I did say on my profile that I was going to make this story. Not that anyone ever reads it, since I haven't gotten any pms yet. So since I didn't get any help, I'll just have to start it on my own.
I did some extensive research before starting this. I looked into different martial arts fighting styles for my character, since I plan to do a bit of exposition before actually switching worlds. I'm also reading different Fairy Tail fanfictions in order to discover how different authors write the characters. Fairy Tail is one of my favorite animes of all time, so I'd like to do it justice.
Also, I will be writing this first chapter in 1st person, so I can easily relate the thoughts and history of my character without breaking the flow of the story. I intend to write this like a journal entry, at least for the first person segments. So I will be writing conversationally.
Also, just FYI, but I will not be interfering with any "canon" pairings. For example, I will not be taking Juvia from Gray, or Lisanna from Natsu. Nor will I be making pairings where none exist. I won't just waltz in and somehow win Lucy's heart. Or will I annoy the crap out of Jet and Droy by stealing Levy. I intend to integrate my character into this universe with as little disruption as possible to the canon.
Anyhow I will be doing this with no plot in mind. It will be arc based, so that I have the potential to keep it going forever. That said, I would appreciate any arc or job ideas, just in case I run out of ideas myself, though I doubt that will happen for a while. I already have three arcs already planned.
As for where this starts, I'm just going to say that it is before the Tenroujima arc, but after the Edolas Arc. Trust me, that really was a hard decision to make, since I personally love the Edolas arc, but I want to be at that point when every character is in the guild and developed. Since I love Gajeel and want him to be a part of the story too.
Anyhow, let's get things started, shall we? Time to introduce my new characters.
The only thing I could see were the twin hazel pools of liquid light staring into me, almost as if they could see into my soul. I didn't look away even for a second. I refused to show her any sign of fear.
Her lips curved into a confident smile, which I attempted to return, but with much less success. It infuriated me that she could stand there so calmly, without so much as a drop of sweat showing on her face.
"Oh? Don't tell me you're out of breath already," she taunts me, her eyes shining with mirth. I don't reply. The only thing I can think about right now is the pounding of adrenaline through my body. I can feel myself tense with every slight motion she made, not knowing when to expect a sneak attack.
"It's all right to be scared," she cooed, that smirk on her face never wavering. Her uppity attitude angers me, and that cocky expression she was wearing only made me want to forcefully wipe it from her face.
"Screw you…you're tougher than you look," I can't help but admit. My right fist rises into a vertical position, my knuckles facing the sky. My left rose to about waist height, and I opened my hand. I hear her laugh merrily, but not even her amusement could get her to lower her guard. It was frustrating.
"What kind of stance is that? That's not what I taught you," she asks me, a mixture of confusion and annoyance in her voice. I know she was doing me quite the favor by even being here with me today, but I wasn't going to be completely like her. I would never beat her that way.
"You're right, it isn't. But I did manage to throw you with it," I remind her. Her style is impressive, but I believe that it could be brought to even greater heights if I add my own touches. She tells me I'm reckless for thinking this way, but I don't plan on changing my stance, unless it starts to work against me.
"I remember. Well then. If you trust that you can do it again, then give it your best shot!" she invites. Her hands move forward and she beckons me, a challenge from one warrior to another. I grin, clenching my fist harder. My feet begin to move, propelling me towards her smiling face.
My right fist sails towards her cheek, an area that I have yet to come into contact with. I instantly regret my hasty attack the second I see her head and shoulders move to the left.
Everything moved so fast from there. I feel her left hand snake around mine, locking it in place. I try to swing my left hand towards her, but she is already moving. She leans over backwards, planting her foot onto my midriff and throwing me forward. She rolls on her back and leaps to her feet, already facing me by the time I hit the ground.
The mat under me hisses softly as my weight forces air out of the padding. It didn't hurt, but as I lay flat on my back and stare at the bright lights streaming down from the gym ceiling, I can't help but feel humiliated.
"What move was that?" I had to ask. Her way of teaching was trial and error. I would mix and match different moves I'd learned in the past and use them against her. Each and every time I would be deflected, locked, and thrown like I was nothing. Then she would tell me the name of the move and how to defend against it.
"That one? Oh, it's a little something I call the Tomoe Nage. Did you like it?" she replied, acting like these moves were something you talk about over lunch. That's just how she is. Even at her young age, she is the strongest person I know. She's always the top of her class in any form of hand-to-hand combat she chooses to study, including Karate, Judo, and her personal style, Danzan-ryū.
A deceivingly dainty hand appears in my field of vision, attached to the girl I knew and admired. Her short, shoulder length black hair obscures her vision as she offers her hand to me. I consider knocking it away, but I know how bad that would make me look. I smile back at her and take it, allowing her to help me to my feet.
My name is Kerrich Verne, a college freshman attending Kennesaw State University. I want to major in computer science, since I've always had a knack for programming and gaming. That being said, someone like me practicing martial arts in a smelly gym doesn't make any sense, does it?
"You look beat. Did I take it too rough on you?" she teased, her head tilting slightly to one side. Although it sounds a little lame when I say it here, but I'm only doing this because of her.
Her name is Priscilla. In my opinion, that's a name typically suited for a dainty princess type girl or whatever. Maybe that's because the first time I ever heard the name was on an old video game, where it was attached to a princess. But what I'm trying to say is, her name does not suit her. There's only one way to describe Priscilla. She's a total badass.
"Even if I say yes, you'll just turn around and say that you weren't even trying," I say, panting. I smile when I see that my comment made her laugh. She and I had been friends for a very long time. We first met when we were both toddlers, discovering the ways of the world for the first time. Since then, we've always stuck together.
"Oh Ker, you know me so well," Priscilla replies. I chuckle, trying to regain my breath before she decides to throw me again. Martial arts are one of her passions, to be honest. She spends more time practicing different locks and throws than she does studying for her classes. She wants to major in physical therapy, which is an odd choice of majors if you ask me.
