Welcome to Chapter 9. This chapter is the one where my characters may seen to strand away from their canon selves, but that is due to the situations I have put them in, which are way more messed up than the canon story. If you feel like I've butchered your favorite character - sorry.
I will also leave some disclaimers in the bottom note, so be sure to check them out! Enjoy the chapter!
Gray entered the control room of Christina, Natsu and Erza following him couple seconds later. Everyone present on the ship was there, all of them looking in his direction. Feeling multiple pairs of eyes on his figure, Natsu felt his face getting unusually warmer and gently coughed, looking around the room to avoid meeting their eyes. He laid his on the main window and immediately felt them narrowing.
In the distance, right under the night sky was a tall tower placed on an island. It was still too far to take a proper look on what it looked like, but even from this far, it was enormous. Natsu clenched his fist, his mind wandering off to his recently relived memories. His face turned into a scowl, his teeth slightly bared. Right next to him stood Erza, her eyes glued to the construction as well. She had a pretty much the same reaction as the pinkette, though her face did not express as much hatred as his.
Mirajane, who was supporting a wall with her back, her hands crossed on her chest, shot a curious look at the pair. She shifted her gaze at the tower, and then back at the pair, this time with a frown, her suspicion kicking in.
"So this is it, eh?" Gajeel broke the silence, looking at the building with his head slightly tilted to the left. "Doesn't look like a weapon to me."
"Yes, it is." confirmed Erza, shot out of her short trance. "And it's not a weapon, but a tool. It's designed to bring back a deceased person back to life."
Gajeel hummed quietly in response and looked back at the tower, done with the conversation.
"Since we're about to land, is there anything you can tell us about those Commandments?" asked Laxus, directing the question at Natsu. The rest of Fairy Tail looked at the pinkette as well, all of them curious.
"Yes, I'd like to know more about them as well." added Mira. "What kind of magic do they use, how strong are they?"
Natsu looked at the woman, his face relaxing a bit.
"It's been seven years, so don't take my word for granted." he answered. "But if I were to guess, I'd say most of them are as strong, or stronger than Erza."
Mira frowned at this statement. Normally, she'd have taken his words as an insult, that he implied she was below Erza. But this was not the time to be difficult, and she had experienced Natsu's strength on her own skin. She knew he had a much better insight into the situation, and his comparison was much more likely to be correct.
"Great. Just what we needed." sighed Gray, clearly not happy about what he heard.
"I suddenly regret coming here." added Gajeel.
"What magic do they use?" Mira continued her questioning, ignoring her friends' whining.
Natsu didn't answer. Instead, he looked like he was considering something. After a short while, that was already starting to irritate the Demon, he opened his mouth.
"I think it'd be for the best if I just told you everything I know about them, rather than answer your questions one by one. Is that okay?" he asked, his eyebrows raised.
Mirajane gently exhaled through her nose. "Sure, go ahead." she said, throwing herself at the wall once again.
Natsu nodded and relayed his intel to the group.
"As name suggests, there's...was seven of them. They're ranked from 1st to 7th, all of them gifted with a name granted them by their Master. The lower the number, the stronger the Commandment is, and their names represent their magic. Their Master is number 1, and this is where I need you to listen to me very carefully."
Natsu's face grew serious in a blink of an eye.
"Those without Lost Magic are not allowed to engage him in combat. At all. This is not me ordering you around, I am saving your lives by saying this."
Fairy Tail mages frowned at these words, some of them looking at each other.
"The hell is this supposed to mean?" asked irritated Gajeel.
"Why does it matter whether our magic is Lost or not?" added Gray, frowning.
"Because he can steal magic." retorted Natsu, suprising the group.
"Steal? You're sure you're not talking about copying?" asked Mirajane. She found it hard to believe that someone could just "steal" someone elses magic.
"Have you seen him do it?" threw in Laxus, not convinced either.
"No." replied Natsu, not casting himself in good light because of it. "But his subordinates wanted him to steal mine. He then admitted he couldn't steal Lost Magic, that's how I know."
The gang looked at each other, not sure what to make of it. None of them has ever heard of someone capable of stealing magic. Copying was a different thing - Copy Magic was rather known, especially amongst Dark Guilds.
"So basically, only Laxus, Wendy, Gajeel and you are allowed to fight him." added wondering Lucy, as she covered her mouth with her fingers. "In other words, Dragon Slayers. Nobody else on this ship uses Lost Magic."
Natsu looked at Lucy, his eyes wide open. He slowly blinked a couple times, gears turning in his head.
"Wendy? Which one of you is Wendy?" he asked, as he searched the room with his eyes. "Is it you?" he asked, quickly walking up to Juvia, which startled the water wizard.
"Wendy is the girl who healed you not so long ago." threw in Erza, slightly embarrassed. Knowing their shy, or in Natsu's case anti-social natures, she should have expected they wouldn't introduce themselves to each other.
Natsu quickly turned his head around and looked at Wendy, who was currently trying to hide behind Lucy.
"You're a Dragon Slayer?!" he asked her with a raised, excited voice.
Wendy peeked out from behind Lucy, her face slightly red. "Y-yes, I am." she confirmed.
The pinkette quickly ran up to her, startling both her and Lucy. He kneeled in front of her and began to check out every single part of her body, from face to her feet, his face way too close to her small figure and his nose constantly sniffing her. This scared Wendy, as she hid behind Lucy once again, trying to get away from him.
Erza walked up to Natsu and gently smacked the back of his head, knocking him out of his trance. "Calm down, you're scaring her."
Natsu massaged his head and looked at the knight. "I've just never seen a female Dragon Slayer before. I got overexcited" he chuckled lightly. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." he said to Wendy, smiling at her awkwardly with his hand raised in the air.
"It's okay, I was just suprised." assured him the little Dragon Slayer, though she did not peek out to meet his eyes.
"I see." Natsu smiled at her for the last time and stood up. "So, where were we?" he asked the other wizards, earning himself their looks of irritation.
Erza couldn't help but feel her lips curving into a small smile. This little scene proved that no matter what sort of hardships people met in their lives, and how much they've changed because of them, there were always some parts that just refused to die.
"You were talking about the Commandments." reminded him Mira.
"Oh, right." Natsu cleared his throat and resumed his previous monologue. "As I said, only the Dragon Slayers can fight Silva. Other than that, there will be five more Commandments in that tower. I know magics of two of them, and I have some guesses about the rest."
"Well then, let us hear it." said Laxus.
Natsu looked at the blonde. He remembered their past encounter - it didn't go well for neither of them. Although even in strength, the difference in their elements put Natsu in a disadvantage, his body slowly but surely becoming too numb to move properly, which ultimately resulted in his defeat. However it was thanks to this man that he had his new powers, and it was thanks to them he bested Grigol. He made a mental note to properly talk with the Lightning Dragon Slayer after their current mission was over, before talking about their upcoming obstacle.
"I'll start with those whose magics I am sure of. First, there's a woman named Jolene. She..."
Suddenly, Natsu stopped talking, words getting stuck in his throat. The images from the past clouded his eyes at the mention of the woman's name, his teeth clenching themselves. This didn't go unnoticed by Erza, who knew what was the cause of his pause. His story was still clouding her mind.
