A/N: A few things I would like to mention:
This story will have Arcs differing from the ones back in the manga/anime, as an S-Class Mage will have missions that are different from non-S ones. (S-Rank Missions, for one) Be assured that Fairy Tail characters WILL appear in each one, however.
Also, some optional background music things:
For any scenes involving riding inside a carriage, please play "Main Theme" from Red Dead Redemption
For any scenes involving a deserted village, please play "White Orchard Theme" from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
For any scenes involving combat, please play "Battle Theme" from Romancing Saga Re:Universe
For any scenes involving rescuing a hostage, please play "0" from Code Geass (Note: No, it's not the Letter O. It's literally the number 0)
For any scenes inside Fairy Tail's Guild Building, please play "I'll take all the Treasure!" from Romancing Saga Minstrel Song
For any scenes inside a train, please play "Diner Car" from Final Fantasy XV
Please do remember that playing these songs are just an optional choice, and are not really needed for the enjoyment of the story. They are just there for a slight enhancement of the atmosphere when reading specific scenes.
Fairy Frontier:
Romancing Saga
Chapter 1:
"The Woman in White"
The loud sounds of wooden wheels crashing and sliding against rocks and sands echoed dimly to the passengers of the transportation carriage as four aligned horses pulled it with dedication. Birds can be heard chirping all around, due to the sunrise finally halfway done, with multiple other animals waking up and making noises upon their morning routines. The morning winds can be heard and felt caressing the walls of cloth that protected the transport carriage.
Inside are four different people.
One of them is a young man, with messy blond hair, ivory skin, and has a pair of emerald eyes. He wears an open, blood red leather long coat, folded neatly at the elbows. He wears a body-fit, elbow length sleeve, turtle neck black shirt beneath. A black leather belt with a copper buckle holds his black pants. A pair of black combat boots are worn on his feet, while a pair of black leather gloves are worn on his hands. He also appears to be carrying a black colored box with him, with an insignia of a certain Magic Guild engraved on it, as well as a note that says "Happy Birthday, little bro! You're reached the age of 17 years, so let's drink to that! Well, normally, that's what I'd say. I heard from Erza about your guns, and how you're too broke to repair your old ones, so I asked Alzack and Bisca about where to get some new ones instead. On that note, do TRY not to break this one within the month, alright? I went and used 8 weeks' worth of drinking money for this, after all~! That's not even to mention having to not tell the Guild Master of your location AND paying a little bit more for that carrier bird to get this to you as soon as possible. Ah, for you to rely on me this much…you really are my dumbass, helpless little brother, no matter the weather or year.
Good luck, and be safe.
From your one and only best big sis!"
The blond haired young man smiled at the letter, before tucking the box in a hug. Can't go damaging the gift before using it, after all. In the meanwhile, he takes a look at the other passengers in the cart. While checking out strangers was not his favorite hobby, the boy couldn't help but be curious about the sudden rise of passengers in a public cart headed for the some of the most ignored and uncharted countryside regions of the main continent. From his own travelling experience of five years, the fact that a countryside cart has more than one passenger smells funny, especially during the times of the year where there are no grand festivals happening in the Continent's main city, where the aforementioned countryside carts would have the excuse of having the countryside visitors safely delivered to the main cities and vice versa.
The young man needed but a glance. He has to see at least some small details about these people…But alas, all three wear some rather large, generic travelling hooded cloaks. One that does not allow him to distinguish any of them unless they start talking. Curses, the boy thought.
…Well, sure, his business is obviously not connected with theirs, but, seeing as how the quiet countryside regions are ignored and uncharted even till now…the isolation and lack of attention to those places makes them quite the ideal criminal hideouts and bases. But even with this being the case, the Mage Council and the Law Enforcement of the main cities and the entire continent in general does not bat an eye to these problems, unless the aforementioned criminals were infamous ones that will give them promotion upon the arrest or defeat in battle. After all, it's just some region with a few poor villages out in the uncharted sticks, where even the most cleverly set businesses will do majestically poorly. Why put in the effort of protecting such crap hole when they could just focus on the large cities?
The boy has decided to stay put for now. After all, he still has some contracts to fulfill. No, those are not Magic Guild contracts sent for his guild, but…
"Ah, we have arrived! Mister Moriarty, we are at Hanged Man's Tree now! You up in there?"
The blonde young man rose up from his seat from his last name, 'Moriarty', being called. Box still in hand, he hops off the cart, and heads to where the driver is seated. 'Moriarty' then takes out a pouch that contained ten gold coins, and hands it to the driver, who somehow sensed the weight of the pouch and made a guess on its amount.
