Unbroken Chapter 1: The Request, a fairy tail fanfic

Hello guys! I just put out this new story, and I am reallllllllyyyyyy excited. I already have the first three chapters written because why not!? This is a one shot, but I really want to make it into something more, and I can only do that if you guys review! Please give me something!

Disclaimer: Jade and Alvor are the only things I own, and they don't even really matter

Jade: "How rude!"

Asrith33: Anyway, to the story!

-Chapter 1: The Request Edited 5/27/15

Boom…

I could feel the vibrations of the drums through the floor. The steady beat of the constant bass note buzzed in my ears as I sat alone in the darkness. I could faintly hear the roar of the crowd far above me, hundreds of voices crying out in rage, annoyance, happiness, and a million other emotions. They all twisted into a single nonsensical mass of sound. It was like a demonic choir that never ceased in its thunderous noise until the earliest hours of the morning.

I drowned it all out. I closed my eyes, even though I could not see. It helped me to drown out the voices. I faintly registered the sound of boots on the stone floor. The offbeat clomps became louder as the source drew closer. I cocked an ear, listening carefully as I tried to identify the owner of those offensive hob-nail boots. It was never silent here, but the sound was low and constant, and the daily intrusions from my keepers only served to annoy me each day as I tried to sleep. Sleeping was all I could do in my free time, and these people always found some way to interrupt even my deepest naps.

The thumps of the feet stopped and were replaced with the telltale shuffle of shoes dragging over a smooth floor. The sound was fluid, yet sharp, and it sent a shiver up my spine. I listened as the owner of the boots carefully fitted keys into the lock of the cage and pulled the door open, the hinges creaking. I listened to the person sigh, and a whiff of alcohol and cigars drifted into my nostrils. I curled my lip in disgust.

It was Alvor.

Of all of the people entrusted to care for me, Alvor was the one I despised the most. The man was fond of torture and had some of the best fighters in the arena. He would drive his fighters crazy with torture, both psychological and physical, and then he would throw them out in the arena to fight to the death. Almost all of them killed without a moment of hesitation. He had complete control over the others that had been imprisoned in this hellhole. He tortured me too, but unlike the others, I had yet to be broken. No, he hadn't broken me; instead he made me completely dependent on him outside of the arena. And it worked so well.

Alvor had created his own little world down here, and in this world, he was king, he was god. No one could tell him no, least of all me. I felt the heat of Alvors hand near my face and gently tough my snout, rubbing it affectionately. "You're gonna win me a lot of money today," he said, his foul breath wafting up my sensitive nose. He patted my snout one more time before walking away, ordering the others to take me up.

I groaned at the thought of the long and arduous trip up the tunnel where I would be subjected to the trials of the arena once again. It wasn't the thought of the arena itself that made me queasy, but the thought of riding some strange man made machine all the way up to the surface that made my stomach turn. I wanted to escape from my prison so badly, but it was futile. I was completely bound to the place where I sat. My legs were bound by thick, heavy chains, and my wings were bound to my back by giant leather straps that were uncomfortably tight. Two giant shackles bound my long neck to the floor, walls, and ceiling, restricting the movement of my head to only a few feet in each direction. My mouth was clamped shut by a muzzle and my horns had been sawn off. My stomach and chest was pulled flush against the ground by thick leather straps that was strapped over my back and firmly bound to metal clamps on the ground.

The chains that bound my head to the ceiling and walls were released and instead pulled down to rings on the floor and threaded through, pulling my head and neck down until I was lying completely against the floor.

I could do nothing as my caretakers started up the machine, and the platform under me suddenly began moving and I immediately became nauseous. I could hear several people begin to laugh at my sickness, but I ignored them and focused on not puking up my latest meal. As I lay there in misery, the platform slowly moved me toward the sound of the roaring crowd, and I could faintly hear the voice of the announcer above the cacophony of sound. There were so many sounds and smells assaulting my ears. Alcohol, cigarette smoke, food, the sounds of cowbells ringing, air horns blasting, and high pitched screams stood out from everything else, and it made me dizzy with anticipation.

I vaguely noticed a small pinch in my leg before my heart suddenly began beating faster. My eyes widened. I tried to raise myself up from my position, but I was bound. Not good. I needed to move.

I struggled against the chains, but they held fast. I wrenched my body violently as I tried to escape, desperate now to release this new energy. My heart was pumping so fast it felt like it would fly from my chest. My body heated up as the blood in my veins began to pump faster, keeping time with my now erratic breathing. I felt another pinch, and the restless sensation tripled, and I could feel my mind slipping as my body took over. I was desperate for release, desperate to break free and run, jump, do anything until I collapsed from exhaustion.

