The Fall: Act 1

Part 4

It was going well at first, the two dragons that they had faced up to that point were manageable, with some team effort that was unexpected from such a group they were able to keep them at bay long enough for the volunteers they covered to make their escape. Soon after that the two dragons simply took flight and left them, giving them the illusion that they had scared them way; however, when a single ice dragon landed in front of them they immediately realized that the dragons didn't run away from them, they had run away from it.

The dragon's mood and intent was obvious from the instant they met it's gaze, for moments that felt like an eternity they could easily see disgust in its icy eyes, the same kind of disgust humans showed when they faced the lowest kind of vermin. Jellal foolishly thought that they had a chance but that false hope didn't last long; it was a monster even among dragons. It didn't even register Sting's and Rogue's initial attacks, it just shrugged and exhaled an icy mist that somehow encased everyone but the two dragon slayers into some sort of magical icy bubbles.

Then it turned to the two dragon slayers and told them something that shocked them; he couldn't make out what the dragon told them from inside the bubble but he didn't have to wait long for an answer. They attacked the Ice Dragon time after time with everything they had, the dragon staying completely still as it was hit, laughing as each and every attack proved totally ineffective against its scales.

'It's a game and we are lower that the pawns…' Jellal thought as Sting and Rogue again launched themselves against the monstrous Ice Dragon time and time. 'And we can do nothing about this.' The first thing he had tried to do was to melt the ice with his fire magic but the ice simply refused to melt, the others had similar ideas, attacking their icy bubbles with their own magic to no effect; only Minerva and Jura had remained calm and tried to conserve their magic until an opportunity presented itself, soon he realized that they didn't have any other option than to trust Sting and Rogue, hoping that they would somehow win the game the dragon forced them to play but even that hope vanished when the bubble that held Jura started to slowly contract, getting smaller and smaller with every second that passed, Jura must have realized what that meant; because the moment the contraction started, he launched a massive magical attack against it only to see the bubble remain completely unscathed. Sting and Rogue attacked the bubble from the outside only to see their own attacks meet the same fate; all three of them clawed at ever shrinking bubble until Jura simply resigned himself to his fate and sat down to meditate as the bubble closed in around him. Sting turned to the dragon and fell to his knees, obviously begging it to show mercy but the dragon simply grinned menacingly and with a flip of his claws Jura's ice bubble instantly contracted, reducing Jura to a small, bloody pulp at its center. Jellal yelled and punched his icy prison in frustration, a move that almost everyone else mirrored but to no avail. The two dragon slayers then turned to the dragon, their posture mirroring their anger and despair as they steeled themselves for what was about to follow.

Once again they rushed forward while just stood still, ready to receive their attacks with a smile that showed the many rows of sawlike teeth that were in it's mouth; suddenly Minerva was between the two dragon slayers and in the blink of an eye she grabbed Rogue and disappeared again. The dragon seemed surprised for a second but it kept smiling as Sting, completely unfazed of what had just happened launched his dragon roar at the Ice dragon; then as suddenly as they disappeared Minerva and Rogue appeared on the Ice dragon's back. Rogue didn't lose any time to launch his own attack from point blank range, hitting the dragon at the back of its neck while at nearly the same moment Sting's attack hit it at the throat.

The dragon coughed violently, his violent spasms forcing Minerva and Rogue to disappear and reappear next to Sting. For a moment they stared at the dragon who still coughed before Minerva collapsed on the ground, it was then that Jellal noticed that she was bleeding and that her clothes were torn while Rogue was still without injury. A sense of guilt gripped him as the realization hit him, when he first saw her outside of the bubble she was trapped he cursed her for not helping Jura, but now, after seeing the extent of her injuries, he realized that her escape from her icy prison wasn't without a price.

Jellal pushed those thoughts aside when Sting and Rogue attacked the dragon again without paying any heed to their fallen comrade; he knew that it was the right choice to attack while the dragon was still reeling, their opponent was too dangerous to allow it even a moment of respite but he wondered if anyone else would react the same. He wouldn't be able to do it, no one from Fairy Tail would be able to do it; few had the mental strength to do it and perhaps that was the reason why Sabertooth had been the strongest guild for so long. Their ideology, striving to win at all costs and disregarding those that lose as useless, always bothered him but it was that ideology that made them rush forward and attack when anyone else would hesitate.

The twin dragon slayers attacked again, their movements in perfect synch and harmony, their attacks of light and shadow lashing at the still reeling dragon countless times; they begun to push it back when they could do nothing up to that point but that faint hope didn't last for more than a few seconds. With unimaginable speed the dragon lashed out with its right arm and caught Rogue as he was racing within the shadows that the full moon created.

For a few moments Rogue looked stupefied at the huge, ice covered, clawed arm that grabbed him. He opened his mouth, undoubtedly screaming in pain as the dragon blew an icy mist onto him and froze him solid. The dragon looked at the frozen solid dragon slayer and smiled before throwing him at Sting who just stared at the dragon, not believing what just happened; Sting tried to catch his friend only to have his frozen body shatter the moment he grabbed him. He looked at the frozen pieces that he still held and screamed only to be silenced as a huge ice spike pierced his chest and pinned him to the spot.

