Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Monster Girl Encyclopedia. They belong to Hiro Mashima and Kenkou Cross respectively.
Author's Notes: Hi guys! I'm back with another chapter for Natsu's MGE Adventures!!! This chapter marks the end of the Prologue Arc for this story. For the next chapter and moving forward, we will enter the Sandstorm Desert Arc so be sure to stay tuned.
And also don't forget to stay safe, keep social distancing, wear masks and keep washing your hands. Also, if you like this story, consider to favourite and/or follow the story. I would appreciate that very much. Don't be shy to leave your reviews cause I wanna hear your thoughts about this story. Thanks for your support!
Recap Last Chapter
• Natsu had taken on a mission that requires him to go to the Great Forest and he also had gotten a new horse and travelling cart.
• Natsu hired a Kobold named Tess to help him navigate the lush forest.
• While they were on their way to the house of a friend of Tess's, Natsu realised that something wrong.
•The house was broken into by mercs but Natsu managed to safe Tess's friends and treated her wounds.
•During their escape, Natsu realised that they were being followed so he volunteered to stay behind and stop them, allowing Tess and her friend, Jade to escape.
Chapter 6: A Trip To The Swamp (Part 2)
With Tess, near the edge of The Great Forest Swamps (One hour later)
huff* *huff*
"Have to *pant* keep *pant* going!" said a really exhausted Kobold as she continued running while carrying an unconscious Mucus Toad on her back.
Tess had been running for an hour straight, desperately trying to escape the swamps and return back to the village as soon as possible. If she could get there quickly enough, she could get some reinforcements to help Natsu. Though, it was easier said than done.
The irregular terrain made it hard for Tess to keep her balance in check. There was also the constant dead branches or tall shrubs obstructing the pathway, forcing her to take the longer path most of the time. The Kobold was at the edge of passing out, her vision was getting blurry.
"Don't give...up Tess. Don't" she constantly reminded herself, trying to distract her mind away from the overwhelming fatigue and intense muscle cramps she was feeling.
However, as she was running, she failed to notice a piece of broken log in front of her. As she wws running, her foot hit the edge of the log, causing her to trip and fall, dropping Jade along with her.
"Ouch! It hurts!" Tess cried in pain, her body had already given up on her. Tess wanted to stand up and continue pressing forward but her body felt heavy. She didn't have any strength left inside of her.
" I'm *sob* sorry Natsu! I *sob* failed you!" Tess finally broke down. There was nothing she could do anymore. She had failed her two friends and now they are all going to die because of her...because of her weakness.
"Why?! Why am I so weak?!" she wailed in total depression and grief. Her cries echoed throughout the area. She was alone, all alone, a hopeless soul waiting for her imminent death...but was she ever truly alone?
"Tess...why are you crying *ribbit*?" a voice suddenly spoke to her.
"Huh?" Tess immediately looked towards the source of the voice and saw her friend, Jade already conscious and was trying to sit.
"Jade! You're awake!" Tess immediately crawled over to her friend and hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad you're fine!" Tess said as she bawled her eyes on her friend's shoulder.
"Of course I'm fine *ribbit*. Why wouldn't I be?" asked her friend, confused as to why Jade was worried about her.
"Don't you remember anything... anything that happened before you went unconscious?" Tess asked her.
"Hmm...I remembered I was at home, making food *ribbit*...and then I heard knocking on the door..." Jade tried to recall.
"And then..."
"I went to the door, asked who it was...then the door was immediately burst open *ribbit*. I remember seeing a few guys, they yelled at me, they were trying to find something. I tried to defend myself but there were too many of them. Last thing I remembered was a fist going straight towards my face, then it was lights out for me *ribbit*" said the Mucus Toad.
"You said they were trying to find something...can you remember what it is?" asked Tess.
"Hmm...oh yeah! It was this *ribbit*!" Jade straightened her left palm horizontally and closed her eyes. Suddenly, a small glow appeared on top of her palm before it disappeared, leaving a vibrant green crystal on her palm.
"Woah...what is that? I've never seen anything like it before!" exclaimed Tess.
"I don't know much about it either. My parents left it to me before they...anyway, they told me to keep it safe *ribbit*" explained Jade. "By the way, how did you rescue me *ribbit* ?" asked Jade.
"It wasn't just me. Another friend helped as well" said Tess.
"Another?" questioned Jade.
"Natsu Dragneel, he was an adventurer. He came here to the forest to complete a mission and hired me as his guide. We were on our way to your house before he realised something was wrong. To put it simply, he helped me rescue you and treat your wounds. We were on our way back to he village before he realised we were being followed. He stayed behind so that he could stop the mercenaries from catching up to us" explained Tess.
"Wait! You mean that man is currently facing them alone! He must be either really strong or stupidly brave" stated Jade.
"That's why we need to hurry back to the village. If we could get reinforcements, we could help him" said Tess.
"Then what are you waiting for *ribbit* ?!" Jade offered her hand to Tess. Tess smiled at her and immediately accepted her hand. Jade immediately pulled the small Kobold and placed her on top of her back.
"Woah, Jade?! What are you doing?" asked Tess.
"You carried me this far, it's time I do the same. Plus, I'm better at running" Jade said as she immediately sprinted forwards, the duo heading straight towards the village.
Meanwhile, with Natsu, inside of the Great Forest Swamps
"Where are these guys? They're surely taking their sweet time" said a pink-haired man, sitting impatiently on a muddy wooden log.
"I promise you, Tess and Jade, I'll make sure those mercs will get what they deserve!" Natsu said to himself as he balled up his fist.
Suddenly, Natsu could see the bushes nearby him started to rustle. "They're here" Natsu immediately stood up, his eyes roam around the area, trying to identify where the mercs will come from.