"She uses Requip magic, just like Erza, but instead of armors, she focuses on weapons. Swords, bows, maces, spears, anything that can be used to kill a person. Though I've never seen her use anything as powerful as Erza's armors, since she mostly uses plain iron or steel weapons, I'd say you stay focused. She could be hiding something." he warned them, breaking through his mental barrier.
"So, she's a reverse Erza?" asked Gray.
"Yeah." nodded Natsu, looking at the ice wizard. "But much more lethal. Every single one of her attacks is aimed to kill, to her, it's as natural as breathing."
"Dibs." called Mira, raising her hand. No one was brave, or stupid enough to argue with her.
"Then, we have Luppi. He is the one who's controlling that guy from the Council. He can brainwash people and control them as his puppets. He is the weakest out of all Commandments, but he's just as dangerous. My advice is to not take him on alone, no matter how strong you are." continued Natsu. "The rest is unknown to me. I know one of them is much tougher than the rest, the other one uses some green energy, and the final one, Arthur, carries alot of knives in his pockets and is really fast, but I've never seen them use their magics in real battle."
"In other words, our odds of fighting someone we can prepare for are 50/50." sighed Laxus. "Can't say I'm too happy about that."
"It doesn't matter." retorted Lucy, suprising the man. "If we don't beat them, something terrible will happen. Not to mention all the people they've hurt, those poor girls from Blackhill...I won't let them!"
Laxus stared at the blonde, his eyes wide. He couldn't help but feel impressed with the girl's resolve. He's never thought much of her, but in this very moment, she definitely scored some points in his book.
"I think it'd be for the best if you stayed on the ship, Lucy." said Erza, walking up to the blonde. "I mean no disrespect to both you and your skills, but this mission is too much for you. I can't let you get inside of that tower."
"Erza, again with this?" threw in Gray, his tone more disappointed than angry. "We've talked about this-"
"This is different, Gray." interrupted him Erza, shifting her eyes to meet his. "We are about to face the biggest obstacle in our lives. If the Commandments are truly as strong as me, I see no way Lucy could possibly overcome that. This is not me doubting her skills, this is me stating a fact. If sacrificing her trust is the price for her survival, then it is the price I am willing to pay. I don't want to lose those close to me ever again."
Gray's eyes slightly widened at the sight of Erza's gaze. It was as sharp as ever, even intimidating, but it was also pleading, maybe even desperate. He would have lied if he said he didn't share her feelings, but the price for it was way too big.
Just when he was about to open his mouth and respond, he noticed Lucy placing her hand on Erza's shoulder and forcefully turning the woman around to face her. The redhead looked into Lucy's brown eyes with her own, feeling them widen in suprise.
"I think you're getting the wrong idea of me, Erza." said the Celestial Wizard, her voice quiet, but calm. "I am not planning on facing those people, I know I stand no chance. But I am not planning on staying behind on this ship either. I am here to help people trapped on that island, and I will do everything I can in order to do so, and not even you can stop me. It's like Gray said, it's time you started to trust us as much as we trust you. We're a team, aren't we?"
The last question was asked with a smile on Lucy's face. Erza stared at her friend, her eyes shot wide open.
"I didn't-"
"I know you didn't, and I know you have your reasons to be afraid." Lucy interrupted her, raising her hand to the knight's cheek. "But you can't protect us forever. I promise I will not do anything rash, or stupid."
Erza continued to stare at the girl, still not entirely convinced.
"Master chose her, because he believes in her." said Mira. "He believes in all of us. If you force her to stay behind, you'd spit not only on her, but Master himself as well."
"I'll stay with her." added Juvia, as he walked up to the women. "If things go badly, we'll run. We'll focus on saving the prisoners, not fighting."
Juvia and Mira's words seemed to hit their mark, as Erza's face relaxed. She raised her hand to meet Lucy's and brought it away from her cheek, but still kept it in her armored, gentle grip.
"Very well." sighed the knight. She then looked at Lucy, her eyes growing stern. "But as soon as you sense trouble, retreat."
Lucy's smiled widened, as she nodded. "I promise."
Erza nodded as well, and turned her gaze onto Wendy. "But you stay, and that is not up for discussion. You are the only person here capable of using Healing Magic. We will need you for the wounded, and I'm sure there will be lots of them. Is that okay?"
"Yes! I will do my best." nodded Wendy. She actually wanted to stay behind, as her confidence in her fighting skills was almost non-existent. She would do a much better job by staying behind the lines.
Erza gave the small Dragon Slayer a nod of her own, some weight getting off her chest.
"Ladies and gentlemen." called Hibiki, gaining the attention of everyone present in the room. "We are about to reach our destination."
Erza looked at the main window of Christina, with the tower taking majority of its view. She felt her armored fists clenching themselves, a wave of fear spreading throughout her chest. It was just how she remembered it.
The tower resembled a giant, grey clock. It was higher than any construction she'd ever seen, with each floor designed differently than the others. The main entrance to the tower was placed at the very top of high, white stairs that started just by the ocean shore. The first floor was surrounded by many smaller towers, and on top of it sat second floor, designed to look like a castle. Every single floor above it looked differently, up to the very top, which was made out of simple, grey bricks, with four giant windows on each wall. On top of it sat a narrow roof, with a giant spike-like thing growing out of it, reaching towards the sky. Despite its bizarre appearance, the tower looked rather smoothly, the different styles working with each other rather marvelously. If Erza hadn't hated and feared this place with her whole heart, she'd call it beautiful.
She looked to her right, Natsu standing right next to her, his eyes glued to the tower as well. However, his weren't focused on its exteriors, but rather what was inside of it. Or rather, who was inside.
"Are you afraid?" she asked him, earning herself a weird look from the Dragon Slayer.
The question sounded so childish, so weak, and yet so appropriate. It was one of the questions she had wanted to ask him for days now. There were moments where she couldn't help but admire and envy him. The way he engaged his past was something she had lacked strength to do for years, and only now had she finally found that necessary spark of courage and strength.
"Of course I am." he replied shortly, shifting his eyes back to the tower. "For years I wondered what would happen if I found them, what kind of face would I make, what feelings would I feel. Now that I'm this close to rhem, I know it's fear. But not just fear - it's a mix of emotions I can't even describe. A part of me is happy, a part of me is afraid, but if I were to choose, I'd say anger is the one I'm feeling the most. I finally know where to aim it at, I can finally let it loose. I either finish this, or die in this place. There's no third option."
Erza's eyes narrowed, as she watched his face, now twisted into an angry scowl. She recalled their first conversation in the cave, when he told her his only fear was never finding those people. Now, that he's found them, his fear turned into anger. She bit her lip in frustration, as she recalled the days when she allowed anger to control her. The people she pushed away, the people she hurt. "You were in a similar situation not so long ago, with one leg already deep in darkness. Yours was pulled out, buy his is still there, sinking deeper with each day. If we don't hurry, he will reach the point of no return.". Makarov's words echoed in her mind, making her fists clench even harder.
"Before we go there, I have to ask you a favor."
Natsu looked at her, his right eyebrow slightly raised.
"No matter what happens in there, do not lose yourself to hatred." she said, her tone calm. "I know what it feels like, I know what it does to people. Hatred makes you blind, blind makes you vulnerable. That's why I want you to promise me that you will not succumb, no matter what,"
Natsu continued to look at her, his expression unchanging. It was stoic, almost as if he was listening to her talking about weather.
"I'll try." he replied, before looking at the tower once again.
