Chapter X

Hello and greetings to all. I have come with yet another chapter of Embodiment of Flame. I am aware the time since the last one is not particularly long, but I feel like this story at the moment. At any rate, I hope everyone enjoyed the previous chapter, and it seems at least some did. I equally hope everyone enjoys this chapter, so be sure to leave a review if you do. That aside, I would like to thank my coauthor Bakuto Masaki for all of his help with the story so far, and his continued aid with it. So, with that out of the way, it is time for the reviewer responses.

superpeirce: The newest additions, Kanami, Henrietta, and the like, are from Log Horizon.

gwb620: No. No there is not.

Jose19: Actually, it's not just because the theme is the same. They're by the same author, share a lot of chronological similarities, and have in fact crossed over numerous times, often in just small ways but once in a full-blow Omake. He does still have the same set of powers but he also has others and will gain numerous others as time goes on.

I know you haven't, it happens. I hope it is as well. That is a rather dick thing to do, unfortunately reviews aren't quite the space to talk about that kind of thing. PM me if you want to talk about that at length.

Jalis: Yes it was, hopefully good plot progression. She does seem the "alpha girl" type, doesn't she? Yes. Demon Card is not merely a guild based in Fiore. I know the world can be a bit confusing at first, and I would like to lay out the general geography here but doing so would give away a few spoilers. If you want full details you can send me a PM, but for now, I can say this. The geography of Earth Land in my story is based on the geography of Elder Tale from Log Horizon, i.e., a one-half scale version of Earth with the seven continents. The Lyric Continent is placed where Asia sits in our world, if it being in Yamato/Japan hadn't clued you in to that. Ishgar, the continent that most of Fairy Tail happens on, is placed where Europe is in our world, which naturally means Alakitacia, which I have not yet decided if it will get involved or not, is placed on North America. There are other continental set ups beyond those three, but saying anymore would give away spoilers for later in the story.

treeofsakuras: Hopefully the result is entertaining to you.

monkiepawn: Yeah... I kinda messed that part up. I don't even know how it happened.

Yes, he did.

Perhaps, I had intended to use her a little more but ended up not doing so.

If you're confused already then I'm afraid it's only going to get worse.

Well the way I usually do things in my harem stories is that I get the girls in first and do their story development later on.

Yet. The explanations come later.

That was a rather good-sized glut of reviews to respond to. Keep them coming, folks! So, time to get on with the main event then, shall we?

Kanami turned to the blue-haired man with a smile. "Ah, Shiroe!"

The armored man turned and noticed Erza, Julia, and the others and gaped. "Holy mega ti –!"

Akatsuki immediately jumped up and then ax-kicked him in the head, knocking him to the ground.

Natsu blinked in confusion. "Huh. Who's the dopey guy in the trench coat and glasses and the perv Aka-Chan knocked down?"

Henrietta motioned to the cloak-clad man and said, "This is Shiroe," she then motioned to the armored man, "and the man with his face in the dirt is Naotsugu."

Natsu pointed at Shiroe in mild surprise. "Wait, this dopey guy is Shithead?"

Shiroe laughed weakly. "I've been called many things, but that's a new one."

Natsu frowned incredulously. "… Are you really sure this is the guy that can help us Kana-Chan?"

Kanami smiled brightly. "Yup!"

"Right…" Natsu answered slowly, unconvinced. "He doesn't look like the reliable type…"

Shiroe adjusted his glasses slightly and then redirected, "So who are these people?"

Kanami turned to him and explained, "Bunch of people I met after leaving a casino in ruins."

Shiroe sighed heavily. "Again…?"

Kanami laughed weakly and rubbed the back of her head guiltily. "… Well they started it so I just joined in… Kinda…"

Shiroe sighed once more before turning to Natsu's group. "So what do you need?"

"We're looking for someone," Bisca answered.

"Is that so? Perhaps I can help."

"Musical!" Natsu answered excitably.

Shiroe tilted his head in confusion. "Musical?"

"He means Musica," Erza corrected, "a blacksmith."

Shiroe folded his arms in thought. "Hhmm… Ah. Him. He lives in the city of Punk Street, far to the west of here. Getting there won't be easy though."

"Why?" Lucy asked, starting to become concerned.

"It's out west past the city of Minami. Minami is being commanded by Plant Hwyaden and its guild master, Nureha."

Natsu blinked before frowning in consternation. "Nureha…"

"She has a stranglehold on the entire area. Adventurers and Landers alike."

"No… can't be the same one…"

"So if you want to get to Punk Street the first thing you'll need to do is get past Minami."

Natsu grinned confidently. "Bah, should be easy!"

"Marielle!" a new voice shouted.

The others turned and watched as a young man with short, spiky blue hair and teal eyes, with two long wolf ears atop his head, wearing blue and gold armor, ran up to the group.

Marielle blinked curiously as he stopped right next to them, huffing with exhaustion. "Huh? Shoryu? What's wrong?"

"We… we've got a big problem…!" Shoryu shouted.

"What is it?" Henrietta asked, concerned.

"It's Serara…!"

"What about her?"

"She's being held captive in Susukino!" Shoryu explained frantically.

"What?!" all of the Adventurers shouted in disbelief and horror.

Natsu tilted his head in confusion. "Huh?" He then turned to Nazuna curiously. "What's going on Nazuna?"

Nazuna narrowed her eyes and explained, "Serara is a young member of our guild. She went to the city of Susukino before the Catastrophe. But now she's stuck there."

"Then what are we all doing just standing around here for?! Let's go save her!"

"It's not that simple," Shiroe argued as he adjusted his glasses. "It will take at least a month to get from here to Susukino."

"By foot, right?" Natsu challenged. "How long by air?"

"Like you can fly," Akatsuki added dismissively.

"He can't," Julia interjected, "but I can."

Natsu nodded. "Yeah, and so can Ophi."

"I think there's something else you guys need to hear," Shoryu interjected.

"What is it?" Elie asked curiously.