"Are-are you sure about this, Mister?" The driver asked, eyes widened in honest surprise. 'Moriarty' gave him a nod and a smile in response.
"Yes. Have something to eat in the upcoming month, ya hear? Later then, Mister Cromwell. I shall see you on my trip back." 'Moriarty' declares as he turns his back on the cart and its driver, heading straight for the center of the village. The cart's driver, Cromwell, waved his hand in gratitude at the departing young man.
"Thank you, Mister! I shall make sure to prepare my cart for your departure anytime!" Cromwell declared happily, before taking the reigns once more and heading for his next destination: The village chief's Mansion, where the rest of his passengers aim to go to…
Meanwhile, as he walked towards the village gates, 'Moriarty' could only muse at the name he chose as cover. For someone who's gonna be wandering the countryside for months, he sure as hell chose a flashy name. Sounds like someone who tends to get robbed on these parts. But, then again…
That is, after all, the intention behind the cover name that the Fairy Tail Mage, Karna Augustus, chose. The rather flashy name of a city-bred Mage Mercenary called 'Seifer Moriarty.' Having a name like that will certainly attract the local banditry, and thus, in turn…
…Saving Karna the effort of finding them. Well, that, and the knowledge of an S-Class Mage wandering around the countryside is a good recipe for disaster for the locals. Also, Makarov or Erza will personally search for him and whack his ass for getting off course on the road back home after one overseas job, which is why Karna had to goof around with a cover name. While the Guild Master does know of the circumstances of the countryside regions, he will not allow any Fairy Tail Mage to go solving problems there without, of course, the Magic Council's permission.
Not that Karna nor the constantly in danger villages and people of the uncharted regions care for much. That's not to mention, the current village he's in was recently a part of a battlefield as of late; Meaning that the defenseless villages in it are a perfect prey for deserted soldier squads or bandits. Or if that's not bad enough, the corpses of the battlefield near the villages will attract the dangerously aggressive Necrophages; Undead-like monsters attracted to the scent of rotting flesh, but will spare no effort in cutting down and eating up a living being as well. Or worse, magically based monsters can jump into the blood baths as well…
As a fellow S-Rank Fairy Tail Mage, Gildarts, would tell Karna; "Whichever Uncharted Region you go, have no doubt that there's always a high chance that it's gonna be one hell of a festering shithole. As you yourself will see, the Magic Council is doing a good job of protecting these places and its people…on paper, that is."
It was hearing that line and his research onto these places that drew Karna into his own personal crusade of helping out these regions by himself since then. The sight he saw when he first visited his first Uncharted Region only strengthened his desire to help out the ones forgotten by the amazingly hard-working Magic Council…
If there was one thing that Karna had found common between one countryside village to another, its a few glaring details.
The surroundings which at first seem idyllic. Clear skies abound and the village's trees are bursting with flowers and fruits. But, it will take but a moment to notice the tell-tale signs of war and violence; Collapsed roofs, turned-over carts littering the roadside, and abandoned possessions strewn about the neglected nearby farmyards. This juxtaposition of a warm, sunny spring and a landscape rife with destruction and conflicts simply proves one thing; Evil continues to upend human lives no matter the weather or time of the year. Something that the esteemed Magical protectors of the continent certainly gives no flying craps about.
There wasn't even any workers doing their jobs nor children playing around, a good sign that this village has been attacked and raided more than a few times. The Fairy Tail Mage cursed vehemently under his breath. It appears that Karna had arrived a tad too late. But despite this, he should at least check the village's bulletin board. He might find a few clues in there…
After a few seconds of walking around the desolate and dreary village, Karna finally found the bulletin board, signifying that he is now indeed in the middle of town. He rushed towards it, finding a few pieces of pinned requests, whose ink had begun to dry under the sun but still visible enough to be read. However, as he neatly stacked them for reading, a loud sound from the nearby rooftops alerted the Mage, and sensed something fast incoming.
Karna swiftly stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding a knife that was aimed for his head. He quickly searches the direction where the knife's handle pointed to, finding two cloaked men wielding knives, axes, and shields on the rooftops.
"Goddangit, Jamal! Aim for his head, not the fookin' bulleting board! Ya know what, screw this. Everyone, attack!" One of the men on the roof, wielding the axe, shouted. Karna quickly analyzed his surroundings. The fact that there are bandits instead of the usual residents filled the village can mean two things…
One, that the villagers have all been kidnapped, or worse, killed, with none remaining. Two, there might be ones that remained unharmed and managed to escape to what might be the Village Chief's manor. Cromwell did tell him about the large place being the center of events for festivals, meaning that it is also large enough to be a defensive evacuation center during the desperate times.
