, she traced a finger over Erza's impressive title. Ever since she was a child Lucy had admired Erza, despite her hardships, and defying her gender stereotypes Erza had risen to become one of the strongest wizards in Fiore to the extent that people had fled at the sight of her. It was this hero worship which prompted Lucy to barge into her father's office, demanding he find her a tutor to teach her how to re-quip. Concentrating, she vanished the glass on the table beside her into a pocket dimension. With a more concerted effort it re-materialised in her hand. Smiling despite the effort, she sipped at her drink. Although she devoted hours a week to the task she had never managed to achieve a fifth of Erza's speed at re-quipping, having reached a wall of fifteen seconds before anything could be retrieved from its out of dimension state. To compensate she practiced until she could move most objects around her into her pocket dimension, allowing, in effect, the ability to teleport objects into her grasp. It disappointed her, but she knew re-quipping was never going to be her strongest magic as realistically she was only mediocre at that branch of magic. Her greatest skill was in defensive magic; barriers and blockades being her forte. Resting her hand on the keys at her hip, she repeated her vow to protect her Celestial friends so they would never have to suffer in her stead again. Lips turned into a frown at the solemn direction her thoughts had taken she packed her things away. Hopping up, she embraced the gorgeous day, banishing all serious thoughts from her mind, and dived into the cool water beside her.
It was a subdued Lucy who knocked on her father's door. Despite her best efforts, this was one task she had to face. The day had finally come and she was ready to go out and have her adventure. Opening it before she got a reply she slipped into the room. Across from her and behind his desk her father sat, hands steepled in front of his saddened face. Despite their hardships he didn't want her to go and he had tried his hardest to discourage her. But in the face of her resolution he had finally given her his blessing, albeit reluctantly. Crossing the distance between them she took one of his hands into her own and gave him her widest smile whilst telling him she'd be alright.
"Are you sure Lucy?" He questioned a look of worry flashing across his face, "Please tell me you're leaving for yourself, and not because of the mistakes I've made". Her grip tightened round his fingers, and she looked him dead in the eye as she spoke
"I am, dad. There's nothing happy about having your fate decided for you! You have to reach out and grab your own happiness! What I've always wanted isn't money or pretty dresses but a chance to explore, learn magic and work using the skills I've spent years developing. It's my chance to prove my worth in the only are the Heartfilia name doesn't already dominate. I'm doing this for me."
Thankfully he seemed to accept this and he let the subject drop. They talked for a little while longer, meandering from topic to topic but always avoiding the subject they wanted to. Finally, the conversation petered off; a result of avoiding the big issues (a habit they'd been indulging for years) and sadly, because they lacked the more basic knowledge of what each other liked to talk about. When Lucy finally stood, her and her father said no more words, but as she was leaving his study he gave her a look that promised a home would always be waiting for her should she choose to return. Nodding in acknowledgement she quietly shut the door, picked up her backpack and purse and headed towards the entrance hall; the first step of her journey.
Being off the family grounds was strangely liberating for such an everyday occurrence when you knew it was for the last time. A routine, nondescript bush was now a bush she'd not see for years after she passed it by, as such her journey down and out of her home town was filled with more than farewells to friends, but to all the buildings and landscapes she wouldn't see for a while. And yet, despite all the goodbyes, each one felt liberating, for every person she waved to her spirits soared. These were a testament to her determination; they made her journey real as opposed to a fantasy. The keys at her hip were no longer just her companions, the magic she knew was no longer a conversation piece these were now her tools of her trade, and would be her bread and butter. Desperate to share the moment, she withdrew the Golden Bull key and placed it into the lock between dimensions, twisting it; she pushed her magic between the boundaries of reality and pulled open the door.
Crying out "I summon you, Taurus" she felt her magic drop at the same time as his bull like form appeared. As usual, he appeared in little to nothing, a loincloth covering his dignity. A strange mixture between bull and man, Taurus cut an intimidating figure at over six feet of rippling muscle. Spread across his muscled chest was a thin coat of black chest hair, and sat atop a thick neck was a strong bullish face. His jaw was strong, square and always covered in stubble. His eyes were the most striking of his features, in spite of the two horns sprouting from underneath his brown locks, or the gold ring in his nose, as within their brown expanse glittered the stairs of his constellation. Tremulously, a telepathic pathway forged itself between them, bringing with it a surge of confidence that was inherent to the Bull's personality. Sometimes she wondered what trait of hers he could feel coming from her.