"That city, Susukino, is being controlled by Brigandia. Its guild master is Demiqas, a really brutal and cruel guy. Even back when this was a game he did everything he could to torture people. And now, it's gotten even worse. Serara said the reason she's hiding is because he's given her two choices, become his servant or… or be sold as a slave…"

Natsu's eyes lit up with fury as he tightened his fists, trying to contain the anger at such a heinous proclamation.

"Then let's get moving," Shiroe urged, narrowing his eyes.

"Wait, Shiroe," Marielle interjected. "You're not a part of our guild, you don't need to get involved in this."

"I don't think that matters," Natsu argued. "I don't even really know you people, but if this person's a friend of yours and she's in trouble, then we need to do everything we can to help her."

Lucy nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I agree with Natsu."

Erza nodded as well.

"But how will we get there in time?" Akatsuki questioned, concerned.

Natsu then pulled out Ophiuchus' key and prepared to summon her. However, Julia grabbed his arm and stopped him. "I can fly faster than her," Julia argued.

Natsu frowned slightly, knowing that she was right but seeing the obvious flaw in her suggestion. "But you can't carry us all."

"She won't need to," Shiroe added. Adjusting his glasses with a slight cough, he appended, "Not that I see how she could to begin with."

"Let's get to where we can take off and I'll show you," Julia challenged.

Shiroe nodded in reply.

With that, Natsu, Erza, Julia, Lucy, Elie, Juvia, Bisca, Kanami, Nazuna, Akatsuki, Shiroe, Naotsugu, and Gray left the city and prepared to head out to rescue Serara.

"So what's this supposed flight you have?" Shiroe asked curiously.

Julia smirked before her body lit up and then expanded suddenly, entering her immense dragon form.

Shiroe gaped in complete awe. "That's not part of the game…"

Natsu grinned proudly. "If you guys aren't going to ride on Julia, how do you plan to get there?"

Kanami, Naotsugu, and Shiroe then pulled out long, wooden whistles as Julia returned to her human form.

"The heck are those?"

The trio then blew into the whistles strongly, a loud, high-pitched sound emitting from them.

Almost immediately, three, massive, four-legged creatures with avian feet and heads, with large feathered wings, landed near them.

"G – Griffons!?" Lucy exclaimed, having never seen such creatures in reality.

Akatsuki gaped in disbelief. "Wh – What?! How'd you get griffons?!"

Shiroe rubbed the Griffon's shoulder and explained, "They were the reward for a quest the developers made a few years ago."

Akatsuki frowned in thought and then gulped. "R – Really? … I think I'll ride with Natsu…"

Shiroe raised an eyebrow in shock. "Huh? Oh, go ahead. I'm still trying to figure out how your friend transforms like that. I've never heard about any monsters like that in the game before."

Natsu immediately lunged forward and punched Shiroe the face, hard, knocking him to the ground, with an enraged scowl. "Don't you fucking dare call her a monster Shithead!"

"Gah!" Shiroe groaned as he stood, rubbing his now swollen cheek. "S – Sorry…! Monster's just a generic term to refer to animals in the game."

"She isn't an animal!" Natsu demanded with a scowl. "And stop calling this a game!"

Shiroe sighed heavily. "I think… some explanations are in order."

Nazuna nodded as she merely stood behind Natsu, hugging him lightly.

"To us, the people you call Adventurers, this world isn't, or I suppose the more proper term at this point is wasn't, real. It's a virtual world inside of a video game called Elder Tales."

Julia frowned incredulously. "Rriigghhtt…"

"No, he's telling the truth," Nazuna interjected.

Kanami nodded in agreement.

Shiroe then began, "Most of us are people controlling a character, a virtual creation of our own." Shiroe stopped and pointed at Natsu. "People like you, who call themselves People of the Land, or Landers, which we call NPCs or Non-Player Characters, are the natural inhabitants of this world." Shiroe stopped once more and pointed to Plue, then to Julia. "Ones like them, who are not controlled by a player, not an Adventurer, and who aren't NPCs, or Landers like you, are referred to as Monsters."

Natsu growled lightly.

Nazuna chuckled and patted his head lightly. "It's just a term, don't get mad."

Natsu merely huffed in annoyance.

"I mean no insult, honestly," Shiroe eased as he continued, "it's just the term used to describe them. Now, for the confusing part."

"Wait… that wasn't the confusing part…?" Lucy asked in worry.

Shiroe sighed and then began, "Roughly one month ago, the developers of the game released an expansion called Novasphere Pioneers. When the expansion launched, thirty thousand players, including myself, Kanami, Akatsuki, and many others, got trapped in this world. Everything seems mostly the same as it was when this was a game, but we can't log out and it's very apparent that the rules have changed somewhat. I could explain that part to you, but you'd need to have an understanding of basic video games, and, as far as I know, video games don't exist in this world."

Erza folded her arms in thought. "I see. So, if I understand correctly, you come from another world where ours is little more than fiction and are now here, where it is very real."

Shiroe nodded as he pushed his glasses up lightly. "Basically. But some things are still the same. Our menus, equipment, stats, and various incidental systems are still the same. We also still respawn after death."

Natsu huffed as he folded his arms. "Sounds like a mass interdimensional teleportation spell to me."

The other Fairy Tail members looked at Natsu in complete shock and disbelief.

Lucy, agape, asked weakly, "Was Natsu just… smart…?"

"I…" Gray mumbled in equal shock, "think so…"

Shiroe rubbed his chin in thought. "Hhmm… I suppose it's possible. But the question is who did it."

Natsu shrugged and answered, "I don't know. Mama Ama once told me a story 'bout something that could do it. But those where just bed time stories."

"I see. For now, let's stop worrying about that and head out to rescue Serara."

The others nodded in agreement as Julia resumed her draconic form.

As they flew in the skies high above Yamato, Natsu, Akatsuki, Nazuna, Erza, and several others perched on Julia's back, Akatsuki held tightly to Natsu as the wind rushed past her. "W – We're so high…"

Natsu glanced back at her with an excited smirk. "Yeah! Isn't it awesome?"

Akatsuki turned to him in disbelief, tinted with her fear of the extreme height. "Who could call this awesome?!"

Natsu blinked in confusion for a moment, not understanding Akatsuki's tenseness. However, after a moment of thought, he smiled in understanding and put a hand over the small hand that she gripped his torso with. "Don't worry, we're completely safe up here. Julia won't let you fall and neither will I. That's a promise."

