Death of Thunder & The Climb of Fire ♥ (Hera v. Igneel)

A large mountain range panned out on camera, fog settled high upon it's peaks. They were barely visible above it, some mountains covered in trees, some with snow. Some grassy. The Phoenix Mountains, a landscape that few traversed. Random explosions of flames were seen towering higher than skyscrapers out of the fog at random intervals, it was a sight to behold from afar; and peculiar as it was wondrous; the Phoenix Mountains, randomly spiraling towers of flames into the sky for miles on end?

The camera would dip down into the fog, the sound of it rushing by filling the area as it would dip lower, breaking into the mountain range below the fog, and spinning above a lone figure, followed by a smaller one. As an earth shaking roar filled the air, it the sound of crackling fire was heard.

As the camera dipped down lower, it would slow, spinning around the two figures and settling. One was an Exceed, another, a young blonde woman with brilliant amber eyes; her hair on the longer side.

Although the blonde woman appeared to be limping, and blood appeared to be leaking from one side of her mouth. She also had one hell of a black eye, her clothes; were any boys wet dream.

Her mid-section was completely exposed, along with most of her rack; from her clothing being scorched off. One more covered than the other. Her outfit was ripped all the way up to her laced pink panties, visible on one side under her usual black and gold gi, although now it was just pieces of cloth hanging off her body.

With a single step forward, Hera would collapse as her cheek was shown slamming into the ground up close; her one good eye, the other swollen nicely would begin to zone out and roll. The Exceed following her, also seemed hurt badly as one of it's wings were scorched and covered in soot. Although on it's arm, the cat also leaked blood.

Rose would scramble over to Hera, as a flaming tree nearby would begin tumbling down towards them; something had flown by above higher on the mountain, as the tree came flipping down; Rose's eyes would widen as she began to shake Hera; who was unresponsive as the tree tumbled down their way.

Almost out of magic power, herself and unable to fly at the moment; Rose barely managed to ReQup a frankly huge claymore the size of a couch and slice the tree in half as two chunks of the tree slammed apart on either side of them. The Phoenix Mountains were burning all around them. This had to be hell.

Even Rune Knights now were down hundreds of thousands of feet surrounding the base of the mountain range, although a mountain range the distance of ten states or so in the United States all ablaze was not something they were eager to venture forward into. That much wildfire was deadly, and in their mind, anyone caught in the Phoenix Mountains at this time....well, they were as good as screwed. Having evacuated Haunted Village at the base of the Mountain Range, the burning mountain range behind a Rune Knight General was shown as one of his Captain's Rode in on a horse.

Behind him, the burning mountain ranges were shown as he hopped off his ride, a white steed covered in the decorum of the Magic Council and knights. The sound of crackling fire behind him as his horses hooves beat the ground.

"Well? Has the Phoenix re-awoken? It's only supposed to be once an age.....the namesake of the mountains itself is bigger than the Royal Palace in Crocus, it would be impossible to miss.....well....tell me one of your parties saw the thing soaring through the skies....it'll be a tale to tell your Grandkids eh?" the general looked up, rubbing his beard as he turned back around.

The captain seemed......less than thrilled as he looked almost...dazed, afraid to talk. Eventually he snapped out of it and saluted the general who looked concerned.

"N.....No sir. It was something even larger than the Phoenix, at least the size of a stadium or worse. I think.......sir I think it was Igneel." a few other Rune Knights turned their heads, as silence fell over all within earshot, although most of the garrison stationed at the base of the mountain range was still active and going through their drills as they hadn't heard what was just said.

"Igneel is just a myth like the other Elder Dragons....just a story the other Dragons tell to make themselves seem more magnificent than they already are.....dragons love to fucking brag and hoard their treasure and glory...captain." although as he spoke, the captain took off his uniform and pointed back at the entire mountain range burning.

"My father told me stories of both the Phoenix that these mountains are named after, and Igneel!!!! The Phoenix waits patiently for the greatest heroes or villains of the age at the top of of the mountain range, and then tests them briefly, nothing like this! What my scout party and I saw flying around up there was WAY bigger than the Phoenix ever was even in the damn books!"

As the general began ordering him to put his uniform back on under threat of Court Marshal. The rest of his scout party came riding in from the mountains proper, their horses fully freaking out and tossing them from their backs, and then booking it out into the Grasslands; the General watched in disbelief as the Captain ran to his comrades side.

"W-What the fuck happened up there!!!"

"D-Dragon.............DRAGON!!! THE TEETH!!! NO ONE SHOULD EVER HAVE TO SEE THAT!" one of them screamed before passing out as the general got a huge anime sweatdrop comically over his head at the hysteria of the scouting party that had made it out of the mountains. Perhaps his scout Captain wasn't as incompetent as he thought. However, the Dragon hadn't killed any of them, they were all accounted for. Some stories the General had heard himself painted the King of Fire Dragons as a kind being, others as a terrible murderous lizard. None were around from the ancient times who knew truth now. He could only gaze up at the mountains and pray it was the former and not the latter. Nothing humans had could stand up to anything like this.

