Fire is catching
Chapter 41
Author's Note: It hasn't even been a week and I'm already uploading a new chapter? Damn, I'm on a roll! Your continued support even after such a long time just really motivated me, so I hope you enjoy this chapter, which is I think the longest one so far.
I open my eyes as the golden sunlight kisses my skin awake and the first thing I see is the sky colored in a vibrant blue that isn't disturbed by a single cloud. It's almost as if the game makers want to mock us with that idyllic weather while we are trapped inside this arena fighting to the death. Nevertheless, I decide to shake those thoughts off and get up anyway.
As usual, Natsu is already awake and seems to be sorting out our food supplies. When I walk over to join him he greets me with a wide smile, but I can see right away that something's not okay.
"What is it?" I ask, a big frown making its way over my forehead.
"Well, nothing really…it's just that we're kind of running out of food so I guess I'll have to go out and stock up" he replies, giving me a reassuring, nonchalant smile.
Yeah, as of I'd fall for that. "You're going out? You as in by yourself? Yeah, dream on. We're going together."
"It's not like I don't want you to come, but the games are slowly coming to an end and I have the feeling that the game makers are preparing for the grand finale, leaving the valley is an extreme risk I don't want you to take, especially because your health condition isn't at its peak yet"
"So what you're saying is you don't want me to come after all. I get it, but I think you've got it figured out the wrong way. Yes the games have advanced, yes they're definitely planning something big, but isn't that all the more a reason to stay together? What if you leave, I stay here and they send some kind of attack my way? I'd be all alone…We can't separate now, they'll use that against us. And besides, I think the time to hide is over now. How many are left? As far as I know, it's only Gajeel, Erza, you and me, maybe one other person at most. The victor is going to be determined in the next couple of days, that's for sure and they want to have a big blood bath leading up to the climax, so whether we hide here or not, they're going to drive us together one way or another. I think it's better to leave now, take all of our weapons with us and stock up on food and water, we don't want to be taken by surprise but prepare for this and gain the upper hand."
Natsu looks at me with a dangerous sparkle in his eyes, like an artist proudly examining their master piece. "Damn Lucy, I didn't know you had it in you"
"Pft thanks, jerk" I snap, not being able to suppress the grin spreading over my mouth "But on a more serious note, if the games are coming to an end, what do we do with our alliance?"
I wish I wouldn't have to speak those words aloud but even though it's filling my veins with ice water, the tension forming a tight knot in my stomach, I know that this matter can't be avoided any longer.
His mouth sets into a straight line as the light in his eyes is suddenly dimmed: "I won't fight you Lucy, if that's what you're afraid of."
"That's not my point. I mean, what if we are the last two survivors, what do we do then?"
"Nothing. We won't fight each other. They'll sent some kind of danger our way eventually, I die, you win and go home."
"I'm not going to let you do this!" I exclaim, rushes of fear and anger overwhelming me "Come on, you can't possibly mean that."
"Lucy, I'm not here to neither win nor lose. I will fight for my life as good as I can and if I can't prevent your death, then so be it and I'll make damn sure that it's not one of those careers getting out of here, but me. But if I have the slightest chance to save you, I'll make use of it and step back. If I had wanted victory at any cost, I wouldn't even have bothered to look for you again. Sure, we both profit from each other, but if I was here to win, I would've killed you when you were weak and confronted the careers at a much earlier stage, the games would be over by now."
I get goose bumps hearing him speak like that. This is not the Natsu that treated my wounds, the one that starts crying because of a touching fairy tale. This is the Natsu that got a score of 10, the one that will burn down anything in his way. The Natsu that could be a victor.
"I don't think we'll get anywhere with this conversation. Clearly we don't have the same opinion and we're both not willing to back off, so I guess we'll have to leave it at that and think about what's important now. We'll stay alive as long as we can and figure out what to do later. After all, I'm probably going to get stabbed by Erza anyway, so we won't even have that problem in the first place. It's not worth wasting our time on." I add a quick smile at the end to make it look as if the thought of the red-haired career putting a sword in my stomach doesn't terrify me, but I think that it didn't really work.