Akatsuki glanced up at him unsurely for a moment in silence before nodding. "… O – Okay…"

"Good. Go ahead and close your eyes. It will help."

Akatsuki frowned uncertainly but after pondering for a few seconds nodded and closed her eyes, leaning against Natsu's back.

"Well?"

"Y – Yeah…" Akatsuki answered, her tension easing, "this does help…"

Natsu grinned warmly. "Told you it would."

"Hey!" Naotsugu suddenly shouted as the group flew towards a tall, snow-topped mountain. "We're coming up on Mt. Fuji!"

Shiroe nodded and then pointed ahead to a large group of Wyverns circling the mountain. "All those Wyverns are still here. We'll either have to kill them or go through the mountain."

Julia then took a deep breath before releasing a loud, bellowing roar that caused all of the Wyverns around the mountain to scatter almost instantly.

"… That works too."

Naotsugu grinned in amazement. "Hot and badass! I like it!"

"She's mine!" Natsu immediately snapped.

"Let's hurry to Susukino," Shiroe interrupted. "Serara is in great danger. Plus, she wasn't there alone, I'm worried about her party members."

"Then let's pick up the pace!" Natsu urged. "Everyone hold tight!" Leaning down to look at Julia, he shouted, "Julia Full Speed!"

Julia released a short roar before flapping her wings strongly and surging forward.

Eventually, the group landed in a large forest and began making their way towards Susukino. Soon enough, they saw the city itself, surrounded by a tall, grey, stone wall.

"So…" Natsu muttered, "is this the place?"

"It's so cold," Lucy complained as she looked at the snow around them.

Shiroe immediately put up a hand. "Shush."

"Huh?" Bisca muttered.

Shiroe pointed ahead as several villagers driving a carriage made their way down the dirt path ahead of them. Suddenly, several men wearing heavy armor with large swords and axes appeared from the forest and attacked the carriage, knocking it over and pulling the villagers from it.

"You bastards!" one of the villagers shouted before one of the armored men snarled and stabbed his sword through the villager's heart, killing him instantly.

Two more of the men then stood over two other villagers, a woman and her young daughter.

The first man snickered before reaching out to the two.

However, Natsu suddenly emerged from the side of the road. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" he shouted as he slammed a flaming fist into the first man, sending him flying with the resultant explosion.

"No, wait!" Shiroe shouted as Natsu charged. "They're Adventurers! You don't stand a chance!"

The second man swung his sword at Natsu, but Natsu dodged and swung his fist again. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" As the man was sent flying, Natsu scowled and cracked his fingers. "You jerks are immortal, right? That means I can beat your faces in all I want! So no holding back!"

"You son of a…!" the first man snarled as he charged, only for Erza to suddenly dash out in front of him.

"I normally prefer not to kill," Erza began angrily, "but with ones such as you, I shall make an exception." A large, spiked blade then appeared in her grasp in a flash of light, which she raised high above the man.

The man cowered and begged, "W – Wai – aarrgghh!" before she swung her blade down, slicing the man in half.

The first man that launched the attack growled and raised his sword as light swirled around him. "I'll make you pricks pay!"

Natsu growled and rushed forward, flames concentrating on one of his feet. "Fire Dragon Claw!" he howled as he sent a high, spinning kick, a long, wide, trail of flames following that sent the man flying.

The man groaned before Natsu approached him and raised a flame-encased foot over the man's head. "W – Wait a –!" the man shouted before Natsu slammed his foot down.

"Wow…" Kanami muttered in disbelief.

"Th – They just took out three level sixty players so quickly…" Shiroe added in shock.

"Yes!" Nazuna cheered. "He is Ashura!"

"Okay," Natsu interjected, "let's go save Serara."

Kanami stared at Erza and Natsu as the group walked into Susukino.

"Their power is quite impressive," Shiroe noted.

"Yeah but…" Kanami muttered. "It doesn't make sense."

Shiroe nodded in agreement. "Yes, but for now, let's worry about finding Serara. At least for the moment we're mostly safe."

"Why's that?" Natsu asked as they walked through the snow-covered, dingy streets of Susukino.

Shiroe adjusted his glasses and explained, "One of the few rules that's carried over from when this was a game is that if Adventurers engage in acts of violence within a city, the Royal Guard appears."

"Royal what now?" Natsu asked in confusion, not knowing the term.

Shiroe stopped and pointed down an alleyway where two Adventurers were arguing when one pulled a blade and slashed at the other. Suddenly, a ring of light appeared in the air from which a tall, thick, suit of black armor with glowing blue lines appeared and grabbed the man. The man pushed the armor away, which then swung the large ax on its back and chopped the man in half.

"And while they manage to stop Adventurers from fighting," Shiroe continued, "they have some major flaws."

"Huh?" Natsu asked.

"They only show up if one Adventurer uses a weapon, meaning if they just use their fists nothing will happen. They also don't try to stop People of the Land from attacking Adventurers or each other. And most disturbingly, they have no sense of morality, meaning if an Adventurer draws a weapon to defend themselves against a large group of other people, they'll be the one the Royal Guard attacks."

"That's stupid. But I guess it means Kana-Chan's lucky."

"Come again?"

Natsu smirked, "She fights with her fists. Meaning no Royal Jerk will bug her."

Kanami chuckled lightly. "My gauntlets count as weapons. If I have them equipped, or use a spell they'll get me. I kinda… learned that the hard way."

"Oh." He then furrowed his brow in confusion. "Wait, armor counts as a weapon?"

Shiroe turned to him and explained, "Kanami is what's called a Monk class. Rather than using swords, shields, or other such weapons, they use large, weaponized gauntlets."

"What if she wears regular armor gauntlets? You know, non-weapon type stuff?"

"That's not possible," Shiroe argued. "Standalone gauntlets that don't count as weapons aren't available. The only way to get gauntlets that don't count as weapons are like Naotsugu which cover the entire arm and augment defense, not offense."

Natsu huffed lightly. "I call bullshit on that one."