At that moment, the camera would take off from the thousands of Rune Knights at the base of the burning mountain range and zip upward back up the mountain, spinning back down slowly to Rose at Hera's side surrounded by flames.

"This....this was such a bad idea! Hera please stop bleeding and GET UP!!!" Rose's paws wrapped around her cheek and unresponsive face as she shook her, screaming. "GET UP!!!" at the top of her lungs as tears flung uncontrollably now.

The camera would then zoom into Hera's non-swollen eye, although it was open it had a blank look since she was out cold from shock. As the camera zoomed in, everything went white.

Spoiler:

Hera stood in a green field, a lake nearby, Rose on her shoulder. Looking up to the legend, almost a statue in pure visage. His deep red scales almost sparkling orange in the sunlight. His head was larger than the front of the Guild Hall itself, as he leaned down playfully; which took almost ten seconds to rest his giant head in front of Hera.

Igneel.

With a single sniff, the Dragon would inspect her calmly, and chuckle.

"Definitely a sassy one.....not very sexually active either.....great power......you do smell like the blue haired one....the only human we Dragons had let near us in some time...you claim Heero is your Father?" Igneel, let out an exhale of smoke from his nostrils that covered both Hera and Rose who had to comically fan it away.

"Hm....I don't have the time to lie to someone I want to learn from." she would point a single finger at Igneel, as she spoke again. "Look I......I'm not as strong as my Father was....I should be...but I'm not.....Lightning was.....something that was special to my Dad.......he and my Aunt Alye almost died in a terrible thunderstorm that pulled their house into the ocean riding lightning and thunder the whole way....he was only six at the time, my Aunt was eight....well....my grandparents didn't make it out of that storm.....and my Father told me that one day, his sister my aunt actually admitted too causing that storm when she awakened as a mage herself.......she was a powerful one, both classed beyond S like I am by the Council......and...H-HEY ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?!" Hera stomped her foot.

Igneel was literally snoring in her face, as an extremely large bubble; larger than her, grew and shrank with each inhale and exhale.

"This Dragon has no shame!" Rose said as she swished her tail grinning. "I kinda like em....." she said as Hera shot her a look before turning back and throwing a kick right at the bubble. With an extremely loud POP! it burst, causing Igneel to jump back and roar slightly, expanding his wings in a rush of wind. Calling Hera rude at the same time as he settled back down and curled into a comfortable position.

"WHAT?! I'M THE RUDE ONE?!?!?! TOOK ME FOREVER TO FIND YOU AND YOU FALL ASLEEP IN MY FAC--" as she spoke, Igneel's voice seemed to turn into one like God as it seemed to travel all around her.

"Silence human." the words were actually so loud, the ground vibrated. It shook her straight to her core. "I wished to test your anger, you possess more than enough to harness the fire of a Dragon, but is the determination there as well? Hm...............I listened to your words although it seemed I slumbered. It may be true, you possess the power of a Dragon Slayer, but can you survive the flame? Survive in hell itself? Walk amongst the fire as if it were your own feelings?"

He considered her for a moment, before speaking one final time.

"The Phoenix Mountains, I will be waiting there at the top of them for you. If you survive and make it to the top of the mountain range, where the old Guild Hall of Eclipse Soul used to be.....if you make it to that hallowed ground without me killing you, then I shall teach you how to play with fire young one."

"That's it? Get to the top?" Hera said flexing and grabbing onto her arm anime style.

"The hell is wrong with you? Did you hear him right? This thousand foot Dragon is going to be trying to kill you the entire way up it's not a hike, Hera! It really isn't a hike!"

"Or a walk in the park....." Igneel chimed in, getting a sweatdrop over his huge head comically as he tried his hand at human humor. Rose would shoot him a look, as did Hera; both of them...roasting his attempt with a mere glance. "Tsk....I tried."

"Challenge accepted." as she said this, all comedy faded from the air.

Literally, the wind was all that was heard for about a WHOLE minute. Very awkward indeed. After awhile, Igneel would flap his wings so hard, that Hera actually slid backward, her hair and clothing ruffling wildly. Rose had to hold onto her shoulder to not be actually blown off and away just from Igneel's take off.

He would flap his wings, about 100 ft up in the air, to keep himself steady as he said parting words.

"We shall be enemies when we next meet...I pray you can make it to the top, I shant like to have killed Heero's daughter, although I gladly shall if it means accepting only the strongest as my children. My slayer. You shall not use any Magic to aid in your climb....that one can though, and she may accompany you the entire way." he motioned with a mighty head tilt up to Rose.

