Welcome to the land of Fiore, a kingdom filled with magic. This special power is so common, it is sold as common items in almost every store in any town you might go to. Some people, skilled in their particular crafts, band together in guilds to further hone their skills. However, as rare an instance as it is, some people are incapable of using magic without the use of special items. These people usually never become wizards, but some fight through their inability and join guilds as special wizards. It is here,in a guild in the pleasant town of Magnolia, where we find one such wizard doing just that.
Erwin was not known for his magic skill, nor was he very popular for doing jobs like other wizards. In fact, he was known more as Makarov's pet, Fairy Tail's only free rider. Seeing him on a job was like seeing a solar eclipse. What he was capable of could be and usually was described as 'not much'. The only thing he had going for himself was the ever-present crescent moon necklace and the red heart bracelet always on his wrist, two of the rarest magical items in this or any land. He also bore a hammer space belt on his waist, looped around his khaki shorts in a strangely fashionable way. His white t-shirt never hid his Lunar Charm, nor did his vambrace cover his Band of Regeneration.
How he never used such powerful items as these was a simple pair of answers: he had no idea what they were or what they did; and he didn't have any magic energy to use them. Indeed, despite the fact that a Band of Regeneration passively drew on Mana, the smallest unit of magic energy, it never seemed to work while near Erwin. The Lunar Charm also worked under the light of the full moon's zenith, but the teen never stayed out so late as to be capable of drawing on its energy. The only things that worked for him were the vambrace and the belt on his person, and they hardly did a thing for his chosen profession. He did have a spellbook in the hammer space, but without even Mana to cast he found no use for such a dictionary.
A pained groan could be heard behind him as he stepped off the train. He sighed, annoyed by his elder wizard. A talking blue cat tried to coax the pink-haired dragon off the train, ending up stepping to the side as Erwin simply grabbed the Dragon Slayer and carried him off the train with ease.
"I told you to take that pill, Natsu," Erwin sighed as he set the wizard on a bench.
"Remind me never to take a train again," was Natsu's only answer. Erwin rolled his eyes.
"Look, I've got a job to do. Take five if you must, I'm not waiting."
"And you're not going without us," declared Happy quite... happily. Erwin continued on anyways.
"I'm just scouting ahead. Stay and recover."
With that, Erwin Scylding marched off to find his target. This nail to hammer was a criminal for a number of reasons, namely the possession of illegal commodities, kidnapping, theft, impersonation of an official wizard, and a number of smaller petty crimes. His name was Bora, and today was the start of Erwin's last bounty before he hit the big leagues.
Erwin walked over to the first street he saw, neglecting to read the name, and began his search for information. One of the first things Makarov had ever taught him was to gather intelligence, and the best place to get it was at the source. Meaning he'd have to find a lead.
All of a sudden, nearby girls began shouting about a salamander. No, a Salamander. And Erwin felt like they weren't talking about Dragneel. He had an urge to follow this to the source, like his instincts were picking up on abnormalities in their actions that his mind wasn't. Rule number one to seeking knowledge: never ignore your instincts, as they never lie to you.
Natsu griped about being hungry a bit behind him as the trio marched forward. The girls were getting more populated and affected by what was obviously a love charm. It was about here that the bonehead heard about the Salamander and thought it was his dragon father. With that, Natsu charged forth headlong as always. Erwin slipped on a Truth-Seeker charm ring on his finger and made his play.
"Sorry about my friend here," Erwin said in an apologetic tone, somewhat sorry for the intrusion. He made note of one of the girls breaking free of the charm, as well as the charm trying to affect him due to his youth. He's looking for someone called Salamander and thought it was you."
"Not a big deal," answered 'Salamander'. "I see it all the time." The charm answered Erwin's call and translated the intent behind the faux wizard. Annoying, but fine. Plans haven't changed yet.
"I'm actually looking for someone too," Erwin said with a hopeful tone, recognition kicking in. "Maybe you can help me?"
"Maybe, but I can't stay long. I have a party on my yacht tonight." I don't have time for this. We depart in the morning and I have my cargo. Invitation to yacht, must take. The Love charm was affecting him somewhat. However, his natural instinct to pursue his targets was thankfully getting in the way.
