Battle of Italica Pt. I
Pina calmed herself as the carriages came into view, trying her best not to be awestruck at the fact that they were armored in iron. Norma had gone up onto the ramparts to view them from above, though Hamilton argued that he shouldn't expose himself before they had a strategy. Pina tried to make sense of it all as her mind raced with many questions, so Grey took it upon himself to assist her with orders.
"Norma, get them to reveal themselves. Nothing will get done if we stay hidden from each other." Pina turned to face Grey for giving orders without her command, but stopped short after her first word as the blonde knight called out loudly.
"You in the carriages, identify yourselves! If you are not our enemies, then come out into the open!" Pina turned back towards the peephole as Hamilton tried to squeeze in a look and Grey watched from over their shoulders at the newcomers.
The three watched as the first form came into view, a short girl with blue hair although what struck Pina the most was the fact that she was wielding a distinctive staff. She commented how a certain order of mages, the Lindon, were the users and would've continued if not for the sunny bright blonde hair that emerged after her. Hamilton gasped as an elf came to stand next her, worrying Pina as magecraft and spirit magic would spell ruin for their forces. It only got worse as Pina paled at the sight of the person who followed after the elf, someone she would never have dreamed of clashing swords with.
"Rory Mercury!" Her shock was enough to tell her companion that it was all bad news at this point, and the red-haired princess knew that they were utterly powerless against the might of the demi-goddess.
"So that's Rory the Reaper? Do you think an Apostle of Emroy would really align themselves with a band of brigands?" Grey found it hard to believe that the famous reaper would do such a thing, more or less have a goal in mind for cooperating with scum. At best, they could only offer her the souls of the fallen although who knew how long an alliance based on that would last.
"Knowing that bunch, it doesn't surprise me. Their acts are almost based on a whim, not very structured but simply a means to find involvement in something in the world of mortals." Pina replied as they began to walk towards the entrance, hoping against all odds of figuring out a way against all that. "It doesn't matter much to me; their words are baseless and no more than nonsense from the god they follow."
"I heard nothing of the sort!" Although his princess seemed to hold no fear to the Chaos God Emroy, Grey was stout believer and would not dare to sully the name as a warrior.
"Princess Pina, what should we do?" Hamilton asked as Pina looked to her and then out towards the rag tag militia standing at the ready near the barriers.
"If the church that Rory belongs to had allied themselves with the bandits, then Italica would have been lost long ago," She confided to Hamilton, bringing her in close to avoid having the public hear her words. "Rory stands outside the gate and there is no hard proof that she isn't our enemy."
Just then the entrance was knocked on hard, eliciting a small squeal of surprise from Pina who took only a moment to steel herself. She had to bet on all hopes that her decision was for the best now that they had arrived at the door. With a surge of energy, she began to remove the barricades holding back the door as fast as she could.
"If they are not enemies, then we have to get them on our side!" She claimed as she used all her strength to push open the heavy door that swung wide open with Pina putting on a beaming smile. "Welcome!"
As her eyes adjusted to the brightness from the sun, she was met with curious gazes from the three girls she had seen, but she hadn't been expecting the joyous laughter that came from a pink haired young man that was accompanying them. Pina was confused with the sight before her as she moved her gaze downward to see a man dressed in strange green clothing writhing ever so lightly on the floor. The princess nervously laughed as the dots began to connect in her head to the events leading up to this moment, but still she braved to ask the obvious question.
"Was that...my doing?" In unison all the visitors nodded their head in confirmation and Pina felt her whole world spin at what she had just done, not paying mind to the strange language coming from the small black box on the man's chest.
It wasn't long before she apologized, asking that they bring him inside to treat him soon after and as she was going to get Grey to help carry him did the pink haired young man sling him over his shoulder effortlessly. He continued to laugh as he carried him inside with the girls following after him, Pina trying her hardest not to look embarrassed as they passed and was about to close the door when a woman with hair as red as hers came running up to join them. Pina had let her in as well, but she couldn't avert her eyes at how beautiful she looked and the shine off her armor that was designed in a way unlike any that she's ever seen before.