However, before Karna can make more assumptions, enemy bandits have started pouring into the village, numbering about at least twelve in number. Tossing the box his carrying very high into the air, the Fairy Tail Mage proceeds to stretch his limbs. Time to see how long can this bunch of scum last for entertainment!
Four armed bandits ran out of a corner from the eastern building. Three jumped from another building's windows. Three rushed out of the pub's doors. Two more climbed up the rooftops, single-action bolt rifles in hand.
Karna smirked.
"This party's gettin' crazy. Let's rock! Aero Magia: Sylph Sphere!" Karna quickly chants the spell, summoning a wide glyph below him. In a split second, a spinning sphere of wind dances and covers the entire village, its flow causing thick dust to fly all over, effectively blinding the sight of the rooftop snipers. The ground combatants, however, were not covered by the sand storm, and could clearly see Karna, who in turn is already giving them a taunting gesture with his hands.
"Hey, what's up? Losing your nerve after losing your sniper?" Karna mockingly declared.
"Cocky little-! Screw George's orders, and charge! Surround the Spell Caster!" One of the bandits roared. The others are roused by the call, and went on to charge simultaneously, not wanting to let the Mage cast even but a single spell.
One bandit executes a stabbing strike towards Karna's throat, only for it to miss as the Mage casually moves his upper body slightly to the left, before tripping the bandit with one of his legs, causing the criminal to start tumbling all the way to a barrel of unused, filthy water. Another bandit does a descending slash with his axe towards the Mage's head, only for it to hit the ground. The bandit tries to look around, only to find the effort too late as Karna, now carrying an entire bucket full of water and with a smirk on his face, is slowly walking towards the criminal.
"Good morning, sunshine!" With that declaration, Karna slams the wooden bucket of water at the bandit's face, knocking out the latter cold and wet. The bucket also shattered in the process.
"I gave him cold, refreshing water and this is the thanks I get? Sleeping on me? Really? Is this what counts as gratitude among the banditry these days? Geez, what a dick." Karna complained, acting like he just got duped into giving away a precious resource. The other remaining bandits looked annoyed and confused at the same time. Just what in the world is going on inside that Mage's mind, they asked themselves. Were they going up against someone insane?
"You're the one who knocked him out, you dumb cunt!" One of the bandits retorted.
"Ah, but you got it wrong, Mister. I didn't knock him out. He knocked himself out!" Karna replied, making a gesture to the knocked out bandit on the ground. The other criminals scratched their heads and palmed their faces. On what grounds is this their comrade's fault?!
"How…what is that even supposed to mean?! I mean, how is that even possible?!" Another bandit asked.
Karna made a somewhat disappointed look as he spoke, "Oh, come on. I know you fellas are desperate and hungry, not intellectually retarded. Do I really have to point out that he made an unwise decision of not moving his face when I tried to let him drink from that bucket of water? Indra almighty, has the lack of water and dignity really stripped you people of the ability to think these days?"
"Why you little-! Stop spouting bullshit that doesn't make sense! You know what? I'll just kill you and be done with this. Everyone, let's charge once again-huh?!" The bandit looked below him, and finds himself standing right above a purple colored glyph that danced with lightning. All the other surround bandits are in the same situation as well. It was at this moment, the bandit realized…
…The sudden conversation the Mage started wasn't out of his own stupidity, nor something he did out of malice against the criminals, nor was it out of insanity. It was a distraction. It was a calculated move.
"…Goddamnit." The bandit cursed, resigning to his fate.
"Electro Magia: Lightning Impalement!" Karna casted the spell, chanting it with a loud voice, causing small lightning bolts to surge around the purple glyphs below the bandits, paralyzing them and preventing any escape from the spell's incoming full damage. In a split second, a great sword completely made of lightning burst forth from the glyphs, instantly frying and finishing off the bandits in a single wave, and leaving them knocked out and burned onto the ground just as fast.
"…Now that's horrifying. Looks like Level 2 Spells were too much for these scum. I thought they'd at least have a little bit of magic resistance, having the balls to attack a fully prepared Mage. Oh well. Gonna have to tie them up later with a chain from a Metal spell. For now…I should find a way to deal with the rooftop snipers. My Sylph Sphere spell is about to turn off, and being out in the visible open with snipers around is basically tantamount to suicide." Karna commented as he looked up, and sees the box he threw upward earlier now about to fall down. The Fairy Tail Mage caught it, and proceeds to run for the abandoned pub that some of the bandits jumped out from earlier. Now would be a good chance to see what expensive pair of Ether Revolvers could have costed his older sister, Cana, an entire month of her drinking money. He should at least make good use of them and make his sister proud, after all.
