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Dance of the Dragon King

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one

NOVEMBER 10th, 2021

I feel as though life is almost meaningless, empty. I try my best, Mama, but I'm twenty now and the bounty for me has doubled. Father hasn't stopped trying to track me down. I'm thankful for the safehouses you kept secret from him but, as always, he finds a way — a way back into my world.

I can't hold down a job for longer than two weeks due to the fact I'm constantly moving around the country. I have no friends, no formal education and no one to lean on. Maybe it would be best to go back and marry the first man he suggests? At least I would have a home, and my children could grow up happy and unburdened. I may not be able to love my husband, but he would take care of me.

No. I apologise for thinking that. You must be rolling in your grave right now. I assure you, my resolve may have weakened but I will keep fighting. I will not let someone dictate my life. I'll manage, somehow. My only regret is not bringing more books. This boredom will kill me if my own clumsiness doesn't.

Love, Lucy.

DECEMBER 25TH, 2021

I've moved to Marseille, in France. While reading through your journal, I found the address. I will admit that it took longer than I may have liked to translate your message, mother, but I managed. I think I will be safe here. Father never knew about the French lessons you gave me. While here I will visit the graves of both my grandmother and great-grandmother. It saddens me that you were not able to be put to rest where you grew up, but I will purchase some lilies and leave them behind in your stead.

It's beautiful here. I hope I can stay for a while.

Love, Lucy.

MARCH 1st, 2022

Happy New Year, mother. Regrettably, I have bad news. I've received word from Suppeto that father is close to discovering my current location. I don't want him to find this beautiful cottage, so I will leave France and go to Tokyo. There I will change my name and try to simply fade into the hum of Japan. Marseille is stunning, but I fear my presence here will stand out. I will be returning here one day, that I am sure of. I only hope the home you built for me here survives should Father manage to pinpoint my exact location.

Love, Lucy.

APRIL 13TH, 2022

Tokyo is loud, bright and much too crowded. While those conditions may be ideal for someone who wishes to disappear, I'm afraid my heart craves some place that is wintry, quiet and secluded. Beggars can't be choosers, though, I suppose.

Ah, I almost forgot. It is still a little too dangerous right now for me to seek out employment, so I may have found a solution for that. A Japanese game designer going by the name of Zeref has finally launched his software that enables a person to experience complete virtual reality. The invention is called the R-System, a piece of head gear that allows access to the user's brain and can then send fake signals to the five senses, and can also block every command from the brain to the body. The experience is called Complete Immersion, and it sounds rather exciting. I've purchased both the R-System and the first VRMMORPG also developed by him, 'Dance of the Dragon King'.

Maybe using this virtual reality, I can regain some of the freedom and the childhood I lost. It's currently half-twelve in the morning, and in another thirty minutes, the servers for DoDK will officially be open for those lucky enough to have landed a copy.

Wish me luck!

Love, Lucy.

Lucy signed the letter with a small flourish, sealing it in a powder blue envelope and storing it with its unsent siblings. The digital clock ticked incessantly by her bedside, condescendingly counting the minutes. The excitement caused her knee to jitter, bare foot tapping against the soft carpet. Had she been back home, she would surely have been struck for acting so immature, like a little girl excited for Christmas and not the heiress of a multi-million-dollar franchise.

The thought dampened her mood slightly, and Lucy pulled a face to banish the memories. At quarter-to-one, she gathered snacks and water bottles for her bedside. As the forums had informed her, hunger and thirst were still a problem whilst in Complete Immersion. Though the food that could be purchased in-game dampened the effects, it merely replaced the sensation of hunger with satisfaction. Once she logged out, she might find her body back in the real world to be starved and dehydrated if she ignored the in-system warnings to take a break.

Her alarm clock chimed at ten-to-one, and Lucy dived for the R-System. While it calibrated, she stretched out on her bed, a thin blanket draped around her shoulders to keep the chill at bay. A small tinkling sound was all the warning she got before an assault of colour and sound robbed her conscience from the cramped and bare apartment.

Language: English/Japanese

System check: confirmed

Sound: confirmed

Sight: confirmed

System Start in 5 ◊ 4 ◊ 3 ◊ 2 ◊ 1

Welcome to DANCE OF THE DRAGON KING!

Please select a name and gender.

Lucy found herself in a monochromatic room, all dull greys and stark gun metal. Floating in front of her, almost hauntingly, was a simple keyboard. She quickly decided on a name, Layla, and set her gender for female. Once the game processed the entry she was led into another room, though this one was comprised of large mirrors. She saw herself there, honey blonde hair and brown eyes, wide hips and full breasts. She dutifully ignored the hauntings of sleepless nights below her eyes and the sickly pallor of her skin.

Please customise your character.

Counters appeared next and Lucy played with the sliders for a minute, slightly horrified as her forehead grew and then shrank. She decided then to keep her appearance fairly vanilla by only changing her facial features slightly. Brown eyes morphed into verdant green, hair lightened to platinum and woven with small flowers down her back. She kept the makeup mostly natural looking; wispy lashes and stained lips complimented feathery brows and a golden highlight.

The outfit came next, and Lucy was pleasantly surprised to find a range of tasteful ensembles to choose from. She decided on the number called Modern 3B, an ensemble of chestnut thigh high boots and a simple draped skirt and halter top, entirely sleeveless and backless. She wondered about the practicality of it three seconds after pressing accept but decided she could change later.

There was another brief countdown as the game connected to the main server, currently the only one. Only ten thousand copies of DoDK were sold as an opportunity for lucky players to play in advance to the rest of Japan, who would have to wait for more servers to be opened shortly.

Welcome to Oak Town!

She was suddenly thrown to the pavement, and Lucy bounced with a shriek. All around her, bright flashes of light erupted, depositing players in much nicer fashions than she. Lucy quickly got up for fear of being trampled, shooting a glare at the brute that unknowingly shoved her. The plaza was becoming more crowded as each second went by, and Lucy decided to forgo the plaza to look around the shopping district.

Swiping her right index finger through the air opened up her menu, and Lucy found she had one-hundred dollars already, or jewel going by the manual. Deciding to first purchase a weapon of some kind and some food, she settled on a simple iron dagger and loaf of crusty bread. The NPC merchants called specials and offered quests, which Lucy quickly and gladly accepted.