Slowly, a few figures started to emerge from the tall grasses in front of him. Soon, more figures appeared accompanied by the wolves that chased Natsu earlier.
"Ho! Ho! Ho! Looky' here boys! It seems somebody here has a death wish. Though, I'll give you this. You're ballsy enough to stay behind, you pink-haired motherfucker!" said one of the mercenaries.
"Thanks...you guys have some balls too. I actually thought you chickens would've run away by now with your tail between your legs" Natsu mocked them while smirking.
"Tch! You damned fuck! You're outnumbered! Overpowered even! Do you actually think you could take us all down?! Once we're done with you, those two bitches are next!" yelled the merc.
"Did you just call them bitches?" asked Natsu.
"Yeah, and what about it, punk?!"
"Ooh...very poor choice of words. I was thinking about having mercy towards you guys, but maybe you bastards need some punishment" stated Natsu in a menacing tone.
"Hey, let me handle him! I'm gonna teach this crazy weirdo a lesson" requested one of the mercs.
"Hmph! Go help yourself, we could use some entertainment" the main mercenary smirked.
Slowly, the merc approached Natsu while twiddling with a small dagger at his right hand.
"Hey there! You're lucky I'm the one dealing with you. Don't worry, I'll make sure you die slowly, you bast-" The merc couldn't even finish his sentence when a fist immediately struck him directly on his face. The giant magnitude of the assault caused the merc to be immediately knocked backwards, his body flew at immense speed until it was slammed against a tree.
All of the other mercenaries including the main mercenary was shocked by what had transpired. Meanwhile, Natsu had sported on the most serious expression on his face, as he looked right back at the other mercs.
"Anyone else?" Natsu asked.
"Damn you! Get him!" With that order, all of the mercs and wolves charged at Natsu, while the aformentioned dragon slayer flared up his magic in preparation for their upcoming assault.
"You bad guys seriously never learn anything" said Natsu. "Fire Dragon: Iron Fist!" Natsu lighted up his right hand in flames and instantaneously punched a merc at the gut. "Next one! Fire Dragon: Flaming Kick." This time, Natsu focused his power on his left leg and attacked another pair of mercenaries by performing a swift swipe kick, downing the two mercs immediately.
"Is this the best you guys can do?" Natsu agitated them more.
Another merc came at Natsu, swinging his long sword ferociously while aiming at Natsu's neck. Natsu saw the attack coming and quickly ducked down as the attack missed him completely. The merc was surprised by how fast Natsu can move so Natsu used his unpredictability against the merc. Just right after Natsu dodged the attack, he immediately kicked upwards towards the merc's hand causing him to lose grip of his weapon followed by a swift uppercut to his chin, sending the merc flying upwards.
"Damn! This guy is actually gonna beat us! Rifleman, shoot him down!" The main mercenary ordered.
"But Sir! Our men are also in the line of fire!" said one of the mercs, realising that if they started to shoot at Natsu, their comrades will get caught in the crossfire.
"Did I fucking stutter?! Kill that bastard, now!" the main merc yelled at the rifleman as if he doesn't care about the death of his comrades.
"R-riflemen. F-fire at my count. Three...t-two...one...fire!" the riflemen were all unwilling to open fire but there was no other choice. Soon, the riflemen rained bullet upon bullet towards Natsu.
"These bastards! They're killing their own nakama!" Natsu gritted his teeth as he saw some of the mercs in front of him fell down, their lifeless bodies hit the floor with a sickening thud.
"You bastards! They're your friends!" Natsu yelled at them but to no avail. Natsu tried his best to dodge the bullets but same can't be said for the other mercs and wolves.
"I need to stop this, and quick! But how?...Wait, I got it!" Natsu succeeded in forming a plan that might just stop this massacre. Channelling his magic at his feet, Natsu immediately leaped upwards, forcing the riflemen to bring their aim upwards.
"I got you now! Fire Dragon: Roar!" Natsu immediately let out his signature move as it completely obliterated the riflemen, stopping the continuous bullet assault.
As Natsu came back to the ground, he inevitably saw the horrific condition of the battleground. Dozens of dead bodies were strewn around the area. Some were heavily injured while most were just barely staying alive, their breaths were short and weak.
As Natsu looked around, he saw one of the wolves lying on the ground, it's brown fur now coated in red blood. It's not even clear if it was just it's own blood. The wolf was whimpering in pain, it's stomach was torn open by the bullet. Natsu knelt down and looked at the poor creature with pity. "I'm sorry" Natsu whispered to it as he grabbed it's neck and immediately snapped it, getting the creature out of it's misery.
Slowly, Natsu stood back up and now he was looking face-to-face again at the main mercenary.
Meanwhile, the mercenary was just clapping and laughing loudly. "Hahaha! That was a good show. Still, I actually thought that these idiots would've done better!"
"You...you! How dare you?! How dare you laugh at your friends?!" Natsu yelled back.
"And why do you care? These were the bastards that were trying to kill you a few minutes ago. Heh...and they couldn't even do it properly" the main mercenary snickered.
"You treat your friends like tools... I'm gonna make sure you pay for that!" Natsu said, flaring his magic up once again.
"I like to see you try. I'm different from them, you see. That's why I'm the Hunter's right hand man. My name is Hake Juko...people call me Cursed Blood" the mercenary introduced himself.
"I don't give a fuck about who or what you are! You're gonna end up beaten anyway" Natsu growled at Hake.
"Hahaha! You're still a delusional bastard! As a half-demon, I possess the ability to steal souls to empower myself...an ability that was passed down into my genes from my father. Seeing as we are in a place filled with souls ripe for the taking, do you actually think you stand a chance against me?" Hake asked as he suddenly gripped his right fist.
Slowly, black mists started to appear on top of the bodies. The mists immediately flew right into Hake's hand as he completed absorbs the souls of the dead. After he was done, Natsu could sense a change in the weather. The skies became darker and the wind blew harder.
