Chapter 51...
"I shall purge you ruffians from existence!" Winter declared angrily, and then slammed her staff in the ground. Suddenly, the ground around them glowed white.
"Scatter." Treya side dryly. And the three jumped away from their previous position, and a formation of ice spikes exploded out of the ground where they were.
"Hhhmp!" Winter spun her staff once, and then dashed at incredible speed toward Treya. Treya drew one dagger to block an overhead slash, she then gracefully hoped back from a upward swipe, barely missing her. Winter kept spinning her staff forward, forcing Treya to hope back even more. Treya then extended a crystal blade from her forearm, and whipped it at the spinning ice staff. She knocked it out of her way, and then proceeded to lounge, but suddenly Winter's cold face turned to a witty smile. Treya narrowed her eyes as time slowed, but then suddenly crossed her arms over her chest to form a barrier of solid crystal. Winter's finger nail extended into a gouging, thick, needle that struck the crystal slab, and knocked Treya back. Treya shattered the crystal shield, and then back flipped about twenty feet back, landing on her feet and one hand.
"Good reaction, young lady." Winter complimented as she twirled her staff behind her.
"That was a very powerful ice needle she formed. Is her whole body capable of expelling ice? And that staff she uses...very well trained." Treya was analyzing before making her next move.
"Agile girl, eh? And not half bad." Winter smiled and then suddenly held her hand upward. A spear of ice formed in her hand. She then threw it at Treya. Treya then leaned back to dodge it. It passed over her, and then off the cliff edge. Winter then formed three spikes of ice in between her fingers. She whipped her hand and sent them flying at Treya. Treya then flipped sideways, and then hopped in midair. She twirled her body out of the way of a second barrage of Winter's spikes, Winter immediately threw after the first one. She landed back on her feet, and then split her legs front and back. She she then tossed her dagger in front of her, and then used one hand to handstand, and spun her legs around, and kicked her dagger straight at Winter.
"Tch!" Winter side stepped the dagger that was thrown, but turned to realize Treya shot forth at her, closing the distance in a second. Treya lounged her fist encased in crystal at Winter.
"Crystal Dragon's Diamond Fist." She uttered under her breath, and Winter kicked her staff upward to block the green assassin's strike. A shockwave was generated from the hit, and Treya zipped past Winter, who brushed her aside, barely. Treya slid forward and recovered her dagger, spinning around to assume a stance, pulling her other dagger out, duel wielding her Dragon Fangs. "I can't seal that staff. She's deflecting all my blows too fast, before I can use the seal on my knife."
"...okay, that was fucking cool." Callan had to point out. "That reaction just know was ridicules, she pulled off a counter right after she recovered. Is this how she fought you?" Callan turned to Natsu for an answer.
"I don't know much about her fighting style, but if I had to put it into words..." Natsu scratched his chin. "She's like a leaf on the wind. She follows the flow, and gently lands wherever the current takes her. The only difference is, is that she immediately attacks the second she touches the ground."
"Well, leaves are delicate. Don't look like she could take much." He pointed out her slim body. Her feminine figure did not give of the monstrous strength that would catch the eye of the average person.
"That is probably the scariest leaf on the wind, Frost. I may not have finished you off, but I'd rather count my chances fighting you, than her." Natsu turned with a serious look.
"Oh that's cute, you think you could have actually beat me." Callan chuckled.
"There's a difference between could, and would. Plus, I seem to recall you needing to use dragon force in order to put up a fight against me." Natsu coughed into his fist.
"I have no shame in powering up to squash you! I use everything I need to beat my enemies!"
"Riight. Keep telling yourself that." Natsu chuckled. "I can tell you right now, if I didn't use my dragon force when I fought her, I'd be a dead man right now." Natsu let out a sigh of relief.
"What?! You unlocked Dragon Force?!" This was news to Callan.
"I'm working on the quirks, but yeah. Really powerful stuff. But I prefer to avoid it, I'd rather increase my base form than learning how to triple my magic power." Natsu put his hands in his pockets. "I never really understood it though." Natsu closed his eye.
"What?"
"Why do you have to attain another form to increase power? If you have the magic to spare to transform yourself, it drains you faster. Whenever I use magic, it feels like a weight off my shoulders. But I still like to hold on to a decent amount." Natsu opened his eye and shifted out of the way of a icicle that shot past them.