The first request was to deliver a package to the butcher from the blacksmith, which awarded her a small fifteen jewel. The next one required a bit more walking, as she was asked by a kind old lady to find her wedding band in the forests surrounding Oak Town. She encountered a few wild boars, and was thankful for a tutorial that activated when one beast started charging her. Following the instructions spoken by an intangible voice, she settled into a wide stance. The voice urged her to keep lightly on the balls of her feet, dagger poised at the ready. She felt slightly silly; after all, she had never had to fight a wild boar with a dagger before, but pushed down the thought in favour of focusing on the agitated beast.

The tutorial instructed her further to take a deep breath and manoeuvre her stance so that her weapon-arm was guarding her chest and non-weapon arm was keeping her balanced. She felt a pressure building in her wrist as a special skill was activated, and it sent her rocketing forward. The dagger buried itself in the boar's side, and the animal shattered into red sparks rather than collapsing into a lifeless heap. She was grateful for that; the thought of killing a living animal still made her feel queasy despite the fact it was all make-believe. A message appeared after, alerting her to the fact she had gained ten EXP points and boar meat, which could be sold to a butcher for a few jewels.

Ten minutes later found her waist-deep in a small creek, the soft chiming of a bell signalling that her quest item, the wedding band, was close. She found it lodged under a rock, but when she pulled her hand from the water, there wasn't a ring.

Rather, there was a key.

Palm-sized and gilded with a rich yellow-gold, the simple key took Lucy's breath away. It felt surprisingly heavy and cool, though the longer she held it she found the warmer the metal became until it was much past natural. The teeth of the key resembled a fish tail, and the handle was shaped like a decorative urn belonging to Aztec ruins. Two twin waves carved into the gold and filled with small sapphires served as the only real clue as to what the key was.

Lucy held it softly as she skimmed through the manual and found no mention of mysterious golden keys buried in streams. She did find out how to 'appraise' the key though, and she swiped the air around the key as if she were pulling up her menu. A banner suddenly flashed in front of her key, as large as her game screen.

Congratulations! it read and disappeared as quickly as it came. A small box had opened in its stead, titled Zodiac Key – Aquarius. There was no monetary value, and there was no option to 'drop' the item, neither was there a weight value.

Go to your skills menu to activate Call Celestial Spirit.

Lucy did just that, and scrolled through the list until she found the skill she was after.

Celestial Gate Keys can be used to call upon Celestial Spirits by swiping the air with the key and clearly enunciating the activation phrase. Silver Keys are the most common and can be purchased in magic shops around Fiore. Zodiac Keys, which tie the spirits of the Zodiac to Earthland through a direct link between the caster and key, are the rarest and can only be found by select players. These players are chosen at random by the game system and it is uncommon for more than two Celestial Maidens to be present in any one server at the same time.

In order to call upon these spirits, a contract must be made up between caster and spirit. This can be done by slashing the key through the air and repeating the following:

I am the person who connects the road to the stellar spirit world. Thou shalt respond to the calling and pass through the gate

Once a contract has been determined, the full command will not be necessary when calling upon a spirit. The caster should only have to say Open, Gate of the_ followed by the spirit's type and name. A full list can now be found in the player manual.

Lucy absorbed the information and brought out her manual again, quickly finding the list of Celestial Spirit Keys which hadn't previously been there. The descriptions were accompanied by rough sketches, and Lucy was immediately able to recognize the golden urn and fish tail amongst the list. Aquarius, Gate of the Water Bearer, it read. Lucy contemplated summoning her new spirit, but decided against it when finding that the sun was beginning to set. Promptly, she found the wedding band a few ways down from where Aquarius' key had been wedged and started back to town.

Only three boars bothered her on the way back, which equated to another level up and several more sacks of meat being added to her inventory. She sought out the elderly NPC quest giver first and was given a crash course in Fiorean marriage, a concept she hadn't known was available for players. She wondered at the ethics of that while accepting the small pouch of jewels, as well as the option to purchase wedding bands from the woman from now on. The butcher was next, and Lucy traded the boar ribs and pot belly for more jewel and some beef jerky, which the NPC assured had a longer durability than the cooked meats.

Just as she was about to prepare to log out, a strange sensation began in her stomach, similar to that of motion sickness. She was only allowed the liberty to marvel at that fact before the street went black, and then she erupted in sea-green light.

She materialized in another stream of cerulean, right in the middle of the plaza. All around her, players were being teleported, some yelling about not being able to log out. Lucy furrowed her brows at this and brought up the menu, clicking the system button and scrolling down to find no log out button. What had previously been there was no more, the empty little square seeming to mock her. Lucy banished her menu as suddenly the plaza erupted in red light, much like when she killed the wild boar in the forest. The ruby shards dripped like blood from the pink sky, coalescing into a large tear drop that quivered. The mass of crimson materialised into a large dragon, with wings that stretched farther than the plaza could contain. Shouts of awe sounded from players all around her, and Lucy herself felt impressed despite the situation.

"Welcome," it roared, "to Dance of the Dragon King. I'm sure many of you are befuddled over the small fact that the log out button has vanished."

Lucy felt herself nodding, Aquarius' key almost burning a hole through the pouch she had bought to attach to her belt.

"This is not a 'glitch', or error. I repeat, this is not an error."

Shouts sounded again, though these ones held varying degrees of anger and confusion.

"I have a test tomorrow, I need to be studying!"

"I have a job interview in the morning!"

"I ordered hot wings to be delivered at six! I ain't missing out on that!"

Lucy chuckled at that, and sought the voice out. All she saw was cotton-candy hair and a blinding white scarf before the player disappeared back into the crowd.

"Silence!" the crimson dragon roared, shock shaking the plaza. Lucy felt herself shrink under the dragon's sneer, suddenly fearing the beast.

"As of now, you are trapped in Dance of the Dragon King until all one hundred and fifty levels are cleared. In addition to that, should your health reach zero points, your body in the real world will perish along with your avatar. A sensor in the R-System will effectively electrocute your brain, rendering you dead within seconds."

The shouts were back, but they were more befitting to the dragon's own roars. Many were pushing others out of the way in their haste to reach the drake, swords unsheathed.

"Should the R-System be forcibly removed, you will also be electrocuted. Three hundred and two players have already perished due to the forceful removal of their R-System."

To prove this fact, news articles in hundreds of languages flashed before them, but the headlines were clear enough to read:

HUNDREDS DEAD AFTER R-SYSTEM FAILURE.

Statement released by game designer confirms Death Game fears.

Award winning actress Jenny Realight killed by popular R-System.

THOUSANDS TRAPPED IN VIRTUAL DEATH GAME.

"I repeat: if you die while trapped, your real body will perish. All one hundred and fifty levels must be cleared before all players are allowed freedom from Dance of the Dragon King."