"As if that's gonna happen" he replies through gritted teeth "I'll make sure it's you that gets the crown put on her head, princess"
My cheeks flush red, out of anger and totally not out of embarrassment. "Well I'm telling you it's not going to be that way!"
"We'll see."
"Yeah, we'll see" I snap before realizing that that just sounded really stupid.
"If we don't want to be taken by surprise by the careers or the game makers, we'll need to figure out a plan. Are you ready to do that?"
The thought of actively attacking someone, let's face it, even trying to kill them makes me want to throw up, but I know that it can't be avoided any longer. The times of hiding and hoping for the best are over. From now on, we'll have to take the initiative.
I give him a quick nod as we begin to discuss our strategy.
After the sun has already reached its highest point, we have finished packing all of our belongings, are both armed and ready to go.
"You know, even though I wish I wouldn't have had to even be here in the first place, this valley is the closest thing to a home I have in here. It's the only place I ever felt at ease since the games started" I don't know why I felt the sudden urge to get those words of my chest, but I was unable to hold them back.
A trace of a smile makes the corners of his mouth curl upwards: "Yeah, I feel the same way. But this feeling of peace will come with us as long as we stay together, right?"
I return the smile and nod my head in approval as I turn around to get a last look at the valley surrounded by the walls of rock.
Natsu takes my hand and gently pulls me with him, leading the way out and we keep our fingers interlocked until we reach the crack in the mountain wall. The firm grip gives me steadiness and courage to take on whatever may lay in front of me.
After squeezing through the narrow passage we head out to check on our usual food and water fruit spots. As expected, the bushes are primarily filled with poisonous fruits and there are barely any ones filled with water left, so that we have to gradually expand the circle in which we look for supplies.
Having collected all the water we could find and setting up a number of traps we sit down in the shadow of a tree in order to rest for a while. I have to talk to Natsu to keep him focused now and again because the intoxicating smell of the forest will get him sidetracked as the impact is far greater on him due to his highly developed nose.
Just as I'm about to suggest to go check on the traps he shuts me up with a shushing hand gesture and concentrates on the silence. After shooting him an inquisitive glance he whispers "Someone's coming" He gets up with a start and extends a helping hand towards me. "How far are they?" I ask, not questioning his suspicion even though I can't hear a single thing, advanced hearing is also among the perks of being a dragon slayer.
"Still at a safe distance, but not for long. They're coming closer and as far as I can tell they're moving fast."
"That's weird…" I think out loud "Why should they be in a hurry?"
"Maybe they're chasing something…or someone" Natsu suggests
"But they couldn't have possibly found out about our location right away and there's no one else left to hunt. No, that doesn't make any sense…Unless…"
I grab the backpack filled with water fruits as fast I can, ready to set off: "Unless, they're not chasing after something, they're the ones being chased. We should run." I urge on, not even wanting to imagine the thing Erza and Gajeel would be running away from.
We start running in the opposite direction Natsu heard the footsteps from, taking turns sideways in order to make sure to avoid crossing their path. I try to keep up with his quick pace as good as I can but I can soon feel my chest growing heavier as my heart rate increases as well as my breathing pace. It feels as if I'm constantly not getting enough oxygen and my legs are already growing tired, I really am out of shape. Nonetheless, I don't want to drag him done so I grid my teeth and increase my speed even more.
Suddenly, Natsu makes an abrupt halt and I almost bump into him. "What's the matter?" I ask through rapid breaths trying to make use of the short break. "There are more footsteps, they're coming from everywhere, surrounding us."
"But…that can't be. I thought Erza and Gajeel were the only other tributes left?" Then I realize what kind of noise Natsu has probably picked up and a wave of cold fear rushes over me.
"They're not human footsteps, are they?" I whisper, more a statement than a question. Natsu only nods as he steps forward, shielding me and looks around into all directions.
