When the Sky Falls for the Flame
A/N: Just a quick note: this chapter is longer than the previous ones. The events that take place in this chapter were originally supposed to span across chapters 3 and 4. However, after finishing the rough draft of Chapter 3, I was not particular happy with it. It was basically just the group screwing around in Everwater City. I felt like it was a waste of a chapter so I took a small portion of 3 and combined it with the vast majority of Chapter 4. I do apologize for the longer chapter. Enjoy!
-SilverWrath
Chapter 3 - The Job
"This has to be the most beautiful city I have ever been in!" Wendy exclaimed as the group sailed their way down one of Everwater City's water ways. The city's lack of streets or walkways of any kind created a transportation issue for the team. However, it was extremely easy to find people willing to ferry the wizards to their destination. There were easily a half a dozen small businesses right next to the pier that rented out boats for tourists and visitors. For an extra small fee, the group was able to hire a boatman to escort them through the city's endless rivers.
The original plan was to enter the city and immediately report to the Mayor's office in order to begin their job. Unfortunately, when the team arrived at the Mayor's office, they discovered that the man had stepped out and was not expected to return until the next day. Much to Erza's displeasure, the team would be stonewalled until they found the Mayor. Seeing an opportunity to experience this majestic city, Wendy begged Erza to let her rent another boat, and explore the city on her own. A couple other members of the team quickly jumped on board with Wendy's plan. After begging the older woman for what seemed like hours, Wendy finally convinced Erza to let her, Natsu, Grey, Carla and Happy explore the city while Erza and Lucy tracked down the Mayor. She was more than happy to let Erza do the leg work while she hung out with Natsu and the others.
Wendy stood on the bow of the boat they had rented as it gracefully cut its way through the crystal clear water. Wendy looked down at the water beneath the boat. The water was clear enough that she was able to see dozens of different species of fish swimming under the surface of the city. In all her years of traveling across Fiore, she had never experienced anything like this. There was only one small problem. As she leaned over the side of the boat, Wendy was suddenly struck with a wave of nausea. She lost her grip on the side of the boat and started to fall into the water. Grey quickly leaned forward and grabbed the back of her shirt.
"Easy there kid." He said chuckling. Grey pulled Wendy back into the boat and sat her on the bench across from him. "That's the third time you have almost fallen off the boat since this we got here." He leaned back against his seat and looked across the sparkling water ahead of them. "I'm starting to think you want to fall in." Carla shook her head in annoyance.
"You need to be more careful." She scolded. "Erza has all of the luggage we brought. If you fall in the water you're going to end up soaking wet for hours and you will wind up sicker than a dog." It was times like this that Carla could easily be mistaken for Wendy's mother.
"I know… I'm sorry." She said. Wendy sat on the bench and watched other boats pass them while waiting for her stomach to settle down. Once the sickening feeling in her stomach dissipated, she was right back up hanging off the side of the boat. Grey sighed and waited for her to lose her balance again. Unfortunately for the Dragon Slayers of the group, this boat was the only realistic mode of transportation they had while in the city. However, Wendy did not mind at all. She was having so much fun that a little motion sickness wasn't going to stop her. She stepped back from the side of the boat and turned to check on Natsu. "So Natsu," She asked smiling at him. "How are you doing?
"Perfect!" He exclaimed happily. "Never felt better in my life!" Natsu had found his own solution to the restricted means of transportation. Happy, despite being a cat, was also a wizard. Both he and Carla were able to sprout wings from their back and could use them to fly. Natsu was using Happy to fly him around the city with the others. This way, he still got to see the city, without the threat of motion sickness. Sadly, Happy's physical strength was lacking so carrying Natsu for extended periods of time quickly wore him out. "Man flying with Happy is so much better than riding in that stupid boat. You doing okay back there little buddy?" He asked Happy.
Aye sir!" Happy responded instantly. Despite the way Happy was acting, Wendy could tell that the small, blue cat was already worn out. Suddenly, Happy's nose started to twitch.
"Natsu!" Happy said. "You smell that?" Natsu sniffed the air.
"Oh yeah I do!" He shouted. He sniffed the air again and pointed towards another water way off to their right. "Food! That way! Let's go!" Happy sped forward, following Natsu's nose towards the delicious smell. Wendy turned and watched them speed away.
