Ok, so it took a little longer than I would have liked, but here's chapter 3. It's more or less the same length of Chapter 2 at least so hopefully this is ok.
Would you guys prefer I write short or long chapters? Shorter chapters are of course easier to write and I can release them more often, while longer chapters will take longer but give you something a little more substantial to read. Feel free to drop a review or PM me to let me know.

I have also realized it would probably be a good idea to get a cover image for this story so that I don't just have a generic blank image to represent it. I am however hesitant to just grab something off Google because one of the terms for using a cover image is that "you must have the required permission and rights to use the image that you upload."
If anyone knows about this sort of thing, please let me know where I can maybe find something suitable.

Anyway, on with the chapter.

Heart of Fire
Wings of Light
I have withstood the harshest of winters
In this barren heart of mine
So cold and empty without you here
And yet my flame burns on

The thugs started to close in on Jellal, laughing sadistically as they did. Two of them circled around the fire to the left, while the other two went right, trapping the young man in a pincer manoeuvre.

With an air of calm, Jellal stood firm. His eyes flicked between the two pairs of thugs, waiting to see who'd strike first. His right foot slid back and to the right slightly, widening his stance. He looked ready and competent to boot and maybe that made the thugs hesitate for a moment... but he was trembling ever so slightly and he gripped his staff tight enough to cut off the circulation in his fingers. It was clear that he was out of his depth- capable or not, he was a young adolescent facing down four grown men.

Well, this wouldn't do. The boy didn't care about Jellal in any way, but just sitting back and letting this happen wasn't right. Besides, that little girl Wendy was depending on him. So he had to do something. The question is what?

He could just fight.
Except that it would be a waste of energy and he'd have to deal with the thugs' unconscious bodies afterwards. A good fight was always fun, but cleaning up afterwards? Less so.

No, there was a much more entertaining option that would prove to be just as effective for defusing the situation.

Of all the things that Igneel had taught the boy, there was one thing that stood out among the rest- it was a skill that he had taken to like a fish took to water, something that now came to him as naturally as breathing.
And that was how to use Magic.

He shifted his gaze away from Jellal, to the centre of the encampment, where the campfire cheerfully blazed away.
He gazed into the fire intently and as he did so, everything around him slowed to a crawl.
In a trance-like state, everything around him started to fade away, until only the flickering flames remained. When the flames filled his mind, he called out to them.
And the flames answered.

All Jellal and the thugs saw was a fiery streak as the flames leapt from the campfire into the bushes, before disappearing completely. That was a strange enough sight in itself, but it is worth mentioning that the sun had set some time ago and the small campfire had been the only source of light within the clearing.
And therefore, the area was plunged into complete and utter darkness.

Everyone froze in their tracks, unable to grasp what had just happened. Having grown accustomed to the light of the fire, the sudden change had left them almost blind. Disoriented and confused, they found themselves praying desperately for a new source of light to break the darkness. Their prayers were answered, but not in the way that they had hoped.

Out of the shadows, stepped a creature out of a nightmare. Cloaked in shadow, the beast was illuminated only by the flames that danced across its body. Its eyes, which burned like smouldering coals, swept across the scene, before settling on the four brutes.
They froze in terror, like rabbits pinned by the gaze of a wolf. The monster continued to stare them down for a moment, then opened it's maw wide and boomed:

"Evildoers, you trespass on sacred land. You come here to this holy place to perform your wrongdoings. Your actions here will not be tolerated."

The thugs merely cowered in fear, cowed into submission by this incarnation of hell.
Enraged by the lack of response, the beast bellowed wildly. Flames erupted from its mouth and engulfed its entire head, after which it roared:

"Leave now while you have the chance. I shall give you three seconds to get out of my sight. If you return, you shall face my wrath!"

Finally shocked out of their stupor, they bolted as fast as they could in the opposite direction. The monster simply watched them leave and for a moment, it seemed that it would simply let them leave in peace.
However, before the three seconds were even up, the monster roared once again, spewing a liquid-like fire out of its mouth that arced towards the retreating thugs. Their panicked flight became even more desperate, as they dodged the attacks. One of them yelped and cursed profusely as the flames landed at his heels and licked at his clothes, almost setting him alight.
Apparently, their fear of being incinerated lent them extra speed, as they very quickly disappeared from sight.

For a moment, everything was silent. Then the flames started to fade away, revealing a very amused pink-haired boy. He chuckled quietly, glad that he had been given the opportunity to let off some steam. Now, time to get back to setting up camp for-

CRACK!

His vision went white for a second as blinding pain crashed over him like a wave.
"Argh! What the hell?!" he cried, clutching the back of his head with one hand.
Realizing he was on the ground, he looked up to see Jellal looming over him, brandishing his staff. Still dazed, it took him a second to connect the dots.

He leapt to his feet, already screaming. "Hey! What the hell did you do that for?"

Outraged, he marched towards Jellal, who had retreated a short distance following his surprise attack. Just as he was getting near to Jellal, the blue-haired boy levelled his staff and aiming the point just between his eyes.

"Keep your distance, demon," Jellal commanded frostily.

"Do I look like a goddamn demon to you?!"

"Frankly? Yes. And I believe those four men you just sent running for the hills feel the same way," retorted Jellal. "While you have my thanks for dealing with those men, you are an even bigger threat. Nothing personal, but I'll have to deal with you now."

With those words, he took a step forward and prepared to deliver another strike. As he was not eager to take another hit, the boy understandably dodged backwards out of reach.

"Stop it! Is this really how you treat people who help you?"

"This is how I treat monsters who are a threat to me and my friends. Now do us both a favour and stay still so I can finish you off quickly."

The ensuing 'fight' was more like a game of cat and mouse. Jellal repeatedly tried to strike the pink-haired boy, who dodged each and every strike. This carried on for some time, but eventually, the boy's annoyance started to turn to anger. After dodging Jellal's staff for who knows how many times, he decided he'd had enough. Suddenly he stood firm, prepared to knock Jellal out if need be. He raised one fist, which spontaneously burst into flame.

"You really want a fight? Then I'll give you one!" he shouted.

"You won't be much of a challenge, monster!" Jellal retorted.

Suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes.
Instantly, both boys leapt apart, their eyes fixated on the bushes. Had the goons finally returned? Or was this some other threat?

Both boys tensed up, ready to fight whatever this thing was.
Then the bushes burst open and out stumbled a dishevelled-looking Wendy, who ran towards Jellal, shouting something as she did so.

"Don't do it Jellal! He's-"

Whatever she was about to say was cut off suddenly. In her haste, she tripped over a rock and faceplanted into the ground with a little squeak.

"Wendy!" Jellal cried out, rushing to her side. He knelt next to her, checking her over for injuries.

"It's ok, Jellal." She said with a smile, looking up at him. She stood up with Jellal's help and looked over at the pink-haired boy with a look of awe.

"He isn't a demon," she continued. "He's a Dragonslayer."

The boy looked at her with an expression of surprise on his face. Then he grinned wryly.

"You're right. I am a Dragonslayer."

And that's it for Chapter 3. I was planning on writing a little more, but I thought it was just more important to get the chapter out quickly.
Thankfully, I have a good idea of what to include in the next chapter, so it should be out soon. Stay tuned.