Hey ya! Here is the next chapter! Voting is still up and running, so keep going at it!
*Enough of your boring speeches, Dragon Slayer of Nyx and Hades, let the people read what they came here for!*
Right right… here's the chapter!
Of course after the evil demon dude speaks, it begins to rain. I mean, why would anything uncliche happen in this story? Wait, what was I talking about? Story, what story?
… Eh, I'll think about my insanity later.
I look around, the rain falling hard on the lightly worn pathway up to my home, the dirt road up the hill now slick from becoming mud, making it difficult to climb up the slope to my home.
I can't use my Fire Dragon: Flame Walk, the rain will try to extinguish it and it would take up too much magic to keep it going in these conditions. Any of my dragon takeovers would exhaust me more than necessary. Nothing from Uncle Atlas or Mom would do well either. Wait… Fuck!
"Night Dragon: Blink." I groan, teleporting to the large tree that is in front of my mailbox through the shadows. I am a fool sometimes, forgetting my own magic. I stare at what I lived in for years through the haze of the rain. The mailbox is rusted and overgrown, the words Natsu and Happy still painted in bright red on the trees loom over the clearing my home is in, the cobblestone walls dipping inward, the red shale tiled roof still intact. Vines and moss have overgrown the walls and chiminny, and the tree growing in through our 'living' room has become a mighty oak. Some things have been kept intact though. The windows for one have been kept clear of any overgrowth, and the road now is lined with some head sized stones. A woodpile next to a stump with an ax in it is next to the chimney, and a small porch was added onto the front, with a few chairs and a pair of half made end tables on it.
I smile slightly. I guess this place could use some upgrades, but that would be for later. I see the lights are on inside, and I hear some whispering within. I smile as I hear laughter, banter and the usual from comrades.
I walk up to the door, and turn the knob slowly. Good, it is unlocked. Didn't feel like breaking into my own home. I swing open to a scene I couldn't exactly explain.
"So, tell me, why would Ihon wish to make sweet love to your friend's chest with the business end of a broadsword?" Gajeel asks Laxus, who is behind a pillow sized cardboard cutout of a castle. He, Gajeel, Wendy, the kid with the black and silver hair, the kid in the hood with the epic scarf, the blond and the black haired boys who appear to be glued together with their exceeds at the hip, the now scared face of Cobra, Flare, and the blond haired girl are all sitting around my coffee table. It appears only Gajeel, Wendy, Cobra, Laxus, the hoodie kid, and the kids with exceeds are playing the game that is dominating the center of it. Laxus is a bit away from the others… wait, is this Dimensions and Demons! Fuck ya, I played this all the time with Erza, Gray and Cana back in the day! Laxus also played with us. Gramps also introduced us to it as well.
"Sweet Merciful Mavis Gajeel! Could you be any more blunt than the baseball bat your swinging around in this china shop?! We're trying to persuade the woman to talk to us, not trying to interrogate her like some sort of mafia member covered in the innocent's blood!" Cries out Wendy, looking at the black haired one armed man with wide eyes.
"Well, my character is a daft half orc warrior, who may I remind you for the twentieth time today, has an intelligence stat of 2! Not to mention his charisma is only 3 and is wisdom is barely 3 as well! To me, persuasion and interrogation are one in the same!" Shouts Gajeel.
"Roll to swat Mogron Blacksteel upside the head with agility?" Mutters the hooded kid, holding up a black twenty sided die.
"Granted." Grunts Laxus. The kid throws the die down in front of him gently, it lands on a 18.
"Natural 18, plus my agility boost of 4 and the blessing of the hunt with a plus 2 boost to any agility roll, as well as a plus 5 due to the Mantle of the Hunt." He lists, his tired looking eyes drift over to Gajeel with amusement.
"Roll to defend or evade." Groans Gajeel.
"Roll for perception first, to see the attack coming." States Laxus. The moment those words come out of his bearded mouth however, the gray die that Gajeel had lands on a 1. Everyone starts snicker, besides Cobra and the blond haired people in the room, they are all laughing their asses off.
