It was two in the morning when Runa's magic pulled him from his sleep. He jolted upwards immediately, looking around the small cabin. However, except for the sleeping Toulouse next to him, there was no one.
"Runa?" He asked the butterfly.
"They all are walking down from the captain's quarters, Natsu," Runa replied in his mind. "They have weapons, but the captain does not."
Quickly, the dragonslayer stood up. He reached over to the old man, sending the same blast of Runa's magic through him, jolting the Potions Master awake as well.
He sent a confused and annoyed glance at Natsu, which the alchemist easily ignored and instead declared,"It's time."
Toulouse's anger faded away, and he became determined as well. He got up, grabbing several potions from his pack, while Natsu grabbed some glass balls filled with liquid from his own. A new formula he had been very eager to try out.
As the doorknob began to turn, Natsu sent his leg out in a kick, sending the door flying into the face of the short, stocky man. He stumbled backwards with a shout of pain, as the others stood with shocked looks on their faces.
Natsu quickly shoved them aside, running up the stairs with Toulouse. He heard the men shout in shock, quickly scrambling to catch up with them. Before they could, Natsu shook one of the glass balls in his hand, and then threw it hard at the stairs.
A thick purple mass exploded out of the ball, expanding and filling the entire hall. The crew soon found themselves trapped in a jelly-like substance, unable to break free no matter how hard the struggled in the goo.
Natsu let a triumphant grin, which faded away moments later when a blast of magic slammed into his shoulder. He tumbled to the ground, crashing against the mast of the ship. Shaking his head, he turned to look at the source.
The captain stood high above them on top of the captains quarters, his hands burning with flames, and rage burning in his eyes. "You bastards! Ya thought you could pull a fast one on me?!" He demanded angrily. "I'm gonna kill ya, right here, right now!"
Natsu let out an angry growl, preparing himself for a fight as Larson charged his magic. But the blast of fire he was aiming in his arm was suddenly turned, and flew towards Toulouse.
The old man quickly stumbled out of the way, the flames grazing his fancy cloak and causing a slight sizzle. With all his strength, the potions master threw one of his vials towards the man. The green liquid splashed against the man's skin, and made red rashes instantly appear.
The captain cried out in pain, and seemed to get angrier. He stumbled backwards, glared at the Potions Master, and sent another blast of those gross looking orange flames towards the old man.
This time, Natsu was ready. He jumped in front of Toulouse, and called on his dragon slayer instincts. The flames in front of him were sucked down, and he forced himself to not gag at the disgusting taste as he swallowed it.
The captain was slack jawed in shock, his flames he had been charging now fizzled out. Natsu wasted no time, charging a flame in his hand and yelling,"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" He leapt forward, slamming his human fist into the man's scraggly face hard enough to send him crashing down into the captain's quarters.
When the wood stopped falling, Natsu could see him underneath the debis with an ash covered face. Smirking triumphantly, and wanting to rub it in just a little bit, he tossed down his other glass ball, and trapped the captain in the same substance for good measure.
Once all the commotion had calmed down, Katch poked his head out from the crows nest with a happy grin on his face. "You did it!" He squealed excitedly, quickly sliding down the mast and running to Natsu. "You really did it!"
Natsu smirked at the teen, crossing his arms. "Of course I did! I made a promise, didn't I?" He said with confidence.
Katch looked like he had just been given the whole world on a silver platter as he smiled back, and nodded in agreement.
The alchemist then turned his attention to the Potions Master, quickly moving to his side. "Did you get hit?" He asked, gathering Runa's magic in his hands.
Toulouse winced, but forcefully pushed Natsu's hands away. "It's just a graze, don't waste your magic. I have a potion that can fix it," He said, and looked at Katch as he pointed to the dropped bag nearby. "Get me my healing potion."
Katch nodded quickly, hurrying over to the pack and dragging it back, pulling out a green colored potion. "Is it this one?" He asked hopefully.
The Potions Master glanced at the glass bottle in his hand, and looked surprised. "That's… Yes, that is it, how did you know?" He asked.
The teen gave him a confused look, and shrugged his shoulders. "I… I dunno, it just smelled right," He said,"It smelt… calm."
Toulouse went silent, but Natsu could see the gears working in his mind. Seeing he wasn't needed, the pink haired maged dismissed Runa and went back to the captains quarters, leaning in to look at Larson.
