Next chapter, going back into the forests! Please enjoy!
Wendy froze as the heard the far off wail of the dragon spawn now running rampant throughout the forest, she was carrying Kylie as she, Cole, and Romeo sprinted in the direction of the castle, able to see the brilliant flashes of spells briefly through the trees.
"Look out!" Romeo hurled himself to one side with a scream as one of the smaller dragon spawn burst from the trees. This one was only a foot or so in height taller than Romeo, but it was still deadly.
Romeo hiked Asuka up higher on his back in order to free one arm, with which he hurled a crackling ball of purple fire at the creature.
It smashed into the tiny dragons chest and left nothing but a small scorch mark.
Wendy hugged Kylie tightly and took a deep breath.
"SKY DRAGON ROAR!" She cried, at once the tornado of magical wind burst from her mouth.
The monster roared in response and shot out a laser beam of black magic energy.
It struck not Wendy but Cole, who was unprepared and let out a scream as he flew backwards and smashed into a tree, a crack splitting the centuries old wood when he slumped to the ground.
"Cole!" Wendy cried, running to aid her fallen comrade.
Romeo was caught temporarily off guard at the sight of the taller boy being brutally hurled the length of the field.
He just had enough time to throw Asuka away as the spawn lunged at him, bringing up a fierce uppercut with it's claws raking across his chest, leaving wounds that instantly turned bright with blood, edged with black, just the same as the wounds inflicted by Shadowlogia itself. Asuka whimpered as she saw Romeo fall and remain down, face scrunched with pain.
Slowly, she reached with a quivering hand to her belt, ad drew her gun that Natsu had given her. Glaring at the hated beast that had hurt her beloved 'big brother' she shoved her hand into her magical ammo creating pouch.
Hurt it.
Asuka though wildly.
Hurt it.
She gritted her teeth as she used her magic energy to mold the raw material that the pouch produced.
Hurt it. Kill it, make this one big, make it huge!
"LEAVE US ALONE YOU BIG MEANIE!"
Asuka had prepared the clip she'd created and slammed it into her gun, snapping the barrel into position, she aimed the weapon.
"Asuka! No!" Wendy screamed, to late, the seven year old had already pulled the trigger.
Everyones eyes flew wide open as the heat from the spiraling typhoon of fire reddened their cheeks.
"Holy..." Romeo breathed through his pained pants.
A funnel of fiery power so hot the rain hissed and evaporated when it touched it exploded from the barrel of the relatively tiny pistol, the sound of it burning pricking all of the ones there's eardrums.
Asuka skidded backwards several feet, her heels digging into the ground, gripping the gun tightly to support it, point it in the right direction, as the blast swallowed the spawn. It let out it's death scream as it was vaporized into the nightmare dust from which it came.
Asuka was panting heavily as the fire died out, she dropped her arms and still clutched at her gun with both hands, and than a willy grin spread across her face.
"Now I can fight! Just like you guys! Now I can help!" She exclaimed happily before falling straight onto her back to catch her breath.
As Kylie zipped up to her friend to chatter on about have amazing the spell had been, Wendy yet again heard a distant scream, but this time, it didn't belong to one of the creatures.
Her eyes steeled in fury.
"You two watch the girls and head back to the castle, I'll be there as soon as I can!" She ordered sharply before turning on her heel and taking off into the trees, vanishing into the darkness beyond.
Back at the Draconem Heart Castle clearing.
Natsu was crouched in the crook of a tree branch, scanning Shadowlogia's stomping feet, searching for some way of knocking the monster down.
Spells were being rapidly flung into it's chest, head, and wings, but it's spawn were distracting the wizards, as the dragon let out the occasional roar of mass destruction, gouging great trenches throughout the once gorgeous hill atop which the castle still stood. The castle itself was still holding up under the onslaught thanks to the literally hundreds of runes and guard spells.
Natsu was about to launch himself at Shadowlogia's bowed knee in an attempt at toppling the dragon when he felt the soft warmth of his own fires being used elsewhere.
He smirked, eyes lighting up despite the horrible situation they were in.
"So Asuka finally found those 'upgrades' I added to her gun and pouch? About time. After all, I would never give her a gun that couldn't spout a little fire."
He grinned wildly as he pushed off of the branch, thoughts of the little girl out there fighting too lighting a fire in his belly.
"FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!"
In the vine surrounded clearing
Jack screamed as she smashed into one of the huge gnarled trees of the woodsy.
Her jacket had been torn badly, holes peppered her jeans and her short hair was a wild halo of fire around her head.
