Prologue: A Special Mission
"I have an important mission for you," the Master stated, a serious gaze in his eyes. Levy tilted her head, intrigued. Although these types of 'special missions' were far from being an uncommon occurrence, they were usually given to S-class mages or someone nearing their strength. Despite being given the opportunity to become an S-class mage, she was overwhelmingly aware of the fact that, without the aid of Gajeel, she wouldn't be anywhere near strong enough to win against her competing guildmates. That being said… why had the Master requested her, of all people?
"I've received word that some hikers recently discovered an abandoned sepulcher of sorts," he continued. He reached into his desk as he spoke, pulling out a small bundle of papers summarizing the mission and handing it to her. "Its entrance is hidden at the base of a Mount Naga in the Principality of Veronica. Most of the valuables appeared to have been ravaged by pillagers throughout the years. However, they have been able to uncover several books they were able to save with restorative magic. No one is able to decipher the language in these books, much less identify in what language these tomes were written."
Understanding dawned on the bluenette. So this is why he sent for me… Still, another question remained. Her eyes skimmed the papers in her hands in search for the details of the mission, but before she found anything useful, the Master answered her silent inquiry.
"The reason this mission is so vitally important is because these books, along with the tomb itself, are supposedly related to the disappearance of the dragons. With our guild hosting three First-Generation Dragon Slayers, my goal is to discover as much as we can before another guild, or even a raid of bandits, tear this place up and destroy what remaining clues it may hold. You see why I might deem this mission is so imperative to our guild, correct…?"
"I understand," Levy nodded in acceptance. "I accept the mission."
"I figured you would," Master chuckled, but his gaze held somber. "I'm not sending you alone, however. With so much potential value in the information held in these books, it would be far too risky. As a result, I'm sending Gajeel with you. Not only should he be able to fend whatever enemies you may encounter, but his knowledge of dragons may be useful in helping you uncover the meaning behind the texts."
The bluenette struggled to hold her composure, but it proved difficult with the onslaught of emotions flooding her mind at the mention of her teammate for this mission. There was the initial alarm and fear, primarily resulting from her uncertainty of the situation. It wasn't as if it was the first time they had worked together, but she was much more familiar with her usual teammates, Jet and Droy. Trying to work with other people wasn't impossible, but it was always a bit more challenging. Even so, on top of all the uncertainty was a growing excitement. She mentally scolded herself for the illogical reaction, but the thought did little to settle the bubbling happiness at the thought of being able to work with the Iron Dragon Slayer once again.
Rather than linger in her mental turmoil, however, she turned her attention back to the guildmaster. "Does he know about this?"
"Not yet. I'll be briefing him on this shortly. In the meantime, I'd recommend gathering your things and preparing as you see fit. You two are to meet here tomorrow morning at 6:00 before departing. As this is a personal request, I will be in charge of paying you. With such a long journey ahead, I'll be giving the both of you 25% of your pay before your departure at that time. Unless you have any more questions, you are free to go."
Levy nodded once more, standing and giving a brief bow before exiting the guildmaster's office. Ignoring the mass of chaos erupting from the main hall and heading home to pack.
Pantherlily sat on the arm of a gray, slightly torn-up couch, reading a book. Despite the lack of actual furniture in the small apartment, it had a comforting atmosphere to it. The living-room connected to the kitchen with only so much as a change of flooring to indicate the separation of rooms. A series of counters and common appliances lined the furthest wall, all decorated in the same, creamy tan. Above sat a row of shelves holding a variety of various dishware and canned foods, as well as the occasional snack. The table was simple: round in shape and capable of seating four or more, although it was surrounded by only three wooden chairs.
Past that, the lame yellow tiling ended and switched to a soft-blue carpet, signifying the beginning of the living-room. Opposite of the kitchen was the front door, to the right of which was a single window, shaded by the gray-blue curtains shielding the room from the sun. On the wall adjacent was the couch holding the Exceed. It was short, and with the tears lining the bottom fabric, it had definitely seen better days. However, being the home of the notoriously cheap Iron Dragon Slayer, it was difficult to convince him that it may need replacing. After all, it still served its designated purpose as a seat and was therefore acceptable. On the opposite wall was an unattractive pile of scrap iron. Before the Exceed had taken residence, many more of its kind had littered the apartment, but with time he was able to convince his roommate to settle with the single heap. Although, convincing him to put it in a less obvious place was still an ongoing struggle. Next to the cluster was an average-sized bookshelf. Although most of the shelves contained remnants of the preexisting mounds of iron, a few tomes managed to find their home on its bottom shelves.
Next to the couch, the wall angled outward, creating a little crevice holding three doors. Closest to the kitchen was the bathroom, yellow in almost every aspect (including Gajeel's small collection of rubber ducks hidden under the bathroom sink.) Next to that was Pantherlily's room. Inside was a single twin-sized bed covered in a large gray comforter and a single pillow. In his room was another bookshelf, taller than the previous and containing solely books.
The final room belonged to Gajeel. Centered against the furthest wall was a king-sized bed decorated in a few scattered sheets and pillows, all colored in the same dark shade of black. At the end of the bed was a large chest containing a variety of keepsakes and items treasured by the Iron Dragon Slayer, along with a few more cluttered pieces of scrap iron. Other than that and a single writing desk beside his bed, the room was vacant.
Lily looked up at the familiar creak of the front door. As he noticed the strange look on his teammate's face, he marked his page and set the book down.
"How did it go?"
Gajeel turned his gaze to his cat, though his attention appeared to be focused elsewhere. "I have a mission with the shrimp to look for some old books or sumthin'."
A smile formed on the exceed's lips. "Teaming up with your girl again?"
"She ain't 'my girl,'" he growled in response, temporarily distracted from his thoughts, "but yeah. Apparently they may have something to do with my old man's disappearance."
The smile faded from Lily's face as he realized the true cause for the Dragon Slayer's disturbance. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." Gajeel plumped down on to the couch beside his partner, gazing aimlessly at the ceiling.
"You looking forward to it?"
"I dunno," he shrugged, a frown pulling at his lips. "I ain't seen him in years. Honestly, I was angry at 'im for the longest time for abandoning me like that; I swore I'd never forgive him... but if I can find out the reasoning..."
"So you think this mission may help you come to terms with his desertion?"
"I guess." His eyebrows furrowed in concentration for a little longer before he relaxed with a long sigh. "I better get ready for tomorrow. I'm gettin' paid by how well I do getting the information back with the shrimp, so I ain't gunna let myself slip up. Plus, since they're makin' me get up at the crack of dawn, I'm going to go go to bed a little early."
"Alright. 'Night, see you in the morning," Lily called as the Dragon Slayer entered his room. Once the door was shut behind him, the exceed moved to return to his reading. However, his thoughts wandered, and upon reflection, determined that he should speak to the Master before his friend went off on this adventure without him.
This chapter has been beta-read by Catwho.
Neko-chan: How was it? Good? Bad? .; It's my first time writing anything Fairy Tail related, but I'm hoping this story will turn out decently. If you like it, let me know and I'll continue...! Until then, Ja ne~