"Besides, something like that is heavy armor. Kanami can only wear light armor."

Natsu snarled in annoyance.

"So how are we supposed to find this girl?" Julia interjected.

"She managed to find a hiding spot and is currently there with someone," Shiroe explained.

"Where is that then?" Erza questioned.

"I can't say out loud," Shiroe said warily.

"Why not?" Gray wondered, slightly annoyed.

"Look around you," Shiroe urged, motioning to the various grunts and soldiers watching them as they moved through the streets. "This whole city is under Brigandia's control; they've been watching us ever since we entered town. And no doubt they'll launch an ambush the moment we step outside the safe zone."

Natsu snorted dismissively. "They try, I burn them."

Nazuna remained silent for a moment before turning to Kanami. "… You sssuuurrreee this guy isn't Ashura, Kanami?"

"He's not," Shiroe interjected. "Ashura was a level ninety Monk. Our friend here is a level forty-six Paladin." Shiroe blinked in confusion before furrowing his brow. 'Wait, level forty-six? That… that's impossible… Unless… Unless he's a…' After a moment of deep thought, Shiroe sighed heavily. "Okay, we're close by. Akatsuki, stand lookout, Naotsugu, don't let anyone else go in."

"Right," Akatsuki and Naotsugu answered before the purple-haired girl vanished in a flurry of pink light.

Lucy put her hands on her hips with mild irritation. "And what are we supposed to do?"

Shiroe turned to the Fairy Tail members and recommended, "You should disperse and keep an eye open for anybody that tries to get close."

"I'm going in there with you," Natsu insisted.

Nazuna pointed at Natsu and appended, "I go where he goes."

Shiroe sighed in resignation. "Fine. Let's go."

Natsu, Nazuna, and Shiroe ascended a winding set of stairs in a dilapidated stone building before walking down a long, vine-filled hallway, eventually reaching a single, functional door near the end of the hall.

Shiroe walked up to the door and knocked in a specific, three-beat pattern. "Serara, I'm Shiroe, Marielle sent me to get you."

After a moment, the door opened revealing a tall, humanoid cat with purple and white fur, wearing a grey, high-collared shirt, a black vest, a green, striped coat, dark blue pants, and brown gloves. The cat-man looked at Shiroe in thought before smirking. "Well if it isn't Shiroechi," he remarked in a smooth voice.

"Holy cat!" Happy suddenly shouted as he stood with the group.

The cat-man glanced down at Happy and smirked in amusement. "Now I wouldn't describe myself as holy, my fine feline, but I do appreciate the compliment."

Natsu blinked in confusion and then pointed at the humanoid feline as he glanced at Shiroe. "Uuhh… Is this guy supposed to be here?"

Shiroe smirked as he pushed his glasses up slightly. "So you're the one who's been taking of Serara, Nyanta."

The cat-man, Nyanta, smirked slightly before bowing. "The one and only. This little kitten's been adorable as can be. I'd have clawed out Demiqas' eyes by this point, but I don't want this little thing to see such… barbarism."

Natsu sighed but then leaned to the side and saw a young girl with long, wavy red hair, tied loosely at the end, and light brown eyes wearing a large pink scarf with yellow and white stripes, a lightly armored orange top, a white and blue dress with a pink cloth tied to one side, and a pair of brown boots standing in the center of the modest room. Natsu blinked in thought and then waved at the girl. "Hey there."

The girl flinched suddenly and looked around frantically before suddenly bowing. "U – Uh, hello, nice to meet you," she greeted in a worried and frantic tone. "I'm Serara. My main class is Druid with a subclass of Housekeeper." Her face then turned a shade of red that matched her hair. "I – I know that it's a really useless subclass, but I thought it'd be really good since it can learn skills from other classes and I…"

Natsu chuckled lightly and waved a hand disarmingly. "It's okay. My name's Natsu Dragneel. I don't know what your… class thingy would call me, but I'm a Fire Dragon Slayer."

Serara stared at Natsu in confusion for several moments before tilting her head. "Uuhh… wait, you're not a player…"

Shiroe nodded in agreement. "Correct. He's one of the People of the Land."

Natsu folded his arms in annoyance. "You don't need to say it like I'm insignificant."

With a sigh, Shiroe muttered, "Well, this is step one finished."

"Yeah." With a grin, Natsu added, "Now comes the fun part."

"We have to get out of the city, and when we step out of the city limits, they'll launch an ambush."

Flexing his neck, Natsu rebutted, "Too bad for them we know they plan to ambush us. Meaning we are going to ambush their ambush."

Shiroe adjusted his glassed and retorted, "Those others we fought before were small fry. The guild master, Demiqas, will be the real challenge."

Natsu huffed dismissively. "Bah! He can't beat me, Erza and Julia!"

"He won't be alone. It's likely he'll have other level ninety players with him."

Natsu shrugged. "So? We can take them."

Shiroe sighed and glanced ahead. "It's not us I'm worried about."

Serara pouted somberly. "… I won't get in the way, I promise…"

Natsu smiled warmly and walked up to the girl, putting a hand on her head lightly. "Don't worry, you won't be in danger."

"Come on," Shiroe urged. "Let's get moving. We won't have much time once they see we have Serara."

Julia yawned as the group made their way through the snow and soot covered streets of Susukino towards its exit gate.

Shiroe narrowed his eyes as he adjusted his glasses. "We're almost at the edge of the city. Once we leave they'll attack us, so be ready."

"Yeah, yeah," Julia waved a hand dismissively. "I'll be sure to bite them in half."

"Don't be too careless. Unlike us death is permanent for you."

Julia huffed in derision. "Like a human can take me down. They can't even put a scratch on Father."

Lucy furrowed her brow in thought. "You mentioned him before. What's he like?"

Julia sighed as she folded her arms. "Strong. Quiet. Commanding. Doesn't take shit from anyone. Oh, and he wiped out a continent once on his own to."

Lucy shivered lightly. "Scary…"

Natsu nodded with a smirk. "Yeah he is. But he's pretty cool."

Lucy shivered even more. "Now I'm even more scared…"

Julia smiled and rebutted, "Don't be. He doesn't eat humans. He tends to spit them out."

