Aaaaand finally, after spending far too much time on it, here's chapter 7. I did take a break for a few days after uploading chapter 6.5, but even so, it's been far too long since I last uploaded. But I'm not going to ramble on too much- I'll do that at the end of the chapter instead. So, enjoy!
Heart of Fire
Wings of Light
I have withstood the harshest of winters
In this barren heart of mine
So cold and empty without you here
And yet my flame burns on
-July 28th, X777-
Until recently, Natsu had believed that he had lived through the worst possible torment that a person could go through. He had endured the feelings of loneliness that stemmed from not knowing his own family. He had spent many hard years of training with Igneel and- while those years had been full of incredible memories- he had suffered many injuries and been pushed to his limits on an almost daily basis. Then one day, Igneel had abandoned him, forcing him to go on a long and treacherous journey where he had almost died more than once. Despite that, when all was said and done, those trials paled in comparison to being forced to sit through one of Master Makarov's lectures.
"Urgh," Natsu groaned. "How is it possible to get such a bad headache from listening to someone talk?"
He sat at one of the large tables in a somewhat more secluded area of the guild hall. Plonking his elbows on the table, he buried his face in his hands, massaging his temples. Having just delivered one of his longwinded rants, the master had excused himself temporarily, granting the young man a short reprieve from the headache-inducing speeches.
"This really isn't as bad as you're making it out to be. The Master is just teaching us about what it means to be part of the guild."
Natsu glanced to his side, where a very prim and proper looking Erza shared his bench. She sipped sparingly from her cup of water, appearing somewhat more composed than he was, to say the very least. She had been graciously gifted a change of clothes following their arrival and aside from the eyepatch which she still wore, Natsu couldn't deny that the rest of it was a great improvement over her original attire. Gone was her tattered white dress, replaced instead with a thigh length sage-coloured tunic that was tightly cinched at the waist by a plain belt. The simple sword that she had used during her fight with Reedus now hung at her side in a sheath. For her lower half, she wore black hose and calf length brown hide boots. With a simple change of clothing, she had gone from looking like an impoverished street urchin to a dignified- if somewhat masculine- young lady.
She placed her cup down on the table gently, before continuing in her vein of thought.
"Anyway, it's important that we learn what is expected of us from now on," she said. "We have a lot of responsibility on our shoulders to do what is best for the people of Fiore, so we need to make sure we're up to the job before we go diving in."
"I get that, I do," Natsu said. "But does the Master really have to spend three days telling us all the rules? There must be a better way of teaching us this stuff."
"Maybe there is," Erza replied. "But if there is, we have yet to find it. So for now, you just need to listen closely and let it sink in."
And that was the crux of the matter- whatever the two of them did from now on would reflect on the guild itself. As representatives of the guild, their actions, whether good or bad, would have an effect not just on themselves but on the whole of Fairy Tail. So for the sakes of everyone's livelihood, the two of them had to learn how to conduct themselves appropriately in the public eye, or everyone else would suffer for it.
Natsu grimaced, but ultimately speaking, he knew that this was necessary. It was for this reason that he sat through the lessons, doing his best to memorize all the information. It didn't mean that he liked it though. However, there was one that made it all worth it all worth it. He lowered his arms onto the table and put his left hand to the muscled part of his right shoulder. It was there that he had chosen to have the guild's emblem imprinted onto him. It was a symbol of his newfound connection with the guild and he couldn't help but smile, knowing that he was now a part of something bigger than himself.
Snapping out of his reverie, he realized that Erza was giving him an odd look.
"What?" he asked her.
"Nothing... I'm just glad you've lightened up a bit."
"'Lightened up'? I wasn't feeling down to begin with," he denied, blushing slightly. "Nothing gets me down."
"If you say so," she conceded.
Embarrassed that Erza had managed to see through him like that, Natsu deliberately looked anywhere and everywhere except at her. They sat in awkward silence until Master Makarov finally returned a few minutes later, simultaneously instilling Natsu with a sense of relief and dread.
Rather than sitting himself at the table once more, the old man remained standing.
"My apologies for the long wait," Makarov said. "Are the two of you ready to continue with your training?"
"Sure, I'm ready for your next lesson!" Natsu replied with forced enthusiasm.
The old man raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"I'm glad to hear that you're so enthralled by my lectures," he said. "However, I had something different in mind."
Both Natsu and Erza looked at him in confusion, but he was quick to clarify.