"He's getting stronger...I can feel it" Natsu said to himself inwardly.
After that, Hake's body was suddenly enveloped by a black aura. "Ahhh...the power is surging inside me!"
"Come at me then" Natsu taunted the Cursed Blood.
Without warning, Hake immediately dashed towards Natsu, his fist seemingly enveloped in a dark-bluish glow. "Soul Strength: Dead Fist" chanted Hake as he tried to strike Natsu. Natsu managed to dodge the attack but Hake didn't stop his onslaught.
Charging his hand with power, Hake continued to strike Natsu continuously with his fist. Still, Natsu managed to avoid every single attack before he finally found an opening to counter his opponent.
"Fire Dragon: Iron Fist" Natsu punched Hake at the gut while he was dodging, causing Hake to be pushed backwards. "Gaggh!" Hake winced in pain at the attack.
"Still think you're strong?" asked Natsu, infuriating the merc.
"Fuck you! I have more tricks up my sleeves! Soul Strength: Soul Lock!" chanted Hake.
Suddenly, a puff of black smoke appeared from the ground and surrounded Natsu. Natsu tried to dodge it but realised that he was incapable of moving his own body.
"Soul Strength: Assault" Hake immediately used the opportunity to launch various kicks and punches towards the immobilised dragon slayer. Natsu could do nothing but to tank the hits he was receiving. At the end of his attack, Hake gave Natsu one final punch to the face, knocking him backwards.
"Hah! Not so tough now, are ya? You pink-haired punk!" yelled Hake.
"Heh...you can hit, I'll give you that. But let me show you what true strength is" Natsu said as he closed in on Hake in a split second, shocking the half-demon. After he got close, Natsu immediately did a sweep kick, causing Hake to fall backwards. Just right after Hake's body hit the ground, Natsu immediately grabbed his left leg. The dragon slayer immediately spun quickly as he builds up his momentum before flinging the mercenary into the air.
Natsu wasted no time jumping after the mercenary. "Fire Dragon: Iron Fist!" Natsu delivered a strong flame-induced punch straight to Hake's face while he was airborne causing the merc to fall down to the ground at a high velocity.
boom* The muddy surface exploded as Hake made contact with it. "Had enough fun yet?" asked Natsu.
" *cough* You...motherfucker! Argghh!" A really bloodied Hake cursed as he crawled out from the mud crater.
"No matter how many souls you've absorbed, no matter what genes you have in your body...the power of friendship will always triumph above you" exclaimed Natsu.
"Shut the fuck up! Don't lecture to me about all that friendship bullshit! I'll show you... I'll show you my true capabilities! Prepare yourself!" Hake warned Natsu as he stood up. The mercenary them started chanting a mantra incomprehensible to Natsu. As he continued his chants, a red circle started to appear beneath his feet.
"If you think I'm gonna let you finish that, you're dead wrong!" Natsu immediately flared up his fists and charged towards Hake. Meanwhile, Hake was unfazed by Natsu's action...instead, he was smiling.
As Natsu closed his distance on Hake, he immediately strikes his fist towards the half-demon. But as soon as his fist neared Hake, a sudden burst of magic immediately knocked Natsu backwards.
"Hahaha! You can't stop me now! Once this ritual is complete, I will finally gain the ultimate power. The power of a true demon! Last Sacrifice: Transform!" Hake laughed wickedly as the magic circle completed. In an instant, Hake was engulfed in a dark red flash, as his body undergoed unnatural transformation.
Red scales started to envelop his arms all the way to the tip of his finger nails, changing his hands until it became menacing looking claws. A pair of big pointy black horns started to grow on his head while his eyes turned completely dark. Hake's torso also grew bigger as it was covered in reddish-black fur. After the transformation was complete, there wasn't any shred of human left inside him. Now there was only...a demon.
"Wrrraaghhhhh!" roared Hake, his voice now sounds more distorted than before.
"Ahh fuck this!" Natsu cursed inwardly as he prepared himself for a second battle. "Please...be safe, Tess...Jade. I'll come to you soon" prayed Natsu.
Meanwhile, with Tess and Jade
The Mucus Toad had been running for a while now and would be arriving at the village soon. "Tess! We're nearly there *ribbit*!" exclaimed Jade in excitement.
"Go faster then! The sooner we get there, the sooner we can help Natsu!" said Tess as Jade picked up her pace.
As Jade sprinted towards the village, they arrived at the pathway that leads to the village. However, fate wasn't on their side...not at this very moment. Just a little bit ahead of the path, a lone male figure stood quietly as if he had expected them to come through here.
"Hello ladies~. Going somewhere?" the man asked sinisterly.
"Oh no... it's him" Tess was horrified. They were close...so close...yet it seems that there is another obstacle that they have to overcome.
"Why *ribbit*?! What's the matter, Tess?" asked Jade, confused why her friend was scared of the man in front of them.
"That's their leader...the Hunter" said Tess.
"It's a pleasure to meet you girls. Now...if you would be so nice to...give me what I want. If you do so, I could consider letting you girls leave here...in one piece" exclaimed the Hunter.
"Drop dead! You won't be getting anything from us *ribbit*!" Jade yelled in defiance, unfazed by the obvious death threat from the Hunter.
"Ooo fiesty! I like my prey better when they resist. It gives me the satisfaction when I see the lights leave their eyes!" the Hunter laughed wickedly.
"Get behind me Tess. I'll take him down" ordered Jade as she took a fighting stance.
"No! You know you can't win against him!" yelled Tess.
"I have to at least try to protect you *ribbit*. That's what best friends do, right?"
"No! You're wrong! Best friends protect each other. If we combine our strengths, we can beat him! Together!" Tess also entered her fighting stance as she pulled out a dagger from her satchel.