Erza shifted her eyes to the floor, closing them for a moment. She knew he wouldn't listen, her old self wouldn't either. But she was far from admitting defeat. She'd use force to keep him away from that path if she needed to.
"Thank you." she breathed, before looking at the tower as well.
Silva sat in his throne, his eyes looking through his window at the giant ship approaching his home. He smirked in triumph, his keen senses picking up the unusual magic power he hasn't felt in years. Before his throne stood a coffin, sat on top of a small mountain of wood. Inside of it laid Grigol's body, broken and scarred, currently covered by a white cloth. Before the coffin stood all the remaining Commandments, waiting to say goodbye to their comrade..
"My friends." called Silva. "We are being visited by an old friend of ours. I'm sure all of you remember him quite well."
Jolene's fists clenched at her Master's words. It took her all the strength in her body to restrain herself from storming the intruders' ship and cutting Salamander into pieces. Noticing this, Silva smirked lightly, before continuing his speech.
"He is a man of many meanings. He's our biggest failure, yet our biggest hope. But most importantly, he is the killer of our brother."
Arthur closed his eyes and placed his hand on his chest, giving his fallen comrade his final farewell. Tears found their way down Jolene's face, as she bit her lip, trying to contain her emotions. Jellal and Luppi remained stoic, almost as if not caring about their guildmate.
"Tonight, we say farewell to our brother, Grigol."
Silva stood from his throne and waved his hand to his right. In one, quick moment, Grigol's coffin erupted in a small explosion, that lit up both the coffin and the woodstack. The smell of burned wood and flesh reached the noses of the Commandments, their friend slowly but surely becoming ash.
"But tonight, we also say farewell to this cruel world." Silva's voice was now raised. "This filthy, unjust world, ruled by those who consider themselves better than us. Tonight, we reject this world and grant it to our Master - Zeref."
Jolene stared at her Master, her eyes burning with hatred and thirst for revenge, not just for Salamander, but everyone who had wronged her.
"Our seven years long mission has reached its end. By the time sun raises, our Lord will be resurrected, and the world prepared for cleansing!" Silva was now screaming, his hands raised in the air.
"What a lovely speech." breathed sarcastically Jellal, his words reaching only his ears.
"Salamander is almost in our grasp. However, he is not alone. He's brought allies, powerful allies, someone you've all heard about as well. Our meeting with Fairy Tail was bound to happen, sooner or later. Our Lord has rewarded us by bringing them to our doorstep on a silver platter."
Jellal's interest was now piqued. If Fairy Tail was coming, it meant that woman was bound to come as well. He couldn't stop the small smile that formed on his face.
"They are nothing but an obstacle in our plans. You are free to dispose of them however you so desire, but you must bring Salamander alive. It doesn't matter how many limbs he's lacking, he must breathe. Now, go, my brothers and sister. Fulfill your destiny."
"Yes, Master Silva!" yelled the Commandments, before storming out of the room.
"Luppi." called Silva, causing the teenager to stop in his tracks. "I'd rather you didn't leave this floor. Your body is on its limit, I cannot risk you taking a part in this battle."
Luppi frowned at his Master's words, clearly not fond of this idea.
"If I go with them, I can help clean them up much faster." replied Luppi. "All I have to do is freeze their movements, one by one. That is still within my limit, without revealing myself."
Silva's eyes narrowed, as he considered his subordinate's idea. "Very well. But you are forbidden to fight on the front lines. If things get ugly, however, resort to support. Stay in the shadows, as I have taught you many years ago."
Luppi bowed before leaving the room. "As you wish, Master."
As the teenager made his way downstairs, he couldn't help but feel excitement at the thought of finally getting some action.
"I know exactly where to hide." he said to himself, before heading down the stairs that led to Silva's floor. Just when he exited the floor, he noticed Jellal standing in the entrance, his back against the wall, his face twisted in an irritating smirk.
"What do you think you're doing?" asked annoyed Luppi, as he stopped in his tracks. "You're supposed to head downstairs with the others."
"I wish to stay here." retorted Jellal. "In case the others fail, I will be here to protect Master. After all, we cannot let him get hurt before the grand finale now, can we?"
Luppi's face twisted into a scowl. That condescending nature of his and that constant dose of sarcasm in his voice brought the teenager to a boiling point. It's always been like this, ever since they met.
"I'll never understand why Master lets you pull this shit off with no consequences." growled Luppi as he passed Jellal and continued his way downstairs.
"Let's just hope you're not stupid enough to peek into his mind, like you did with me. I don't think he's as forgiving as I am." retorted the man, his tone unchanging.
The Mind simply ignored this taunt and entered the main corridor of the floor, leaving Jellal behind on his own.
Natsu's feet were the first to touch the island, as Christina has finally reached its destination. Gajeel, Laxus and Mira followed him in suit few seconds later, with Juvia and Lucy trailing behind them. Erza remained on the ship for a while longer, as she stared at the ground.
"Erza? Are you okay?" asked concerned Lucy, noticing her friend's tense figure.
Erza raised her head and breathed out through her nose. "Yes. Let's move out." she said, before jumping down and landing on the island.
"We will remain here until your return." exclaimed Ichiya from inside of the ship. "Good luck, my friends."
"Be safe." added Wendy.
Fairy Tail mages nodded to their friends, before starting to run up the long stairs.
"If you wanna go back, this is your last chance." said Natsu, who was leading the group.
"We can't, even if we wanted to." sighed Gray.
"Joke like that again and I'll blast your face one more time." retorted Mira from behind Laxus.
Natsu couldn't help but smirk at their remarks, an odd, familiar feeling filling his chest.
With each second the tower was getting bigger and bigger, the stairs slowly reaching their end. At the end of them was light, reflecting from behind open door that led inside. Natsu was well aware it was a trap, they all did. But there was no time to be sneaky.
With one final step, Natsu's foot touched the door of the tower, as he quickly crossed it, the rest of the group following him. They have entered the lowest floor of the tower. It was consisted of a giant lobby, that seemed almost endless. Right in the middle of it laid thick, red carpet that led straight deep into the darkness that resided at the end of the lobby, with wooden floor on each side of it. Instead of walls, there were two giant windows that spread all over the floor, the moonlight lighting the place up rather beautifully. Overall, this floor was almost empty, with barely any furniture or structures to fill the space in.
Erza could hear the echo of her armored footsteps bouncing from wall to wall, as she and her friends made their way deeper into the lobby. Suddenly, Natsu stopped in his tracks and raised his hand, alarming the group to halt.
"What is it?" she asked the Dragon Slayer, only to see him ignite his fist in response.
"They're coming."
The floor has started to shake under the weight and sound of countless feet kicking the ground, as dozens of people stormed out of the darkness, all of them charging at the wizards. They all wore black, ankle long coats and helmets with one glass visor that allowed them to see through. They were all armed in weapons of various kinds, such as swords, maces, and even battleaxes.
"Here comes the welcoming party." smirked Mira, as she put up her guard.
Instead of waiting for the wave to hit, Natsu dashed towards the group, quickly closing the remaining distance between them. He put his fire off and flexed his shoulder, crashing into his opponents like a bull, knocking several of them onto their backs.
"Follow Natsu! Conserve your magic!" yelled Erza, as she Requipped one of her regular swords and threw herself into battle as well, focusing on protecting her unarmed friends from the weapons.