Makarov, the 4th Guild Master of Fairy Tail, placed a palm on his forehead as he digested the contents of the report that has been laid on his table. He knew that Karna, being the free-spirited young man with a strong wanderlust, would goof off as soon as he is done with a job. What Makarov didn't expect was the young Mage going on to Unhcarted Regions and the Countryside regions to stop civil wars, organized and efficient raiding and robbing of bandit camps and criminal bases, relentless bounty hunting, igniting successful rebellions against the corrupt Governor of the regions, getting smashed on the local pubs and committing all sorts of alcohol induced idiocy, and completing all available Job Requests, like Missing Persons Search and Monster Slaying Jobs in that place. The 4th Guild Master knew that this particular child of his is vehemently not fond of the Magic Council and the rules they set up, but to be stealthily breaking the rules like this and quite literally doing what he wants…
"Sigh…For the love of all that is magical, I knew this was going to happen sooner or later." Makarov groaned as he takes the reports and looks through them again. Without a doubt, if one takes a very careful look at each and every small details of the reports; the overall combat tactics, jobs taken, and political scheming recorded is indeed the handiwork of Karna. If there was one saving grace to all this, his child at least had the common sense of using a fake identity to pull off all these hijinks. That one move lessened the chance of the Magic Council finding out he's a Fairy Tail Mage, and that since the Council and their investigators do not really give a flying damn about the Uncharted Regions and thus not making any effort to properly investigate details, they can't trace the deeds to Karna as well. To Makarov, it was not like reading the deeds of a Mage. It was like reading through the movements of a well organized Crime Lord.
But, enough is enough. Makarov decided it's time for his boy to lay low and stick to his actual job as a proper Mage…whether he likes it or not. For a short while at least. And thus, Makarov makes a decision. He turns his attention to the red haired Mage in the room, who saw the look in the Guild Master's eyes and stood straight as a result.
"Erza, these are your orders. Bring back that moron so that I may give him a piece of my mind. Make sure to bring Cana with you as well. Seeing her with you should soften his hard head if but for a few moments. Please…make sure that impulsive dumbass child of mine makes it back without the Investigators of the Council on his back." Makarov declared with a stern, but a worrying voice.
In response, Erza Scarlet smiled softly. Despite the cunning and craftiness Karna displayed in covering his tracks in those reports, Makarov is still the ever the worrying father to his guild, she thought. Making a slight bow, Erza gives her reply.
"Understood, Guild Master. I'll make sure he comes home safe and sound." The red haired S-Rank Mage replied, before turning her back and leaving for the door. As the foor closed, Makarov made a sigh. Hopefully, this will pass with little to no incident. For all his intelligence, Karna really must learn the value of waiting for the right opportunities when it comes to exacting justice, Makarov thought to himself. That child of his is gonna be in for one hell of a lecture once he arrives home…
Karna opened the black box, only for his eyes to nearly pop out of their sockets as he recognized what was inside the box.
It was a pair of magically calibrated revolvers, otherwise known as Ether Revolvers, but they're not like the usual ones Karna would see. These pair of revolvers were nearly three times as large as their common counterparts. Even the bullets, which were placed beside the gun inside the box, are as large as shotgun shells. Kana really went all out in the search of these things, Karna thought with gratitude. The Fairy Tail Mage reads the engraving on the inner walls of the box, and finds out the Model Name of the revolvers: '.500 Smith and Wesson Magnum Revolver.'
Shaking off his awe, Karna proceeds to lock and load the revolvers. He opens the cylinder for the bullets, and finds out that it has five chambers for use, compared to the usual six chambers of a normal revolver. Although, seeing ridiculously the large rounds, Karna thought it would make sense to have lesser space for an extra shot. The Fairy Tail Mage then loads all bullets for both revolvers, before proceeding to place all unloaded rounds inside the bullet pouch strapped on the backside of his pants. He also goes on to equip the pair of gun holsters from the box, thankful that Cana thought this far and also knew that his holsters were also ripped off from his previous fights.
