The train chugged along leisurely, the carriage swaying gently in its wake. Lucy placed her arm on the windowsill, resting her head on her palm. On her other held the job request sheet, her fingers absent-mindedly tracing its edge. Erza and Gray sat opposite, chatting about the new sword Erza bought recently.
The job that they were taking this time was supposedly easy; they had to get catch a bunch bandits that have been terrorizing a town about an hour from Magnolia. What was interesting was the money offered for the job: a whole 2 million jewels! Apparently, the town's mayor must have been desperate to get rid of the bandits. It was a pity Wendy and Carla couldn't join them this time; they were invited to go to another job with Cana a few days before.
A low groan snapped Lucy out of her daydream from staring at the scenery outside. Natsu, in his ever-glorious motion-sicknessed state, covered his mouth weakly and leaned forward. Lucy gave him a sympathetic look.
Who would have thought such a fiery and hyperactive person would be reduced to such a depressing state in the presence of such a passive mode of transport? When Lucy first met him, this fact shocked her. A year and a half later however, it has become more of an annoyance, but Lucy reminded herself that it cannot be helped anyway. She rubbed his back gently in an attempt to soothe him. The response she got however, was another moan.
Lucy sighed and rolled her eyes as Happy snoozed peacefully on her lap.
After about 2 hours of rumbling around constant unpleasant noises from a certain dragon slayer, they reached their destination. The train doors opened and Natsu flew out immediately.
"Holy shit! Solid ground at last!" he exclaimed, kneeling on all fours.
The rest of the crew stepped out slowly, taking a look at the station. They have reached the southern town of Clover. Fishing out their tickets from their pockets, they tapped out of the turnstile gates and looked around curiously. First, they have to go to the Mayor's office downtown to be briefed of their mission.
"Hey guys, look! There is a sign pointing to the bus terminal! We need to take the bus downtown right?" Gray pointed out, gesturing to the sign.
"That's quite a good eye you have there, Gray. Let's go there immediately!" Erza complimented, tugging at the handle of her enormous baggage cart.
As the group was about to move off, Natsu was rooted to the ground. Happy snickered.
"There's no way I'm going to take the bus! You guys go ahead, I'm going to walk there instead…"
Erza turned around and glared at the pink haired mage.
"Nope, suck it up or I have no choice but to knock you out," she said in a dangerously low voice.
Natsu squeaked. "Y-yes Ma'am!"
Lucy and Happy sweatdropped and laughed nervously, while Gray just shook his head and sighed. They proceeded to the bus terminal that was adjacent to the train station. From there, they took a short bus ride towards the mayor's office.
The guards opened the doors to the Mayor's office. The two humongous wooden doors creaked open, and the 5 mages stepped in. The Mayor sat at his desk, sorting paperwork. Upon noticing the mage's presence, he looked up.
"Welcome, Fairy Tail mages. Please, take a seat. I'm very relieved that someone has decided to take on this job… The bandits are simply too much for our town's small army to handle. I hope that the whole lot of you can help me and save this town from the vicious bandits." The Mayor breathed out, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Sir, can you tell us more about the bandits?" Erza asked politely.
The Mayor rested his hands on his desk. "We are not very sure, but their base seems to be hidden in the Northern mountains a few miles from here. Little is known of what kind of magic they use, but from eyewitness accounts, it is pretty powerful. They have been creating great losses to our town…" The Mayor trailed off sadly, looking out of the window.
Natsu fidgeted in his seat. "Don't worry, Mr Mayor! We are Fairy Tail mages! There is nothing we cannot handle!"
"Yes, we will help you eradicate those bandits." Erza reassured.
The Mayor gave a small smile. "Well, the 2 million jewels are waiting for you all. I wish all of you the best of luck."
The 5 mages trudged along the muddy mountain paths. Well, except for Happy, who flew calmly in front. The afternoon sun beat down on them harshly; the foliage of the mountains providing little respite.
"I can smell a group of scents faintly… they must be nearby!" Natsu exclaimed, sniffing the air thoroughly.
"Thank God! I was thinking we would be walking here forever." Lucy complained, wiping the sweat from her forehead. She took out her water bottle from her backpack and took a sip.
All of a sudden, Gray tensed up. "Guys-,"
Before he could finish his sentence, a magic bullet was shot right at their feet, dead leaves and soil flying into the air, stopping the mages in their tracks. Natsu stepped back and raised his arms protectively in front of the group, looking around swiftly to find the source of the bullet. A voice sounded out from a distance ahead and on top of them.
"Well, well. Look who stepped into our territory."
Whew! Hope you guys liked the first chapter. This is my first time writing, and I'm kinda afraid that some of the characters would be OOC. :") Do feel free to review and criticize my writing!
I'm planning to make this story into one of those Lucy-leaves-the guild-to-get-stronger cliché fics. YES IM LIKE 5 YEARS LATE INTO JUMPING INTO THIS BANDWAGON. But you see, almost all the fics that I have read about this trope are outdated or are incomplete and they leFT ME UNSATISFIED so I just had to write my own version, and also because I'm in desperate need of angst in general :") Trust me, this will be different compared to all those others out there. Bear with me and be patient! I will try my best to make this an unforgettable adventure (and to console myself of the fact that Fairy Tail ended) ok I should stop rambling now bye ! I will try my best to update regularly.