"Hey, do you think we can be done for now? I have to revise my research paper before Tuesday's class," I ask, giving her my best attempt at an apologetic expression. We've been at this for almost three hours now, so believe me when I say my lungs feel like a forge bellows.
"I guess that's fair. It can't be fun getting your ass kicked by a girl for three hours straight." Priscilla gives me this face where she smiles cheekily and stares at me from the corner of her eyes. It's the one I usually see accompanying a joke, usually at my expense.
I heave a sigh of relief. What I really need right now is a long soak in the tub back at my college dorm. Every time I get home after one of these sessions, my body feels like it's going to die from exhaustion. After all, I'm a computer guy. My body really isn't in the best shape.
Even though I'm wearing a thin layer sleeveless shirt, I'm still covered in a thick layer of sweat, causing the fabric to stick to my skin. It feels disgusting, but I don't complain. Priscilla hates whiners, so if I speak up about my discomfort, she will probably use it as an excuse to throw me again.
Priscilla also dressed for the heat she knew she'd be dealing with. Her outfit is super sexy, I don't mind saying. She's wearing this pair of tight black pants and a black sports bra. That's it. If you're a guy like me, you know how fucking awesome that is.
I strip off the leather gloves from my sweaty palms, throwing them in my messenger bag adorned with the face of one of my favorite anime characters. We use these gloves to soften to impact of our punches, though in the long run it still hurts like a bitch whenever Priscilla's fists hit me. It's not that she is particularly strong, but she knows where to hit.
"You wrote your paper on the effects of music on the mind, right?" she suddenly speaks up. I kneel down so I can wrap my fingers around the strap of my bag. She's asking me about my research paper, the one I used as an excuse to leave. I suppose I can't blame her for asking. She just wanted to make sure I wasn't just blowing her off. I wasn't of course. Today is Monday, and I need to revise this paper before 5 pm tomorrow.
"Yeah. It's one hell of a lame topic, but at least the rough draft scored well." I lift my bag and drape the strap over my left shoulder. The strap pushes down on me, which I know will start to hurt later, but for now I can bear it. I see Priscilla donning a shirt again to my great disappointment, but it only made sense. She can't just walk around in public wearing so little.
"You could have picked a worse topic, if you ask me. I heard one guy is writing about the proficiency of men being slightly better than women in a certain job," Priscilla informs me. I can't help but snicker a little at this nameless guy's misfortune. You see, my English professor is a woman. She also happens to be a major feminist, which means I have to work twice as hard to keep up with the women in the class.
"He has to be trolling her. He's screwed if he turns that in." I begin to walk towards the gym exit, though I make sure to move slow enough so that Priscilla can catch up to me.
"Agreed. You'd have to be stupid to mess with that old pistol." She easily catches up to me as we walk through the double doors. I let out a contented sigh when I feel the cool evening air come into contact with my skin.
The campus wasn't as crowded as it was during the noon hours, but there were still plenty of people out an about. I can hear the gentle hum of conversations, the muted roar of a passing motorcycle, and other everyday sounds. There's a breeze in the air this evening. As it sweeps through my damp hair, I feel content. Walking back to my dorm with my best friend; I can't ask for anything more.
"Do you smell rain?" Priscilla inquires. I look over to her and I can see her sniffing the air, almost like a cat. It's very cute, but I make sure not to stare overlong. You know, because that's rather creepy.
I don't understand what she means by "smelling" rain, but it does feel rather humid out here. There's not a single cloud in the sky above me, but I can see one hell of a storm brewing in the distance. I squint slightly, trying to get a better view of the massive storm front. I want to see which way it's moving, so I can prepare accordingly.
"I don't know what rain smells like, but there's one hell of a storm heading this way." I point up at the unusually fast moving thunderclouds that were clearly heading straight for the campus. Priscilla gazes in the direction I indicate, and shrugs.
"Good. I could use a shower," she jokes. I snort with laughter. No kidding. My shirt is discolored all over by sweat, and I'm sure I smell like a wet dog.
I blink, and suddenly I notice that the clouds are moving towards us at an insanely fast speed. As soon as I notice that, a wall of wind gusts through the area, ruffling through my short brown hair and making it hard to see in front of me.
"What the fuck?" I whisper, half to myself and half to Priscilla. This can't be a simple run-of-the-mill thunderstorm. No simple rainstorm can move like that. I don't know what this means, but I think I can expect gale force winds and possibly tornadoes.
"You're right. That really is a storm from hell," she comments, her pace picking up. I begin to walk faster myself, trying to keep up with her. I'm pretty worried here, and perhaps a bit scared. The clouds are already overtaking us, and I only spotted it a few minutes ago. This can't be right.
"Priscilla, I think we should get to shelter, and fast." Lightning begins flashing from within the cloud, followed by loud thunderclaps. That's when the rain begins to fall. It starts off as a light drizzle, and then it progresses to a freaking torrent of water pouring down on me. We are instantly soaked. The rain is cold, so we start to shiver.
"Agreed. My car is up there in the parking lot, so I'm going to head there," Priscilla tells me. Her hair is completely drenched in the downpour, so it looks like she just got out of the shower.
I can see people covering themselves with their jackets, or their umbrellas, or sometimes even their binders, and then running for the nearest building. I wish I could do the same, but I want to get to my dorm as soon as I can so I can finish my paper.
"Go then, and be safe. My dorm is still a ways up from here," I tell her. Priscilla gives me this smile. She steps forward, and I can see that she wants to hug me goodbye. Instinctively, I reciprocate the motion and wrap my arms around her. I can feel her arms around me and I can't help but wish she'd kiss me goodbye instead. We don't have that kind of relationship, sadly.
"Get home safe then. See you!" Priscilla runs across the street towards the parking lot she pointed out earlier. I watch her go for a few seconds, but then a really bright cloud to ground lightning bolt hits pretty damn close to campus. I clamp my hands over my ears as the huge crash of thunder echoes through campus. That was too close. I need to run.