"You're going to get behind that wheel and take us to The Forest of Draíocht," He firmly declared.
Larson's eyes widened dramatically. "What?!" He squawked,"You attack me and my crew and expect us to sail you to that… that deathtrap of an island? Why should I do anything you say!?"
Natsu gave his best impression of Lucy's lethal grins. "Because if you don't, I'm going to sail us back to town, burn your ship down, and drag you by your hair to the king and explain that you tried to rob the two Royal Court members who were trying to cure the plague!" He cheerfully declared.
Larson gulped fearfully, his whole body shaking in terror as he gave a weak nod. "I'll sail you there," He whispered in a squeaky voice, sounding a lot like a little mouse.
The dragonslayer grinned widely, showing off his sharp canines. "Wonderful!" He said eagerly. He pulled out a smaller vial of neutralizing agent, and poured it onto the jelly substance, making it dissolve and free the captain. Then, before the man could run away, he grabbed his arm in a tight grip and moved him over to the wheel.
"Start sailing," Natsu ordered,"Make any sudden moves and this whole ship goes up like a nice, roaring campfire."
The captain was as pale as freshly fallen snow as he grabbed the ship's wheel, turning them towards the Forest of Draíocht, and heading in that direction.
Natsu smiled happily, letting his eyes turn and look towards Katch and Toulouse. The old man's arm was now healed, and he was having a very interesting conversation with a much happier looking Katch.
The alchemist let out a deep breath of the ocean air and looked at the silhouetted island in the distance. We'll be there within a few days, and then we can get the flowers for the cure.
He could feel Runa getting stronger, he knew his master was growing weaker with every passing day. Please, Ayame… He thought to himself. Just hang on for a little bit longer…
The Forest of Draíocht was an intimidating sight to behold. It was surrounded by a thick mist, and it was impossible to see further into the island due to the large, thick trees that had to be hundreds of feet tall, their branches and leaves spreading out and making them seem even scarier.
He could hear Larson and some of the other crew members whimper in fear, obviously not happy about going near an enchanted forest. Katch stood next to Toulouse at the edge of the ship, staring at the island in awe.
The Potions Master crossed his arms, and turned to look at Natsu. "The mist is too thick," He declared,"How are we supposed to land safely when we won't be able to see an inch in front of us?"
"Should we wait for it to clear?" Katch asked.
Natsu shook his head. "The mist isn't going anywhere," He said,"There's magic flowing through it, I bet it's connected to the island."
"Well we can't take the ship through, it's too risky," Toulouse said, narrowing his sharp eyes at the intimidating island. "We can't bring a cure back if the ship sinks."
Katch frowned at the thought, and looked down at his shoes. After a moment of pondering, he gasped and perked up. "We have a smaller boat! I could row through the mist and see if there's a clear way!" He suggested.
Toulouse and Natsu exchanged a thoughtful glance, and then turned back to the teen. "Good idea, Katch, but remember to be careful," Natsu ordered, walking over to the mast and grabbing one of the extra sets of rope. He dropped it in between them. "Tie this to the row boat, and then once you're safe on the shore, tug on it to let us know and I'll have Larson move us closer."
"But if it's too risky for us to go through or something else goes wrong, shake the rope instead," Toulouse added.
Katch straightened up, seemingly excited to be trusted with the task. They went to the side of the ship, and helped the boy tie the rope to the end and lower himself down. He hit the water, sending ripples across the surface, and then slowly began rowing. Soon, he vanished into the mist.
Natsu held onto the rope, letting it slide through his hands as Katch rowed closer to the island. Toulouse stood next to him, a glimmer of worry in his normally closed off expression. Though the dragonslayer wouldn't say it aloud, he was worried as well.
An annoying laugh behind them forced them out of their concentrated state. When they turned around, they saw Larson giving them a victorious grin.
"I guess the journey ends here, then," He sneered,"Katch is a worthless failure, he's not even a good cabin boy. So much for that cure, huh?"
Toulouse glared at the man, while Natsu forced his own anger down. He's just trying to get a rise out of us, don't give in. He told himself, focusing on holding the rope.
A minute later, the rope stopped moving. Everyone on the ship seemed to hold their breath as they waited, for either a tug or a shake. A minute after that, to their relief, they got several victorious tugs.
Grinning proudly, Natsu turned to Larson and ordered,"Take us to land, right now."
