Chapter 16: Battle At The Cannon's Core

Previously...

As he fell down, he cast his wind shield to soften the impact. He then bounced on the cannon as he landed, nearly throwing him off. He requipped his bow to his sword, and latched on to the side. He held on to dear life, until Natsu ran over to him and gave him a hand. He pulled him up, and Ramza breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks man." Ramza said, "Now, how do we blow up this cannon?"

Currently...

Natsu lit up his fist in response and started to pound the front of the Phanom Lord cannon barrel. He grunted with each punch, but he made no dent in the metal.

"I'm barely scratching the surface!" Natsu growled.

"I guess we'll have to destroy it from the inside, huh?" Happy said.

"Hey, that's a good idea!" Ramza piped up.

The three of them dropped into the inside of the cannon, which elongated like a circular highway. They sprinted forward through the metal spirals, until they were met with a large hall that was surrounded by odd spheres. Each sphere had a different color, and a gigantic clear circular glass was in the middle of it all. A large clock was on the ceiling, and it ticked down by a minute.

"Eleven minutes until Jupiter fires." A woman's voice announced.

"They must be using that lacrima to collect magic energy." Happy realized.

"Yeah, but why would they need something as big as that?" Natsu wondered.

"It's probably to fire the cannon." Ramza said, "It's 'cause this cannon doesn't use regular ammo, they use magic power to fire!"

"So, that means we just destroy that thing, right?" Natsu clenched his fist.

"I can't allow that." Their eyes moved downwards, and they saw a man that was covered in a brown coat.

"A guard?" Ramza asked.

"Doesn't matter." Natsu shouted, "Anyone who gets in my way is going down!"

He then leaped down, fire fist aimed at the man.

The man simply chuckled. "I don't think so."

"I don't care what you think, so get out of my way!" Natsu was suddenly hit by his own flaming punch that launched him sideways.

"Natsu! Why'd you hit yourself?" Happy asked, surprised.

"I didn't! My fist just went crazy!" Natsu shot back. He then redirected himself in the air, landing on the ground safely.

"What? How?" Ramza jumped down next to him.

"It seems to me that you're getting in your own way." The guard faced them. His hair was divided in two, each half either being white or black. He also had a streak on his face, and he wielded a sword at his side.

The clock ticked again. "Ten minutes until Jupiter fires."

"Move it, buddy! I've got a cannon to demolish." Natsu grit his teeth at the guard.

Happy flew next to them. "All you two have to do is to shatter the giant lacrima and it won't be able to fire anymore."

The guard snorted. "You can certainly try, but I won't let you."

The clock ticked once more. "Seven minutes until Jupiter fires."

"We're running out of time!" Ramza summoned his bow and notched an arrow.

"Let me do my thing!" Natsu lit up his hand, but he again punched himself.

"Natsu! Stop screwing around!" Ramza fired his arrow, but the guard just swiped it with his sword. "I guess arrows won't work here..."

"I didn't do it! What's going on here?" Natsu flexed his hand and looked at it, scouring for anything wrong.

"Who cares!" Happy flew around nervously, "We don't have much time! Just forget that guy and go for the lacrima!"

"Argh! I'll show you!" Natsu ignored Happy's advice and ran straight at the guard, barreling straight for him with his incendiary punch.

A magic circle appeared in front of the guard and somehow, Natsu's fiery fist turned around like a spinning top, making a whirlwind of fire. The heat was so intense that Happy and Ramza had to take a step back. The guard then leaped forward, kicking Natsu in the gut. The salamander was sent aside to the wall, creating a cloud of dust.

The woman's voice came again. "Six minutes until Jupiter fires."

"I am Totomaru." The guard declared, "And I have complete control over the element of fire."

Natsu stood up from the rubble. "Wait, I bet you're one of those whatchucallit five guys, aren't you?"

"One of the element four." Ramza corrected, then bit his lip. "This is a problem."

"Yes, so any form of fire is my plaything to do as I please." Totomaru smugly said.

"You gotta be kiddin' me..." Natsu scowled.

"It doesn't matter if it's natural or magic. All fire will yield itself to my will alone." Totomaru stood in a battle stance.

Natsu took a stance as well. "Hate to break it to ya, but you ain't controlling mine!"

