Natsu, hurry up! I don't want to have to fight all these guys on my own.
Lucy and a small horde of kidnapped girls were standing on the hidden dock.
The line to board was slow, only one gangplank for people to walk shakily across.
It was a damp, musty smelling cave.
Small holes in the ceiling let in streams of light that fed the moss and vines littered around the cavern.
She counted about twenty guards.
And Bora.
Lucy saw the man responsible for the kidnappings.
He was a handsome person, stunning even.
She recognised the feeling burning in her chest.
This is the exact feeling I felt the first time I visited Hargeon, just before I met Natsu. Lucy realised.
The first time she encountered him and the strange feeling he gave, she had Immediately turned around and walked away.
She had fallen for a charm spell once before.
I will not fall for it again. But this time I can't just hide from it. I need to endure it now.
"We already have the Hargeon girls asleep in the ship, and once the Thunder girls are loaded…" Bora gave an arrogant smirk. "We'll put them asleep too and take off. Bosco and a ton of profits await."
"This is definitely an excellent pick Mister Salamander."The bald man next to him nodded, saying the name mockingly.
Lucy felt a stir of bile and rage in her guts.
That's Natsu's name you shit stain.
She fumed in silence as she listened and waited for her opportunity.
"Sir!" a man ran up, looking like he had been run through a furnace.
He was bleeding as he staggered up to bora.
"What is it?"
"The reinforcements you called for are under attack."
"Is it the same people who attacked our warehouses?" He asked, a slight warble of worry in his voice.
"Looks like it." The man leaned down as he panted.
"Everything proceeding well?" The bald man asked from behind the kidnapper.
Bora growled. "Some lowlifes attacked some of our smaller warehouses and took the merchandise. That is why we are proceeding ahead of schedule, and why I ordered reinforcements. Our intruders will be Annihilated, or be slowed down enough for us to make our getaway."
"Splendid."
Lucy looked down as she smiled. she looked over the burn marks on the messenger again.
Natsu.
But that does mean I'll be alone here to take out twenty thugs. Not to mention Bora or the bald guy. Both are mages from the look of it.
Lucy bit her lip as she thought.
What should I do?
Boom.
Explosion.
Pebbles and shards of rock rained.
The sound echoed around the cave.
The force reverberated through the rock and wood.
Thunder arced around the new entrance as a shadow stood there.
He stepped out into the light.
Lucy blinked in recognition.
That guy who passed by on the highway. The jackass.
Lightning mage, makes sense. Lucy thought as she looked him over.
The scar on the side of his face looked like a lightning bolt.
His spiky hair was the colour of his lightning, and standing on end because of it.
"Hi there. I think you have something that belongs to me."
His strong arrogant growl echoed through the cavern, sounding like thunder.
The ruffians serving as guards regained their senses.
Three men charged.
Lightning flickered.
Three men fell.
"What the hell? Who are you?" Bora yelled at him as he charged with the other thugs, a dark flame in his hand.
"PISSED OFF!" The blond man roared. "THUNDERCRY!"
Bolts of lightning swirled around him and broke, sending thick ropes streaming in every direction.
He just stood in the middle of it, glowing a brilliant blinding yellow.
Lucy pulled out aquarius' key and stuffed it in her pocket, put on her cloak, shed her bindings, and started summoning stars.
Bora and three of his thugs were still standing after the blond man's attacks
Lucy drew out six stars in front of her. SIX STAR STREAM!
She focused on the guards interspersed among the women they were guarding.
The stars flowed around the cavern like a snake, the stars splitting off one by one to smash into the bandit's faces.
Bora had taken notice of her and shot a murky purple fire at her.
Lucy ducked under it, but the flames shifted.
It'll hit me. SINGLE STAR SHIELD!
She brought a star to her chest and settled in the center, glowing it's radiant barrier.
She still dive rolled away from the attack.
It grazed her as she leapt past it, and it shredded her cloak to pieces.
Lucy cried in dismay and anger as her as her old faithful was torn.
She slowly got up to face Bora, murder in her eyes.
-You will pay for that.- She scrawled angrily.
Natsu was getting worried.
Even as he smashed through thug after thug, he felt the need to go faster.
Get to Lucy faster.
But he needed to take out these guys first.
Lucy could handle a few guards, not fifty of them.
He kept smashing, keeping her scent in his nose.
Making every effort not to go into a blind rage and kill them all instantaneously.
Laxus stared at the star girl as her cloak got ripped to shreds.
She looked like she could have been a dancing bunny at a seedy lounge or bar somewhere.
Well, she would have if she wasn't glaring down that runt of a fire wizard.
Or the horrible scars that were revealed when her cloak and clothing got torn.
Or the collection of stars glowing as they hovered behind her.
The entire effect created an aura around her. It was almost alluring.
He didn't even have to look at her twice.
She was strong.
She may not be much stronger magically than any of the weakling squad like Natsu, Grey or Elfman, but that fire in her eyes...
He grinned as his blood boiled.
She may be as strong of will as Titania is. Maybe I can get her to join the thunder Legion.
He watched as some of the guards that hadn't been taken out by her stars charge at her.