"I have prattled on long enough about a guild wizard's code of conduct long enough, I think. I've told you everything you need to know for now and as for the rest, you will pick that up over time. I feel that now it's time for you to go and get some field experience... with your first job."
Makarov had held their attention before, but now he definitely had their interest. Erza was the first to respond.
"I have to say, that does sound interesting," she started. "But isn't it too soon? I mean, we've only been here for three days."
"I appreciate your concerns, child," Makarov replied. "But don't worry, I'm not just going to throw you in at the deep end... I have already asked two other guild members to accompany you on this job. It'll be their job to walk you through the process and make sure everything goes smoothly. If you have no objections to the matter, you can depart immediately."
He looked at them questioningly while the two of them mulled it over.
"Well, I'm fine with it," Natsu responded.
"I can't say I'm particularly against it either," added Erza.
"Excellent," said Makarov. "Let's go meet up with the other two then. And then you can, as the saying goes, 'get this show on the road'."
And so the two of them followed the old man to the guild entrance, where their two escorts were waiting.
For perhaps the first time since he had joined the guild, Natsu strolled through the streets of Magnolia. It felt a little odd to be casually walking like this, as his previous experiences in this town hadn't been great so far. His and Erza's panicked flight upon his arrival in this town was still fresh in his mind and apart from that, the only other times he'd been outside the guild hall was for the brief journey to and from the guild's male dormitory, the aptly named 'Fairy Sanctum'. As a side note, there is a legend about the place- it is said that since its construction in the year X691, the building had remained in perfect condition, not even once needing to be repaired. When a group of dark wizards attempted to take over the town forty years ago, many of the town's residents had taken shelter in the dormitory, along with several members of the guild. Despite laying siege to the building for several days, the dark wizards were unable to so much as scratch the walls. Eventually, news of the attack reached the Magic Council, who dispatched a military group to the town. Together, the members of Fairy Tail, along with the so-called 'Rune Knights' of the Magic Council, managed to deal with the attackers, imprisoning many of them and driving away the rest.
As Natsu had only just joined the guild and didn't have the funds to stand on his own feet yet, the guild had kindly lent him a spare room in the dorms for the time being. Erza likewise had been lent a room in the guild's female dormitory, Fairy Hills. However, they weren't on their way there now- instead, they were going to meet the client for this job.
The party of four wandered up through one of the main streets, heading north towards Kardia Cathedral. It was a lovely summer day and Magnolia itself was a lively and bustling town full of friendly people. Ordinarily, today would have made for a very pleasant stroll- it was the company itself that ruined things for Natsu.
The first of the two companions that Master Makarov had selected for them was Cana. Now, Natsu had no objections about working with Cana, as she was quite a likeable girl. The two of them had spoken on several occasions since he had joined the guild and it had always made for a fun time.
However, Natsu was more than upset with the second selection... as the Master had apparently decided that the ever irritating Gray would be the best person to complete this team.
"Curse my luck," Natu complained. "I just had to be teamed up with Mr Frosty."
"I don't like it any more than you do, flame brain," Gray snapped back. "But the Master asked me to babysit you, so here I am."
"I don't need anyone to babysit me!" Natsu sneered, getting up in the other's face. "So why don't you just disappear and leave it to us?"
"Would if I could, but orders are orders," Gray argued. "So like it or not, I'm sticking around."
"Hey, focus you two!" Erza barked, clutching the hilt of her sword tightly. "We have a job to do, now chill out before I'm forced to do something drastic."
Seeing the sense in her words, the two boys backed off, but not without trading one last hostile glance. The two girls exchanged a look of exasperation before Cana spoke up to grab everyone's attention.
"Erza's right. The client's waiting for us, so let's get going."
With those words, she led the way once more, leaving the rest of them to follow at her heels.
"I should probably explain more about how jobs work at the guild," said Cana, looking over shoulder at Natsu and Erza. "First of all, when a person or group of people want someone to do a job for them, they must put in a request at one or more guilds. The job request is then advertised and made available to any members that want to take on the job. When someone accepts a job request, we send a messenger to the client, along with some important documents, to inform them that someone is on their way. Then it's just a matter of completing the job and waiting for the client to send your reward to the guild for you to claim."
"I see," Erza exclaimed. "Could any member of the guild accept any job then?"
"Well... not just any job," Cana said with difficulty. "I don't know how they manage things in other guilds, but in Fairy Tail, there are some jobs that are off limits unless you have a specific rank. Some jobs are quite harmless, whereas others have a level of risk. But there are some that are so dangerous than even the smallest mistake could get you killed."
She grimaced at this but continued anyway.