"Natsu!" She called. "Wait, where are you going?" Unfortunately, he had already turned a corner and disappeared. Wendy immediately felt a bit sadder without him flying around. She found herself wishing that he had taken her with him. After thinking for a moment, Wendy looked at Carla. She could take her own flying cat and join Natsu. It wouldn't take her long to find him. Her nose was almost as keen as Natsu's. Carla cleared her throat.
"No." She said as if reading her companions mind.
"Awwww..…" Wendy pouted. She sat down and watched in the direction Natsu had flown, waiting for him to return. After a few minutes of watching her, Grey looked at Carla.
"Hey Carla?" He asked, motioning for her to come closer. The small white cat walked over to him.
"Yes?" She asked. Grey motioned to Wendy, who was lost in her own little world.
"Have you noticed Wendy acting a bit weird lately?" He asked quietly. Especially when Natsu isn't around?" Carla looked at her young friend.
"I have noticed changes in her demeanor when the fire rat leaves." She said. "I have always attributed it to how close they are. After all, Natsu is the one who saved the two of us years ago. And ever since, he has played the role of her protector and one of her best friends." Carla shrugged. "I don't see anything wrong with that, do you?" Grey leaned back and dipped his hand into the water next to their boat.
"I dunno." He said lost in thought. "You think maybe there's more to it than that?" Carla snorted.
"If you have time to go around judging the feelings of a young woman, maybe you should use that time to focus on your own relationship!" The sassy cat snapped. Grey choked and his cheeks turned red.
"Hey! M-my relationship is fine." He snapped back. His cheeks returned to their natural color. "Besides, that has nothing to do with this." He motioned towards Wendy who suddenly jumped up and pointed behind the boat.
"Natsu's back!" She squealed happily. Natsu and Happy came flying out of another water way and rocketed towards the boat. The pair flew up next to the boat and stopped. Natsu was holding three paper bags in this hands. Wendy immediately noticed Happy was really struggling to keep Natsu in the air.
"Yo guys." He said "Check it out! I have cookies!" Natsu held out one of the bags to Wendy. "Here Wendy, I thought you would like these." He said smiling. Wendy blushed and took the bag from him.
"T-Thank you Natsu." She stammered. Before Natsu could respond, the wizards heard a familiar blonde voice calling to them. They looked up ahead of them and saw Lucy and Erza waving at them.
"Hey you guys!" Lucy shouted. The boat they were in moved over so it was directly alongside the first. Lucy waited until her boat was right next to theirs before she changed boats. She pointed over her shoulder as Erza exited the second boat. "Guess what you guys? We found the Mayor." Lucy said smiling. "Well, sort of… Apparently, the old man has been at Everwater Mountain all day." She shrugged. "No one's exactly sure why though." Grey stood up and stretched.
"He's probably waiting for us." He said. Natsu howled.
"Alright! We better not keep the old guy waiting!" He struck a stupidly heroic pose pointing forward as the last of Happy's strength began to seep away. "Let's go find some bad guys to beat down!" Natsu said with an evil grin. Happy groaned.
"Hey Natsu? He squeaked quietly. "I'm really sorry…" Natsu looked over his shoulder in confusion.
"Sorry? What're you sorry for?" He asked. Happy grunted and sighed.
"This." Happy's wings finally gave out and Wendy laughed hysterically as the two fell into the water below them.
It was midafternoon by the time their boat finally came to a stop at the shore line at the base of Everwater Mountain. The recently soaked Happy and Natsu wasted no time heading for the shore.
"Oh yeah! Solid ground! Thanks for the help little buddy." He said to Happy as his feet hit the ground. After a short rest, Happy was able to fly Natsu the rest of the way to the mountain without too much difficulty. Natsu smiled as flames engulfed his hands. "Time too kick some bad guy butt! EVERYONE FOLLOW ME!" Natsu ordered as he bolted forward without a second thought. Trails of flames followed behind the young Dragon Slayer as he ran. Wendy giggled.
"There he goes." She said shrugging. "Shouldn't we follow him?" Wendy looked to Erza. She nodded.
"Yeah, we better. Wendy, go with Happy and Carla. Make sure he doesn't hurt himself." She motioned towards the trails of flame. "And stop him from doing that. The last thing we need is that hot head burning the forest down. The rest of us will hang back and try to find the Mayor." She ordered. Happy suddenly appeared directly in front of Erza's face, startling the woman.
"Aye Sir!" He exclaimed as he flew in Natsu's direction. "Wait for me buddy! I'm coming with you!" Carla, summoned her wings and flew after him.
