Shattered Bone
Chapter 3
Salamander, rightfully known as Natsu Dragneel, was a young kid at the age of 12. It's been a full year since his father, Igneel, disappeared suddenly, and ever since that day, Natsu has been trying effortlessly to locate his father. Igneel was a Dragon, a Fire Dragon, more specifically. As such, he was a very powerful Dragon.
Being his son, Natsu was also strong in his own human way. Natsu was currently in the freezing mountains of Mt. Hakobe, which mostly Ice Magical Beasts claim as their home turf and are very hostile to outsiders. However, the local Beasts have been moving close to the nearby towns that sat at the borders of the Mountain.
Natsu took this mission to build up his resistance to Ice Magic, naturally, his element being fire, already made him immune to the freezing temperatures, but he wanted to grow more accustomed to the cold. He also did this to one-up his rival, Gray Fullbuster, an Ice Mage who uses Ice-Make Magic.
Natsu wouldn't admit this, but he came to respect the Ice-Mage. He was strong and could be reliable. Natsu couldn't hate someone like that. They get into petty arguments, but it's all in good health.
Natsu was accompanied by his partner, Happy, a small, chibi-like blue cat flying in the air with white, angelic wings. Natsu recently hatched the odd cat, yet could already talk and do things independently. Happy was in that egg, learning about everything so he could be prepared when he hatched. It was weird that a cat hatched out of an egg, but Natsu was only twelve and was expected to slay dragons, so there was no pressure, right?
"Say, Natsu!"
"Yeah, buddy?"
Natsu was dressed in a red, yellowed button shirt with brown shorts and brown sandals. His hair struck out the most, with it being a salmon pink coloration, only for it to be accented with charcoal amber eyes. Natsu also had a pure, white scarf around his neck that seemed to have a dragon-scale-like pigmentation.
"How strong are Blizzardverns?"
Ah! Happy wasn't well educated on Wyverns and their attributes, nor Natsu, but he generally understood it. It was something Igneel taught him, but he didn't pay much attention to history class!
"Well, they're Wyverns that use Ice-Magic and are named Blizzardverns. I think," Natsu answered sheepishly as he rubbed his hair with a jaunty grin.
"You think?" Happy muttered with disbelief, but then again, he wasn't the best at this either,
"Anyway. I can smell a few scents up ahead. It's frosty, so I bet it's the Blizzardverns. I'm getting fired up!"
Natsu, in times like these, was thankful for his heightened senses. His nose was his best. It never failed him!
"We should be careful! I mean, what if we're fighting a pack of them?"
Natsu's grin only widened at the aspect of a lot of Blizzardverns. He had the elemental advantage of them and was a seasoned fighter! No way he was going to lose to a bunch of wannabe Dragons!
"Don't sweat that, Happy! Just leave it to me. I'll send them all packin'!"
Happy only deadpanned at his partner. "Yeah, right."
Akuji marveled at the sight of the Mountain. He arrived here earlier than expected, possibly because he chose not to sleep overnight. His blood was boiling like a cauldron of stew. The Mountain was cloaked in an icy mist that gave it a supernatural beauty. The white frost on the top of the mountains seemed like icing on a cake, slowly disappearing as it traveled down.
Akuji knew Salamander was here, but he wished to see if Salamander could handle a horde of Blizzardverns, especially the Alpha. They were extremely strong and could give unprepared A-Class Mages a good beating. Akuji remembered when Koros sent him to fight a Flamevern to build fire resistance.
It was not an impressive time, but Akuji managed to snub a win!
Akuji stood still like a scarecrow in the tangerine, dim-lit sun, giving him a beautiful yet pernicious aura. Akuji wanted nothing more than to move his legs and let his instincts take the wheel behind his body, but he wanted to test Salamander. He didn't understand why he wanted to do this, but Salamander came from Titania's guild. If that's the case, Salamander has to be special.
Right?
Fairy Tail was a unique guild. Akuji had the displeasure of learning that some guilds lacked the core principle of a large gathering, bonds. Bonds are so strong that even blood relations would flee. Akuji admired Fairy Tail for that one aspect. As such, Akuji wouldn't hand Salamander over to his client. He'll make up some half-baked lie and move on from there.
For now, Akuji would watch from a distance the growing potential of Salamander and see if he's worth the effort.
The sounds of battle echoed throughout the mountain range, and the screechings of an agitated beast resounded within the echoes, adding to the destructive sounds that reverberated.
.
.
.
"You guys are too easy!"
The cheerful yet stupid grin was present on Natsu. His hands were illuminated with lurid red flames that whipped in the harsh winds that circled the mountains. Happy stood in the distance, watching the young Fire Mage fight the horde of Blizzardverns. They totaled a large number of twenty-nine, with the last one seemingly in hiding, yet, Natsu didn't care for that at the moment. He was having a blast!
From Happy's point of view, Natsu's fighting style was fascinating. The mixture of the flames adding to Natsu's attacks was a sight to behold. The flames, drilling into the Blizzardvern's icy scales, acted like a piston. Natsu's childish eagerness only added to his fighting style. He zipped from one Blizzardvern to another, punching and kicking them with enough force to cause vertigo for the Wyverns.
That was all from Happy's childish admiration for his partner. To other seasoned fighters, Natsu's style was that of a novice. There were many openings in his defenses.
