Hi guys I am back from the somewhat crazy life of school! Currently on break right now but am about to kick up another term to catch up on classes! So if you don't hear from me in awhile, that is the reason. Aside from what I'm doing, I changed this story's name (for distinguishing purposes). Plus I do like the way it sounds. So be expecting the title change to follow the next two stories.

I like to personally thank people who have followed my story and left a comment follow or favorite. It does make me feel relieved that you guys like the work I put out on this site, so many thanks to all! Now lets get on with chapter 8 of Dragonic Destiny: The Flames of Hope

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, otherwise it would have went differently.


CHAPTER 8: Duel on the Vermillion


'The rules are simple. You will fight in this arena that encompasses the mast you were tied to, all the way to the other side of the deck. You will see it upon your release tomorrow.' Akripha looks at them straight in the eyes and clears his throat to say the next set of rules. 'If you are knocked out or can't continue the match you are eliminated, if you get a ring out you are eliminated. You the challengers are expected to face the opponent that the Captain chooses. That is all the rules we offer.' After Akripha explains the rules he leaves the brig to let Natsu prepare for his challenge.

Natsu, Carla and Happy were in the midst of the crowd; gathered around the mast where they were just tied up only 3 days ago. The arena in which they were fighting in consisted of said mast with a circle drawn to represent the arena. The circle was large enough for two combatants to move around but too small to do long elaborate movements.

"Do you think Wendy will be okay Carla?" Happy asks the female exceed.

"Only time will tell. These series of matches are meant to test endurance of the challenger, so she must keep her guard up at all times." Carla knew from books that this type of tournament can get deadly if the challenger lets their guard down slightly.

Carla then looks at Natsu who is sweating bullets as the fight continues in its ferocity. Natsu could only observe Wendy's fight with adrenaline pumping through his veins. His worry for his comrade overtaking his belief in her victory.

"Are you THAT worried Mr. Savior?" Carla plays with him as she oserves the sweat marks trickle down Natsu's face. "Was that speech you told me earlier just a bluff?"

"No I ain't worried." Natsu tries to pass it off, but the Exceeds quickly saw through the façade.

"You're lying again Natsu." Happy flatly says to his friend. "It's written on your face."

"So what if it is!" Natsu retaliates back with frustration. "Ah just forget it!"

Carla used this opportunity to lighten the mood by calling out the dragon slayer on his worry. "Have a little faith in your protégé Natsu. She takes after your example."

"What's a protégé?" Natsu asks her out of ignorance.

"Ugh nevermind" Carla's attempt to lighten the mood only backfires in her face as Natsu doesn't understand a word she said. Carla returns her gaze to the battle and smiles in embarrassment.

"You know" Carla begins to speak as she sees Wendy dodge Leas's attacks; "It's thanks to you she came this far as a person."

"What do you mean?" Natsu asks the exceed with inquisitive eyes. "Why do I matter?"

"In Cait Shelter, she always dreamed of meeting the fabled Salamander. She always wanted to meet a fellow dragon slayer like herself. She would always recite your name until she knew it from memory."

"That's funny Carla" Happy says to Carla. "Wendy remembers who you are, but you couldn't even remember her name Natsu." Happy casually interrupts their conversation.

"Yeah, very funny Happy" Natsu gave a sour look to his friend and made a gesture to silently shut up.

"When I told her about my vision, she was so insistent on following your trail that she forgot to tell any of the members where she was going."

"Is that why you wanted to come along too?" Natsu smirks at female exceed. "I'm thinking you're getting all warm and fuzzy on us Carla."

"Don't toy with me you idiot!" Carla's blush only serves to add to the laughter that is coming from Natsu and Happy. "Even though I was the one who had the vision, she was the one who really wanted to help you. Before, she wouldn't even think of doing something like this; now she's here willing to fight."

"Hell yeah" Natsu yells out loud "You got this Wendy! Don't give up!"

'You may not know it Natsu, but she really looks up to you. Ever since Cait Shelter and Edolas, she always strived to be like you. Don't let her down.' Carla reflected on all the times she cried and ran away while she was in Cait Shelter and how she improved when she joined Fairy Tail. 'Wendy has grown far more than anyone could ever believe.'


Wendy could only dodge the Leas's forceful attacks as he gained the offensive, leaving her no more room to dodge despite her small frame. She felt the floor beneath her vibrate strongly as she dodges his attacks.

'I feel the wind in that attack. He's strong.' Wendy assesses her situation and tries to gain momentum but realizes he's pushing her to a corner she can't fight from.

'I'm running out of room if I don't do something about this person; I'll get knocked out of the ring.'

"You can do this Wendy! Don't give up!" Natsu yells out to her in support.