Lucy didn't think she could take much more. Her knees threatened to give out, but she locked them in place, fists clenching.

"All ethical and profanity filters will be removed and destroyed by the game system, E.N.D. Should you have any more questions, please refer to the game manual. A gift has also been given to all players, labelled Mirror. You can find it in your inventory."

Lucy scrambled for her inventory, and found the Mirror in her miscellaneous quest items. When equipped, she saw her reflection staring back at her in the handheld mirror. It disappeared in a shower of golden sparks as the durability ran out, and Lucy was confused until she looked around her. One by one, the mirrors were shattering and taking stylised character faces with them. She watched a young girl turn into a middle-aged man, a mountain of muscle whittle back down into a prepubescent boy. She caught that glimpse of pink again, and was confused to see the man's strange hair remain even after the mirror shattered. Perhaps it was a glitch?

"Holy shit! My name! It took the names, too!"

The plaza erupted into even more confusion, and when Lucy brought up her menu she found that her previous name of Layla had been replaced with her real name, Lucy Heartfilia. Alarm took her then, and she scrambled to find a way to hide the telling surname. She found no such thing, and quickly closed her menu before any other player could read her shame.

What if her father had spies even in a virtual world? How far would he go to lock her back up again in her tower?

She forced herself to calm down at that ridiculous idea. Her father was currently in Mexico, living in Mexico City to manage the South American extension of the franchise. There would be no possible means for him to know about a Japanese-exclusive game, and even if he did, he would never think she would indulge in such childish practices. She was safe here, possibly safer than she was in the real world.

"Luck be with you," the dragon rumbled over the noise, and disappeared in a blinding shatter of ruby shards.

The silence did not last, as yelling erupted throughout the plaza. This is just some first-day trick! Yeah! See, nothing will happen if I do this! More screams, a shocked gasp. Sobbing. She refused to turn around, the sounds of choked cries confirming her fears: the crimson dragon hadn't been lying. They were imprisoned.

Lucy scurried from the loudness of it all, needing quiet to reign in her emotions. If the dragon had been right, which she knew he was, and they were truly trapped in a death game, then she would need to stock up. Lucy was relying mostly on the skills years of reading fiction and fantasy alike had managed to iron into her young, impressionable mind. The coping mechanism may have seemed a little strange, but it was all she could do without feeling the need to hyperventilate.

She headed to the armoury first and bought some light armour she could use for travel, a complete set in a soft hue of blue and tanned leather. Durable, and sturdy enough to protect her from a sword's blade. Lucy decided to keep her thigh high boots, and instead took them to a cobbler to be reinforced with lightweight aluminium and sturdier wood for the heel. He added iron to the buckles and incorporated a steel toe cap, and she even managed to haggle the price down slightly.

The blacksmith was next, and she traded her iron dagger for a simple key ring from the friendly NPC and purchased a steel dagger which was longer than her previous, and engraved with magical runes. The item description told her that the enchanted blade would deal 5+ stagger damage to any opponent, but the durability was less than that of an ordinary steel dagger. Lucy accepted the compromise though, and decided at the last minute to also purchase a small shock-absorbing leather whip that could wind around her wrist when not in use.

Lucy spotted some players making their way out of the city, but decided against joining them. Instead, she consulted the area map and made her way to the inn. There were still quite a few vacancies left, so Lucy didn't feel so guilty about renting an entire room to herself. The NPC innkeeper summoned a small house pixie called Honeybelle to show Lucy the way to her new home. The small creature glowed a soft pink, no bigger than the finger of a newborn child. Honeybelle tugged lightly at Lucy's blonde hair, small wings chiming as she fluttered about with the vigour of a hummingbird. They stopped at the first door on the second landing, and Honeybelle buzzed happily by Lucy's cheek.

"Thank you, Honeybelle," she said softly, mindful of the other patrons asleep.

The pixie fluttered about for several seconds more around the door handle, before shooting off back to the innkeeper. When she touched the handle, still glowing faintly from the pixie's flight trails, the door swung open softly.

Lucy eyed the modest abode gratefully, feet already leading her to the bed and collapsing upon it. While taking her key ring from storage, Lucy decided to unequip her boots and belt, leaving her in the skirt and halter top. Aquarius' key warmed again when Lucy brought it from her pocket and slipped it onto the ring. Maybe the spirit was eager to set a contract? She would definitely have to call the spirit soon, maybe tomorrow somewhere secluded.

Sleep quickly stole her, and her dreams were unsurprisingly haunted by crimson dragons and scowling businessmen. Several hours later she awoke to a light tinkling noise, and upon further inspection, she pinpointed it to her messages. Confused and bleary-eyed, Lucy read through the short paragraph. It was a system message, informing all players that guilds had officially been unlocked. Along with the message, she found her map stamped with symbols and marked with names. The guilds, she realised, and read a few aloud; Lamia Scale in Margaret Town, Sabertooth in Balsam Village, Fairy Tail in Magnolia.

Lucy closed the message and tried to steal a few moments more of rest, but the sunrise made it hard to do so without sufficient drapes to keep the light out. A knock on her door had her scrambling up, and Lucy pulled the door open to reveal the innkeeper.

"Yes, sir?"

"Breakfast is served, miss," the man said with a sunny smile, and Honeybelle floated the tray into her room with a cloud of pixie dust.

"Oh, thank you," Lucy smiled, offering a few jewels to the NPC. He accepted them and left her to eat the simple bowl of oats, rosehip tea and a small sweet loaf.

Satisfied and well-rested, Lucy equipped back into her boots and belt, ready to head out and start 'grinding', as she'd overheard other players call it. The fields were teeming with small packs of boar and players alike, some already established in impromptu parties. Lucy set to work, using both her whip and dagger in turn. Most players kept to themselves, but Lucy didn't really mind — after spending most of her time alone in the real world, having no friends in virtual reality wasn't too much of a concern. Perhaps it would be a nice change of pace to have a partner to level up with and watch her back, but Lucy would worry about that later. Her only concern was increasing her strength so she could stand a chance against the other, far more experienced players.

She passed four months like this, and Lucy was happy to see her level had increased from level three on day one to level twenty by the end of the quarter. It wasn't exemplary when compared with other players, but Lucy was happy to be moving along steadily. Aquarius had been a big help, for the longer Lucy was able to sustain her gate, the more EXP she was granted. So far, she hadn't found any more keys or any other Star Maidens, but Aquarius had more than enough sass to make up for that.