"DAMN IT!" Snarls Gajeel, slamming his fist on the coffee table.
"You have been swatted upside the head by Tulear Bloodriver because you were a fool. A blind, deaf, dumb and daft fool, but a fool nonetheless. The impact was hard enough to daze you into a mindless buffoon for the next two turns, though I suppose that is an improvement to your current stats..." Explains Laxus, smirking at the fuming Iron Dragon Slayer and fending off the giggles long enough to tell him that before resuming his laughter.
"Hey! We got company!" Cheers the golden haired dragon slayer girl. Suddenly, everyone scrambles to clean up my coffee table with much haste. Should I tell them about my nerdy past with the game… Nah. I'll bring back Galvin Magmahal later.
"Jeez, first you break and enter my home, then you trash it? Well, at least you had the decency to clean up after yourselves." I joke, smirking at all the guys here.
"The man of the house has arrived! Finally! We thought we had to return in the morning with how slow you were going!" Chuckles Laxus. Contrary to popular belief, Laxus and Gajeel are really chill with me… Gray on the other hand… well, there is a reason why I call him an Ice Prick.
"Thank you all. Now, down to business. First and foremost, I understand most of the people in this room are dragon slayers, correct?" I state, looking around.
"Yep! I am Aine Summer! The Sun Dragon Slayer!" Yells out the little girl, making cheesy karate moves and sound effects with her mouth.
"Vale Griswold. Not comfortable with telling my slayer magic, but I am a dragon slayer." Mutters the hooded kid. I nod in respect, as I can tell this kid has a guarded heart, only letting the other boy close to him.
"Sting Eucliffe, White Dragon Slayer, and this is Rogue Cheney, the Shadow Dragon Slayer." Boasts the blond boy in a white button up next to a boy in a gray button up with a black kilt with red designs on it.
"Greetings." Murmurs Rogue.
"You knew me as Cobra, but my real name is Erik, the Poison Dragon Slayer. Howdy." Grunts Cobra, er… Erik. Good to know that he is working out his life in a Light Guild.
"Names Miltiades, but just call me Mile. Not a dragon slayer, I use Layered Magic." Greets the black and silver haired kid with a cocky grin. Huh, kind of reminds me of myself when I was a kid, but much more polite. I like him.
"Now, time to tell you what I originally wanted to bring you here for; I wanted to train you all and make you the best that we, dragonslayers, can be. But now, I have two new things that I must address. The first, an idea, proposed by Redfox," I give a nod to Gajeel, who returns the nod with a proud grin, "To make a community up here, in the hills and forests, for Dragon Slayers and who every we deemed worthy to live with us. It would be a grand place, made with our specific needs in mind, such as our destructive tendencies and our enhanced senses.
"Next, a vision." I proceed to explain what happened on my way up to my home.
Everyone had fell silent, staring at me in awe or the floor in confusion.
"So… these, Wyverns, Wurms, and Drakes… they are coming to do what?" Questions Wendy, ringing her hands and shifting nervously.
"I don't know, but apparently my brother is sending them to train me. So I am expecting a challenge, as they are a lesser version of Dragons, and most of us were raised by dragons… speaking of which, which generation of Dragon Slayers are you new guys." I reply, asking my own question at the end.
"Laxus, Erik and Aine are second Generation, Sting and Rogue are third Generation, and you, Gajeel, Wendy, and Vale are first Generation." Explains Mile, pointing to each of us.
"So, these three have dragon lacrima in them?" I ask pointing to the three named Second Generation dragon slayers, "But what makes these two Third Gen?"
"We… we have been trained by our dragons and when they finished training us, they made themselves into lacrima that went inside us." Explains Sting, looking down at his sandals.
"It is our greatest strength, as well as our worst shame." Rogue explains.
"It's nothing to be ashamed of. You know where your parents are, unlike the rest of us." mutters Gajeel, patting the back of his fellow black haired dragon slayer.
