Woop woop, Chapter 4, Erza centered chapter, is here! With more dialogue. I hate writing dialogue, especially what happenes in-between exchanged sentences. I always visualise my stories like manga, and wish I could actually draw. Sigh. Expect more action coming up very soon. Enjoy and as always - speak your mind out in the reviews!

Early morning of November 21st, Lupinus

Erza stepped out of the train, her eyes taking in the sight of the unpleasant train station. It's been 20 hours since she began her search and so far, the only thing she managed to find was a slight feeling of irritation at the thought of wasting so much time in vain.

"I should have come here way sooner." she sighed lightly, as she made her way through the obscure town. It didn't take her long to recognize the so familiar building in the distance. However, something was bothering her.

While walking through the town, she could feel multiple pairs of eyes glued to her figure, as the inhabitants watched her carefully from within their homes. She wasn't suprised - people from this town did not take kindly to strangers. But something felt different about them; it was almost as if they were scared, and not of the knight.

After a very short while, Erza found herself very close to Troy's bar, but with every step she took she could feel her face frowning even more. The man was currently sitting in front of his bar, right by the table he most likely dragged out of the local. His head was resting on top of his hands, which were pressed against his forehead, with the remains of a cigarette in-between fingers of his right hand. The entire wooden surface of the table was covered in ash, with cigarette filters lying all around his chair and table, covering the ground. Overall, this scene was a mix of sadness, creepiness and suprise, as Troy rarely stepped outside of his bar during the day, but the weirdest element of this picture was a quite big stack of cash placed on the edge of the table.

"Troy, are you okay?" asked the redhead, concerned with his appearance.

The bartender twitched at the sound of her voice and lifted his head to look at the woman with his bloodshot eyes. Upon seeing her, his face twisted into a weird grimace. He reached towards his pocket and pulled out yet another cancer stick, lighting it with his shaking hands.

"What do you want?" he asked the knight with a raspy voice.

"I asked you first. What happened here? Have you been here all night?" Erza placed her hands on the table, her tone worried.

"Yep. All night. Because of the visit I received in the night, I don't feel like sleeping." he responded, chuckling sarcastically.

"A visit? From whom?" the Requip mage asked confused. Troy's bar was usually opened from dusk to dawn, depending on his guests, who ranged between regular drunks and shady businessmen and gangs. She's been here plenty of times, even during rush hours and never had she seen him in such a sorry state.

"Salamander himself." he responded, shocking the redhead, as he inhaled an unpleasantly big amount of smoke into his lungs, burning half of the cigarette with one drag. "That's where the money is from, by the way." he coughed, pointing at the bills.

"He was here?! What did he want?" she yelled unintentionally, making the man laugh.

"What do you think? The same thing you all keep me around for." he retorted, his laughter dying immediately, replaced by an angry voice. "Information, and pretty fucking weird one if you ask me."

Erza was sweating. So that was the reason people were so scared. Majority of Lupinus' inhabitants were mages, with only few exceptions like Troy himself. The reason they were so terrified must have been Salamander's enormous magic.

"Did he use force to get what he wanted? How long has it been since he left? What sort of information did he want?!" Erza asked in rapidfire-like fashion, her voice getting louder with each question. If he was here not so long ago, catching up to him in the remaining time she had until her trial was possible.

Troy simply took another drag from his cig and threw it to the ground, reaching for his half-emptied bottle of booze to wash it down.

"Slow down, woman, I can barely sit. Give me some time to process your words." he muttered, raising his hand defensively. "One question at a time."

He reached out for yet another cigarette, but this time he was stopped by an iron grip on his wrist, as Erza reached out to prevent him from doing so.

"Get a hold of yourself." Erza hissed, fed up with her friends sorry appearance. The man simply stared at her with his eyes half open and sighed in defeat.

"Fine." he said shortly, massaging his sore eyes. "I'll have to take my time to answer your questions, so don't hit me please."

Erza let go of his hand, slightly guilty of her impulsive reaction. The knight took a seat and waited for Troy to talk.

"No, he didn't force me into anything. If he did, do you think he'd leave this thing before he left?" said the bartender, tapping the cash with his finger. "What's that supposed to be, recompensation?"

Erza inhaled loudly, trying to relax - Troy was drunk and tired, pushing him would bring more harm than good. Still, she was in a hurry.

"He came here couple minutes before I was about to close for the night." continued Troy, pulling out a new cigarette carefully, afraid Erza will snatch it away. "Some guy puked all over my door, so I had to clean it. That's when he appeared. At first, I thought it was an another client, so I respectfully told him the bar was closed. He didn't listen, so I took a slightly more rude different approach and turned around to take a look at his mug. I don't know what happened to him, but the guy was covered in bandages in basically every place on his body. I won't lie, I got a little scared for a second, but in the end I told him to go away. Then he asked me something and god damn my curiosity, because at that moment I knew who he was."

"What did he ask you?" asked Erza, glad she was finally getting some information.

For a very short while that didn't go unnoticed by the knight, Troy looked at her with something that resembled a mix of pity and concern, before taking a swing of his booze.