The group quickly followed her in suit, all of them not using their magic. Well, with the exception of Gajeel, who used his hardened fists to quickly dispose of his opponents. The same pattern was followed by the remaining mages, none of them using magic, their fists being their only tools they used to knock the masked people unconscious.
Erza swiftly parried a slash aimed at her right side and pushed her sword upwards, knocking the weapon out of her attacker's grip with its crossguard. She then flipped the sword over in her hand and struck her opponent with its handle straight into his stomach, knocking him out. She relaxed and took a look at Natsu, who was currently landing punches and kicks on the remaining enemy forces. She felt herself frown at the sight. The number of enemies was definitely high, yet their resistance was non-existent. It was almost as if they didn't know what to do with the weapons they were carrying.
"Something's not right." said Mira, as she turned one of the downed men with her foot. "They all fell after one hit. Are they messing with us?"
"I agree." said Erza, sheathing her sword. "This is beyond sketchy. Be on your guard."
Gajeel's ear twitched, as one of the downed people moved. He walked up to the masked person and grabbed their coat, forcefully turning them over. He was met with a terrified female eye peeking out of her broken helmet.
"I've got some questions for ya, lady." mumbled Gajeel, scaring the woman. She desperately shook her head, not a single sound escaping her mouth. "But first, let's get rid of this stupid helmet."
Gajeel forcefully ripped the helmet off the woman's head, a giant cloud of dirty, entangled hair falling out of it. Her cheeks were sullen, her skin strained and pale. Her mouth was gagged, rendering her unable to speak. The Dragon Slayer frowned and removed the gag from the woman's mouth, this time using much gentlier measures.
"We must stop you..." muttered the terrified woman, her eyes bloodshot and sunken. "We must stop you...Masters said to stop you, we must stop you...otherwise..."
"The hell are you talking about? Did your screw get loose or something-" started Gajeel, before feeling his eyes widen. He grabbed the woman's collar and pulled it down, ripping it in the process. His shocked eyes were met with an iron collar, tightly wrapped over the woman's neck.
"These guys are the slaves!" yelled the Dragon Slayer, shocking the rest of the group.
Upon hearing these words, Laxus quickly ripped the helmets of two people that laid near him, both of them strapped in similar collars as well. He was about to speak up, when his nose picked up several new smells approaching from where the slaves ran out from. Just when he was about to call out their approach, his ear picked up a weird, ringing sound. It was quiet, too quiet for normal people to catch, but his enhanced hearing allowed him to hear it loud enough to realise it was starting to get quicker and louder. The slaves started to throw themselves on the floor, ignoring their pain and injuries, as they desperately tried to run away from something. Gears turning in his head, Laxus felt his eyes widen in realisation, his body reacting on his own.
Two seconds later dozens of explosions erupted around the wizards, all of them merging into one, giant blast. The entire tower shook from its impact, pieces of weapons, clothes and human bits scattering all over the floor, all windows exploding from the inside, as giant pieces of glass fell into the ocean.
After a short while, two figures walked out of the shadows, one of them holding something in her hand.
"You do realise Salamander was in that blast, right?" asked one of them in a male voice. He was a blonde man of high, skinny posture. His hair was very short, his head resembling the top of a matchstick. He had green eyes with a deep scar running across his right one. He was wearing a blue battle uniform, with white straps running down his torso from his collar, with the same kind of straps running down his arms as well. It was very similar to his partner's.
"I don't care. If he died from something like this, then he was not worth of our time to begin with." replied the other one in a poisonous tone. She was wearing a black skin tight uniform, with two swords strapped to her lower back. Her right eye was covered by her brown bangs, her shoulder-length hair flowing in the wind of the blast.
Jolene walked up to the scene with a detonator in her right hand, a sinister smirk growing on her face. "At least now we don't have to worry about getting rid of our leftovers. Report to Master, Dryden. Fairy Tail has been-"
Jolene was interrupted by the sight of fire left by the explosion being suddenly gathered and sucked in inside of the smoke, as it began to clear out, revealing a male figure sucking the fire in through his mouth, with a giant barrier made out of yellow lightning behind him. Natsu slurped the last bits of the fire, before sighing in relief. Jolene felt her eyes widening at the sight, her teeth painfully clenching on their own.
The lightning barried dispelled, revealing that everyone inside of it was unharmed, all of them forcefully dragged inside by Laxus right before the blast went off. Erza, still shocked, looked around the place, her stomach twisting itself at the sight. The floor was scorched and completely destroyed, covered with remaining bits of fire and burned, dismembered people. Their remains were scattered all over the lobby, some of them sticking to the walls, and even the ceiling. Every bits of fear or anxiety she felt upon entering the tower was now replaced by pure fury.
"How could they do this?" asked dumbfound Juvia, her eyes blindly staring at the biggest scorch. Lucy stood right next to her, tears falling down her face, unable to speak.
"They're not people anymore." growled Gray, his clenched fists shaking in anger. "They're just beasts in human skin."
"This is fucked up." added Mira, her face green but matching that of her friends.
Erza turned her gaze towards the pair, her face twisted in a furious scowl. She was about to open her mouth to express her feelings, but was interrupted by a sight that froze her blood.
Natsu's face no longer resembled that of a human. His pupils, glued to Jolene's figure, were so small they could be barely seen. His teeth were bared, his long fangs exposed, like a wolf ready to put them in its prey. His face was the physical personification of pure, wild fury. He made a slow, unnaturally heavy step towards the woman, a quiet growl finding its way through his clenched teeth. Jolene, whose face was sickingly familiar to his, replied by making a step of her own. Natsu took another one, this time faster, and lighter, only to be parroted by Jolene once again. The tension between those two increased the gravity in the room, their magical power growing to suffocating levels.
Dryden, who was more than aware of what was going to happen, did not even bother to stop his friend. Instead, he lowered himself on his knees, ready to dash when needed.
Natsu and Jolene were now walking towards each other, the distance between them slowly getting smaller. His fists were clenched, while hers were tightly closed on the handles of her swords, her right one breaking under pressure.
"Salamander!"
Suddenly, Jolene screeched in pure fury and dashed towards the Dragon Slayer, immediately pulling out her swords in the meantime. He responded by doing the same, his fists catching on fire, as he kicked the ground with enough force to crack it. Unfortunately for the woman, he closed the distance much faster than her, suprising her with his speed. Her plans of striking first rendered as failed, she crossed her swords in front of her chest, ready to catch her opponent's attack. Natsu pulled his right arm back and struck Jolene's guard with tremendous force, his flames splashing all over the place. Not even a second later, Jolene felt being overpowered by the Dragon Slayer, as he pushed her weapons against her chest and broke them into pieces, effectively pushing her back and knocking her out of balance, both of her feet losing contact with the ground and her body slowly tilting towards the ground in the air. Jolene's face expressed pure shock, both from Salamander's speed and the fact she was so easily overpowered. She felt like a child.
Not giving her even a shadow of a chance to regain her position, Natsu quickly stepped in and readied a left hook, his fist quickly making its way towards Jolene's unguarded, terrified face. Suddenly, he felt a disturbance right next to his right ear and, using his instincts and agility, ducked as fast as he could, a powerful punch flying just over his head.
Dryden joined the battle and tried to blindside the Dragon Slayer from his right side, his right straight aimed at pinkette's temple missing just by the skin of teeth.