"The two of you... against me?! Hahaha! What a joke! How about you two show me what you c-" the Hunter was cut off as he narrowly dodged a punching strike from Jade. Just right after the attack, he sensed another attack coming from behind. "Must be the dog" he thought as he side stepped from the attack and leaped backwards, distancing himself from the two monster girls.
"Hohoho! You two got some skills. I take it that this isn't your first battle together, is it?" asked the Hunter.
"Life is rough *ribbit*. So you have to be tougher" said Jade.
"Still think we're a joke, Hunter?" asked Tess while growling at the villain.
"I retract my earlier statement. You two aren't jokes...in fact, you two are excellent prey. It's gonna be a fucking birthday celebration for me when I hang your heads on my wall" said the Hunter while smirking.
Slowly, the Hunter opened a couple of leather pouches, each was on the left and right of his vest. With his pouches opened, two white knives flew out, levitating besides him.
"Now, let's begin the hunt!" The Hunter raised his right hand forward and immediate pointed towards Jade. After that, the two knives immediately shot forward. Jade saw this and immediately leaped upwards to a branch, completely avoiding the knives's trajectory.
The Hunter smirked slightly, upon seeing her actions. He immediately swiped his hand upwards, completely changing the flight path of the knives. The knives immediately curved upwards towards the tree branch Jade was perched on.
"Shit!" Jade cursed as she jumped towards on top of another branch.
"Do you think you could escape my blades Miss Froggy?!" asked the Hunter as he easily just pointed towards Jade's new location, making the knives chase her continuously as Jade leaps from one branch to another in an effort to avoid the knives.
"You're forgetting about me?!" Tess immediately charged towards the Hunter. The Hunter saw this and immediately lifted his other hand, causing one of the knives that was chasing Jade to immediately fly towards Tess.
Tess saw the knife flying towards her at full speed so she immediately readied her dagger. When the knife finally got closer, Tess immediately parried the knife with her dagger, blocking the incoming attack.
"Nice block! Let's see if you can block it continuously! Flying Knife: Rapid Strike!" chanted the Hunter.
His flying knife immediately flew back to Tess. The Kobold blocked the attack again but the knife didn't stop trying to slash away at her. After every block, the knife would try to attack her from a different angle, forcing Tess to move around a lot and tiring her faster.
After a gruelling six minutes, Tess felt her body getting slower. The Hunter noticed her sudden sluggish movement and used that opportunity to use his flying knife and attack her at a position she was completely unaware of.
With just a couple hand swipes, the knife swiftly moved lower towards her legs and immediately stabbed itself to it.
"Aaaghhh!" Tess screamed in pain when she felt the knife embed itself into her right thigh. Blood was furiously oozing out of her leg as the knife tried to tear deeper into her flesh.
"You're dead meat now bitch! Hahaha!" the Hunter laughed wickedly as he used his power to make the knife bore deeper into the poor Kobold.
"Don't celebrate too early you bastard! Art Of Mucus Toad: Leap Impact!" Jade suddenly appeared besides the Hunter and delivered a strong magic kick to his abdomen, knocking the Hunter away for quite a distance.
Due to the attack, the knife immediately stopped moving, allowing Jade to pull it out of Tess's leg.
"This is gonna hurt okay *ribbit*?" stated Jade.
"Just... pull it out" Tess said, still in deep pain.
"Okay. One...two...ribbit!" Jade yanked the knife out of her body and threw the knife away.
Jade immediately opened the bag of medicine that Tess was carrying earlier and pulled out a roll of bandage and a health potion. She quickly applied the potion, causing the Kobold to wince slightly when the liquid made contact with her injured flesh. Once she was done, she immediately wrapped Tess's leg with the bandage.
"Can you stand up *ribbit*?" asked Jade.
"I think I can" Tess tried to stand up and she successfully did but once she moved a little, the sting immediately returned to her leg.
"Ouch!" Tess yelled.
"It seems you can't move too well" said Jade.
"How are we going to defeat this guy? We're down one man" stated Tess.
"We can defeat him. I have a plan, listen up" Jade whispered the plan to Tess.
After Jade told her plan to Tess, the Kobold immediately nodded in agreement. There's still hope for the duo.
"I'll go first. See you later, Jade" Tess said as she limped slowly away from the battle area.
Not soon after Tess left, the Hunter emerged once again from the bushes, his jacket was a bit torn and he had scratches and bruise marks on his skin.
"Hmm? Where's your Kobold friend?" asked the Hunter as he didn't see Tess anywhere.
"She had already went back to the village. In a few minutes, there is gonna be dozens of Kobold warriors here and there will be no escape for you" said Jade.
"Oh no! What shall I ever do?! I'm doomed!...Hahahaha!" the Hunter laughed loudly. "That's really stupid of you. I only require the stone from you so now that your friend is gone, I could easily take it from you" exclaimed the Hunter.
"Tough luck prick! I already gave the stone to her. Good luck getting it *ribbit*!" mocked the Mucus Toad.
"What?!...*sigh* Doesn't matter. I could call in for more reinforcements tomorrow and we will raid the village. I will get that stone no matter what. But since we're already here, I might first try to bring some souvenir home" the Hunter said as he recalled both of his flying knives earlier back to his side.
"I won't let you escape. I'll beat you ass here and now so you'll never get that stone!" Jade immediately entered her battle stance again.
"Let's see who comes out on top then. Go" the Hunter used his power and the knives immediately shot to the Mucus Toad.
"I have to find a way to block the knives. But how?" Jade's eyes roamed widely throughout the area until she finally found a broken cylindrical tree branch on the floor.
"This will work" Jade picked it up and immediately braced herself for the incoming attack.
"Flying Knife: Infinity Slashes!" chanted the Hunter as the knifes immediately went in for the kill.