Now loaded and ready, Karna goes on to position himself beside the window of the empty pub, and sees his Sylph Sphere spell finally fade away, leaving an empty road filled with eight unconscious bandits. Karna quickly hides behind the walls of the window when he heard the voices of the snipers. While he would normally try to take out ranged enemies with spells, Karna learned the hard way two years ago that attempting to chant spells against a group of gunslingers was a bad idea, hence, which is why after that particular embarrassment on the battlefield, he asks for some help concerning guns and their use from Fairy Tail's resident gunslingers, Alzack and Bisca. The two were ecstatic to help, as another gunslinger mage is gonna be added to the guild this way. That, and at least they wouldn't look too niche in a guild full of actual spellcasters.
"Damn it, what the hell just happened?!"
"If all our men down there are out, then he's probably still nearby! Half of us search, other half remain here on the roofs!"
The sounds of footsteps landing on the ground echoed. Karna slowly peeked from the side of the window, and began looking for the rooftop snipers. The ground forces aren't a problem, as they aren't gonna be able to snipe him from a blind spot from above. And thus, the Fairy Tail Mage decided that the best choice for now is to look for the enemies on the roofs.
"Aero Magia: Fairy Heartbeat." Karna chanted the spell, causing his body to give off a slight green glow, a sign that he has gain the ability to sense vibrations in the air, no matter how slight, an extra sense that rivals the senses of a particularly sharp fly.
The rough vibrations of footsteps can be heard going at a direction away from the pub. Meanwhile, whispers and heavy but careful footsteps can be heard from a rooftop…west of the pub's direction. Karna made a smirk as he turns off the effects of Sylph Hearbeat on his body, and stealthily heads for the western window of the pub. He then peeks from one of its sides, and true to what he heard, there are two bandits on the rooftop just across the street from the window he's hiding in. Both of the bandits are carrying bolt action rifles, which would mean they can hit hard even from a distance. As for their accuracy, Karna doubts they can hit him even from their current mid-range distance, but the Fairy Tail Mage isn't exactly very willing to find out if that's the case. Cocking the hammers on his revolvers, Karna takes a quick peek to memorize the positions of the snipers, before withdrawing back and taking a deep breath…
In a split second, Karna goes to the middle of the window, and with the element of surprise and his own Deadeye precision, Karna shoots the rifles of the snipers, causing them to explode and knock the bandits out from the shock of the explosion and as well as their fall from the rooftops to the ground. Karna withdrew back to his hiding place behind the walls, looking at his revolvers with widened eyes.
"Holy shit. These things are not revolvers. They're quite literally mini-canons! I never used a revolver with gunshots that loud or with shots with so much force that it kicks people off roofs like a kick of a horse. Indra almighty, Big Sis. You picked one hell of a gun for a birthday gift!" Karna sweat-dropped at weapons at his hands, before taking one last peek at the windows. Believing his gunshots to have attracted the remaining bandits, Karna prepared from a confrontation. But as he waited for a few more seconds, there was no enemy rushing towards his position. The Fairy Tail Mage looked out in caution, before softly leaping out the window. Where could the enemies be?
That question quickly gets answered when a girl's scream rang from somewhere in the desolate town. Following the source, Karna rushes towards the source. It lead him to a house with a collapsed roof, with the walls around it having chains, which seems to have been cut at the opened door. Hearing voices from inside, Karna stealthily goes inside, cocking the hammer of his revolvers all the while. Once inside, he finds the two bandits, now pointing their rifles at a young woman.
"Alright, missy, if ya wanna keep your dignity, tell us; Where in the bloody fuck is the entrance of the shrine?!"
"I…I don't know! There isn't any shrine in this town! I've lived here all my life, please believe me!" The girl pleads. She appears to be a slim, young-looking woman of average height with green eyes and prominent dark eyebrows. The ends of her silver hair are sausage curled, bundled into four thick strands in the back and two thick strands in the front. She dons a corset over a layered dress, as well as dark colored stockings. She has many dark green ribbons on herself, including two in her hair and one around the frilled neckline of her dress containing a stone in the middle. She also wears a gold headdress with a decorative rose design and a small jewel. Her green eyes are nearly tearing up, obviously stressed in the current situation.
"Not gonna talk, huh? Fine then, we'll pound it outta yer insides…if you knew what I mean." One of the bandits declared, with a rather big smile on his face as he drops his rifle to the ground, before his hands slowly crept to the woman's face,then down to her shoulders, then swiftly descending on her hips…
"Eek!" The young woman yelped.
"Well, well, having a fun party without inviting people, lads? Mind if I join in on the good 'ol pounding, too?" Karna declared with a sly, causing the bandits to look back and grab their rifles, pointed at the Fairy Tail Mage. Meanwhile, the girl behind them had a look of horror, thinking that the leader of the bandits just arrived.