Bowing, the stud greeted her in his typical fashion "Princess Lucy, I'm so happy you chose me to serve you; obeying your every need. How can I help the most beautiful women in the world?" Blushing a little at his praise, she ploughed on.
"Thank you, Taurus, but I just wanted to talk. I'm headed east, towards Magnolia, and wanted some company along the way." The man grinned perversely at the idea of spending hours with his beautiful summoner, and eagerly began to ask her about her day. Lucy began to tell him, half her mind on the conversation and the other considering the journey ahead. Her plan was to travel along the coast of Fiore, with Fairy Tail as the prize at the end of the road. Her family often visited the coast over the holidays meaning the coast always had a golden glow in her memories. Those trips had ground to a halt after her mother died though, and now Lucy was curious as to what might have changed since she'd last been there. And, as it was along the route to her guild of choice she saw nothing wrong with spoiling herself a little, with her first chance at freedom being beside white beaches and blue water. However, glancing at Taurus who was not so surreptitiously checking her out, she'd probably summon cancer for that leg of the trip, as lord knows the bull-like man wouldn't be able to concentrate if she was in a bikini (even now he was red in the face- the pervert!).
Hargeon city was different from the other towns she'd been visiting. For one, it was much bigger, with both a port and a train station, and it also seemed much more party orientated, everywhere she looked were restaurants and party boats. Looking at her map again she headed towards the magic shop. In each of the towns along the way she made a point to visit a magic shop to look for books, magical items and news on wizards. So far she'd managed to free-lance a few jobs along the way so as not to waste any of her cash. She'd even secured a bodyguard job from the last town to this one, a role she was perfectly suited to with her barrier magic. All it took was surviving for three minutes against his entourage's onslaught, safely tucked behind a force shield and he'd handed her the contract. Thanks to his generosity, Lucy had already picked up a whip at the weapons store she'd picked the map up from. Although difficult to master, Lucy had her fair share of practice with a whip, and was fully prepared to resort to physical attacks if her magic wasn't enough. Unfortunately the only magical goods she'd gotten so far was the new seventy two colour light pen, so she was determined to get something different thanks to her sudden monetary windfall. Spotting a sign reading 'Magic' she sped up, a thrill she always got when magic was concerned running up her spine. The store was nice, but a little small, with a middle aged man behind the counter. Walking up to the glass she flashed him a quick smile and asked about his day as she browsed. Most of it was standard stuff; gale force reading glasses, light pens in copper, silver and gold, surprisingly though, was a little silver key near the edge of the merchandise. Ignoring his spiel about the ColourS she tapped a manicured nail over the engraved key.
"How much is this one, mister?" Leaning forwards she put her hands on her knees as if to get a closer look, casually exposing her cleavage.