"Huh..never thought of it that way. Well, I'm sure you figured by now, Dragon Force really amps up the power."
"I can put out that much power without it."
"Bullshit." Callan scoffed at his claim.
"I can. Venigon taught me how to channel magic and release it in controlled bursts in my body. Granted it takes me a second or two, but as long as I'm focused, I could match power, as long as it's not greater than mine." Natsu explained to Callan.
"You pal, are too in depth with your fighting." Callan shook his head.
"I don't expect you to understand, Callan. I was taught for years on how to kill a dragon. People? That's a cakewalk compared to a flying lizard the size of building, that hits like a meteor." Natsu huffed in annoyance.
"I learned how to kick ass from fightin' all over Fiore. Ol' Gromell was more about my dragon slaying, than fighting people." Frostbite mention. "Never killed a lot though. Mum always said it best. There is always gonna be someone who wants someone dead. Just don't become that someone." He smiled slightly.
"...what's it like having a mother?" Natsu asked.
"Hm?" Frostbite's emerald eyes shifted to him with a look of curiosity. "You never had a mom?"
"As far as I know." Natsu stared back to the fight with Treya and Winter. "I was dropped off at an orphanage when I was just a baby. Nobody even knew who dropped me off." Natsu sighed.
"Reall-"
"Kuh!" Treya grunted after sliding back towards the two. "She's not just quick, but her staff skills are a little overwhelming." Treya panted for a second.
"Wanna switch?" Natsu asked.
"I'm fine, I'll just use my Dragon fo-"
"Alright ice woman, I'm next!" Callan pounded his palm and and smirked as he approached Winter. Disregarding Treya's answer.
"Well I guess that answers that question." Natsu blankly put.
"Very well." Treya bowed out, and sheathed her daggers. "I would recommend not taking any of those blows head on." Treya cautioned him.
"Yeah, yeah. Oh, you gotta show me that trick where you kick the knife again, that was badass." Frostbite requested her as he walked past her..
"I would be more than happy to. In return I ask you to assist me in giving Natsu Dranigon my virginity."
"This is going to be a thing with you, isn't it?" Natsu once again annoyed at Treya's dirty proposition.
"...Uh...sorry Treya, I'm not really into threesomes." Callan politely declined, swiftly.
"Restrain him. I'll do all the work."
"Uh, I don't know. That is a bit much for me. Bros before hoes, y'know? " Callan bobbed his head in consideration.
"...what if we got her in on it?" Treya suddenly suggested, pointing to Winter.
"...hmm." Callan stroked his chin.
"Callan? If you so much as give any positive answer to this horny idiot, I'm gonna shove that ice lady's staff so far up your ass, you will know the true meaning of cold." Natsu threatened with a tick mark.
"Don't worry, he's just shy." Treya put her hand on Natsu's shoulder.
"Cool it, Dranigon. I wasn't gonna say yes...yet." He winked at Treya.
"That's the spirit." Treya gave Callan a thumbs up.
"Oh you two are just gonna be pleasant company." Natsu replied with sigh of irritation.
"For the quest, Natsu Dranigon." Treya nodded.
"Yeah! For the quest." Callan got in on it with a cheeky smile of his own.
"Front and center, Smartass." Natsu growled at Callan. Treya was already indicated that she was going to try every trick in the book to get him to have sexual relations with. And Callan was disturbingly enough right in synch with her idea.
Or he was just being a dick. Either way, Natsu was not looking forward to traveling with these two.
"And the foul brute shows." Winter propped her staff over her shoulder. Callan turned back to face Winter.
"So, I gotta question for ya'. Are your nipples always hard, or are you just excited right now?" He smirked.
"Drk! Vulgar scum, I will toss you from this summit, to redden the base of the mountain!" Winter scorned him. She then extended two fingers to her side and two magic circles appeared on both her sides. She then whipped her hand in six directions, and the magic circles fired rays of ice at Callan. Callan just stood there and crossed his arms. The rays of ice hit him, but instead of messily slashing him to bits, they shattered on impact.