"He looks sort of like you, honestly, but I doubt it's you," chased the teen, suspecting other charms at play than just Love.
"Good to hear. Hope you find the faker." Good to hear. Hope you don't catch on. Strike one, bub.
"Well, he's known throughout Fiore for stealing and giving out contraband," Erwin mentioned, carefully choosing his words to confuse any extra charms this guy might have.
"Doesn't sound pleasant," said Bora. He must be hunting me. Yacht party, must come. Strike two. This guy was good, but his charisma wouldn't work on Erwin. His instincts were too predatory, and caught on far too quickly for Bora to affect him.
"Yeah, I wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley, but I hear-tell that he has something the police are curious about." Fastball thrown. Bora might see it coming, but he'll have to be careful if he doesn't want Erwin on his trail.
"Like what," Natsu and Bora both said simultaneously, throwing Erwin off.
"Not sure, but they said they'd raise the pay for anyone who finds this treasure," answered Erwin. A bit of a lie, but not entirely untrue. Maybe a bait for Natsu's help too.
"Interesting, I'll keep an ear out," said Bora. They know. Better move it out of Magnolia harbor. Yacht. Now. Strike three. Biggest mistake of your life. Now to throw the bait.
"Anyways," said Erwin with a smirk. "You seem pretty popular. Maybe we should hang out sometime?"
"No thanks," Natsu huffed. Needless to say, he regretted that almost instantly via the charmed army of girls.
"Ladies, that's enough," Bora ordered the charmed women. "And you know what? I think I can spare a spot for you." Hook, line, and sinker. Charm off. Perfect play, he bought it. What an idiot. Best pull out that Mana Ring for later.
"Thanks. See you then."
How'd we end up here?
Natsu was ploughing through the mountain of food I had ordered for him, thanking the lady for paying for my food. Said lady, Lucy, was a Celestial Wizard looking for a guild, a home, and a job. Specifically for Fairy Tail, an apartment in Magnolia, and some easy jobs for easy pay.
What she didn't know was that she was speaking to two other Fairy Tail wizards, as I narrowly avoided direct association with Natsu and Happy.
"So how do you get into Fairy Tail anyways," Lucy asked excitedly. I shrugged, not knowing the answer myself.
"I have no idea," I answered honestly. "I got lucky, was practically born into the guild. Only reason I got in is because the Third Master's grandson took a liking to me when they found me as a toddler." The Celestial Wizard grew a sad look on her face, even tilting her head with a sad curiosity.
"Aww, you lost your parents?" said she with sorrowful undertones. I shook my head.
"Never knew 'em. Laxus didn't even see my parents when I arrived on the doorsteps. He took me under his wing and helped raise me as a brother of sorts."
Lucy almost immediately sulked in her seat as I adjusted the Mana Ring on my right hand.
"It's not all bad, you know," Natsu mentioned. "It means he's got the best family in the world behind him."
"Aye, sir," Happy cried excitedly.
I smiled at my brothers in arms. As much of a handful as they were, the Dragon Slayer and his little buddy just struck me as fantastic allies and greater friends. Somewhat like Laxus, without the whole 'brothers in all but blood' thing.
"So what kind of magic do you use?" Lucy asked, looking right at me.
"Let's see here," I recalled. "Happy users transformation magic, Laxus is the Lightning Dragon Slayer, no one knows what all Natsu can do - ."
"No, I mean you, you." I paused. While not uncomfortable with the topic, most people started bullying me when they heard that I couldn't use magic like other wizards. Not that I couldn't protect myself, but I do find it annoying when I have to pummel some overconfident idiot trying to take my 'lunch money' every weekend.
"He doesn't use magic," Natsu volunteered, thinking nothing would come of it. A tick mark must have appeared on my head, I could almost guarantee.
"Yeah, he has to use items to do things like Natsu can," declared the blue feline. I almost kicked him out the window to my right.
"Really," Lucy asked, shocked at the revelation. "How do you cope with that?"
"Honestly? I just don't care enough to cope," I answered bluntly. "I have bigger issues to worry about than a lack of spells to cast."
Silence reigned over the table for a few minutes, allowing me to think of my current inventory and what I'd need to take down Bora.