Lucy gulped in fear.

Shiroe pushed his glasses up lightly as he narrowed his eyes. "Everyone, get ready, we'll be passing the gate in a few seconds."

Natsu smirked and cracked his knuckles. "'Bout time."

"Three… Two… One…" Shiroe counted down as they exited the city.

Suddenly, several figures emerged from the forests that flanked the road.

The leader of the group, Demiqas, a tall, heavily muscular, dark-skinned man with shoulder-length, wild purple hair and brown eyes wearing a white and red uniform with yellow fur lining and thick grey armor on his legs and arms, with one arm having a set of four, long, large claws on the back of the hand, stood at the front of the group.

Natsu narrowed his eyes as he looked at the large man. "Is this the guy?"

Shiroe nodded before adjusting his glasses once more. "Yes. This is Demigra."

Demiqas snarled in annoyance and rebutted, "It's Demiqas, four-eyes."

Natsu stepped forward, cracking his knuckles, and interjected, "I'll just call him Dumugly."

"Cram it," Demiqas snarled at Natsu before redirecting his attention to Shiroe. "Alright, four-eyes, you, your team, and that cat bastard need to leave if you know what's good for you. That girl's mine."

Natsu extended his arm in front of Serara. "Not a chance, Dumugly."

Demiqas huffed as he raised his fists. "Then I'll just beat you all into the dirt!"

"That's my line!" Natsu growled as he pulled out Leo and Ophiuchus' keys.

"The hell are you doing?" Demiqas asked in annoyance before Natsu raised the keys.

"Open, Gate of the Golden Lion: Leo! Open, Gate of the Snake Charmer: Ophiuchus!"

Akatsuki blinked curiously before two magic circles appeared overhead, from which Ophiuchus and Leo appeared.

Demiqas stiffened slightly as he saw the gigantic, mechanical snake before him. "Wh – What the hell…?"

Natsu hissed angrily before ordering, "Ophi, Leo, handle his grunts. I want to personally flatten this bastard's face. And no holding back. At all."

"Understood," Leo answered plainly before drawing her sword swiftly with a wide swing, sending out a large blade of energy that chopped down several trees, as well as bisected the Brigandia members hiding behind the trees.

"Holy shit…" Kanami muttered in disbelief.

Ophiuchus' mouth then opened wide before a beam of energy fired outward, carving a swath of destruction through the nearby forest, leaving a molten trail and vaporizing the Brigandia members within.

Demiqas' eyes widened before he scowled at Natsu. "I don't know how you summoned those things, but I'll beat your skull in and get rid of them."

"Sorry pal," Natsu challenged before his fists and feet were encased in flame. "You're mine."

Shiroe's eyes widened as he saw the flames on Natsu's body. 'Wh – What the…? Is that a skill in the game I don't remember…?'

"And I'm gonna burn you to ashes!"

"Bring it, you damn Lander!" Demiqas scowled as Natsu charged.

Natsu swung a fist at Demiqas, but the large man easily dodged before sending out a powerful kick. "Aura Saber!" he shouted before a shock wave resulted from his kick and sent Natsu flying. Demiqas smirked confidently, a smirk that fell as Natsu spun midair and planted his feet on the ground.

Natsu then took in a deep breath and then shouted, "Fire Dragon Roar!" before a massive gout of flames shot from his mouth and raced towards Demiqas.

"Shit!" Demiqas cursed before blocking, unable to escape the flames, swiftly being consumed by the blast.

Shiroe gaped slightly in surprise. "S – Such power…"

"Now there's a spell I don't remember from the game," Nyanta commented with a smirk.

Natsu sighed slightly as the flames died down. "Is that it?"

Demiqas hissed in annoyance as the flames dispersed.

Nyanta smirked slightly wider. "Impressive. That one attack shaved off half his HP."

Lucy turned to him curiously. "HP?"

"Yes," Shiroe began. "We Adventurers have a slightly different way of judging how long before we die. It's HP, or Hit Points. Each time we receive damage a we lose a small portion of it."

"I don't… really get it…" Lucy grumbled in confusion.

Shiroe laughed lightly. "Don't worry, you don't really need to."

Demiqas growled and then turned to several other Brigandia members that stood in the background of the fight. "Don't just stand there!"

The grunts flinched before they began casting spells to heal Demiqas.

Erza huffed in derision before Requipping into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. "Dance my blades!" she shouted as many swords appeared in the air around her and surged towards the goons.

"Wh – What the he –?!" one of the grunts shouted before being struck by several of the swords.

"Naotsugu," Shiroe suddenly hollered, "Aggro!"

"Got it!" the heavily armored man shouted back before drawing a large sword from his shield and rushing forward, raising his shield before he became engulfed in green light. "Anchor Howl!"

"Whoa!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Shit!" another of the Brigandia goons snarled as the light spread.

"What was that?" Elie asked as she turned to Shiroe.

"Anchor Howl," Shiroe began to explain. "It's a spell used by the Guardian class. It causes all enemies in a certain radius to be focused on the Guardian. If they turn away from him and try to attack someone else they'll be hit with a vicious counterattack. It also increases the Guardian's defense to make them able to handle the inevitable barrage of attacks."

Natsu grinned before turning back to Demiqas. "Cool. I'll finish this off then."

Demiqas huffed in derision. "Dumbass, I wasn't caught in that Guardian's stupid ass spell. So I'll still kick your ass!"

Natsu smirked as he flared the flames on his fists.

Demiqas then charged toward Natsu before slamming his fist into the ground, hard. "Tiger Echo Fist!" he shouted before a powerful shock wave surged outward, knocking Natsu airborne.

"What the…?!" Natsu shouted as he was tossed into the air. "Fire Dragon Elbow!" Natsu shouted before flames erupted from his elbows, sending him surging back down towards Demiqas. "Fire Dragon Claw!" he shouted before he swung a wide, roundhouse kick, leaving a long, wide trail of flames that slammed into Demiqas, though the sturdily built man was merely sent sliding back slightly.

As the two fought, Nyanta glanced at Shiroe. "Hey, Shiroechi."

"Yeah?" Shiroe replied mindlessly as he watched the fight.