Larson looked like he wanted to argue at the thought of going through the mist, his expression twisted with rage. So Natsu not-so discreetly coughed into his hand, sending small bursts of fire into the air.
With a panicked squeak, Larson did as he was told.
They landed on the shore without trouble, dropping the anchor and easily taking the rowboat the small distance from the ship to the shore.
"Good job, Katch, I knew you could do it!" Natsu happily praised, giving the teen a toothy grin.
Toulouse gave a nod of agreement. "Never doubted you," He stated evenly, which was the biggest compliment Natsu had ever heard him give anyone.
Katch seemed to glow from the praise. "Thank you, sirs!" He said happily, rowing with even more vigor.
The second his feet touched the sand, Natsu found himself overwhelmed by the huge amount of magic on the island. Every plant, every creature, even the air itself seemed to be teeming to the brim with power.
"You sense it too, don't you?" Toulouse asked him, looking just as overloaded as Natsu was..
Katch gave the two adults a confused glance. "Sense what?" He asked them, his vulnerable blue eyes filled with curiosity.
Toulouse turned to the boy. "This island is magical, very magical," He explained, his eyes returning to Natsu. "I don't know how you expect me to find anything when I can barely handle what I sense right now."
"There's only one way to find out, right?" Natsu replied, setting his pack down and gently pulling out the multicolored flower. He slowly placed the put in Toulouse's hands. "Tell me what you see."
Toulouse took the flower, examining it up and down before reaching a wrinkled hand up, and placing it on one of the flowers multicolored petals. Natsu watched with curiosity was the magic in the flower and the magic in Toulouse's hand combined, swirling together, and then spreading out around them.
"Whoa…" Katch whispered in awe.
After a long minute, Toulouse opened his eyes. "It's weak, but I can sense where they might be," He explained,"But, it looks like we'll have to go deep into the forest."
His two companions nodded, and Toulouse turned his suspicious gaze back to the ship. "What do we do with them?" He asked.
Natsu hummed in thought, when an idea popped into his head. "Leave that to me and Runa," He declared,"I'll put them to sleep, it should last long enough for us to get what we need and come back."
"NO!" Larson's frantic voice yelled from the ship.
The trio turned around just in time to see Larson leap off the ship and crash into the water. He frantically paddled to shore, and pointed threateningly at Natsu.
"You're not putting me to sleep! If you do I'll… I'll burn you to death!" He declared in a threatening tone.
Natsu raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Are you really that stupid?" He asked,"I literally ate your fire the last time you tried to attack me? Burn me to death? Please."
Larson's eyes widened in shock, as if he hadn't thought of that. He looked between them again, and then grinned viciously. "W-well you can't make me sleep if you can't catch me!" He declared, and then took off running into the forest.
The three watched him go in silence, none of them quite sure how to react to the man's sudden freak out.
"He's going to get eaten alive," Toulouse bluntly declared.
Natsu snorted in amusement. "Probably," He agreed,"And that's not our problem, we have a mission to complete, so let's go."
Once the men on the ship were in a deep sleep, and locked in one of the cabins, the trio started their journey towards the magical flowers that they desperately needed.
Natsu found himself in awe of all the creatures and plants. So many strange things he had never learned about in his studies, so many discoveries yet to be made. If he wasn't on an important mission, he would have spent hours just collecting samples and doing tests.
I can do that later though! He reminded himself, daring to hope. When Ayame is better, we will both come here and learn about this mysterious place together.
They traveled through the giant trees, sometimes having to climb over them, sometimes being able to duck under their roots. As they traveled deep under the canopy, natural light was snuffed out. Only Natsu's flame guided them, until nightfall came and many plants around them started to glow brightly.
They stopped for the night, sitting around a small fire that Natsu made for them. Strangely enough, using the purple sticks they found on the ground created a blue flame. This place is weird… But I like it! Natsu thought to himself.
"How much farther are we?" He asked the Potions Master, passing around bowls of a pre-made broth that he had packed.
Toulouse placed his hand on the now glowing flower for a few seconds before he replied,"We're much closer. If we keep up this pace, I'd say a day or two."
Katch tilted his head at the interaction. "How do you do that?" He asked curiously,"How do you just… Know?"
"It's my ability," Toulouse bluntly declared.
The teen furrowed his eyebrows. "A-ability?" He echoed in confusion.
