Chapter Fifteen: A Fairy Falls
South Gate Park.
Everyone was talking about it. Apparently, something had happened that involved a couple of Fairy Tail members. Team Natsu all rushed over as soon as they had heard, and weren't prepared for what they saw.
"Excuse us. Let us through. We're from their guild." Erza commanded as she she pushed past the nosy on-lookers.
Noelle's eyes widened when they came to the tree. There, strung up like a couple of puppets, were Jet, Droy, and Levy. They were covered in bruises, and their clothes were shredded, and on Levy's stomach - was the Phantom Lord Mark.
Noelle held Marlow tighter against her as anger flowed through her blood. "Phantom," She hissed. My eyes dilated and her canines dug into the flesh of her cheek. "They're going to pay for this!"
Marlow looked up at Noelle with wide eyes. "You've got blood lust in your eyes!" he proudly said.
"Phantom Lord did this." Natsu growled out. He was angry - angrier than she's ever seen him.
Noelle frowned as she smelled the Master approaching. "Old man." She spoke calmly, though there was still venom laced in her voice.
"Master." Erza whispered.
"I can take our headquarters being reduced to rubble, but I will not let harm come to my children without taking revenge!" He roared and snapped his staff in half. "We have no choice but to go to war!" Magical energy was pouring off of the mater. Noelle could feel all his anger and pain.
Phantom Lord was going to regret messing with Fairy Tail.
The entire Fairy Tail guild was stood outside of Phantom Lord(minus a few who had stayed back) and was just waiting for Master to give the command, to bust in and teach them clowns a lesson they'd never forget. It was a tense moment, but when he gave Natsu the okay - he blew the door to pieces and they found their selves facing the enemy.
"Fairy Tail has come calling!" The Master bellowed.
Immediately the guilds rushed at one another and began to fight. Noelle could barely see through the haze of magic that was being stirred up, but that wasn't going to stop her. She glared at the Phantom mages in front of her. They were all holding swords, and their magic didn't feel very threatning.
Easy as pie.
Noelle smirked and folded her hands as if she were about to say a prater.
I smirked and folded my hands as if I were about to say a prayer. An icy haze began to swirl around her, and a bluish-purple, magic circle appeared under her feet. Noelle closed her eyes and focused her magic around her as she began the spell. As she broke her prayer stance, glowing shards of ice shaped like petals started to twirl around her.
"What the hell kind of spell is this?!" She heard one of the Phantom members yell.
"Who cares! Just get her!"
Marlow watched Noelle with a giddy smile. "Oh man, you're really serious about this!" He giggled and flies into the magic circle. "Make em' cry for their mommies!" He giggles and clings to Noelle's leg.
Noelle smiled as they charged towards her. It was just what she wanted. She began to dance; twirling around within the circle, and moving her arms in calm, sweeping motions. Some of the Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail members stopped to watch her as she danced. Suddenly, she stopped her dance and gently opened her eyes.
The Phantom Lord members are looking at her oddly, caught off guard. Perfect.
The petals that had been dancing around Noelle stopped, and formed a perfect circle around her. "Dance of Winter." She whispered, and thrust her arms out towards the Phantom petals shoot towards them and slice their skin like razor blades. The Phantom mages cry out and fall to the ground. Noelle stepped over them with a victorious smile.
Marlow flies over them with stars in his eyes. "Oh wow! You really did a number on them! So cool!"
She snorted at my violence loving best friend.
"Anybody else want some?" Noelle grinned.
The Phantom wizards stare at her with shock and frightened faces, but they still come at her - a bit more reluctant than they had been before.
From the corner of her eye she noticed that some of the Phantom mages had decided to team up on Master Makarov. She wasn't worried. Well, for them, maybe; but Noelle knew the Master could handle himself just fine. She was even surprised when she heard their girlish cries, and the Master's booming voice.
Suddenly, Noelle sensed someone coming up from behind her and quickly pulled herself and Marlow out of the way. She glared at the bald-headed man with beady eyes. The man grinned, and his fists turned blue. He pressed them together and formed a blade of ice. It wasn't Maker Magic, but it didn't matter.
The man charged at Noelle with his icy blade. Noelle and Marlow snickered, not even bothering to dodge it.
"You got some kind of death wish?!" He cried, swinging his sword at her.
She laughed and stopped his attack with her hand. "Heh, thanks for the meal, pal." He looked at Noelle funny as she bit down on his sword and sunk her canines into it. The sword began to glow and turn into magical energy that Noelle happily sucked up. She frowned.
"Your ice is bland tasting."