The first knife immediately tried to strike Jade's leg but Jade blocked it easily. Using the branch, she swatted the knife away and waited for the second knife to attack. Immediately after she blocked it, the second knife came flying from behind her, aiming for her head.
The Mucus Toad sensed this and immediately ducked, causing the knife to miss her completely. "I think I know their pattern now. Each knife will attack from an opposite direction from the other" deducted Jade.
Now that she finally has an idea on how to anticipate where the knives will strike, she easily have acquired her rhythm. The knives continued striking her from every direction but is was useless since Jade effortlessly countered and block every strike.
"Shit! The frog girl found out how my knives work!" cursed the Hunter inwardly.
Suddenly, Jade delivered a massive hit to one of the knives, causing it to be flung away towards the bushes farther from the range where the Hunter could control it.
"No matter. Now that I only have one knife, I could focus and control it better. Flying Knife: Solo Kill" chanted the Hunter causing the knife to glow red. Suddenly, the knife's flying speed skyrocketed until Jade had a hard time pin pointing it's movement.
Out of nowhere, the knife suddenly appeared from Jade's right side. Luckily, Jade saw it in time and managed to block it, barely. "If this keeps up, I might be in trouble. I just need to buy a little bit more time" Jade said to herself.
Jade tried her best and continued blocking the swift attacks from the knife. She found it harder to block the attacks each time as the knife became faster. Suddenly, Jade saw a glint of light from the corner of her eyes and smirked.
"Got ya *ribbit*" said Jade.
"Huh? What does she mean?" the Hunter was confused. The Mucus Toad was in a disadvantage and the reinforcements couldn't have arrive this soon. So why was she smirking?
At that moment, the Hunter suddenly felt light-headed. An unknown pain was spreading from his upper abdomen. "Wha-" the Hunter looked down and saw a knife, his knife from earlier, stabbed right into his chest. Blood was flowing out of the wound rapidly.
The Hunter immediately dropped down, his strength vanished into thin air. "H-how?" asked the Hunter as blood poured out of his mouth.
The Hunter turned his head to the side and saw non other than the Kobold that was supposedly calling for reinforcements, walking out of the bushes where she was hiding.
"When we were fighting earlier, I noticed something *ribbit*. When you diverged your focus towards Tess, the other knife that was chasing me just flew in a straight path. I figured that you can only focus on one target at a time. So I made a plan. If I could somehow get your attention solely on me, I could find an opening to use your power against you" explained Jade.
"When you were so busy attacking her, I was waiting for my opportunity to strike. As soon as Jade swatted the knife into the bushes, I immediately picked it up and threw it as soon as you let your guard down" added Tess.
"Ha...ha...ha. Bravo. You two *cough* managed to outsmart me. I guess this is it for me...my final hunt was a failure" the Hunter spoke softly as the life slowly escape his body.
"Let's go back to the village Tess. There's no use staying here anymore" said Jade as the duo began to leave the area.
"You two...better watch out. More threats will soon appear and there's nothing you could do to stop them" said the Hunter as he exhaled his final breath.
"We're not afraid, we will defeat them just as we had defeated you" the Kobold exclaimed confidently. After that, the duo began moving back towards the village.
With Saga, The Tracker Services Shop
Saga was currently busy cleaning up the store when a random Kobold suddenly burst into the shop.
"What the-" Saga was shocked but she managed to compose herself.
"Saga...Tess is back a-" the Kobold was cut off by an excited Saga who was happy the her daughter had already returned.
"Tess is back?! How is she?" asked Saga.
"She's injured"
Saga heard that and instantly ran out of the shop. Once she was outside, she saw a crowd at the entrance of the village. She immediately sprinted towards the crowd and pushed anyone that was blocking her way aside. Once she managed to squeeze herself into the crowd, she saw her daughter lying on the ground with a bloody bandage wrapped around her leg and also Jade whom seemed bruised up.
"Oh no! What happened to my baby?!" Saga immediately cradled Tess.
"She will be fine. She's just exhausted from the running. Once we patch her up, she'll heal" said a Kobold doctor on the scene.
"Hello Saga" greeted Jade.
"Are you okay?! What happened to you two?!" asked Saga.
"To make it simple, a bunch of mercs attacked us. The adventurer that was with Tess stayed behind to stop them from chasing after us but one managed to catch up *ribbit*. It was a hell of a fight but we pulled through...but we need your help. The adventurer...can you please send reinforcements to help him *ribbit*. He might be in trouble... he's at the swamps" requested Jade.
"We got that. We'll send two teams ASAP to help the adventurer" said one of the guards.
"Thank you...thank you very much" Jade thanked them one last time before she too collapsed from exhaustion.
One hour later, with Natsu, The Great Forest Swamps
Mud...trees...pebbles...flowers...snakes...soil...burnt. Almost everything in the battle zone was burnt. The once muddy terrain filled with lush greenery was now full of craters, burnt logs and fissures.
Yet, the fight was not yet over. Not in the slightest. Natsu Dragneel and Hake Juko had been going at it for a full hour now and both are still not down. In fact, they seemed like they were just getting started.
"Waaargggghhh!" the demonic form of what was once Hake roared as it lunged towards Natsu. Natsu easily avoided his attack and retaliated with a strong kick to it's head, knocking it down onto the ground.
Hake fell so hard onto the ground that the dirt beneath him cracked. But the attack was clearly not affective in the slightest as the half-demon rose back up easily.
"Shit! None of my attacks are having any effect to him. My fires burnt him so many times and yet he heals from it so quickly. I even tried to go full offensive on him and yet it's still not working" Natsu said to himself.
Hake wasted no time assaulting Natsu again, this time by firing a demonic beam from his mouth. The beam of demonic energy was honed in on Natsu to which Natsu retaliated with his own beam attack.