"Nothing important. I may have gotten scared, I won't lie. I mean, the guy is known for being a violent brute after all. But up close he didn't seem like an aggressive type. When I couldn't bring myself to answer him properly, he took it as a sign of me being difficult, so he threw that right under my feet." Troy pointed at the cash with his chin. "You know I'm not a greedy scumbag and I'm not particularly interested in money, but seeing this damn thing allowed me to relax. It was a sign that he wouldn't kill me if I didn't live up to his expectations. And so I told him everything I knew. He asked about couple weird things, like where was the nearest hospital, or if the amount he's given me was sufficient. He left 10 minutes later, thanking me for my time so damn politely it threw me completely off guard. I think this guy really lives in a different reality, the money he gave me is more than I've probably earned in my whole life."

The former bandit exhaled some smoke through his nose and leaned back in his chair, finished with his monologue.

Erza listened to his story, her eyes squinted. He's always been clever, capable of talking his way through almost everything. But that worked on strangers and his clients, and definitely not on her.

"Do you really think I don't see right through this facade?" she asked sharply, making the man look at her in confusion. "Do you think I'm an idiot?"

Troy opened his mouth to answer her, but froze for a moment, before sighing heavily. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You didn't know what he looked like, or what he sounded like. you didn't recognize him even when he was right in front of you and yet only one question about a god damn hospital made you realise who you're talking to? Nothing important? I don't believe that." Erza growled through her teeth. "What did he want? Enough with lies."

The atmosphere between them was tense, to say the least. Erza looked like she was trying to melt him with her glare, something that usually worked when he was too difficult. But not this time.

Troy took his eyes off the redhead and lightly shook his head.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Erza."

With that being said, he stood up from his chair and stretched, his back cracking loudly. Erza, feeling panic grasping her neck, stood up from her seat as well and slammed her armored palms into the table in a last attempt to make the man talk. Her conflicted feelings have resurfaced once again, as she grew more and more desperate with each wasted minute. And by know, there was alot of them.

"God damn it, Troy! I have to know! Stop being difficult and just tell me!" she roared.

"For your own good, it's best if you just leave and go home. I know I owe you, but-"

"NO!"

Erza smashed her fists into the table, smashing it into pieces. Breathing loudly, she looked into Troy's eyes with enough anger to make the man scared of her.

"There is no debt! There's never been any debt! Ever since I've dragged your halfdead body to that doctor all these years ago, the thought of you being in debt to me has never even crossed my mind! In fact, it's the complete opposite! I am the one who owes you more than I could ever repay you! Your information from three days ago was more helpful than you could imagine. Thanks to that little bit you've shared with us, we managed to save 8 girls who would most likely end up as slaves. So please, don't hide things from me, and tell me. What did he want and where did he go?"

Erza's tone was now pleading, as she stared into the bartender's soul with her brown orbs. This confession has truly shocked him, as he was just standing there, his mouth half open and his eyes glued to the redhead's face. For a moment, he looked like he was about to spill the beans, however he restrained himself at the last second and shook his head yet again.

"No, Erza. Not this time. For years I thought it was a myth, I wanted it to be a myth. But it's not, and he made it clear pretty damn hard. I'm too scared to even think about it, therefore, you will not hear anything from me." the man whispered. He slowly raised his arm and pointed towards East. "He went that way. If you follow this path long enough, you'll see a town not bigger than this shithole. There's a hospital there, along with a guild you may be quite familiar with, they may have further clues for you. Go and find him. But, don't blame me if you get killed, and be mindful - if you go after him, you may step into the biggest mess of your life, and it may very well turn out to be the last step you'll ever take."

Troy entered his bar and grabbed the doorknob with his right hand. He turned his head around and took a last gaze at the redhead.

"Now, if you excuse me. I think I'll take a nap. You can have this money, not like I'd have any use for it anyway. Goodbye, Erza." he threw in farewell, closing the door behind him, a key turning itself around in the lock few seconds afterwards. Erza stared at the door, processing what she just heard. Myth? Rumor? Whatever it was, it was important enough to make the steelnerved Troy sweat in fear. And that couldn't have been good. The knight shifted her eyes onto the direction in which he pointed in earlier, where a thick blanket of green trees was placed, as she tried to bring up the image of the map she used to read so damn often in her mind.

"If I'm not mistaken, the town that's in this direction is..."

Erza's eyes widened at the realisation, as cold sweat ran down her neck.

"This is bad. If they meet, it will end up in yet another disaster." was all that she managed to think before dashing at full speed, running out of Lupinus and towards her new destination.

Troy watched the knight take off through his peephole, before turning around and sliding his back on the door, landing on his ass. He shifted his tired eyes at the ceiling and sighed heavily.

"Seven Commandments, huh?" he asked himself quietly, his eyes getting heavier with each second. "God, help us." was all his mind managed to register before losing to the warm embrace of sleep.

Afternoon of November 21st, Magic Council HQ, Era

Luppi was sitting in his chair, his back turned to the chamber door. It was a relatively lazy day, with only one meeting scheduled sometime in the evening. His "puppet" was currently in his bed, resting. For the first time in recent months, the teenager was bored. Usually, he'd live the day through Gran Doma's eyes, so there wasn't much time to feel boredom, but today it was a different story.