With his brain locked onto a new target, Natsu twisted his lowered torso and shifted his weight on his feet, using both of his big toes to turn his entire body 90 degrees to his right. He used his knees to spring himself upwards, turning his legs into catapults. The left hook aimed at Jolene turned into a left uppercut, which found its way right under Dryden's chin. A powerful strike shook the man right to his core, as Natsu's flaming fist connected and blew his head upwards, forcing his neck to extend to its absolute limits to keep his head in its place. A cloud of blood covered the air above Dryden's face, as it found its way through his cut mouth.
Using her comrade's pain as a chance, Jolene quickly regained her composure and slashed at Natsu with the remains of her sword. However, he expected that.
FIRE DRAGON'S WING ATTACK!
Using just his left arm, Natsu pushed both Commandments away from himself, his flames acting more as a shield, rather than an attack. The pair slid on the wooden floor, Dryden wiping his mouth with his sleeve, still not entirely sure of what just happened. "What the hell is wrong with this kid?"
They didn't get to rest for too long, as Natsu caught up to them once again, his cheeks puffed out. Just when he was about to unleash his flames point blank, he felt himself being blown away, dull pain taking over his face. The strike was so strong it knocked him back all the way to Erza and the group, forcing him to flip in the air and dig his nails into the floor to avoid crashing into the knight.
Dryden gulped and looked to his left, relief overtaking the sense of fear he was feeling just a moment ago.
"Nice one, Arthur."
Before Jolene and Dryden stood Arthur, clad in his suit, his right leg he used to kick Natsu with still raised in the air. He gently let it down onto the floor and bent over to shake the dust off his shoe. "Jolene, get a hold of yourself." he commanded, not even looking at the woman.
Jolene stared with blind eyes into nothingness, shock and fear still tightly grasping her mind. "If I was alone...he'd have killed me." She looked at her broken weapons, the dull pain in her hands still reminding her of his strength. "It's been seven years...just seven years. How is it possible? How did he get this strong?"
"Jolene!"
Arthur's raised voice woke her up. He wasn't even looking at her, but she could tell he was furious.
"You're being irrational. Throwing yourself at Salamander without using full strength is equal to suicide, it's as clear as the day. Grigol did not perish by sheer luck, you should have known that." the elder scolded his comrade, a slight sense of concern hidden beneath his stern tone. "That goes for both of you." he added, directing these words at Dryden.
"I know. My bad."
On the other side, Natsu slowly stood up from the ground, ready to dash once again.
"Don't be reckless!" scolded him Erza, causing him to stop at the last moment. "Didn't that last attack teach you anything? This man's ability is not something we can just throw ourselves at!"
"Did you see anything?" asked Mira, directing the question to Laxus.
"No." replied the man, his eyes narrowing. "There was no sound, smell or even presence of his magic power before he kicked Salamander. He simply appeared out of thin air."
"Teleportation?" asked Gray. Laxus shook his head.
"No matter how fast a teleport is, there's always a warning before it happens. This time, there was nothing."
"So, what do we do now? Charge at them?" asked Lucy, her voice broken, but close to her old self.
Erza considered their options. In reality, they outnumbered the Commandments 8 to 3. However, they still have yet to witness their true power. Especially the oldest one. There was only one plan she could come up with, and it was something she had wanted to avoid at all cost.
The knight clicked her tongue, disappointed with herself. "We have to split them up." she said to the group, keeping her voice low. "However, that also applies to us. We have no time to spare, and it doesn't seem like they will just let us through. We can't engage them on our own."
"No." Natsu growled at Erza, his voice almost unrecognizable. "You can go ahead. I'll stay here and slaughter them on my own."
The knight felt sweat run down her temple. She expected this to happen, but not this fast, and not to this extent. Even if she wanted to, she was in no position to forcefully convince him to go with them.
Erza walked up to the Dragon Slayer and put her hand on his tense shoulder, much to the group's suprise. "Leave this woman to us, Natsu." she whispered to him. "You are a key to their plans. If you fall before meeting their Master, everything will be lost. I understand your feelings, I can hardly contain myself as well. But you must not give in. You promised, didn't you?"
Natsu loudly breathed through his nose, waging his options, as reason started to come back to him. She was right - his main target was Silva. Wasting energy fighting other Commandments would surely end up badly, not just for him, but others as well.
"Fine." he muttered, before putting his fists down.
Erza sighed in relief. "Thank you."
"Seems like Titania has found herself a dog." taunted Jolene. "Are you gonna wag your tail as well, Salaman-"
Jolene's taunt was interrupted by a sword making its way towards her face, forcing her to deflect it. She looked over in the direction of her enemies, only to be met with Erza, her right arm extended in front of her, who was glaring daggers at the Commandment.
"How ironic, all I can hear coming from your mouth is barking of a dog. What a shame you were not this confident a minute ago, when Salamander's fist was mere centimeters away from your face, bitch." taunted Mira, infuriating Jolene even further.
"Laxus, we're busting out of here." commanded Erza.
"Sure thing." said Laxus, before covering his body in lightning. "I'd cover your heads if I were you."
With that said, the Dragon Slayer pointed his right arm at the ceiling, a powerful blast of yellow lightning crashing into it with tremendous force. It easily broke through the concrete, creating a giant hole, big enough to fit the group.
"Gray!" called Laxus.
The Maker Wizard caught Laxus' idea and put his hands on the ground.
ICE MAKE: ELEVATOR!
In an instant, a giant block of ice grew under his feet, taking both him and the group up to the next floor.
"You're not getting away!" yelled Jolene, throwing herself after her enemies, Dryden following her suit.
Arthur simply stood in his spot, an amused smile growing on his face. "So that's the best decision you have come up with? How disappointing."
With that said, he turned on his heel and slowly walked into the darkness, as he made his way to the upper floors.
Jolene Requipped a dozen of iron swords around her head and threw them at the iceberg, creating a path. She swiftly jumped from blade to a blade, effectively making her way up. With one final jump, she passed upwards and slashed the ceiling, creating herself a window to pass through. She flew right through it, not several meters above the ground of the second floor. She looked throughout the floor with her eyes, until she spotted the group running off in the distance, heading towards the stairs.
The woman grit her teeth and turned herself in the air, facing the staircase. Just when she was starting to fall, she noticed multiple iron spears flying in her direction with the corner of her eye. She siwftly deflected all of them, as they fell to the ground with loud clanks. Not even a second later she heard a familiar sound and turned in its direction, this time an arrow made out of ice making its way towards her torso. She threw her right sword at the arrow, successfully shattering it. Afterwards, her feet finally touched the ground.
Jolene heard footsteps making their way in her direction from both of her sides.
"She really is like Titania. Normally, I'd be excited. But not after what you pulled off, you trash." growled a voice to her right.
"I'm glad we agree on that one." added a voice to her left. "There's no punishment for what you've all done."
Gray and Gajeel emerged from the shadows, successfully surrounding Jolene. The woman clicked her tongue in irritation, clearly not fond of the situation she was currently in.
"You're going down, bitch." growled Gajeel, his right hand turning into a sword.
Jolene ignored them and threw herself after Natsu, only to be met with a wall of ice growing in her way, which sealed the way to her target.
"I don't think so." hissed Gray, infuriating the woman even more.
Dryden finally caught up with his friend, as he jumped out of the hole she'd made with her weapons. He quickly assessed the situation, before locking his eyes on surrounded Jolene.