"We refer to these jobs as 'S-Class' jobs and only S-Class wizards are allowed to accept them. Each year, the Master decides who he thinks is ready to become an S-Class wizard and the candidates then compete in a series of tests called the S-Class Promotion Trial, which he runs each year. If you're successful, you become an S-Class wizard and can then take on the S-Class jobs- however, there can only be one successful candidate each year, so it's really difficult to make it. On top of that, there are even higher job ranks that only experienced S-Class wizards can take on."
She flashed a tense-looking smile in their direction.
"I don't think we'll be ready for anything like that for a while though, so it's best not to think too much about it too much."
"Yes, it'd be far better to focus on the job we have at the moment," Erza said. "...Actually, now that I think about it, what is this job?"
"The local blacksmith has asked for us to search for a missing delivery," Gray interjected. "He didn't specify what it was exactly, but apparently it was important."
Natsu and Erza both nodded in understanding. In hindsight, they should probably have asked about it sooner, but better late than never. The group crossed over a bridge that spanned the canal and found themselves outside the blacksmith's shop. Over the doorway hung a sign with a sword and shield engraved on it and underneath were the words "Fire and Arms Blacksmith Shoppe". Without any further hesitation, they went inside.
The inside of the shop was highly cluttered, yet orderly, with weapons and armour of every type on display wherever you looked. A single chandelier hung from the middle of the ceiling, thoroughly lighting up the small room. Towards the back left corner of the room there was a counter and behind that, a doorway that presumably led to the forge area, given the loud clattering that could be heard from there.
Cana called out and the noises stopped abruptly. They heard the sound of heavy footsteps and a few seconds later, a very burly looking man with dark hair and a thick beard emerged from out the back. His face was weathered and covered with a thin veneer of sweat- perhaps as a result of his demanding job, but more likely due to stress, which was evident on his face. He wore a loose white shirt and a long leather apron, presumably to protect himself from the heat of the fire. The man took notice of them and put on his best welcoming face, though he was unable to completely mask the stress he was apparently feeling right now.
"Welcome, come on in," the man said in a gruff voice. "Are you young fellows looking for anything in particular, or just looking to browse?"
"Actually, we have a good reason for coming today," Cana answered. "We're looking for the blacksmith. Am I right in thinking that you're him?"
"You are indeed," the man replied, raising his eyebrows in a gesture of mild surprise. "My name's Johan Iphrett and I'm the owner and master blacksmith of this establishment. Do you have some business with me?"
Cana nodded and replied in a respectful tone. "Yes, sir. We're wizards from the Fairy Tail guild. I believe you recently put in a job request regarding a missing delivery?"
The man appeared shocked and shot a number of quick glances at the four of them. "Eh, you are?"
"Yes, sir. If you'd like, I can show you our letter of representation." saying this, Cana rummaged through her satchel and handed a formal looking document to the man.
The man scanned the document for about a minute before handing it back. "My apologies. I hope I didn't offend you, it's just that I was expecting someone a little older."
"No offence taken. I can't deny that we're a little on the young side." Cana admitted grudgingly.
"We may be young, but we know what we're doing." Gray chimed in. He looked over at Natsu and Erza. "Except for those two- this is their first time on a job and they're just tagging along to see how it's done."
"I see," Johan said quietly. "Well then, I'll put my trust in you with the matter. Why don't we go out the back and I can explain the issue a little more?"
The group agreed and followed the blacksmith to the room at the back of the shop. As predicted, this was where the blacksmith did his work. The room was primarily built out of bricks and stone and had a number of workbenches and tools scattered all over the place. In the centre of the room was the forge itself- a large rectangular fire pit of sorts, raised to approximately hip height. The edges of the pit were lined with large stone bricks, giving it a neat look. A set of tools hung from a rack that had been nailed into the stone bricks and an anvil sat beside the forge itself.
Johan gestured to the beastly instrument before them. "As you can see this is the forge that I use to craft my goods. Primarily speaking, I craft weapons and armour, though I have made other goods in the past. You may notice something odd about this forge though."
He drew their attention to the base of the forge. "Unlike traditional forges, this one doesn't have a fire pit or bellows- reason being is that I don't use wood or coal to heat the furnace. Instead, I use a fire lacrima."
"A fire what?" Natsu interrupted confusedly.
"A fire lacrima," Cana explained. "Lacrimas are crystalline substances that you can imbue with magic. They can be used for a lot of different purposes, from things like home heating or lighting to communications, or even non-essential things like entertainment."