"Kinda like your personality." Marlow giggled. She didn't know if he was talking to her, or baldy.
The man shrieked and backed away from her. "D-Don't tell me you're one of them!"
One of what? Noelle gave baldy a glare and sucked in a breath, and puffed out her cheeks. "Ice Dragon: Roar!' She bellowed, blowing the man away in a tornado of ice and freezing wind. Marlow cheered her on.
Noelle snorted as more Phantom scum ran at her.
"You guys don't learn, do you? Ice Dragon: Spike Trap!" Noelle yelled stomping her foot on the ground. Spikes of ice shot out from the ground and sent the members flying through the air.
"This is the greatest day ever!" Marlow excitedly pumped his fist. Noelle laughed and scratched his head. What a little weirdo he is.
The smell of iron suddenly filled the air that was followed by an eerie chuckle. On top of a pile of rubble stood a man with wild black hair, piercings, and glowing red eyes; the Iron Dragon Slayer, Black Steel Gajeel. Nab appeared behind him and tried to punch him - Gajeel was quicker. His arm turns into a steel lance, and he easily smacks him away, as well as his own guild mates.
"What the?! He just knocked out his own guild mates with that attack!" Gray yelled.
"Show me what you got! Unless you scum are too scared to face The Great Iron Dragon Slayer."
Noelle glared at him. The arrogance that was radiating off him annoyed her.
"Too scared?!" Elfman roared. "Real men have no fear!" He yelled and charged Gajeel as his arm turned to stone.
Gajeel was easily able to deflect the attack by turning his arm to steel. "You're Elfman, right?" He smirked, he aimed a kick at Elfman as his leg turned to iron. Noelle was genuinely surprised when Elfman caught it - it almost seemed too easy. Smaller beams suddenly sprouted from Gajeel's legs, but none of them were aimed for Elfman - instead they all attacked and knocked out his guild mates.
"Why would he do that?"
Noelle's eyes widened as she suddenly realized why. Before she even knew what she was doing, she was sprinting at Gajeel just as he had landed a painful blow on Elfman.
"Ice Dragon: Diamond Fist!" Noelle shrieked, surprised to see Natsu mirroring her move. Their punches both hit him, and sent him crashing into the wall behind him.
"They actually hit him!"
"They sent him flying!"
"No one has ever done that before!"
"Allow me to introduce ourselves," Natsu said, holding up his flaming fist. "We're Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayers." Gajeel smirked at the both of them - the look of a challenge in his eyes. "Elfman, leave this guy to me." Natsu told him.
"Oh come on! First you use me as a springboard, and now you want to steal my man-to-man fight?"
Noelle sighed. "Elfman, a real man knows when to back down. This isn't your fight, so stay out of it."
"The same goes for you Noelle. Let me take care of this guy." Natsu said. He was solely focused on Gajeel.
"What?!" She yelled. "No way!"
"Didn't just say that a real man knows when to back down?" Elfman said.
"I'M NOT A MAN!" Noelle huffed and crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly. "Fine! Kick his ass at least. Think you can do that, fire gut?"
"Oh yeah!" Natsu grinned and slammed his fist together. "I'm fired up now!"
Unknown to Noelle, from the rafters of the Phantom Lord Guild, she was being watched. A shadowed figure with golden glowing eyes had been watching her the entire time. A feeling like electricity pumped through their blood as they watched the white-haired girl smash her way through the underlings of the guild.
The figure twisted a strand of their hair. "Well I'll be damned. If it isn't Little White."
The figure chuckled to themselves and decided that now was a better time than never to introduce themselves and jump into the battle. Gajeel would be too busy with the fire mage - leaving Little White, all by her lonesome.
And they couldn't have that.
Noelle was silently sulking. Stupid Natsu, always playing the damn hero! She wanted a chance to knock out Gajeel's lights, too. She was close to saying screw it and fighting him anyway, when a stream of purple lightning struck the ground before her.
Everyone froze.
"Oh man, not them!"
"This is bad news, man!"
Noelle furrowed her brows at the Phantom Lord members reaction. They were scared? She frowned. Wait, lightning? Hadn't Erza said something about a Phantom Lord mage who used lightning?
"Why so down, pretty mama? If you're looking to party, then look not further!"
"Shit!" Noelle hissed and pushed Marlow aside as a lightning bolt soared towards them. Noelle narrowly dodged it and glared at the scorch mark, where she had previously been standing. She winced as static danced along her arm.
"Judging from your magic; you must be the Lightning Devil of Phantom, eh?"