The roars from the crowd were unbearably loud and the blood rushing in my head seemed to match its intensity, until all I was aware of was the dull roar in my ears, the thousands of smells of the open air, and the blackness that had claimed my vision long ago.

I pushed forward, my muscles straining as I pushed my body's limits. The bindings on my body dug into my flesh painfully, but I didn't care. I felt the blood begin to pour down my neck before, finally, the chains fell away, and I launched forward into the arena. Giant doors slammed closed behind me as I moved forward. I was surrounded by the crowd, and their shrieks of excitement and fear only made me more restless.

I roared, spewing fire all around me, declaring my presence to the world. I heard a second set of doors being slammed shut and just managed to turn towards the sound before something huge rammed me to the ground.

I couldn't believe that I was here right now. Why had I been picked to help out on a mission like this? I sighed for the millionth time that day as I followed the others down the street. One minute I had been looking for a job to take, and the next minute I was on a ship to Minstrel with Gray, Erza, Juvia, and Happy. It took a week to travel to the capital by ship, and I was more than happy the moment I set foot on dry land. I promised myself I would never travel by sea ever again if it wasn't at least on a luxury cruise liner.

After arriving in Minstrel's capital, we all rented rooms at a hotel, and were now on our way to see our employer. Erza was leading the way, Gray directly behind her whilecJuvia clung to his arm like a leech. Happy floated on his wings beside me as I walked behind the others, feeling dejected.

All I had wanted was some rent money, then Erza demanded that we all go with her on this mission for a 'bonding experience,' one that I was thoroughly convinced Juvia was enjoying every minute of. I couldn't help but feel upset about how clingy she was. Gray and I had been dating for two months before he decided to end it, and then he immediately hooked up with Juvia, who had been practically him stalking ever since they met. I was upset at first, but then I realized that mine and Gray's relationship just really hadn't been working out. We had nothing in common, and he had a horrible stripping habit that annoyed the hell out of me, but Juvia seemed to love it. I had accepted that Juvia was a better match for Gray, (Ice X Water, duh) but the attraction I had for him was still there.

I couldn't help the feeling of jealousy I had for the woman walking ahead of me. The rain woman had effectively stolen Gray from me, and they were having a much better relationship than Gray and I had had. I did feel kind of guilty for being jealous, because even though the introverted water mage had seen me as a "love rival" for the longest amount of time, she had accepted me as a friend and had gotten over her own jealousy while me and Gray had been dating. When Gray and I broke up she even visited my house and apologized profusely for screwing up me and Gray's relationship with her constant stalking. I just brushed her off and said that it just wasn't meant to be, and I even encouraged Juvia to try her luck with Gray. Juvia had been adamant at first, but she soon came around, and her and Gray were together a few days later. I was happy for them, despite my own shortcomings, and I was determined to support the couple. I wouldn't allow my own past feelings get in the way of a friendship I had with Juvia, and the teamwork required between me and Gray.

I shook my head to clear it of stray thoughts. Now was not the time to be thinking of my relationship status, I needed to focus on the mission (even though I was entirely convinced that Erza made us all come along to ensure that any bad feelings that anyone was harboring about the break up/ get together were stamped out).

We rounded a corner and came upon a large house that was set wall to wall with the buildings around it. It was easily five stories tall, and it vaguely reminded me of my old home, the Heartfilia Konzern. The building was all stone pillars, gold plated and baroque embellishment. To sum it up, it was made of extremely shiny, I-can-afford-this-and-you-can't material. Erza knocked a gloved fist on the huge wooden door, and they waited patiently for the door to be opened.

And they waited, and waited, and waited. Erza frowned and knocked on the door again, a little louder this time. Still, no one answered the door.

"Maybe they're not home," Gray offered.

Erza hummed and was about to turn away from the building when the door suddenly flew open, revealing a disheveled man in an askew business suit. Erza flinched, startled, and her hand brushed over the pommel of her sword before she regained her composure. The man at the door seemed more startled that her and took a step back upon seeing her action, eyes wide.

"Sir," Erza began, clearing her throat as she pulled out a flyer from her pocket, "We are mages from Fairy Tail. We have accepted your job request." She offered him the flyer, but he only stared at it, seeming lost for a moment.

"Ah." He said his voice slightly hoarse. "I guess you didn't hear the news? That job's been canceled."