"Stop you moron!" She called after Happy. "You're already exhausted! You're going to get yourself lost!" Wendy heard Erza sigh heavily behind her. She turned to see the woman pinching the bridge of her nose. Wendy smiled at her.
"Don't worry Erza." She said sweetly. "I'll make sure nothing happens." Wendy walked backwards as she spoke. She turned and started to run. "Leave everything to m-" Wendy's words were cut off as she slammed into someone. She bounced backwards and landed on the ground at Erza's feet. She looked up to see the older woman staring down at her with a disappointed expression. Wendy gave her the sweetest smile she could muster. "H-Hi Erza…" She said weakly. The woman said nothing and just pointed directly ahead, never breaking eye contact. "Y-yes ma'am! I'm going! Please don't hurt me!" Wendy desperately scrambled to her feet and ran off to find Natsu. As the young girl disappeared into the forest, the man she ran into stood up.
"Ha. Such youthful energy. What I wouldn't give to have a little bit of that." He said smiling. The short, bearded man turned his attention to the others. "Ah and you must be the Wizards from Fairy Tail." He said. Erza stepped forward and answered the man.
"Yes. We are here to deal with your convict problem." She said getting straight to the point. She began to apologize for Wendy's clumsiness, but the man waved her off. "I take it that you are the Mayor of this fine city." Erza asked. He nodded in response.
"Indeed I am." The Mayor said stroking his beard. "I am glad you have arrived. I was beginning to worry that you might have gotten lost in my city." A sly smile stretched across his face. "No matter. It is time for you to do what you came here to do." He motioned to the forest behind him. "This is, obviously, Everwater Mountain. And we have a bit of an infestation problem." Erza nodded.
"Yes, that is what the request stated." She walked past the mayor and began inspecting the mountain and the vast forest that surrounded it. "Our information states that there are approximately ten convicts on this mountain. Is that correct?" The mayor closed his eyes.
"Your information is not correct." He said. Erza turned to him with a confused look on her face. "Your information is wrong." He repeated unnecessarily. Lucy stepped forward.
"Excuse me, but I thought that there were only ten convicts were still loose from the prison break." She said with a worried tone. The Mayor nodded.
"That is correct. Only ten." He said plainly. Grey scratched his head.
"So there are ten guys on the mountain that we have to hunt down right?" He asked. The mayor shook his head.
"No." He said. Grey sighed. His head was already starting to hurt.
"Okay, but there are only ten convicts unaccounted for and we are here to hunt them down, right?" Grey asked with a quickly worsening headache.
"Correct." The mayor replied.
"Then we have ten guys to get rid of right?" Grey asked.
"No." The Mayor replied. Grey felt his eye twitch.
"Ugh… This is getting us nowhere." He mumbled. "Let me put it this way: How many people are we dealing with?" He asked slowly. The old man nodded.
"Why, all of the criminals on the mountain of course." He said nonchalantly. Grey felt something snap in his head.
"WHAT THE HELL YOU DAMN GEEZER!?" He shouted angrily. "Stop screwing around! EXACTLY how many people are we dealing with?!" The mayor scratched his head.
"Ohhhh…" He counted on his fingers for a few seconds. "Around…230 or so?" He said shrugging. Grey, Lucy and Erza flinched.
"WHAT?!" The three of them shouted. The mayor nodded.
"Yep. There are easily over 200 criminals on Everwater Mountain. Most of them have been there for years." He looked into the sky and smiled. "I even have tea and cookies with a bunch of them on Thursdays. Sadly a great many of these men have teamed up with the escaped convicts. They have practically formed an army." The wizards stood in stunned silence. The mayor continued. "Oh yes, they told me that themselves. I have known some of them since they were lads in the city. Don't hurt those ones. I like those ones. Just get rid of the ones I don't like." He said walking towards the bay. The mayor stopped and turned to look at them. "You all look capable, so I'm sure you won't have any trouble dealing with those hooligans, but there is a far more serious danger on my mountain. Those men are nothing compared to the true danger of Everwater Mountain." Erza snapped herself back to reality.
"The true danger sir?" She asked. He nodded.
"Oh yes. Before you step foot on this mountain, you must burn this statement into your memory: Do NOT fall into the rivers flowing down Everwater Mountain." He warned. Erza looked confused.
"Falling into a river doesn't seem so dangerous sir, is there a particular reason for that warning?" She asked. The mayor nodded.