Once inside and the knocked-out man was placed onto the floor, did Pina then begin getting an earful from the elf. The princess had not expected that at all as the elf girl began to fiddle with the man's belt to pull out some sort of container with a lid.
"What were you thinking!? You didn't realize someone might be in front of the door!?" The elf said as she uncapped the container and began pouring water over the man's face, all the while looking at Pina very disapprovingly. "Even a dwarf or fairy would've been more careful! Not checking makes you worse than a goblin!"
Pina took the verbal reprimand as best she could, flinching slightly at how harsh the elf's words were. She looked as apologetically as she could, taking notice of how Rory had placed the man's head on her lap and hovered her head over his.
"Oh, you're awake." Rory said before the man shot up with a start, commenting on how they were let in.
Pina nervously watched as the man in green began to speak in a strange language into a small black box on his chest, while the man with the pink hair was busy speaking with the armored woman. She was a major oddity to her as the princess was never aware of another female knight that existed in the kingdom outside of her Rose Order. Though she felt more distinguished than any one of her knights, as if she was a hardened veteran just like Grey was even though she didn't look much older than herself.
"So, anyone going to explain what's happening here?" The man in green spoke up, drawing everyone's attention before the crowd all turned to face the princess.
"Wait...Me!?" She was put on the spot and her words caught in her throat, the strangers wanting information was to be expected but she wasn't ready to outright plead them to join their side in front of her subjects.
"You impudent fools! This is an affront to the Third Imperial Princess, Pina Co Lada!" Hamilton came to her princess' aid as the common folk were to take it upon themselves to explain for Her Highness.
"Imperial Princess?" Pina heard the pink haired man mimic and watched as the joyful demeanor he sported for so long vanish in an instant.
The bright smile he had morphed into a sneer, his innocent eyes sharpened into a glare and it was if his entire aura of peace was replaced with something malicious. Pina felt a grave chill run up her spine as she locked eyes with the pink haired new comer, no longer the smiling young man that walked through the door but instead a vicious beast readying to tear her apart piece by piece.
The only reason she was snapped back into reality and away from the growing fear was thanks to the armored woman who moved in front of him, calming him down with a simple glare. Pina took the opportunity to instruct the group to follow her. It took some time before anyone would start walking, but luckily the man in green ventured forward as the rest followed after him. Pina was completely nervous, closer to afraid, of the pink haired young man that she almost felt herself breeze past the many streets and stairway towards the Countess' Manor.
As they made their way inside, the princess knew it was best for her to enlighten the newcomers as they had asked earlier, especially if she was going to ask for their help. She just hoped the pink haired stranger didn't make it an impossible trial for her.
"As you may already know, this is the fortress city of Italica. The city is strategically standing at the intersection of the Tessaria and Appia highways, becoming a major commercial hub for the Empire. It's been run by generations of counts of Formar who are nobility of the Empire." Pina began as she began leading the group through a series of hallways, passing a few studies and parlors along the way.
"Though that streak is on the brink of destruction as the former count had died suddenly of illness, leaving behind three daughters that have been caught in a power struggle for his position. The eldest and middle daughters were already married into other families, making their bids to fill the position shift towards which sister would take guardianship over the rightful heir of the count's position; the youngest sister, Myui." Pina paused to allow the group to digest the information catching onto a snippet of the conversation the mage was having with the man in green about understanding all that she had just said.
"When the Imperial Council deemed it time for our forces to cross the Gates, every noble household was required to send the heads of every family to the battles. The end result was that none returned and the security of the Empire began deteriorating rapidly, landing us in our current predicament of being unable to effectively defend the city." Pina finished as she stood before a pair of doors stating that beyond them was the current ruler of Italica.