"Oh, that tickled. Here, let me show ya' how to do it right!" Callan put his index and middle finger together, and suddenly his fingers glowed white. "Blizzard Dragon's Ice Claw!" A massive, white, energy wave was sent in an arc toward Winter. Leaving a trail of ice in it's wake.
"Hm." Winter held her hand out, and she suddenly grabbed it. She then clenched her hand, and the freezing ray dissipated instantly. "Impressive power, but I am more than acquainted with the magic arts of snow, and ice." Winter smiled grimly.
"Then try THIS!" Callan suddenly punched forth, and a pillar of ice came out of his hand and was heading for winter. She twirled her staff and took a step forward, and then a glint was in her eye. She then slashed downward with all her might.
...
...
(crack!)
Suddenly the pillar was slashed in half and shattered. Callan rolled out of the way and looked back, and she destroyed the ground in a straight line.
"Holy..." He shook his head at the power of her slash.
"Don't make light of my power, wizards. I could destroy you all in the blink of an eye." Winter threatened.
"She knows how to cancel magic power, huh? Damn, I didn't think anyone else knew how to do that." Natsu observed on the sidelines while watching Callan go at it with Winter. "Also, it's not in Callan's favor. Those spells may have one-shotted Vulcans, but she looks like a master of ice magic. She could negate any ice based attack. Plus her staff skills knocked Treya back." Natsu calmly kept his hands in his pockets, and would intervene if she targeted him, or if Treya and Callan were seconds away from death. But he wasn't worried yet.
"So ice doesn't work with you, huh?" Callan stopped smiling and got a serious stare. "Alright, lets see how good your staff skills are!" Callan shot forward and was about to punch her.
"Vulgar, unrefined, and undisciplined." She let out a sigh. She then tapped the ground, and a pillar of ice burst forth from under her and slammed into Callan.
"Oof!" Callan grunted at the unexpected attack. He was high in the air now.
"Eat this." Winter jumped onto the pillar and swiped upward with her blade. And the pressure from her swing was ripping toward Callan.
"Oh crap." Callan widened his green eyes, and reached out toward the ground and a shot a chain out of his hand to move out of the way. He got out of the way as it sliced a cloud in half, blowing it away. He landed on the ground and the chain disappeared. "That's some nasty power you got there, miss." He roughly complimented.
"You are incapable of making me go all out. You know? That ol' lizard was at least a sensible creature. To think he'd raise a brute like you is beyond me." She planted her staff in the ground.
"What..? You know my dragon?! And me?!" Callan was suddenly surprised.
"Of course, you halfwit. I recognize that ice magic. You're the boy he found in the storm all those years ago. Not to mention, I've seen many creatures of old on this peak, long before it became inhabitable. That dragon was seeking refuge here, after a prolonged fight against his own kind. I didn't mind, but I do not stand much of a chance against him, so I had little say in his seeking for sanctuary." She recalled with a huff.
"Gromell...he fought another dragon? What was the dragon?" Frostbite demanded an answer.
"Some demonic abomination. He was rambling non-stop, I had no wish for lending an ear, to be blistered by nonsense." She defensively put. "What's it matter to you!? I'm going to scatter your pathetic carcass to the storm!"
"Demonic abomination?" Treya inquired.
"...demonic?" Natsu furrowed his eye.
"Hybrids do not exist as far as I know. Do you have any idea what it could be?" Treya turned to Natsu.
"I don't know, anything's possi-?" Natsu was saying, but then he remembered something. Back when he was battling it out with Oracion Seis.
"He did become a demon...for a time. But then he embraced his darkness...and it made him even stronger. He was forsaken as an abomination among his own kind.
That person claiming to be Zeref said some weird stuff, but that line stuck out when he thought about it. "Could the dragon that she's talking about be...?" Natsu looked troubled about something.
"Natsu Dranigon." Treya suddenly snapped out of his trance. He turned to her with his expression of confusion. "Is something wrong?" She asked him.
"...this doesn't make sense. I'll think about it afterwards." Natsu figured that pointless speculation was not advisable right now. Until they all had gathered together. "No. I was just thinking." Natsu shrugged.
"OWW!" Callan's cries of pain brought him the attention of the two, and he hit the ground hard. Winter then gracefully landed on the ground with little change in demeanor. "You racy bitch! That one hurt!" Callan looked at his fore arm, and a shallow cut that went up it was seen. The blood didn't come out that much due to how fast the temperature froze it.