"Fire Dragon: Roar!" Natsu blasted out a stream of fire and it collided with the demonic energy beam resulting in an explosion at the centre of the impact.
"I can't drag this out any longer. I need to get back to Jade and Tess soon...but how? I have to find a way" Natsu said.
Suddenly, just in front of Natsu, a pillar of light shot down to the ground. Natsu could feel warm energy emanating from the light. Even Hake retreated, hiding himself from the shine.
But, not more than five minutes later, the pillar of light died down. Though, it wasn't the end. Right at where the light hit the ground, there was a female figure in a kneeling position.
"Greetings, Master Dragneel. It is a great honour to be in your presence" said the person.
"Umm...no offense but...who the hell are you?" asked Natsu.
"I think the correct term would be who the heaven are you, since I came from the heavens" corrected the figure.
"Heaven?"
"Ooh, I'm deeply sorry. I got a little distracted there. My name is Freya, former Chief Commander of the 1st Valkyrie Battalion and also former Personal Guard of the Chief Goddess" Freya introduced herself. (For the description of the monster girl, look up Valkyrie Monster Girl Encyclopedia).
"And why are you here exactly?" asked Natsu.
"To assist you of course. From now on, by the order of the Goddess, I shall be your personal guard, Master Dragneel" stated Freya as she bowed to Natsu.
"You know what...weird shit had been happening the whole three months I was in this world. I'm honestly not even gonna question it...welcome to the family, Freya" Natsu welcomed her with a smile on his face.
"Thanks Master. Now, shall we deal with this demon together?" Freya said as she materialised a sword on her right hand and a shield on her left.
"Do you have any ideas on how we can take him down?" asked Natsu.
"Just one. Most attacks won't have any effect on demons. Demons are given the immunity from almost any power except light, the polar opposite of their nature. That is why I need you to hold him down for me Master. Make sure he doesn't escape from your hold" said Freya.
"Sure thing. Let's end this! Fire Dragon: Iron Fist!" Natsu chanted as he ran towards Hake, his hand enveloped in fiery hot flames. Once he got close to him, Natsu immediately punched him at the gut with full force, causing the demon to growl in pain.
"It's not over yet. Fire Dragon: Blazing Kick!" Natsu delivered a cyclone kick straight onto his skull, knocking him downwards on the ground. Natsu seized the golden opportunity and immediately grabbed hold of Hake, the demon wriggling furiously in order to escape from his grasp.
"Freya!!! Anytime now!" yelled Natsu.
"Okay! Art Of Valkyrie: Cleansing Stab!" Freya immediately stabbed her sword into Hake's chest.
"Freya! What are you doing?!" Natsu asked as he saw Freya's sword piercing Hake.
"Don't worry Master! This will only affect his inner soul. It won't have any affect on his actual physical body" assured Freya.
Hake's demonic body began trashing about as the technique's power began taking effect. The holy energy from the sword started to spread across Hake's body, eliminating any demonic presence from his soul.
"Noooo!!!!! My power!!!!!!" Hake yelled in anger, his voice sounded almost normal.
After a while, the process ended, leaving an unconscious Hake lying sprawled on the floor.
"It is done Master." said Freya as she pulled her sword out and unmaterialised it.
"Woooh! That was tough!" said Natsu as he sat down trying to catch his breath.
"Master Dragneel, can I ask you something?" asked Freya.
"Go ahead"
"You were holding back a lot at that fight. Why didn't you go all out?" asked Freya in confusion.
"Look around you. I held back and look at the devastation. Imagine if I didn't. I might be strong, but that doesn't mean I have full control over my magic. I'm still learning... training... getting better at it." explained Natsu.
rustle* *rustle*
"Master! Do you hear that?!" asked Freya on high alert as she heard the nearby bushes rustle.
"Relax Freya. Those aren't enemies" assured Natsu.
"How do you know for sure Master?"
"My heightened senses, comes with being a dragon slayer" Natsu said as he pointed at his nose. Soon, around two dozen Kobolds appeared from the bushes.
"Are you okay, adventurer?" asked the Kobold guard.
"I'm fine" said Natsu. "Though you guys got a lot of clean up to do"
"It is fine. We'll take it from here. Two of my guards will escort you and the Valkyrie back to the village" said the Kobold guard.
"Follow us Sir, Ma'am" said the two Kobolds as they guided Natsu back to the village.
"Finally, I can get some rest! Like seriously, *chuckle* can't I just have a normal mission for once?" Natsu joked with himself.
One hour later, back at the Kobold Settlements, with Natsu and Freya
"Finally! We're back!" said Natsu as he let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"It must had been tiring for you Master, with all the fighting that you did" said Freya as she pitied the fire dragon slayer.
"Tell me about it. But at least it's over...for now. Thanks you two for accompanying us back here" Natsu thanked the two Kobold guards.
"We are glad to be of service. Now, if you would excuse us... we'll resume back our duties at our posts" the two Kobolds bowed before they started to leave Natsu and Freya.
"Wait! Before you go, I wanna ask something. Do you know where Tess is?" asked Natsu.
"Hmm...Tess? She and the Mucus Toad had been sent to the treatment center. Both of them were quite injured when they got here, it looked like they had a fight with someone" explained the guard.
"Injured?! Where's the facility?!" asked Natsu, his tone sounded really desperate.
"It's that big building over there" the guard pointed towards a building that had a red cross sign installed on top of the roof of the building.
Natsu wasted no time running straight to the building, leaving a baffled Freya behind.
"H-hey Master!... Wait up!" Freya yelled as she chased after the dragon slayer.
Once Natsu was at the door, he immediately burst into the building and walked straight to the nurse working behind a desk.
"Do you know where Tess and Jade are warded at?" asked Natsu to the nurse.
"The Kobold and Mucus Toad from earlier? They are warded upstairs. However, you n-" the receptionist was completely ignored by Natsu who immediately ran upstairs.