The group looked upon the Countess of Formar, a small young girl with orange hair with her stature being emphasized by the large wooden throne she sat upon. Her pink garments a few inches off the ground, where her blue heels could be seen as she couldn't quite reach the floor just yet.
"A kid?" Pina heard the pink one's voice say aloud to be answered swiftly by the mage that she would be turning eleven as of this year, which he followed by whistling in surprise. "Talk about bad politics, they just put the whole world on her shoulders."
"Be silent, Natsu."
"In any case, while Myui is the head of the family, it's too much to ask of her to lead an army. As such, I'm taking command in her stead of all of the city's forces." Pina got a few interested stares from the group and as expected from the pink one, Natsu as she had to assume, he was unimpressed although that was better than the death glare he had given her.
"Very honorable of you to take on such a role," the red haired knight spoke up and a part of Pina felt humbled by her words for some reason, "though with your current standing, it seems most of your forces consist of militiamen. Where are all the soldiers?"
"Most of the more skilled fighters have already perished in the fighting since we've arrived to help, we are making do with what fighting force we have before my forces arrive." If Pina could play her words right, the strangers would see that they were in dire need of help and it would be easier to convince them to help. "Refreshments are in the next room, let's discuss things there for now."
The group moved into the adjoined parlor guests would typically wait in when meeting the Count and the head maid began serving drinks for the newcomers, all but Natsu had taken a seat and the princess was just glad he decided to stand near the window. What bothered her though was that he was behind Countess Myui and she feared what he would do if the talks would corrode faster than what she had planned them to. She calmed her thoughts to the best of her abilities and sat across from the group with Hamilton taking a seat to her right.
"As I was saying, my forces are still three days out and the bandits we've been fighting are growing more and more bold. I fear that my forces will arrive too late to be of any assistance of what may be left of Italica."
"Has it been that difficult for you to defend the gates? Surely you should have some sort of military outpost you can contact to come to your aid." Itami offered, but the strained expression of the princess' face was telling a bad story.
"There was one no more than a day's march, we sent a messenger out there to explain our situation and we received our answer the following night." Hamilton answered and Pina nodded for her to continue when the short knight gave a look for her approval. "The horse he went off on returned, dragging what was left of the body and his head was found in the knapsack attached to the saddle. It was obvious to us that the outpost had been overrun by the bandits and now we're on our own."
"In our current state, we'd like to ask you if you'd be willing to help us." Pina asked as everyone faced the man in green save for Natsu who looked towards the red haired knight. "If you do agree to help us, we can come to a mutual agreement of showing our gratitude at the end of the battle."
"We'll help you." Pina was surprised at the quick response he gave her, expecting to coerce him in some other manner she'd have to make Hamilton do for him for all their sakes. "I mean we can't exactly sell all these scales we brought if there's no place to sell them. What about you, Miss Scarlet?"
"We have our mission and this falls within it so we, too, will provide assistance." Scarlet replied, as it was her apparent name according to the man in green, although it was quickly followed by a harsh snort.
"You're not serious Erza!?" Pina didn't understand what exactly he said, but she knew Natsu was upset although what she could clearly make out was the name Erza which she summarized was Scarlet's first name since the two seemed much closer than the others. "I can't believe this!" He added before storming out of the parlor and slamming the door behind him.
"You have our support, Princess. Excuse me while I talk to my party member, he'll come around." Erza excused herself as she went after Natsu, obviously annoyed with his disrespectful attitude and it was obvious that she wasn't in mood for games.
He was still in the throne room, but Erza could tell by the ethernano gathering around him that he was fuming with shear anger. She came up to him and placed a stern hand on his shoulder, which he of course tried to shove off to no avail, and made him look at her. Just by the way Erza had seen Natsu look at Pina when he found out she was the princess to the Empire, the requip mage knew he was much more of a danger than these bandits Pina had been fighting off would ever be.