"Fool, struggle as you may, I know every ice spell in existence. Even a ice dragon's." Winter said as she propped her staff over her shoulders. "If that is all you can muster, I will end this." She stated as she pointed her staff at Callan.
"Huh? The fuck you mean? I ain't even tired out." Callan sported an annoyed look. He brushed himself off.
"Your magic is useless against me." Winter propped up her staff.
"Rriiight, my ice magic, anyway." Callan sarcastically said. "Well, you win that one, I admit. Never was good with ice magic anyway." Callan put his hands on his hips and sighed.
"Hm? What do you mean?" Winter was confused.
"Here lady, let me show ya'." Callan said as he stomped his foot. A shock wave of icy energy was sent toward her.
"Hmph, you honestly expect you'll hurt me with th-?!" Winter was about to belittle and dispel his ice magic again. But she suddenly was blown back and she hit the ground. "AAH! Ack! Eeergh!" She skipped along the ground, but then regained her stance as she slid back. She looked up in disbelief. "H-how?! That was ice magic! How could that have...?!"
"That wasn't ice magic. That was a Dragon Slayer Spell." Callan revealed. "See, there's a difference in ice magic and dragon slaying magic. Ice magic is making ice out of magic. It's nothing special really. Dragon ice spells however, are far destructive, and more powerful. Also, if my dragon slayer magic comes into contact with another ice source, the power is tripled." He revealed with toothy smirk.
"..well I'll be. He had me fooled. I thought his ice seemed mediocre. Even this guy in Fairy Tail had stronger spells than that." Natsu recalled some of Gray's molding magic. "He purposefully pretended that he was using dragon slayer magic to mislead her."
"Hm. That explains why he kept upping the power of each ice spell." Treya nodded.
"Errgh, you bum!" Winter snarled at Callan. "I couldn't cancel out that spell because it suddenly spiked at a speed I could not match. Curses, Gromell! Why did you give this boy that much power?!" She bit her finger nail, thinking of her next move.
"Okay hot stuff, time for an ass whoopin'." He chuckled and began walking towards her. He then held his right arm up at an angle. Suddenly the front of his arm glowed white. "Blizzard Dragon's Guillotine!" He then whipped his arm out toward her, and a wide, horizontal blade of ice jetted towards her.
"Hergh!" Winter tried to slice it in half, but she was suddenly in a power struggle with it, kicking the wind up around her. "What power-HYAgh!" It suddenly forced her off her feet and sent her flying into the wall of the mountain. She was enveloped in a cloud of snow.
"Heh, I told ya'. It triples in power." Frostbite wiped his nose with cheeky remark. "Lets see you talk big after that one, Hag-cicle!" He taunted her.
"You're the one who's talking big, boy." Winter was suddenly behind Callan which surprised him. He spun around, and she slashed down at his torso, sending a arc of blood in the air. He had a diagonal cut down his chest, and he retreated back. He leaped a fair distance from her, and he was now sweating bullets. He looked at his torso. His clothes were stained in blood.
"Oh shitballs. Ma's gonna kill me when I get back to the house." Callan moaned as he touched the gash.
"...that was not her normal speed." Treya pointed out. She narrowed her pink eyes at Winter. "She teleported."
"Actually, I think she was always there." Natsu placed his hand on his chin.
"I didn't see the ground disturbed. How fast was she going?" Treya turned to Natsu for an answer.
"Was she?" Callan turned to Natsu, overhearing him. "I didn't feel the snow disturbed." He said as the flakes fluttered around him.
"...you still good to go?" Natsu changed the subject.
"I'm fine. She just gave me a cut." Callan shrugged, not even wincing at the pain he was in.
"Look away, and I'll end you." She said as she lounged forth. She stretched her staff forward at Callan. Callan than caught her sword staffed by the blade. Stopping her dead in her tracks.
"What?!" She was baffled.
"Told ya', not even breaking a sweat." Callan normally said. "HYa!" He then pulled her forth and then raised his leg up, and then kicked her away from him.