Wendy felt inspiration from Natsu's words, and observes her surroundings; she sees the mast at the corner of the ring. She analyzes the lines and comes up with a brilliant plan to overtake her opponent.

"Fast wind that runs through the heavens….. VERNIER!" Seeing the opening in between Leas legs she makes a dive for the open ground giving her opponent a bonus hit to the coconuts by accident.

"OWWWW!" Yelled Leas as he held his "region" before screaming in pain again after his weapon (which is a heavy hammer) dropped on his feet; it was the sign that Wendy needed before she could proceed to the next phase of her plan.

"I'm sorry Mr. Leas." Wendy apologizes to her opponent before she yells "Sky Dragon's Roar!"
Leas unleashes his strike after recovering from his mishap. The force of her blast was powerful enough to stagger the gigantic warrior a few feet away from her.

"Well whatever it is you tried to do kid, it didn't work. I'm still here." Vikas beats his chest proudly to show he didn't do any damage to him.

"It wasn't damage I was going for." She points to his right foot as she says to her opponent.

Leas looks at his foot and realizes it is out of the ring. "But but-"

"Leas is out of the ring! The victor goes to Miss. Wendy!" the captain proclaims to the crowd.

Most of the crew wanted Leas to win but they couldn't help but applaud Wendy for her use of strategy and tactics against Leas. Most of the crew heckled Leas for losing to a girl, and insulted the fact that he lost by a ring out.

Natsu was elated at her victory. His legs dancing around and proclaims at the top of his lungs "ALRIGHT!"

The captain applauds her battle with Leas and speaks to her highly "You're resourcefulness is commendable young miss. Instead of directly confronting Leas, your strategy of using Leas's own weight against him, is something I have never seen in a fight before." His voice however changes its tune as he looks at Wendy; his eyes looking into her soul to see if her resolve will waver.

"Your fight is far from over. Now, how will you fare against someone who is similar to you?"

He signals to a person who is of the same height as Wendy. He has the appearance of a kid, but his ears indicated that he was of the faerie race.

'I can't underestimate the people of the Vermillion. From the way this crew member carries himself he has experience in fights.'

"You will now face Vilkas: A fellow Faerie like me and is also the ship's medic." The captain says to Wendy. "He is also our fastest fighter. Let's see how you fare against him."

Wendy is thrown back into the fight as she resumes her fighting stance. Vilkas just stands motionlessly as the captain raises his hand and drops it down with force, signifying the match has begun. Vilkas fades from view as he reappears in front of Wendy in a few seconds. Wendy could only react as Vilkas lands a punch to her face and rushes her swiftly; his appearance looking nothing more than an aggressive whirlwind.

'Gah he's fast I couldn't even observe him long enough.' Wendy could only put her hands up in a defensive position and he continues to pressure her into defeat.

"Arms x Vernier!" Wendy yells out; her hands turn light blue and she no longer staggers against the onslaught. She stays rooted and surprises her opponent with a strong force of wind.

"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" It staggers Vilkas from his barrage and loses his footing against the attack, but regains his momentum and fires a kick that cuts through the air and hits Wendy with force to throw her off her feet and falls face first onto the floor of the ship. She recovers but is left staggered in the face of his attack. Vilkas rushes to close the gap but Wendy's quick thinking pushes herself to the side and punches him with her vernier infused hand.

'This is getting bad. The more I go head on with this person the more I become exhausted.' Wendy continues to dodge and counter most of Vilkas strikes. 'I can't stop midway during the attack to inhale otherwise it will leave me open. I still have a good amount of magic left for Armor x Vernier, and I'm good for one more wing attack and roar. It isn't much, but if I can find an opportunity, I can make it happen.'

Vilkas does another kick that cuts through the air, and sends two slices to the young mage. Both shots hit Wendy in the chest and knock her down again. She gets up only to be attacked close range by the speedy Vilkas. She rolls toward the edge of the arena, with scratches and dirt covering her body. She gets up but her arms shake; her legs tremble, and she coughs out a little blood.

"Why do you get up child?" For the first time Vilkas speaks to Wendy. "You know you are outclassed in terms of magical power, yet why fight a losing battle?"

Wendy calmly says as she struggles to get up. "A friend of mine always tells me. The fight ain't over til it's over. As long as I stay up the fight still goes on." She gets back on her feet despite the effort it took her just to stand.

"Then let me end your persistence right here." Vilkas rushes her yet again but this time Wendy was prepared for his barrage.

"SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!" She cries out with conviction. She had to make the next attack count otherwise she would not have much energy.

Vilkas braces himself for the attack. As he feels the roar hit him, Vilkas realizes that compared to her last roar, this one wasn't as powerful.