"How can you so readily agree to help the enemy Erza! It's because of her father and this stupid 'Imperial Council' or whatever it is that so many of our people are suffering right now!" Of course, they were speaking normally now than in Old Fiorean but it didn't matter much when Natsu was venting out.
"I understand your sentiment Natsu, but take a step back and think clearly. I, too, don't wish to help the very royalty that trespassed our world but what of the people within the city?" Erza had to reason with Natsu as the only thing driving him is his anger against Pina. "Part of our mission as a whole is to help those that call this world home when the need arrives, become a beacon that can be trusted."
"Screw that! We're not an other worldly police force, solving their problems for them. We came here to rescue people and I'm here to make sure that whoever took them will pay." Their greatest lead was just in the other room and Natsu was willing to do whatever it takes for this empire to surrender. "Why should we try to get on their good side in the first place!?"
"You heard what Gray said about what the people think of the ruling family, many don't trust those in power and feel like it's up to themselves to make decisions to their daily lives." It was moderate information that the ice mage had gathered when he spoke with the residents of Carne Village, but it did bring in a useful viewpoint. "Do we need to seek the monarchy's approval? No, that matters little to the operation. Do we need the people's approval? Yes, getting our name to be synonymous with hope makes us trustworthy and gain benefits down the line."
"Playing politics is too damn slow, Erza. I say we nab the princess and force her tell us where they took the people they kidnapped." It would be very simple; her apparent guards were no match for Erza's sword skills and they definitely weren't going to be much of a challenge against his flames.
"We're not dark mages, Natsu. We are not going to stoop so low as to deal in such things."
"I'm not saying we torture her, but there are people back at the base who know how to persuade the information out of people. Besides, I know a couple of people who would agree to what I'm saying."
"We aren't soulless automatons, Natsu. Come to your senses and let this hatred fizzle out already, Itami and his band have agreed to help her. Our people are trying to make peace between us, so I can't allow you to destroy it because of your vendetta." Erza never wanted to threaten her guildmates, but even she knew that she couldn't risk everything they're trying to do because Natsu didn't keep himself in check.
"It's not my vendetta, it's all of Fiore's vendetta!" Natsu raged as his anger flared into the air around them, causing a number of plants in the room to wilt into ash before he reined himself back in. "I thought you were different, but you're just like that icy asshole..."
Natsu stormed out of the room and as much as Erza tried to call him back, he paid her no head as his steps began to fade away into the distance. This world may be very rustic to theirs by comparison, but the evils were all too similar and the requip mage feared that all that exposure to it had impacted Natsu far worse than she had initially thought. The red head knew he would listen to her orders in the end or face being left at the base for insubordination, but what worried her was the fact that he'll release his aggression to whatever stood in his way soon.
Erza could no longer dwell on it for much longer and had to return to the room the third princess and Itami were in. They had moved on to looking at a map of the surrounding area of Italica and needless to say, everyone had heard Natsu yelling a few moments ago with the Countess looking visibly shaken by it. What Erza found strange though was for the fact that Rory managed a pleased smile for some reason.
"My teammate may have his views, but we will be aiding you in protecting this city." Itami nodded his head as he went back to looking at the map and Erza could see that Pina was visibly relieved.
"Very well, I've gathered the tactics being employed by the bandits and I've decided to have all your forces defend the south gate." Pina notified as she pointed to the other end of the city where an entrance not far from a small forested area resided.
"Wouldn't it be best to have the newly amounted numbers to defend the east gate that we came in? Your defenses may have held in the last attack, but the probability that they'll amass most of their forces to take the gate sure is high, Third Princess." The requip mage had learned their tactics first hand and knew that they preferred to fight in numbers under a commanding officer, so the princess had to be the main objective in order to achieve victory.
"Because our defense held in the first place after three attacks means they'll try to find another way into the city. The walls are too dangerous to scale, so the only option left is for them to attack the south gate where they'll run into you." Logically, the princess' understanding was solid but the main focus Erza knew she wasn't getting was that the goal was to defeat the princess to gain the advantage and demoralize their forces.