"Aagh!" Winter yelped and disappeared in a cloud of snow once more. Frostbite recomposed himself and looked around. He then shifted his eyes to his left, and then raised his arm to form a broad shield of ice. She struck it in midair, sending shockwaves along the ground he was standing. He was unfazed as he stared her in the eye. "Kuh! You barbaric, little shit!" She then pushed off his round shield and then landed on the ground. She then placed her hand on the ground, and a magic circle showed under Callan. Suddenly a cage formed around him.
"Ooo, tasty." Callan took a bite out of the ice an sucked up the entire frame around him. He let out a belch and felt a surge of power. Suddenly a toothy grin lit up his face, and the air around him got tense. He then faced his elbow towards her and moved his feet apart slightly, as if he were bracing himself. He then moved his hand over his elbow facing her direction. "Show's over, Ice Tits." Callan mocked before his power spiked. He then began gathering icy energy into his palm, and a dragonic magic circle appeared in front of him.
"His power is rising." Treya noted as she held a arm over her eyes to shield form the gust that was picking up around Callan. She looked over to Natsu and he was just staring with his eye halfway open. He didn't even flinch. In fact, he looked like he was waiting for something.
"..." Winter was just waiting there, panting and remaining focused on this spell he was about to cast.
"Secret Dragon Slayer Art, Blizzard Form: Ice Dimension!" He declared, and suddenly it was a blinding light that flashed like lighting at them, and suddenly, in an instant, a large portion of the area where Winter was, turned into a massive, mound of ice. "...heh!" Frostbite lowered his arms and smirked at his creation. "Instant freezing. Oh, fun fact, Only a master ice mage can cast that, but a ice dragon can do that when it's just a hatchling~." He bragged as he crossed his arms. "Bet all them ice mages would feel stupid if they knew that, eh? Hehehehehe!" Callan chuckled.
"I have a move similar to that." Treya said as she "Although his charge up time is much faster." Treya compared the time in her head.
"...jealous?" Natsu shifted his eye to her.
"Not really." Treya puffed her cheeks slightly and looked away.
"Hmpf. Impressive." Winter's voice was heard, and they all looked toward the mound of solid ice that was away from them. Suddenly a pillar of magic energy shot up into the sky, and the entire mountain was rumbling. Callan nearly stumbled but held fast as the three slayers peered into the light. Winter shattered the slab of crystal with her magic power, and she emerged from a cloud of frost. "I must say, Gromell knows how to train. I'd even go so far as to say I underestimated your abilities." She wore a simple expression of blankness.
"Teh, you are hard to kill lady." Callan shook his head and scoffed. "But I guess that's expected." He fell to his knees and crossed his arms. Sitting and contemplating his next move.
"I cannot be killed by ice magic, boy. You could be a god, a devil, or a dragon slayer of ice, and it would only temporarily injure me." Winter spun her staff and stabbed it in the ground. She then placed her arms in her large sleeves and decided to talk. "That being said, I cannot let you do as you will with my tree. I have been keeping it safe for years. If you so much as lay a hand on it, this entire mountain would crumble." She explained with a huff.
"...eh?" Callan widened his eyes.
"Now what?" Natsu let out an exhale.
"This is the core of the mountain. I erected this entire summit from long ago, as my own home. Many years past, and the land began growing into it. I believe it was due to the magical energy surging from within this tree." She explained to them. "I couldn't stop the progression, so I cast a wide range ice spell to stop it. However, I had to tie my soul to it as well. And I've been suppressing it ever since." She scratched the back of her head. "Then a giant, flying reptile crashed into the top of my mountain, and nearly obliterated it! The nerve of those scaly behemoths!" She recalled with a tick mark.
"I assume the scaly behemoth was Gromell?" Frostbite asked with a raised brow.
"Correct. He asked if it was alright if he could hide out here. Apparently he just got done battling another dragon. I don't think he won though." She bowed her head and closed her eyes.
"Gromell lost? Is that even possible? He was a Lost Dragon. You're telling me there's a dragon out there that made him run?" Callan stood up and had a disapproving look. His pride as Gromell's student wouldn't have it. It must have been a misunderstanding.
"I told you, brat. I didn't care as long as he didn't touch my tree. He'd been here for decades-"
"Decades, huh?" Treya said in interruption."So you must be older than I originally thought."