Natsu landed on one of the Blizzardverns' back, causing the two-winged creature to lash out with the tantrum of an angry child. Natsu's grin never left his face as he cocked his right arm back before sending it into the Wyvern's spine. The sound of its bones cracking filtered into the air before the howls of Natsu's flames engulfed the Wyvern.
The howls of the other Blizzardverns swallowed the sounds of the flames. Their roars of anger and defiance rallied them to prepare for a large-scale attack. Natsu didn't look perturbed by the screechings that he found to be a little irritating to his ears, but his confidence was palpable, and his eagerness never left his face.
"Natsu! They're preparing a big attack!"
Natsu looked at his feline companion and nodded. He was about to show these wannabe dragons that they wouldn't match up to his power, which seemed to coruscate with his next attack. Natsu's flames disappeared from his hands, with only flicks of cinders falling to the pale white ice sheets.
"I'm getting fired up! I'm going to knock you all out in one blow!" Natsu's tone was filled with incalculable determination that could be infectious to other people if they were around.
Natsu slammed his fists together. The sound of flesh and flames filled the air upon the impact of his knuckles. Natsu's childish grin was replaced with a serious glare as his features sharpened. Natsu's cheeks puffed as he inhaled a copious amount of air, his hands raised to his mouth, shaping an 'O' as he brought his face back.
"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"
Natsu's deafening voice sounded like the mix of man and beast as a torrent of vermillion-colored flames shot from his cupped hands. The heat from the fire instantly affected the area, melting the ice and snow. The Blizzardverns futile attempt at a united ice blast failed upon meeting the indomitable fire spell that incinerated their attack and blasted them in one shot. A cluster of pained, shrill yells entered the atmosphere and caused every other nearby lifeform to cower in their hiding spots.
The damage was immense. The smell of smoke and charcoal replaced the tasteless air and seemed to soothe Natsu as he grinned at his spell triumphantly. The breath attack of a Dragon was its most basic spell but could be deadly depending on the individual and element. The fire element was destructive, and the potency could vary depending on the Fire Dragon branch. The flames of a Purgatory Dragon could vaporize everything to ash, but even the most basic Fire Dragons could do this with spirit and practice.
"See, Happy? No sweat!"
"AWESOME!"
Natsu and Happy began to laugh at their hard work, well, Natsu's hard work. Hopefully, the resident lifeforms could settle back into their homes without trouble. Natsu stopped laughing abruptly, getting Happy to look at the young Dragon Slayer with perplexion.
"What's wrong, Natsu?"
"I feel something strong," Natsu said as his instincts blared from within his soul. He knew this foreign but oddly itching feeling that seemed to happen whenever something was about to go awry.
The calming breeze that settled after Natsu's spell faded into nothingness, replaced with an eerie silence that sent an uncomfortable shiver down Natsu's spine. Even Happy was itching to fly away.
Natsu's thoughts went to the last spell he used. He didn't waste any magical energy on it and was glad about his decision! He could feel the chill of dread on his bones, but this was Natsu Dragneel! Fire Dragon Slayer! He wasn't about to back down right now.
Natsu's ears picked up the sound of flapping in the air, like a sheet pressed against the turbulent winds of a passing hurricane. Natsu's body went rigid at the prospect of this incoming foe being a Dragon, but Natsu would've picked up on such a smell, and Igneel would not hide in a place filled with anything that contained snowflakes and ice!
Natsu suddenly picked up Happy. The action caused the blue feline to yelp in surprise as Natsu propelled himself into the air with fire, leaving the bottom of his sandals. Natsu landed a safe distance and looked at the damage he would've taken if he never moved. It was a giant ice shell there, and if Natsu never moved, he would've been in the center of it.
Natsu looked up to see a larger Blizzardvern. Its ice-like scales were a shade darker than the normal blue, holding an almost diamond-like appearance. Its right eye had a diagonal scar, with other scars on its cream-colored belly. Its legs seemed robust, packed with muscle that would make a bodybuilder faint with a bloody nose. Natsu knew this was an Alpha Blizzardvern. It matched the description perfectly.
"The Alpha! It looks stronger than I thought!" Natsu said with amazement, but his face showed the opposite. He seemed to be contemplating his choices. Natsu was smart when he wanted to be, and now was one of those times for him to be the smartest!
"Happy, sit back! This is going to be a hard one to handle!"
"Aye, Sir!"
Flames wrapped around Natsu's hands with a sizzling sound. The flames seemed to be a deeper shade of red, almost a burnt-orange hue. Natsu knew he needed to plan his course of action here and switch from child to man!
If he wins this, he could show off to Gray!
Still a child!
Natsu knew that despite his formidable Magic, he was not the strongest person. Far from it! He needed to prove here that he could handle A-Class Quests without trouble. After all, Alpha Blizzardverns was regarded as an A-Class Magical Beast. He had to beat it up and carry it back to the guild as proof.
No sweat, right?
Natsu and the large Blizzardvern locked eyes. Their determination to win this fight was as clear as the cloudless sky. Sparkles of fire radiated within them as they prepared to launch their attacks.
And a good distance away, Akuji surveyed the upcoming fight with a stern expression that hid his excitement.
END
AN: I have up to Chapter 5 done, but I'll upload those later. Sorry for delaying this. This was more of a Natsu-focused chapter. The next two chapters will really be fun to read.
Phuntsok8733: I appreciate the help on the Bone Magic spells. Those are all very good, and I also had similar ideas.