Two of the stars behind her flew to her hands, and she grabbed them, forming fists.
She smacked down the two that tried to swing short cutlassas at her.
A fallen cutlass got swept up into her hands and blurred towards her next target.
She swiped through some enemies, knocking some out with the pommel or the back of the blade.
She lost the blade when she shoved it through one bandit's chest.
She's brutal. He thought as the girl went back to fighting with her star magic.
Laxus laughed as he cracked his knuckles and launched into the fray himself.
May as well get my hands dirty.
Lucy thrust the blunt tipped cutlass she held straight through a guard's chest.
She had recognised him from when she and the other girls had been moved.
He had slapped one of the girls to the ground for resisting when he groped her.
Fair's fair, don't you think?
She tried to jerk the cutlass free, but it was stuck.
Other guards were approaching.
Lucy released the crude blade and started directing her stars instead.
She replaced her flickering star shield with a new one.
Her fists glowed as she beat down all her attackers in a single flurry of blows.
Booming Thunder rang out as the blond man pinballed around the cavern, glowing with lightning.
He had a savage smile on his face as man after man fell in a blaze of Electricity.
With a final crashing boom, the man practically appeared in front of her.
"Hi there. You're strong." He wore a half grin, half smirk.
It wasn't a normal smile.
Natsu on the other hand was rather simple to gauge.
He usually only had one emotion or characteristic going at once. Maybe two.
But this guy.
Arrogance. Cockiness. Ruthlessness. Cunning. Excitement. Contempt.
And he was strong.
A smarter, stronger, asshole version of Natsu. With Lightning.
Fantastic.
Lucy cocked her head and wrote -So are you. So what?-
He raised an eyebrow at her.
That question again. They don't even have to ask it. She huffed in her head.
She lifted her head and pointed to the scar on her neck.
"Well, I was just here to kick some ass and get my favorite waitress back. But since you're here I have a proposition for you."
She tilted her head. -Oh?-
"I want you to join my guild. And join my team."
-That may be difficult. I don't even know your name or your guild.-
"My apologies." He chuckled arrogantly. "My name is Laxus Dreyer, and I am the strongest member of the Fairy Tail guild."
No way. This jerk? Hmph. I bet Natsu could kick his ass if he went Full dragon.
"So what do you say huh?"
I could jerk him around a bit more...
"Lucy!"
She turned to see Natsu running towards her as fast as he could, his footsteps echoing through the cave.
Lucy turned back to Laxus, raising the hand with the guild mark on it. Clenching it into a fist as she showed him.
-Sorry. I already have a partner.-
She jerked her head at Natsu as she finished writing. -Him-
"What the hell? The weakling?" Laxus almost sounded disgusted.
Lucy slapped him in the face. As hard as she could.
As Natsu reached her, they both stared at her in shock.
-Are you done rescuing your one person thunderboy? We still have the other thousand to go.-
She moved closer and wrote smaller, right in front of his face.
-So either help us or ship out.-
The Blond man met her eyes.
She glared back as menacingly as she could.
"Tch. Fine." Laxus flew onto the ship in a flash of lightning, then flashed out again holding a slender girl in his arms.
"You'll regret pairing up with the weakling." He had half turned to sneer before bolting out the doorway.
Lucy was in the middle of writing a response, but he was gone.
-Showing restraint is not weakness.-
Elfman caught up to Natsu and collapsed next to him, panting as a thread of blood ran down his face.
Natsu just said nothing as he stared at her words.
"What was Laxus doing here?" Natsu asked.
-Rescuing his favorite waitress.- Lucy smirked.
"Really?" Elfman asked disbelieving as he gasped.
-Anyways. We need to get these girls home, lock up Bora and the Bald guy, exchange high fives, get paid, and go eat.-
"Sounds like a plan." Natsu cried, getting back to his jubilant self.
Natsu suddenly sniffed the air and spun around. "Oi! Baldie!"
The man had picked himself off the ground.
"Change of plans kids!" He cried as he snatched up one of the girls for a human shield, producing a round black ball from his pocket.
"Let her go!" Natsu growled at him.
"Tina!" One of the girls behind him cried.
"Sis!"
"Have fun kids!" He tossed some seeds at Tina's feet and they immediately sprouted hard looking brown vines that constricted her feet. He shoved the black ball into the vines as they were growing and poked it.
Then he started running as a holographic 10 appeared over the device.
Natsu send a giant fireball at him, but he dived into the water.
9
The sea churned and the man reappeared, riding a small boat the size of a surfboard.
Lucy sent star arrows into the vines at Tina's feet.
8
"Beast arm! Blade Beast!" Elfman roared as his arm glowed.
The smoke cleared from lucy's star arrows, showing a small graze on the vines.
The small boat was already speeding out to sea.
7
She saw Natsu run to the edge of the pier and take a breath for a massive roar.
Elfman's right arm was covered in blades, the edge of his palm, each of his fingers, the edge of his arm.
He started Sawing franticly, his fingers gripping the vine.
What can I do?
6
Natsu's roar boomed out, bright light and a billow of heat filled the cavern.