His fingers were currently playing with a knife, as he spinned it around his palms, sometimes throwing it into the air, only to catch it in a flashy way. Suddenly, his ear twitched, as they caught the faint sound of opening door. In one, swift movement he turned around and threw the knife at his target, only to see it catch the knife in-between its fingers, mere centimeters away from its face.

"This has to be the warmest welcome you've ever given me." mocked the figure in a young, male voice, his face covered with a hood.

"Well, I am running out of ideas." retorted lazily Luppi, turning back around to show the man right side of his face. "What do you want, Heavens? And how did you even get in?"

"Oh? I thought Jolene would have filled you in by now?" asked the man in slight suprise. "And, I thought we were finally close enough to stop calling each others by our codenames, Mind. As for how I got in..." he smiled, as his figure flickered in the sunlight.

"Typical." was all Luppi said in response to the man's way of getting inside of the building. He was really getting tired of talking to ghosts. "And yes, she did. I just don't understand why you're here, after all the trouble we've been through with shifting all the suspicion onto you and turning you into a mole. Your mere presence in Fiore is a big threat to us, not to mention you get to work in the field and even come here of all places. I don't know what Master's thinking. And no, we are not." the teenager continued to answer his guest's previous questions.

The hooded man chuckled sarcastically and threw his hood back, revealing his azure hair.

"Point taken. I'm here to give you orders from Master. He praises you for your idea of putting a bounty on Salamander's head, but he's disappointed with the way our pawns are handling it. He's given you an ultimatum - you and your "apes" have 3 days, starting from yesterday, to successfully capture him. If you fail, one of us will have to deal with this problem personally. I think you know what that means, don't you?" the man finished his report, smiling at the teenager, as he waited for his reaction with sinister anticipation.

Luppi gulped loudly, sweat running down his temple. That was definitely the last thing he wanted to happen.

"Tell Master, that I understand and will do everything in my strength to ensure Salamander is captured before we proceed into the last stage of our operation." he answered sharply.

"See? You can be a good boy if you want to." Heavens raised his eyebrows, his tone mocking. "Now, as much as I love spending time with you, I still have some stuff to deliver. Probably the last and final load."

"Wait, again? Why have they died so fast? Usually they were usable for at least 2 months, it hasn't even been two weeks since the last one." Luppi turned around to face the man, genuinely confused.

"With so close to deadline, the work is much more intense. Master wants to be done with it this month, therefore, we need more people. That's why he's given you a timelimit - we can't allow Salamander to destroy our supply routes any longer. You're running this place, surely you must have noticed our men being stuffed into way overcrowded cells after his "purges"."

"That's the reason I've hired all these guilds for, you know." the teenager retorted, turning back around. "If that's all, leave. Through the window, preferably."

Heavens chuckled and turned back, walking towards the door.

"See you soon, Luppi. Try not to rot in here." he said, waving his hand lazily.

"I hate you, Jellal." threw Luppi in farewell.

Jellal stopped in his tracks and froze for a second, as if considering attacking his comrade. But that didn't happen and he just turned his head around and smiled. "And vice versa." he responded, before disappearing in thin air.

Meanwhile

Erza panted heavily, as she made her way through the forest that stood in the way to her destination. Getting there was much harder than she anticipated, as she had to carefully avoid thick puddles of mud, fallen trees and rocks. All this jumping and skipping in intense heat was slowly starting to get to her, her legs getting heavier with each hour.

The knight swiftly climbed on a cliff, jumping on moss covered stones. With one final jump, she got a hold on the edge and pulled her weight up. The very first thing her eyes registered when she placed her torso on the upper ground, was a vast window in-between the leaves, with buildings visible in the background. Glad that she finally made it, she got up from the dirt and gently ran straight ahead.

After a minute of light jogging, the redhead finally emerged from the forest and stepped into the town, with the sun catching her figure for the first time in hours, as it began scorching her armor protected skin. Erza slightly bent over and grabbed her knees, regulating her breathing. Her stomach bruise started to bite into her left side, making the journey slightly harder than it was supposed to be. After one final breath, she moved from her spot and started to make her way through the town.

Oakwood Town was one of her least favorite places. The town itself was beautiful, completely surrounded by a thick forest filled with ponds, plains and animals, with majority of its buildings and houses made out of wood. Only a fool would dislike this beautiful scenery, and yet, Erza did not enjoy being here. And the reason for that was just in front of her, as after good couple minutes of walking, her eyes registered the so unpleasantly familiar guildhall placed right in the middle of the town, with Quatro Cerberus carved right above the entrance. She wasn't particularly fond of this guild's mages, especially their strongest S-Class wizard, whose perverted retorts and approaches usually ended up in an all out brawl.

Sighing deeply in defeat, Erza turned around on her heel and looked for inhabitants, wishing to ask about their hospital. If Salamander was truly looking for one, he may have visited it. She looked around for a while, before spotting something with the corner of her eye, as the neighboring alley was almost filled with people. Sensing trouble, the knight quickly crossed the street and soon found herself pushing her way through the crowd, making some people yelp out in pain as she brushed their skin with her red hot armor.