"Arms X Vernier X2" she put all of her energy into her arms, as it glows blue rushes to Vilkas before she bent her fingers and glared at her opponent before unleashing her final attack.

"Sky Dragon's WING ATTACK!" The force of her wing attack rocks Vilkas and throws him into the crowd that softens his blow. The attack was enough to knock down a section of the crowd.

Satisfied with her performance, Wendy collapses on her knees exhausted and spent. She tries to eat more air but couldn't open her mouth to restore her strength.

'Is this all I can do? 'She feels tears form behind her eyes, but quickly wipes her tears with her arm and rises again to face the crowd once more.

"Wendy is once again the victor" The captain declares to the crowd. Amazed with the spectacle that Wendy defeated two opponents in a row the crew cheered and people cheer for both contestants and for the amazing fight.

As the crowd simmers, the captain turns his attention to the victor and says, "Wendy, you have defeated two opponents; as your performance is commendable I will give you one chance to walk away unless-"

Before the Captain could finish his sentence, Wendy falls back; her last energy spent on standing.

"WENDY!"

Natsu, Happy and Carla scurry towards her as she hit the floor with a thud. Carla checks for her pulse praying the worst case scenario won't happen and sighs in relief.

"She's going to be okay." Happy and Carla sigh in relief, while Natsu takes her into his arms and carries her out of the small arena.

"Hey Wendy, you did great out there." Natsu softly says to Wendy.

"I….. failed…. you" Wendy mutters to him. She falls unconscious with a small tear in her eye; Natsu silently wipes the tear and walks away from the arena, and places her down on the floor. Disregarding what she said Natsu lays her down with Carla and Happy fluttering over her.

"Alright time for me to fight!" Natsu proclaims to the crowd. "Happy, stay with Wendy and Carla, this won't take long." Natsu grins and cracks his knuckles as he walks into the ring again and turns his attention to the captain.


"I'm gonna step in now captain. I'll take over for Wendy." Natsu talks to captain casually.

The captain merely nods at the decision, and sends in his next best opponent.

"As a person stepping in for the young miss, I hope you do not disappoint." The captain says to him sternly.

"I never disappoint." Natsu was no longer playful now he was serious, more serious than he has ever been in his life. He saw how hard Wendy tried to fight now he had to return the favor.

'I saw how hard you fought Wendy; I'm going to do my best for you!' Remembering bits and pieces of her fight Natsu remembers her determination and the strength of getting back up again. 'For what you did out there, I ain't about to be shown up by you. I won't lose!'

"Please bring in the next opponent!" The captain tells his remaining fighters to prepare and volunteer for the next round.

Natsu looks to his left, and sees an elf no taller than him enter the ring.

"So you're the one who dissed the captain." The combatant cracks his bones and gets his gloves out.

"I'm going to enjoy beating you to a pulp" says the fighter as he didn't wait for the match to commence.

"You talk too much." He ignites his hand and punches him in the gut knocking him out easily. Natsu takes the fighter and throws him over his shoulder. The elf flies over the crowd and hits the deck with a crash as he falls to the deck.

"Anyone else" Natsu looks at the captain with a serious gaze.

The captain for the first time begins to sweat profusely and fear his power. 'What is he?' the captain looks into his eyes to see his soul. He sees images of the younger Natsu and Igneel together. 'You can't be.'

The captain manages to shake himself out of his thoughts and says, "I believe, you will fight my first mate now. Akripha take your place in the ring!" The captain points to the ring and Akripha takes his assigned spot.

"I told that idiot to take it easy." Carla says out loud as she continues to watch over Wendy.

"This is Natsu at his weakest." Happy comments as he treats Wendy's injuries "Natsu is a natural warrior. Even if he doesn't use much magic, he can still fall back on his strength which is what did most of the work in that one punch. The flame was just for show."

Carla was not only amazed but her eyes showed terror at Natsu's unparalleled strength. She knew he was strong without his magic but never realized the full extent of his physical capabilities.

'Hopefully it will be enough to power through this without having to reveal his full strength.'

"Besides he's not that kind of fighter; he fights with pure wit rather than pure strength. He's that experienced in combat to know how his opponent works in case you didn't really notice."

Happy finishes the last of Wendy's injuries and flies to observe the battle between Natsu and Akripha.


"Finally I'm gonna pay you back for the punch you overgrown four arm piece of crap!"

"We'll see about that young human." Without waiting for the signal Akripha starts to wail on Natsu, but blocks every single shot that Akripha throws at him. Natsu catches the last shot and counters with a blow to the Akripha's gut.

"Argh" Akripha lets out a brief reaction to the pain he receives, and Natsu seizes his opportunity to continue his assault upon the Vishnian.