"Ganging up on a lady? Gentlemen, that's not very manly-"
His taunt was interrupted by a powerful punch to his right cheek. Mirajane flew up to the man in her Satan Soul and struck him with a right hook, successfully knocking him off the air. His body impacted into the floor, before breaking right through it, as he fell to the floor beneath, back where he came from. Mirajane spread her wings and dived into the hole she'd just made, chasing after the man.
"Make her pay." she threw as farewell to her friends before disappearing.
"You don't have to say it." they exclaimed before dashing at Jolene.
The woman slowly closed her eyes and extended her arms to her sides, aiming them at her opponents.
"Very well." she hissed before summoning multiple spears with each of her hands and launching them at Fairy Tail wizards. "I'll turn you boys into my new toys."
Natsu ran up the stairs, continuously knocking out every masked person that stood before him. After wasting some time and successfully checking the bodies of his first ten victims, he was now sure that none of them had any sorts of explosives strapped to their bodies. This sacrifice allowed the group to safely proceed forward, without putting both themselves and the slaves in danger. The slaves fell one by one after being rendered unconscious by the group, with Natsu taking care of majority of them. This decision was made by Erza, who decided that knocking them out was a much easier and faster method of persuation, even if more brutal. Even Lucy complied to her words without arguing, as she has already successfully choked two men out with her whip.
"There's no end to them!" exclaimed Juvia after pressing a slave against the wall with her water. "At this rate we won't make it"
Erza couldn't help but agree with her friends' judgement. The amount of people swamping them in the tight staircase was overwhelming. They were basically running on people, her eyes not registering even a single, cold step ever since they made the first turn.
"This is taking way too long." added Laxus, as he smashed a person's head against the wall. "We should have taken that elevator up to the very top."
"We don't know what awaits us on each floor, we could easily run into a trap by doing so. Upper floors have been secured with lacrimas - the moment we try to dig our way through we will be fried, and not even your lightning will help you. We have no other choice but advance step by step." responded Erza.
"How do you know this?" asked the blonde with a light frown.
"I helped install them." retorted Erza sorrowly. Laxus no longer pushed the topic.
Finally, Natsu kicked the last attacker out of the way, with no follow up coming afterwards. After 20 more seconds of climbing they were met with a light, as the entrance to third floor appeared before them.
"You think leaving just those three was a good idea?" Laxus asked Erza, as he matched his pace with hers. Not hearing her response, the man tried to press a little harder.
"There are four Commandments left. You, me and Salamander can most likely take them one on one, but what about those two?" he asked, pointing at Lucy and Juvia with his thumb. "They were supposed to focus on prisoners, but look at the situation we're in. The very same prisoners are now lying on the ground behind us. Even if they focus on getting them off this island, they can't go downstairs with those five duking it out. In worst case scenario, they will run into a Commandment."
"I am well aware of this fact." retorted the knight through her grit teeth, trying to think of some sort of a strategy. "I know which floor to leave them on, but I'm afraid the enemy is expecting that."
Laxus looked at her. He knew she was frustrated, and more than likely scared for her friends. Only few minutes spent on this island showed them that none of them knew what sort of a mess they were getting themselves into.
"If that happens, let's just hope they run into the 7th one. They can turn it into a 4v1 if they want to." he said, trying to lift Erza's spirit.
She did not reply.
Gajeel and Gray panted heavily, sweat running down their faces. Dozens of weapons surrounded them, most of them impaled to the ground. Loud sound of Jolene's high heels echoed throughout the floor, as she made her way towards her targets, a sword in each of her hands.
"This bitch..." growled Gajeel in-between his breaths, streams of blood flowing down his iron scales from multiple small cuts he received from the Commandment. "She's toying with us."
"Oh, you noticed?" asked the woman, before dashing at the Dragon Slayer. She slashed his left side, only to have it blocked by his iron club. He retaliated by a slash of his own, as he thrust his right hand that was currently in the form of a sword directly into her chest, only to see Jolene use his momentum against him. She parried the strike with her left sword and directed it to her right, sidestepping at the same time. Gajeel lost his balance and was pulled forward by his own strength. Jolene stepped out of his field of vision and slashed at him. Gajeel's eyes widened in terror at the sight of a blade making its way towards his eyes. He ducked at the last moment, the blade cutting off some of his hair.
"Good boy." breathed Jolene before delivering a left roundhouse into his abdomen, pushing him back. Despite being clad in iron, he felt his muscles bending under the strength of the kick, dull pain spreading over his lower area. As Gajeel slid on the floor, Jolene raised her right arm and put it behind her back, effectively blocking Gray's gauntleted punch that was aimed at her lower back. "That's not how you take a lady from behind." she said before quickly arching her right shoulder blade, which caused her sword to knock Gray's fist away. She quickly turned around and delivered a powerful left kick into his abdomen, causing him to spit out some blood and slide back on the floor, as he buckled over and clutched his stomach.
"I have to say, you guys make great stress relief dummies." she taunted them.
Both men glared daggers at the Commandment, before looking at each other. Gray quickly shifted his eyes onto Jolene's weapons, giving Gajeel a signal. The Dragon Slayer understood it and nodded in response. He took a deep breath and turned his right hand into a sword, this time extending its blade to maximum.
"You really think you will hit me with this?" asked Jolene with a raised eyebrow.
"Not yet." retorted the man before kicking the ground. He horizontally slashed his ridiculously big weapon at Jolene, who simply jumped over it and relocated to a safe distance. The strike destroyed all of the weapons that were stuck in the floor, shards of wood and metal flying in the air.
ICE MAKE: FLOOR!
Gray's voice appeared behind Jolene, as he kneeled and put his hands on the ground, which immediately started to freeze, a thick layer of ice sprawling all over the floor.
"I see. They destroyed those weapons to make sure I didn't use them as footing. Nice move." she thought. "But still too naive."
Just when the ice was about to reach Jolene's feet, she jumped up and plunged her left sword in the ground. She then put both of her feet on each side of its crossguard and straightened herself up, using the weapon as a foothold. The ice reached just to the middle of the sword, Jolene's feet safe and warm.
"What?!" yelled shocked Gray.
The Commandment simply smirked at his confusion and threw her sword in his direction, making him jump back to avoid it, as it planted itself in the ground just where he was recently kneeling. Jolene jumped from her current position and landed on her second sword, swiftly closing the distance between her and Gray. She kicked the sword one more time and launched herself at the man, before turning in the air and throwing a right kick at his head. Despite blocking the blow, Gray felt his head tilting to the side, his arms pressuring his cheek way too hard. Jolene turned around in the air and used the momentum to push Gray away, effectively knocking him back. Just when she finished spinning, she noticed Gajeel making his way towards her. She swiftly landed on the ice and threw her right arm back, almost as if readying herself to throw a bowling ball. A magic circle appeared right behind her hand, as she spun in her spot, before throwing her arm at the Dragon Slayer, a giant spear appearing from behind her figure. With no means of dodging it, Gajeel put his sword up and caught the weapon, successfully blocking it.
In the meantime, Jolene ran up to Gajeel and grabbed the flying spear. She brought it down onto him, making him sidestep out of the way. The weapon smacked the ground with a loud clank, missing its target. Using this timing, Gajeel stepped in and pulled his arm back.