"Excuse me." she smiled kindly to a group of children that was trying to peek over the adults curiously, and finally found herself on the scene.

The entrance to the hospital was heavily damaged, with the door busted out of its hinges, most likely kicked from the inside. The nurses and doctors were trying to explain the situation to a group of Quatro Cerberus mages, who were clumsily cleaning the mess up. Feeling pressure, Erza walked out of the crowd and quickly walked up to the building, making her way towards an elder doctor, who was currently sitting in the hospital lobby, seemingly depressed with the mages' approach to the situation.

"Excuse me?" she asked him, gaining his attention. "My name is Erza Scarlet, I'm a Fairy Tail mage. Could you tell me what happened here?"

The doctor looked at her with tired eyes, which comically widened all of a sudden, shocked by her choice of clothing, however upon seeing her guild stamp he quickly shook it off and adjusted his glasses.

"Yes, yes of course. Despite your... unique appearance, it seems the universe showed its pity over me and sent you instead of these primitives. You seem like a competent girl, unlike those useless drunks." he grinded his teeth, pointing at the other mages. Erza couldn't help but chuckle at his words.

"That drunk, Bacchus, came here not so long ago, as usual demanding hangover pills. I was currently busy with finishing patching a certain young man up, so I told him to wait. At first he obliged, but then noticed my patient and started to watch him very carefully. He asked him some weird questions, and suddenly attacked him. They ran out of the building and made their way into the forest, with some of Bacchus' friends following in suit." relayed the doctor, furrowing his forehead to remember every detail of the incident.

Erza suddenly stopped feeling hot, as cold sweat covered her back. She was too late.

"Did this young man have a white, scaly scarf and pink hair?" she asked the doctor, using all her strength to make her tone sound as natural as possible.

"I don't know about the scarf, but he did have pink hair." replied the man, confirming Erza's fears.

"Which way did they go?!" she blew up, scaring the doctor.

"T-that way." he stuttered, pointing with his shaky finger.

Not even thanking him, Erza dashed in the freshly received direction, jumping into the green jaws of the forest yet again shortly afterwards.

This was bad. Although she didn't act any better, Erza knew Bacchus would not let Salamander go without a fight. The man may have liked money, because it brought him alcohol, but he liked fighting even more. The news of Fairy Tail's defeat had reached the ears of all other guilds. Bacchus would definitely want to challenge himself against someone who bested both the Demon and Titania of Fairy Tail. At this point, she didn't even know what she was concerned with the most - the town, forest or Bacchus and his friends. The image of destroyed Blackhill Village emerged yet again, as she dashed through the bushes, feeling thin branches and leaves scrape her skin.

A muffled nearby explosion ensured the knight that she was on the right path. Gritting her teeth, she kicked the ground as hard as she possibly could, praying in mind to make it in time. And her prayers have been answered.

With one final straight through thick bushes, Erza emerged out of them, only to be met with the sight of a plain, placed right in the middle of trees and bushes, with a giant chasm few meters away. The grassland became a battlefield, as multiple mages tried to attack one person, who swiftly continued to dodge their attacks, at the same time trying not to fall down into the darkness of the ground.

The knight sighed in relief - nothing major happened, at least not yet. With the situation seemingly under control, Erza decided to observe the situation before steeping in, as she ducked and hid in the bushes, hoping Salamander doesn't catch her smell in the middle of this skirmish.

The very first person she recognized was Bacchus, clad in his trademark armor-like clothes, as he continuously tried to connect his palm strikes on his opponent, who had some trouble with dodging them, but avoided receiving any damage. It didn't take the knight long to figure out who this person was - she could never forget this unusual hair color.

Salamander's appearance was slightly different from the attire he wore in Blackhill. Although he kept his military boots and pants, his upper half was clad in a black, unzipped long sleeved jacket that revealed his bandaged torso and hands. His face was uncovered, a white, fresh bandage wrapped around his forehead, with his white scarf sitting around his neck.

His face expressed pure annoyance, as he dodged yet another one of Bacchus' combinations, who clicked his tongue in irritation.

"Buddy, you're starting to piss me off." muttered the drunk, a slight tickmark appearing on his forehead. "I told you to stop messing around and fight me. Use your flames! Just hearing about you and your accomplishments makes my soul waver, so don't disappoint me!"

"Flames? Here? Not interested. Get lost." responded Salamander with a bored voice, gesturing at nearby trees and bushes, irritated as well. His eyes were not focused on his main opponent, as he observed the other Quatro Cerberus mages slowly surround him, pressuring him to take a step back, bringing himself closer to the chasm, his heels mere millimeters away from the edge.

Erza simply watched the scene, relieved she hasn't been spotted yet and glad she decided to hide for the time being - she was here for not even a full minute and one of her questions has already been answered: Salamander avoided combat with legal mages, no matter which guild they were from. But his concern about the forest...just what the hell was inside of this man's head?