I break into a run, threading through the panicking people on the sidewalk who were still running for shelter. I nearly run into a few of the slower ones, much to my annoyance.
Lightning again blinds me for a split second before I can see the actual bolt, and I notice that it struck within campus. This only serves to send a bolt of adrenaline through my body. I begin to sprint, crossing a concrete bridge that passes over a road leading to a parking garage. I cross another bridge that spans the exit to the highway.
Now I'm in front of the University Village Suites, which is the campus name for the freshman dorms. I live in there, but I need to cross around the clinic to reach the back entrance, which is closest to my dorm.
I take the opportunity to run underneath a stone balcony that hangs over the clinic entrance. My clothes are dripping wet, as if I just jumped into a pool. Shivering, I look up at the dark sky, watching lightning flash constantly. That's when I see it.
It isn't a tornado, but I can see something just as if not more unsettling than that. There is a hole in the sky. I'm not talking about the eye of the storm or any of that crap, because that implies that this is a hurricane, which is impossible. We are too far inland to be hit by anything other than the outskirts of a hurricane, so there has to be another explanation for the hole. The hole is also too small to be an eye. It's probably about the size of the parking lot.
"What the fuck?" My eyes widen in shock and fear. Yeah, I admit that I'm freaking scared. At least a tornado would have been something familiar. I've never heard of anything like this. I can't even see anything through the hole. It's just black. Well, almost black. Flashes of lightning that illuminate the inside of the hole briefly light it up, but it only shows me more blackness.
"Screw this shit!" Now I begin to panic. I don't know what that hole means for me or the other people on campus, but I'm sure as hell not staying here to find out. I break into a sprint, leaving my shelter and heading for the back entrance to the dorms. My only thought was that if I could get inside, I would be safe. I realize my mistake the second I leave cover.
My stomach begins tingling, sort of like the feeling you get when you fall a few feet. I'm pretty sure I'm not falling, which tells me that something else is going on. Next, I start feeling…I'm not sure how to describe this, but I suddenly feel myself growing lighter.
I can see myself getting closer to the door, but I'm finding it harder and harder for my feet to gain traction on the ground. Suddenly, I find it impossible to move forward at all. I look down and my jaw drops. I'm starting to float!
My first instinct is to grab the edge of the nearby bench to keep myself from floating any higher. This can't be happening. This is physically impossible! Gravity can't just switch on and off like a light bulb!
The pull increases on my entire body, and soon I'm hanging by one hand, everything turning upside-down. I look around frantically to see that none of the other students are having this problem. So it's just me? Why am I falling into the sky while everyone else is completely unaffected?
"No!" My hand begins to slip off of the slick edge, and suddenly my hands can't find any purchase. I don't want to die, so I try as hard as I can to hold on, but I realize in desperation that I'm fighting a losing battle.
My hand finally loses its grip, and I start floating upwards towards the sky. I flail my limbs about, trying to correct my position so that I won't have to look at the world upside-down any more.
When I finally manage to do this, I try to catch my bearings. I was starting to hyperventilate, but I do what Priscilla taught me to do in stressful situations. I force myself to breathe in deeply, but my intense feeling of fear doesn't dissipate.
I look down to see that I'm already above the roof of the dorms, which is saying something, considering that they are four stories tall. I can see practically half of the campus from here. The first thing I do is look for Priscilla's car. I glance rapidly over the campus, until I see it.
Priscilla's black corvette is lying on its side, crashed, on the edge of the road that leads out of campus. It is on fire and smoking. I let out a shocked gasp. I can't see her moving around, so I assume the worst.
"Prisciiiiillllaaa!" I scream down at the car, hoping with all of my heart that she will just hop out of the car and wave up at me like nothing is wrong. That doesn't happen, and my mood instantly turns to one of depressed rage. I'm not the sort of guy that cries, but instead I vent my grief through anger.
"WHY? WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU TAKE HER FROM ME?" My throat strains as I scream louder than I ever thought I could. It hurts to keep screaming, but I don't care. My best friend is gone, killed by this accursed storm.
Why is this even happening? It had been a completely normal day up until this point, and now everything was going to hell. Priscilla is dead, her car is wrecked, and I'm floating into the fucking sky! What the hell is going on?
I remember my own plight and I look up, trying to see where I was going. I choke in fear as the first thing I see is the hole in the sky directly above me. The way things are going now, I will fly right into it.
It feels like I'm staring into death itself. It's almost like there's a whirlpool in the sky that's sucking me in. I can see the lightning inside the hole flashing constantly. The electricity in the air begins causing the hair on my body to stand up.
Then I become aware of a strange yellow glow permeating the air around me. I look around for the source, but I can't see anything that can be considered as such. I wave my hands in an attempt to turn myself around, but that's when I notice my hands. They are covered in a translucent yellow aura, which I assume to but causing the yellow glow. I look at my body to discover that it is in fact me that is glowing so brightly.
"What in the name of all that's fuck is happening?" I shout. Suddenly, the speed of my ascent begins to speed up. I pass through the hole in the sky, and I find myself in complete darkness. I still feel myself rising at an increasingly fast pace, but the only thing I can see are the walls of the hole when they become lit by flashes of lightning.
The air flying past my face gets more and more violent, and I realize that I am literally going faster than the speed of sound. As the air quality begins to diminish, I let out one last scream.
I'm a very deep sleeper, you see. It always takes me a good thirty minutes or so for my body to even realize that it's waking up, and this was no exception.
I moan softly and adjust my position so that I'm more comfortable. My match with Priscilla left me wiped out, so I really deserved this sleep. That's when I realize that I'm not lying on my bed.