"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM, YOU RUDE GIRL!? DO YOU HAVE SOME SORT OF PROBLEM WITH OLDER WOMEN?! I know I am no longer a young sweet thing, but I am confident in my retaining of youthful appearance! Besides, what's on the inside is just as important! No man would court a woman who only had her looks going for her!" Winter snapped at Treya, while giving her a lecture.
"...hmm, is that so?" Treya suddenly sported a thinking look. She then looked to Natsu. Natsu was curious why she was eyeing him.
"W-what?" Natsu was a little nervous.
"Would you stick it in a woman because of how she felt inside, or how she looked on the outside? " She pointed to Winter and herself.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
(Caw! Caw!)
"I-I...I think she meant personality. Not that...literally." Natsu didn't even try to question the logic behind her thinking. He shakily held his hand up, and the billion of things he wanted say in that moment were about to burst out his mouth. But seeing as how she acted in a social environment, he let it pass.
"..oh." Treya realized.
"What a cruel childhood that one must have had." Winter sympathized. "(Ahem)! Anyway, I'd been here for decades, healing the old lizard. Ice is a natural remedy for dragons of that element, or so he told me. Then one day, a tribe of your folk arrived, and had set up a small camp at the bottom. I didn't mind, as long as they stayed there. Gromell then began uttering his usual nonsense, and said he was going to need a way to find humans. Saying that he needed to find children, more precise. Of course, I pointed him to the village at the bottom, and then he said something about, the child he was looking for was not going to be here. Not for another twelve years. And after that, that's when the fool found you, Callan Frostbite." She pointed at Callan.
"You're talking about the list." Callan's eyes widened and became interested.
"A list of five individuals. Natsu Dranigon. Treya Duella. Callan Frostbite. Mero Serene. And Ang-Ang...Errgh, what was the name again?" Winter struggled to recall. "Oh yes, Angelo Viduus." She revealed to them.
"Angelo Viduus...huh. Never heard of him." Callan thought hard, but the name never came up.
"So it wasn't five it was read as...Angelo, which means "Bloodless". I'm not sure what Viduus means though." Treya shrugged as she came to a realization.
"Reborn." Natsu spoke up.
"Bloodless Reborn. Gotta tell 'ya, them Gavil folks knew how to make stuff, but naming is probably not one of their strong suits." Callan crossed his arms. "Imagine if we started calling people things like, Blue Ogre, Hairy Toothbrush, Flaming Pile of Dog Shit. Hahahaha, Oh that would be awesome." Callan entertained the idea if the two cultures clashed.
"Makes me wonder if those were the names in the hat your mother picked from." Natsu said under his breath.
"I heard that, you jerk!" Callan angrily snapped at Natsu,.
"Regardless, now we know who we're looking for." Natsu ignored him. "Once we find Mero, we'll track him down, and maybe we can make some sense of this." Natsu let out a breath of relief. "But first thing is first." Natsu walked over to Callan.
"Facing me all at once? Challenge accepted." Winter assumed they were gonna jump her all at once, but Natsu held a hand out to block Callan.
"What, you wanna hog the glory-?"
"We tried it your way, now it's my turn." Natsu simply told him. He turned back to Winter.
"I sense nothing from you, cherry haired boy. Are you perhaps begging for forgiveness?" Winter assumed. Natsu didn't really come off as a threatening type. In fact, people rarely ever felt the pressure he emitted. Which took most of them off guard.
And scared them to death. "I suppose you are the only one who has not disrespected me in any manner, so I suppose if you leave right now, I will forgive your missteps onto my home." She offered mercy. "I'm considering putting your companions head's on a pike." She groaned at Callan and Treya.
"Okay, first off, it's salmon colored. And second, Ill make a deal with you." Natsu offered as they all listened.
"You don't get to make demands, young one. I am offering you a chance to leave with your dignity in shambles. I suggest you take it." She urged him, thinking very lightly of him.
"You egotistic bit-" Treya was not liking the way she belittled him. To say that to the man that beat her, would be the greatest insult to her pride as a warrior. And her potential mate.
"Easy." Natsu raised his arm to stop her. "You guys just step away." Natsu motioned them to back away.
"Huh?" Callan turned to him.
