Haruka & The Fairy Tail Guild
The wind was so strong it shook the roof. Makarov looked worried, but stayed quiet. The guild was as lively as ever, even in the dead of night.
"Whoa," Levy commented quietly. "The storm's really picking up out of there."
Haruka nodded as she sat back down at the bar. Despite the laughter, there was a hint of concern in the eyes of some of the Mages. Natsu met Haruka with a wide grin, gingerly kissing her on the lips. She grinned brightly, and the casual intimacy was still so foreign it made her giggle. Next to her, Mira smirked and Elfman roared in approval. No one noticed that Erza was missing.
"Hey, where did you disappear to?" Natsu asked quietly.
Haruka hesitated, thinking back to the somewhat tense conversation with Loke. It felt like betrayal to tell his secret so casually. "I'll tell you later," she said with a meaningful glance. "It's… complicated."
"Oh," Natsu said in confusion, but he didn't press the issue. "Anyways, me and Happy were about to head off now, so, um, are you going…"
His voice trailed off into a mumble. Haruka smirked. "Are you inviting me back to your place?"
"Would you like to come?" He asked cautiously.
She hesitated only for a second, brushing her red hair backwards. Natsu's shirt was unfastened, revealing an extremely well-toned chest, and that was one hell of a motivator. "Alright," Haruka replied quietly. "Let me finish my drink."
He nodded. Sitting on the stool next to Haruka, Cana smirked mischievously, with a sparkle in her eyes. "Play safe, you two," the brunette teased, deliberately loud enough that every one could hear, while taking a large gulp from a keg. "And remember, the oil-based lubricants are always better!"
Haruka blushed madly. Natsu blinked repeatedly. Nearby, Levy just looked confused. "Lubricants?" The petite Mage asked blankly. "What would they use lubricants for?"
Cana just patted Levy on the shoulder. "Oh, sweetie," Cana said kindly, pointing to the other two members of team Shadow Gear. "Why don't you go ask Jet and Droy that question?"
Haruka decided quickly to skip the drink and leave before the conversation became anymore embarrassing. Still, everyone was chatting or arguing friendlily, and Haruka couldn't help but grin as Natsu took her hand in his.
They were just about to leave when they suddenly a thick, musky scent hit Haruka's nostrils. She stopped and shivered. "Wait…" Haruka murmured sniffing the air. "Do you smell that?"
Natsu frowned, nose crinkled. "Yeah, I do," he muttered, his face contorting with the disgusting scent. For a moment, everything turned quiet. "Huh, what is tha—"
A dull, loud thud resonated through the hall. Everybody looked towards the door in surprise. Nobody ever knocked in the guild. The Mages would always just barge through the doors/windows. Frowning curiously, Gray stood up to answer the door.
The wind nearly tore the heavy wooden doors off their hinges, causing the half-naked ice Mage to flinch. In the doorway, small figure the size of a child stood, body cloaked in a large green hood. A dozen Mages stared at the small figure perplexedly. The wind seemed to rumble in the distance.
"Trick or treat," the figure chanted in a hoarse voice.
Gray just frowned in confusion. "You're a bit late for Halloween," he said sarcastically.
"Yeah…" the figure muttered, pushing down his hood. Gray's eyes widened in shock as he glimpsed greyish skin, a snake-like nose, pointed ears and sharp teeth. "That's the trick!"
The Magic pulsed. Gray barely had time to forge a shield of crystal like ice just as an explosion of sand took him straight off his feet. Everything halted just as Gray was sent skidding across the wooden floor.
Every Mage was on their feet in seconds. Elfman roared as his fist transformed into that of a scaly monster, while Cana flourished glowing cards. Haruka dropped into a fighting stance, but Natsu was way ahead of her. As soon as the goblin-like creature took a step into the guild, Natsu was already there and lashing out with a fist of burning flame.
"Bastard!" Natsu roared in fury, his eyes blazing. "No one hurts Gray but me!"
The sand swirled even as fire tore up the floor and the intruder had to skirt to the side. The goblin was laughing furiously, but its eyes were cold. There was a distinctly inhuman scent to it, like rotting flesh. It was outnumbered a hundred to one and surrounded by angry Mages, but somehow it was still laughing.
"You dare to attack here?! " A thunderous voice bellowed. Haruka barely even recognised Makarov anymore as suddenly the Guild Master expanded to a hundred times his normal size. He moved with blinding speed as a massive fist slammed the intruder into the ground. The floorboards shattered. "You dare to attack my children!?"
The goblin didn't stop laughing. They all heard the crunch as bones were broken from the impact, but the creature didn't even seem to feel pain. Its voice was throaty and quiet.
"Oh, we're not attacking you," It muttered venomously, even as Makarov pressed down on him harder. "That comes later. This, this is just a warning."
Outside, the wind was howling like mad. This was unnatural weather, Haruka realised in shock. The sound of that unnerving, maniacal laughter just became louder. The roof trembled under gale-force winds. There was barely time to react.
In an instant, the wind tore the roof straight off. The howl was deafening as suddenly the hall was flooded with typhoon gales. Haruka glimpsed the walls being torn down as the debris scattered everywhere. Between the roar and the dust, she couldn't even glimpse Natsu anymore.
And then she managed to focus on the town. The streets were screaming. Blazing fires tore through the houses. Dark shapes roamed the rooftops. The dread hit quickly as she absorbed the situation quickly.
They weren't attacking the guild at all. They were going after the townspeople. The goblin's laughter was inhuman.
"Shoo, little flies," it crowed maniacally. "You want to save the town, don't you? You'd better hurry !"
The wind was howling like a roar in her skull. In the gloom, she never even noticed the dark shadow flickering over her right until a hand of darkness shot up out of the ground and snatched a dozen Mages away. The disgusting stench was everywhere. Unnatural Magic polluted the night. Haruka felt a cold dread seep through her skin.
Still gripped in Makarov's iron grip, the goblin just kept on laughing even as its bones were pulverised. For a moment, the Guild Master looked uncertain.
"Run!" The goblin screeched madly. "Now the game is on!"