Disclaimer: Fairy Tail characters do not belong to us sadly.
A/N: My first fanfiction for Fairy Tail hehe :) Love the series!
The chapters may/may not be related to other job chapters in the same timeline but it shall be mentioned if related!
CHAPTER 1: Makarov Dreyar the Artist
"OHHHHH! Such a gorgeous oasis! I must draw it!" Makarov the peculiar artist exclaimed with happiness in his eyes. He was a man of great power in the art world, famous for his works that were full of expression that took the viewer's soul into it; completely absorbed in fact.
Thus, he quickly guided his camel to his subject of passion and took out his handy pastel colors and sketchbook from a rugged bag with a satisfied sigh.
"Please sir! It's getting dark! We must leave now!" cried out Bora, the poor tour guide dressed in white dessert clothes with dark blue hair who felt that his days were better spent seducing beautiful women for their wondrous money. Unfortunately, his previous scam was found out and he then decided to set up a 'legit' transportation services for camels in the desert country instead.
It was supposed to be a straightforward job of sending the midget man from one place to another. However, this crazy old man kept rushing here and there to draw whatever catches his eye in the desert. Hell, he even insisted that the guide posed with a cactus so he could draw them in remembrance of the trip.
"Now, now. We just can't leave this wonderful gift of dear Nature. The setting sun bathing this oasis is one in a lifetime chance! It will make a breathtaking picture!" Makarov argued stubbornly with a childish grin.
"B-but?!" sighed Bora with resignation. He better be paid extra for this. Scratch that, he is going to surcharge that old man by 300% anyways at the end of the journey with cunningly placed loopholes in the contract that the old man signed. Bora grinned gleefully to himself while the artist continued on stridefully on his camel to get the best spot to view his current muse.
Makarov hummed with excitement and started his well-known magic to conjure up a majestic picture of the oasis on plain paper. However, three figures dressed in dark desert clothes on wild horses slowly surrounded them.
Realizing the looming danger that was upon them, the guide then screamed in terror, "OH MY GODDDD. IT'S THE SUHATI BANDITS!"
He quickly ran away by camel express without Makarov who was busy drawing to his heart content. Well, you can't blame the guy since the Suhati Bandits are known for their violent ways of plundering and er… tendency to perform cannibalism due to scarce food and water.
"Hmmm, did you say something?" asked Makarov absent-mindedly as he furrowed his grey eyebrows on which shade of red will bring out the intensity of the sunset.
He then turned his head slightly since the guide didn't answer him and saw the company of bandits drooling at him. Rather hungrily indeed.
One of the bandits jumped off his horse and sneered with yellowing teeth at their catch.
"Tinneh man gives mighty dinner for three of us!" grunted the bandit with yellowing teeth as he whipped out his pale blood stained dagger.
"Me want man's leg. More fleshy. Sada, take man's head," said a bandit with a missing eye that seemed to be the leader of the group.
The bandit named Sada who sat on a brown horse scowled and said indignantly," No want man's head! Too old and hairy to eat!"
"YOU WILL EAT HAIRY HEAD, SADA!" bellowed the one-eyed man that his instructions were not heeded and shook his crooked finger at Makarov menacingly. Sada growled at the one-eyed man in defiance and muttered intangible curses directed at his unreasonable dominant leader for wanting to give him scraps of the future meal.
"Must roast tinneh man on open fire with blood red scorpions stuffed in stomach. We cook alive, taste better." Growled the yellowing teeth man with drool dripping down from his lips. He was definitely considering the best way to cook Makarov as his main meal for the day while his fellow bandits were arguing silly.
"… Gentlemen, let's settle this peacefully. I don't think I'm tasty enough to be your food. Why don't I buy you guys something else when we reach the city?" reasoned Makarov calmly at this sudden twist of events.
"We hungry. No eat for two days," replied Sada with longing hunger that seemed to block the reasoning that Makarov was trying to offer.
"Well, I'm sure I brought food and water…" uttered Makarov as he rummaged through the bag.
However, his searching was brought to a halt when the bandit with yellowing teeth threw his dagger at him.
"SHUT TINNEH MAN STINKIN' TRAP!" snarled the bandit with yellowing teeth.
Luckily, the dagger didn't hit him but stabbed through his oasis picture that he was drawing earlier instead.
The picture…
I wanted to show it to Laxus…
Because that silly boy hardly pays attention to Nature's beauty…
I'm sure that picture could have made him more appreciative towards art…
Taking out his pencil instead from the bag that were recently sharpened by him this morning, Makarov then said sternly," Be gone, you haters of creation…"
He deftly threw the sharpened projectile at the bandits suddenly, hitting the one with yellowing teeth right at the eye, earning a surprised scream of pain and preceded to writhe in agony on the desert floor. Unfortunately for the bandits, Makarov Dreyar was also a retired war general before pursuing his deep love for art.
"AAAAARGHHHHHHHHH! KILL TINNEH MAN NOW!" The one named Sada roared while he galloped fast at Makarov with murderous rage on his face and a broken rusted dagger in his strong right hand.