Laxus looks like he is about to say something, then an explosion cuts through the house, blowing down the cottage all of us dragon slayers and human were sitting in.
Cobble, splinters, and earthly rubble fall around us as we stand in combat stances, only to look into the face of the devil himself.
It appears my brother sent them as soon as he could.
No one's Pov.
Hovering above the group of dragon slayer mages was a quartet of winged monsters. To the three second generations, they thought they were monsters that came to attack. The third and first generation knew better. The Drakes came calling.
The first was a brute, large round bulges coming off the drake like rocky outcrops, the skin of the beast looks like stone, and even its wings look as if they were made from rock. The head of the beast is box shaped, carved from stone to look roughly look like a dragons head. A pair of dark eyes gleam from underneath a pair of matching stone outcrops that look like brows. It easily looks like it could have smashed the cottage with its club tail that is the size of the roof of the cottage.
The second is more streamlined and looks like a hit and run kind of drake, this time looking like a huge purple serpent with four eagle legs and talons, along with a pair of large bat wings as well. It opens its mouth to show it's fang filled jaws dripping with venom and releases a loud hiss, its maroon tongue flickering between the rows upon rows of snake like fangs arranged like a shark's teeth. It also is of terrifying size, as if it could go around the entire of the property of the guild and still fit it's entire scorpion like tail into its mouth with no problem.
The third is much smaller than the first two, but doesn't lack the terrifying look of them, looking as if it were made from blue blades and scales. It's head looks like a small crocodiles with a line of spikes going up from its snout and trails all the way up it's back and down to the blade tail it has. It has four horns that look like curved swords, and it's teeth look like spear heads, it's talons like daggers, and its scales look like mini kite shields. From its knees and elbows, small knife like blades come from them, as well as around the base of its jaw and on its forearms as well. The glowing amber eyes pass over the mages like a strategic tactician. Despite being small, a bit bigger than an elephant, it doesn't look any less deadly.
The last, however, looks like the leader. To Natsu, it looks like Igneel, if he had an evil dwarfish cousin with greenish yellow scales and a black underbelly and was covered in even more scars. This one looks like he has dipped his scars in poison or a disease filled village, because they are pus filled and sickly to look at.
"Greetings, Drakes! I am Natsu Dragneel, Son of Igneel and Dranosa, Nephew of Atlas Flame, and Cousin of Noxidanill. I am joined by Gajeel Redfox, son of Metalicana, Wendy Marvell, daughter of Grandeeney…"
"As well as Sting Eucliffe, son of Weisslogia, Rogue Cheney, son of Skiadrum." Calls out Sting.
"Not to mention myself, Valeimirion Griswold, son of Grimlock, and several dragon slayers with lacramias, including Laxus Dreyar, Grandson of Makarov Dreyar, the Honorary Sixth Wizard Saint." Says Vale.
"We do not treat with worms like yourself, vermin!" Screeches the purple drake with a shrill feminine voice.
"I will squash them!" Bellows the stone drake in a deep woman voice.
"Calm down! We are outnumbered here, Five to two in their favor. Besides, the first one that spoke holds a longer title than the others. I would say he makes up three slayers on his own with his diverse powers, outnumbering us to at least Three to One." Claims the blue bladed drake, caution directed to Natsu.
"Doesn't matter! They are welps, we are adults with decades of experience!" Cries out the stone drake.
"Besides, I bet he is a weakling!" Snickers the serpent like drake.
"ENOUGH!" Bellows out the yellow and black drake.
"I have heard your names, children of dragons, and I hear the voice of the son of the Fire Dragon King and the Beast Dragon Queen. With two powerful parents, we must heed him with respect, and give him our names, as he and his companions did the same." States the leader.
"Scrawlin, the Mountain Drake." Grunts the rock covered drake.
"Vaermina, the Venom Drake." Spits the purple serpent of a drake.
"Achilles, the Blade Drake, at your service." Crows the blue bladed drake with a bow of his bladed head.
"Thalicon, the Disease Drake, leader of my little pack." Boasts the yellow and black drake.