She struggled to her feet, fisted her hands, and staggered hard to one side, pain shooting in a lightning burst from her ankle.
"Arc of the Armored Rose! Vine Drill!" She wailed, pushing off her good leg and throwing her arms out in front of her, the gnashing whirling cone of thorny vines pointing at the last surviving of the three dragon spawn.
The black and gold creature let out a screech as the drill tore into it, ripping a massive hole through it's armored plating and straight through it's chest.
Jack panted heavily as the monster collapsed to the side, silent.
The Draconem Heart wizard moaned and leaned up against a nearby tree as she began to examine her wounds.
The dragon she'd just drilled had raised it's head without her knowing, and was forming a ball of dangerous nightmare energy with it's dying breath.
When Jack realized that a ball of nightmare energy was about to be launched dead toward her, she felt her chest seize up in terror. She shoved to push herself away but pushed off of her bad ankle and ended up tripping drunkenly back up against the tree, still completely exposed.
The monster let out it's final breath, head dropping to the ground like a puppet with it's strings cut after it had performed it's final act of destruction.
The blackened laser of distorted light was hurtling for Jack's chest, if a beam of that force struck her there, she'd be killed.
"JACQUELINE!"
Wendy came tearing out of the underbrush, dove and pushed Jack out of the way.
"Wendy..." The carrot-tops eyes were wide in horror as he watched Wendy's face contort in agony.
The sky dragonslayer had saved her guild mate, taking the hit to herself, a horrifying wound opening up in her lower abdomen. The blue haired girl's eyes were wide, tears spilling down her cheeks unintentionally brought on by the shock of receiving the blow.
She took the hit for me...even though I've been nothing but mean and disrespectful towards her...Wendy, no!
The Scarlet Rose's thoughts were wild.
Jack stood up, watching as if the world were moving frame by frame as it tipped dangerously onto it's edge. Blood dripping from her devastating wound, Wendy tipped forwards, pigtails billowing to either side behind her.
"Wendy!" Jack shrieked as she staggered into a run on her bad ankle, skidding on her knees in the muddy, rain slick grass. Rain was still pounding down on both of them, darkness all around as thunder boomed and lightning speared through the sky. She caught Wendy by the shoulders and as gently as she could, maneuvered her to be lying on her back on the soaking wet grass.
Jack stared down at Wendy, who's eyes were hazy and dull, and her shrill, cracking voice echoing through the darkness and the trees.
"Why in the world did you do that!?"
Wendy eyes struggled to focus, but finally they found Jack's face, and for a reason beyond the young girls understanding, she appeared to find comfort in it. The sky maiden forced a smile, tears from her suffering flooding her cheeks, mixed with rain water from the heavens above.
"B-Because...w-whether or not you've hurt me before...your s-still my g-guild mate. And...I-I n-n-never really h-hated you Jack...when I f-first got here, and still now, I-I j-just hope w-we can b-be friends...a-after all t-that we f-f-fought about...a-a-all that we d-d-disagreed a-about...all I ever w-wanted..."
Wendy trailed off, eyes regaining their faraway, misty gaze.
Jack bent over Wendy, clutching her hand tightly, praying that her contact would somehow pull the girl back from the brink.
Jack wailed with tears spilling out of her eyes as she knelt there in the rain.
"Hang on! I-I'm...sorry! Ok! I didn't k-know about the dragon attack and I didn't k-know that's why you left your o-old guild I t-thought you'd left because you were a lost w-w-wizard and no more reason t-than that! B-But..." Jacqueline swallowed hard to clear her throat so she could speak.
"I'm sorry! I swear when we get home together we can be bestest of best friends and have sleepovers in each others rooms and do each other's hair and nails and all of that girly stuff! Whatever you want! I'll never ever scare you again! I promise! Just hang on! Wendy!"
Wendy blinked several times very slowly, as if confused.
"You want to?" She whispered, her head rolling, her hazy eyes connecting with Jack's own.
"Of course I do! We can do all of that! We'll have a great time!"
Jack promised, lifting Wendy's hand up slightly and holding it with both of hers.
Jack felt her pale fingers curl around her own.
"That sounds like it would have been...nice."
Her eye's faded and closed, brown orbs gone from the earth.
Jack began quaking in horror as she gripped Wendy's hand tighter, just having it fall limp to the ground was something she would not allow.
She would not allow a friend to die like this.
Jack's shoulders shook as she sobbed, kneeling in rain, holding her hand.
"Please...don't leave...don't leave us, Wendy..."
Oh, yes, I just did that. Please favorite, please follow, please go vote on my Draconem Heart poll, please review! Thanks!