Bacchus chuckled mockingly, laughing at Salamander's concern over the damage he could cause.

"No can do, pal. Do you really expect me to just let you go, after I've heard so much about you? Erza? Mirajane?! Not just anyone can walk around with victories over both of these babes over their head! And the reward for taking you down? That's just a bonus!" he exclaimed, licking his lips in excitement.

"No idea who you're talking about." retorted the Dragon Slayer, clicking his tongue in annoyance - escaping without a fight wasn't an option, no matter how hard he tried. The gap in the ground was simply too big to just jump over, not like they'd just like him to anyway. "Also, what reward are you talking about?" he asked the S-Class mage, trying to buy more time.

Bacchus' smile faded, his brow furrowing slightly. "Do you live under a rock? Titania Erza and Demon Mirajane, two of Fairy Tail's strongest mages, don't you remember who you've beaten few days ago?

"Oh, them." Salamander's frown relaxed a little, with a slight glimpse of guilt on his face that didn't go unnoticed by Erza. "What about the bounty? Who put it?" he asked sharply, looking Bacchus in the eye for the first time since the knight's arrival.

"The Council." answered the man, glad he finally piqued his interest. "30 million for taking you down, alive only."

Salamander's eyes glimpsed dangerously, as if he understood more from Bacchus' words than he was supposed to.

"Oh?" was all that came out of his mouth in response.

"I am a simple man. I love women, booze, money and a good fight. You, my friend, fit in three of those things. As you can see, I can't just let you walk out on me." said Bacchus, opening his arms to express himself. "Now, put up your fists. Let me enjoy myself!"

"If I give you the money, will you let me go?" asked Salamander in a carefree tone, throwing not only Bacchus, but Erza as well, off guard.

"What?" muttered the drunk, unsure whether he heard the Dragon Slayer right.

"I can give you the money, if that's what you want. Just let me be on my way." pressed Salamander, confusing Bacchus even more.

It took him a moment to regain his composure, but after a short while, Bacchus started to chuckle to himself, which suddenly turned into a loud laugh.

"You really are something else, buddy. I have to admit, your offer is really tempting." sighed Bacchus, slowly reaching towards his sealed bottle of booze. "But I refuse!" he yelled, ripping the bottle out of its holster. "If you don't come at me, then I just have to force you to do it, simple as that." he smiled wickedly, as he pulled the cork out with his teeth.

Salamander's eyes squinted dangerously, as he extended his left leg forward and bent his knees lightly, his fists catching on fire.

"Don't regret it." he warned his opponent, his voice suddenly sharpened into an intimidating tone, triggering unpleasant memories of their first meeting in Erza. Fed up with this ridiculous situation and sensing yet another tragedy, the knight shot up from her spot and quickly walked up to the scene.

"All of you, cease this at once!" she commanded, earning shocked looks from all present males. Bacchus' eyes widened a little, clearly suprised to see his rival in a place like this. But that didn't last long, as he just focused on Salamander yet again.

"Back off, Erza. You had your shot, this guy is mine." he warned the knight, readying himself to attack.

However his opponent wasn't even looking at him, as he and Erza just stared at each other, both of them ignoring the drunk, his face twisted in a weird mix of emotions, and hers in sheer determination. Determination to find out the truth.

"You don't seem suprised to see me." she said sharply to the Dragon Slayer, staring into his onyx eyes.

"I picked up your scent a while ago. I was hoping I was wrong, though." he responded with a slightly strained voice. "How are your friends? And you arms?" his tone softened a little, losing some of its sharpness, as slight concern crept into his voice.

"Alive and in one piece." answered Erza, relaxing her voice a little to match his. But not because she wanted to be polite or grateful for his concern - she was caught off guard by the sudden change of his tone. For a second, she could swear she noticed relief take control over his face, as if a huge burden was taken off his chest.

"I see. That's good to hear." he said shortly.

All of a sudden, this little action filled her with anger she couldn't even understand herself. She couldn't figure him out, nothing about this man made any sense. No matter how long she bothered her already tired mind, she just couldn't come to a conclusion. Because just when she thought she finally knew what to think of him, he did something to completely ruin it. And that was making her angry.

Erza opened her mouth, ready to express her feelings, but something she caught with her eye stopped her from doing so. Using Erza's distraction to his advantage, Bacchus was now chugging from his trusty bottle, streams of alcohol flowing down his chin. Sensing danger, the redhead quickly got in-between both males, trying to come up with a way on how to prevent their fight from happening.

Bacchus sighed loudly in joy, his bottle already emptied. The alcohol has already started to affect him, his face quickly taking a light shade of red with uncontrollable drunken chuckle coming out of his mouth.

"Don't try to stop me, Erza. If I don't hit something, I may go crazy." he said in-between his laughter, reading himself to strike.

"You don't understand! This will only end badly! Cease this foolishness at once, Bacchus!" she tried to reason with the drunk, Requipping a sword in the meantime. "You!" she turned around to face Salamander, who was also ready to fight. "Stay behind me and don't do anything rash!" she ordered the Dragon Slayer.

