It was kind of early in the city of Magnolia. At the time magic was really popular and a blessing to have. Slaves of many kinds walked in this time period. Turbines, vests, cloth and rich fabulous jewelry were a fashion statement amongst others who were fortunate enough to afford them. The buildings were somewhat mere tents or clothes sewn together or gigantic buildings with gold and silver adorning the walls. There was no electricity and no plumbing systems to be found. This story is about a boy with pink hair covered with a turbine and a slave with a dream to be free.

-^/\^-

He ran as fast as he could with his sandaled feet with his younger friend both struggling not to get caught. They were both carrying a basket full of tomatoes, lettuce and an assortment of tropical foods. "Come on Wendy we need to go faster or they'll catch up to us!"

"Right Natsu!" the girl said. They looked behind them, as the buildings blurred past, and saw guard with heavy looking spears or swords. The guards continued their pursuit as the pink haired boy and his small friend made great headway. That was when Natsu turned the corner. It happened so fast. A blond girl had been walking around the corner and Natsu was running full speed. The next thing you know there both on the floor their baskets cascaded to the side. Wendy stopped in time and helped her pinked haired friend up to his feet then ran over to the blond girl to help her up too.

Wendy walked over and inspected her, she looked around 16, 17 but she was pale, her hair was caked in mud and her skin was littered in cuts and bruises. The blue haired girl continued her inspection and brown eyes trailed down to the girls' feet which were held together by rusty shackles.

"Natsu. Look" Wendy said as she stepped back. Natsu walked forward and knelt down and inspected her. Then his coal colored eyes trailed down to her feet. He saw the shackles. He stared and stared not seeming to make the connection. "Natsu she's a slave. What do we do?"

"We help her get back up on her feet."

"But what about the guards?"

"There miles behind us we're fine." Natsu said as he bent down and started picking up the slave girls' basket and its contents. As he separated the portions and put them in baskets the slave girl started waking up.

"What?" Wendy noticed this as she bent down and took out a staff, it was a silver pole with chain intertwining around it with a red gem in the center with a white cloth looping around it. "Iyashimasu." She chanted. The staff glowed a beautiful green light. The slave girl watched in wonder then a wave of relief and her arms and legs didn't ache as much. "There that's all I can do for now."

The slave was speechless she lifted up her dress slightly and looked at her ankles and snuck her dainty fingers in between the rusty shackles and stared wide-eyed at Wendy.

"Thank you", she said in a soft voice. "Where is the basket that I was carrying?" Wendy pointed over her shoulder to Natsu who was finishing organizing the baskets. She started to stand up and walk over to the pink haired boy. "Thank you and sorry for the-"

"No need to thank me. Besides I was the one that ran into you. And you were just doing your job. So..." the slave bowed her head and picked up her basket and bowed again. "What's your name?" she asked softly. Natsu looked at her again and nodded, "Natsu Dragneel."

"Well I'm Lucy of the Heartfilia race."

Wendy looked at her said, "wasn't the Hearfilia's the ones that all got captured from their homelands and were bought by the rich and wealthy of this land."

"Yes, you are correct. The Hearfilia's were a prosperous race until the ruler of the country Jude fell ill and past away. The next thing we knew it was chaos and my friends and family were taken away from me and I was being sold to this lands lord." Natsu looked at her confused and walked up to her, "why would they be sold?"

"Because we were a rare people. Everywhere you looked there was blond hair brown eyes and pale skin, which is very hard to find. We have immense strength and speed. We're like monsters we don't belong here."

"You don't look like a monster you look like a person." Natsu said with a smile. Lucy smiled and started walking. "Oh the guards are coming this way; you have 5 minutes to get a head start." Lucy said as she continued to her destination.

"What?!" Natsu and Wendy yelled as they picked up there stuff and ran.

-^/\^-

As soon as the two friends got back home. They took out their stolen food and Natsu started prepping for their meal. "Let's see. What should I make? We didn't take any of the meat but I guess I could make vegetable curry with white rice and lettuce wraps." He snapped his fingers and nodded taking his cooking supplies and started.

"Hey Natsu when do you think we can go to the tower and take it over?" Natsu stopped what he was doing and looked at his young companion. "Soon. Wendy very soon." After a few minutes later, the meal he prepared was ready and he laid all the food he made out on the table.

"Wow! Natsu this looks so amazing!"

"It should taste just as amazing know dig in."

The first bite that Wendy took her face turned tomato red. "Kyaaaaa!" Natsu looked up and chuckled at the sight. "Natsu how much hot sauce did you put in?"

"A lot" the boy said with a grin. Later that evening Natsu and Wendy had eaten every last bit of the curry and has a few wrapped lettuce wraps left. They moved their separate ways to go sleep, Wendy taking the bed and Natsu the floor on the opposite side of the room. Natsu laid on his side his back facing Wendy and pondered what he should do about the tower in the city they were in. The tower was huge and gorgeous in comparison to the palace and the cathedral in the center of the city. No one had made it out alive.