Something is tickling my cheeks and arms. It feels almost like…grass? That can't be right. The only grass on campus is in small patches on the side of the road, in the small clearing in front of my dorm, and the massive park known as the campus green. I'm not crazy enough to lie down in those places, so I'm not sure what happened.
Suddenly I remember. My eyes open in an instant and I shoot up, taking in my surroundings. Suffice to say, I'm not on campus anymore.
Actually, I'm in the middle of nowhere. I've apparently been lying in this grass field for a while, but I don't even know where here is. I stand up so I can get a clearer view of the landscape. I'm standing in the middle of a grassy expanse of land atop a cliff. I knew it was a cliff since I could see what looked like a city out in the distance.
I shiver as my soaking wet clothes stick to my skin. I guess the fact that I had just been in a storm hadn't changed at all. That makes me think. If my clothes were still wet, that meant that the storm had actually happened. By that logic, it meant that I actually had floated through the sky and into a hole in the clouds. But that didn't make any sense.
How did I end up in this place I've never seen before by flying through some cloud? I frown, thinking hard. There's only one possible explanation. Somehow, I was attracted to the hole in the sky, which transported me to this place. However, if I accept that I was transported to some foreign place, then I must also accept that my best friend Priscilla was dead.
Now, don't take me for some sort of heartless jerk who doesn't cry for his friends. Priscilla was very dear to me, but I promised to myself a long time ago that I would never cry, for any reason. The only thing I can do for her right now is remember the good memories I've shared with her over the years.
No matter where I am now, the first thing I need to do is facilitate my survival. I have some money on me, contained in my waterproof wallet in my back pocket, so I can buy myself some food in that city nearby.
I've made my decision. I'm going to that city that I can see over the top of the cliff. I walk up to the cliffside, intending to get a closer look at the city.
It's one hell of a city, that was for sure. The most striking feature of the city in my opinion is the giant cathedral situated smack-dab in the center of it all. I don't know much about architecture, so I can't tell the difference between Gothic and English influence. But if I had to guess, I'd say that the cathedral was a mix between the two styles.
Now, let me describe the rest of the city that lay below me. The city is split up into four sections, at least as far as I can tell. The first section consists of the cathedral as well as the surrounding buildings. What divides this section from the others is a large river that isolates it on all sides from the other sections except for a few bridges. That being said, there is another section just to the left of the cathedral section, but there doesn't seem to be anything of note in that section except for a few scattered buildings.
The third section is the largest, surrounding the upper and rightmost edges of the cathedral section in an L shape. There is a bunch of different types of buildings in that section, but I don't know what purposes they serve. The last section is a fairly small one located on the upper edge of the third section, which I will hereby refer to as the L section. There is a building much larger than the rest in the city in the center of that section, second only to the cathedral.
What the hell am I supposed to do? I have no idea where I am or how I got here, and the only thing I have to go off of is my need for food. Actually, there was one singular question on my mind, so I decide to just go ahead and say it out loud.
"Where the fuck am I?" I scream to the sky.
Okay, so now is the time to get moving. I'm not stupid enough to throw myself off that cliff, so I need to look for another way down. I end up discovering that the only way down is by way of a smaller hill to the left a bit.
Directing myself to that path, I plod forward. The sun is shining brightly, which I'm thankful for. The clothes I'm wearing are literally dripping all over the place. I hate wet clothes. Seriously. I can't even move without feeling the wet fabric sticking to my skin in uncomfortable places.
All right, I'm getting sick of this. I take off the stupid wet shirt and wring it out. A veritable torrent of water pours from it. Whatever that stupid hole in the sky had taken me to, you'd think it would have the decency to dry my clothes for me. Listen to myself. I'm already considering this entire situation normal.
The shirt is too damp to put back on, so I sling it over my shoulder and keep walking. I haven't seen any signs of life so far, so its not like I'd offend anyone if I ran around shirtless.
Actually, this whole situation reminds me a lot of Final Fantasy XIII, to be honest. I mean, I'm walking in a beautiful plain with rolling hills and green grass, and everything's pretty…and what the fuck. Seriously, I'm glad I can't see any treasure balls or save points, because then I 'd know I'm in the game.
Part of me is hoping that Priscilla had spiked my drink with really potent LSD or something, and I'm really just having one seriously fucked up dream. Well, it is the whole falling into the sky thing that is really fucked up, but this natural landscape is pretty nice.
Anyhow, I manage to reach the bottom of the cliff. Now before I freak out wondering what I need to do next, I decide to look around.
There is a cobblestone road in front of me, winding around the hills to my left and running to the city to my right. So, what to do now. I've already decided that I'm going to that city, so I head in that direction. It's still a good ways away. The only reason I can tell that this road leads to the city is because I could see it in the distance over the cliff, and this road heads in that general direction.
I guess I should start moving. Who knows how long it will take me to reach the city? I begin walking, taking note of the sun's position in the sky. I notice that my phone is still in my pocket, surprisingly.
Pulling it out, I flip it open to see that it still works. I sigh in relief and begin dialing a number, only to see that there's no service. What the fuck? Everywhere on earth should have cell phone service of some sort, unless I'm in Africa or something?
The time on the phone is frozen as well, stuck at around six. That doesn't at all. What's the point of having a phone if it doesn't work? Huh. Maybe I can get some money for it at least.
So as I walk, I run into a few travelers passing the other way. They are giving me the strangest looks, which I do not appreciate at all. Freakin' jerks, who the hell do they think they are, looking at me like that? Of course, the fact that I'm shirtless and my body is soaking wet may contribute to their staring, but still. None of their business. Sometimes I really hate people.
But that being said, I started seeing some pretty strange things myself. One time, a man drove by on top of a car. Yeah. On top. What the hell kind of person drives a car by sitting on top of it? That's not even the weirdest part. The man wore a cord that's attached to his wrist, and it seemed to be sucking something from him. It may have been blood, I don't know. I don't really want to know.