"Just do it. You can thrash her if it doesn't work." His eye patch was only seen by Callan.
"...you get five minutes. I'm not letting that bitch get away with it." Callan forewarned him.
"You may want him by your side, I feel like just my exhale could knock you over." Winter smiled slightly.
"...I'll watch your back." Treya gave in and headed back to the sidelines.
"Her to? I do hope your words have defense against the cold." Winter giggled and took a few steps forth.
"We'll leave, on one condition." Natsu raised his finger. "Kill the vulcans under your control. Do that, and I'll arrange for nobody to ever come up here again." Natsu stated his terms. "The reason we were here, was because they kept killing people near the village down the mountain. If that was to discourage any further venture up here, it worked. Now you don't need 'em." Natsu shrugged.
"What...? You want me to get rid of the ape-like creatures?" Winter seemed a bit confused on what he was referring to.
"Yep." Natsu simply said.
"Those apes are supposed to keep other people away." She explained.
"And I'm telling you, you won't need to do that. We'll explain to them why they can't come up here. Hell, I'll just make something up to keep them from coming up here, if you don't want them to know about the tree." Natsu offered.
"...hmm." Winter scratched the back of her pale neck, and then narrowed her yellow eyes. "What's your name, young man?"
"Natsu Dranigon." He answered.
"Ah, the name on that list." Winter nodded. "Am I to assume that you lead this bunch, or the infernal block head?" Winter referred to Callan with disdain.
"I'll bury you." Callan growled.
"I don't lead anybody, we're just here for a common purpose." Natsu answered back.
"Yet you seem to reign those two in rather well. Are you strong?" She asked as she walked forth.
"I consider myself a cut above the average person." Natsu crossed his arms.
"Hm." Winter put her hand on her chin and analysed Natsu's posture. "He's leading them, no doubt. But I don't even get the faintest trace of power from him. Is he concealing it, or is it bravado? If I kill him, will they despair, or enrage? I have a trump card left, but I'd rather not use it. So far the green haired girl has elegant fighting prowess. The Frostbite boy has incredible high pain tolerance, and strength. But this..Natsu Dranigon...I feel like I could end him instantly." She rested her fingers on her blade staff. "Then, lets make a bet." She thought up an idea.
"Bet?" Natsu raised his brow.
"Yes. I normally would have killed you all by now, but I am a reasonable woman. But I also commend respect. If you can impress me, I will terminate my possessions."
"Annnd how am I supposed to do that?" Natsu asked.
"Attack me."
"Beg your pardon?"
"Hit me with everything you got. I can withstand it. You have to have some degree of power to get others to acknowledge you. Such is the case with convincing the people down the mountain. You want me to stand down? Show me you have power to convince others to listen." Winter explained.
"T-that's it?" Natsu was surprised.
"Yes, yes. Of course, seeing as how you have the weakest magic power among the three of you, I will try to lower my standard." She spun the staff-blade around her and then assumed a defensive posture. "So don't disappoint me. Because if you do, I'll cut you down in an instant." She warned him, not breaking posture. One wrong move, she'd put the final nail in his coffin.
"...it's always these types of situations.." Natsu shook his head and scratched the back of his head. "Why do I gotta prove myself again? I'm beginning to think maybe I should start breaking legs, or cutting off arms. At least those assholes in Black Rift got the point across. " He debated why this constant 'prove your worth' cliche was present no matter where he went. "I'm gonna tell you right now, Miss Winter, I am not like these two. I do not want to fight you if it's avoidable." He once again tried to plead with her.
"Don't cave in just because you saw the fight I had with your two associates. If you're a man, stop being a candy haired, beta male, and show some spine. You know? I preferred the perverted brute over you. At least he wasn't hesitant. Don't tell me your girly hair color defines your personality? Or are you just a manly looking woman in disguise?" She held back nothing to trash talk Natsu.
...
...
...
"Aha ha ha..ha...(INHALE)..LET THE RECORD SHOW, I TRIED." Natsu suddenly glared with a merciless intent. He had a vein running up his forehead. The time for talking was over.
The time for reckoning, against people who insult salmon colored hair...
..had come.
Since I was late uploading this story, here's another chap for you all to munch on.
Read/Review/Rate!
Laters!