"You better believe it, baby."
Noelle scoffed and looked up at her challenger. Her eyes widened. The person who stood before her was a woman; a tall woman, with a slender, and curvaceous body. The woman's skin was brown, and her eyes a vibrant golden color. Her hair electric blue, streaked with yellow that spikes off to one side, while the other is shaved and dyed black. She has a tattoo of a black lightning bolt beneath her right eye. Her left ear is pierced in seven different places, and her right in three. Her lips were painted blue to match her hair. Noelle could make out a jagged, tribal-like black tattoo on her right arm.
The outfit she was wearing was a electric blue leather jacket that cut off below her breast; yellow stripes run down the side, and yellow zippers adorn the pockets of the breast, and there is a yellow hood attached. Underneath her jacket she wears a low-cut black camisole, and her pants are black leather that are tucked into electric blue boots with yellow zippers. On her hands are electric blue fingerless gloves with yellow trim.
"Noelle!" Marlow screamed. "Beat her head in! Look what she did to my fur!" He whined. He looked like a little puffball. She would have laughed if it weren't for the fact she was left speechless.
"You...Roxie?!" Noelle yelled.
The woman laughed and gave off a predatory grin. "Roxanne Wydbolt is the name, and pain is my game - but you already knew that, huh Baby-Doll," Roxie winked. "I gotta say pretty lady, that you look pretty damn good in the heat of battle. It's good to know that hasn't changed over the years. I have to wonder if you're like that in the heat of the moment, if ya know what I mean."
A shiver ran down Noelle's spine. "Y-You haven't changed at all!" Noelle cried. "Roxie, why are you in Phantom Lord?" Noelle frowned. "After everything...why would you come here?"
Roxie threw her head back and laughed. "There ain't many places in the world for people like me, pretty mama," Roxie cackled. "As much as i'd love to take you away from here and give you a real good time - I gotta remain loyal to my guild. I don't want to put the hurt on you Little White; really, I dont. But unless you cross over to the dark side, I ain't got much of a choice.
Isoldeth give her strength. "I'm perfectly happy at Fairy Tail, thank you," Noelle got into a fighting stance, though she was a bit reluctant. "I don't want to fight you either, Roxie, but I have to; for my guild."
Roxie sighs and shakes her head. "What a shame. You and I could have been something amazing, mama. Oh well. If you won't come willing - I'll take you by force!"
A crazy look overcame Roxie's eyes and before Noelle knew it she was running at her with inhuman speed. Noelle's eyes widen and she tries to dodge, but she's fast, and she hits her.
"Lightning Devil: Iron Fist!"
Roxie's lightning cloaked fist smashes into the side of Noelle's face, and she goes flying across the room and into the stone wall. Her friends call out for her. Noelle hears the sound of something cracking, can focus on nothing else but the painful feeling of lightning surging throughout her body. She feels numb, and finds herself struggling to stand. So much pain, and from one punch.
Just how strong had she become?
Marlow gasps and balls his fists. "Roxie!" He hisses at the lightning devil. "Get the hell up Noelle! What are you doing?! You were kicking butt a minute ago!"
Noelle grunts and forces herself up. Blood dribbles down the split of her lip, and she can already feel the swelling of her face.
"Lucky shot," Noelle grunted. "If memory serves me right, you use Lightning Devil Slayer magic; the power to kill demons."
"You remember pretty mama!" Roxie grinned excitedly. "All these years, and you haven't forgotten about me; I'm touched. But don't tell me that's all you got. I expected more from you, Little White. What happened to you? I could barely keep up with you all those years ago."
Noelle snorted. "You're not exactly easy to forget," she smirked. "Heh, don't count me out just yet. I've still got plenty of fight left inside of me, Rox. So don't think that because you've got a hit on me that this battle is over, because I've only just begun."
"You've got some serious spunk, baby! Oh man, I haven't been this pumped in a long time! Come at me, give me everything you've got pretty mama!"
Gray watched as Noelle and Roxie charged each other. Roxie was definitely the faster one - able to easily out maneuver Noelle and land a hit before she even had time to prepare hers.
"Lightning Devil: Velocity Strike!"
Light speed kicks and punches were being thrown at Noelle left and right. She barely had time to dodge and when she did, she was immediately hit with another attack. Roxie swung her leg around and swung it full force into Noelle's gut. The Ice Slayer let out a piercing cry and she was sent through the air - Roxie didn't give her a chance to land.
"Lightning Devil: Lightning Boost!"