He grabbed the ice spike with his two hands in a futile attempt to take it out but the dragon laughed as the gesture before pointing its clawed fingers at the icy bubbles that the others were trapped inside. Sting tried to say something to the dragon but it simply laughed before Sherry's bubble contracted and crashed her, Ren and Leon screamed in anger at the sight but they, in turn, were instantly crashed the moment the dragon looked at them. Jenny who was screaming in terror was next and when the dragon turned it's gaze at Jellal, he met it's gaze with his own and realized that for it, even a former wizard saint was nothing more than vermin.

"See that's what happens to cheaters." The dragon said triumphantly right after it crashed the last ice bubble. "Nothing to say huh?" The dragon said to Sting. "You humans are so fragile and weak; I still fail to see what the others saw in all of you." It proceeded to sniff the air and turned its gaze to a new arrival that rushed at him. "What's this? A new toy?"

"You bastard!" Natsu screamed as he run towards the ice dragon. "I am going to kill you!"

"Now that's something that I haven't heard before..." The dragon said sarcastically before it tore Sting apart with its claws. "Not from anything that matters anyway…" It said with a menacing smile as it turned to face it's new opponent but before it could decide on what to do with the new human another dragon caught its attention right before it landed between it and the human. "Hmph, Metalicana, I didn't expect to see you here..." The dragon said dismissively.
"I could say the same Arenverno." Metalicana replied nonchalantly as Gajeel and Erza jumped off him and rushed to restrain Natsu.
"What do I owe the visit?" Arenverno replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
"Just saw a new pet for my collection." The Iron dragon replied with a fake smile.
"Pet?" Arenverno asked as he saw Gajeel knock Natsu out with Erza's help.
"What can I say; I like weak and stupid loudmouths." Metalicana said with a laugh.
"The Iron renegade has humans as pets." Arenverno said as he burst into laughter.
"Needed something to pass the time."
"But that one is mine…" Arenverno said with a cruel smile.
"I didn't see your tag on him."
"That thing called me a bastard and said that it wanted to kill me, I say that it's mine." Arenverno insisted.
"My other pets got to him first."
"Him?"
"I keep humans as pets remember?" Metalican said jokingly. "Of course I know how to distinguish human males and females."
"Hmph… Still, it's a dragon slayer and I want it." The ice dragon insisted.
"I see that you won't just give the human to me, so how about a trade?" Metalicana replied.
"A trade? What could you possibly have to trade with me?" Arenverno said curiously as he glanced at Gajeel and Erza who avoided looking at him. "Your other pets?"
"I know who killed you..." Metalicana said nonchalantly and Arenverno instantly turned and faced him.
"What?"
"You all know that this is a future where most of the dragons were killed in a war and I am pretty sure that the thought of you being one of those who died has crossed you mind at least a couple of times already."
"Go on…" Arenverno said coldly.
"So you agree with the trade then?" Metalicana asked and Arenverno looked sideways at the unconscious Natsu.
"Fine, it wouldn't have lasted long anyway."
"It isn't someone you know; He was a dragon slayer that has somehow become a full dragon."
"Are you trying to trick me?" Arenverno said angrily. "I was killed by a dragonslayer?"
"Haven't you heard it?" Metalicana ignored him as he continued. "The call of the Dragon King?"
"Yes…I have heard it…" Arenverno said after a few moments of hesitation.
"That's him, he is now called Acnologia and he proclaims himself the Dragon King." Metalicana replied.
"To be proclaimed the Dragon King one must kill all of the other Kings." Arenverno replied. "He will come to me in time if he wants the loyalty of the Ice Dragons."
"That's the point, he has already killed you and most of the other Kings."
"You are still alive." Arenverno commented dryly.
"I never cared much for that title but I ain't the only one who managed to survive, Igneel, Grandeeney and a few successors are still alive."
"Igneel is still alive and I am not?" Arenverno yelled angrily. "Now I know that you are lying!"
"He did have his ass handed to him by Acnologia before he ran away with his tail between his legs." Metalicana said with a smile.
"Hmph…" Arenverno remained thoughtful for a few moments. "And you said that his name is Acnologia?" Metalicana simply nodded and in turn Arenverno simply spread his wings and left. "Have fun with your new pet."
"Have fun dying again." Metalicana mumbled after a few moments before turning back to Erza and Gajeel who eyed him angrily. "What?"
"We could have helped them…" Gajeel said with a low, angry voice.
"Keep telling yourself that." Metalicana replied derisively. "It won't be any less real now than it was a few minutes ago."
"We didn't even try!" Gajeel yelled.
"You are an idiot if you think that any of you stood a chance against the King of the Ice Dragons." Metalicana snapped back and looked at Natsu. "Wake that idiot up and thank him for not using his magic. If that bastard had realized that he was Igneel's son every last human in this city would have died in a matter of seconds."
"How about you? Would you be able to beat him if we all fought him together?" Erza asked coldly.
"Don't kid yourself little girl…" Metalicana replied with an equally cold voice as he eyed her closely. "You would only get in my way." The dragon looked away before it continued. "I am one of the handful of dragons that bastard has recognized as an equal and that's because neither of us knew who would come on top if we came to blows but we both knew that whoever won wouldn't come out of the fight in one piece."
"I…I understand." Erza replied and walked away, barely managing to control her tears. "Wake Natsu up, we will need his help." She said to Gajeel as she glanced at what remained of Jellal and his team before she shook her head in resignation. "To bury the others."