Ember ↠ Natsu Dragneel

Chapter Four

Erza, Gray, Wendy, Carla, Happy, Lucy, Natsu and Camryn made our way to a desolate region outside of Magnolia, heading for what they considered to be the sanctuary of the mystery woman they'd been pursuing.

The group of Fairies headed for the building concealed away in the forest. The place looked like a rundown mansion ― towering and strong, but dirt and cobwebs everywhere. It didn't take the team long to find the entrance, busting their way in through an already unlocked door.

"Huh, it's already open", Carla denoted.  "Seems suspicious."

"It looks abandoned," Lucy stated grimacing at the dust being kicked up underneath their shoes as they're made therein.

On the chair that sat on was a woman. She had her legs crossed and her elbow resting on the arm of the chair while the hand on the same arm propped up her face as she leaned into it.   Black strands cascaded down her back like molten onyx. Around her face, it was cut a little shorter, feathered to accentuate her perfect elfin features. Her eyes sparkled like storm clouds right before lightning hit. Clouds of grey and blue threatened floods and fury while pupils dilated in passion, eyelashes catching the raindrops. She cared far too much. 

Her face held a complacent expression as if their presence in front of her was nothing she didn't expect. She didn't say anything, though, only watched them patiently. None of the Fairies held their guard down.

 "Killian."

"Thornheart."

The silence was poison to them, for in that void of sound the shallowness of their conversation was laid bare. 

"Camryn, you know her?" Lucy questioned.

"Let's just say she was someone who I used to acknowledge as a friend. But not anymore."  I remarked.

"Are you the one attacking Fairy Tail?!" Erza's voice rang over the room. She had wasted no time in getting the answers they came for.

The dark-haired female let out an exhalation, her self-righteous smile never leaving her face. "I'm surprised it took you all this long to get here. All that waiting was getting monotonous." She lifted her cheek from her hand and sat up straight, legs still crossed. "Welcome to my humble abode, Fairies! I am your humble host, Karmin Thornheart.

"We don't care who you are. We're here to kick your ass!" Natsu screamed.

"What you did to the villagers of Baymere was utterly contemptible. You will pay for your crimes." Erza asserted.

"Really?" Karmin smirked. "What a sham. No amount of power you could ever have could compare to mine."

"You have no power over me."

"You sure about that?"

Camryn didn't know who threw the first punch, but suddenly Karmin's fist was slamming into her face and she sunk into her stomach. Blood pooled in her mouth as she gagged. They stumbled apart for a brief second to catch their breaths before diving back at each other, eyes narrowed in determination.

She dodged her fist and came up with her own; for a brief instant, her cerulean blue eyes widened before she managed to tilt her head back and slam it into Camryn's. Stars burst in my vision but she shook it off, blinding throwing a sloppy kick.

Karmin stepped back, easily evading the kick. "Is that all you got?" she crowed, smirking infuriatingly at Camryn. She growled and threw herself at her, changing direction at the last minute.

Camryn's blood hummed in her veins as determination and anger took over.

"Don't you think you've done enough damage for one day?"

"Oh darling, but what's life without a little drama?"

Without a wKaord, Camryn held up my hands and exhaled. Two balls of fire appeared above her palms. She held her hands out towards Karmin, emitting two flamethrowers towards her. Camryn levitated, spinning around and letting the fire loose.

Karmin sniggered. "Get ready for a real fight."

She aimed a punch at Camryn. She quickly countered, aiming a kick at her. Karmin knocked her feet out from underneath Camryn. She fell on her back and sighed heavily.

She didn't wait for Camryn to catch her breath. She barely dodged the punch in time. But she hooked Camryn's arm in hers at the last second. The momentum caused her to turn around behind Karmin.

Karmin elbowed her in the stomach and moved to twist her arm. She grabbed her around the waist and threw her to one side. She tumbled onto the floor, not expecting her to retaliate. She stared up at Camryn and smirked slightly.

"Not bad," she said, rolling her shoulder. "But this time, you're going down."

She immediately went for an uppercut, using the force from her standing up again. Camryn grabbed her fist in one hand and pinned it behind her back. Camryn wrapped her other arm around Karmin's neck to hold her in a headlock.

Karmin struggled for a few seconds before going for another elbow in the stomach. Camryn crumpled, releasing her instantly. Camryn doubled over, clutching at her stomach. She touched her shoulder, and Camryn pulled her up and over.

Karmin looked up to see Camryn straddling her.

"Actually, you went down," Camryn said. She grinned and stood up.

She narrowed her eyes. "Why can't I move?"

"Gravity's pretty powerful, huh?"

"You fight like a demon freshly sprung from hell."

"Thanks. You're not too shabby, either."

"Until next time, Camryn. She smirked.

The smoke wasn't completely opaque, but its long grey wisps seemed to curl with others that were much darker some near black. These stretching entities would show themselves in short, dramatic eclipses, which hid again the room in full smoulder. And Kamrin disappeared into thin air.