Then there was the carriage being pulled by some sort of purple…ox…boar…thing. I mean what the fuck was it? It was bright purple! No joke! What in the…wow I need to chill. So I was beginning to think that I was transported to a whole other world. There's no such thing as a purple boar thing, so the fact that there's one passing along the street like nothing's wrong supports that theory. In fact, I decide to find out for certain.
"Hey! Excuse me," I call to a passing traveler. He stops and looks at me, again staring at my strange attire.
"Who are you, a Gray wannabe?" the man says to me in a joking tone. I don't understand what that means, so I just roll with it.
"Yeah! Isn't it the coolest thing?" I tell him, earning a chuckle from the traveler. That's good. At least I feel like I accomplished something. "Say can you help me out?"
"What can I do for you?" the man asks, giving me a curious glance. Well, if this is another world, then the inhabitants are nice as far as I can tell. I rub my head, pretending that I have a headache. This is to enhance the lie I'm about to tell.
"I uh…I hit my head a little too hard over by the cliff, and I'm forgetting things left and right. Can you tell me the name of the country?" I lie, acting nervous and uncertain. Which of course I am, so it isn't really an act. So I'm nervous and uncertain, acting like I'm nervous and uncertain. What is this, inception?
"Ooh ouch…I'm sorry to hear that. But you are in Fiore now, about a mile away from Magnolia Town," the traveler tells me, wincing as he presumably envisioned my "plight." I nod and thank the man before moving on.
So where the hell is Fiore on earth? I've never heard of a country like that, and I received an A in geography. Maybe I can find out more in Magnolia Town. Which is a mile away. Fuck, I hate walking.
Things start getting a bit sketchy as I walk past a large copse of trees by the side of the road. Let me make something clear. I hate forests. Yeah, they're pretty and all, but I've watched too many damn horror films and YouTube videos centering on forests. Let me just give an example here. Slenderman. Jesus fucking Christ.
So me being the nerd I am, I take a quick look in the forest, looking for any sign of our favorite business suit wearing entity. But I'm just being silly. I know I'm not going to see anything. Anyhow.
I spot a large group of people moving down the trail in my direction. They seem to be centered around a group of carriages being pulled by those strange purple goat things. Wait, they are oxen. Or bulls. Or what the fuck ever.
Who knows what they're carrying. I was about to walk past them when suddenly, there was a loud shout from the forest. I couldn't tell what the speaker said, but that doesn't matter. What matters are the giant spikes of metal that start shooting out of the woods and impaling each of the purple boars.
My jaw drops as everyone around the caravan panics and begins running around. What the hell is happening? What kind of fiend can throw out such powerful metal spikes just like that? Maybe the perpetrator was using a medieval scorpion. But even then, the bolts wouldn't be that huge.
Without thinking, I run up to the first carriage, wincing at the blood that is pouring out of the boar's side, where the metal pierced it. My first thoughts, when I did think, are…what just happened? Who could kill these boars, and why? How did they produce such powerful weapons?
"Hey, kid! You need to run! The Rusted Blades are here!" an old man screams at me as he exits the carriage nearest to me. Nothing he said makes any sense to me, so I turn to him in an attempt to get some answers.
"What are the Rusted Blades? What's going on?" I ask him, but he's already running for the hills. Turns out, judging from the footsteps I'm hearing from behind me, I'm about to find out for myself.
I turn around to see a group of incredibly sketchy looking people. I see a man who's bald, another who's wearing an eye patch, and still more with strange attire that only tells me that I've run into trouble.
"Hey, Lance! He doesn't even know who we are!" the bald man jeered, stepping up beside the man at the front. This guy, who is supposedly Lance, was dressed differently than the others. Okay, so he's got this really short black hair, that kinda needs to be combed. A lot. He's got these dark eyes that aren't fixed on me, actually. He seems to be focused on the carriages, though I don't know why. He killed the only thing really interesting about them. He's wearing a set of jeans that are covered in holes and scrapes, which just makes him look stupid in my eyes. That stupidness is only increased by the fact that his shirt is just plain black, and he's wearing a cape. Yeah. A cape. Who the fuck wears a cape in public? Apparently Lance does.
"That doesn't matter," Lance snaps, completely ignoring my presence. The people who had been traveling with the carriage were now completely gone, having scattered. Lance's words incited murmurs and mutterings within his little "posse."
"Lance…he's standing in our way," the guy with the eye patch says. I begin to think that rushing in without thinking wasn't exactly a good idea. I start looking for a way out, but the group of people is moving to surround me. With the carriage at my back, I can't move. This isn't good at all.
"I don't care. Search these carriages for jewels and let's get out of here. Those people are probably contacting the military," Lance commands his…what are they, friends? Men? Subordinates? However, the fact is, they are trying to steal from those people. Now, I may be a nerd, but that doesn't mean I can just stand by and let that happen.
"I don't think so," I finally say, catching their attention. Now they seem shocked. Especially Lance. Lance is giving me this look like, "there's a bug talking to me…." And it was just making me angry.
"What…did you say?" Lance asks me in a dangerously soft voice. I gulp down my fear, since this guy looks pretty tough. However, I have faith in what Priscilla taught me, so I think I can best this guy.
"I said no. You aren't robbing anyone," I reiterate. Lance just gazes at me for a few seconds before he and his minions start laughing uproariously. I can feel a vein twitching in my forehead, which is probably because I'm furious. I hate it when people laugh when I'm being serious. This was no exception.
The laughter dies down, and Lance's expression turns dark. He growls and steps up to me slowly, and I go into a defensive stance, one that Priscilla had shown me.
When Lance throws his first punch at me, I'm ready for it. His right fist zooms through the air towards my face, but I'm already moving my head out of the way. Just like Priscilla had shown me, I retaliated by reaching out my left hand and intertwining it with his right arm. Predictably enough, his left fist comes towards me as well, but I lean back and plant my right foot into his midriff. Letting myself fall to the ground, I throw his entire body over my head, so that he crashes into the carriage.