For a moment, it looked like he was about to protest, but that quickly changed, as he just yelled "Watch out!", aiming the warning at the redhead.

Erza turned back around, only to see Bacchus' drunk, grinning face in front of hers. Seeing her carelessness as a golden opportunity, he connected a powerful palm strike with both of his hands into her stomach, more specifically where her wound was. The attack caused her pain she's never experienced in her life, knocking all the air out of her body and causing waves of pain pulse all over her body, from the top of her head to tips of her toes, with her bruise being the medium. Her limbs became instantly paralysed as she struggled to breathe, sword falling out of her grisp, and her feet losing ground beneath them, with Bacchus lifting her strengthless figure off the surface with his arms. With one final push, the drunk sent her flying backwards, her body completely not responding to her desperate pleas, as her mind was slowly getting overtaken by darkness. The last thing her eyes registered before falling unconscious was black jaws of the abyss below her, creeping closer, as her limp figure made its way down the chasm.

"Damn...it..." was all she managed to wheeze out before losing herself to darkness.

Reality coming back to her, Erza's closed eyes twitched, her body waking up. Surrounded by silence, she could hear her raspy breathing, her left side pulsing from pain. Carefully, she opened her eyes, only to be met with a scenery mostly covered in darkness, with an orange, gentle light flickering on the rocky ceiling. She blinked slowly couple times, looking around the dark questionably.

"Yo. Looks like you're awake."

Erza's body jolted upwards, making her deeply regret it a second later, her wound reminding her of its presence. Regulating her breathing, Erza looked towards the source of the voice, only to be met with a sitting Salamander, the tip of his finger burning, weakly lightening their current location up.

"Where are we?" she asked him suspiciously as she dragged her body backwards, planting her back against a wall, her eyes glued to his figure. "How did I get here?"

"In a crack inside of the chasm, which apparently led to a cave. I dragged you in here after that guy sent you flying." he explained shortly.

Erza's eyes squinted, as she tried to remember what exactly happened before she fainted. That cursed fool...always thinking with his body rather than his brain. He probably wouldn't even remember killing her, if she did crash into the abyss. Which brought yet another question...

"Why did you help me?" she hissed, more from pain than hostility.

"Why wouldn't I?" he raised his eyebrows, suprised by this question. "Would you rather fall to your death?"

Erza grit her teeth in response, unfamiliar feeling filling her chest. There it was again, her mind rearranging itself like an annoying, unwanted puzzle. But this time, the source of this problem was right in front of her. And she sure as hell was not planning on letting him get away.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked him coldly, confusing the Dragon Slayer even more.

This simple question, these five words expressed much more then they appeared to. For the past couple days, her mind was a complete mess, rendering her unable to focus on anything her hands have touched. There was so much she wanted to tell him, to ask him, to confirm her doubts and fears. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't put her desires into proper words, with this simple and childish question being her best outcome.

Salamander just stared at her, unsure of what to make out of this question. After a short while, he sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"You'll have to be a little more specific, you know." he answered shortly.

This was her breaking point. This was what she needed, the plain feeling of anger and irritation that dulled her other emotions. All of a sudden, Erza felt as if some sort of a barrier has been lifted off her mind, her messy thoughts finally grouping up in a line that was ready to be turned into words and shot rapidly through her mouth.

"Very well." she whispered, adjusting her back on the cold wall, as she turned her torso towards Salamander.

"Your reputation is nothing to laugh about. The way people talk about you - you're the personification of fear itself. No one knows what you look like, what you sound like, where you operate from. Then, I received information about your apparent taste in Dark Guild hunting. By this point, I thought of you as nothing but a pure fiend, a criminal, and yet, someone I trust very deeply told me there was much more to you than menacing reputation and powerful magic. Hearing this, I've decided to trust said person and either confirm or deny the rumors myself. However the very first time I laid my eyes on you, you were strangling a man to death whilst demanding information, with people burning all around you, as you just stood there, ignoring it. Then, all of a sudden, you tell me and my friends about enslaved women in the basement, while completely disregarding the fact that your hand was one squeeze away from taking someone's life, at the same time saying you wish to avoid combat, with your own power traumatising my comrades in the meantime. Those actions made absolutely no sense to me, they made me genuinely angry - why would someone who has little to no regard to human life concern themselves over fighting legal mages and saving slaves?"

Salamander's eyes were glued to the redhead's brown orbs that were glaring at him, as he listened to her monologue peacefully. He knew it was pure and nonsense gibberish, but it clearly helped the redhead to vent herself out.

"None of this made any sense to me, even when we finally provoked you into combat. Even though I slashed your chest open with my sword, you still pleaded to let you go. At this point, I started to doubt myself, whether I was doing the right thing. Watching you beat my friends with such ferocity and brutality made me genuinely fear for their safety, however no matter how much fury was placed in your fists, you still kept enough self-restraint to stop yourself at the last possible moment. I should have felt anger, hatred at the sight of their pain, but all I could muster was confusion. Why would someone who just a moment ago looked like he was ready to kill many people concern himself with the safety of people who have pushed him so far? For a moment, I was considering putting a stop to this madness. And then, the punch you landed on my body triggered memories I wished to forget, I wanted to forget. My old self reawakened and tried to kill you, almost succeeding if it wasn't for my friend. By the time I put my foot on the ground after removing it off your head, all my previous emotions such as confusion, fear and anger were replaced with a new sensation - disguist. Looking at your blood on my hands made me sick, I wanted to vomit. I couldn't bear to look at you. And yet, despite everything we've done to you, despite putting you through absolute hell, despite the pure fury and hatred you've felt after breaking out of the chains...you apologized."