"It doesn't seem like that big of deal, but I assure you, it is. Allow me to explain." He pointed to the top of the mountain. "The water flowing down from the peak is moving incredibly fast." The Mayor emphasized the word incredibly. "If you fall into the water, it WILL drag you with it. Once you are at the mercy of those magical waters, there's no telling where on Everwater Mountain you will end up. The mountain is vast and covered in dense forests. If you get swept away by the current, it could take days, if not weeks, for someone to find you. That's assuming the river doesn't decide to take your life." He said ominously. Lucy shivered.
"Okay," She said. "I have a really bad feeling about this you guys. Let's catch up to Natsu and get the heck outta here." Erza shook her head.
"Not until we finish our job." She stated. Erza looked back at the Mayor. "We appreciate your warning kind sir." Erza bowed. "We will take every precaution necessary to ensure our safety as well as that of your citizens." The old man smiled.
"Just what I wanted to hear. Good luck Fairy Tail!" He said as he jumped in their boat and ordered the boatman to return to the city. "By the way: Thanks for the boat! I have been stuck out here for hours with no way back. I was starting to get hungry." He laughed. Grey groaned and ran to the water's edge.
"HEY! Get back here! That wasn't for you, you crazy old jerk!" He shouted as the mayor sailed away from the mountain. "Man, that guy pisses me off." Grey sighed. "Great… Now how do we get back?" He asked. Erza began walking towards the forest.
"We will deal with that later." She said as she walked to the edge of the forest. The sound of an explosion echoed through the forest in front of them. "For now, we can't let him have all the fun." She said as she requipped a sword into her hand. "Let's go!" The others cheered and followed her into the dense forest.
Over two Hours later, Erza's patience was at its end.
"WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY?!" She screamed as she cut another tree in half and kicked the pieces away. Since the team entered the forest in pursuit of Wendy, Natsu, and the cats, no contact with their team members had been made. Every so often, they would heard an explosion or feel a powerful gust of wind, but they were unable to find the source of the attacks. "NATSU! HAPPY! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU MORONS GO!?" Erza shouted into the forest. There was no response. The only sign that Natsu and the others were still in the forest was the occasional group of unconscious men. "I knew we shouldn't have let them go in alone." She mumbled as she ran onto another path. "WENDY, CARLA, ANSWER M- WOAH!" She came to a screeching halt as the path she was running on suddenly ended in a steep drop off. Erza cautious looked at the cliff in front of her. It was in fact a very wide ravine. She kneeled down and looked down over the cliff. One of the rivers flowing down the mountain had cut a deep, very wide scar into the earth. The river at the bottom of the ravine was moving at a terrifyingly fast rate. She had come across several rivers since she began her search for the others, but this one was by far the most powerful. Erza could feel the overwhelming power of the rushing water as clearly as she could see it. The Mayor's warning about falling into the rivers crept into her mind and she shivered. "I hope Wendy and the others didn't fall into one of these." She tried to follow the ravine with her eyes. Not ten yards down from where she was standing, the river split into three more rivers. These rivers were even more powerful than the original. Each one of the rivers cut its own unique path deep into the earth. "I understand the old man's warning." She said aloud. Erza stood back up and whispered. "Natsu, Wendy, please be safe…" At that moment, Erza heard people coming down the path behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw Grey and Lucy. They stumbled down the path trying to reach Erza.
"H…Holy crap… Erza," Grey panted as they finally caught up with her. "Would…you give it a rest already?" He gasped as he leaned against a tree. Lucy caught up a few seconds later and collapsed in a heap on the ground a few feet away. They were exhausted. The two of them had been running to keep up with their friend for nearly two hours without a break. How Erza was not about to collapse from exhaustion was beyond comprehension. Grey took a few breaths and slowed his breathing. "We won't find them at this rate." He said after a few minutes. Erza turned to look at him.
"Very well." She said impatiently. "How do you suggest we catch up to them?" Erza demanded. Grey shrugged.
"I don't know." He admitted. Grey motioned to Lucy who had drug herself over to a tree and was leaning against it. "But this, this isn't working. Natsu is too random. If we keep trying to chase that pyro we will never find him." Grey sat down on the ground. "The best thing we can do is figure out a way to bring him to us." Erza nodded as she contemplated Grey's words. She had to admit, her current strategy was not working. She closed her eyes and began thinking. Grey presented a valid point. Natsu's unpredictable nature made him incredibly difficult to track. Perhaps it was time for a change in strategy. After a few moments, another voice broke the silence.