When Toulouse didn't elaborate further, Natsu rolled his eyes, and explained,"Every royal court member has an ability that is passed down to their successor. For the Royal Potion Master, it is the ability to sense magical energy of different ingredients. Very helpful when looking for rare ingredients"
"Oh, I see!" Katch replied, looking relieved to be given an explanation. He then turned to Natsu. "What about the Royal Alchemist? What is your power?"
Natsu opened his palm, letting the red and blue butterfly materialize in it. "Me and my master have Runa, a healing magic. She changes form depending on the user, and is one of the most advanced healing magics out there."
To the dragonslayer's surprise, Katch seemed confused. "A healing magic? Shouldn't the Royal Healer have something like that? Why does the Royal Alchemist have it?"
The mage frowned, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, um… I'm not entirely sure," He admitted,"My Master told me it's believed Runa gave herself to the alchemists, but it's just a myth. No one knows for sure."
"Oh, okay," Katch said with a nod, quickly switching the subject. "What about the other Royal Court members? What are their powers?"
They fell into conversation easily, even Toulouse ended up joining in. They only ended their happy chatter when the old man declared that it was too late to 'blather on endlessly', and they all quickly took turns getting much needed rest.
They kept up their pace, and maybe moved a little faster the next day. Sure enough, they got to their destination within two days, just like Toulouse had said. The forest started to fade away, and instead they found themselves in a field of magical crystals, all glowing with some kind of nearly transparent pink magic held within them.
"Wow… This place is so beautiful!" Katch squealed in awe, reaching out towards one of the many crystals.
Toulouse quickly grabbed his wrist, pulling him back. "Be careful!" He ordered,"Magic is both beautiful and dangerous, you can never be too careful."
The teen blushed in embarrassment, quickly backing up. "Oh, right, sorry…" He shyly replied, and hurried to follow after the two Royal Court members.
Natsu looked ahead as they walked, but found his eyes turning downward when he heard the crunching on the ground below him. He gasped in surprise, realizing that the land below him was now yellow, dying grass that was slowly spreading at a faster rate than normal.
"Something's wrong…" He announced, not turning his eyes up from the dying grass.
He heard two similar gasps from his companions, and felt their presence next to him. He quickly turned to look at Toulouse, and found the same concerned look in the old man's eyes.
"Is the island dying?" Katch worriedly asked, looking at the two men, desperately hoping to hear the opposite of what he expected to hear.
Toulouse was never one to lie, so he replied,"I'm afraid it looks like it is…"
Natsu's heart skipped a beat, fear taking over. He grabbed Toulouse by the shoulders, holding firm. "You said the flowers' magical energy is weak!" He exclaimed,"If the island is dying, then… Then the flowers might have died already!"
"I know!" Toulouse frantically replied, wrenching himself out of Natsu's grip. "That's why we need to hurry! Let's go!"
The Royal Potions Master hurried off at a brisk pace, with the two younger men following after him. They hurried to the exact location, a small cove surrounded by the crystals, along with an opening in the trees that allowed sunlight to peek through.
But they were too late, it seemed. There was a dried up bed where water would be, and all the plants were dying. The tree leaves were dead, hanging by barely an inch, and there were several giant sinkholes around them, as if the whole island was sinking. The only sign that the flowers they were looking for had existed at one point were the brown remains of flower stems.
"No… No…" Natsu whispered,"This can't.. This can't be happening! It can't end here!"
Toulouse's expression was grim, and downcast. "This is where I sense the flowers, Natsu…" He quietly said,"If they're not here, they're not anywhere."
Natsu spun around to face him. "You must be doing it wrong!" He snapped angrily. "They have to be here! They have to! We've come too far! It can't end now!"
"What do you want me to do?!" Toulouse yelled angrily,"I can't bring the plants back from the dead! Face it, we failed!"
"NO! I'm not letting it end like this!" Natsu roared back,"If we don't find them, then everyone will… Ayame will-"
Suddenly, the ground started to rumble violently. The trio stumbled, and crashed to the ground, not prepared at all for the sudden quake.
"What's happening?!" Katch exclaimed in terror, grabbing at the dead grass and frantically looking around.
Toulouse, unfortunately, had the answer. "Look!" He yelled, pointing to the dried up cove with a shaky hand.