The city that both he and Wendy were in had a tower too. They didn't take any of the treasure inside but Wendy did get a staff with the powers of Grandine in it. She's also a magic healer which makes her a double threat. Natsu wanted to take over this particular dungeon because of the soul it had in it. But he was kind of nervous at the same time. The next day the two companions woke up and both said, "Let's take on that tower!"

-^/\^-

"So how the hell do we get up this massive thing?"

"We use my wind magic!" Wendy's staff glowed a brilliant green and swirls of air flowed around them. "Sky Dragon Roar!" she yelled as the air shot them up to the tower entrance, all the way at the top. Natsu took out his sword and entered the tower, but before he could someone grabbed hold of his shoulder. He looked behind him and a man with dark purple hair with sideburns and a tattoo on his forehead was standing, along with two girls, one of which had lime green hair and dark blue eyes. Then there was a familiar blonde hair with the returned bruises and cuts from before. "Hey. My group and I are going in first." Natsu looked at him confused.

"Who the heck are you?" the man reared back in dismay and looked offended. "Who am I?"

"That's the question."

"I am the notorious Lord of this land, Salamander" the man said pompously. Natsu lowered his sword and nodded. "Alright then we'll just follow you guys in right after."

"But Natsu-"Wendy started to say but was interrupted by Natsu's swift hand. Salamander and his crew walked in first. Then this unbelievable force started pushing them all in, Natsu and Wendy as well. They all ended up in a cave like area.

Natsu blinked three times before standing up. "Well that didn't happen in the last tower."

"What the hell?" the Salamander said. The two slaves both stood up too, looking bewildered. Natsu and Wendy walked forward leaving the group behind. They walked a bit further till Natsu, who was in the lead, bumped into something. He felt around till he felt what he thought was a button. Natsu pressed on it slightly and a door opened. Wendy was the first to peer into it. "What's in the room Wendy?" Natsu asked he didn't bother looking afraid the door would close again.

Wendy grabbed hold of Natsu's hand and sprinted to the center of the room. Natsu looked around as soon as they stopped in the center of the room. It was a room filled was S-class level monsters called Gorgons. "Wendy don't look into their eyes, they'll turn you into stone."

"Ok"' she said simply and pulled out her staff while Natsu pulled out his sword. The sword was a black color and looked more like a cleaver. He looked at his surroundings again and closed his eyes and started cutting through the S-class monsters like they were nothing. First he slashed forward, the weight of his dark sword guiding his trajectory, he knew where the first gorgon was and kept on guessing from there listening to the hissing from the gorgons and slashing and swinging left and right. He listened to the sound of the gorgons either hitting the floor or screeching in his ear. The very last gorgon was off in the distance so he quickly opened his eyes and shut them and ran at the hideous monster barely missing his mark. Wendy stayed back and healed any cuts that Natsu got. "Natsu my ethernano is running low we need to keep moving."

"Right" he said finishing off the last gorgon. He ran over to the exit and tried to catch his breath. Wendy patted him on the back and said, "The next room there's a riddle."

"Well let's see." Natsu said walking into the next room with Wendy. In the room was a pool of lava. Just a pool of lava. The inscription was on the wall and was in ancient Fiorian. "Ok the inscription says in order to pass you must first dance to the wind and then like a zebra."

"What the heck does that mean?" Wendy asked. "I think it means that we need to hop across and then bounce off the walls to get to the exit."

"Oh" Wendy said as she backed up and sprinted to the edge of the pool and twirled in the air creating a wind spiral and landing on the wall feet first and she pushed her legs with all her might and bounced off the wall to the other one then to the next and the next till she was at the exit. "Well that wasn't too bad but now my legs hurt." Natsu chuckled and copied Wendy's movements, and landed where Wendy was standing. He looked to Wendy, nodded and walked off to the next room. But he stopped and put his hand in front of Wendy, "what is it?" Natsu hadn't said a word and pulled Wendy by the arm to a secluded pocket in the cave. It wasn't in the slightest as big as the walk way but it was big enough to fit both Wendy and Natsu inside. Natsu shoved Wendy into the corner to make sure she was safe and then he took one last look before going to the opposite side of the small cave.

"Well that was just too easy by following them and having them clear the rooms without breaking a sweat. Man what gullible kids." The Salamander said as he walked by. Natsu checked to see if he and his crew where all together. He looked at salamander, then at the green haired lady but he couldn't find the blonde. "What the-?" he started to say but he spotted the blonde. Standing right behind him, "Holy mother of-!" he exclaimed as he was dragged away along with Wendy. He looked at the girl and recognized her easily. It was Lucy.