Most humbling was the news that one thousand players lost their lives in the first month alone, and despite that sacrifice, the first boss had yet to be cleared in the dungeons just outside Oak Town. During her time in Oak Town, Lucy hadn't felt ready to participate in a party clearing the dungeons, but after all her training, finally thought she was able. Her whip and simple dagger had been upgraded in the first month of levelling, and now she carried a lightweight dagger, longer than most and curved to contour her forearm. A full-sized whip swung on a fast on her belt, her first whip wound around her arm like an elaborate arm band.

That morning, Lucy was ushered into the plaza by a group of players she vaguely remembered from the hunting grounds outside the forest. When they reached the plaza, Lucy was surprised to find someone had reset the settings of the plaza to make it resemble an old amphitheatre. In the stadium stood a warrior woman with scarlet hair, equipped with a pristine set of armour Lucy had never seen the likes of before. Her presence commanded attention, and Lucy was slightly nervous about what was to come. Would it be bad news?

She joined the other players seated on the stone steps, who were all as confused looking as she was. Fifty players had gathered, most of whom Lucy could recall seeing while levelling or walking about town. There were a few new players though, and she could only assume they came from outlying villages around Oak Town.

"Has everyone gathered?" the woman with the scarlet hair called, and the assembled players all glanced around nervously at each other. The woman nodded to herself then, before clapping her hands loudly once to gain their attention again.

"My name is Erza Scarlet, though most of you may know me as the Titania," she introduced, and Lucy noted that many players erupted in startled whispers.

"The Titania is here?"

"She got the furthest in the beta test, didn't she?"

"I heard she took down an entire mob of type-A beasts single-handedly."

"I have gathered you all here today so that we can plan a full-scale attack on the level one boss!" she declared, and was met by a poignant silence.

"You've scared them to death, Erza" a teasing voice called from the front row, and Lucy spotted pink hair and a white scarf.

Erza glared at the man, before continuing her speech. "My team and I have been scouting the dungeons leading up to the boss room and can confirm that it is nothing like the beta. Had it been exactly like the beta version, my team and I would have had no qualms clearing it ourselves. However, we are only few and helping hands are imperative to our cause!"

Silence followed once again, broken only by the cackles of the strange pink-haired man.

"My team," Erza stressed, and the command pulled the players in the front row towards her, "and I would greatly appreciate all the help we could get. Before making up your mind, please stay seated and listen to our plan before making any final decisions."

Erza's team consisted of the pink-haired man, though Lucy was hardly surprised considering how comfortable he was with aggravating the Titania. Beside him stood another man, though this one was strangely shirtless and kept pushing a mop of dark, midnight blue hair from his eyes.

"Gray will explain the details of the plan," Erza cued the dark-haired man, and he spoke with a disinterested-sounding voice.

"The mobs have already been cleared. Should they regenerate, they will be easy enough to plough through without risking too much health. The boss itself is still an unknown; in the beta, it was a giant werebear type beast. Your guess is as good as mine at this point."

"I hope it's a dragon," the pink-haired one interrupted, eyes wide and the grin on his lips near-feral.

"Natsu, no interrupting!" Erza scolded.

The man, Natsu, simply cackled again and Lucy gasped when a flicker of flame began to dance along his clenched fist. The other players weren't as surprised and shot her annoyed looks. Of course, leave it to Lucy to forget they were trapped in a magical death game.

"As I was saying," Gray glared at Natsu, gaze frosty enough to make even Lucy want to duck her head in shame, though it seemed not to bother the pink-haired man, "we will go in teams of four or five. Usually, mobs will also spawn with the boss; if we're lucky, we won't have to deal with cannon fodder. If not, then three parties will focus on dealing with the mobs while the rest take the boss. You keep whatever items are dropped for you and at the end, we will share the jewel evenly amongst everyone. Whoever lands the last hit on the boss gets to keep the rare item drop. Is that clear?"

A few questions were fired off, and Lucy listened intently to each, storing the answers away. It took several minutes for the full cycle of questions to teeter off and then they were left to group into parties. Lucy blinked in slight confusion as she found herself the odd one out, everyone else having quietly made parties during the question round. Slightly uncomfortable, she shifted in her seat. If all the other parties were full, then she would just have to join Erza and her team. She quickly made her way towards them, smiling a little disjointedly as she watched Natsu cram a whole turkey leg in his mouth.

"Do you have a question?" Erza asked, and Lucy nodded her affirmative.

"Well, it seems that we had odd numbers… and Gray said that he wanted parties of at least four to five, so I didn't think it would be that big of a deal if I could join yours? Just for this boss, I swear. You'll hardly notice I'm there."

Throughout her ramble, she hadn't noticed Natsu's eyes going wide with each word he spoke, until he finally erupted in laughter. "What a weirdo!" he guffawed, and Lucy felt the urge to go over and slap some sense into him.

"I understand if you're not exactly partial to having such a new player in a group like yours. Really, it is. I could go solo."

Erza simply shook her head with a small smile, miniscule enough that Lucy had to peer closely to see it. "We would love to welcome you in. Perhaps you'll learn a few things or two."

"I'd like that," Lucy said softly, relieved that they had agreed. Erza sent her the party request and Lucy accepted without a second thought.

"Lucy," Gray drawled, peering at a point just over her shoulder.

She frowned at that, not seeing anything to indicate where he had read her name. Erza, having noticed, instructed Lucy to gaze carefully at the place her health bar would be, and to her surprise, she found all three members' health bars beneath her own. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed Natsu was poisoned, and questioned the man himself.

A grin split his lips, understanding dawning upon him. "It means I can't be poisoned, see that little symbol thingy? It's Greek, I think."

"Wow," Gray drawled, "I didn't even think you knew English."

Natsu simply flipped Gray the bird, his dark eyes seeking out Lucy's. She almost shrank back but stood her ground, shoulders squaring up. He eyed her for a while, walking circles around her prone figure as if searching for any faults. Finally, he hummed, "You'll do."

Lucy chose to ignore that comment, though her cheeks puffed up slightly with the effort.

"Natsu will mark the dungeon entrance point on each party leader's map. It will take forty-minutes on foot to reach the dungeon, so leave Oak Town at five in the morning. The sooner we clear this level, the sooner we can go home. Understood?" Erza directed to the gathered crowd of players, and this time was met with a weak rally cry.

"That's better than nothing, I suppose," Gray drawled, slapping Natsu once on the shoulder and walking off towards the plaza entrance.