His minions go quiet with shock as their boss lets out this shout of pain from within the wreckage of the carriage. I'm feeling pretty good about myself for executing such a move so well. I grin and gaze over at the rest of the minions. I go into a very confident stance, beckoning them forward. However, when they start whispering and pointing to something behind me, I can't help but look.
"You've got some moves, kid," Lance grudgingly admits as he climbs out of the carriage. The throw I used on him wouldn't do all that much damage, but it seems like the carriage was what really hurt him. He's got all these scratches on his face and arms now, which were probably caused by the broken glass and splintered wood.
Though I just have to point something out. He's wrong. He's acting all uppity by calling me a kid and telling me I have "moves." However, I only used one move. How can he possibly know if I have "moves" if I only used one? People. I think about pointing that out to him, but decide better of it. I'm already in deep shit as it is.
I rotate my body to face him, returning to my defensive stance. Lance snickers derisively and leaps to the ground, his fist clearly aimed for me. I jump backwards, towards the crowd of minions, who make way for me. Apparently they don't want to interfere with their boss's fight.
Lance just scoffs when he realizes that he missed me. My eyes are fixed on him, watching him intently. I want to make sure I can predict and prevent his next move before it can hurt me.
"I didn't think I'd have to use this on a pathetic kid," Lance complains, stretching his arms to his right and placing a clenched fist on an open hand. What is he doing? I've never seen Priscilla use any moves like this. "Iron-make…"
I don't understand what "Iron-make" means, but I think I can assume it's the name of an attack. That's when it happened. The air around Lance's hands begins to glow and contort into a gray circle, covered in runes that I can't make out.
"What the hell?" I whisper to myself as I watch Lance's face screw up in concentration. The circle around his hands begins to grow, and I can feel some sort of pressure in the air that is really starting to push me down.
"Fist!" Lance roars, and he brings his hands forward and opens them, pointing them in my direction. The circle around his hands follows his motions, and then something came out of the circle. It's moving really fast, so the only thing I see before it hits me is a grayish blur, and then pain erupts from my chest as whatever it is collides with my body.
There's so much force behind his attack, that I can't even hope to keep my footing. The crowd of people behind me split apart as I fly backwards, tumbling back across the road and into a tree.
Fuck, I'm totally winded. I can hear them laughing at me, but all I can focus on is the hellish pain in my chest. It's like one of Priscilla's punches had hit me, except her fist was made of steel or something.
I try to move, but I can't. I'm a computer guy, so my endurance is practically shit. The only reason I'm stronger than the average nerd is my practices with Priscilla. I glare up at Lance, who is chuckling and walking towards me slowly.
"How'd you like my Iron Creation magic?" Lance brags. I hear his words and blink in confusion. Magic? He thinks he used some sort of magic? Well, granted, that circle was an odd thing to see, but I'm pretty sure that with a few mirrors and lasers, you can easily create something like that with a little work. But here he was bragging about his attack like it was magic. Please. There's no such thing.
"Magic? Magic doesn't exist!" I spit back at him. Lance adopts this dumbfounded expression that looks so comical, that I just have to grin. What, didn't he know this already?
"Are you seriously kidding me?" Lance asks me in a serious tone. I just look at him, my expression changing to one of confusion. "Don't tell me you actually believe that."
"Well of course! Magic is a thing of fairy tales!" I snap back at him, though inwardly I was confused as all hell. I was starting to believe that this Lance actually believes that he has magic. He's crazy! People like that usually end up in asylums.
Lance just blinks, and then he and his group bursts into hysterical laughter. Wait, so his entire group believes in magic? Why are they all looking at me like I'm insane?
My breath finally comes back, so I rise to my feet while they are still laughing. Fuck chivalry, I'm going to take this condescending bastard out right now. I let out a yell and charge at Lance with my right fist poised to strike. Lance stops laughing as he sees me coming, and once again goes back to that strange pose.
"I don't think so, kid! Iron-make…Grand Tower Shield!" Lance shouts, and right before my eyes, a huge plate of sheet metal materializes in mid air. My punch collides with it and pain bursts through my hand like wildfire. I can see stars as I reel back, cursing and waving my hand about.
"Fuck! What the fuck…ow!" I moan, nursing my aching hand. Lance tosses the sheet of metal aside, accidentally smacking one of his own men in the head and knocking him out cold.
"So by your statement, you must not have any magic. There's no way you can beat me," the man brags, spreading his arms confidently. I ignore him for the moment; my face is too busy being screwed up in an expression of pain. My hand, my fucking hand! I feel like I just punched a solid wall!
Something is definitely going on. This man Lance is either really good at special effects, or he's actually using magic. But magic doesn't exist. It never has, and never will exist! Science has ruled that you can't create matter out of nothing! It's impossible! Not even through a chemical reaction can metal appear out of the air. So one of his men must have thrown the sheet metal over to Lance, who then used it to block my punch.
"Try your tricks now! They won't work again!" I declare confidently, swinging at him again with my left fist. This time, the fucker just dodges. "I knew it! You don't have any other bullshit 'magic' to save you!"
Lance just gives me this disbelieving look. Either that, or he was telling me to shut the hell up without words. But then his hands go back to that strange pose that he always seems to use right before he used one of his tricks.
"Kid, seriously. Just shut up. Iron-make…Speeding Train!" he yells. Nothing happens at first, so I grin in triumph as my fist nears his face. However, then some…thing hit my side. And it fucking hurt. Like a bitch. Actually it felt like…well…it felt like a speeding train hit me.
So next thing I know I'm tumbling end over end across the ground and yelling in pain the whole time. This feels nothing like his other attacks. And I'm starting to believe that he isn't using any tricks. Not even if his minions help, there's no way to accelerate that kind of mass that much in such a short time. Was he actually using magic?