Mana Ring: a magic item granting passive Mana to the user. Generates 20 Mana per minute. Limit 2 used magic items per ring. 5 rings in local inventory.
Shock Dagger: a blunt magic weapon designed to electrocute targets on impact. Uses 40 Mana per use, stores 120 Mana in fuller. 3 second cooldown. 2 in local inventory.
Potion Of Healing: a drink created to enhance the body's natural healing process and immunity for a set amount of time without shortening the user's lifespan. Greater potions will shorten the user's life minutely. No Mana required to use, 5 minute duration. Note on bottle says "WARNING: DOES NOT CURE DEATH". Wonder what made that happen.
Impact Buckler: a magic weapon, sometimes classified as a magic armor, made to reduce the physical impact of magic attacks targeting the user. The effects of the spell do not diminish, but the force of attacks are reduced. 5 Mana per second to use.
Inhibitor Cuffs/Sacks: magic items made to block magic emitted by wearers or items within the cuffs or sacks. Useful to capture dangerous criminals or gather volatile evidence, mainly used by police forces. Made with Rose Gold, an alloy known for blocking or draining magic depending on its surrounding materials. Sack can contain several rings or trinkets.
Fire Charm: a trinket made to block or harmlessly disperse Fire spells. Note: does not work on Fire Dragon Magic. Uses 5 Mana per second, user must be aware of attack and direction to work, cannot affect non-Fire spells. Providence spells should count, though this is subject to change.
On top of that, my lack of magic allows me to tap into a new ability known only to humans. This ability, known to the few fans I have as Berserker, increases my speed, strength, and resistance to magic effects. According to witnesses such as Erza Scarlet, known side effects include a temporary change in eye color to red, a minor loss in self control, heightened senses, and after effects of hunger and thirst, though the longer I use it I have noticed that nausea sets in. If suspicion rings true, I may eventually pass out with prolonged use. Luckily, Berserker only activates with my survival instincts, but this also means I need to be wary of 'slow boiling pots' where my instincts don't realize the danger until it's too late. The only other thing I have on Bora is my strength through training and predatory instincts, so should any of these be undermined… well, I don't want to think about it, let alone dwell on it.
"So," Natsu spoke, knocking me out of my thoughts. "What's your plan to deal with this Bora guy? And why were you talking to that creep out there?"
"That 'creep' was Bora, I was making sure it was him and not a complete stranger called Salamander, and if I told you the plan it would be spoiled." Natsu shot me a death glare, to which I paid no mind.
"So aside from the bounty, why are you going after him?" Lucy asked.
"He stole a couple of things I had, as well as taking my wallet in my sleep," I answered. Happy snorted in a failed attempt to not laugh.
"You could always put out a job request. Besides, you also live in a guild. One of the best ones out there, at that. You could definitely have called for backup."
"These two idiots are my backup." Lucy tried hard to not burst in a fit of giggles. "At least now they are. They were looking for Salamander, I was hunting Bora, turns out we have the same guy. Dunno about Natsu's plan, but I'm sure it'll work out in the end."
"So what is your plan, anyways?" Lucy questioned. This is the part where I had to smile.
"You're a Celestial Wizard, right?" I asked silently. She nodded. "Then this should work. Since I'm young and you're a lady, we'll have a better chance of getting a sneak attack on him in his own yacht. If you act as if he's caught your attention, you can distract him long enough for me to get to the bridge and take the wheel. If that doesn't work, use Aquarius to ground the ship. Regardless of who sets ashore, the next part is all Natsu and Happy. He'll be the artillery and ground attack. Speaking of you two, don't overdo it. From hitting the beach, we all start taking out Bora and his followers. Once they're all down, we free captives, notify the authorities, and arrest Bora. Everyone know their part?"
"What happened to not telling me the plan?" Natsu demanded. I sweat dropped at my apparent lapse in continuity.
"We have listeners, don't make a scene," I hissed. He began sniffing and, upon realizing I was right, gave his signature goofy smile. Whoever gets him will be one lucky lass. Or unlucky, depending on their attitude about him.