Lucy chose to stay, watching Natsu and Erza interact with the players. Gazing upon them now, she could clearly see the tell-tale traits that marked their prior experience in the beta test: Erza's confident directions, Natsu's lazy manner of talking each party through the plan once more, their confident postures and advanced equipment. She wondered how many beta testers had been trapped; perhaps she could ask for some training from one?

"Yo, Luigi," a voice called, and Lucy's brows raised when she realised it was Natsu.

"My name is Lucy," she tried to sound patient, but Natsu's blasé mannerisms really grated on her nerves for some reason.

"Yeah, yeah," he waved her off as if she were merely an annoying fly, "the rest of us are gonna get some dinner. You interested in joining?"

Truthfully, she was more than tired of crusty bread and leathery beef jerky. Surely, as beta testers, they knew of wonderful diners and restaurants? "Sure," she replied eagerly, a smile brightening her eyes.

Natsu grinned back at her, wrapping a hand around her wrist and dragging her off to where Erza and Gray waited. His grip felt stifling warm, and Lucy eyed the tan appendage. Her mind went back to the moment when she had seen flames dancing along his fist like an eager serpent, and wondered if that strange talent of his affected his body temperature. She would ask him later.

"So where are we going?"

That same feral grin split his lips, and Lucy blanched when she saw fangs peeking from behind his top lip.

"There's a barbecue house near Phantom Lord that we usually go to. You'll love it!"

"And, what's Phantom Lord?" she asked curiously, and Natsu's gaze met hers sharply.

"You really don't know anything," he hummed. Lucy squirmed to yank her wrist from his grip, and he allowed the action, arms coming to cross over his chest.

"This is my first time playing any kind of video game, be it virtual or not. I'm sure you can cut me some slack for that," she bit back, and could feel annoyance flushing her cheeks.

Natsu smirked a little. "Sure thing, Luigi."

Lucy breathed a deep breath, recognising the mischief in his eyes. With eyes closed, she tersely asked, "So what is Phantom Lord?"

"It's a guild," Natsu said flippantly, and when she opened her eyes she noticed a slightly distant look to his, "one you should stay away from. They're not the nicest type of people."

She frowned slightly. "But, I thought all the guilds in Fiore were 'good'?"

"Most are. But there's still a couple legal guilds that don't exactly give a shit about the law."

She stored that information away, and was about to ask another question when Natsu erupted.

"Man, I'm not good at explaining this stuff! If you wanna know more, Mira can just show you," he rubbed his stomach then, covered by a simple tunic, "I'm hungry. Let's hurry up."

Once again, she was dragged behind him as he darted off, her wrist snagged in a calloused grip. He pushed past most other players, a force to be reckoned with. She was flung into his back when he stopped suddenly, nose bouncing off his shoulder blade. She let out a cry at that and rubbed the spot, shooting him a glare. Natsu just laughed with eyes alight with amusement.

"C'mon, Luce. I'll pay since you're a newbie and all."

He disappeared through the doorway before she could reply and she followed after a moment's pause. She spotted Erza and Gray just turning the corner, and was about to wait for them when a tan hand closed around her upper arm and yanked her through the door.

"Natsu, calm down!" she cried, almost toppling over. This time he caught her, sparing her nose from smashing into his collarbone.

"Hurry up," he whined, and pointed at the menu above their heads, "pick something."

Lucy skimmed the menu quickly before deciding on charred boar cutlets. Natsu pointed at the sides menu before recommending the loaded potato skins, which he ordered despite her refusal.

"I'll eat them if you don't want them," he managed around a complimentary bread roll. Lucy simply thanked him for the free meal and wandered off to where Gray and Erza stood by a booth, presumably reserved for their group.

Dinner was a quiet affair, each party member focusing on enjoying their meal rather than conversation, which came later over tea and coffee.

"So, Lucy," Erza addressed, carefully pouring the first mug of tea from the large pot. "I overheard that this is your first time playing any sort of video game?"

Lucy blushed, playing with the thin handle of her fine teacup. "Yes, it is."

A red brow raised, and Gray let out a low whistle. "You got some crappy luck," he uttered, and Lucy wholeheartedly agreed.

"In an age so technology-driven, I find it strange for a person to not be familiar with video games, given their popularity. I wonder, how does such a thing occur?" Titania mused aloud, absentmindedly stirring the contents of her teacup with a beaten copper spoon.

"Well…" Lucy began, stumped as to how she could answer Erza's question without revealing her life as a runaway, and the restrictions caused by constantly needing to stay hidden from a man in possession of all means possible to drag her back. Deciding on a somewhat overused response, she said as carelessly as she could, "I was raised by strict parents. There wasn't much time for games when there was studying to be done."

Erza hummed in acceptance, nodding her head as she agreed with Lucy, "Ah, yes. My apologies, perhaps I should have realised sooner. Truthfully, I had rather strict parentals, but I was always dragged from my studies to play videogames by these two here," at that, she gestured towards Gray and Natsu, a fond smile lifting the concentrated frown from her lips.

"Yeah, and we got beat up every time," Gray snorted, meeting Lucy's gaze playfully. "I mean, we were just the annoying neighbours. She didn't have to even answer the door."

"Speak for yourself," Natsu mumbled around a mouthful of loaded potato.

"Sorry, I meant to say the annoying kid next door and the dumbass from across the street."

A small scuffle then ensued, stopped only by Erza when Gray moved to stand up. "Boys," she hissed, "can we not enjoy a nice dinner without the two of you acting like children?"

"Now you're asking for the impossible," Natsu drawled lazily.

One final sharp look from Erza quietened the men down, and dinner was once again a silent affair. Erza offered to walk the girl back to the inn, but Lucy refused, deciding that she needed solitude once again after such a busy day. She wished her team well, waving them off from outside the restaurant, and she stayed until their figures disappeared around the corner.

As she began her walk home, the sun began its descent. Lucy took several moments to savour the sight, raising her face towards the heavens. The sunset was rose-golden, washing the streets with pale russet. Her skin glowed with the tinge, making her feel as if she were carved from precious metal and set upon a mighty mountain, forever keeping vigil over mankind.

The thought teased another smile from her lips; even here, trapped in a game where an empty health bar meant death, she still managed to find herself getting caught in daydreams.

With one final look at the sunset, Lucy hurried back to the inn, where she would force herself to sleep despite the nerves fluttering in her stomach. Tomorrow would be a momentous day; the first dungeon of one-hundred and fifty.