"You must've noticed it too, hm? Natsuchi there might just be a level forty-six Lander, but he's got even more HP than me. Not to mention the amount of power in those attacks doesn't match up with his level. And then there's the redhead. She's level forty-eight and she's got more health than any player I've ever met."

"Yeah," Shiroe answered, narrowing his eyes as Natsu blocked a strike from Demiqas, spun up above the man, and then slammed his knee into the back of Demiqas' head, only for Demiqas to grab him by the shin and slam him into the ground.

"Think they might be part of that group?" Nyanta asked curiously.

Narrowing his eyes, Shiroe replied, "I'd say it's more than likely that they are."

Natsu snarled and sent another punch at Demiqas, however the large man vanished before his punch could connect. "Huh? Where'd Dumugly go…?"

"Behind you!" Shiroe suddenly bellowed as Demiqas appeared behind Natsu.

"Dragon Tail Swing!" Demiqas shouted as he swung his leg high and strong, hitting Natsu with enough force to send him flying several meters.

Natsu stood up and spat before smirking confidently. "You call that a dragon attack?" Natsu then rushed forward and grabbed Demiqas by the arm. "Here's what a real dragon attack feels like! Fire Dragon Grip Strike!" Flames suddenly exploded from Natsu's hand, engulfing Demiqas in a large burst of fire at pointblank range.

Demiqas howled in pain as the strike knocked him to the ground. He snarled with rage as he stood. "You… bastard…! The hell kinda magic you using?!"

Natsu smirked and retorted, "Fire Dragon Slayer Magic."

Shiroe raised an eyebrow with surprise and confusion. 'Dragon Slayer? I've never even heard of magic like that.'

"And now," Natsu began as large balls of flame collected around his hands, "it's time for you to go! Flames of my right hand! Flames of my left hand! Put them together…! Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!" Clasping the flame-encased fists together, they formed a massive ball of flame that he then threw at Demiqas.

Demiqas gaped as the ball of flame rushed forward too swiftly to evade, releasing a massive explosion upon impact, engulfing the area in a sea of flames.

Natsu blinked curiously as he looked around. "Huh… Did I go overboard again…?"

Naotsugu suddenly popped up from a pile of dirt he had been covered in from the blast wave and laughed loudly. "That was awesome!"

"Wh – What was that…?" Shiroe asked in disbelief.

"That was Natsu…" Lucy groaned lightly as she sat up. She then turned to Natsu, irritated. "Why do you always blow things up!?"

Natsu turned to her curiously. "Uuhh… is that a trick question…?"

Nazuna turned to Kanami. "… Are you sure he isn't Ashura?"

"To be honest…" Shiroe grumbled as he wiped dirt off of his coat. "I'm not sure anymore…"

"Yeah…" Kanami muttered. "That was totally something Ashura would have done… Big, loud, and explosive."

As the smoke from Natsu's attack cleared, Demiqas stood with a stumble, growling with rage.

"Oh come on!" Lucy exclaimed in disbelief. "How is he still moving!?"

"Huh…" Natsu hummed. "Guess I under did it."

"Alright you pink-haired shit…" Demiqas cursed as he stood. "You're really pissing me off." Demiqas then directed a scowl to Serara. "After this is over you little brat, I'll make you pay for causing me so much trouble."

Serara shrieked in fear before hiding behind Erza.

Natsu lowered his brow angrily at Demiqas. "… You're dead."

"As if you could –!" Demiqas began to snarl before Natsu rushed forward and planted his hand over the man's mouth.

Natsu grinned darkly as he shouted, "Fire Dragon Grip Strike!"

Demiqas' eyes widened before his torso suddenly exploded with a burst of flames.

"Weak," Natsu growled.

Lucy gaped in shock. "Okay… that was scary…"

Erza glanced to the remaining Brigandia members. "Unless the rest of you wish to follow your guild master, leave immediately."

The men immediately left, quickly.

Natsu sighed and then turned to the others. "Can we go back to Akihabara now?"

"Right…" Shiroe answered weakly as he looked at Natsu, still thinking.

As the group made their trek back to Akihabara, Natsu groaned with frustration. "So… hungry…"

"Well don't think about eating any of the food from the game," Naotsugu interjected. "It all tastes like garbage."

With a heavy pout, Nazuna grumbled, "It's been a month since I've eaten something that doesn't taste like dirt…"

"What do ya mean?" Natsu asked, confused. "Food is good! Especially fire!"

Naotsugu flicked his wrist through the air for a moment, causing a burger to suddenly appear in his hand before he handed it to Natsu.

Natsu looked at the burger curiously and then took a bite. He stopped for a moment, blinked curiously, and then spat the burger out and started dry heaving. "Why the hell did you make food out of pure mana?! That shit is tasteless!"

"Mana?" Shiroe asked with light confusion.

"Yeah, the energy used in magic. Aren't you a mage?"

"Enchanter, more specifically. But still, that's the first I've heard of this."

"You have any better ideas?" Naotsugu argued.

Nazuna nodded with a pout. "Yeah. We can't cook it, it just turns into black gunk. And I like gunk, but not that kind."

Natsu raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean you can't cook?"

Nyanta smirked and tapped the side of his head. "You gotta use your head, Naotsuguchi. Don't think about this like a game anymore."

"Huh?" Naotsugu muttered in confusion.

Nyanta then turned to Natsu. "Natsuchi, think you can provide me a flame?"

"What for?" Natsu retorted, suspicious.

Erza patted Natsu's shoulder. "Be nice."

Natsu sighed and then flopped to the ground before surrounding his body with fire. "There."

Nyanta then proceeded to wave his hand about for several moments before several pieces of meat and multiple wooden stakes appeared in his hands, which he then stuck in the ground around Natsu. "Now we wait."

As Nyanta left the food to cook, Nazuna's nose began twitching excitedly. "It smells… so good…"

Nyanta nodded to himself and pulled the stakes from the ground. "There. Thanks for the torch, Natsuchi." He then divided the pieces of meat up with the other Adventurers.

Nazuna looked at the food curiously and then took a bite, causing her fox ears to perk up sharply along with an elated squeal. "So good!"