At 11:30 that night, Lucy and I were on board the private yacht. She played her part perfectly, flirting up a storm with one of the thugs but avoiding the spiked drinks. I remained absolutely silent as I snuck around the deck under the guise of 'exploring such a great man's great yacht' and 'trying to find an available bathroom' and the like. Not one of the goons suspected a thing. Up my sleeve was the Shock Dagger, under my right black glove was a purple Mana Ring charging the Shock Dagger. The Fire Charm was around my left wrist, and the full moon shone on the harbor to the south of us. The harbor where Natsu waited impatiently, ready to blast this ship to every known afterlife and back.
The bridge was in sight, and I couldn't help but be amazed by the beautiful structure. One of the goons noticed me, seeing the awestruck look on my face and deciding to ignore me. I snuck up behind him, aware that I wasn't quiet. As far as I showed him, I was intrigued by the architecture and controls. Don't get me wrong, I was, but that wasn't why I was here. The things I had on my person were so common that he wouldn't bat an eye at my arsenal, even if he paid attention.
The blade silently touched the middle of his spine, touching through his thin shirt, and unleashed its powerful current. Due to the placement of the tip, he made no sounds as he stiffened to a rigid board. It was here where I realized I had almost screwed up: I was too short to see the sea, let alone the harbor. Barely, but still enough to affect the plan. An idea sprang to my head right then.
Five minutes later, a pair of goons entered the bridge to see me standing on a stool, steering the ship closer to the harbor as the captain sat next to the stool. I had an explanation ready and everything.
The goons asked what I was doing, as expected.
I told them that I was amazed by the room when the captain fell down with a grunt. His heel had pinched a nerve, reverberating through his spine and immobilizing him. I moved as fast as I could, working to steer the ship to harbor to get help for the poor man and a new captain for such a magnificent vessel. They bought it without a second thought, little realizing the full plan as I had technically told them the truth. One of them offered to take the helmet for me, to which I politely declined with an 'I have experience with ships this size, do you' response. None of them could come back from that, impressed with the skill I showed. They didn't realize that my experience was limited to crashing into shore rather than steering into harbor.
A minute before we reached harbor, things went downhill rapidly. We had almost reached harbor when I felt a sharp pain in my side, as well as a burning sensation on my chest. Gravity ceased to exist for what felt like seconds before I slammed into the wood floor with a crunch. The pain only continued to grow and burn, harsher and harsher as seconds passed. Tears welled up in my eyes from the sheer agony of my smoking wound, still burning with a pink Prominence Flame. A figure walked into my line of sight, crouching down before me.
"I figured you were too smart for me," Bora's muffled voice echoed in my ears. The Truth Charm on my left hand said nothing. "Well played, kid. I have to admit, you had me there for a minute. Honestly, you remind me of myself when I was a kid. Cunning, good-looking, and sly as a fox. Probably why I caught you, but that's besides the point. Point is, you've been outplayed. Any last words before I lock you in the brig and sell you off to the highest bidder?"
I wanted to tell him that I had no magic to call my own, but I was going into shock too quickly to speak. My side felt cold, my skin stung like I was in a wasp nest, and my consciousness was fading quickly.
Suddenly, I felt a warmth on my chest. The bridge had a sunroof, but the moon was out. A silver glow came from below my vision, followed shortly thereafter by a gentle rose glow from my forearm. The pain stopped as warmth enveloped me. Reality returned to me as shocked goons asked no one in particular what was going on with me. I began to stand up, feeling my strength return to me again despite my lack of sleep.
"That's a Lunar Charm," Bora said as terrified realization dawned on him, not that I understood a word he said. "And a Band of Regeneration. Those are the rarest charms out there, especially that Lunar Charm. How'd you get your hands on those?"
"Had 'em since I can remember," I answered. My instincts recognized Bora as an immediate threat to my life, to which my body responded by going Berserker. A red light lit up the room as Berserker and the warm silver light worked together. The moon turned red as a new power flooded my system. Every single system in my body went into overdrive, giving me a strength I don't think I've ever experienced before.
Bora began to panic as I continued to rise and grow stronger. He tried to leave through the furthest exit from the harbor, but he never made it as a tidal wave rose over the vessel.
The moon grows high, I felt a voice hum within me. So does its power. As the Moon reflects light from the Sun to the world, let me reflect the Moon's power to you.
Boy, did I feel powerful at that moment. I looked as tall as Bora, as far as I could see since his eyes met up with mine. The wave reached the ship.