"Do you truly believe they'll concentrate on the south gate?" Itami was aware that Erza's suggestion was much favorable since they'd have the upper hand in overall effectiveness, but the Princess was so sure that the attack would be far worse to the south.
"You may not understand their tactics, but I know that they'll try to cripple us from behind and surround us. A small battalion will attack the east gate and their greater numbers will hit the south with everything they have."
"Alright, let's get geared up and into position then." Itami said and put his helmet back on as the head maid came in to help escort them back to the entrance of the manor.
Erza followed behind them, trying her best to locate anything damaged along the way for the sake of apologizing about it to the Countess for Natsu's behavior. Luckily it seemed that everything was intact, save for the footprint scores that scorched the floor. It was best that she let that go and concentrate on getting the team prepared for the upcoming battle, plus needing to contact HQ about this as well. The red head sighed to herself at the numerous things she had to do, but some good deeds don't go unrewarded and she hoped this would be one of those times.
"Pardon, Miss Scarlet, but may I have a word with you?" Pina requested as soon as they reached the entrance hall of the manor, much to Erza's surprise as she had the impression that she wanted to be out of that room as soon as possible.
"Very well, Third Princess, what can I do for you?" Oddly enough, the very commanding princess from earlier seemed to recoil slightly now that she stood face to face with her.
"From what clan do you reside? I had thought most lords would have sent their daughters to join the Rose Order if they were willing to train you." Erza could tell that it was her attempt to hold some sort of belief that she was from the princess' world, though it made no sense when she came out of a Rhino following Itami's vehicles.
"I'm afraid I am a visitor to your world, like Itami as well as Natsu."
"Then, perchance, are you familiar with an individual known as the Foolish Prince?" Erza felt like she had heard something like it before from the villagers of Carne Village some time ago, but she couldn't remember who it was.
"You'll have to forgive me Third Princess, but I'm not aware of anyone by that title." The princess looked a little deflated at her words, but had apologized for taking her time and allowed her to carry on with preparations.
An odd interaction, but it wasn't a foreseeable one given that the princess was talking to strangers from another world for the first time. Though Erza had to wonder why, of all people, would the princess assume she would know someone with the title of Foolish Prince.
Natsu sat upon one of the battlements, looking out towards the south as the sun began to set and did his best not to scowl lest Erza reprimanded him again for it. They were made to defend the south gate with the rest of the JSDF who were busying scoping out the land with binoculars, him being grateful for the fact that his eyes could see just as good if not better than those clunky things. They'd been there for hours with nothing coming over the horizon for just as long until the dragon slayer had caught the sounds of hooves and located the three riders appearing over the crest of a hill.
"Looks like we got scouts over there." Natsu informed to Lucy who borrowed a pair of binoculars to see where Natsu was pointing at. "Three of them staying in position."
"Lucy, Wendy can you confirm?" Erza asked as with some adjustment, Lucy could make out the figures whose armor reflected some of the setting sun.
"I see them Erza and it looks like they're moving a bit closer." The blonde could assume that the enemy could at least see them as well to an extent, after all with Natsu's hair being as bright as it is.
"There's more, a large group holding still behind them. Maybe in the hundreds." Wendy added as she shielded her eyes from what remained of the sun's rays as the JSDF adjusted themselves to see the enemy army.
"And here I thought we were fighting a band of bandits, not an entire siege force." Itami joked as he tried to lighten the mood, but when his attempt fell flat, he let out an awkward cough. "Judging by this new information, what do you think they'll try to do Old Man? Miss Scarlet?"
"Even with a force that large, they'd be hard pressed to try and surround the city. The west gate is too far out of the way for them to assist in the fighting, leaving it to the south gate and east gate being the closest." Kuwahara replied his thoughts, but he gave Itami a look of grave concern. "But what bothers me more is..."