With a smirk, Hera and Rose would cutely nod simultaneously, with Rose sitting right on Hera's shoulder.

Another roar.

This one, she actually felt in her chest as it shook her bones, and her very chakra; as Igneel rounded with a single flap; turning his back to her. With another flap; he took off, as a trail of fire licked off his wings and danced away into nothing ness, leaving Hera alone to watch him soar off with Rose. They watched his wings go up and down until he was far off the horizon.

"Hey Rose, do you think I can do this? Learn from an actual Dragon? I'm terrified heh......I mean. If I die....." Rose would pop her on the head with a paw, as Hera bent her knees comically. "W-what the heck man?!" with look that said 'don't talk like that', Hera would rub her head and smile back at Rose as the two began to trot off.

The camera would then go white, as the sound of fire returned.

Spoiler:

UP!!!

At this moment, Hera seemed to regain consiousness. For some odd reason, she felt the need to not go out laying down. Looking down to Rose with a bloodied face and swollen eye, she would begin to limp forward and break into a large clearing.

A building, that had been reduced to rubble by one of their own guildmates. Her mothers best friend, Venir. A woman who'd helped to raise her. Her mom had told her that she and Venir had been members of this guild, but it was just shattered wood and old buildings as far as she could see....and no Igneel.

Tears would well up, even from his swollen eye, as Hera realized Igneel had sent them on a wild goose chase.

"Let's go Rose......." as she turned and began limping back toward the burning areas of the mountain to head back down, she felt the ground move beneath her so much she almost fell again. A large crash behind her, signaled the arrival of Igneel as she turned around.

"You made it....I was fairly certain I killed you more than once...hmmm guess my aim is off....." Hera fumed with anger at the Dragon and balled up a fist, than began to crackle with lightning. "Oh? You wish to strike me in that condition? You have enough magic power for one attack at best as far as I can tell...."

Hera's balled up fist was shown on camera as something strange began to happen; fire began to leak from her fingertips; and eventually her whole arm burst into flames; her fist barely visible through it as Rose's eyes widened, the fire reflecting in it.

"!!!!" would appear over Igneel's head as he looked upon her. Seeing himself in her for a moment as he stared into her very soul, Hera didn't take her non swollen eye off of him as her bloodied lips spoke. She hadn't even noticed the fire on her hand as opposed to the usual lightning. Although FAR MORE, Fire burned than Lightning ever did on her, even with the same amount of Magic Power. It seemed Rose's theory was correct.....she was more attuned to fire than lightning as her dad had been.

Randomly, Hera would sprint forward, taking only two steps as craters and smoke trails were left behind she moved so fast. Moving almost a football field in two steps; she unleashed a punch forward into the stomach of the still shocked Igneel as flames whipped behind her in a fancy whip like trail from just the raw swiftness of her movement.

'Fire Dragon's Iron Fist......'

With the trail of flames still behind her, Igneel literally exploded off of her fist; and went crashing through an entire mountain, creating a cave as he came out the other end....stones stumbling through the new mile long tunnel as he flapped his wings, righting himself as he came out the other side......now extremely shocked as an intense burn mark was on his stomach; flapping himself into the air, he kept himself steady and looked down upon Hera, who was staring up at him; black eye, dropping blood, arm burning with his own fire. The fire she'd clawed her way through and up the Phoenix Mountains through. It was hers now.

Suddenly, her non swollen eye would roll again, as the flames spiraled off her arm into just smoke as she fell forward on her cheek...again, with a flop as a worried look was shown on a split screen between Igneel and Rose both. Igneel would dive from above in the air, flapping his wings steady as Rose would join her side as well. When they both realized she was breathing, they let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.

"Hera...........did you really have to go and...." as if answering for her, Rose would nod without saying a word. Igneel could only smile with his gigantic teeth the size of school buses.

"She's her father's child...for sure." Rose commented.

The camera only showed Hera's surprisingly peaceful face although with one bad black eye and a busted mouth, as Rose had rolled her over. The Exceed and the Dragon standing above her.

As the sun rose over the Phoenix Mountains, Igneel would flap his mighty wings and disperse the flames over miles as if by his own whim or will. It was dawn indeed, as the sun bounced off of the scales of the King of all Fire Dragons in a beautiful burgundy hue. He would open his wings once and let out a roar that could be heard all across Fiore, and possibly Earthland. A new Slayer had been born through fire.

Somewhere in the clouds....a see through spirit could be shown floating there. Blue hair flowing slightly in the ambient wind, long purple scarf blowing in the wind as familiar clothing was shown on camera although transparent.

A single sparkling tear would fall as the spirit looked down upon Igneel, Rose, and Hera. The spirit would turn and float away briefly, before rocketing off into the stars; the camera following it up in a beautiful trail as it became nothing more than a shooting star. A smile was shown on the features of the spirit with blue hair; just before it faded into nothing but light.