"You've a good eye, you lady, we don't normally get Celestial Spirit Keys round these parts. This town doesn't have much of a magic community, despite what you'd think, given its size. It'll be nineteen thousand jewels for that baby." Her eyebrows rising at the price Lucy crossed her arms and leaned on the counter, pushing her chest up and out. "Can't I get a discount" she asked coyly, softly biting her lower lip. "I've been traveling a long way and don't have much to spend on new things". A mixture of pity, reluctance and lust warred across his face. Finally, he gave her a small nod. "How about this, I'll be willing to drop the price to fifteen thousand for you. I can't go any lower, as the shops already quite small." It was her turn to nod happily. What a steal! Handing over the money she skipped out of the store clutching the Canis Minor key to her chest. For the next few hours she simply travelled around the large city, looking at the local landmarks and spectacular views. Getting a bit tired she was about ready to get a late lunch when she heard shouts of "Salamander" from round the corner. Feeling a little nosey, and a bit excited if it was the Salamander of Fairy Tail she hurried in that direction. Turning the corner she was a little surprised to see a large crowd of girls surrounding a handsome man. Pushing her way forwards she could feel her heart beet faster, pounding against her chest. She could see the fire dancing across his fingers, a mysterious purple flame that glittered as much as it shone. It had to be him. Everyone knew the Salamander was a fire mage, so it couldn't be a coincidence that there was a man called Salamander handling fire like putty and it not be the right guy. Taking her backpack from her shoulder she pulled out her notebook, stars in her eyes she held it out to him. "Please, Salamander, would you sign thi-". She couldn't say more before an obnoxious pink haired fool slammed his foot on the ground and pointed at Salamander shouting "He isn't even a lizard" before turning and stomping away. As if the ridiculous statement wasn't enough between the pink hair, bare mid-riff and scaly scarf she quickly snapped out of her stupor. Looking back at Salamander she snatched her notebook out of his hands, sneering she left. The nerve of the man- Using Charm magic to become popular! It was illegal to use, and just plain immoral. Head held high she shoved her way through the crowd of jostling females, certain she'd never join Fairy Tail if this was the way the behaved.
Lucy had only made it a few blocks before a hand on her shoulder stopped her. Spinning she raised a hand in front of her calling forth a shield to stop both magic and physical shield (what she'd call a magic-force barrier), her other hand went to her whip, reading it for use. What she saw surprised her. Looking somewhat startled and a little embarrassed was Salamander. Rubbing the back of his head, he gave her a charming grin.
"Sorry if I offended you earlier" he said, still looking sorry. "I know you probably think what I did was pathetic, but it wasn't what it looked like." He took a small step forward, hands in the air in surrender. Lucy dropped her hands to her sides (closer to her whip and keys) and gave him an embarrassed look.
"Sorry for being so aggressive, you scared me." She said, head tilted down in shame. It wasn't right to wield use combat magic outside of a fight. "What do you want?"
Lifting up the sleeve of his shirt he pointed at his shoulder, right at his Fairy Tail mark. "You probably already know it, but I'm a member of Fairy Tail. Now, I know you're scandalised but my Charm was just a trick; a way of weeding the wizards out of a group. When I saw you break the spell I knew you were worth approaching. You see, I'm here from Fairy Tail recruiting wizards to join the guild, and I wanted to offer you a spot." Giving a disarming smile, he waved his hands. "You don't have to decide now. I'm having a party on the Bravaria later on in the harbour. It starts at seven, and if you make a decision, then I'd like to see you there. The foods free, the dancing will be fun, even if you say no you'll still have a good time." Thinking about it she reached out a hand. Joining Fairy Tail had always been her dream. "I'll think about it, alright?" he gave her hand a firm shake he said goodbye, wishing her well. Looking at his retreating back she gave herself a mental pat on the back. He'd chosen her! Just as he was out of sight she let herself loose, hopping a little into the air she gave a squeal of delight.
It was luck which caused her to bump into the pink haired loud mouth. Seeing as it was him who broke the Charm on her, she felt it was right to offer to get him lunch. Politely, she introduced herself. "Hi there, I'm so glad we ran into one another. I was among the crowd of girls earlier, and well, you really helped me out. If you'd like, I want to buy you lunch in thanks." A broad grin spread across his face, and he turned to a blue cat she hadn't noticed before, standing at his side. "Hear that, Happy? This chick wants to feed us, is there Karma or what?" Sticking his thumbs up at her he bounced his head up and down so fast she thought it might pop off. "I'm Natsu, and this is Happy, my partner". Introducing herself she led them to a nice restaurant she'd seen when she was exploring. She was exceptionally glad the food was cheap once Natsu had ordered, considering he'd chosen most of the menu! Considering she hadn't done a good job of it before, she began to tell him how; thanks to his interruption she'd been offered a place at the number one guild in Fiore, Fairy Tail. She was somewhat surprised to see anger pass over his face when she mentioned Fairy Tail. Mentally cringing, she wished she hadn't mentioned the Charm; maybe he'd taken offence to hearing someone using illegal magic. As such, she was quite glad when he finished soon afterwards and excused himself. Sighing, she tallied up the bill and cringed at the amount. Forking over the cash to the looming waitress she hefted up her bags. Despite her words to her father, at least she wouldn't have to spend money buying fancy dresses; hers were kept in her pocket dimension.
