Chapter 11: Rivals Redux: Electric Boogaloo
Natsu could never understand the interest with transportation. In the back of a carriage for a few hours now. It doesn't help that all there was to see was miles of sand and rocks. Though, being bored out of his mind is better than suffering his motion sickness. Looking down at his wrist, Natsu looks at the most recent of Mystogan's inventions. A simple leather wrist band that is imbued with Wendy's Troia spell.
How Mystogan pulled it off, he doesn't know. Natsu is thankful for this gift. It least gave him an opportunity to think on everything that has been going on recently at the guild.
Recently, Natsu had the pleasure of meeting Makarov's son, Ivan. They didn't exactly hit it off. Ivan is a prideful and arrogant bastard. He constantly looks down and belittles their guild mates. Normally that would be enough for Natsu to just brush him off and ignore the asshole. Then he crossed a line.
Ivan had attacked Sting. Normally this wouldn't bother the pinkette. If Fairy Tail was known for anything it's the infamous guild wide brawls. People got in fights all the time and often they were using their magic in these fights.
When Ivan had attacked Sting, the older mage struck the younger one in a simple fit of rage and attacked Sting simple for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was hit hard enough where he had a hard time getting up afterwards and had a small amount blood seeping from one side of his mouth.
When Natsu saw this, he retaliated immediately and blasted Ivan right out of the guild. Outside of the guild, the mages energy flared as they prepared for a very bloody fight. As they were about to start fighting. Makarov interfered and abruptly stopped the fight.
While the guild master wouldn't say it out loud, he interfered to protect his son. He knew the look Natsu had in his eyes and knows how protective the pinkette is over the younger Dragon Slayers. He was worried that one or both mages would take this fight too far.
After the confrontation Ivan was excommunicated from the guild for harming and endangering his fellow guild members. Most of the people in the guild were relieved to see Ivan gone from the guild. The obvious exceptions were Makarov and Laxus. Makarov had to carry out the difficult task of excommunicating his own son because he was too dangerous to keep around the guild members he also views as his children.
Laxus didn't have any final farewells with his father nor was he offered to go with him. Ivan upped and abandoned his son, leaving him in the care of his father. Because of the abandonment, Laxus felt a myriad of emotions. He felt useless because his father didn't want him. He felt betrayed because his grandfather chose the guild over his son. He felt confused because he doesn't know who is right. However, the most prominent of all of his emotions was anger.
He was mad at his father for leaving. He blamed Makarov for not doing something sooner so that he could have avoided kicking Ivan out of the guild. He also blamed Natsu for getting into that fight with Ivan.
Laxus began to change after that ordeal. He was colder towards his guild mates. He could be seen arguing with Makarov on a regular basis. And he began getting into serious fights with Natsu. At first it seemed like two mages blowing off some steam. With each fight things would escalate. It eventually got to a point where Makarov and Gildarts had to pull them apart before someone was seriously injured.
Natsu could sympathize with Laxus to an extent. Though he will not apologize for his actions. First and foremost, Natsu's first goal is to protect the people he cares about. Ivan is a prideful and arrogant bastard and he injured Sting.
After the most recent fight, Sayla had grabbed an extermination quest and put Natsu on a train. Him and Laxus needed some time away from each other, so they don't kill each other.
Shifting in his spot in the carriage to get more comfortable, Natsu's focus shifts back to the job at hand. He can focus on guild drama later. The job itself seems simple enough. According to the mayor he spoke to, a demon took up residence in some abandon ruins and needs to be killed. Easy enough for the Devil Slayer.
The job even had the bonus of allowing Natsu to cause as much destruction as necessary. The ruins had been public knowledge for well over a century. Anything worth discovering has already been discovered. Before the demon showed up, the ruins were a tourist attraction meant to give visitors an archeological thrill.
With word of the demon's arrival and murder of anyone unfortunate enough to be within the vicinity, the ruins were little more than an hinderance for the town at best.
"The demon must be eliminated before any more harm comes to the towns reputation." The mayors words echoed in the pinkette's head. Natsu didn't like the mayor. He came across as the type of person that cared more for his reputation than the people he was responsible for.