"Okay, sounds like a plan. Just one question: who are we after?" Natsu asked. Both Erza and Grey choked in response. Natsu sat next to Grey on the ground, resting his chin in his hand. "I hope he's tough, because everyone I have had to beat up so far today has been a real push over." He complained. No one responded. Wendy appeared and sat down next to Natsu. The two of them were dirty and had clearly been fighting for a long time.
"Umm… Natsu, I think you scared them." She said leaning over to look at Grey. His eyes were locked on Natsu shooting him a glare that could shatter armor. "Maybe we shouldn't have snuck up on them." Natsu laughed.
"Well if they had actually kept up with us then maybe I wouldn't have had scare them. Not my fault they have been sitting on their butts letting us have all the fun." He shrugged. Wendy agreed smiling. "But seriously, what have you guys been doing?" Natsu asked turning his attention back to Grey and Erza. "And where's Lucy?" He asked looking around. Lucy lets out a weak cry from her spot a few yards away. "Ah, there she is. Hey Lucy!" Lucy gave him a weak wave in response. Natsu smiled. He looked back at Grey and Erza. "Dang you guys look tired. Maybe you have been doing something huh?" Erza felt her eye twitch. She slowly stood up. She was going to murder him.
"No." She said quietly to herself. "You know what? It's not worth it." Erza took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She pointed at Natsu. "You. I'm going to tear you apart when we get back to the Guild." Natsu looked at her with a genuinely confused look on his face. Wendy shook her head.
"Please don't do that." She said quietly. Erza ignored her.
"At any rate Natsu, have you completed our job?" She asked. "Have you found the convicts?" Nastu tilted his head.
"How the heck should I know?" He asked. "I have just been beating up everyone I find. I didn't stop to ask them if they had recently broken out of jail." Erza felt the last of her nerves starting to strain. She decided that just a few punches would make her feel better.
"Natsu…" She growled as she reached for his throat. Erza was about to leap forward when a scream snapped her out of her blood rage.
"GET OFF ME!" Lucy screamed. Wendy spun around to see Lucy being pinned to the ground by and extremely large man. In one hand, the man held Lucy's head and in the other, he held a large rusted hook that appeared to be connected to a long chain. The mysterious man smiled at the wizards standing in the clearing. He had to be one of the escaped convicts. The man whistled and several other men materialized from the forest. Wendy stepped behind Natsu. The man pointed his hook at Natsu.
"Ya sure waz hard to find pink 'ead." He said lifting Lucy up off the ground. Wendy's eyes widened in fear as she got a good look at how big this man truly was. Lucy, a full grown woman, looked like a child in comparison. This man was huge. The most intimidating part of the man was his hook. The hook was easily the size of a medium sized dog. The man put his hook around Lucy's throat. "Me boyz and me ave been followin' ya fer hours. We knewz ya'd stop sooner er later." Wendy head a noise off to her left. She spun around and saw even more men walking out of the forest. A cold realization fell over Wendy as she looked in the opposite direction.
"They were following us…" She whispered in fear. She was right. The young wizards had foolishly dropped their guard and these men had taken advantage of that lapse in focus. More and more men appeared in the forest around the wizards. Within a few seconds, the wizards were completely surrounded. Wendy heard Erza curse to her right.
"Damn. I let them sneak up on us." She said. "That was stupid of me. How could I have let them get this close?" The man let out a laugh so deep that Wendy thought she felt the ground shake.
"Ya let uz sneak up on youz?!" The man exclaimed grabbing Lucy by her hair and pressing her neck against the blade. Wendy caught the distinct smell of blood on the air a few seconds later. Lucy let out a pained yelp. "Nahhhh. Wez been huntin youz. Y'all becamed our prey soon as youz stepped foots in me woods." The man laughed again. Wendy was paralyzed in fear. The wizards were completely surrounded by a wall of muscular men armed with various weapons. This wouldn't be an easy fight. To make matters worse, they had a hostage. Wendy knew her team was already in a bad situation. She hoped one of the others had a plan for getting them out of this. Suddenly, Wendy felt the air near her raising in temperature. The air became so hot that Wendy was worried that it would burn her. She realized the source of the heat was the Dragon Slayer in front of her. Natsu stepped forward leaving Wendy behind.
"Wendy, stay here." He said quietly as he walked to the front of the group. "Yo, big guy." Natsu said as a fireball engulfed his hands. "Let her go. Now!" He demanded. The man looked at Natsu and laughed.