"I found them they can help us know," Lucy said. She tossed them toward the Salamander. He looked at them and smiled even wider, "Good now take us to the next room!" Natsu complied and walked forward Wendy followed. The scenery changed from a cave to a long dark corridor with large marble statues on the sides. The room started to rumble and shake. Natsu and Wendy got in to a fighting stance. The marble figures started to move. Hauling their gigantic legs with each step they took. Lucy looked at the salamander and ran forward. The statues where about 3 stories tall and where clunky so it looked like they were waddling. Lucy jumped up in the air and brought her hands over her head. She swung them down smashing the marble to bits. Natsu and Wendy looked astonished at the amazing feet. She didn't have one scratch on her. So she ran forward again except this time sliding under a statues legs and tripping it with a powerful round house kick.

The statue came to a loud crash that echoed through the hall. She stepped up and looked at the last statue with brown fierce eyes, and walked forward swaying her arms a bit, drawing back her right arm and swinging it forward shattering the marble to bits. Lucy turned around and said in a monotone voice, "alright the issue has been resolved so let us continue."

Salamander followed and as did the green haired lady and Natsu and Wendy. They followed Lucy till they saw a door with a symbol of a fairy on it. Lucy walked up to it and pushed lightly. The door burst open releasing a humungous gust of wind outward toward them, almost knocking the party over. Salamander stepped up first walking into the room followed by the green haired lady, Lucy then Natsu and Wendy. The room was enormous filled with treasures and gold. "Wow Natsu this whole room could buy us a whole nation! Don't you think?" Natsu looked at Wendy and nodded, patting her head. Lucy looked at them and then at salamander. "Lucy my darling come here for me for a moment."

"Of course master," Lucy said walking cautiously over towards him. "Now Lucy I want you to take them out." Lucy nodded and looked over toward the two travelers. She looked at them with the same intense eyes as before in the hallway. Natsu flinched and Wendy stood behind Wendy.

'So I have to kill these two' Lucy cracked her knuckles and lunged toward them. Halfway reaching Natsu but changing position and kicking Natsu instead sending him flying into the very expensive looking wall. Natsu got up and took out his sword out and slashed at Lucy left and right. Each time she avoided the attacks. She found an opening between his slashes and punched him. Sending him flying again. Wendy pulled out her staff and healed Natsu," Natsu you have to get up I'll distract them." Wendy pulled back and raised her hands. "Sky magic! Sky dragon wing attack!" she howled at the top of her lungs. The attack headed straight for the salamander and Karin. "Wendy back me up!"

"On it!" she said as she sent another attack at Lucy, pushing her back toward the center of the room. "Damn we're never gonna get these kids out of here and get the treasure at this rate." Salamander said as he watched the fight. Lucy threw a kick at both Natsu and Wendy. Her foot connected with the small girls' torso and sent her crashing to the wall. "Wendy!" Natsu yelled and Lucy took it as an opportunity to send a punch at Natsu. He blocked it and did a round house kick and swinging his sword with one fluid motion. Lucy backed away and ran full speed not toward Natsu but toward Wendy. With Natsu thrown off guard he had no way of reaching Wendy in time. But thankfully the room started shacking throwing Lucy off balance and making her fall.

Columns of fire shoot through the roof and revealed a large red dragon with flickers of flames surrounding it. "That's the fire dragon king Igneel!" Natsu yelled as he got up and turned his attention back to Wendy. Lucy and the salamander where too distracted by the columns of fire to even notice that the fire dragon had vanished and was replaced with a fairy symbol on Natsu's sword. The columns of fire slowly disappeared and Lucy turned her attention back to Natsu and Wendy. But before she even took a step, the Salamander held out a hand and said "stop". Lucy looked his direction and nodded walking back toward him. Salamander looked at the young, blond girl standing in front of him and smacked her across the face. Her legs crumpled under her as she ungracefully fell to the floor," hey what the hell was that for?!" Natsu asked with concern for Lucy. The salamander looked at the pink haired boy with a distasteful look on his face and said, "I can do whatever the hell I want with her, after all she is my slave."

Natsu sent a disgusted scowl toward the man and walked up to Lucy, Wendy trailing behind him. He turned her over with a slight nudge, to make sure she was ok. A large red mark along with a dark purple started to appear on her cheek. Wend y shoved Natsu aside and chanted her healing spell over Lucy again. The Salamander looked at them and looked astonished because of the kindness that those two showed his slave. Then Natsu stood up and brought out his sword channeling the new found power he now felt inside him into his sword and charged at salamander, a trail of bright red flames following his path. The sword barley meeting the tattoo on the salamander's forehead and Natsu said to him," You shouldn't treat people like their some worthless trash that's expendable. We're living breathing humans just as you are. And don't think otherwise." At that point salamander was sweating buckets. Natsu withdrew his sword and turned his back to him his last words being," a rank is just and title and that's all it is. I doesn't define would you are as a person it's just a word."

-^/\^-

Oh dear lord! That took forever! Over three thousand words in this story. Now I won't be updating flaming and celestial swords after chapter 7 comes out cause that's on hiatus for a while but this new story I'll probably be updating every month (probably). There's also a series of oneshots that I'm working on as well as a new story to make up for Flaming and Celestial Swords. It may or may not come out in the next few weeks but whateves.

Have an awesome day and enjoy

~Casey