"Whatever they are, they're coming towards us. Get your weapons ready, and grab a couple of magic coins, I feel like we might have to use them."
My shaking hands wrap around the short dagger that's secured on my belt and I install a magic coin into the chip inside of my arm, ready to use it when needed.
We stand there, facing back to back, waiting to see what's coming our way.
Whatever I had pictured in those moments of uncertainty, the ones in which I didn't know what to expect, it certainly wasn't this. I had imagined wild animals, but not those monsters. As they burst out of the undergrowth, three of them at once I can feel my heart skipping for a few beats before violently pumping again as all my instincts tell me to run for my life and just abandon everything.
Those creatures are the closest thing to a dragon I have ever seen in real life. But not the friendly majestic type of dragon, not the one I pictured Dragneel to be. More like the scary, horrifying and disgusting kind.
Unlike the classical dragon, they don't have wings which kind of makes them look like a bigger version of Komodo dragons. They're reptile like body is covered in grey scales that are patched with dark red spots that look an awful lot like dried blood. Their four limbs move over the ground in a crawling motion at an incredible speed as their long and razor-sharp claws stir up the dust behind them. While they advance they're long spiked tails swing from side to side leaving a trail of destruction. Their long skulls show the typical reptile features with the exception that they're eyes with the slit pupils are a bright red color. It seems as if the whole ground is shaking with every breath they take as hot steam erupts from their nostrils. Every few seconds their two split tongues come out of their mouths, making a sizzling noise. Their size alone is enough to make anyone cower in fear as they are big and strong enough to just make the trees snap while making their way through the forest.
There we are three of those beasts surrounding us and inspecting me with their bright red eyes as if they're just deciding whether to bite me into pieces first or just eat me as a whole.
It takes every bit of my self-discipline not to scream and just collapse onto the ground. Instead I whisper "What do we do now? ", trying to keep my voice as steady as possible.
"I hit one of them with a fire dragon attack and we'll try to break through their line and make a run for it, that's the only suggestion I have. I don't think attacking them with our blades will have any effect because their scales are too thick but my magic should at least distract them."
Even though that's not the best plan imaginable I'm unable to come up with another one on the spot so I just nod my head in approval and tense my muscles.
I hear the faint click of the magic coin being inserted, feel a distant radiation of heat and then everything just happens in a blur. I hear the clashing sound from Natsu's fire enveloped hand meeting the scaly body and the beast's deep growl as it slaps its tail towards him. Before I can even register the events at hand I see an opening, a clear path leading deeper into the woods in front of me and I seize the moment, scream "RUN" at the top of my lungs and just take off, hoping that Natsu is following me but not being able to actually look back because that would most definitely result in me falling on the ground. Even facing forward it's hard enough to set one foot in front of the other one without tripping as a variety of bushes, twigs and thorns are in my way and are constantly getting caught in my clothes or tripping up my feet. I try to stay as concentrated as possible which proves to be not exactly easy if you can hear the deep breathing and motion sounds of at least a couple of gigantic reptiles following you at a much faster pace than yourself.
By now, Natsu has caught up to me and grabs my arm to drag me along with him and keep me from stumbling all too often.
Just as we're about to cross a small crossing a sudden heavy blow knocks me off my feet and throws me onto the hard ground. For a couple of seconds all I see is darkness but as my vision clears up again I see no one else than Erza Scarlet on the ground next to me.
Unlike the last time I saw her, she doesn't look bold and strong, but exhausted and terrified. I guess she's also had the pleasure of encountering the dragon-like creatures. Her long red hair is clinging to her in greasy streaks and there are a bunch of dried leaves and crumbs of dirt caught in it. Her once so shining armor is covered in dirt and bumped and scratched in several places. Her chest rises and falls rapidly as she uses one of her swords to lean on and get up again and that's when I notice that her leg is angled in an odd way, indicating an injury. She gives Natsu and me a cold glare and is about to continue making her way over the crossing as Gajeel shoots out of the undergrowth looking rather bruised and on the edge of exhaustion himself. Apparently, the careers have been dealing with the gigantic beasts for a longer time than we have.