Time Skip
After searching the ruins, Natsu had to admit he was impressed. The whole place was ancient. It looked as though the ruins were waiting to be reclaimed by the desert. The entirety of the ruins was built from stone that has suffered from erosion for who knows how long. There were a variety of pillars and buildings that had collapsed due to time. the buildings that were standing were left the pinkette in awe. Natsu could see why these ruins were a popular tourist attraction.
The pinkette spent a half an hour looking for scent to lead him to the demon. Most of the buildings that were standing had some trace of blood. While there were scents to follow, they led the pinkette in circles. Eventually, Natsu came across a much stronger scent of blood.
The scent was coming from the largest of the buildings. Upon entering the building, Natsu took in the condition of what he could guess is the main hall for the building. Blood stained the walls. Scaffolding had been torn down. Mirrors that were used to illuminate the room via sunlight were shattered. The only light source for the hall came from the holes in the degraded walls.
If there was one thing that stood out to Natsu, it was the scent of blood coming from the back of the hall. As he approached the source of the smell, it became stronger.
Natsu was led to large stone passageway that led underground. With each step he took, he felt an ever growing feeling of foreboding. Going down the stone staircase, his instincts were warning him to keep his guard up.
With each step, the smell of blood was getting stronger. Despite the smell of, something seemed off. Natsu hadn't seen a single body yet the building above reeked of blood. The pinkette figured out that he was being led below ground. The torches that lined the walls were recently lit by some form of magic were a dead giveaway. Demons don't need a light source to see in the dark.
The flames didn't come from any normal fire magic, the energy emanating from the fire is far to potent. Though the flames didn't seem demonic, there was too much warmth to them.
There was something in the air Natsu was smelling. Something that was mixed in with the smell of blood. Whatever it was the pinkette couldn't place it.
Reaching the bottom of the stares, Natsu was surrounded by darkness. The torches along the wall only barely illuminated the hall he was in. if it wasn't for Natsu's improved sense of sight he'd be stumbling around blind.
Unfortunately, the hall and the surrounding corridors all smelled the same. If it wasn't for the trail of blood on the ground, Natsu wouldn't know where to go. In the back of his skull, there was a smell that stood out to him. Something here smelled familiar. However, he couldn't place that scent. It was far too different than it should be for him to recognize it.
Natsu knew he was walking into a trap. Whoever had laid it had made it obvious.
Turning a corner, Natsu found the source of one of the smells. It came from the demon's corpse.
Natsu didn't get a chance to inspect the body as a fist connected with the side of his face. The punch was strong enough to send the pinkette flying straight through a stone wall.
Hitting the ground rolling, Natsu received a few cuts from the rubble. Looking up, Natsu sees a downward kick coming his way. Rolling to the side, he barely dodged the kick that nearly impacted with his head.
"Fire Fist!" Natsu yells as he punches a pillar of flames towards his attacker. The attacker easily dodged the pillar of flames and vanishes from the pinkette's sight.
Natsu brought his arm up to block a kick that came from his side. Skidding a considerable distance away, Natsu finally sees who his attacker is.
His attacker is a boy that seems to be about the same age as Natsu. There was something similar about him. The boy has maroon colored hair and tanned skin. He is wearing a grey shirt with red pants. Just looking at him caused a Natsu to experience a nagging feeling in the back of his mind.
Ignoring that feeling, the pinkette rushes his attacker his fist cocked back.
Effortlessly dodging the punch, the red headed attack throws a punch himself, only to be shocked as the pinkette caught the fist with his off hand and immediately follows it up with a kick to the head.
Not being able to dodge in time, the attacker was sent flying across the room. Bringing himself to a stop he sides steps Natsu's follow up attack and uppercuts him faster than he could react. Swinging his leg, he kicks Natsu in the gut to create some distance.
"Poison Dragon's Iron Fist" He yells as he rushes the pinkette.
Hearing the attack, Natsu's eyes snap open. 'There's no way. That has to be a coincidence.' He thought as he righted himself in the air. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu yells as their fist collided with each other.