Salamander's eyes widened in shock. It wasn't her confession that caused this reaction - it was her tears. Erza's left eye started to gradually tear up out of frustration, rivers of salty liquid flowing down her face, as she continued to speak her mind out.

"Why did the one who apologized have to be you? Why didn't I put a stop to this, despite realising that the situation was plain ridiculous? Just thinking about it breaks my heart. I realised that no matter what I do, I'd never be able to look you in the eye, because at the end of the day, I was the criminal. I have discarded all my sense of logic and everything I've been taught throughout the years, and judged you the very moment things started to get out of my hand. I am a coward, I deserve the worst punishment. And yet..."

Erza could no longer contain herself. Sudden and sharp breaths took control over her body, as she just convulsed in her spot, sobbing quietly into her hand. Salamander just sat there, staring at her the same way he has been for minutes now.

"And yet you saved me. Why?" she asked, locking her eyes with his yet again.

Salamander closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose loudly. adjusting himself in his spot as well. He mirrored Erza's position and planted his back up against the rocky wall, crossing his arms on his lap.

"After something like this, I'd be a bastard if I didn't respect your feelings." he said, his eyes still closed. "What's your name?" he asked her, opening his eyes and shifting them at
the knight's figure.

"Huh?" she muttered while she wiped her face with her forearm, not hearing him.

"I said: what's your name?" he repeated the question, this time louder.

Erza sniffed and and cleared her throat, regaining some of her usual composure.

"When asking for someone's name, it's common courtesy to introduce yourself first." she answered, her tongue regaining its sharpness almost immediately.

The Dragon Slayer opened his mouth, ready to protest, but closed it in defeat shortly afterwards and sighed.

"I haven't told anyone my name in years, you know." he breathed out, scratching his head in the meantime.

"Now's the perfect time to break this tradition."

Seeing that she's not planning on budging even a little, Salamander groaned in defeat.

"Natsu. Natsu Dragneel." he muttered quietly, but loud enough to reach the redhead's ears.

Erza just stared at him with a weird look one her face, which irritated the fire mage. "What?" he asked her.

"Nothing. I was just suprised at how fitting this name is." she stated in response, her tone as casual as if she was talking about weather.

"Whatever. Can you tell me your name now?"

Erza hesitated for a second before responding. "Erza Scarlet."

Natsu looked all over her curled up figure, his eyes hanging on her scarlet hair for a moment longer than her other parts.

"How fitting." he raised his eyebrows, receiving a pitiful look from Erza in return. "Well then, Erza. I guess I owe you something."

He adjusted his back on the wall and took a deep breath.

"Unfortunately, I can't open myself to you like you did just now. But, I can clear out your troubled mind. Is that okay?" he asked, shifting his eyes onto the knight.

"Yes." she answered shortly.

Natsu looked at the ceiling once again and continued.

"The reason I'm known as who I am is quite simple, really. I've been looking for someone for the past 7 years. Finding them is not easy, so I figured if I shake their nest long enough, they'll come out on their own. They haven't. That's why I've been following this path for so long."

Erza, just like he did a while ago, listened in silence. This is what she'd wanted - she had to hear every single word he said.

"I can't blame people for fearing me, after all I earned it. I have to admit, my reputation comes in handy quite often, especially when I get paid. I know people are so scared of me they'll never think about cheating me, so I just roll with it. But..."

The Dragon Slayer stopped for a moment and made a fist, staring at it.

"Deep inside, I know that Salamander is not an exaggeration. This is who I am - a monster. When I confront scum like those in Blackhill, I can't contain myself. I want to make them feel the pain, I want them to suffer, to pay for what they've done, while I tear the information right out of their mouths, getting one, tiny step closer with each pile of rubble I leave behind. I want them to experience true hell, even for a moment. And I feel that with each guild I take down, it gets harder and harder to contain myself. That's why I fear only one thing - the thought that I'm nowhere near close to my goal. That's why I avoid legal mages and the Council. My enemy has been set years ago. I can hardly contain myself when confronting this filth, let alone strong opponents. Like you."

He looked into Erza's widened eyes, his full of sorrow and guilt.

"I apologized for two reasons. One, because I lost control of myself. I aimed my fists at the wrong people, people who have probably done more good than I ever will. The other is related to you, Erza."

"To me?" asked the confused redhead.

Natsu glued his onyx eyes into hers, tension rising in the air at rapid speed. She felt herself gulping unwillingly, awaiting his answer.