"I don't believe it!" Akatsuki exclaimed as she voraciously devoured the morsel. "It's real food! With real flavor!"

Naotsugu also ate energetically. "Holy crap! This is amazing!"

Kanami gulped her bite down swiftly.

Erza suddenly stole some of Nazuna's, causing the Kitsune to growl, before biting into it. "It is quite good. Though I am afraid it has little compared to Natsu's cooking."

Akatsuki, Nazuna, and Kanami all immediately stared at Natsu.

The pink-haired teen shrunk back slightly in confusion. "Uh, what…?"

Julia snickered. "I think they want you to cook."

"Ah… Okay then. I need something good to cook first."

Right on cue, the group heard a high-pitched roar nearby.

Natsu glanced across the nearby river and saw a pack of large, blue, reptilian creatures. With a grin, he noted, "Would you look at that?"

"Uh… what are those…?" Akatsuki asked with confusion.

"They're a type of Bird Wyvern," Shiroe explained. "They're called Velociprey. And the large one in the group is the pack leader, Velocidrome."

"But I call them lunch," Natsu interjected with a feral grin as the creatures saw the group.

One of the Velocipreys then immediately leapt the wide distance across the river at the group.

"Come and get some!" Natsu challenged as he punched the beast in the chest, crushing its ribcage.

A second and third Velociprey then leapt the distance as well.

Natsu smirked and leapt into the air at them, smashing the head of one with his fist before grabbing the other by the neck and twisting suddenly, snapping its neck.

The Velocidrome roared loudly and charged at Natsu, swiping with its large claws.

Natsu ducked under its swing, smashed his knee into its chest, causing the beast to buckle, and then slammed his foot down on its head, killing it.

"Wow…" Akatsuki muttered in disbelief.

Shiroe gulped slightly. "The Velociprey and Velocidrome might not be fearsome monsters, but to slay an entire pack not just alone but with no weapons…"

Natsu dragged all the bodies over before placing them in a pile and then turned to Nyanta. "Hey, cat man, do you have any spices?"

Nyanta nodded with a smile.

"Great!"

Sometime later, Natsu stood over a fire, cooking pieces of the Velociprey's meat, and then called, "Food's ready!"

"Finally!" Kanami cheered as she and the others approached, Natsu placing all of the food on plates Nyanta gave him.

Akatsuki looked at the perfectly browned, steaming, succulent meat in disbelief, gulping with hunger. "Is this really… the same creature…?"

"Yep!" Natsu answered with a grin before furrowing his brow. "Wait… why?"

"It just looks… so good. It's hard to believe it came from that thing."

Nazuna, however, did not spare a moment and instantly took a bite of the meat before shivering with a moan. "So ggoooodd…"

Kanami took a bite and moaned lightly as well. "Yeah… I haven't eaten this good in a long time… I think I could just marry Natsu just to have this every day…"

Julia growled in annoyance. "Me first! Get in line! I'm the alpha female! Me!"

"J – Just a joke… calm down…"

Julia huffed as she turned to eat but kept a glare on Kanami. "Don't joke about that. I am Natsu's strongest woman and I will marry him first and bare his first dragonlings. No one else."

Lucy sweat lightly in exasperation. "J – Just first…?"

"How do you guys like it?" Natsu asked.

Akatsuki nodded silently as she voraciously devoured the steak.

Lucy laughed lightly. "Guess she likes it. But…" she trailed off as she looked at the steak. "Can that thing really taste good…?" She poked the piece curiously with her fork before taking a tentative bite, having to hold back a slight moan from the flavor of the food. "I – It's good… Very good…"

Natsu smiled proudly. "Thanks!"

Akatsuki quickly gobbled the remainder of her portion and then handed her plate out to Natsu. "More please!"

"Sure," Natsu answered before dropping a large piece of meat on her plate.

As Akatsuki ate excitedly, Shiroe turned to Natsu. "I'm surprised you can cook so well."

Natsu shrugged in response. "Well, I kinda had to learn how to. Mama Ama's cooking nearly kills us and Igneel kept burning things to a crisp when he tried to cook."

"Ama?" Shiroe asked before taking a sip of water.

Natsu grinned. "Yup! Amaterasu!"

Shiroe immediately spat his drink in shock.

"WHAT!?" all of the Adventurers shouted in disbelief.

Natsu tilted his head curiously. "Huh? What?"

"A – Amaterasu!?" Akatsuki questioned, not believing what she heard.

Natsu nodded. "Yeah. Amaterasu. Why? Have you met her?"

Shiroe sighed and fixed his glasses on his nose. "Where we're all from, she's one of the chief deities in our nation's mythology."

"Oh. Well she is a goddess."

Lucy twitched an eyebrow.

Erza glanced at her curiously. "What's wrong? Did you not know?"

"Of course I didn't!" Lucy argued. "That's absurd!"

"Really?" Juvia asked, not understanding the shock of Lucy and the Adventurers.

"So…" Nazuna began as she turned to Natsu, "you were raised by a goddess…?"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah. And a dragon."

"Wow…"

Shiroe furrowed his brow silently in pondering.

"Yeah," Natsu added, "they're the two that raised me."

"I can't decide if that's awesome or crazy…" Naotsugu mumbled in confusion.

Akatsuki nodded dumbly in agreement before swiftly going back to her meal.

Natsu sighed but then raised an eyebrow in remembrance and turned to Kanami. "Hey, Kana-Chan."

Kanami swallowed a bite and then turned to Natsu. "Yeah? What's up?"

"How'd you guys get pet Griffons anyway?"

"They're not really pets," Shiroe corrected. "Just mounts."

Kanami nodded in agreement and explained, "Shiroe, Nyanta, myself, and the rest of Debauchery Tea Party went on a quest a few years ago that had the griffons as the reward."

"Tea Party?" Akatsuki asked as she took another bite.

Shiroe nodded. "Yes. Kanami, Nyanta, Naotsugu, Nazuna, myself, and several others were in a guild called Debauchery Tea Party. Well, I say guild but that's not strictly accurate. We weren't an officially formed and named guild, we were closer to a large party than a guild. We just mostly went around helping other players however we could and completing quests."