When their punches impacted each other, the ground beneath them shattered and the debris was blasted away. The temple shook causing some of the support beams to topple over from their attack. Neither Dragon Slayer cared about their surroundings. The only they focused on was their power struggle. The poison ate through the stone while the flames caused their surroundings to start to melt.
The power struggle finally gave way as the two Dragon Slayers were blasted back a few yards by the resulting overflow of magical energy. Landing on their feet, their eyes locked with the others.
"Gotta, say I'm impressed." Natsu said, grinning as he at least is facing someone that is strong enough to give him an interesting fight. "I'm Natsu, what's your name?"
"Cobra," The Poison Dragon Slayer answered. He wasn't expecting to fight someone of this skill. This was supposed to be a simple retrieval mission that went sideways. He was hoping to kill this newcomer quickly and make a quiet get a way.
"A little on the nose, don't you think?" Natsu asked sarcastically, eyeing the purple snake resting on his shoulder. "So, you here for me or the demon?" When the pinkette took the job, he didn't hear anything about multiple people going after the same target. A bit of coincidence but not unheard of. Plenty of mages are scummy enough to wait to take credit for other people's work. Additionally, Natsu has been starting to gain a reputation with his work. So much so that some dark mages tried to eliminate him before he becomes a significant threat.
"The demon. You just happened to show up at the wrong time." Cobra was trying to be cautious with his words. He could hear the pinkette's thoughts. They were confusing to say the least. Given that this fight is guaranteed to be more of a hassle than it would be worth. "How about we go our separate ways. You forget you ever saw me, and I'll let you claim credit for the demon." Ordinarily, Cobra would have been fine with just silencing someone to guarantee a quiet exit, he was supposed to be discreet here after all, but his instincts were yelling at him to get away fast.
"No can do." Natsu said as he got into a fighting stance. He still needs to blow off some steam and the Dragon Slayer before him seems capable enough to last some time. Plus, there's that nagging feeling of his. "I'm not too keen on letting someone go that tried to kill me." He said as he rushed the redhead with his fist cocked back.
"That's annoying." Cobra huffed as he effortlessly side stepped the punch. Coating his fist in poison, he punches the pinkette in the gut.
Natsu almost completely dodged the attack, only getting a shallow cut on his side as a result. Righting himself through his movement, he prepares to counterattack only to be interrupted as Cobra successfully kicks him in the head. Sending him flying into a stone pillar.
Shaking the dizziness away, he clears his vision enough to see his assailant throwing another punch towards his face.
Smirking as he punches the pinkette through the pillar, he resists the urge to laugh as he hears the pinkette try to come up with a better strategy. There's simply no getting away from his sense of hearing. "Should have taken my offer." He mocks as he once again dodges the Fire Dragon Slayer's attacks.
"Damn, it's almost like he knows what I'm going to do when I do." Natsu mumbles to himself, irritated that this bastard is easily dodging his attacks.
"That's because I do." Cobra says as he dodges underneath a flaming punch and once again kicks Natsu across the room. "I know exactly what you're going to do when, HAHAHAHA! you sick, disgusting, perverted bastard." The Poison Dragon Slayer said as he heard the joke that Natsu just thought of. "That's a new one."
"Thanks, that's one of my favorites that I heard at my guild." Natsu said, grinning as he had just had a theory confirmed. Now time to test another one he has. Fighting someone that can read your mind is incredibly annoying but not impossible to counter. "Fire Fist!" he yells as he sends another pillar of flames towards his attacker.
Seeing the attack, Cobra coats his fist in poison and punches the attack head on. Cancelling out the attack, sparks spread out through out the room. Quickly turning his to his side, he dodges another attack "Poison Dragon's Twin Fang!" He yells as he crosses his arm and swipes them, resulting in two massive fang shaped waves to slam into Natsu, sending him crashing into the wall on the opposite side of the room.
When he contacted the wall, he couldn't ignore the effect the poison was having on his body. He would have dealt with it if Cobra appearing in front of him and taking a deep breath.