AUGUST 16TH, 2022

Her alarm woke her at four-thirty, and Lucy shivered as a frosty chill crept from the open window to wrap around her bare skin. She was quick to equip her light armour, loaned to her by Erza after they ate dinner together. Her belt clung to her hips tightly and Lucy smiled as Aquarius' key swung from the ring studded into the leather. She decided against staying for breakfast, and instead nibbled on a buttered honey roll as she left the inn. She made sure to set a waypoint for the mark Erza made on her map, and was pleasantly surprised when another pixie was summoned.

This one was called Wayfinder, and she was golden much like Honeybelle, the house pixie. Wayfinder fluttered a few times by Lucy's ear, chiming wings tickling Lucy's cheek, before zooming off. A golden trail was left by her wings, and Lucy hurried to follow the pixie before the stream of twinkling lights faded into the morning darkness.

Wayfinder took her through the dense woods, past a rushing brook and through a small gully. Lucy balanced precariously on the rocks, hands grasping at exposed tree roots. Wayfinder waited by the mouth of the gully, urging Lucy forward with encouraging chimes of her bell-like wings. Finally, she managed to scale the rocks, and was not able to even gain her breath before Wayfinder fluttered off again.

Lucy groaned but picked up the pace, and soon enough Wayfinder stopped in front of a large cave. There was a name etched into the stone by its entrance — The Cradle. Lucy shivered as another cool wind nipped at her fingertips and she hurriedly equipped a simple pair of leather gloves, a quest item rewarded to her after assisting the stable master. Wayfinder slowly disappeared back to wherever she came from, and Lucy ignored the slight pang of loneliness that followed.

The clock on her menu indicated it was only half-five; she had another ten minutes before players started to slowly trickle in from the path leading south. Lucy settled in to wait, biding her time by reading through the manual again. Nerves danced in her stomach in the form of butterflies, and she rubbed at the skin anxiously. She would be lying if she said she wasn't scared — if something went wrong, she would lose her life. There would be no second chances, no opportunities to simply retry. One poor decision could bring death.

At quarter-to-six, parties began to emerge from the southern forests, more than a few muddy and yawning widely. She was surprised to find that her party were not amongst the players here, given Erza's speech about punctuality the day before leaving the amphitheatre.

"Hey, you're that chick that's partying with the beta testers."

Lucy directed her gaze upwards, where the very same brute who pushed her over the first day towered above her. Lucy simply nodded, cautiously folding her arms across her chest.

"What are they like?" he questioned eagerly.

"They're like normal people," she said simply, shrugging because really, they were. It was a fact she learned while dining with them, in which Natsu has sneakily stolen food from Gray's plate and had a drink thrown in his face by the other man.

The brute watched her carefully. "But they're beta testers. Aren't they, you know, up themselves?"

Lucy remembered the way Erza had offered her a bite from her fruit tart and decided that no, they weren't selfish. She was saved from answering, however, when the familiar voice of Gray piped up.

"How about you ask them yourselves?"

Lucy frowned when she realised a crowd had gathered around her and the brute, who had the decency to at least look ashamed.

"We will not tolerate any school yard behaviour," Erza declared with a steely glare. "We are not simply playing a game anymore. We are playing for our lives. Let this be your first and last warning."

Natsu came forward and gathered Lucy's wrist in his hand again, gently leading her away from the crowd of inquisitive players. He flashed a grin and mumbled a soft apology for being late.

"Now, is everyone accounted for?" Erza called, and each party leader raised their hand.

"That's everyone," Gray confirmed, and ruffled Lucy's hair gently. "We got held up back in town. You ready?"

"Yes," she affirmed, squaring her shoulders.

Erza nodded and took the first step into the cave, followed by the rest of their party and the other players, who weren't as thrilled as the Titania. When Lucy stepped through the mouth of the cave she was greeted by a perpetual darkness, only broken when Natsu lit a fist ablaze. Lucy moved aside to let him squeeze past, the narrow walls of the tunnel constricting even miniscule movement. His chest brushed against her shoulder, her scabbard almost getting hooked in his long coat. He chuckled as she fumbled to untangle them, and that small laugh seemed to lighten the heavy tension.

Their footsteps echoed as the tunnel widened and gave way to a wide cavern, disjointed sunlight dripping through the cracked rock above them. She heard a player behind her let out a low whistle, and when she looked to where Gray was pointing, she understood why:

A stone door stood in front of them, glowing a verdant green. Tree roots wrapped around the aged boulders, forming a central lock in the shape of a hand. Erza was the only one brave enough to entwine her fingers with the skeletal hand, and Lucy's breath caught when the shamrock streams, almost like veins, began to pulsate like a heartbeat. The tree root-hand released Erza after several moments of tense silence, thankfully allowing her to push open the door.

On the other side, all was dark, which wasn't much of a surprise. Spooky darkness in dangerous areas seemed to be a common theme in DoDK; Lucy would be more surprised if she stepped into a brightly-lit dungeon. She took a small step further in after Gray, and was thankful when small twinkling lights rose from the ground to line the room. Even dimly-lit, the boss room was impressive — a great tree stood in the centre, twisted roots stretching up the stone walls and covering what little smattering of natural light there was. When she focused her eyes, she found that a throne had been carved into the tree.

Sitting upon it was a lifeless monster, its body comprised entirely of tree limbs and branches. It sported large biceps and muscled thighs, twiggy fingers as long as Lucy was tall. Erza drew her sword and muttered something under her breath, and as Lucy watched luminescent wings sprouted from her shoulder blades, large enough to wrap around the both of them. A burst of heat alerted her to the fact Natsu had lit his fist on fire again, and she looked at Gray to find his hands glowing a winter-blue. Frost crawled along his fists and up his arms, fog wrapping around the area around him. Lucy stepped away from the frigid air, drawing her blade and whip.

The monster's eyes suddenly glowed violet, and its name and health bars blinked to life by its head. Lullaby, it read, and Lucy counted two health bars. A roar left its monstrous maw, rivalling that of the crimson dragon from the first day.

"Alright!" Natsu declared, bravely turning his back to address the crowd of shell-shocked players. "Fight hard! Never take your eyes off the enemy! Make sure your party stays safe! No one has to die today, so let's hurry up and take this lug of timber out so we can move on!"

He didn't wait for an answer, instead charging forward along with Erza. Gray stayed back to direct the other players, and Lucy helped him organise the tank players to form a shield wall that effectively trapped Lullaby in one corner of the expansive room. All magic users were brought to the front lines, while the weaker players stayed back as support for the shield wall. Flashes of colour erupted everywhere; sunset-orange, cool blues, red wildfires, emerald streams.