The ship Bavaria wasn't hard to find, seeing as it held two spaces in the harbour and had a live band on board. Stepping aboard she looked at the splendour around her. Clearly Fairy Tail made a lot if they could afford this. All around her were golden hand rails, mahogany furniture and crystal glasses. Picking up a flute of champagne gave her a triggered a feeling of reminiscence in her from her families parties. Sipping the expensive beverage she began to look for her host. Unsurprisingly, given the luxury spread throughout, Salamander was surrounded by a swarm of gold diggers. However, as soon as he spotted her he snapped his fingers and rose on a platform of cold fire to glide over their heads and land beside her. Extending his hand he asked her to dance. Blushing she took it, vanishing the champagne glass into her pocket dimension for later. Taking the lead he led her through some of the more popular, if a bit antique dance steps. With a casual grace he spun and twirled her, moving them between other couples effortlessly. Her hand in his they finished the dance as the last note of the song ended. Feeling the blood rush to her head, Lucy felt herself sway from the dizzy feeling; politely she excused herself to sit down. Looking around she could see many of the woman had also tired themselves out dancing. One woman had even drunk herself into unconsciousness! Leaning against the table Lucy tried to recuperate, but despite her best efforts her eyes kept dropping.
Ironically, it was the focus it took to call forth the champagne which woke her up enough to realise the drink smelled off. She'd drunk enough champagne to know the difference, and if it wasn't for the break from her previous lifestyle she'd have noticed it sooner. Adrenaline began to pump through her as she snapped to attention. All around her women were laying their heads down on any surface available, a miasma of sleep magic permeating the air. Realising she was making more of a target of herself then she already was she put her head on the table beside her, glad she had picked a chair with the wall behind her. Glancing from between slitted eyelids she evaluated her options. This was either another test, or Salamander had more planned for them then he let on. To her right was the back of the ship, open to the water. On either side of her were large windows, but both of them were shut and locked. Considering they'd been moving for a while at quite a pace Lucy reckoned they weren't very close to the shore, meaning even if she did jump it would be a long swim to the mainland. The water would allow her to use Aquarius though, which she normally couldn't do. Casting her awareness into her pocket dimension she readied one of the five suits of armour she'd imbued with defensive spells. Given the amount of unknowns general, non-specific armour designed to weaken physical attacks would be best. Standing, she put the wall to her back and turned her head to face Salamander.
"What's the meaning of this?" she shouted across the room. Turning his head he sneered at. Raising a hand he gestured at the girls lying vulnerable around the room.
"Can't you figure it out? No, I don't suppose you could, considering you couldn't see through my earlier deception." Stepping forward he through flaming sparks into the air in an effort to frighten her. "You're aboard a slave ship, girl. And you've nowhere to escape." Almost too late she realised he was trying to distract her; pulling up her hands around her face she created a dome about herself. With a quiet thud two cross bow bolts fell to the floor on either side of her. More thugs were coming from behind the doors and down the stairs. She noted their trajectory was low, which meant they were aimed to punch holes into her legs. That was to her advantage; they wanted her alive but debilitated. Dropping her shields she finished re-quipping her force armour. Spinning on her heel she gripped the edge of the table and flipped it up as a makeshift shield. Slipping into the gap between it and the wall she called forth Taurus, feeling invigorated as his sheer mass materialised.
"I've got your back" she whispered more confidently than she felt, probably thanks to their mental connection, whilst creating dark energy walls to either side of them, obscuring people's vision. "Go straight through the table, and take out the guy with the fire. I'll use my shields and whip to keep anyone else from helping him out. Ready? Go!"