The sea boiled and steamed as the intense beam of fire crashed towards the slaver and his ship.
I don't sense much magic from the bomb, meaning it's a physical blast and I can't use my star shield to protect us.
5
Elfman rumbled as he drew back his arm and delivered a swift karate chop to the impossibly strong wood.
Natsu's fire crashed into the ship, burning and charring it. It's occupant was forced to jump overboard.
4
Elfman kept chopping for all he was worth.
The girl caught in the vines was sobbing in terror.
3
Elfman planted a foot on Lucy's chest and kicked her, propelling her into Natsu who was walking back, his hand flaming.
They collapsed in a heap, away from the device.
Lucy cried out as Natsu yelled "ELFMAN!"
It may not be much, but please let it be enough! SINGLE STAR SHIELD!
2
Elfman roared, an animal scream of pure rage and frustration as he swung his hand one last time.
His fist impacted the vine.
There was a barely audible crack.
1
Elfman Shouted his victory, grabbed the girl with his normal arm, tugged her out of the vines, cradled her against his chest and dived away from the device.
Lucy's Stars settled on the two just as the timer flashed…
0
Where Elfman and Tina had been a second ago was vaporised.
The explosion boomed out, sending shrapnel everywhere.
Elfman was sent flying away, the bundle of terrified girl in his arms shrieking her fear.
His back slammed against the cave wall, and Elfman gasped as splotches of red appeared on his body.
His arms went limp around Tina's body.
"Elfman!" Natsu rushed to his bloody and battered form.
Lucy's ears still rang from the explosion as she struggled to pick herself up to help Elfman.
She lost her sense of balance and imediatly fell flat on her face.
Shit, I need up. FOUR STAR REMEDY!
The stars whizzed around her head, glowing a harsh light that cleared her head and stopped her ears ringing.
Lucy slowly got up as she directed the stars over to Elfman and shone on him too.
She pushed Natsu out of the way while writing. -Go find a Doctor or a Nurse. Maybe there's one among these girls.-
He did as she bid, yelling for help.
Lucy ignored it as she prised the girl off Elfman and started checking his wounds.
Large splinter, piece of metal, gash on forehead…
She felt around his head with her fingers and the magic in her stars.
...Concussion maybe?
She got to work picking out all the shrapnel she could with her bare hands until Natsu dragged two of the girls over.
One of them got to work immediately, flicking her hair out of her face and examining him properly.
-I think he has a concussion.- Lucy wrote.
The Doctor glanced at what she wrote.
"MY name is Alanna, I'm a local doctor here in Thunder cove. We can take him to my clinic. What are the effects of your magic? I need to know so nothing conflicts with our medicine and spells."
-It cures most magical inflictions, kills infections, stops minor bleeding.-
"What are you doing? He took an explosion to the face! Are you fixing him?" Natsu demanded to know.
The doctor just snapped back "I am making sure we can move him, and that we can keep him alive!"
"So? Can he?"
"Yes, carefully! Kel! Snap out of it and help me get him up!"
The other girl shook her head and started helping, positioning Elfman for transport.
Lucy put a hand on Natsu's shoulder as he tried to help.
-Natsu, I need you to stay here. Wake up the Hargeon Girls, then let them know they are safe, and we are seeing to Elfman before we go take the ship back.-
"But Lucy…"
She put a finger over his lips.
-Natsu, someone needs to stay here to help the girls, we can't leave them alone. And besides, I'm the one who lead the mission, I'm the one who brought Elfman along. He's my responsibility.-
And I could never look Mirajane in the eye again if I got Elfman killed.
-I trust you to take care of a thousand people, trust me to take care of this one.-
He looked reluctant, but he gave in.
"Ok. Good Luck Luce."
-You too Natsu.-
Lucy rushed over to Elfman's side to help the Doctor and Nurse lift up the Hulking mass of Man.
The girl groaned in Laxus' arms as he walked through the outskirts of town.
He was going to use his Lightning to travel once he was outside the city completely.
"Well...look who decided to wake up."
Aysha's eyes fluttered open
"Mister Dreyer?" She asked groggily. "Where am I?"
"Taking you home."
Her eyes flew open as she gasped.
"That's right! I was on the boat, and there was the handsome guy, and then pirates put us to sleep. What about the others?"
"Calm down before you talk my ears off girl." Laxus snorted. "Some members of my guild are saving them."
A light shone behind him, casting a shadow in front of him.
"Oh wow." She breathed as she looked behind.
Laxus turned back.
An enormous gout of flames roared out from one of the cliffs near the sea.
The water was forced back by the power of the blast.
Steam billowed as the flames made contact with a tiny speck in the water and exploded.
I can feel the heat from here….
"Is this Natsu? What the hell? That weakling could do this?"
"That was your guildmates?"
Laxus growled.
How the hell did that weakling get so strong? Was it that girl? So then how did she do it?
"No wonder you weren't worried."
He turned back and kept walking out of the city.
"It's nice to know you actually care." Aysha rested her head against his chest as he walked.
Laxus just said nothing as his lightning surrounded them both and he boomed down the trail.