You guys like that cute part last chapter? Yeah...well...this ones a little LESS cute, sorry. But still, hope you like it, and as always, enjoy!
About a day later, Erza arrived at a cave. According to her maps, it was the right one… the only problem was, instead of an old lady with pink hair greeting her, there was a gigantic, dark red dragon. She looked at her maps once again, and traced her footsteps. Yup, this was definitely the right place.
She braced herself and looked up at the dragon. "Excuse me! I would like to see the healer Porlyusica!" Erza yelled.
The dragon lifted up his mighty wings and flapped once, sending wind hurling at Erza. She struggled to remain upright. The dragon roared, "I am the mighty Igneel! Who are you, human, to dare speak to me so casually?"
"I… I am Erza Scarlet, personal bodyguard to Jellal of Fiore! He- he has been fatally poisoned by the Poison Dragon Cobra, and… he only has about four days left to live! Please, I beg of you, lead me to Porlyusica! Only she has a chance to save my one and only love…"
"Porlyusica is a miracle healer. She can bring back people from the brink of death. Only those with courage and a pure heart will be able to use her services."
"What must I do?" Erza said firmly. "I will do whatever it takes to save Jellal."
Igneel snorted. "You humans and your love. What type of feelings do you have anyways? Anyhow, you must go through three trials. The first one is a written test. You must make the correct decisions in different situations. After that, a mental test. You will be guided through a simulation. There is no scoring system; your reactions will be carefully observed by Porlyusica. Finally, a physical test. You must defeat me in a battle. Only then, Erza Scarlet, will you be allowed to see Porlyusica."
"Let's get started." said Erza with confidence.
She was led to a white room where there was a desk and a stool. On the desk was a single sheet of paper. Erza cautiously sat down on the stool. Igneel reminded her, "One hour, human. One hour, and I will come to collect your paper."
"I understand. I will definitely complete this test in time." Erza promised, and Igneel left.
On it read:
"The following questions are open answers. Please write what you would do in each situation mentioned."
The first question read, "You are a soldier of Fiore and Ikreasian troops are raiding from the east as well as the west border. What would you do?"
Erza smirked. "This one is easy," she thought. "It's exactly the scenario that happened a few weeks ago!" She quickly wrote down the appropriate strategy.
The next question was different. "A scenario has happened in which you have 2 choices-either save your true love from certain death, or save your kingdom from an invading army. You can only choose one. There is no way to do both."
Erza rubbed her forehead. "Ah...this is annoying…" she tried to think of what answer would be "correct." If she saved the kingdom, it would mean she understood the value of the "common good," but in this case, maybe saving her true love would convince the healer to help Jellal.
Finally, she put down that she would save her true love. She only hoped that this was the right decision to make.
A while later, Igneel came and took the paper. "You may now proceed to the mental test." he said, gently placing a claw on Erza's shoulder. Her vision went black. A few seconds later, she seemed to wake up in the middle of a grassy plain, but she knew it was a dream. Suddenly something shimmered into view.
Jellal, tied to a pole, his body scratched and cut in many places. Around the pole was a group of barbarians, wielding axes and spears, torturing Jellal. Far too many for Erza to fight. Erza realized she could either flee now, before the barbarians saw her, or she could try and free Jellal. She summoned a single sword and began walking forward, towards Jellal. One of the barbarians saw her and called a warning. Weapons were raised, but Erza knew she couldn't actually die. One of them threw a throwing axe, which hit Erza's leg. It was very painful, but Erza kept walking as if nothing had happened. Her sword flashed, and two barbarians died. An axe cut off one of her arms, and a spear was thrust into her ribcage. Erza went on, killing everyone in range.
Finally, she was only a few feet from Jellal. The barbarian leader was guarding him, holding a massive chain axe. He pulled a dagger from his belt and hurled it at Erza's head. Erza yanked it out and kept staggering forward. The leader's chain axe crashed into Erza's chest, causing pain unlike she'd ever felt before. For those few seconds, she wished she could just die, if only to end the pain. Through a haze of red, she took one final step towards Jellal. She felt a crushing pressure behind her as the chain axe smashed into her back, knocking her forward. Before she hit the ground, she slashed at the pole, cutting apart Jellal's bonds.
What happened next, however, was out of her control, as the moment her forehead touched the ground, Erza blacked out.
Opening her eyes, Erza squinted out at the bright sunshine. Again, she knew that this wasn't reality, but instead, a simulation. A something was standing there. It said, "Erza, you have the opportunity to gain wealth and power, but in order to do it… well, you'll have to figure that out for yourself."
Erza blinked, confused. "What? What do I need to do?"
"Figure it out for yourself…"
A scroll was dropped down in front of Erza. She opened it and it read, "Spill a drop of your blood here, and wealth and power will be yours."
Erza was now even more confused. Of course, wealth and power were two things she did want. Nevertheless, she was suspicious. How could one become so different all of a sudden just by giving a drop of blood? She decided that it wasn't worth the risk, and she threw the scroll to her feet, where it landed with a clunk in the stony silence. "I don't want it! Wealth and power are worked for, not just handed to someone!" Erza yelled.
Her eyes fluttered open to see Igneel looking down at her. "The final trial-the physical one- remains. This is where you must defeat me. Now, follow me to the appointed battleground."
New characters introduced. Erza has to prove herself(again), this time to save Jellal. Two tests done, in which she shows a basic understanding of morals and principles, and of course her undying love for her beloved Jellal.
Next chapter will be out soon, hope you liked this one!
-Crimsonflames2862