"The cage is closing, isn't it Bora?" I smirked, grabbing him by the collar and chucking him through the ship walls towards the sandy shoreline. He soared quite a ways out, landing in a tumble just in time for Natsu to deliver a ferocious right hook Fire Dragon Iron Fist. The fiery Dragon punch sent the crook straight into my own haymaker, shattering the bridge as the ship it belonged to struck the shore like a fish during a hurricane. The ensuing carnage was not what one might call a 'pretty sight', but it certainly got the job done.
Bora's goons cowered in fear, gazing on their boss's crumpled form in the shattered woodworks akin to a broken accordion in a pillow. A hissing sound came from my left side, catching their attention. I gazed down on the burn wound as it healed rapidly and painlessly. The deep pink light emanating from my red bracelet seemed to complement my Berserker healing factor excellently.
"You have a few seconds to surrender," I declared with a much deeper voice. The inflections in my accent were thicker and more common than before, as always happened while Berserker was active. Honestly, I sounded like a leprechaun with a dwarf's deep voice.
The crooks backed off immediately, blocked off just as suddenly by Natsu creating a wall of fire in their path. Lucy summoned Taurus, who seemed to enjoy cow puns a little too much. I went about placing the Inhibitor Cuffs on Bora's wrists, shoving his rings and bracelet in the Inhibitor Sack.
The authorities arrived within minutes, arresting the criminals and taking Bora away. Funny story, I had to show them my ID and tell them that Natsu and Lucy were with me. Happy was happily off fishing, pun acknowledged, so he was safe. At some point, Lucy and Natsu ran off to do something or whatever, leaving me with the Hargeon Police Department to both clean up the mess and help victims out of the beached yacht.
Said yacht, the Prince Denwalt, had apparently gotten loose from its moorings and went missing for nearly a decade, and a job request had been posted to Fairy Tail to find it. As had several other treasures on board the vessel, as well as a three-week-old missing persons incident in the form of a young girl locked in the now-open brig. Either I'm just that good or I'm in trouble when I get back, most likely the latter. Well, someone's gonna be mad at me.
"Good job, young man," the Hargeon Police Chief congratulated me, shaking my hand. "Several cases like these have gone cold for decades, and you just solved them in a single night. I can see why the Magnolia police sent you here like they did."
"Yeah, sure," I huffed as Berserker left my body. My stomach growled slightly. "Eh, what I did back there tends to make me hungry. Got a sandwich or something?" The chief chuckled at this.
"Well, we have a few things to discuss back at the station," said the chief. "Let's not delay."
"... so I have reason to believe that they have a hidden cache in Magnolia harbor," I finished explaining in the chief's office. "Other than that, I don't think there's much else to discuss." The chief nodded.
"Alright, I'll send a message to the Magnolia PD tonight," he said as he wrote a note on his list pad. "As I understand, you took this bounty as a way to recover your stolen goods, correct?" I answered affirmatively. "A, um… a Band of Strength and a… stopwatch, right?"
"Yessir," I confirmed. He nodded, writing something down.
"And you currently live in the Fairy Tail guild hall?" I again confirmed this. "Alright. When we find a match, we'll send you a letter and have you identify the items. While we're at it, go down to the front office and give them these."
I took the short stack of papers he handed to me and walked down to the front office as directed. The officer at the front desk accepted the papers and found some other papers under the desk. She laid them down on the desk and explained that, in order to fully shut down the cases and requests, paperwork had to be done and signatures had to be signed.
"So how many papers are we looking at here?" I asked, not knowing the fate which had befallen me. She picked up a small stack off of the massive pile of papers and sticky notes. "That's it?"
"This is for our office only," she said sweetly. "Sign everything in yellow, be sure to read through everything above each one." I sweat dropped. I'm not sleeping tonight, am I?
Next time on Fairy Knight: Erwin loses sleep. Like, a lot of sleep. At least he gets a hefty sum of money, right? But before he can take it all home, he has some shopping to do. After all, five Mana Rings can form a Mana Band, something he desperately needs if he wants to grow as a Fairy Tail wizard. Tune in next time for a humorous, sleep-deprived day in the not-so magical life of a Fairy Tail wizard.