"It is an honor, Thalicon of the Disease, to be greeted by you. I assume it was Scrawlin that struck at our meeting hall?" Natsu asks.
"Indeed, not under orders however. She isn't one for words, and prefers action to talks. As such, she attacked the hovel you met in, thinking you were merely ants under her claw." Agrees Thalicon.
"And as such, I would like to show her and the other one who shares her ire for my kin the error of that mistake in a way that… wouldn't destroy the world around us." Laxus states, standing next to Natsu.
"There is a way to do this, young Master Dreyar. It is known by the dragons and drakes as the Dragon's Gauntlet. It is a show of strength against dragon, drake and slayer alike, either in mind, magic, or physical strength, but it shows one is superior to the other. A given rule is that neither party may kill or seriously maim the other." States Achilles. "However, only leaders of groups may face off, the defendant may choose the challenge in this. All other must go to the offender."
"Natsu Dragneel, as you are not only prince of one lineage of Dragon Royalty, but two, you are clearly the leader of your group. You and Thalicon shall face off last." States Vaermina, head held high.
"As you wish… then the challengers for your three are as follows, Gajeel Redfox against Scrawlin, Erik against Vaermina, and finally Wendy Marvell against Achilles." Natsu declares, staring down the four drakes.
"Very well, my companions will fight them, but I don't have just three followers. I have four." Starts Talicon, staring at the trees as if something should be there. Suddenly a fifth Drake appears, this one strangest of them all. It was covered in feathers, looking more like a four legged colorful bird with a tail than a dragon, but the razer like beak filled with teeth, the quills in the plumage of the feathers, and the spikes coming off its rat like tail gave away that this was a drake. Achilles was larger than this one, but judging by how it ruffles its feathers, it could expand rapidly if it wished to do so.
"Iris, the Rainbow Drake." Coos the newcomer in a voice that sounded like an obviously gay version of Lord Farquaad. Laxus walk off to gag for a bit at the sight of this, even though it does remind Natsu and Wendy of Freed, while Mile and Vale don't pay any mind to the odd sounding drake.
"Female name, feminine powers… Male Drake?" Questions Aine.
"Don't… just don't." Hurks Gajeel, covering his mouth with his iron fist.
"I will face… the small hooded one." Declares Iris, looking to Vale, who merely glares back in acknowledgement.
"Very well! The Gauntlet shall be performed by the Drakes Scrawlin, Vaermina, Achilles, Iris and myself, Thalicon against the Dragon Slayers Gajeel Redfox son of Metalicana, Erik Cobra son of unknown, Wendy Marvell daughter of Grandeeney, Vale Griswold son of an unknown dragon, and Prince Natsu Dragneel son of King Igneel of the Fire Dragons and Queen Dranosa, heir to the throne of fire and nature. The combatants shall fight in the order that I have listed." Thunders Thalicon.
The four drakes move to the side of the valley that Natsu's home was in, while dragon slayers moved to Natsu's home and sit on the ruble, while Natsu silently fumed about the destruction of his home.
Gajeel glared at Scrawlin, his arms crossed, the she dragon clawing at the dirt and brought forth a few boulders for which she munched on. Gajeel grins and grabs the fridge door next to him, which was launched there from the destruction of the home of Natsu Dragneel, and begins to consume it. Once the two had their fill, they bare their fangs.
"I assume we will not use words, baring our hearts and souls, but rather fighting with fangs and claws?" Growls Gajeel with a cocky fang filled grin.
"You are correct, son of Metalicana. And I intend to destroy you, and smeer your remains all over this valley!" Roars out Scrawlin, charging Gajeel, thus beginning the Gauntlet.
Hey! That's all I got for this chapter! I ended this when Crow was sick, so she didn't have anything to say here. Anyways, keep voting! One deciding vote could push the character you want in the harem in! So, vote away!
And if you noticed, I didn't post the current standings. That's for you to not get influenced on who should go in. But so far, it is still only Lisanna.
Anyways, see ya!
-DSoNaH