"This isn't going to go well for you, my dear fire wizard." Totomaru drawled at Natsu.

Suddenly, the multicolored spheres began to glow brightly. They pulsed, then electricity formed in crackles, and directed towards the large lacrima in the middle.

"Oh no!" Happy said worriedly, "It's activating again!"

"Five minutes until Jupiter fires." The woman's voice boomed.

"Crap." Ramza summoned his wakizashi into his hand. "Natsu! Get him!"

"I got it!" Natsu ran towards Totomaru.

"I won't let you! Blue fire!" A magic circle appeared in front of Totomaru, and cerulean flames blasted towards Natsu. The dragon slayer simply opened his jaw and slurped up the hot fire.

"Woah!" Natsu exclaimed, "Never tasted fire like that before!"

"So it's you. Fairy Tail's dragon slayer." Totomaru drawled, then his eyes whipped to the side. Ramza was there, swinging his blade at him. Totomaru blocked the attack by drawing his katana. "As for you, I don't even know who you are."

Totomaru stepped back. "This isn't going to go well for me and the dragon slayer, since we're both impervious to fire. But you on the other hand, are not! Orange fire!"

"Wha-" Bright flames flew from Totomaru's magic circle towards Ramza. He barely had time to summon his Wind Buckler before the flames hit him. As the flames died down, his shield burst into a gust of wind, expended from defending the fire. Ramza was alive, but his clothes were singed in multiple places.

"Ramza!" Natsu shouted, "You okay?"

The wind mage coughed. "A bit cooked, but I'm alright!"

"Why, you!" Natsu ran at Totomaru, but his fists were unlit. They weren't on fire. He punched and kicked, but Totomaru was just too agile.

"Two minutes until Jupiter fires." The woman announced.

"C'mon, you guys! Hurry up!" Happy urged.

"We're working on it!" Ramza and Natsu shot back in unison.

Totomaru blasted another set of flames at Ramza, but Natsu grabbed the fire and gobbled it up. Ramza took the opening and slashed at Totomaru, but he took out his sword and blocked the blow. He then pressed forward on Ramza, and they engaged in a brief, but brutal sword clash.

Metal clanged against metal as they were in a sword lock. Ramza's blade strained against Totomaru's, since his sword was meant for one armed combat. Totomaru, on the other hand, wielded a katana which used both hands, therefore he exerted more pressure. Totomaru broke the sword lock, slashed at Ramza's side, and kicked him. Ramza slammed against the wall, and fell down. He tried to get up, but his body refused.

Totomaru dashed to him, sword gleaming. Natsu stepped in with a kick, knocking Totomaru's sword out of his hands and sticking it into the large middle lacrima. Cracks emerged from where the sword had made impact.

Totomaru scowled. "You think you're so smooth. A small crack like that won't break the lacrima!"

"Yeah, but now you're swordless." Natsu glanced back at Ramza. "Take a backseat. I'll handle this."

Ramza just grunted and summoned his Wind Buckler just in case Totomaru decided to go after him.

"I've got the upper hand now!" Natsu launched himself at Totomaru, fists blazing once again.

"That won't work!" Totomaru casted a magic circle, making Natsu punch himself in the face again.

"Argh!" Natsu shouted, and his flames expanded greatly, covering his foe in fire. Totomaru promptly stepped back, his clothes singed like Ramza's.

"One minute until Jupiter fires." The woman announced.

"Oh no! We're dead meat!" Happy wailed, "It's gonna fire again!"

"Shut up, Happy!" Ramza grunted from the effort it took to speak. "Stay positive!"

Natsu lit up his fists again, flames literally oozing from him. Totomaru just scoffed at him.

"Think you're gonna blast me again? Not gonna happen! I'll keep my distance and control your fire from here!" Totomaru casted another magic circle, intent on possessing Natsu's flames.

At this Natsu only kept on enlarging his flames, making them look like fiery whirlwinds in his hands. Toromaru's face twitched in annoyance, but then put his hands defensively in front of him when Natsu's flames grew about five times in size.

"This is my fire! And I won't let you mess with it!" Natsu, with a deafening shout, threw his flames like a ball towards Toromaru, but it completely missed him.