However, unlike the reply Karna expected, the bandit casually gave his reply, "Dude, don't sneak up on us like that. Wanna get shot or something?! But oh well, fine, ya can join in. Better let me do her first, though. Or you can just pay up the gang's entrance fee and do her first. Which is it gonna be?"
The Fairy Tail Mage felt like time stopped for him right there. He was expecting instant hostility, not surprise idiocy mixed with supernatural airheadedness…
In that moment, an idea popped in Karna's head.
"Well, I'll choose the latter. Here's my gold." Karna casually replies, tossing a bag of heavy gold to the bandit, who smiles with genuine happiness and gives Karna a thumbs up. The Fairy Tail Mage wasn't wrong in his guess, indeed. These bandits are quite the newbies on the job themselves, and are quite the epitome of idiots in action.
"Awright, you're in, greenhorn! We'll just turn around while ye plough her, so don't mind us. Just don't take too damn long." The bandit says with a friendly smile, before he and his comrade make good on their word and stood near the door, with their backs turned to the Fairy Tail Mage, and also dropping their guns to save some energy. Meanwhile, Karna makes a smirk with an eerie expression as he heads for the chained woman, who yelps aloud as the Fairy Tail Mage gives her an embrace, with his face near hers.
"No…please…don't do this, I beg of you…" The young woman begged, tears finally falling from her eyes. Karna, in response, brings his lips near her ears, the vibrations from his voice giving the woman's ears a surprising tickle that made her heart jump.
"I have a plan. I need you to play along, to sound and act like I'm actually doing something to you, and that you don't like it. Keep yelping, or moaning, or crying. Make it as…raunchy as possible. If we both want to escape this place alive, I'm going to need your cooperation. Please, have a little faith and trust in me. Believe in me." Karna whispered, his hands gently reaching the back of the woman's head as he pulls her into an actual full embrace. It took a few seconds, but the woman digested Karna's words, and understood what he meant. The warmth of the Mage's body was enough of an…inspiration on what she needed to do.
"…I understand." The young woman's face started to glow red, but not out of fear nor despair, but out of the incoming embarrassment. But if she wants to escape, then…
She takes a deep breath, and begins her performance, "No…not there…please, be more gentle, it's my first time…! Ah, agh, aaahn~!"
As the young woman's steadily rhythmic, lewd moans echoed through the halls, distracting the now raunchy bandits and making them lose themselves in their own fantasies of what they are planning to do with the young woman later, with them starting to breath heavily out of frustration. That very sound is just the very cue the Fairy Tail Mage needed. Without hesitation, Karna starts chanting the spell he just needed. He lets go of the young woman, and turns his focus on the two criminals near the door.
"…Checkmate. I've won. Ice Magia: Crystal Prison!"
A Blue Glyph appears beneath the bandits, which then shot out a pillar of blue light. As it subsided, it left the bandits encased in a literal square block of ice. Karna smirked as he whips his twin magnum revolvers and aims them at the frozen bandits.
"And now…off to the land of dreams and straight to prison, you filthy degenerates!" With that, Karna proceeds to cock the hammer and pull the trigger of his guns, blasting the bandits with the amazing force of the .500 caliber magnum rounds, sending them flying unconscious through the wall and then to the wall of the next building over.
"Phew. Thank Indra they're idiots. Now then…please, let me start with an apology for that little act." Karna says with an apologetic tone and a sheepish laugh as he shoots down the chains that held the girl's arms to the wall, severing the metallic restraints. The young woman fell down, causing Karna to catch her out of instinct. Seeing as she's too weak to stand, the Fairy Tail Mage sees to gentle have her sit with her back on the wall as she catches her breath. The Fairy Tail Mage makes a sigh as he takes a look at the holes on the wall the defeated bandits made. At least, all ended well for him today.
"Once again, I'm sorry about that little act. I hope I didn't scare you too much. Are you hurt heavily anywhere?" Karna asked. The white haired young woman shook her head in response.
"N-no, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired, that's all, Mister…?" The young woman asked as she stood up, having recovered a bit.
"That's good to hear. Oh, and I'm Seifer. Seifer Moriarty. Freelance Mage on constant travel. What about you? What's your name, and what are you doing around in this desolate village?" Karna introduced himself using his cover name, as is usual when it comes to this situations. He swore to never use his true name and his trademark Fairy Tail long coat unless he's on official Fairy Tail Business, after all. The white-haired woman's eyes looked like they glittered for a moment as she mutters the name of the one who saved her…with a small tint of red on her face.
"Seifer, huh…"
Karna's eyebrow twitched. Did he hear something?