"Poison Dragon's Roar!" he bellowed out as he fires a wave of concentrated poison point blank at the pinkette, blasting him through the stone wall. Smirking at the result of his attack, Cobra was almost disappointed. He's heard stories Natsu tearing through various dark guilds. Many of those dark mages describe the encounter as a nightmare. They were convinced that they were fighting a monster in child form. Seeing the pinkette now shattered the illusion. He was just another mage that bought into his own hype. And given how poison he managed to hit the pinkette with, he will only get weaker and slower as the fight progresses.
Cobra was brought out of his musings as the floor around him was filled up with purple magic circles that were growing brighter and brighter with each passing second. 'When did he set this up?' Cobra couldn't understand. If the pinkette was planning something, then he should have heard about it. Before could react, the brightness of the magic circles reached their apex and the room violently exploded in purple flames.
Being launched through the same hole Natsu was sent through, Cobra hit the ground rolling. Coming to a stop, the dark mage slightly struggles to get to his feet as he tries to ignore his various burns. By the time he managed to look up, he caught sight of a massive stone pillar being swung his way. Slamming into his face, Cobra is sent flying across the room into stone wall, cratering it slightly upon impact. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, the dark mage barely had time to dodge the same stone pillar that was flying his way.
Looking at the pillar as it pierced through the wall he was leaning against; Cobra's eyes widen as he came to the realization that he would have died if he hadn't dodged in time. The dark mage was always under the assumption that legal mages were either to soft or weak to stain their hands with blood.
"I'm surprised you didn't hear that one coming." Natsu taunted as the various cuts across his body burst into flames. While annoying, poison is one of the few elements that has almost no effect on him. Remembering to his time with an old friend, the pinkette learned how to counter poison given his status as a Fire Mage. "You said that you can hear my thoughts." Natsu began to say as his gaze turned predatory. "But you never mentioned that you can also hear my muscles contracting. I'm almost offended that you didn't think I would figure it out." He finished as he disappeared from Cobra's sight.
By the time Cobra was halfway to bringing his arms up to block the incoming attack, the pinkette was already in front of him with a fist cocked back.
Punching the dark mage enough to knock him off his feet, the pinkette quickly grabs his foot before he could be sent flying. Bringing him back to the forefront, "Fire Dragon's Claw!" Natsu yells as he raises his foot and axe kicks Cobra into the floor, shattering it immediately upon impact.
Picking the dark mage up by his shirt, Natsu brings him in close. "There's one thing I need to know while you can still speak. Where did you learn your magic?"
"What are you talking about?" Cobra asked as he spit out a glob of blood. He was growing worried. For some reason he could no longer hear the pinkette's thoughts.
"I'm asking you where you got your magic?!" The killing intent that was radiating off the pinkette made the dark mage shiver slightly in fear.
"I got it from a lacrima." Out of the corner of Cobra's eye he could see Cubellios posing herself to strike. He subtly waved her off. With how dangerous Natsu is, he didn't want to put her in more danger than necessary.
"A lacrima." Natsu stated coldly. "You didn't get your magic from a dragon?"
"Of course not. Dragons have gone extinct hundreds of years ago. Anyone who says they gained Dragon Slayer magic from a real dragon is li…" Cobra was cut off as he was blasted away by a flaming punch.
That was the confirmation Natsu was looking for. The reason why the poison not only felt familiar but affected him in a similar manner is that the lacrima that gave Cobra his magic came from his friend Akame, the daughter of the poison dragon Venenum. Unfortunately, that meant that Akame is dead since no Dragon Slayer would willingly give up their magic.
Everyone's magic resonates in a way that resembles the user. For Dragon Slayer magic, the magic is passed down from dragon to their child. In a way, Dragon Slayer magic resembles both the user and the dragon they got it from. Natsu spent enough time with Akame and has been exposed to enough of her poison to recognize it immediately. It's the reason why Natsu knows how to nullify poison immediately.
While the traces are faint, there is no mistaking it. If Natsu is being generous then he can assume that Cobra didn't have anything to do with her death. But right now, that made little difference for the pinkette.