"Ha! Your attacks are no good if you can't hit the target!" Toromaru taunted.

"I wasn't aiming for you!" Natsu responded with a smug face.

Toromaru's face whipped to where the flames had gone, and the color drained from his face. Natsu's flames had hit his sword embedded in the center lacrima, pushing it in even deeper and making the cracks in it grow larger.

"Oh no!" Toromaru paled.

The woman counted down. "3, 2, 1,"

At the same moment that she said 1, the large lacrima shattered into a million pieces. It created a large explosion that made the ground rumble, and destroyed the Phantom Lord cannon. It blasted the room that Ramza , Natsu and Toromaru had fought in, making it a small battlefield of rubble. Natsu and Toromaru were still facing each other, mostly unscathed, but Ramza was wounded further from the explosion. His Wind Buckler was now dispelled, and he had no more energy to summon another one. Cuts and bruises lined his body, but he was fortunately still breathing.

"Ramza!" Natsu shouted.

"I-I'm fine! Just focus on your opponent!" Ramza forcibly replied.

"You've outsmarted me..." Toromaru drawled.

"Hey, buddy!" Natsu said, "Somebody taught me something about fire magic that you should know. You can never control fire if your heart isn't in it!"

He then lit up his hands again. "I've had enough of you guys messing with my magic! Play with my fire, and you're bound to get burned, ya got me?"

Toromaru glared at him, but then the place that they were all standing on began to shake.

"What's going on?" Natsu glanced around at what was happening.

"The whole place is tilting!" Happy realized.

"Ugh, just great." Ramza groaned.

"He's awakening it right now?" Toromaru said, surprise evident on his face. "But there's no horizontal stabilization in here!"

Natsu tilted his head. "Stabilowhat?"

The ground shook again, sending the two of them falling on their butts.

Toromaru quickly found his balance. "You Fairy Tailers are through! Phantom's giant will slaughter you!"

Natsu didn't reply. He was too busy throwing up in the corner to respond.

"Motion sickness! I forgot!" Ramza shook himself out of his stupor and pulled himself to Happy and Natsu. "C'mon, man! Get up!"

Natsu groaned. "I can't..."

Toromaru laughed. "That's your problem? Motion sickness? Guess you can't eat fire right now, can you? Well then, time for me to finish you off!" He casted a magic circle in front of him.

Ramza grunted with effort. "Not on my watch." He painfully put out his finger, ready to cast any Sacred Script spell.

"Prepare to die!" Toromaru shouted, but he promptly realized that his spell wasn't working. "What-"

His hands began to freeze in icicles, crystallizing into frozen chunks. Eventually, most of his body was covered in ice, besides his face. Ramza's finger faltered in the air, not understanding what was happening.

"What's happening to me?" Toromaru wailed.

"You're not a man," Elfman suddenly dropped in, and punched Toromaru into the air, "You're a backwards shooting snowflake!"

"Who-" Ramza turned his head, and saw Elfman. Beside him was Gray, and was probably the culprit behind Toromaru's freeze.

"Thanks, you guys." Natsu said.

"What's your deal, Natsu? That was just sad." Gray sighed.

"If you were a real man, you would make the giant motion sick of you." Elfman snorted.

"Giant? What giant?" Ramza asked weakly.

"Woah, you're injured!" Gray exclaimed.

"Yeah, you look pretty beat up." Elfman agreed. "Unlike this man!" He pointed to himself.

"Never mind that." Ramza shook his head. "Besides, Natsu blew up the cannon."

"You helped too, dude!" Natsu grinned at him.

Ramza's lips widened in a small smile. "Thanks, but you were the one who did all the heavy lifting."

"So," Gray pointed at the shattered lacrima. "Is this all that's left of the Jupiter cannon?"

"Yep."

Gray sent a grin at them. "Then you guys did good."

"Huh. It must have stopped moving since I'm feeling better now!" Natsu said.

"On that account," Everyone's eyes turned to Ramza's, "I'm not feeling too good. Wake me up later."

And with those last words, he passed out.

............................

And so, we have finished with another chapter. Hope you guys liked it.

Please comment or review below! They are greatly appreciated. Please continue to support me as I continue to write this story.

See you all in the next chapter!