"You know, when you change armors, there's one, quick moment where that light doesn't really cover you, so if someone's quick enough, they can see you nake-"

"Shut your mouth!" she yelled furiously, throwing a nearby rock at his head, which he swiftly dodged.

"Sorry." he muttered, raising his hand in apology.

"Stop goofing around and take this seriously!" the knight commanded in raised voice, regretting it immediately afterwards, her wound biting once again.

Natsu kept his orbs on her figure for a little longer, as if considering something. Finally, he decided to spill the beans and raised his left arm vertically, holding it on front of his chest.

"Back then, I realised something about you. Something I assumed not many people know of. Seeing it made me realise that in one way or another, we may actually be similar."

Slowly, he raised his right hand and and kept it hanged in the air for a moment.

"The other reason, is this." he whispered, tapping his left wrist with his finger.

Squinting her eyes, the knight tried to make something out of this gesture. It took her a second to understand him, but when she did, Erza felt fear grasp her heart.

"Y-you..." she stuttered angrily in disbelief, trying to mask her fear with anger.

"Yeah. I saw them." he stated blatantly.

Erza couldn't believe it. In the heat of battle, he managed to see something she could barely look at herself, something none of her friends even knew about. And he dared to say he thought of them as similar, because of them?

Just when she was about to open her mouth to speak out, something hit her.

"Probably lock him up in the guild."

The redhead's eyes widened, a single drop of sweat finding its way down her temple. It was slowly starting to make sense.

"Is that the reason you're afraid of being captured?" she asked the Dragon Slayer, his sudden twitch suggesting she hit the mark.

Salamander's eyes squinted gently, deepening her hunch even further.

"If I got caught, I wouldn't be able to finish what I started. Simple as that"

His response was sharp, quick and transparent. Erza had too way too much experience with liars to realise his words were only half-true, with the other half sealed deep inside his heart. Putting herself in his position, she decided not to dig any deeper, leaving her own assumptions silent and kept to herself.

"Now then, I suggest we get out of here. We've been here for a while now." sighed Natsu, failing at changing the subject.

Feeling mostly satisfied, Erza nodded her head gently. "I agree. If we follow this path, we should find something we can use as an exit."

"Do you need any help?" he asked, watching the struggling knight, as she used the wall as support.

"No need. I've mostly recovered. For the time being..."

Bright, white light filled the cave, as Erza summoned a dull spear, hanging her weight on the thick shaft. "This will do." she finished, as she got in front of Natsu, limping her way to the exit.

Snorting in amusement, Salamander put his right hand behind his head and followed the redhead, lightening up the path in front of her with his flaming palm.

After what felt like an hour of walking, that passed in complete silence, both mages found themselves staring at the light at the end of the tunnel, which grew bigger with each step. Feeling fresh air fill her nostrills, Erza regained a big chunk of her strength, her steps becoming much smoother and faster. With one final kick of the ground, both mages stepped out of the cave, finding themselves on a small hill in the middle of Oakwood's forest, with Lupinus being seen in the distance. The sky was already orange, the sun very close to setting in.

"Can you make it back home?" Natsu broke the silence, startling the redhead.

"Yes, no problem."

The Dragon Slayer nodded and got very close to the edge of the cliff and bent his knees, ready to jump down.

"Before you go." started Erza, stopping him in the last moment, as he turned around to look at her curiously. "Who exactly are you looking for?"

Natsu didn't respond, his body frozen in the weird position that resembled an unfinished squat. After a short moment, he straightened himself back up, his face suddenly growing a menacing shadow on its right side.

"Seven Commandments." he answered shortly.

Erza frowned. She's never heard of this guild, and to her knowledge, it wasn't even listed in Baram Alliance.

"If you ever face any of them, don't hesitate and kill them. You'll actually want to when you realise who they really are." continued Salamander, his voice losing its previous carefreeness.

With that said, he turned back around and bent his knees yet again. "Till we meet again, Erza." he threw in farewell, jumping down the cliff and disappearing in the trees.

The knight shifted her eyes towards the familiar town in the distance. She sighed heavily - she should feel much lighter after this meeting. But instead, she found something else to bother herself with. And it wasn't any lighter.

"Until we meet again." she muttered to herself, the sun finally disappearing behind the horizon.

To be continued in Chapter 5: Comrades.

I don't know, but as I was writing it, I imagined this chapter as that kind of an info bomb they drop on your ass and leave you confused as hell. Whether I succeeded or not - you tell me!

Some of you may feel cheated when it comes to Natsu. I get it - I may have gotten a little ahead of myself with his previous portrayals. That's why I used something interesting that you may have missed in this chapter. Here's a hint - pay attention to what's written in-between the dialogue between him and Erza.

I made them have a quite civil conversation, because neither of them think of each other as an enemy. Erza in canon is not reckless enough to just attack someone for no good reason(other than her cake). This Erza, although a little more complicated, does have her original's traits, and so does Natsu. If I wanted to change their characters to the point of no recognition, I might as well turn them into OC's.

I'm sleepy and tired. Expect some usual adjustements to dialogue later on tomorrow, and stuff like that. Spellcheck and my eyes prank me all the time, you know. Good night!