"I'm going to warn you. If you were holding back before, now is the time to stop." Igneel always told Natsu that if he was going to kill someone then he should kill them quickly so that they don't suffer. Nobunaga on the other hand, showed Natsu how to be the most in tune with the darker side of his magic. And now it was time to pass that lesson of violence onto Cobra. "If you don't go all out, you're going to die." He said as dark red scales began to form on his arms and his hands became claw like.
Listening keenly to the pinkette's movements, Cobra was surprised that Natsu was in front of him before he could realize it. Quickly crossing his arms in front of him, the dark mage was hit with an attack that was far more powerful than before. Being sent through multiple pillars and crashing into a wall. He looked down at his arms to make sure they were still there. They shook in a way that he has never experienced before. He wouldn't be surprised if they were either broken or extremely fractured.
Feeling his ears twitch ever so slightly, Cobra quickly dodged to the side as he narrowly dodged Natsu that was aiming a flaming kick towards the wall. Rolling off the ground from the shockwave of the kick, the dark mage quickly covers his arms in purple scales. For now, all he could do is fight through the pain and try not to die.
It was now that he could see a difference in Natsu's fighting. Where he thought they were on even footing before with Cobra having an advantage thanks to his hearing, he could see that he couldn't even hold a candle to Natsu. For reasons he couldn't understand he couldn't hear the pinkette's thoughts. He could still hear Natsu's muscles but the pinkette was so fast that Cobra barely had enough time to dodge.
Cobra was in trouble. His poison for some reason did almost nothing to Natsu and his earing couldn't give him the edge he needs. Cubellios is out of the question for this fight. If she gets involved, she's dead. The only options he has now is to run or hope he lives long enough to get a lucky hit in. Given his opponent is a Dragon Slayer, he's unfortunately stuck with the latter of the two.
"Poison Dragon's Twin Fang!" Cobra yells as two waves of poison crash into Natsu, causing him to slide back a few feet. Given an opening, Cobra jumps as high as he could and yells "Poison Dragon's Spiral Jaw!" Spirals of poison raced down towards the pinkette.
Seeing the poison come his way, Natsu swipes his hand to the side. A wave flames erupt and destroy the incoming attack.
Cobra, seeing this, was shocked before he feels something wrapping around his ankle. Looking down, he sees what looks like a rope made of purple flames. His eyes didn't have time to widen as he was flung across the room, through a multiple stone pillar. With each one that broke, the room around the mages shook violently. Hitting the ground, disorientated and trying to figure what part of the room he's in. feeling the flame rope grow taut, he stabs his fingered claws into the stone floor. He resisted being pulled with as much as strength he could muster.
Looking back, Cobra sees Natsu staring at him blankly. Rage carefully hidden behind his predatory gaze. He sees the pinkette loosen his grip on the ropes. Not even a moment later, Natsu pulled again on the ropes with even more force.
Giving way, the stone floor that Cobra held onto broke apart as the dark mage was pulled towards legal mage. Bringing up his scaled arms, he was smack back across the once again. Righting himself midair, Cobra managed to dodge a flaming fist coming from Natsu.
"Poison Dragon's Sharp Horn!" he yells as he ducks underneath another attack from the pinkette and punches him in the gut, pumping as much poison into his opponent as possible. Any other person would have been killed by this attack. He could only hope to be so lucky as another burst of flames came from the point of impact on Natsu.
"You're getting faster." Natsu said, his grin almost feral. In a single moment, Natsu's magical output increased drastically.
Cobra's pupils shrank as he took in what he was seeing. He couldn't understand why but for some reason he could see the silhouette of a dragon behind Natsu. "What the?" he muttered, incapable of understanding what he was seeing, not fully aware of the words that slipped.
"Of course you wouldn't understand." Natsu said as he rolled his joints it's been years since he has last activated his Dragon Force. There have been few that could put him in a situation where he would need to use it. Cobra isn't someone he feels he needs to use this next level of Dragon Slayer magic. No, he's using it to send a message to this pseudo–Dragon Slayer. "If you were trained by a dragon then you would know just how screwed you are."