"Hey! You need to register first to visit a patient!" the nurse yelled.
Right after that, Freya entered the building. "It's okay! I'll register for him as well" Freya said as she registered both her name and Natsu's at the visiting form.
With Natsu
"Please be okay! Please be okay!" Natsu chanted the same sentence over and over again like a mantra, praying that his two friends were alright.
Not long after, he reached the upper floor and saw quite a bunch of other Kobolds warded. He walked pass each bed in hopes of finding where Tess and Jade were warded.
His heart started to race immediately after she saw Saga, who was sitting besides a bed whom he presumed was Tess's. He walked closer...closer...closer. Natsu was lucky that the Goddess was on his side today.
Tess was perfectly fine, conscious and was happily chatting with Saga. Jade was on the bed next to her and was also talking with the mother and daughter duo.
"Thank god you're alright!" Natsu said as he approached them.
"Natsu!" Tess yelled in excitement when she saw Natsu. The Kobold immediately leaped from the bed and hugged Natsu tightly.
"Woah there! You miss me?" asked Natsu who was baffled by her actions.
"I do! I'm glad you're alright!" Tess exclaimed as a lone tear of joy escaped from her eye.
"Mmm-hmm" Saga cleared her throat causing both Natsu and Tess to be flustered. Natsu immediately put Saga down, both of their cheeks swelled in embarrassment.
"It seems you made it out, adventurer" stated Saga.
"Yes...look, Saga... I'm sorry. It's my fault that Tess was put in danger and because of me... she's injured. I broke the contract and I will accept any punishment you see fit" stated Natsu as he lowered his head, feeling guilty.
"Punishment? Who said anything about punishment? Instead, I'm grateful... grateful to you" said Saga, confusing our dragon slayer.
"Huh?"
"Tess told me everything that happened. If it wasn't for you staying behind, my daughter wouldn't have made it out alive. Thank you Natsu, I'm eternally grateful" Saga thanked Natsu.
"Umm... you're welcome I guess" Natsu shrugged his head while smiling sheepishly. This was definitely not how he thought this scenario will play out.
While the three were chatting happily, one Mucus Toad was still trying to wrap her head around something.
"Wait guys! Hold up! You mean to tell me...THIS is the adventurer that saved me *ribbit*?!" asked Jade in shock.
"Yeah...why? Is something the matter?" asked Tess, confused why her friend is shocked by Natsu.
"No... nothing's wrong. It's just...I thought adventurers would be more...scruffy looking. I would've never thought he would be this handsome *ribbit*" Jade unknowingly complimented Natsu, causing him to blush while Tess just pouts in jealousy.
"Hey Jade...I think you better shut up" warned Tess.
"Huh? Why? I'm only surprised that my rescuer is such a hunk of a man *ribbit*" continued Jade, angering Tess further.
"Jade!" yelled Tess.
"Okay... okay. I'll shut up" said Jade.
"Thank you"
"Only if you promise to share him with me if the two of you ever hook up *ribbit*" said Jade while winking.
Natsu was completely smoking up right now which is something since he is a dragon slayer. Tess was fuming in embarrassment while Saga just laughed at the scenario that was playing out in front of her.
"That's it, you're dead!" Tess immediately pounced at Jade and the two tussled for a while as if they weren't even injured.
Natsu and Saga had a good laugh, seeing the two friends tussling on the bed. As if on cue, Freya arrived at the scene and was immediately confused by what was happening in front of her.
"Umm, did I miss anything?" asked a confused Freya.
"Hahaha! You did Freya...you did" Natsu continued laughing at the comedy skit, enjoying himself for once.
One day later,
Natsu and Freya crashed at Saga's place for a night. The Kobold was more than happy to serve them. Now, it was high time that they returned back home.
Natsu went back to the horse stable to fetch Blizzard and his cart, to which the horse neighed joyfully when it saw Natsu return. Natsu thanked the caretaker for taking care of his horse and cart and bid her goodbye.
Now, he was at the entrance of the village, packing his stuff and loading it inside his cart. He and Freya was loading the items when a certain Kobold came to them, looking all gloomy.
"Hey, Tess... what's the matter? You look sad" Natsu noticed her sad expression but can't figure out why she was acting that way.
"Please..." she whimpered.
"Please what?"
"Please don't leave" she said softly.
"Tess...you know I have to go back home. But don't worry, I'll come visit you and Saga when I'm free. Who knows, I might even get another mission here soon and you can be my guide again" said Natsu, trying to cheer her up.
"No! I don't want to stay apart from you. I like you Natsu...like, I like like you. I don't want you to leave me" Tess almost screamed it, the Kobold was so close to crying.
"You like me?"
"Of course I do doofus! Can't you tell. I've been giving you signs since we entered the forest. Gosh you're dense!" said Tess.
"Tess... I'm sorry. I didn't know that. I like you too...very much" admitted Natsu.
"You do?"
"Of course I do. I mean, you're cute, brave. I just didn't think that you felt the same way for me" said Natsu.
"I love you!" Tess immediately pounced on Natsu and kissed him on the lips with Natsu returning the kiss. It's official, they're lovers now.
Seeing the scene, Saga immediately approached the duo. "Tess, go with him" said Saga.
"But...what about you, mom?"
"I can take care of the store myself. Plus, I can hire more hands if I need to. Natsu... promise me you'll keep my baby safe" Saga looked straight at Natsu's eyes and saw that it was filled with love and determination.
"I will Saga. You can count on me, hehe" Natsu smirked at the older Kobold.
"Tess, welcome to the family" Natsu said to her.
"Let me just pack Tess's things and you three can be on your way. And also...Natsu" Saga called out to him.
"Yes?"
"Please give me lots and lots of grandchildren" Saga said while smirked deviously.
