Four bandits lay at my feet. With my foot perched on top of one, I pumped my fists into the air, letting out a triumphant laugh.
"C'mon, get up, that was too easy! Fight me again!"
Lucy sighed and made a face of mock annoyance. "Let's go, Natsu. There's probably plenty more where those guys came from."
The sound of her voice saying my name was all the convincing I needed. In a flash I was beside her.
"Let's go!" I couldn't help but smile.
We kept moving and soon I was bored, "We need to find this Fortune Cookie thing so I can fight some more." I pouted.
Lucy snorted a laugh and added, "Is that all you think about?"
"Of course not!" My pouting face turned to look at her. "I think about food, and the guild, and… and…"
You. I thought. Mostly you. I looked back forward and added, "… and other stuff."
Lucy rolled her eyes with a smile on her face, "You're so predictable."
All our walking finally paid off when a small fortress came into view. "Look!"
"Wait, Natsu, we need to think of a plan. There are probably tons of bandits guarding the entrance, we should scout out the sides and see if there's another way in – or at least a side that's less guarded than the others." She rambled on. By the time she noticed I was gone, I was already through the gate.
"Hey!" She fumed.
A maniacal laugh escaped my jaws as a hoard of bandits surrounded me. I could feel that many of them possessed little to no magic at all. The only thing they really had against me was sheer numbers. But what did that matter when I had a power like Igneel's in me?
Lucy let out a rather loud and annoyed groan, but quickly adapted. She climbed to the upper walkway of the fortress and wasted no time in summoning Sagittarius, who could shoot down multiple enemies at once.
As they began taking out the numbers who had swarmed me, I made my way to the only door in the fort. They must be keeping the fortune tell-y thing-y in here! I thought as I threw the doors open. Inside was a single room, lined with beds all the way around. It was obviously where the gang slept and rested. My attention was immediately drawn to a large staircase in the middle of the room, winding straight up to the next floor. I smirked, Boss time.
Upon reaching the top of the staircase, I poked my head up through the opening just enough to see without being seen. I noticed several things. The first was that the eye was thrown casually on a small work desk on the side of the room. While the thought of killing an innocent person just to get some treasure enraged me to no end, I was livid at how nonchalant the item's placement seemed. The second thing that struck me was that the man who was obviously in charge here sat near a window, gazing out and watching his men being beaten with a completely uninterested air. Even I had the logic to know that if he had been looking out of that window, he knows I'm in the building.
As if on cue, his chair swiveled around and suddenly I was met with a pair of cold, bloodshot eyes. My brows furrowed as I stepped up and into the room. I could feel a spell of some sort nullifying my magic. I snorted, If it's coming from this room, he won't be able to use any magic either. I took a step forward, mentally preparing myself for hand-to-hand combat.
The man stood, sizing me up with his eyes, "What are you here for?"
My eyes flickered to the orb that lay clumsily on his desk. His eyes followed my own and, in annoyed understanding, he bellowed, "That? You came all this way for that piece of junk?" I raised an eyebrow at the man. "It doesn't even work, I tell you… I went to all that effort… Put so much faith in something so worthless…"
"I don't give a rat's ass if it 'works' or not. You stole and murdered for this thing and now we're taking it back." I seethed.
The man made a 'humph' noise and merely looked at me for what seemed like minutes. "Have it your way, then." He lurched towards me, but I quickly shifted to the side, avoiding the blow. In a flash, he turned and grabbed my shoulders, pushing me back. On instinct, I grabbed his and fought for control. Soon, we crashed into the area he had been sitting at. I had gained the upper hand, pushing him against the window with enough force to pin him there.
"Just give us the orb and we'll leave."
The man made an almost defeated, yet still rage-filled, expression. His grip on me tightened before he rotated, throwing all of his weight on me and sending us crashing through the window. A strangled noise escaped my lungs as the glass cut harshly into my back. The man and I released each other as we fell from the second floor. Blood had already started running down my arms. Such pain…
"Natsu!"
My eyes squinted open and when they met Lucy's something in me both snapped and awakened.
She still needs me, the thought flashed across my mind.
Not a second later and my body crashed painfully into the dirt. My face twisted from the throbbing now emitting from my back. The shock had worn off and now the pain was seeping through. I inhaled quick, sharp breaths and slowly rose to my feet, slumping over from the effort it took. I looked to my right; the man from before lay unconscious only a yard or so over. To my left, Lucy and Sagittarius had taken out almost all of the bandits. I felt a tinge of pride at how powerful Lucy had become, but decided I needed to focus on other things right now.
I turned and staggered back up to the room, grabbed the orb, and returned to the fight outside feeling very, very unstable. Lucy had just finished wiping out the rest of the lackeys and closed Sagittarius's gate. The moment she saw me, her face scrunched with worry and she ran over.
"Natsu!" She held one hand at my back, twisted into my blood-soaked vest in an attempt to help me stand. The other was griping my arm tightly.
"It's ok, Lucy." I drawled out in an almost drunken state. My head felt so light that I couldn't stand. I staggered forward, my face falling in between her neck and shoulder, my arms hanging limp. The last thing I could remember was her hands in my hair.