Disclaimer: The scenarios seen in the following chapter do not necessarily reflect the ideas of anybody cool like Hiro Mashima. The characters do. The scenes themselves reflect the ideas of an okay man-child.
Forgeries
Lily huffed. A few minutes of combat against the gargoyles proved more taxing anticipated.
The black Exceed slashed with his Musica Sword; his target dove and circled behind him. He danced in the air with his blade, each new opponent forcing swifter motions and more accurate strokes.
Lily didn't ever get enough of a break between attacks to think; the demons had started out with frontal assaults, reckless and full of weaknesses that he could exploit with his swordsmanship. For every enemy that he struck down, it seemed the others gained more agility and required more aggressive pursuit.
As Lily rotated his wrist and chopped downward, one of them caught him from his blind spot and dug into his ribcage.
The Exceed snatched the wrist of his attacker with one hand, delivered a sharp knee to the face, and bent its arm backward before cutting it down.
Lily gave another huff; he didn't want to consider how much magic he'd already consumed.
Gajeel growled. The dragon slayer had given up on finesse in favor of getting results; taking the blows that managed to get past his offensive wore on him. Though he wouldn't admit to being intimidated by sheer numbers, the punches he received felt heavier as he took down more gargoyles. The demons had gotten better at keeping their feet after he hit them, too.
Iron Dragon's Club!
Gajeel swept the gargoyles crowding him aside. Even that felt more like a chore than it should have. The pierced wizard redirected his transformed arm upward toward another cluster; with his foot injured, he had to draw their attention to him.
Clang.
The sound of metal striking metal rang in his hypersensitive ears. The iron mage lost his concentration for a split-second; one gargoyle wove around the iron pole and swiped at him with its claws.
A faint, grating screech followed and he cringed.
Gajeel slammed his iron fist into the gargoyle's stomach before changing that arm into a spearhead.
Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs!
Gajeel blew the demon apart with a rapid succession of iron magic that shot out from his arm. Before he could make another move, something struck the back of his head from behind.
The iron dragon slayer swiveled as he caught himself from skidding backward; he glimpsed several hundred creatures, each with an arm transformed into an iron rod, flying low toward him.
"Oh, bullshi"
Another pole smacked the pierced wizard across the face; even with his iron scales, the attack stung. Gajeel growled and bent his knees, crouching with his arms over his face. The blunt metal that banged against him tested his scales from all sides. He could feel bruises forming from the repeated impacts.
The black-haired mage caught the next iron rod. Grunting, he heaved the gargoyle attached to the other end around him in an arc, scattering the horde.
Iron Dragon's Sword!
Gajeel's arm changed into a spiked iron blade with teeth that spun around the edge like a saw; he quashed the protest from his injury and charged, slashing with his sword to break them down.
The gargoyles, true to their demonic heritage, refused to stay down if Gajeel hit them with anything less than fatal. He grit his teeth and began to circle around again; a blade, matching his own, greeted his face. His neck snapped back to one side. Against his will, his scales receded.
Gajeel clamped down on the sword with his teeth before his assailant could pull it back. Despite its iron properties, the pierced mage couldn't eat it. Undaunted, he snarled, sparks flying from his teeth skidding against the blade before he rammed his forehead into the gargoyle's face. The creature teetered back, and Gajeel tackled it down onto its back.
"Quit screwin' around!" he shouted.
He pounded his fists down against the gargoyle's skull; blood dirtied his knuckles without the protection of his magic, but the dragon slayer had too much aggravation burning in his veins to care. Gajeel didn't stop until the demon's head had caved. He shot to his feet and flung the gargoyle aside.
The rest of the crowd stood in a wide circle, each with both hands balled into clawed fists. They raised their hands to their mouths, and, in unison, expelled a raging whirlwind of shrapnel that converged toward him. Gajeel bent his knees, ready to jump; his leg trembled and almost gave out under him.
"Dish out whatever ya want," he hissed. He straightened his legs, concentrating on what remained of his magic power. "I'll take anything you've got and demolish all a' you anyway!"
Iron Shadow Dragon Mode!
The gargoyle's synchronized roars struck in an explosive blast just as the dragon slayer called upon his iron skin. Dark shadows flew from his body in streams. In spite of the exhaustion he felt, he doled out a menacing glower.
"I am Kurogane Gajeel Redfox of Fairy Tail! You ain't gonna touch my guild!"
Dragon Slayer's Secret Arts!
The iron mage summoned a massive magic circle beneath him that stretched out under the entirety of the horde around him. Light shot up from the gargoyles' shadows.
Karma Demon: Iron Shadow's Betrayal!
Intense, concentrated magic power erupted out from each gargoyle's shadow and consumed them.
Gajeel heaved out a long breath.
The dragon slayer's body trembled; his bloodied hands felt numb, and his limbs heavy. He glared, even with his intermittent blurring vision, at the mass of gargoyles that remained flying over him. The winged demons didn't come after him and he couldn't summon the strength to bring them down.
Gajeel swore. Something shifted in the air. The bodies around him disintegrated and, moments later, the gargoyles overhead gained the same dark markings of a shadow dragon slayer and the sheen of Gajeel's iron skin. The magic power he sensed spiked at the same time.
"Warren," Gajeel rasped, shifting his weight as if to move even as he sank to his knees. The iron mage dragged his body across his living foothold, a little closer to Magnolia; if he could break into the telepath's range, he could warn them.
Once Gajeel crawled into the darkness made by the gargoyles left, he heard a familiar skittering rushing toward him.
A/N: Gajeel is one of my favorites. This chapter? Maybe not so much.
Short? I'll admit it. But as a consequence of not doing what I originally intended, I'm more excited for the next chapter than I would be otherwise.
Apologies for the long delay between updates. My brain and the start of life being real again were not cooperating.
If you enjoyed this chapter, great! Leave a review please and let me know what you think!
Prior Reviews:
Saira-Blue: That's great! I think at one point I had a more serious bend for that one, but something in my body rejected it and that was the result. Gray as an open perv is kinda funny. So glad I can be of service! I hope you can also enjoy this chapter, brief though it may be! There will be a few more serious notes struck, but that's all I can say! Thank you for reading and reviewing!
0FairyTail0: Thank you for reading and reviewing! I'm so glad you liked it! Here's another! More soon, I promise!
The Age of Awesomeness: Ah, cookies! My thanks for the treats and your readership and review... ership. Have a (brief) update! I'll give more as soon as I can!