"You said something?" The Fairy Tail Mage asked in confirmation, to which the white haired young woman shook her head to.
"N-nothing. Oh, and my name is Touka. I'm the Village Alchemist and Water Mage. And before you ask…no, I never went to learn any offensive spells. I learned this for the sake of healing and helping, not combat." The girl named Touka explained, dusting off her dress. A Non-Combat Mage…That's quite unusual in a place like Uncharted Regions, Karna thought. Unless, of course, she's a local resident…wait, now that he thought about it, Touka did mention something about living in this village all her life.
"I see. Then, shall we head for the Mayor's Mansion, Miss Touka? Seeing as how these bandits are in town in the first place, I guess most of the villagers have evacuated for that area since from I heard, it's the only place with high, strong walls that's best against sieges, right?" Karna told the white haired girl. Now that he thought about it, he still needs to go outside and tie up the knocked out criminals. He should hurry before they wake up…
Touka looked at Karna, before looking down on the ground with a forlorn expression. After seconds of what seems to be having been in deep thought, Touka looks Karna in the eye, now willing to give her answer, with the girl's own eyes having steeled with resolve.
"I'm sorry, but I won't go there. But instead…There's something I would like to ask of you, Mister Seifer. Something that only you can help me with." Touka began her reply, with a hand on the center of her chest, gripping the ribbon that's attached there, "You see, this village had a procedure we follow in case there is an impending bandit attack: We would silently evacuate to the Mayor's mansion quietly in the middle of the night till the threat has passed, no matter how long it would take. The village is too poor to have anything of value left whether occupied or not, anyway. It's just that…after an alarm just this last week, when the villagers evacuated as silently as they can in the middle of the night, the bandits somehow knew the exact time and route everyone with take when heading for the Mayor's mansion, resulting in a messy run for safety as the village guards did their best to allow the non-combatant villagers to escape. If I were to guess, someone must have ratted us out to the bandits beforehand. Some were lucky and probably reached the Mayor's home, and some were not…me being one of them, having been stuck hiding here in the village for a week, and the others who were captured by bandits. I know not how many they were, but I…" Touka's hand on her ribbon tightened its clench, "I clearly remember bloodcurdling the screams. Of the men, of the women, and of the children…It was not something I ever wanted to hear. To think that someone can scream so much! I knew them all. I grew up with them! I…I…!" Touka began to shake, a few tears began to threaten to fall from her eyes. Every part of her body was trembling, obviously finding the memory very uncomfortable.
Karna quickly realized this, and decided that this was enough. The Fairy Tail Mage wasted no time gentle hugging the trembling woman, surprising her for a moment, at least before Karna himself spoke as he softly strokes the back of her head in an attempt to calm her down.
"There, there…it's alright. No need to say anything else. You've told me enough." Karna says as he kept on the hug and the stroking of Touka's hair, "I'll stay here with you, till you're feeling well, okay? Take your time. I won't go anywhere till then. I'll hear out your favor at that time, too."
Hearing those words shook Touka to the core. Even though she knows it's common sense to never reveal one's inner turmoil to others, Touka couldn't bear it anymore. She herself embraces back the Fairy Tail Mage, before proceeding to cry her stress out at Karna's chest.
What appears to be minutes passed by. As sunlight became faint from the outside, Touka's cries turned into sobs, and eventually those sobs faded into softened breathing. Karna's eyebrow twitched. He pulls away from the white haired girl, and finds out that she had indeed cried herself to sleep. Karna makes a relieved sigh. Having to hide from bandits alone for an entire week possibly without food or water can inflict this much stress to anyone. It seems that he's gonna have to ask the details about the bandits and their possible base for a later time. For now, he should let Touka rest and tie up the bandits outside. Knowing what he must do, Karna charges up his magic energy once more.
"Projection Magia: Feather Paradise."
A white colored glyph opened from the ceiling, shooting forth a pillar of light onto the floor. Upon disappearing, it left a rather comfortable looking bed with pillows and blanket. Karna then princess carries Touka with his arms, placing her onto the bed and gently putting the blankets on her, covering her from the feet up till just below her neck area. With this, the first part of the job is done. Now…
"…Time for some good 'ol tie em up and arrest. And after that, hunt some deer nearby for venison, then it's time to cook dinner, and some rest. Man, all of this in one day…" Karna mutters to himself as he departs for the town, using magic to create an extremely long set of chains and as well as locks…
The sun has completely set. Only the red colored sky that is also about to be gone remains, as can be seen from the steam train's windows, the vast wilderness being a fading sight from inside. However, no matter the time or the weather, Cana Alberona isn't one to stop drinking. Unless she's broke, of course. But then again, free drinks existed too, she thought as she took another chug of the Magnolian whiskey that Erza Scarlet has bought for her. Meanwhile, the aforementioned red-headed mage is sighing in front of Cana, apparently having annoyance at the current situation, which is…
"Let me say this again; All I need you to do is just convince him to go home. There is nothing involving restraining him." Erza explained, wanting Cana's cooperation in this mission. The latter, however, gave the redhead an incredulous look as she takes another swig of her whiskey.