With a roar the enormous man swung his axe down from his shoulder and smashed the table into wooden shrapnel. Screaming, he charged the surprised onlookers. Taking advantage of the massive, running distraction, Lucy used her whip to snap weapons from peoples grip, leaving bleeding gouges on their hands. Raising a shield she blocked the first flaming volley of fire aimed at Taurus, giving him time to raise his double headed axe up above him. Then the roof exploded. Crying out in shock Lucy clutched at her face, pulling the long wooden splinter that had almost punctured her eye out of her cheek. Grimacing, she summoned Taurus back to her; getting him out of dangers way whilst she evaluated the new threat. Rising from the smouldering rubble was a burning figure. Roaring he spun about flinging fire carelessly around the room. Not a second too late, Lucy managed to stop the women from being burnt. Turning to Taurus she ordered him to move them to safety whilst the thugs recovered from the explosion. She quickly re-quipped into fire proof armour when the fire around the man died down and his pink hair was revealed. Running over to him whilst he slumped on the ground she raised her strongest dual magic-force shield around them.
"What's wrong Natsu? How did you get here?" Unfortunately he wasn't in a fit state to answer, and with fire and weapons raining down on her barrier she didn't have the time to find out. By the back of the boat she could see Taurus had knocked out the men guarding the life raft and was piling the women into it. Determined to keep anyone else from noticing she stood and faced the enraged men. She didn't have much experience at this, but it was only a silver key… Grabbing it she shouted "I summon you, Horologium the Clock Spirit". Lucy grimaced at the feeling of having two minds touching hers. Her magic was split in two, sustaining both of the Celestial beings. Placing Natsu into the arms of the Clock she turned to face the men and dropped her shield.
It was only for a second but it caused some to stagger and over extend. Twisting she let the fire from Salamander spill across her armour, it was hard to ignore the heat that scorched the air around her but it briefly obscured her from their vision. Gripping her whip she sent the tail hurtling into his face. The distance was too short to cut, but a cruel welt rose where it landed. Running forward she used his face as a hurdle to jump the crowd, pulling her arms and legs in to protect her face and body from anyone smart enough to attack her in the air. Landing roughly she rolled to disperse the force. As fast as she could she leapt to her feet gritting her teeth against the shallow cuts someone had given her mid-jump. Sprinting towards where Taurus was finishing loading the women into the life raft, she glanced over her shoulder. Already men were given chase, armed with swords, maces and spears they were ready to kill her. Gasping at the effort she put another force shield up between them, hoping their magic wielding leader wouldn't be capable of smashing it to pieces with his fire. Behind her she heard cries of fury as they collectively stabbed at it. Finally she reached Taurus who picked her up and threw her inside the ship before pushing off.
"Go round to the port side!" Lucy yelled at him. "I told Horologium to take Natsu up the left staircase during the confusion from my escape. He's waiting to throw him overboard." Nodding the bull like man began to use his axe as an oar, ignoring those around him. Closing her eyes she removed Aquarius' key from her key-ring. From above the Clock Spirit waved at them before hopping over the railing of the ship onto their escape boat.
"Thank you for all of your help Taurus, I couldn't have won without you. I'll be safe now." Grinning, the tall man pulled her into a surprisingly tender hug. With a parting pat on her rear and giving her a thumbs up he dispersed into a shower of sparks. Waving her farewell, she gathered the dredges of her magic and turned the Key whilst calling forth Aquarius. A small light and quite splash announced the arrival of one of the most powerful Celestial spirits, with it came a surge of arrogance as their minds connected. The blue haired mermaid turned a baleful eye on Lucy, her mouth curling into a disdainful sneer.
"Why have you summoned me into the middle of nowhere, at this god forsaken hour? I have many more important things to do than pander to your whims." Having said her piece the gorgeous immortal spun around, giving Lucy the cold shoulder.