'I can't back down to this asshole no matter what.' Natsu unleashes his fury and shows no restraint against the Vishnian.

Akripha manages to counter a blow from Natsu and counters with two of his fists. The blow stuns Natsu and manages to halt Natsu's barrage, giving Akripha the momentum to knock Natsu to the ground.

Unfazed by his opponent's attack, Natsu immediately jumps to attack his opponent again this time with a flame fueled kick to the face.

"Gwah!" Akripha yells in pain.

"This isn't over not by a long shot four arms!" Natsu gives him an uppercut to the chin; despite the energy Natsu uses in his attack, the Vishnian is still resilient to all of Natsu's strikes.

"You're pretty tough there." Natsu then smirks at the Vishnian showing his vigor and spirit, "I'm giving you all I got now."

"Is that the best you can really do? I expected you humans to be able to at least give me some sort of challenge." Mildly unimpressed, Akripha continues to look down on the mage for his "strength" only to be surprised by Natsu punching him with an iron fist to his face.

"You shouldn't judge me or my power; I've defeated things that are scarier looking than you!" Natsu loudly proclaims to his opponent.

The Vishnian smiles sinisterly as he grabs Natsu by the waist and slams him into the deck again. He forcefully turns him face up as the Vishnian punches Natsu on the ground. He takes one of his arms and strangles Natsu as his hands start glowing gray.

"Agh" Natsu manages to squeak out.

"Now sit still human boy." The Vishnian begins his assault on the Dragon Slayer; with his punches doing damage to Natsu's face. As Akripha gets into his 15th punch, Natsu channels his fire into his mouth and spews out flames to distract and throw him off guard. Finally free, Natsu is only enraged at his opponent for his tactics.

"Beating up an opponent when they're on the ground? That's just boring!" Natsu ignites his fists once more and says, "I'll show you how a real fighter throws it down!"

Igniting his fists, Natsu punches Akripha and staggers him for 5 seconds and gives Natsu the opening he needs as he gives him an uppercut to the chin and says "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

He follows up with another attack saying "'Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"

Akripha feels the heat from Natsu's fire magic burn his face; Natsu rushes him and uses Akripha's body as a springboard to lift himself up into the air. The force of Natsu's push forces the Vishnian to the ground; as he sees Natsu's silhouette covering the sun he sees a small but bright light coming from Natsu's body. Akripha realizes that as the light came closer and closer that this was an attack meant to put him down for good.

"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR" Natsu roars in anger as the impact.

"AGHHHHH" Akripha shouts in pain of the fire dragon slayer's wrath.

Natsu falls down onto the arena floor and begins to shout in fury at his fallen opponent.

"How do you like that four arms!" Natsu grins joyfully at his most recent victory. "I told you not to underestimate me!"

Akripha is unconscious; his arms are posted to the floor and his body is unmoving.

"I don't believe it, the first mate lost to a human." A bystander calls out to the scene that is playing out before his eyes.

"This is a first; the first mate almost never loses a battle this easily" Another of the crew speaks out on Akripha's defeat.

"This kid might not be so bad in fighting after all." One crew member says to himself

"He's a monster!" Another yells in fear and terror.

There was dissent amongst the crowd as to whether to commend Natsu, or condemn him for beating the first mate easily.

"Enough!" The captain yells out to calm his crew. "Natsu has won fairly against Akripha"

It was now or never; at last the final challenge is in captain gazes at Natsu with determination and spite. Though he had respect for his power, the captain holds minor contempt at Natsu's strong will and tendency for breaking the rules on his ship.

"Now you face me Natsu." The Captain steps from his seat and floats to the arena; he retrieves his whip that a crew member was holding for him.

"I don't know who you are Natsu, but I will defeat you."

"Then back it up Captain." Natsu moves his fingers taunting the captain "If you can give me the challenge then I will respect you."

The Captain and Natsu stare each other down as a way of sizing one another. They see the passion burning through their eyes and realize that this fight will truly test their resolve.

Before the Captain and Natsu begin their duel, something hits the starboard side and shakes the ship. Natsu sees a glowing ball travelling straight towards the Captain and uses a Dragon's Roar to deflect it at the last second.

"You" the Captain says before being interrupted by the lookout.

"Captain! We have trouble!"

"What is it? This better be good!" The captain yells to his subordinate "I had something almost hit me so if it has to do something with the attack"

Natsu suddenly sniffs the air and says "I recognize this scent. It's-"

They suddenly hear a screeching in the sky and see an army of winged creatures descend upon them.

"WYVERNS!"


That's it for Chapter 8! Chapters 9 and 10 will be a two parter and the first skirmish between Natsu's group and the Dragon's Army. This will end one third of Arc I. Until the next chapter keep reading guys!