"Yeah, I know what you're getting at." Itami voiced as he turned to face the combined group of JSDF and FEF members. "The princess made us a decoy for the south gate since there's only seventeen of us and two cats against those numbers." He didn't count Tuka or Lelei in the numbers since he didn't want to fling them into combat.
"She expects us to fail to hold the line and finish the battle at the second line of defense. Assuming the bandits pour their efforts in taking this "undefended" gate with everything they have." Erza added on to Itami's words, but did her best not to show her aggravation with this plan. "Problem falls onto the fact that the people of this world will follow a leader to the end, so what happens if the leader falls?"
"The defense crumbles." Kuribayashi answered and it dawned on the JSDF that many soldiers during the attack at Ginza were completely lost once the more decorated soldiers were killed first once they started fighting back.
"So we will have to hold the line here as long as we can before needing to retreat." Itami tried to inspire the group, but received a snort from the pink haired dragon slayer who hadn't moved his gaze away from the scouts who were long gone.
"No one's retreating from this coming fight, not us and not them. Those sorry bastards are outnumbered." Natsu smirked darkly as Lucy gave him a worried look while Erza seemed conflicted by his attitude.
"From what I've come to know about you, Pinky, is that you're bad at math but I didn't think you were this bad." Kuribayashi poked fun and that got a laugh out of Happy, but she had been expecting his teammates to look at least a little amused at that quip.
"She isn't wrong, Natsu, although he does have a point that those guys are seriously outnumbered." The blue cat said as he flew up to sit on the battlement next to his best friend. "He, Erza, Gray and Lucy fought an army of like two thousand magic wielding cultists on their own to save a town about half as big as Italica."
"Bullshit." Kuribayashi could not believe that those four managed to fend off that many people on their own, it just wasn't possible. "No offense, but Lucy doesn't look like much of a fighter to handle that many people."
"As much as that tomcat likes to tell tall tales, he's actually telling the truth." This time Carla spoke up as the JSDF soldiers in the vicinity were blown away at that fact.
"Then we don't have to worry about anything with you guys on our side, right?" Itami chipped in smiling, feeling better internally that they at least had magic on their side too. "Alright everyone, deploy defensive lines that cover across the breadth of the wall. Set up your goggles as soon as you can, we've got about an hour's worth of daylight left."
"Yes, Sir!" Third Recon saluted in unison as the went about their orders, leaving Itami to oversee the rest of the defenses and Erza had decided to get her team in position as well.
The requip mage couldn't shake the terrible feeling building in the depths of her being so, against her regular judgment, she put Lucy alongside Natsu for vanguard when the enemy arrived. That left herself and Wendy on the ramparts for quick access to the skies and roof tops in case they needed to do a mad dash for the east gate. Erza knew the dragon slayer was taking point no matter what, so she needn't brief him of her battle strategy if he was bound to do his own thing. Pulling Lucy aside and bringing Wendy along, Erza felt it was best to notify them of her plans to lessen the confusion of their placement. Mainly for the blonde's sake as she was never one to be put at the direct frontline, leaving that to Erza, Natsu and Gray most of the time. This in effect left Natsu sitting on the battlement by his lonesome as Happy had gone with Carla, his gaze never wavering from the darkening horizon before him.
"So, dragon of the flame, judging by the way you acted you feel like this princess and her empire is your enemy. That begs the question of why are you helping that which you wish to conquer?" Rory asked walking up to him, his face unrevealing but the slight ear twitch told her enough.
"Hell if I know, but Erza made the point that we're doing it for the people living here." Rory noticed his features soften slightly as he finally tore his gaze away to look at her. "She says that the decision of those in power don't often represent the people themselves."
"Do you believe that these mortals should be saved? Should they continue their limited existence because they deserve it or because your moral compass tells you that life is precious?" Rory wanted to delve into the real heart of the person before her, much like she wanted to do so with Gray.