Natsu quickly turned around, and found the ground being torn apart as a giant crystal emerged. To the trio's terror, it wasn't just some growth on the island… It was moving, it was alive.
The crystal creature had a faint hue of pink, and was an amalgamation of many different sized crystal. It had a long torso, stubby but sharp legs, long arms with sharp claws at the end, and a long neck. It's head was two crystals put together, creating a beak-like mouth.
"What the hell…" Natsu whispered, which turned out to be the wrong thing to do.
The creature spun around to face the trio, opening its beak-like mouth and letting out a violent screech as it ran towards them. With cries of terror, the three quickly scrambled to their feet, getting out of its way.
The creature's long arm slammed down where Natsu would have been, leaving a sizable dent in the dirt. He spun back around to face them, looking poised and ready to attack.
"What do we do?!" Katch demanded in terror.
Natsu reached into his pocket, grabbing his last glass ball filled with the goo. Would it be enough to stop the creature? He didn't know, but he had to try.
The creature charged at them again, and they quickly jumped out of the way. Natsu shook the ball, throwing it as hard as he could against the creature's back. The crystal monster fell to the ground, being surrounded by the jelly like liquid, and going still.
The trio sighed in relief, until the creature started to move again. Its limbs disconnected, turning into several smaller crystals, which all shot out of the goo and piled together, forming the creature again.
Oh shit… Natsu thought, quickly slamming his fists together and gathering up his magic. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"
The blast of fire flew, slamming against the crystal creature and sending it crashing into a tree. The dead tree crumbled under the sudden force, collapsing into piles of debris on top of the creature. But just like with the goo, it stood up easily.
"How do we kill it?!" Toulouse yelled, his tone panicked.
The monster charged forward again, and they all scrambled to get out of the way in different directions. But Toulouse tripped, falling onto his back with a loud grunt, right in the creature's path.
Natsu and Katch cried out in horror from the opposite sides they stood, and Katch shielded his eyes from what he was sure would be a massacre. But the creature skidded to a stop, staring down at Toulouse blankly, and then turning to face Natsu.
The dragonslayer's blood ran cold. It's after me… He realized in terror as the monster charged towards him.
The creature swiped his clawed arm again, which Natsu barely dodged in time. He leapt on top of the creature's arm, swinging his metal leg and slamming it against the side of the crystal beak.
The beak fell off, tumbling to the ground and making the creature stumble. Natsu gathered Runa in his arms, wanting to put the creature to sleep. But before he could do anything, the monster swung his arms and sent Natsu flying off of him.
Natsu tumbled through the dead grass, his head slamming against one of the nearby crystals. He groaned, grabbing his head as the world spun. He was rusty, he hadn't been in a difficult fight in a long time, and now his life was at risk. What should I do?!
"NATSU!" Katch's voice cried out, snapping Natsu out of his thoughts just as the claw swiped down.
He rolled out of the way, jumping to his feet as another claw swiped down. This time, he wasn't fast enough. The claw hit his metal leg and tore through it as if the leg was made of paper, sending an explosion of pain through his whole body.
Natsu screamed in agony, his body flailing through the air, sending blood into across the dead grass before he crashed down once more, skidding to a stop at the edge of one of the many sinkholes.
His vision was fading in and out, his breathing ragged, why was everything muffled? He heard the stomping, the creature was coming towards him again.
I have to stop him, I can't let him kill me! He told himself, fighting through the torment. If I die, then everyone is doomed!
As the claw swung down, Natsu raised his arms up to meet it, pushing Runa into his palms. "NO!" He yelled, as the crystal collided with the magic swirling in his hands.
The creature suddenly froze, it's violence seeming to ebb away in an instant. The creature pulled the claw away, clicking the beak a few times, and leaning down to be closer to Natsu.
What? What is happening? Natsu wondered, his head still spinning. He didn't quite understand what was occuring, but he knew he wouldn't be able to fight anymore, not in his condition. So, he reached his human hand out towards, still shuddering with a mixture of fear and pain. "Hello…" He croaked,"Hey, it's okay… We don't need to fight…"
The creature clicked its beak again, stomping closer on it's stubby legs, and reaching out to Natsu as well. But suddenly, the ground underneath them suddenly gave into the weight, the sinkhole expanding and dropping the dragonslayer and the creature into it.
All Natsu could do was reach out in vain, the horrified faces of Toulouse and Katch the last thing he saw before he fell into the abyss.