"I'm not done yet! Iron-make…Silver Thorns!" Lance adds, and I wince, expecting something even more painful. Suddenly I'm pinned to a tree. How the fuck did this happen?
Groaning from the pain in my aching body, I look down at myself. I'm pinned halfway up a tree by hundreds of tiny little spikes made of some sort of metal. I'm just going to go ahead and assume that they are made of iron. I mean, what else could they be, considering how Lance keeps screaming Iron-make all the time?
"Good job, boss!" one of the men surrounding Lance cheers.
"Look at him! Haha!"
"How pathetic!"
"Stupid kid!"
My face starts turning red from shame. I still don't understand how I was beaten. Sure, I'm a computer guy with hardly any strength, but I've still trained under someone far better than I am. You'd think I'd at least know what hit me.
They are jeering at me, and one of them even threw a knife at me. It didn't hit me, but it was pretty damn close. So, how the hell am I going to get out of this? I'm struggling, but these thorns are practically soldered into the tree. I'm completely stuck.
"Now, what to do with you," Lance thinks aloud, which only serves to inspire his men to loudly suggest different ways of killing me. None of them sound pleasant at all, but there's not really much I can do. "I know just what to do. I'll use my favorite execution method. Iron-make…"
That's when someone else stumbles onto the scene. Well, stumbled isn't exactly accurate. The guy that shows up on the road next looks like he wants to be here, and his eyes are fixed on Lance, a confident grin on his face.
"Who the hell are you?" Lance shouts over to the man. Huh. I think it would be a good idea to take in the new guy's appearance. In case I need to thank him if by some miracle he saves me. First, he's got this incredibly long black hair. It's really untidy. I mean, it looks like someone took the mane off a lion, straightened it, dyed it black, and stuck it on this guy's scalp. It looks badass. I can't see what his eyes look like, other than they were glaring at Lance. His face is covered in tons of piercings. I mean like, huge ones too. These things were like, huge metal studs lining his face. There were three above each of his eyes, and three running down one side of his nose.
As for his clothes, he's wearing a set of khakis, complete with a set of black boots. As for a shirt, he's got a really long sleeveless shirt that is split at the bottom, so it doesn't cover his front. Along the sleeves and collars, there are more metal studs. This guy really likes his metal, I think. To top this all off, he's got a strange symbol on his shoulder that looks like some sort of bird, or even a fairy. With a really weird tail. Oh, and did I mention he's got metal studded gloves? Again with the metal!
"You the Rusted Blades?" the newcomers asks. His voice is deep and rugged, but not in the bad way. This guy looks like some sort of badass. I only hope he could kick these guys' asses.
"That we are. Who wants to know?" Lance answers, stepping forward aggressively. The other man isn't intimidated in the least. Instead, his grin grows larger.
"Looks like I can really cut loose then!" the man declares boldly, and starts running at the large group of men. Lance loses his patience.
"You know what? I don't care who you are. Men, take him out!" Lance orders. The second that order passes his lips, the men start pulling out swords and guns and start moving. It looks like they are trying to surround the newcomer, which would not be good if they succeed.
"That's more like it!" The newcomer comments as he reaches the mob of people who wanted to kill him. I, with my rational mind, think that there's no way one man can take down twenty. I'm wrong. Hoo boy, I am dead wrong.
"Club of the Iron Dragon!" the man roars, and his right hand transforms, in front of my shocked and disbelieving eyes, into what looks like an iron strut of some sort. That's not the best part. Then he swings his hand (strut?) forward like he's going to punch, and then the strut elongates to an impossible length, slamming into several of the men around him and sending them flying.
My jaw drops as he uses this technique over and over with each of his hands, completely annihilating anyone who comes into contact with him. What the hell is this world, where magic is considered normal and people brawl and steal on the roads?
Eye-patch guy and the bald guy are now the only two left. The one with the eye-patch, who I'll call Patch just because it's easier to say, has a sword. The bald guy, who I'll call baldy since I'm an ass, has what looks like a shotgun. They would look awesome if they didn't look scared out of their minds. I can't blame them either. This one man took out practically all of them and doesn't look any worse for wear.
"You're…you're…the Iron Dragon…" Patch stammers as the man's metal hands turn back to normal.
"Gajeel?" Baldy finishes, his hands shaking too hard for him to aim his shotgun right. I've never heard of this Gajeel guy in my life, but it seemed to me like he's pretty well known to those guys. Gajeel, if that is his name, doesn't say anything, and instead just continues to regard the two with a maniacal grin on his studded face.
Then Gajeel's right arm transforms into a huge barbed sword. He runs forward and swings it hard at Patch, who blocks it with his sword.
"Sword of the Iron Dragon," Gajeel's sword-arm suddenly begins to vibrate as the barbs on the blade start to travel along the length of the blade, like a chainsaw. Patch watches in shock as his sword is sliced in half.
"Have a load of this, you dragon wannabe!" Baldy roars, and I watch in horror as he pulls the trigger on his shotgun. Another one of those weird circles appears on the muzzle of the gun, only this time it's a green color. Then, bolts of green light shoot from the barrel and collide with Gajeel's shoulder.
As smoke covers Gajeel's form, I slump down, saddened. Gajeel, my would-be rescuer, has just taken a shot from a shotgun. I don't care what kind of shotgun you're using. At that range, nothing can survive.
"Nice gun." My head shoots up in shock as Gajeel zooms out of the smoke, completely unharmed, and slams a metal fist right into Baldy's face. How the fuck did Gajeel survive a shot like that from that range? He should be dead! What kind of fucked up world is this?
Patch chooses that moment to make a break for it, running for the trees. He never makes it that far. Gajeel just turns his head slightly and extends his metal strut thing all the way to the man, slamming into his side and knocking him into a tree.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. It's your turn," Gajeel declares, switching his attention to Lance, who was about as shocked as I was. Well, it's understandable. His men just got wiped out like they were nothing. Gajeel doesn't even have a scratch on him, not even from that shotgun blast! What kind of monster is he?