"Mom!" Tess's cheeked turned pink, embarrassed by her mother's statement.
"I will! You can bet on that!"
Soon, the trio was finished with everything they needed to do. Tess had a final parting goodbye with her mother, the mother and daughter had a long, loving hug. After that, Natsu, Freya and Tess departed from the village.
"You know Natsu, I'm gonna miss this place" said Tess.
"Don't worry, we can visit again soon. Right Freya?" asked Natsu.
"Do not worry Master. I shall follow you to the ends of the earth" said the loyal Valkyrie.
Suddenly, as they were chatting, the cart immediately shook heavily. A loud thud was heard from on top of the cart roof. Natsu immediately stopped the cart and went to have a look.
Natsu took a slight peek and was surprised at what he saw. "Heyyyy guyyyys" greeted a familiar Mucus Toad.
"Jade! What the hell are you doing here?!" asked Tess.
"What do you mean *ribbit*? I'm coming with you" stated the Mucus Toad.
"What about your home?!"
"I don't care about that place. Momma always said that home is when you are with people you love the most *ribbit*. I'm your friend Tess, I will never leave your side. Plus, you did promise me you'll share Natsu with me" said Jade while laughing cheekily.
"Jade!"
"It's okay Tess, I have a lot of spare rooms inside my house. I don't mind if Jade comes with us. It just means a bigger, more happy family" said Natsu while smiling his signature smile, melting the hearts of Tess and Jade.
"He's so hot!" Tess and Jade squealed internally.
"Bad Freya! Bad Freya! You can't have dirty thoughts about your Master!" Freya berated herself mentally, trying her best to keep her composure.
After the sudden appearance of Jade, Natsu continued the ride, with Tess and Freya sitting on his right while Jade sat on the left with Tess hugging his right arm and Jade leaning on his left shoulder. Now, it can be said for sure, this journey has ended and another one will begin.
Eight hours later, Natsu's Farmhouse
Natsu had finally arrived back home. Just half an hour before, Natsu had stopped by the guild to give Poppy the requested Mucus Plants that he had collected. Natsu was over the moon when Poppy gave him his sweet reward, a heap ton of gems, 7000 gems to be exact.
Natsu's eyes turned to stars as he received the money. The three monster girls that were accompanying him sweat-dropped after seeing his behaviour.
Now, Natsu and the trio had arrived at the front door. "Hey Natsu, do you think your wives will accept us?" asked Tess.
"Hmm, deja vu." said Natsu, as he felt that someone else had asked the same question before. "It's okay. They're gonna be fine with it" assured Natsu as he knocked on the door.
"Hello! Is there anybody home?" Natsu called out.
"Oh, you three might want to step away from the door" warned Natsu.
"Why?" asked the trio simultaneously.
"You'll see" said Natsu. The trio shrugged it out and moved away from the wooden door. Not long after, a long rumbling was heard inside the house and it was getting closer.
"Ah shit. Here we go again" Natsu sighed as he braced himself. Immediately, the door burst open as a group of monster girls ran out of the house and threw themselves onto Natsu.
"Natsu!" they cheered in happiness. Natsu was unluckily sanwiched under his wives whom all seemed to happy for his return.
"I miss *cough* you guys too" said Natsu as he stood up and dusted himself.
"Mr. Natsu, who are they?" asked Lala in curiousity.
"Yeah, meet Tess the Kobold, Jade the Mucus Toad and Freya the Valkyrie. I met them during my mission" explained Natsu.
"Hi" the trio greeted them.
"Ooo Natsu you womaniser!" Amber teasingly elbowed Natsu.
"Hey... I'm not a womaniser! In fact, I respect women!" said Natsu as he huffed in annoyance.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, casanova"
"Would you three like to come in? Clara made some cake for us" Bethany invited the trio into the house.
"This follower of Hel assures you that the cake is quite delectable" added Clara.
"Oh, by the way Natsu. Ruby, Zaia and Ilse returned" said Amber, the tone of her voice immediately shifted from joy to serious. And Natsu knew something wrong.
"They returned?"
"Yes, and they brought company" said Amber.
"Who?" asked Natsu.
"See for yourself" said Amber as all eight of them entered the house. They all walked to the kitchen and was greeted by the sight of a Hellhound, a Chimaera and a Cursed Sword sitting around the table with an unknown monster girl.
"Beloved! You're finally back home" said Ilse as she stood up from the chair and hugged Natsu lovingly. Natsu returned the hug and went to Zaia and Ruby and petted their heads.
"And how are my two monster wives doing?"
"We're doing fine. We missed you" said Zaia and Ruby.
"Yeah, me too. And...who are you?" Natsu finally asked the stranger.
"My name is Altair, an Anubis resident and one of the caretakers of the Sandstorm Desert Ancient Temple" said the Anubis. (For the description of the monster girl, look up Anubis Monster Girl Encyclopedia) "I would like to thank you and your wives for your generous and kind hospitality" thanked Altair.
"No problem...though, why are you here exactly?" asked Natsu.
"The monster girls of the Sandstorm Desert need your help. The Holy Sovereign has already taken control of the desert and the temple. And they are planning to use the ancient powers lying dormant inside the temple to shape the world anew. A world without monster kin. I came from the desert in seek of help...from you. Will you help us free the desert Natsu Dragneel?" asked Altair.
"Why me?"
"Because you are the only one capable of stopping them. Will you help us?" Altair asked again, the desperation in her voice was clear.
Natsu stopped for a moment and gazed upon his wives. His wives smiled at him, all of them nodding in agreement. It seemed that they already had made their mind, even before Natsu came. But the decision still lies in his hands. If he accepts, he risks the safety of his wives but if he declines, then there will be no more future.
"I'll keep them safe. I'll keep them safe no matter the costs" Natsu said to himself internally with blazing determination.
"Altair...I...accept"