"Whatz all dis den?" "He leaned forward to get a good look at Natsu. "Dis short shit thinkz he can orderz us around like wez babiez or sumthin?" He asked. He dragged Lucy backwards by her hair forcing her to let out another pained scream. "Whatchu gonna do runt?! Youz ain't no match fer-" Suddenly, Natsu leapt towards the man. He pulled his fist back and shot it forward like a bullet directly into the middle of the man's face. Flames jumped from Natsu's hand and engulfed the man. The man howled in pain and released Lucy from his grip, desperately swinging his hook randomly at anything he could reach. Natsu quickly scooped Lucy up and jumped back to the others.
"You okay Lucy?" He asked softly as he set her down behind Erza and Grey. Wendy kneeled down next to Lucy and took a look at her neck. It was a small cut, but Wendy used her magic to heal it just in case. Lucy waited for Wendy to finish and then nodded. Natsu smiled. "Good to hear." He stood up and turned to face their attackers. All of whom were smiling at the wizards as if completely unphased by the attack on their leader. "Happy! Carla!" Natsu called. As if by magic, the two cats both appeared at Natsu's side.
"Aye!" Happy answered. Carla nodded.
"What do you need us to do?" She asked. Natsu motioned to Lucy and Wendy without looking at them.
"Get them somewhere safe." He ordered. "This is going to get real ugly real fast." Natsu had an extremely serious look on his face, more serious that Wendy had even seen on him before. Grey nodded.
"Yeah. It will be a lot easier to deal with these morons without having to worry about protecting them." He said without turning around. Happy and Carla agreed. Happy tried to grab Lucy and Carla tried to grab Wendy. Both women shook the cats off.
"No way!" Lucy shouted. "We aren't going to run away and leave you guys here to fight!" She opened her holster where she kept her Gate Keys. Wendy stepped forward so she was next to Natsu.
"Yeah!" She agreed. "Natsu! I have been fighting by your side all day! I'm not helpless. Let me stay!" Wendy shouted. "I can-" Natsu cut her off.
"That's enough! You both need to leave. Right now." He snapped coldly, never taking his eyes off the men around them. Wendy stepped back. Natsu had never snapped at her like that before. "This place is not safe. Please just get out of here." He pleaded. Erza immediately knew what he meant.
"Lucy, Wendy. Don't argue." She ordered. "Go with Happy and Carla. Leave this to us." Erza requipped into her Black Wing Armor. Wendy looked confused.
"Why?!" She demanded. The leader of the attackers started to get up. "Why can't I stay and fight with you guys?!" Wendy was angry. She wasn't a child anymore. Why were they treating her like one? Her answer came in the form of snickering from the men around her.
"Ohhh, she's a feisty one." One of the men said.
"Forget her," Another one said. "Look at the rack on the blonde one! I want her." Wendy felt her blood run cold.
"Red there is sexy as hell. I'm claiming her first." A third moaned.
"You can have her." A forth said. "I'm gonna be all over the one with blue hair!" Wendy stepped back as felt fear rising. Carla didn't was another second. She scooped Wendy up off the ground and flew her to the other side of the ravine.
"Move Tomcat!" She shouted. "These monsters are vile!" Happy agreed and grabbed Lucy and followed Carla. The cats took them across the ravine and set the girls down. Grey sighed.
"Alright. That's better." He sighed. "These guys are sick." Natsu nodded.
"Yeah… Hey, Erza?" He said looking at the woman out of the corner of his eye. "You're a target here too. Did you want to go with them?" He asked already knowing the answer. Erza snorted.
"I will not run from any foe!" She said pointing her sword at them. "I don't care what vile places their minds wander to." Erza cut through the air in front of her with her sword. "These monsters will pay for looking at our friends with such despicable intentions!" Natsu and Grey smiled.
"Right." They both said as they took up positions flanking their unofficial leader. Natsu cracked his knuckles.
"Yo, Streaker? I bet I take down twice as many as you." Grey laughed.
"In your dreams Fire Breather. Let me show you how a real wizard fights!" He responded as the army of men threw themselves at the three wizards.
Wendy and Lucy stood on the side of the ravine opposite their friends. The pair watched as their attackers hurled themselves at the three wizards. Erza, Natsu and Grey easily deflected all of the men's initial attacks and quickly launched their counter attack. Wendy looked at Lucy. The older woman was sitting on the ground. Wendy could tell just from looking at her that she was exhausted.
"Are you sure that they'll be okay over there?" Wendy asked watching Natsu tear through the wall of men. Lucy nodded.