Even though he doesn't seem to be in a good condition seeing Gajeel still sends a new shock wave of fear down my spine. All the things he has done to me and even worse, to Wendy, Mira and who knows how many others flash up in front of my inner eye again and make me shudder.
His sweaty face stretches into the well-known and much hated grin of his as he says: "Look who's there, Blondie and her reoccurring savior, how wonderful to see you around. We still have some unattended business to finish up, isn't that so Blondie?"
I freeze in fear unable to move as the world around me suddenly starts spinning, Gajeels twisted grin getting in and out of focus.
"Hold it there Gajeel" Erza states "We don't have time for this. Right now there are more urgent matters at hand. The lizards will take care of them, we'll have to see how to escape them ourselves. There's just too many of them. But even so, they might retreat if they get those two as bait so let's not interfere with them and just go" Her voice as sharp as the point of her blade leaves no room for talking back so Gajeel just walks past us, his mouth contorted in a grumpy straight line like a child who's favorite toy has just been taken away.
"Don't you think this is over now Blondie, even though for you it might be. Have fun being eaten alive!" And with those words the careers pass us and take off into another direction of the arena.
Just as Natsu, his face flushed red in anger, is about to run after them I grab his arm to hold him back. "Let it be" I exclaim though gritted teeth "Erza's right, we have to escape those beasts first and then think about the careers. And what he said about us might as well apply to them, they could easily get eaten as well. So let's go"
Natsu nods reluctantly and pulls me off the ground before we start running again, feeling the presence of the hunting predators right behind us.
After a while of running at full speed my lungs feel like they're on fire and if it hadn't been for Natsu's firm grip pulling me after him and not giving me the chance to slow down I would've stopped right there and walked right into the lizard's fangs.
But even though we're continuously fleeing, zigzagging between the trees, every time we think we have successfully outrun one of them, another one appears out of nowhere and sends us into a different direction. They're closing in on us from all sides and by now I don't even know in which part of the arena we are, how we plan on escaping them, and even what turn we should take next, I just follow the spot of salmon hair I see in front of me and try not fall.
As we're fighting our way through the thick and thorny undergrowth of the forest my skirt gets caught in one of the bush's twigs and I pull at it in panic, trying to get it off but it just won't! My pulse increases until I can feel my heart beat in my throat. I can hear the fabric tearing apart as I give it one last pull and I'm finally freed, who cares about clothes anyway?
Just as I'm about to pick up my pace again I'm suddenly knocked off my feet and pulled backwards. Turning my head I see that one of the gigantic lizards has bitten down on my boots that are luckily made of a very thick material and is now dragging me with him. My skin gets torn open as I slide over the rough ground, twigs whipping against my flesh. I try to get hold of bigger branch or anything to cling to in order to stop being taken away by that monster but my hands just glide through everything I try to grab.
Then I finally get hold of something solid, so hot that I almost let go off it again and I realize that it's no one else than Natsu, his body radiating fiery heat. He grabs both of my arms and pulls me towards him, trying to get me out of the beast's grip. Finally, my foot slides out of my boot and I fall forwards, onto the ground.
There's no time to rest though, as the lizard just spits out my now empty boot and is already starting to run towards us again.
"Can you walk?" Natsu asks, already dragging me behind him. Little stones, branches and thorns dig into my now bare feet making me grid my teeth in pain but I silently nod as I continue running after him.
The appearance of yet another creature at our left puts us off our track and we take a sharp turn right only to find ourselves facing a gigantic stone wall covered in occasional dots of red, yellow and orange, the gorgeous dragon flowers. We seem to have reached the great mountain formation and are now being cornered by five enormous lizards, sizzling their split tongues at us as they slowly circle around us.
We're trapped.
"What do we do now?" I ask through rapid breaths.
"I don't know" Natsu replies, his gaze switching back and forth between the five monsters.
"Even together we won't be able to take on all of them, there's just too many."