"Sure, I wouldn't mind helping. I don't know about Karna, though, You know how…ticklish he is when it comes to solving people's problems. Trust me; He won't leave that place till the main source of problems are solved. Remember the bandit infestations at that one uncharted desert region? Yeah…I'm sure that's also what he's planning to do here." Cana replied.
"Which is why I brought you with me. I need you to help me convince him. I know that he has a sense of justice, but he should learn that he must make a few restraints on how he acts on them. Should he do these things too much, he might attract the attention of the Magic Council!" Erza argued, using Makarov's words as a point.
"Oh come on. Karna has been doing this for 2 years straight. He isn't an idiot that does not cover his tracks. Why do you think he uses a fake identity, changes clothes and uses memory altering spells on the people he helps? Last I checked, those people from the desert regions can't remember the face nor voice of their hero who liberated them from the corrupted Sultan and his dynasty of Tyrants. I'm a hundred percent sure the same goes for the other people he helped, too. Hell, even the criminals he arrests can't remember his appearance nor spells." Cana retorted, her brother's own tales and confessions being her basis of arguments. From Cana's point of view though, it was idiotic. This sneaky way of handling things is most likely the reason why Karna's title, 'Solomon, the King of Magic' isn't nearly as much as spread out and well known amongst the common populace, unlike Erza or Gildarts. Even his own heroic deeds that has been done with his own actual name and identity as a Fairy Tail Mage is something he himself passes off as something that a fellow Fairy Tail Mage did rather than it being a deed of 'Solomon'. The only achievements he couldn't deny were the ones he made on his solo missions, due to obvious reasons.
Cana internally sighed. If only her little brother wasn't so insistent about denying the credit for his achievements and keeping himself to the shadows…
"Despite that, I need him taken home, no matter what. It is the Guild Master's order, after all. Will you really help me or not?" Erza insisted on her earlier question. This time, Cana externally sighed.
"Using the Guild Master card now, huh? Classic Erza right there. And I told you, I'll help out. But don't go blaming me if Karna teleports you to a magic nullifying cage in the underground again~!" Cana laughed as she takes a swig of her whiskey, causing a now annoyed and embarrassed Erza to palm her face at the memory. That was not something she's forgotten till now. Damn that Karna and his constant scheming, the Queen of the Fairies internally complained.
On the top of a mountain, somewhere…
A muscular, burly, olive skinned man with blue eyes is sharpening his knives in front of a fireplace, humming as he enjoys the sounds of both his own and the knife's shrieks. The warmth of the room and the smell of freshly cooked venison stew also helped the atmosphere. The man kept humming, enjoying the peaceful moment in bliss, relaxing as if it was-
"Boss, boss! Bad news!" A shout rang from the man's door, much to his great irritation. For such a peaceful moment disturbed, the man grunted as he stood, and replied to his lackey from beyond the door.
"What is it that it is so urgent, that you dare disturb my rest?"
Heavy breathing can be heard from the other side of the door, as the lackey was already stressed from running for miles upon miles, "Boss, it's a mage! A gun-slinging mage in a red coat just wiped out our ambush and robbing squad this afternoon, at the abandoned village! They didn't stand a chance at all! He chained them up and teleported them somewhere, too!" The lackey explained in panic.
However, instead of a frown or an expression of anger, the 'boss' simply smirked as he looked at his knife in excitement. He then laughed, as if he has just found a new sort of entertainment. He then turns his attention back at the door.
"Tell the men to prepare for tomorrow. For we shall ride to town!" The 'boss' declared, turning back to the fireplace with a smile on his face, "Don't forget your damn guns. We'll need them for this…negotiation!"
A yes was heard at the door. The 'boss' then resumes sharpening his knife, his heartbeat now pounding stronger with excitement.
"A spell caster, in my turf, eh? Finally, some good fucking challenge! This is truly the life! Ah, I can truly say that I do not regret retreating to this famine gripped wasteland known as the countryside regions! This is the best!" The man laughed in an insane manner, as if possessed of something inhuman from the depths of his core…