"They'll be fine." She said. "Don't forget. They are three of Fairy Tail's finest S-class wizards." She said. Wendy frowned. The title of S-class Wizard was only granted to those whom Master Makarov deemed to be the best of the best. Wendy had always dreamed of becoming an elite S-class wizard. The Master told her that she would be allowed to take the exam to possibly become an S-class wizard this year. If she worked hard, she could join Natsu as an equal. That thought made her smile. Lucy was right. Those three were strong. They would be fine. She wished she could help them, but they were looking out for her and Lucy's safety and Wendy understood that. It still irked her that she was forced to watch rather than help fight.
Wendy was so lost in her own thoughts that she did not hear the sounds of footsteps coming up behind her.
"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" Natsu shouted as he released a large amount of fire from his mouth. Nearly a dozen men were thrown back by the force of his attack. They screamed and desperately tried to extinguish the flames that covered them.
"ICE MAKE: GEYSER!" Grey shouted as the ground in front of him froze. A second later, a pillar of spikey ice erupted from the frozen ground. Several of the attackers were dragged into the air as the pillar reached for the sky. With a swipe of his hand, Grey forced the pillar to explode, send large shards of ice out in all directions. "HA!" He shouted at Natsu. "That's another fourteen for me!" Natsu laughed.
"Yeah? Well, watch this!" Natsu ran forward and jumped into the air. "Here we go! "FIRE DRAGON'S BRILLIANT FLAME!" Natsu shouted as he formed a large fireball and hurled it at the ground. Upon hitting the ground, the fireball exploded, sending waves of flames out in all directions. Men all around the blast zone were consumed by the flames. "Come on!" He shouted as he used his fire to propel himself back down to the ground. He landed in the middle of a large group of the attackers. "This is too easy!" Natsu lashed out, hitting everyone within striking range. "Put up more of a fight!" One of the attackers swung a sword at the Dragon Slayers head, but he easily dodged it. Natsu responded to the attack with a flaming kick to the man's face. The man flew backwards, slamming into several of his comrades. As the man struggled to get up, he was suddenly struck but a mysterious force that sent him flying into the sky. In the spot where the man once stood, a red haired woman in sleek black armor with a sword pointed to the sky appeared.
"I agree, Natsu." Erza said as she leapt at several more attackers. Swinging her sword in graceful arcs, she sent the men flying back into the air. "I was expecting more a challenge from hardened criminals." She jumped into the air and landed next to Natsu and Grey, who had returned to their original positions. The majority of the criminals laid on the ground groaning in pain. The trio of wizards barely had a scratch on them. Only one man remained standing: the leader. The large man kneeled near the entrance to the clearing, holding his burned face. He pointed his hook at Natsu
"Ya bastards er gonna pay fer dis." He said as he spit on the ground. "If ya be thinkin' we lost, ya be in for world of hurtin'!" He shouted. Natsu cocked his head off to the side.
"You know, I haven't understood a single word this guy has said." He shrugged. "Could someone tell me what he's saying?" An evil grin crossed Natsu's face. "Better yet, tell he'd better be hungry. Cause he's about to eat my fist again." As he spoke, flames engulfed Natsu's hand. The man took a step back as Natsu started walking towards him. Natsu was just about to spring forward when a scream froze him in his tracks. He turned his head to see what was going on.
On the other side of the ravine, Lucy, Happy and Carla all lay on the ground surrounded by even more attackers. Wendy was the only one still on her feet, and she was desperately trying to protect her friends. Wendy jumped and glided through the air like an angel, battering her opponents with bursts of wind and flurries of kicks. During her four years in Fairy Tail, Wendy had learned multiple fighting styles from the older wizards in the guild. Despite her timid nature, the girl was a force to be reckoned with. The problem was that she was fighting a losing battle. Natsu recognized the scream as coming from Lucy. She laid face down on the ground with another large man standing over top of her. The man had his foot pressed down on her back and was crushing her into the ground. In the large man's hand, rested Lucy's holster of Gate Keys. Wendy was trying desperately to reach Lucy, but dozens of attackers prevented her from making any progress. The man behind Natsu laughed.
"Well, well. Lookz like me boyz got me somes pretty new play toyz." He let out a disgusting laughed that made Natsu sick. He had to help Wendy and Lucy. The large man appeared directly behind Natsu. "But first, I'll squish youz!" The man roared as he swung his hook in a downward arc towards Natsu's distracted head. Before Natsu had a chance to react, he heard the distinct sound of metal clashing with metal. Erza appeared behind him, holding the man's hook at bay with her sword.