"Do you have to be such a pain Aquarius? I really need your help. I've rescued some girls from slavery, but that boat is full of slavers who are pissed off because I did. Please get off your high horse for one second and smash them to bits." At this the goddess seemed to soften. Taking her urn from the crook of her arm she held it above her head and gently lowered it into the ocean around them. In seconds the water began to froth, churning back and forth into raging rapids. With a scream of rage akin to the cry of a harpy the water bearer pulled the urn out from the waves and pointed the raging torrent of water that exploded forth from it at the slave boat. All around them the ocean roared into life, whirl pools spun into existence and waves the size of houses sprung up to tower over them. Screaming, Lucy grabbed onto one of the rope railings around the boat as the first tsunami hit them, sending the life raft spinning. She looked around in terror as the next approached; it was too big! It would crush them! Even though she didn't think it was possible, she put up a barrier over the raft, half to protect them from the natural disaster raging throughout the bay and half to keep the helpless women from being flung overboard. Similar to a feather in a hurricane the boat was tossed towards around the harbour, skipping across the water like a stone. Opening her eyes she saw to her horror that they were rushing towards the beach faster than they could survive. Hunching down she prayed that despite her fury Aquarius would remember them before anyone got killed. The speed at which they smashed into the shore showed that she had not.
All around her debris from their boat rained down. Small splinters of wood were buried in the sand beside buckled pieces of metal and broken planks. Mercifully, her shield had withstood the impact long enough to save them. All around her the women were waking up, confused and frightened looks on their faces. Their screaming did more than let her know they were alive; it seemed it had re-vitalised Natsu, who Lucy could see even now standing up, a look of fury on his face.
He began to stomp towards the remains of the slaver ship, with one hand on his biceps and the other curled into a flaming fist in front of him. He began to shout threats and insults at them as he began to pick up his pace.
"Where is he?" Natsu yelled at the top of his voice. "Where is the bastard pretending to be a member of Fairy Tail?"
Rising from the wreckage was the men who Lucy had taken for Salamander, a look of utter hatred on his face.
"I am. Now stand aside brat. I need to rip that bloody blond into pieces." Snapping his fingers, a purple burst of fire raced towards Natsu. Ignoring the barrage of attacks Natsu charged head long through them straight at the imposter. Small explosions slammed into Natsu, yet despite the smoke he continued on unhindered, a roar of anger leaving his lips. Jumping up the damaged hull he plunged his burning fist into the other man's face. Like a bullet from a gun the slaver was flung from the ship, but Natsu was right behind him. Grabbing the man's ankle Natsu swung him over his head and smashed the man headlong into the sand. Leaping onto his back Natsu grabbed him by his hair and ignited it, ignoring the man's screams as his head began to blacken and singe from the unimaginable heat of Natsu flames. Letting go of the spasming man Natsu looked around him for any more enemies, but all of them were either unconscious or dead, killed by drowning or the boat fragments. Turning to Lucy he jogged over.
"You alright? Thanks for helping out on the boat; transportation kills me." Lucy looked at his outstretched hand in shock, almost waiting for it to burst into flesh melting flames. Slowly she took it, hoping he'd ignore how much her hand was shaking. She'd always thought she was capable, but the way Natsu had handled that wizard had been brutal. A total smack down. Letting him pull her to her feet she finally took in what she'd done. Up and down the beach bits of boat were still being washed ashore. Ruined decorations and shattered glass littered the beach, making it sparkle in the light of the fires Natsu had created.
"I didn't realise you were a wizard, Natsu." She asked, too shell shocked to do anything other than state the obvious. She'd never been in a battle before, only planned for them. This was the first time she'd been attacked by someone trying to kill her, and the first time she'd caused anyone to die.
She listened idly as he told her that he used Dragon Slaying magic, filing the information away for later. Even when he mentioned that he was Salamander from Fairy Tail and that he thought she should join them, she could only nod vaguely. Walking past him, she approached the head slaver. Reaching forward she felt for a pulse at his neck, and found none. It was weird to think that she'd never even known what his name had been and now he was dead. It was the sound of the army approaching that snapped her out of it. Carefully she pulled the Charm and Sleep rings from his fingers; they were too dangerous to leave laying around. Turning around she saw Natsu gesturing for her to follow him, shouting to run. It wasn't to be. From above her a voice shouted
"Do not move, or you will be executed." Looking up, she stared into the unflinching eyes of a member of the royal army, whose steady hands held a spear to her throat.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, I certainly enjoyed writing it. I feel as though I should apologise for the violence, it might be too graphic and I may change it later but at the moment I feel it counter acts the implausibility of the manga when it comes to damage from being punched with enough force to shatter boulder. Don't worry later chapters should be less gruesome.