Once again Natsu had disappeared from Cobra's sight. While the pinkette was faster than the previous time, it was easier to track now. He left a trail of fire and destruction as he crossed the room.
Cocking his fist back, Natsu sent a flaming punch towards Cobra.
The Dark mage crossed his arms to protect himself. When block the pinkette's attack, he realized just how much of a power gap there is between them. As he flew through a wall. His arms were on fire, and he had a difficult time breathing. Whether it was from flying through another solid stone wall or from the scorching heat that came being around the pinkette, he didn't know. Looking down at his arms, Cobra could see that the scales he used to protect himself were heavily cracked with blood seeping in between his fractured armor.
"Fire Dragon's Secret Arts: Crimson Lotus, Exploding Flame Blade." Natsu said as his arms were coated in flames and fired torrents of flames towards dark mage, blasting him towards the ceiling. Crashing hard against the ceiling. Igniting his feet, Natsu jumps through off the ground to close the distance and takes a deep breath. When he was only two feet from the dark mage he yells "Fire Dragon's Roar!" A pillar of flames crashed into Cobra, further forcing him into the ceiling.
The ceiling was only able to so much abuse and eventually gave way, sending the dark mage flying to the floor above. The roar continued, sending Cobra crashing through floor after floor until he was airborne outside.
Coughing up a wad of blood, Cobra was having trouble processing just how much pain he is in. The pinkette's power is something beyond what he could comprehend. Brain had done countless experiments on him to turn him into the very capable killer. His guild master had broken him down, built him back up, and broke him down again just to push him beyond his limits. With everything the dark mage has been through he couldn't understand how Natsu had become so powerful. 'There's no way. Dragons have been extinct for hundreds of years.' He thought as he desperately tried to rationalize everything he's experienced.
Cobra was brought out of his musings as a pink blur appeared in the corner of his eye. His eyes widened as he was kicked back to the ground. Bouncing off the ground, the dark mage rolled a few feet away. Looking up, he stared in fear as he watched Natsu walk towards him. He needed to do something, or he was going to die. "Poison Dragon's Roar!" he yelled in a last-ditch effort.
Seeing the attack come his way, Natsu formed a fire ball in his hand and threw it towards the incoming attack. When the two attacks collided, they exploded and obstructed the view of each other from both Dragon Slayers.
Natsu stared in anticipation as he was curious to see what Cobra would try next. As the fight progresses, he's become more desperate. If the Poison Dragon Slayer didn't play things smart from here on out than he's as good as dead.
As the smoke cleared, Natsu readied himself for an attack only to watch as the purple snake that's been hiding the hold time can be seen flying away while carrying Cobra.
Smirking at the retreating, Natsu was contemplating hunting him down. On hand, he wants revenge for his dead friend, but he doesn't know how involved Cobra was in her death. Plus, while the pinkette is still doing fine on magical reserves, he doesn't know how far away help is for the dark mage. Anyone strong enough to kill Akame and walk away is enough to give Natsu issues.
There's also the part of Natsu that wants to let Cobra live, for now at least. The pinkette has a feeling that they'll cross paths again. If Cobra hasn't drastically improved by then, Natsu won't hesitate to put him down for disgracing Akame's magic.
Looking around, Natsu could feel a headache coming. While the mayor told him that he didn't care if the ruins remained intact, the pinkette isn't looking forward to the lecture he's going to get from Gramps for this.
Oh well, Natsu just must take the long way back and hope Gramps calms down before he returns. At least Cobra made for a good punching bag.
There you have it. This redo took a lot longer than I wanted it to, mostly because it's impossible for me to be happy with writing fights. Overall, I like how this came out. The biggest struggle with chapter was writing Cobra to be weaker than Natsu but strong enough to hold his own, for a while at least. I also tried to show Natsu's darker and more cruel side that's a side effect of training with Nobunaga.
Anyways I don't to waste to much time with my ramblings, please let me know what you think of this redone version of this chapter.
Also I want to give a shout out to SomeGuy717 and The God Fist for giving me some good insight on OCs and giving me ideas that will be more beneficial for later on in this story.
Anyways, hope you like this update
Till next time
mreh