Nazuna nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Best time of my life, and some of the best memories I have. And it was all thanks to the leader."

"Leader?" Erza asked curiously.

Kanami nodded. "Technically, I was denoted as the leader amongst the group, but I sorta just gave out the commands. The one who actually made the decisions was Ashura. He was also the strongest member of the guild."

Nazuna nodded, blushing lightly. "Yeah… he was awesome…"

"Yes," Shiroe interjected, "he was most certainly a skilled player."

"That's not what I was talking about, but okay."

"Yeah, but then he up and vanishes," Kanami noted sourly.

"Vanished?" Akatsuki questioned.

"What do you mean?" Erza wondered.

"A couple years ago after a big quest, he just disappeared."

"What quest?" Akatsuki asked.

Nazuna explained, "It was a quest to find a special ore deep in a cavern. We found the ore easily enough, but after leaving the cavern, this giant, red dragon showed up and Ashura chased it. He said he'd be back but… It's been almost two years now…"

"Wow…" Lucy added somberly.

Natsu raised an eyebrow in thought. "Wait, two years? But the dragons disappeared seven years ago."

Shiroe furrowed his brow in confusion. "Disappeared?"

Natsu sighed and laid back on the ground. "Well, it doesn't really matter I guess. So, how about we set off in the morning?"

Akatsuki nodded in agreement but then suddenly burped, blushing in embarrassment.

Natsu chuckled lightly and patted the top of her head. "That was a healthy one."

Akatsuki puffed her cheeks and looked to the side. "I'm not a kid…"

The next morning, the group packed their items and continued on their trek back to Akihabara. However, their travel was interrupted as rain started falling suddenly and fiercely.

"Uwah!" Lucy shrieked as they were coated with water. "Let's get out of this rain!"

As the group ran, Shiroe spotted lights nearby and nodded to himself. "There's a farm over there!"

Shortly later, the group stood inside of a large barn, with the owner of the farm, an older man with a thick beard and white hair.

Ringing his coat out, Shiroe turned to the man with a grateful smile. "Thank you for letting us wait out the storm in your barn."

The farmer laughed happily, waving a hand. "Don't mention it, it's quite alright. That storm came out of nowhere, so I wouldn't want you lot to catch any kind of cold."

Natsu nodded in understanding before shaking his hair dry. "Yeah, Juvia used to make it rain like this all the time when she was depressed."

Juvia, her porcelain white skin tinted red, flailed her arms and shouted. "Uwah! Natsu-Sama! Don't reveal that about Juvia! It's embarrassing."

"Oh, sorry Juvia," Natsu replied with a weak smile.

Lucy tugged at her blouse with annoyance. "Geez, now I'm all wet."

"Yeah…" Gray muttered lightly before glancing away from her.

Lucy huffed and covered her chest with her arms. "Pervert."

Gray stumbled lightly. "H – Huh?!"

"Hey!" Natsu growled. "Quit starin' at Lucy!"

"The hell I am!" Gray snarled.

"Yeah! You were, stripper!"

"No. I. Wasn't. Lizard!"

Erza then growled and demanded coldly, "Stop. Fighting. Now."

Both teens immediately stiffened in fear.

"Aye!" Natsu exclaimed.

"My, my," Nyanta muttered in amusement.

The farmer laughed loudly. "Well aren't you a lively bunch?"

"Aye!" Happy answered energetically.

The farmer then folded his arms as he looked at the wizards. "Hhmm… though I have to say you look familiar from somewhere."

"Oh?" Erza commented in thought.

"Hm… ah!" he suddenly exclaimed before turning to a young boy next to him. "Yunger, go and get that magazine your mother's always reading."

"Okay, Grandpa!" the boy replied happily before running back to the farm's main house.

"Magazine?" Shiroe commented in confusion before the boy returned with a copy of Sorcerer Weekly, which he immediately opened to the middle of the magazine, showing a centerfold image of Mirajane and a blonde woman in skimpy bikinis, posing seductively.

Natsu twitched an eyebrow angrily. "What… the hell… is that…?"

"U – Uh…" Bisca mumbled, uncertain what to do.

"N – Nothing…" Erza tried to redirect.

"Oooohh!" Lucy cooed as she looked at the image. "It's one of Mira and Jenny Realight! Centerfold pictures!"

The farmer grinned widely. "Yeah! You're from that Ishgaran guild with all the pretty ladies, right?!"

Natsu twitched an eyebrow and clenched his fists tightly.

"C – Come on Natsu, calm down…" Elie muttered, trying to ease Natsu.

"Damn those two are smokin' hot!" Naotsugu cheered as he looked at the picture. "I gotta go and find me some ho –!"

Akatsuki interrupted his shout by kneeing him in the face, with Natsu then proceeding to set the armored man's hair aflame.

"Owowow!" Naotsugu shouted as he ran around, trying to put the flame on his head out.

"Well, he's… possessive," Kanami muttered as Nazuna scribbled on a notepad.

Bisca put a hand on Natsu's shoulder lightly. "It's okay, calm down, Natsu."

Lucy turned to the others curiously. "What's wrong? Mira's been in Sorcerer Weekly for a couple years now."

"WHAT!?" Natsu howled.

Bisca groaned heavily. "Way to go Lucy…"

"Wh – What'd I do…?" Lucy asked, fearful and flummoxed.

"You all knew about this, didn't you!?" Natsu snarled, enraged at the revelation before him.

However, before Natsu's rage could fly any further, Nazuna immediately stepped up to him and planted her lips on his, drawing him into a deep kiss, shocking and confusing the others.

After a few moments, Natsu's body began to lose tension before he loosened and stepped back.

Nazuna smirked and licked her lips. "There, better?"

And there you have it! This concludes chapter ten of Embodiment of Flame. Hopefully everyone enjoyed it. If you did, be sure to leave a review. If you were confused or unsure about anything or had any questions, leave those as a review and I will do my best to address them in a reviewer response. If you did not enjoy it, I would suggest doing something you do enjoy instead, but if you do post a review, keeping it civil and focused would be appreciated. Well, that about does it for me, so until next time, bye-bye!