"What does it matter what I think? I'm on orders to stop the bandits of your world from killing their own people. I've taken the lives of more people in my life than each person in this city has put together. Retribution is what I'm after and yet, in this world, people kill for the sake of it?" Natsu thought back to a time where he was too bothered by the idea of killing someone, a physical aversion that disappeared when he lost his mind to the power of E.N.D. "It makes no sense to me, so why doesn't any of it get to you?"
"Silly boy, I'm over eight hindered years old. I've witnessed life bloom and perish across this land to fill many regular lifetimes over. As an Apostle of Emroy, I don't see killing as a sin. I see it as natural as breathing in the air that gives you life, but understanding the limitations of death drives my curiosity." Rory replied smiling and a part of Natsu felt that same chill run up his spine again when he first met her. "That's why I said you and Gray are very similar."
"What does he have to do with anything? He's nothing more than a coward, too scared to accept the reality of the world the same way Erza's too optimistic to see what lies underneath." It didn't make sense to him how these two that he had thought were very down to earth land were so enclosed to the real world, living in a fantasy or something.
"It's genuinely surprising to know that you truly believe that." Rory just kept smiling and it just didn't sit right with Natsu, as if she was looking deep within him or something akin to it. "To me, you've closed yourself off to the very world you've come into, seeing that which lives here as mere obstacles and are willing to burn it all to ash for the sake of your own justice. So barbaric, so instinctual, so...inhuman."
The last word managed to worm into Natsu's heart in an instant as even he understood the implication behind it. She wasn't combining words to make him feel bad, she was looking into the very being that he was. Rory had somehow seen him less like the human he wanted to be and more like the monster he was created to become. It terrified him how her eyes gleamed with her little invasive words that were always trying to strike deep, wanting to see what lay underneath the person Natsu chose to be.
"A sin must be paid in full, but is a sinner aware of their actions if they truly believe deep within their heart that what they do is justice?" Rory posed the question to the pink haired dragon slayer, who looked far more dumbfounded then when she first started talking to him. "Man can choose their actions, beasts rely on natural instinct, but monsters are the lost beings that must be culled for the greater good."
Natsu could only stare at her, she seemed childish most of the time and yet she had the wisdom that brought his breath to a standstill. He never shied away from an enemy, fear was a rare thing to him and yet it felt like his was on Tenrou all over again. Instead of Gildarts' vast magic pool that overshadowed him, it was Rory and her words that saw inside the very terror in his heart. The horror of becoming the monster he vowed to Igneel that he would never become, the dreaded etherious living deep inside of him.
"So tell me, Natsu, what is your answer? Should the lives behind this wall be saved or will you allow your personal ideals to take precedent and let the weak be culled as a form of karma because of the actions of their countrymen?"
"My... My enemy is the Empire for what they did to the innocent in my world, but I'm a Fairy Tail mage first and foremost. That means that I won't turn my back to people in need, doesn't matter if they're from my world or this one." Natsu confidently answered even though his voice was shaky to begin with. "That princess and her kingdom will get what's coming to them in time, but we'll prove ourselves to show that it's best that she plays nice with us."
"That's great to hear! You'll show her power, true terror that she will have to bend the knee to live! Her soul will plead for paradise against the very might before her!" Natsu was officially weirded out at her sudden tone shift, but the smile she gave him had changed somehow as he no longer felt the cold fear on his back. "This will be a most wondrous battle! No need to hold back now, most of these bandits would no doubt have come from the Artisian Valley."
"I guess I missed a few and now it's come to bite me in ass." Natsu muttered to himself as he went back to stare out onto the horizon, a flame burning brighter and brighter within him as time ticked away.
Night had drawn onto them; the south gate as quiet as could be except the snores emerging from Natsu who had fallen asleep cross legged on the battlement he sat on hours ago. Wendy had asked for a sleep shift some time ago as well and was granted one from Erza who wasn't affected by sleep just yet. The shift policy had also been picked up by the JSDF to keep everyone rested as no movement had been made since the sun had set. Itami wondered how the dragon slayer could sit in such a precarious and exposed spot without worry of being sniped by an arrow, doing his best to keep himself occupied while Kuwahara kept a lookout.