In a blur of yellow - Roxie crashed into Noelle and slammed her into the ground. Gray tensed when he heard the sound of bones snapping and painful whimpering. Gray felt his anger begin to flare - and he could feel it from the others as well. He wanted to rush over and save her, but he knew Noelle would never have it - she was too damn prideful. She'd rather get beat into oblivion than let anyone help her.
"Noelle!" Marlow screamed. "G-get up! What are you doing?!" he quickly wiped away the tears that flooded his eyes.
Gray's fists tightened and his teeth ground against each other. He wanted to help her - but how? The Ice mage thought for a minute when an idea suddenly struck him. He bit back a smirk as he stepped forward and yelled out to the wizard.
"Are you seriously just going to lay there?! You're always going on about how you're this great and mighty dragon slayer and yet, you're just going to lay there and let this chick walk all over you - it's pathetic! I expected more out of Ur's student! How do you think she would feel if she saw you now? She'd be ashamed!"
No response.
Gray took a breath and prepared himself for what he was about to say next.
"I guess this is why Isoldeth gave up on you!"
Marlow's eyes widened and his fur stood on end. Even he knew that insulting Isoldeth was a death sentence.
Other than few gaps from his guild mates, the room was silent. Gray was worried his plan hadn't work, and just as he was about to rush over and save her, she suddenly rose to her feet with the sharpest and most ferocious glare he had ever seen before, one that rivaled Erza on her scariest day.
"What the fuck did you just say?" Gray opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Noelle had completely turned away from Roxie and was stalking towards him. Gray's eyes widened. This wasn't what he was expecting to happen. "Don't you dare go putting words into her mouth you son of a bitch!"
Gray's eyes doubled when he seen her preparing attack. "H-hey! Aren't you forgetting about something!?" Gray said, frantically pointing to Roxie, but the Slayer kept coming.
He had to go and doom himself.
"Lightning Devil: Iron-"
"FUCK OFF!"
Noelle swung around on the Devil Slayer and hit her with her Ice Dragon: Iron Fist attack. There was so much anger and hatred behind the attack that it sent the Lightning Devil clear across the room. Roxie crashed into one of the wooden support beams with a ruff grunt.
Marlow gasped and stared at the indent the attack had left behind. "Whoa..."
"Damn. That was...fucking brilliant!" Roxie laughed and jumped to her feet. "Fuck! I could feel all of your emotions in that hit!" She chuckled and cracked her neck, looking at Noelle with admiration. "So, this the fucker that got you all wound up?" She glared at Gray. "Ya want me to take care of him, mama?"
Gray paled at the thought of the devil turning her rage on him. Noelle shot one more glare at Gray before turning her attention back to Roxie.
"I deal with him later - after I'm done beating your face in!" Noelle screamed and inhaled. "Ice Dragon: Roar!"
Roxie's eyes widened with excitement. "Rage of The Lightning Devil!"
Ice and Lightning collided in a brilliant explosion that lit up the entirety of the Phantom Lord guild. Gray waited on edge for the smoke to clear and when it did he seen the two having a stare down. Roxie didn't look too worse for wear, her clothes had been torn and she had a few cuts and scrapes, but that was about it.
But Noelle.
Noelle had deep cuts all over her body and her clothes were shredded. She staggered on her feet and her breathing was heavy. The Ice Slayer went to step forward and went tumbling to the ground with white eyes.
"NOELLE!"
The pain had started out as a dull pain, that spread throughout her body. She felt weak, and sweat was covering every inch of her skin, and her hands were trembling. Her body would twitch involuntarily every now and again. Every passing moment only seemed to get worse as the pain escalated to new heights. Noelle took a deep breath and tried to ignore the pain, determined to keep going.
But it was too much.
She wanted to keep fighting. She wanted to prove him wrong. But even as she argued with herself, she was tumbling to the ground, as the world around her went black.
The last thing she remembers is Gray calling out to her, and that shocked looked on Roxie's face.
End Note: So, my goal is to reach the point I had stopped in The Ice Slayer, which was during the Tower of Heaven Arc. Which, in about seven chapters, I should actually reach that goal - I'm pretty proud! I'm really loving how the story is coming along so far. Some of the changes have been subtle, and others more obvious. But it's still a much better story than the previous. Oh! And everyone once again, welcome back Roxie! She's a favorite of mine, and a lot of yours I noticed. I guess it's just her foul mouth and flirtatious attitude lol. But! It seems that in a turn of events, she and Noelle have a history! How is it that they know each other? Hm, guess we'll have to find out.
For now, I need to get some sleep. i'm very tired, lol.