Lucy joined the first group of swordsmen charging for Lullaby's thick legs, swallowing her fear and praying it didn't show on her face. She couldn't hear past the rushing in her ears, purely adrenaline-fuelled. Trusting her instincts would be her best bet. She struck her whip once on the ground, uncoiling it with the motion. A second later she was clumsily attempting to wrap the leather around Lullaby's right leg. Luckily, one of the spare players from the shield wall noticed and he rushed forward, helping her tug on the leather once she had successfully coiled it around one trunk-leg. She groaned with the effort, and could barely hear the rallying cry of the player assisting her cause.

Bodies pressed against hers as players squeezed in, hands wrapping around the taut leather and tugging. It took an entire party to help her get Lullaby to one knee and once they had, swordsmen rushed forward, hacking at the thick coils of wood wrapped around the sturdy trunk-leg of the monster. Lullaby roared in pain, one clawed arm swinging towards them. Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, expecting to be tossed to the other side of the room like a rag doll. Could she survive a hit like that?

A stifling heat exploded just by her face and Lucy opened her eyes again, finding Natsu there. His entire body had caught alight, and in his right hand, he gripped a blazing sword. "That was close," he wheezed, out of breath.

Lucy's mouth gaped before she finally managed to stutter her gratitude, tightening her hold on the whip in her hands. Natsu charged forward again, joining the swordsmen and their assault of Lullaby's leg. Lucy looked around at the battlefield, and promptly sputtered when she found Lullaby's arm, the very one that almost cleaved her head right from her shoulders, detached from the monster's body and shrivelled up at her feet.

Natsu had cut the limb right off.

She swallowed heavily, following him with her eyes as he lithely dodged Lullaby's attacks, almost dancing as he moved about the room. Lucy realised then that some people were just born for the thrill of battle, and decided that she certainly wasn't one of them. The whip dug into her skin, and she could see blood beginning to trickle from her clenched fists. Her legs burned where the muscles were tensed, supporting her weight as she leaned back into the chest of the player behind her. Her arms were sore from extorting all her strength into keeping Lullaby on one knee.

But she couldn't deny how her heart seemed to thrum eagerly. She felt light despite her aches and pains, almost as if she could sprout wings like Erza and soar. It was the most fun she'd had in years, so she supposed she could ignore the rush and roar of the battlefield.

Natsu managed to disconnect Lullaby's leg from his knee, and those who had hands wrapped around the whip tethered to it fell back. Lucy was glad she was the first in front, and managed to scuttle sideways before she could crush the unfortunate player behind her. She left her whip where it was, knowing she would have the opportunity to gather it later, and joined Natsu by his side as he scanned Lullaby for any weaknesses. Surprisingly, it was Lucy that pointed it out.

"There! By its left shoulder! Do you see where the vines sink inwards?"

"Luce, you're a genius!" he declared and surged forward, adjusting his grip on the blazing sword.

Erza joined him, having heard Lucy's shout, and she twirled a blade in her hands fluidly. The Titania's wings carried her upwards, beating the air around her and causing gusts that danced through Lucy's mussed hair. Gray kept Lullaby distracted on the ground so Natsu could climb up the monster's back, using protruding vines as hand and footholds. Players all about her rushed in, blades extended, shields up. She joined them not a moment later and drove her dagger into Lullaby's side. One entire health bar had been depleted already, leaving only another three-quarters of the remaining bar.

She could almost taste the victory, bittersweet and light on the tip of her tongue. Natsu had reached Lullaby's shoulders by then, and lithely he flipped around, one arm wrapped around a protruding root on Lullaby's neck his only form of support. He wasted no time. With a roar, he drove his blade into what Lucy assumed to be the monster's heart. Erza's blade followed next, and she stabbed right to the hilt of her katana. The roar Lullaby let loose was earth-shattering, near blood-curling. Point by point, the health bar drained until it hit zero and Lullaby shuddered. Ruby shards rained down on the players as Lullaby shattered to pieces, filling the room with crimson light.

Gracefully, Erza lowered herself to the ground, sheathing her katana. Natsu was less regal and flopped to the ground bonelessly with a long sigh. "Damn, that was intense," he said, breathless.

Lucy, despite her own injuries, rushed forward and tipped a health potion to his lips. The fall from atop Lullaby had taken a large chunk from his health bar, leaving him in the orange-level.

"That was a little careless," she chastised, but offered him a bright smile.

"That was exhilarating," he added.

A cheer erupted from the players behind her, and Lucy turned to see a large icon reading Congratulations hovering in the air. A separate box blinked in front of Natsu and Erza, showing them the EXP they had won. Erza sacrificed her item drop to Natsu, whose sword had been broken during the final assault and as Gray promised, the jewel earned was portioned evenly to each player.

They all left a little weary, but relieved nonetheless. Thankfully, no player had lost their lives in the first boss battle, and the players that had remained in Oak Town welcomed them with cheers. Lucy left her party then, shying away from the festivities and decided to instead head back to her room in the inn. She equipped into a simple night gown and slippers, taking a pillow and a braided wool throw rug with her out to the balcony. After the exhilarating battle, she decided she needed something to calm her down. While joining the festivities below could aid in her endeavour, she suspected that the incessant cheering and yelling would only grate on her worn nerves.

Much like when she was a child growing up in London, she spread the blanket out on the balcony floor, reclining back into her pillow. The stars greeted her happily, blinking at her as she studied the constellations. There were two moons in Fiore, a large one so voluminous it almost filled the entire sky, and a smaller one, glowing magenta and no bigger than the moon back in the real world. Stars were also different; they seemed closer, almost like she could reach out and pluck them from the sky like grapes. Her arm stretched forwards of its own volition, fingers grasping at the cool night air.

Crickets began their nightsongs, like a call to prayer. She traced the constellations and let her soul quieten, urged the adrenaline to leave her veins. A party was currently taking place in the tavern, and she could hear the sloshing of honeywine and ale even from the balcony. Her breaths stilled as she strained her ears, picking up on the soft scuttling of foxes in the forest. She felt at peace, and it was almost ironic. After all, who could feel so at-home while trapped in a death game? Most players would not rest until the game was cleared, and she had seen several nearly lose their minds during that first month of imprisonment. Comparing her old life to this new one, she realised why.

Back in the real world, all she ever did was run from her dictating father and his grand plans for her adult life. The effort to evade him took her to all corners of the world: from London to Oslo, Istanbul to Athens, Sydney to New York and most recently, Marseille to Tokyo.

But here, there was no such thing. There were only her, the endless sky and a thousand different opportunities.

"Luce!"