"Well, you are much stronger than I'd heard, I'll give you that," Lance compliments the man, the confident grin returning to his face. He goes into that strange pose that allows him to summon iron from nowhere, the circle appearing. "But not even you can stand up to my Iron Creation magic!"
"Gajeel! Watch out! He can summon iron from thin air!" I scream down to my would-be rescuer, who looks really bored for some reason. He finally glances up at me and raises an eyebrow, as if he's just noticing me for the first time now.
"Shut up, you're annoying," Gajeel replies nonchalantly. A vein twitches in my forehead. I was trying to help him out, and that's how he repays me?
"What? I was trying to help, you jackass!" I snap back at him, but he just ignores me. So much for being a rescuer. It just looks like Gajeel was here to fight.
"Iron-make…Speeding Train!" Lance shouts, his hands opening and shooting to the front. I see a large glowing silver circle like the one that's on Lance's hands appear a few feet away from Gajeel's side. Then, to my shock, a train locomotive made entirely out of grey iron emerges from the circle and streaks towards Gajeel at a high speed. That makes sense. So that was what hit me and nearly broke every rib in my body.
However, Gajeel just holds out his hand and stops the train in its tracks. As the train comes to an abrupt stop, there's a loud screeching. I cover my ears to try and block out that horrible sound, but my eyes are fully alert. But I still can't believe what I'm seeing. Is this Gajeel guy really that strong?
"Seriously? Iron Creation? What a bore," Gajeel complains, and then to my shock he turns and takes a bite out of the iron train.
"What the fuck?" I can't help but yell as he chews and swallows an entire mouthful of metal. Let me just take a moment to rant. Iron…is hard as fuck. That's why people in the medieval age used it to make swords to kill people. You can't chew iron, much less bite through it. So what the hell was this guy? Is he some sort of god or something?
"My train!" Lance screams, rather comically. I guess he's about as freaked out as I am. Gajeel takes another bite of the train before knocking the carapace aside.
"I thought I'd at least get a good fight out of this, but you are all trash," he scoffs, and then he moves his hands up to his mouth. His cheeks start puffing out, like he was taking in a huge breath or something.
Lance doesn't know what he's seeing either, since he's gazing at Gajeel like a scared puppy. Finally, I get over the fact that Gajeel is strange and realize that Lance is about to get his ass kicked.
"Hey, Lance! I hope Gajeel kicks your sorry ass!" I scream down at the man, who doesn't even look at me. I see Gajeel finish breathing in, and then comes the exhale. But it's like no exhale I've ever seen.
"Roar of the Iron Dragon!" Gajeel shouts, and then a huge swirling vortex of tiny blades emanates from the man's mouth. Lance doesn't even have time to scream before the razor vortex collides with him. To my shock, the blades slice into Lance's body like butter, splattering blood and bits of skin everywhere. Lance is sent flying backwards, where he comes to a stop on the side of the road, unconscious and bleeding.
I'm just speechless. So I get to this road and get my ass kicked by magic using thugs. Then Gajeel shows up and nahms on their iron and wipes the floor with all of them, and then starts walking away like its nothing. Wait, he's walking away?!
"Hey! What about me?" I demand, though I think I sound a little pitiful. Gajeel again raises an eyebrow, finally turning his full attention to me.
"What are you doing up there, kid?" he asks me. My eye starts twitching in irritation and disbelief.
"Oh, couldn't you tell? I'm totally enjoying the sights," I shoot back at him, the sarcasm just dripping from my tone. "Can you get me down?"
Gajeel gets my sarcasm, replying with a scoff. When I asked to be brought down, he just gives this little shrug. Then to my surprise, he just slams a metal strut right through the tree, causing it to fall. My eyes widen in fear and incredulity.
"I said get me down not the tree! FUUUUUUUCK!" I'm practically screaming my ass off as the tree I'm pinned to falls to the ground and lands with a crash. The impact jars me loose from the tree, although it rips several holes in my jeans. "You are one crazy son of a bitch, you know that?"
"Whatever, I'm going back now. Get some clothes or something," Gajeel replies uncaringly, walking back the way he came. I don't understand why he even came here. Did he just come for the fight? Is he that kind of guy?
"Wait, where are you going?" I call after him, but then I realize how stupid I sound. He's walking in the direction of Magnolia Town. It's obvious that this is where he's going. Gajeel must have realized that too, since he doesn't say anything back to me. He soon disappears over a hill in the road, leaving me alone with a bunch of unconscious thugs.
I start moving down the road after him, but it's slow going. I think I must have broken something, since my entire body is aching like nothing else. That bitch Lance was a real piece of work. I'm now covered in all these scratches and abrasions caused by those hits he dealt me.
So, let me take a moment to run things through my head. I'm in a country called Fiore. The city nearby is Magnolia Town. This country is somewhere in the 17th or 18th century, where they use both swords and guns. They also consider magic to be normal. How did I get here? I fell through a hole in the sky.
Can I just tell you that this doesn't make any sense?
Agh, chapter one finished. Writer's block hit me HARD rather soon in the story, which really pissed me off. Then I found out what my problem was. I was having trouble thinking up a way to introduce my character to someone in Fairy Tail this chapter, without having him join the guild too soon. So then my problem was thinking up a situation. I already knew that I wanted my character to get the shit beaten out of him since he doesn't know magic, but I had to think up a unique-ish magic for the guy who would do the beating, and think up which Fairy Tail character would save him. I ended up choosing Gajeel since he's awesome. Once I'd settled on Gajeel, I was able to think up a magic that he would be good against. Hence, Iron Creation. Hey, they have Ice Creation and Wood Creation, so why the fuck not?
Anyhow, I won't be updating this until I update my Golden Sun story. But by all means, leave me a review so I know how I did.
Next chapter will be in third person, introducing my own unique guild.
Keelah Se'lai!
Terran34