What's up guys! Here's Chapter three, and it's taken a while to think about who to write about next, so that's why this chapter took a while to write. As well as moving back to college, dealing with personal stuff, and finding a beta reader. Just a warning before hand, some stuff in here could trigger some people, so be careful, people. And if you have something to say about it, leave a review or PM me. I am willing to accept any criticism! So without further ado, here's Chapter Three! Storm Out!
A sudden crash broke through the eerie silence the night cast over the plains of Fiore. As Lucy Heartfilia ran through the tall grass, panting heavily, her mind raced. She had to get back and warn the others, but the attackers following her were tough, and she didn't know if she could outrun them. The only advantage she had was her ability as a Celestial Mage, but she didn't know if her magic would help much. As another bolt of magic flew past her, she decided to use her advantage to its fullest. "Open, Gate of the Lion! Leo!" A golden flash lit up the night, and a tall, auburn haired man in a suit appeared beside her. "You called?" Leo said, a mild tone coloring his voice. "Yeah! I could really use some help! Get these guys off of me so I can go and warn the others!" Lucy shouted dodging to the left as another blast of magic narrowly missed her head. "You got it," Leo said, before gathering his magic around him. "Regulus Impact!" He shouted, darting towards the attackers as light engulfed his body. The attackers faltered, torn between pursuing Lucy and taking out the new threat. "We'll split up!" one shouted, a black cowl covering most of his features. "Half of you stay here and deal with the cat, and half of you come with me. We have to take out the girl!"
Lucy sprinted in the direction of the group's camp, the blasts of magic still coming. 'Damn,' she thought. 'I thought that would at least stall them a little bit.' Pulling out her whip, she turned and lashed out, catching one of the pursuers by the ankle and taking them down. 'How did they find us? Have they been following us this entire time? Why haven't we seen them?' She resumed her frenzied dash across the plain, heading towards a group of hills. She looked over her shoulder, and was shocked when she saw that the pursuers who had stopped to deal with Leo had caught up and resumed their pursuit of her. 'Damn! What happened to Leo?!' "I'm sorry, Lucy," she heard Leo say through her link to the Celestial World. "I held them off as long as I could." "That's ok, Leo." She thought in return. "You did the best you could, now rest."
Suddenly, Lucy cried out as a tendril of magic caught her around the ankle and dragged her towards her pursuers. A high-pitched cackle broke out from the group of cloaks as she fought helplessly to escape. "Well, well, well. Lookie here, boys. We're in the presence of a real star! Why don't we have some fun?" The leader sneered. A second tendril grabbed Lucy around the neck, lifting her effortlessly into the air. As she gasped for air, more tendrils emerged from behind the cloaked man and gripped her arms and legs, spreading her limbs until she cried out from the pain. "Oh, c'mon, girlie. You can scream louder. After all, how will your friends find you if they can't hear you?" The leader let out an absolutely evil cackle as Lucy was slammed into the ground, a pained cry leaving her lips. "That's better. That's MUCH better. A nice loud scream of pain. Music to my ears." "Why? W-Why are you d-d-doing this?" Lucy choked out. A manic glint appeared in the leader's eye. "Because, dearie," he said in a singsong voice that sent shivers down Lucy's spine, "apart from being paid a rich sum for this job, we get to take revenge on the guild that took a target of ours from us. You see, when we recruit, we don't like recruits leaving for other guilds, and certainly not a goody-two-shoes guild like Fairy Tail. So it's a two-in-one deal for us. And that's an offer we can't pass up." The leader laughed as he slammed Lucy into the ground again. "Unfortunately, your friends will be here soon, so we've got to make this quick." The leader sneered, and Lucy gasped as the leader brought her in close enough to whisper in her ear, "Tell your friends that the Nocturnal Alliance says hello, and that the dark guild Laughing Coffin sends their regards." Lucy cried out as a sharp pain struck her stomach, and the man pulled back laughing. "Tata for now, Fairy." With that her attackers took off in the opposite direction of camp. Lucy watched as they disappeared into the night, then looked down at the knife imbedded in her stomach. Falling to her knees, she wished that one person could be with her right then.
"It came from over here!" Natsu ran full speed towards the place where he had heard the cry, a feeling of dread filling him as he saw someone lying on the ground motionless. "Hey!" He shouted, and then he stopped, recognition and horror rooting him to the spot. "LUCY!" He screamed, dashing to her side. "Lucy, say something, c'mon, please!" Natsu broke down. He couldn't lose her. He had already lost so much. His home, his guild, and now, his girlfriend was lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood. "Natsu, listen." He sighed in relief. She was still alive. "Lucy, don't talk. Save your strength. The others will be here soon, just hold on." Natsu… just listen. They're coming…for you all. The Alliance…They…they're led by Laughing Coffin." "Lucy, just stay with me, please. I can't lose you, too." But Lucy's brown eyes had already closed, her breathing already stilled. As the rest of the guild arrived, the man known as Salamander unleashed an unearthly howl, as the grief from seeing the one person he would, could ever love passed on from this mortal coil.
Natsu awoke with a start, a cold sweat covering his body. The recurring nightmare always chilled the fire dragon slayer to the bone, and brought unbidden memories racing to the surface. Of her, of that day, of the life that he could never have.
The day that he became a broken flame.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure you guys hate me for that one. I'm sorry! The next chapter should be up a lot sooner than this one was, but with moving back into my college flat, the holiday break wrapping up, and other stuff, I wasn't able to right as much as I wanted too. PLEASE don't hate me too much! Please? Storm Out!