Itami had noticed Wendy stir a bit followed by Natsu shooting up from his sleeping position to turn his head towards the east, something even Wendy mimicked as she had awakened when he was busy looking at Natsu. The captain stood up to take a look and could see the emerging black plumes of smoke rise from the bright lights below them. He had heard Rory whine at the fact that the enemy was at the east gate and their purpose was thus wasted, Itami was about to comment at the knowing looks of his squad until he heard the movement of Erza's armor.
"I knew they'd attack directly; they're trained soldiers so it would make sense to attack the weakest point. We don't have time to lose, Lucy and Natsu will stay here while Wendy comes with me." Erza order as Natsu made to protest until a restrained mewl escaped Rory's lips for all to hear.
"Is she alright?" Natsu asked and was met with unsure looks from everyone, except Lelei who moved over to one side near Itami.
"The souls of the fallen are passing through her as we speak towards Hardy's domain. As an Apostle of Emroy, souls must be cleansed through her before being sent and thus her sudden mood shift is for the fact that the process is akin to an aphrodisiac." Lelei explained as the ears on Wendy turned a bright red as she tried to hide her gaze from the slightly convulsing Rory.
"So, she's like... getting off?" As bluntly as ever, Natsu didn't know when to be subtle and blush on Wendy now became her whole face as even Kurokawa had a slight pink tinge to her cheeks.
"There's no more time to waste, we're moving out!" Erza commanded as Wendy was already the first to move, Carla lifting the teen into the sky and towards the fighting.
"Miss Scarlet, we'll give you a lift. I don't think you'll catch up on foot with Wendy." Kuwahara offered, but Erza politely declined while Rory's cries became louder.
"I'll make it in time, be prepared here. Requip: Flight Armor!" Erza's body shone brightly as her armor disappeared and the JSDF were now looking at her in an outfit that shared a unique likeness to a cheetah, ears, tail and all.
In the instant the shine finally died down, Erza jumped high into the sky until she landed onto a nearby roof and sped off at incredible speeds no human was capable of. To the Japanese anyway as the red head seemed to leave a dust trail as she ran over each roof and jumped onto the next. Itami whistled in astonishment that such a thing was possible, now believing that she would manage to reach Wendy in no time. He was about to make an order to fall in for a new plan for the failed decoy until Kuribayashi rushed past him towards one of the HMVs.
"We're only sending a woman and a teenager as reinforcements to the east gate, First Lieutenant!?" She called up to him as she got the engine running in an instant, much to Itami's annoyance of her always being on the move.
"Old Man, you're in charge! Tomita on me, we're reinforcing the east gate!" Itami ordered as he tried his best to get down the stairwell as fast as he could with Tomita not far behind him.
"Roger!" Kuwahara replied as the HMV rode away into the city and disappearing at a corner street, turning to debrief the remainder of the squad until he noticed Natsu standing up for the first time since he sat down in the late afternoon.
"Looks like the Princess wasn't wrong; they did come to attack the south gate." Natsu said aloud as he launched a fireball into a tree line, illuminating the night and revealing the hundreds of soldiers rushing the walls. "Time to kick some ass!"
Natsu launched into the air with tremendous speed, spotting a favorable spot to cause the most chaos and as he landed, he noticed that he wasn't the only who came down from the wall. The onyx halberd shined in the moonlight and reflected the flames menacingly as blood splashed into the sky, the wielder smiling excitedly as she spun the axe effortlessly in her hand. The dragon slayer lit himself on fire as his adrenaline began to pump with each sound of armored boots barreling at him. He had fought against dragons and even a god before, but this would be the first time he fought alongside a demigoddess and he wouldn't be up showed.
"Now I'm fired up!"