"Eh? But we came all this way," I said. This was not looking good at all. The request form had promised one million Jewl, and that was the only reason I had agreed to come along in the first place. Rent was insanely expensive.

The man nodded his head, and he seemed extremely reluctant to tell us his next piece of information. "I cancelled the job because I can no longer pay you the amount the job stated."

Erza frowned. "That is not a problem sir, one million Jewl would have been more than enough to split between us; a lower reward does not bother us at all."

I wanted to protest to that, but held my tongue. We all knew perfectly well that jobs were only taken according to initial profit, and it would have been a huge steal when just split between the four of us. Whether we still took this job or not depended on just how far the reward had dropped.

"Mam," the man said, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead, "I cannot pay you for your services at all."

Silence.

Gray was the first to speak. "What's the meaning of this, explain yourself!"

The man flinched, but maintained his composure and quickly stepped back from the door, opening it wider and revealing the interior of his home.

"If you come inside, I will explain myself in full."

Erza nodded and quickly followed the man inside, the rest of us behind her. I couldn't help but be taken aback when I stepped into the home. I had been expecting a grandeur that matched the outside of the home, but instead I was met with bare walls, empty wooden floors, and a fine layer of dust covering every surface of the house.

The man led us into what must have been the sitting room, which was also devoid of furniture. The man stretched out his hands, gesturing to the entire room.

"What you are looking at right now is the last of what I own, and soon I will not even have this."

He turned away from us, staring out a window in the far wall.

"My name is Jade. I was once the CEO if a huge magical outfitters company, Mage Fashion. My company was bought by Mr. Jude Heartfilia and his company. My company did very well for a long time, but seven years ago, his company went bankrupt, and my company and many others soon followed after."

I gasped at the mention of my father. Memories of my childhood with him, my encounter after the company failed, and then the news of his death after Tenroujima. I had hated myself for a long time after I found out he was dead, and had continued to pay my rent for seven years. I still visit his grave frequently.

Jade didn't seem to have noticed my outburst and continued. "My company didn't go down at first. We struggled to regain out independence for a few a few years before the company finally collapsed two years ago. The company had just become too dependent on the Heartfilia business, and couldn't recover fast enough. I've been living off of my last few paychecks this past year, trying to find a new job, but no one would take me. I'm the laughingstock of the Minstrel business industry! I couldn't even get a desk job! Before I knew it I was receiving notices from the bank that I would be evicted, and I simply couldn't pay the bills. They came a week ago and took everything in order to pay off my dept. The only things I own now are the very clothes on my back."

Jade huffed in frustration and plopped down on the wooden floor, spreading a small cloud of dust. He hid his face in his hands, and I could have sworn he was about to cry.

"So," he continued, "due to my current financial situation, I cannot pay you for this job. Please just return to Fiore and get on with your lives; there's nothing for you here."

Everyone was silent for a moment before I carefully stepped forward. I crouched down to Jade's level and grabbed his arms, moving his hands away from his face.

"Sir," I began, "I think all of us can agree that the money doesn't really matter right now. We are here, so just let us do the job, and you can forget about paying us for anything."

I knew the others were probably looking at me like I was crazy. Me of all people was rejecting money and doing a job for no profit what so ever? Yes I was a money grubber, especially when it came to rent money, but at this point money didn't matter. Jade was in this position because he had made a deal that he had no idea would go south. He had even found a need and had been willing to pay a hefty sum in order to see it filled, even when he was losing everything. It reminded her too much of her father, who had continued to pay her rent while she was trapped on Tenrou for seven years, even though he was told that she was surely dead. I would help Jade, even if he couldn't pay. Fairy Tail existed to help others, and as a Fairy Tail mage she would gladly sacrifice her time and energy in order to help Jade's cause.

A metal covered hand clamped down gently on my shoulder, and Gray's pants-less leg appeared at the corner of my vision.

"Lucy is right," Erza said, "we'll help, even if you can't pay." Her face suddenly became serious as the subject changed to the matter at hand. "But first, we need you tell us the details of this mission we are on."

Jade stared at them for a moment, eyes wide with astonishment.

"I-I couldn't possib-"

"Don't try to deny Erza," Gray stated. "One she and Lucy have made up their minds, there's nothing to do but follow their lead."

Juvia nodded next to him. "Juvia thinks this also."

A single tear slid down Jade's face, and his whole body shook. "T-thank you so much."

Here it is! I hope you're at least interested. Please review, I only continue stories if they get at least two reviews, but I may just continue this one anyway because I love it so much.