"Go help her!" Erza shouted as sparks jumped from the clashing blades. "Grey and I can handle the rest of these guys! Hurry!" She shouted as she struggled to hold the large man at bay. Clearly this man was far stronger than any of his subordinates. Natsu nodded and started running towards the ravine. He looked at Grey, who had been attacked by enemy reinforcements. Despite their superior numbers, they were no match for the ice wizard. Natsu knew that he would make quick work of them.
"Hey, Icy! I need a bridge!" He called to Grey. Gray nodded and jumped backwards, putting some space between him and his attackers. He landed on the edge of the ravine. Grey placed his hand on the edge of the chasm and formed a long bridge made of ice.
"Go! I'll put up a wall to keep these clowns off your back!" Natsu nodded and started running across the bridge. A few seconds after he started to cross, he heard the sound of an ice wall being formed behind him from behind him. He ignored it and charged full speed across the chasm. As he neared the other side, he called to Wendy.
"Wendy!" He shouted "Let's blow these fools away!" Wendy nodded and disengaged from the men that were attacking her. She jumped back so she was in the air above Natsu. She sucked in a large mouthful of air.
"SKY DRAGON'S…" Wendy yelled.
"FIRE DRAGON'S…" Natsu shouted.
"ROAR!" The pair roared in unison, perfectly syncing up their attacks. Flames and violent winds tore through the enemy ranks, sending men flying in all directions. The man who was crushing Lucy was knocked off balance.
"I got him!" Wendy shouted as she ran towards the teetering man. SKY DRAGON'S CRUSHING FANG!" Wendy roared as she used her winds to slash at the man. The force of her attack sent the man spiraling into a tree. Wendy stopped and looked around. All of the men on their side of the ravine were out cold. She breathed a sigh of relief. As she looked around she felt a hand on her head. She turned and saw Natsu standing next to her.
"Nice job Wendy." Natsu said proudly, scratching the top of her head. Wendy was not sure why, but she found his scratching to be extremely satisfying. Wendy felt her cheeks blazing with so much heat she was worried that her face was going to catch on fire. She felt a large smile spreading across her face. "You were all alone over here and you held them off like they were nothing." As he finished his sentence the pair could hear the large man on the other side of the river shouting.
"Ya little bastardz ain't be getting away dat easy!" He shouted. Natsu ignore him and turned his back to the man to look back at Wendy. She smiled.
"Shall we finish this?" She asked him, giving him her sweetest smile. Wendy held out her hand to him. Natsu nodded and accepted it. As the two clasped their hands, there was the distinct sound of ice shattering somewhere behind Natsu.
"Heck yeah let's g-" Natsu suddenly let out a low grunt. His eyes widened in confusion and pain as Wendy looked at him.
"Natsu what's wrong?" She asked she looked down and saw a large piece of curved metal sticking out of Natsu's side. His blood trickled down the curve of the object. She immediately recognized it as the hook the convict's leader had been carrying. "NATSU!" She screamed in terror. Wendy instinctively grabbed the hand Natsu had given her with both of her hands. "I-I-I-It's okay!" She shouted as she felt tears starting to run down her face. "I can heal you! I'll take care of it!" She said squeezing his hand. Natsu let out a quiet chuckle.
"W-Wendy…What did I tell you earlier?" She gave him a confused look in return. "I told you not to cry. I hate seeing you cry." He said smiling. Wendy felt her heart melting but did not have a chance to respond. Suddenly Natsu cried out in pain as he was jerked backwards in the direction the hook came from. Wendy grabbed ahold of his arm and refused to let go. She flew with him as the large man drug both Natsu and Wendy across the ravine with one mighty pull. As they reached the other side of the ravine, Wendy saw the remains of Grey's ice wall. The hook had been forcefully thrown through the ice wall, shattering a small portion of it. Now they were heading right for it. Wendy closed her eye and braced herself as Natsu slammed into the ice wall with enough force to crack the thick ice. Wendy slammed into the ice a second later. The impact knocked the air from her lungs and forced her to let go of Natsu's arm. Wendy watched as the hook dislodged itself from Natsu's side and retracted through the ice wall, leaving Wendy and Natsu hanging over top of the ravine. She gasped in horror as the two of them fell off the ice wall and plunged towards the river. As they fell, Wendy lunged in an attempt to grab Natsu's arm again. She had to reach him. She couldn't lose him now. Wendy's screams echoed through the forest as her and Natsu were swallowed by the dark, rushing water.
End Chapter 3