Seeing this, Jolene straightened her spear and planted its tip into the ground. She then tilted her body to the side and using the weapon as a pole, spun around it, matching her timing with Gajeels. With no means of dodging, the Dragon Slayer was forced to put his guard up, as Jolene spun around one more time and smashed both of her legs into his figure, effectively knocking him back. She landed on the ground and pulled the weapon out, before leaning her figure towards the ground and running at mad speed, her spear held behind her back.
Gajeel stopped sliding on the floor and extended his right arm in his opponents direction.
IRON DRAGON'S LANCE: DEMON LOGS!
Several iron spears shot out of of hand, only to be dodged by Jolene, as she jumped over them. While in the air, she threw her own spear at Gajeel, making it scratch his cheek. While still in the air, she Requipped a new set of swords and slashed at Gajeel from above, forcing him to block it with his own weapon.
"I'm starting to like you." Jolene licked her lips, as she pushed the Dragon Slayer back.
"Not interested." retorted the man in a strained voice, as he supported his right arm with his left hand.
Jolene pushed harder, effectively grinding the Dragon Slayer into the ground. Remembering Salamander's moves he picked up in Blackhill, Gajeel put all of his strength into his legs and pushed them up, using the momentum and greatly increasing his power, pushing Jolene's strike away and knocking her off balance. The woman's eyes widened in suprise, her hands losing their grip on her weapons.
IRON DRAGON'S CLUB!
Using this golden opportunity, Gajeel delivered a powerful strike to Jolene stomach, doubling her over in the process. Spit found its way through her mouth as she wheezed from both suprise and sudden lack of oxygen.
Not giving her a moment to rest, the Dragon Slayer followed through with a Hard Fist, only to have it blocked by a shield Requipped by Jolene.
"Her Requip speed is messed up." thought Gajeel. "Not even Titania can change this fast."
"Now you've done it." hissed Jolene. She smacked her shield to the side and knocked Gajeel's fist away. She then summoned an axe and slashed it at his head, making him lean back to avoid it. She let go of the weapon and brought her shield up, only to smash it into his chest and make him fall. Gajeel's back slammed against the ground, air leaving his lungs as Jolene put her foot on his sternum and summoned a new spear, bringing it up to stab him.
Her plan failed with multiple huge icicles flying at her from the side, which forced her to jump away. Gray ran up to the downed Dragon Slayer and stood in front of him, guarding him from the female.
"Get up, tincan." he commanded.
Gajeel slowly stood up from the ground, his torso numb from the impact. "She's movin' too much. That speed of hers is messed up, ain't no way we can catch her the way we are."
"So what are we supposed to do?" asked irritated Gray. His feeling of powerlessness against the Commandment was starting to get to him.
"I have a plan."
"Knowing you, it's stupid and reckless."
"Those are the best ones."
Gray hesitated for a while. "Fine. Spit it out."
Jolene watched both males discuss their plan in silence. "Oh no you don't!" she yelled before rushing at them, her hands glowing.
Gray noticed this and struck his open palm with his fist.
ICE MAKE: LANCE!
Multiple lances shot out of his hands, all of them aimed at Jolene. She swiftly jumped over them, all of them flying right beneath her.
"You fell for it." smirked Gray, suprising the brunette.
IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!
Gajeel unleashed a whirlpool of sharp iron from behind Gray, aiming it at falling Jolene. With nowhere to go, her options were limited, none of them guaranteeing her getting out of this situation unharmed. Or so they thought.
Jolene summoned an enormous iron shield just beneath her feet. Using it as a foothold, she kicked it as hard as she could and successfully jumped over Gajeel's Roar, making it hit nothing but air. The shield fell onto the ground, making it shake under its weight.
"Damn it!" grumbled Gray before punching his palm once again. But he didn't have enough time.
Jolene landed right in front of him and quickly kicked him in the liver as hard as she could. His torso bent, his eyes growing misty from the pain.
Gajeel rushed to help his friend, only to feel his face meet with her foot. His iron scales have successfully absorbed the impact, which allowed him to quickly retaliate with a dual attack of his iron clubs. Jolene jumped over them and using them as a path ran up on top of them to the Dragon Slayer and kicked him in the jaw, successfully smashing his figure into the ground, his head being the first to impact. His vision blurry, he felt blood stream down his face, as he tried to get up, only to feel a spear pierce his right thigh, as he screamed out in pain. The weapon plunged itself into the ground, securing him in his current spot.
"Be a good boy and stay here." whispered Jolene. She bent the handle of her spear to prevent Gajeel from pulling it out. "I'll be right back."
Just when was done with the black-haired man, she felt Gray trying to sneak up on her. She quickly ducked over his ice warhammer and kicked him in the gut once again, making him slowly fall to the ground.
Not wasting any time, Jolene Requipped a dagger and thrust it into his chest, aiming for his heart. In the last possible moment her blade was stopped by a shield of ice growing over his chest, much to her shock. She looked at Gray's face, only to meet his furious, alive eyes. He grabbed the woman's right hand and pulled her towards him, only to smash her face with his right hand, his fist covered in an ice glove. Blood spilled onto the floor from Jolene's cut lip, her head thrown to the side. Fury taking over her mind, she brought it back up only to be punched once again, this time in the gut. Gray repeatedly struck the female in every vital point he could remember, from her temple to her liver. In response, the woman repeatedly tried to stab him, her blade never getting as far as she'd want to because his ice shields that grew out from beneath his skin, as she left multiple shallow stab wounds all over his body.
"Enough!" yelled Jolene, overtaken with dull pain, blood dripping from her forehead and cut lip. Deciding that playtime was over, she summoned a katana and successfully pierced Gray's right side, the tip of her blade sticking out on the other side. Gray coughed up blood, as Jolene pushed the blade further and further, causing the man to scream in agony, as he released his iron grip on her hand.
"You deserve much more than that for what you did to me." she whispered with a sadistic, furious grin on her face, as she twisted her weapon to the side, making Gray suffer even more.
Suddenly, he grabbed her left hand, locking it in a grip even stronger than before, effectively stopping the katana's movements. Jolene tried to pull it out, but the blade did not budge even a millimeter.
"What I did to you?!" he growled. All pent up emotions he's been feeling this day reached their boiling point. Everything he heard and seen resurfaced with full strength. He lifted his head up to meet her eyes, his wide and furious. "You've been killing people for years. You've enjoyed cruelty for years. You have no regard to human life, to you, it's amusing when someone suffers, when they're crying in pain! And yet you dare to get worked up when something bad happens to you?! You guys aren't even human anymore!"
"Aren't you getting carried away?" she retorted, her voice losing its mocking tone. "We're punishing those who have wronged us. It's because of them we ended up in a place like this! None of us has received love, compassion, kindness! We were left to die before Master Silva found us! He gave us purpose, he gave us hope! This world is cruel, and we are its saviors! We are the ones who're doing what's right! We're purging this world from its filth, and tonight, we will pass it on to its rightful owner!"
"You're simple murderers!" yelled Gray. "You're psychopaths with too much power who killed thousands of innocent people! It's because of people like you Natsu and Erza's happiness was taken away from them!"
"Silence!" screeched Jolene. She punched Gray with her right hand. "What could someone like you know anything about us?! You've never experienced loss, what could you possibly know?"
Gray answered with a punch of his own, his left fist smashing into the woman's right cheekbone. He then reached out and grabbed her other hand, rendering both her and himself unable to use their arms.
"A big fucking deal." he responded. "I don't care who you are, or what your story is. All I care about is today. You blew up innocent people before my eyes, for that I will stop you."