She startled at the abrupt whisper, pulling herself to the edge of the balcony to glance down. There stood Natsu, with slightly flushed cheeks and a mug outstretched to her.

"I brought you some apple cider," he clarified, storing it briefly in his items so he could climb up the balustrade.

Lucy welcomed the intrusion with a soft smile, reaching out a hand to help him up. Gratefully, he took it and almost pulled her over with him as he began climbing.

"Whew!" he exclaimed, collapsing beside her on the blanket.

She accepted the mug of cider, still delightfully warm. Heat spread across her chest as she took a sip, cinnamon and nutmeg dancing on her tongue. The two of them stayed silent for a while, watching the heavens and basking in the night sounds. Lucy was the first to attempt light conversation.

"So… what brings you here?"

She felt him shrug, shoulders brushing hers with the motion. "I saw you up here. Figured you might want some company."

Lucy let that sink in, and wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or his actions that brought upon the sudden surge of warmth in her cheeks. "Thanks," she whispered, setting aside the cider to lay back down.

Gods, how this world had changed her outlook on life. Here she was, lying side-by-side with a stranger, a man no less! What would her father say if he ever caught her in such a position?

"You did well today," Natsu hummed, cushioning his head in his interlocked palms.

"I didn't really do much…" Lucy trailed off, remembering how easily the rest of her party jumped into action.

"For a newbie," Natsu amended, teasingly, and Lucy bumped her shoulder against his ribs.

"You did really well, too," she whispered, feeling the need to return the favour.

Natsu's joyful mood faltered slightly, "I'm just lucky I got to be part of the beta test."

"I don't really believe that," she wondered aloud, continuing her thought process from the battlefield. "I feel like you're the type that could walk into anything dangerous and come out on top. Some people are born for that sort of rush."

"It's not like I do much else, though. Gray reckons I've got ash for brains," he chuckled, and Lucy giggled along with him.

"Perhaps," she drawled, and it earnt her a light shove that almost sent her careening into the balustrade.

"But you're pretty smart," he said, nodding to himself, "even Erza didn't notice that weak spot on Lullaby until you pointed it out. And that thing with the whip, that was really helpful."

"Thank you."

The whisper floated between them for a moment, before suddenly Natsu rolled over towards her. He used his elbow to push himself up and Lucy was sure he would topple over onto her should his balance falter — she doubted it would.

"I've got something to ask you," he declared, and at her nod, he surged forth with his proposition. "You're really smart, but you don't like being in battle too much. I'm not the smartest person, but I'm great at fighting."

"Yes?" she urged, curious as to where this was going.

"How about we partner up?"

The request was simple enough, but it left Lucy speechless nonetheless. He wanted them to become partners? Natsu nudged her again, prompting an answer.

"Are you sure that's what you really want?"

He scoffed, eyes boring into her eyes. "If I didn't like you, then I wouldn't have asked. You're a nice person, Luce. Of course I'd want you as a partner."

"Well," she drawled playfully, "I guess I can't say no to that."

Natsu rolled on to his back and pumped a fist, a victory cry leaving his lips. "All right! We can head out tomorrow and start levelling you up. You need to learn how to protect yourself in case something happens and I'm not there."

"I'd like that," she grinned, settling back to watch the stars once again. When she looked over again, she found Natsu had fallen asleep, mouth wide open and head cushioned on corded muscle.

Quietly, she got up and covered him in a spare blanket, making sure to keep the balcony door open despite the chill it would invite in. She fell asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow, buried beneath a mountain of cushions and quilts.

Strangely, she dreamt of collapsing castles and mighty dragons birthed from roaring wildfires.

Introducing THE DANCE OF THE DRAGON KING, a project 2 YEARS in the making!

I won't even go into the amount of drafting, scrapping, and reworking this fic has gone through. So for returning readers, hello! I am not dead, rather I am very busy!

I'd like to give a HUGE thank you to noseinabook145 for all her hard work as my beta for this! We've juuust about finished her fic Spread Your Wings so if you're after a fresh and first-class take on the Lucy leaves FT cliche then look no further! Not only is this a true-to-canon take on the popular storyline, but prepare yourself to fall in love with three wonderful OC's! Plus, Nalu tension, need I say more? However for those venturing forth, be warned - a dark twist abounds...

The update schedule for this will be fortnightly/monthly (we'll see how long I last). I am not budging from this - given that the chapters are over 10K words each I think you can cut me some slack. Don't be afraid to send in those reviews!

edit 27/08/2018: I've decided to include a preview of Chapter 2 in celebration of how positive and eager your responses were!

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Lucy swallowed another tired yawn, shooting her new partner a nasty look.

When the man promised they would 'train', he really meant that Lucy would be rudely awakened at half-four in the morning, dragged over her balcony and pulled into the woods. Currently she was trudging noisily behind Natsu as he attempted to hunt for breakfast — unnecessarily if you asked her, she did after all have the foresight to pack enough meals for the two of them after seeing off Erza and Gray.

"Natsu, this is ridiculous," she huffed. "I brought food for both of us."

He hushed her, not even bothering to turn around. "That's not the point," he whispered.

"Then, what is?"

Lucy wasn't afforded a reply, as the man suddenly lunged for her. They fell in a tangle of limbs, fall cushioned by dried leaves and moss. Her quick protest was swallowed by Natsu's rough palm, eyes daring her to utter even a peep.

The silence was dense, and Lucy quelled the desire to squirm away. Surely there was a highly logical reason for his sudden attack. If they were to make their partnership work, she would have to learn how to trust him — even if that meant being tackled into woodland waste.

"That was close," he breathed.

Lucy watched him expectantly, and Natsu moved off from atop her, extending a hand to help her up.

"What is wrong with you?"

The man was different from this morning, and even from when she first met him. His eyes had lost the mischievous glint so characteristically Natsu, hardened instead. The way he carried himself had changed; the careless gait widened, knees bent, each step slight, ghosting across the forest floor. There was something predatory about him now — something that Lucy couldn't help but to fear.

His answer was almost guttural.

"I'm teaching you to fear the predator."

"What?" she stammered, frozen.

Natsu's eyes were those of a wolf. "There are things bigger than you and me here, things that are programmed to maim. They won't hesitate like a human."

Twigs breaking, a low hum.

"Fear is what kills, not inexperience or being an idiot."

A tremble, a roar like thunder.

"Learn how to turn your fear into power. Let your feelings become your greatest strength. That is the only way you'll survive in a generated world; by being human."

They broke through the foliage and straight into the clutch of a monster.

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