I gulp as I realize that we're truly screwed, about to end up as dinner for creatures that were especially designed to be the death of us.
As the circle around us slowly starts closing in I inwardly debate whether to put up a fight at all or just let myself be eaten right away, hoping to lose consciousness as soon as possible.
"Okay Lucy, you've got to listen to me now and no talking back" he begins to say and the calmness in his voice makes me awfully nervous.
"There's a way for you to get out of here and I want you to take it."
Oh no, I don't like where this is going…
"I tackle one of them, I know I can take one of them out for sure and that leaves you with a few seconds of an open escape route, you have to seize that opportunity and run. Follow the mountain wall and find the crack to return to the valley, they won't fit through the crack and you'll be safe."
"But you said so yourself that even together we're not strong enough to fight the five of them and now you want to take them on all by yourself?" I exclaim despair rushing down my spine and through my legs, making them shake uncontrollably.
"I said no talking back Lucy!" he snaps, an angry undertone in his voice "I know that fighting all of them at once is nearly impossible, but I also know that I can distract them long enough for you to run away!"
"But I won't just abandon you!" I shout anger also filling my words now.
"I said earlier that I would do anything to secure your survival and I meant it. Now's the chance to actually do it. We either die both right here, right now or you make it out alive and have the chance to win this thing!"
"But I don't want to! I don't want to win if that means leaving you behind, don't you get that? I don't want to be rescued!" I know I sound like a whiny little kid but the desperation is getting the better of me.
"Well, I'm leaving you no choice here. I'm gonna do it and you can't stop me. Please just don't let it be for nothing"
Tears start running down my face as my body contracts with heavy sobs. I squeeze my eyes shut as I'm blinded by the bold light of Natsu's attack that hits the beast right in his more vulnerable stomach and it cries out a deep, pained growl as it makes its way over in Natsus direction to unleash a counterattack. This leaves said unguarded space open and my legs start moving subconsciously, carrying me out of the deathly circle.
A few of the lizards turn their heads towards me but Natsu doesn't give them any time to be distracted as his next fire ball is already flying towards them. As I run along the rock wall the clashing battle sounds become more and more distant and muted and my feet keep stepping in front of the other one, my body moving without me actively noticing it, as if I'm on auto pilot.
If it hadn't been for this automatic movement I think I wouldn't have made it. I would've just broken down and cried my soul out until either another bestial creature or a career would've found me and ended my life for good. Instead despite everything I have gone through, despite my mind wanting nothing else than to rest in peace, my body's strong sense of survival just won't let me give up and continues to keep me together even though my soul has shattered to pieces.
All I can think about is Natsu, fighting those monsters all on himself, unleashing one strong attack after the other one, fighting with all he's got but giving up in the end as the number of lizards encircling him just keeps increasing. Him being torn to pieces by the monster's sharp fangs and screaming for someone, anyone to help him, but nobody responding his calls.
And once again, it's all my fault.
As I reach the well-known crack in the wall, the one we squeezed through just this morning when everything was still great in comparison to now, I lean against the cooling stone and try to catch my breath in between the violent sobs that make my entire body contract.
I press the palm of my hands against my scalp, trying to keep it together as a wave of despair, fear and grief overcomes me and makes me feel as if I'm falling down, down, down, into the eternal abyss of my psyche.
As I slide down against the stone wall, hugging my knees and hiding my head in my hands, the loud sound of a canon going off cuts through the air.
Author's Note: Whose death made that canon go off? That's the question your own imagination will have to answer until the next chapter is uploaded, I hoped you enjoyed this (extra long) one. Let me know what you think!
Lucy: Author, don't you ever feel bad for killing all those characters the readers have grown attached to?
Author: Of course it pains me, the characters are like my own children…
Lucy: That you let experience great misery which leads up to their brutal, excruciating death?
Author: Exactly, I mean no, of course not! Anyway, I don't have time for this debate, Satan's coming over for tea in a couple of minutes.
Lucy: I knew it, authors are truly evil…