The artist quickly disarmed the man in a split second with his nimble techniques, causing Sada to fall off his horse roughly. The force from the fall caused a sickening crack that sounded like a few broken ribs given to poor Sada.
"Well, how about you?" Makarov asked the one-eyed man gently that was clearly confused on what to do. They were never caught up like this. Never. And he was not willing to lose another eye in this situation.
In a jiffy, the one-eyed man made the right decision and quickly left the old man that he deemed as the treacherous devil of the sand with his injured partners.
FTFTFTFTFT
The desert was empty except for a few cactuses, insects and scorpions. And also an artist with grey hair and hunger for iced beer and grilled octopus.
"Aiyaya… where am I now?" wondered poor Makarov as he walked aimlessly.
His camel ran away because of the commotion he made and his supplies were running dangerously low. It has been two days since he scared the bandits away but he had no means to contact to the outside world from this scorching desert.
"This is very unfortunate," Makarov commented as he wiped the sweat away from his tired face.
Suddenly, loud whooshes were rumbling over the distance. He then turned to look at the source and found a sandstorm coming his way.
"Very unfortunate indeed…" mumbled the artist with a sigh.
And he was consumed by the windstorm that lifted up clouds of sand.
FTFTFTFTFT
"Yooo Gramps! You alive eh?" asked a twelve-year-old boy dressed in a sleeveless black top and brown baggy pants. A rugged cloak covered his tanned skin from the harsh rays of the morning sun. He started prodding his current find of the day with a bored look.
"… W-w-ater… please," croaked Makarov who was lying on the desert floor dehydrated and partially covered by sand.
The boy grunted in acknowledgement and passed him a bottle of water.
"Oi, don't gulp it down so quickly because your dehydrated body ain't used to it," The boy advised gruffly with spiky black hair.
But Marakov drank it down anyway and threw up after that.
"Told ya so…There goes expensive clean water," muttered the boy with furrowed eyebrows.
"Terribly sorry…" Makarov murmured as he wiped his mouth apologeticaly.
The artist then smiled at him warmly and said," Thank you boy for saving me! My name is Makarov Dreyar. How can I ever repay you?"
The boy then grinned and said," The name is Gajeel. Well, $500 would do fine as a repayment for saving yer life!"
Looking at the boy with confused eyes, Makarov then replied gently," I'm sorry, Gajeel. I don't have that kind of money right now…"
"Whaddaya mean you're dirt poor?! Yer havin' an expensive lookin' coat, artsy stuff and this gold pocket watch with a weird emblem!" exclaimed Gajeel with disbelieving eyes as he held up the said instrument time which he took earlier from his unconscious hand. The emblem reminded him of a bird sitting on a ski which was a rather uncommon concept around his area.
Makarov just smiled and shrugged as a reply to his savior's argument.
"Sheeze. I should have left you for the desert coyotes and took your stuff," grumbled Gajeel as he shook his head with regret.
Makarov immediately snatched his pocket watch back and said," So Gajeel, what do you propose?"
Gajeel rubbed his chin with uncertainty," I proposed sellin' you to a slave market. But you're pretty much gonna fetch me pretty low… And your fair skin and old age ain't gonna help under this weather. You will probably die from heatstroke before the slavers get to sell you properly…"
The old man gaped at the boy, hoping that he was just teasing him for fun. "… How about my drawings?" asked Makarov with a heavy heart and he passed the drawings of this week's adventure that he treasured so much to Gajeel.
Scanning through the drawings, Gajeel shook his head and threw it at the side much to Makarov's dismay. The artist quickly took them back and dusted the sand away from his precious drawings.
"It's ain't gonna brin' much needed profit in, Gramps…" commented Gajeel with irritation at his super bad luck of meeting this poor guy.
Rubbing the back of his head, the older man then offered with a twinkle in his eye," Well, if you take me back to the city of Magnolia. I can contact my grandson to provide a handsome reward for your kind service!"
The word 'reward' immediately grabbed Gajeel's attention and he grinned slyly at the artist.
"Hehehe… Perhaps it was fate that we would meet up like this!" said Gajeel as his eyes flickered with interest.
Grinning from ear to ear, he nodded and replied,"Ahaa… Alright, that's settled! Let's get going!"
He proceeded to beckon the old man to share his ride to the city of Magnolia that was located miles ahead over the dunes of the desert sand.
"Owh! Very nice horse you got here, Gajeel!" exclaimed Makarov as he sat on the strong chestnut coloured horse behind the boy.
"Stolen it," replied Gajeel with a boastful grin.
"Tsk. Tsk. That is very awful of you. You must give it back to its owners," Makarov rebuked as he pulled the boy's ear as a punishment.
"Ow. OW. OW. Let go of my ear, Gramps! The owners are going to break my fingers even if I return it to them!" Gajeel yelled as he fidgeted in pain.
And they went onto their journey with Makarov insisting on telling stories of his darling grandson, Laxus.
END? Till next time for the next silly stories of career hopping :)
Natsu Dragneel the Zookeeper?
Gajeel Redfox the Bus Driver?
Or even Gray Fullbuster the Lifeguard?!
Do give some love if you would like to see more. Xoxo!