Jolene spat out some blood and looked at Gray with fury in her eyes.
"Your Requipping may be fast, but all you can muster are weak, pathetic weapons made out of scrap. When it comes to your magic, Erza is so high above you you can't even hope to lick her boots." he mocked her.
"And yet here we are, you on the verge of death and me with minor injuries." retorted the woman.
"Both of our conditions are about to worsen." smirked Gray through the pain.
"Are you planning to bring me down with you?" she hissed.
Jolene heard something breaking behind him. Gray smirked at the sound, his lips curving in a sinister grin. "Correct."
Jolene watched in shock as Gajeel growled through his teeth and pulled out the spear out of his leg. He then stood up, panting heavily.
"You sure about this?" he asked Gray.
"Do it."
Jolene felt terror grasping her chest. She tried to free her arms, only to feel Gray's grip tightening on her wrists. With no other way to free herself, she decided to kick Gray under his chin. Her plan failed before it even began, as Gray smashed his feet into hers, nailing it into the floor.
"We've been through this a week ago. Getting your ass kicked can be a good lesson." said Gray. "Next time, make sure you Requip actual weapons, rather than toothpicks."
Gajeel inhaled as much air as possible, his chest and cheeks puffed out.
IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!
A tornado filled with shards of iron swallowed Gray and Jolene, bits of the metal planting themselves into the floor. Gajeel kept his attack for good couple seconds before dispelling it in worry of his comrade. The Roar ended with a cloud of smoke erupting in the place where the pair stood. A figure fell out of the smoke, which revealed to be Gray. He had multiple cuts all over his body, but other than that, he was fine. He dropped to his knees and panted, his entire body stinging and itching.
"You retard. I was the one supposed to take the hit." grumbled Gajeel, as he walked up to the Maker and extended his hand in his direction.
"You'd die if I hit you." wheezed out Gray, before grabbing the hand and allowing Gajeel to pull him up. Despite his entire body aching like never before, he had no problem staying on his feet.
"Let's hurry, we can still catch up to the-"
"The reason I use simple weapons is quite simple, really."
Fairy Tail mages felt their eyes widen in shock. They both turned around so fast their necks hurt.
"The more complex the item you summon, the more magic power you waste. By summoning a hundred iron swords I use less magic that your precious Titania uses to Requip an enchanted breastplate."
Jolene walked out of the dust. Her suit was cut in various places, her naked right breast falling out for the entire world to see. She had multiple cuts all over her body, but other than that, there was no threat to her life. Her face expressed silent fury, but it remained rather stoic. She ripped her right pantleg off and turned it into a rag, which she used to wrap around her chest.
"If you wish to see one of my real weapons, be my guests."
Jolene's magic power increased rapidly, gravity on the floor increasing. A magic circle came out of her right hand, with a red sword appearing in her palm. It was much different than the weapons she had previously used. Its crossguard was in the shape of a scorched skull, the edge of the blade yellow and smoking, with the rest of the blade being scarlet red, except the handle, which was black. It highly resembled weapons used by Erza.
"I just remembered I have not introduced myself yet." she whispered. The tip of her blade touched the ground, immediately burning a hole in it.
"5th Commandment: The Arsenal. Make sure you remember it."
Tower of Heaven, First Floor
Dryden rolled on the ground for what seemed to be a third time in the last 5 minutes. He was downed by yet another of Mirajane's punches, which irritated the woman.
"Are you messing around with me, bastard?" she growled.
Dryden stood up and wiped his chin with his sleeve. Despite not using his magic and resolving only to physical attacks, there was barely any scratch on his body. His expression resembled that of an interested child, eager to test the limits of their new toy.
"Don't be so mad, my darling." he replied. "I'm just measuring your value."
Mirajane did not respond.
"When I saw your Satan Soul, I was delighted. To finally meet one of my kind with this much power - marvelous! All I had to do was test whether you are worthy of holding this much strength. And you passed!" he exclaimed and extended his arms to his sides to showcase his joy. "I can finally go all out without fearing to break someone in a minute!"
"The hell are you talking about?" frowned disguisted Mira.
Dryden smirked in response. "You'll see soon enough."
All of a sudden, his figure was surrounded by blue light, his magic power increasing. His face twisted in a terrifying smile, the light wrapping itself around his body, causing the Demon to squint and cover her eyes.
After what seemed to be a minute, the light started to weaken, revealing everything hidden behind it, making Mira's eyes widen in fear and disbelief.
Dryden's face was entirely covered, his eyes being the only visible parts of his face, giant horns growing out of his forehead, which were slightly pointed to the back of his head. His mouth was covered by a giant set of clenched, sharp white teeth. His torso and limbs were tightly secured under plated, blue armor, with blades growing out of each of his elbows. His hands and feet have grown in size, their fingers and toes longer as well, with ferocious claws and talons at the end of them. Behind his back spread a giant pair of wings, their joints light blue and the skin in-between each joint white in color. His tail smashed into the floor with enough force to completely shatter it, the trident shaped tip of his tail stuck in the wooden surface. No matter how much she denied it, he looked almost like a...
TAKEOVER: DRAGON SOUL
Dryden exclaimed the name of his form and flapped his wings, creating powerful currents of wind in Mira's direction, which made her slide on the floor, pushing back a meter or two. She lowered her guard and continued to gaze at the man's form in awe.
"This is impossible..." she breathed.
"Thanks to Master Silva's wisdom and guidance, I was able to acquire remains of the soul of a Crystal Dragon and successfully mold them into this form." explained the Commandment. He flapped his wings and raised himself in the air, hovering in his spot mere centimeters above the ground. "Although this is only the shadow of its former greatness, back when it belonged to its original master, this form is powerful enough to make Master Silva entrust me with the title of 4th Commandment: The Armor. Dragons are, after all, the superior beings in this world."
Mira gulped. His magic power was enough of a proof to make her realise she was up against one hell of an opponent. His armor looked not only sinister, but tough as well. That would explain his unnatural durability, even when not wearing it.
Dryden spread his arms and landed on the floor. "Now then, Mirajane Strauss!" he yelled. "Let the battle between Demon and a Dragon begin!"
To be continued in Chapter 10: Demon vs. Dragon.
Okay, this was one hell of a ride. Gray's outburst was probably the hardest to write, and I still feel like I could much better with it. Oh well, that's what I have you guys for - telling me how to make this story better by pointing out mistakes I don't see myself.
I promised you some disclaimers, so here they are:
- In their fight with Jolene, both Gajeel and Gray used tricks they picked up during their fight with Natsu in chapter 2. I decided to make them learn from their defeats, rather than sulk and blame Natsu forever.
- Gray eavesdropped a bit of Natsu's story, hence his mention of his name in his touchy moment.
- The Commandments will not receive a backstory of their own, but bits of their past will be revealed through dialogue. I don't want to suffocate you with chapters full of characters you probably despise.
- Lucy standing up to Erza was also hard to write. Lucy talks alot of shit to her enemies, but she'd never talked that way to her friends, therefore getting her in character was rather difficult. I hope I did the right thing.
- The reason Jolene was this weak when compared to Natsu does come from the fact she is weaker than him, but also his growth. She was taken by suprise, that's why she was so terrified. If she was aware of his strength, the squabble wouldn't be this one sided.
Well, that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed it and as always, make sure to let me know if you did in reviews. See ya!