"Exactly right," Johan said. "Not that I know much about the specifics of how or why they work- as long as they do their job, I don't care. Unfortunately, that's not the case right now, because the lacrima that I was using to heat my forge stopped working recently."
"Alright, you used a lot of big words there, but I think I get it. You need a new one of those magic doodads to heat up your forge." Natsu said. "Why not just go and get another one?"
"Good question," Johan replied. "The problem is, not just any fire lacrima will do... I need a specialised one that can make a lot of heat and maintain that level of heat consistently for an extended period. There's no one in Magnolia who can make something like that and as I need one in order to do my job, I had to order one from somewhere else."
At that point, the four of them finally understood the situation.
"I see that the four of you are beginning to understand my issue here. The replacement lacrima I ordered was meant to arrive yesterday but has yet to arrive. To make matters worse, I have an order to complete for a very important customer who is coming to collect it this afternoon."
"So we have a time limit then," Gray gleaned. "In that case, we really need to get going and try to find this delivery."
Erza and Cana nodded in agreement and the three turned to leave. Cana was the last to leave the room, but she turned around to see that Natsu hadn't moved.
"Come on Natsu, we need to get going."
Natsu shook his head. "Go ahead without me," he said. "I'm going to help Johan with the customer's order."
"What do you mean?" the man asked.
Natsu snapped his fingers with a grin and a ball of fire sprang to life in the palm of his hand. "For a fire wizard like me, heating things up is easy. You don't have any time to waste, so let me help you... just tell me what I need to do."
The man eyed Natsu's fire and thought about it for a few seconds, looking both hopeful and doubtful at the same time. Eventually, he nodded his head in agreement. "It's worth a shot."
Natsu looked over to Cana, who still lingered by the doorway.
"Go ahead without me," he said. "I'll catch up with you guys later."
Cana left the shop and bumped into Gray and Erza, who were waiting outside.
"What took you so long?" Gray asked. He looked past her and frowned. "Is Fire Breath not coming?"
"No, he's going to try to help the client with something first and catch up with us later," she replied. "Anyway, let's go."
And so, the three of them went off to find the missing delivery.
Inside the shop, Natsu was having a closer look at the forge. While it wasn't immediately obvious, the forge radiated magic at several points, which suggested that there were a number of internal magic components that made it vastly different from an ordinary forge.
As curious as he was though, he couldn't spend all day trying to work this thing out. Turning to the blacksmith, he said, "Alright, so how does this thing work?"
"Operating the forge relies on several instruments. The first is a fire lacrima. Secondly, there are a number of mechanisms designed to take the heat from the lacrima and distribute it throughout the forge. And thirdly, there's the mechanism responsible for controlling temperature. I can control everything using a control panel on the side."
Johan then crouched down next to the forge and pressed against one of the stone slabs on the side, causing a small panel to open up, revealing a small cavity. "Ordinarily, the lacrima would go in here. When I activate the forge, the lacrima heats up and the plate at the back absorbs the heat and makes use of it as it needs to."
"So if I just touch the plate and heat it up, the forge should work normally?" Natsu asked.
"I would think so..."
Natsu nodded thoughtfully. "Well," he said. "Only one way to find out."
Lighting up his hand, he reached into the cavity and pressed against the plate. Johan pressed a button on the control panel and almost immediately, the device lit up. He pressed another button and turned a dial to set the temperature. As he did so, Natsu began to feel a very odd sensation in his fingertips. It almost felt like he was touching something very cold, but at the same time, his fingers were tingling as well. He couldn't say for sure, but he believed that his magic energy was being absorbed by the device.
Johan placed his hand over the furnace and grunted in satisfaction. "Good, it appears to be working. Now, here comes the fun part. Normally I can control exactly how much heat the lacrima puts out, but as I'm relying on you to provide the heat, I can't do that. So you need to provide enough energy for the forge to get up to the right temperature, but not so much that it overloads... because that could be very hazardous for our health."
'Well, that sounds pretty bad,' Natsu thought warily. "Ok, let's really fire this thing up then!". He increased the amount of energy he was putting out and the forge started to heat up even further.
The blacksmith monitored Natsu and the forge closely, instructing him when needed. "Keep going... just a bit more... that's too much now! There- hold that level there!". And so, he hauled a hefty metal onto the forge and began his work. When the metal was heated to his satisfaction, he transferred the metal to the anvil with a pair of tongs and started hammering it. Soon, the glowing metal cooled and went dull, so he returned it to the flames. He repeated this procedure, again and again, occasionally switching out the anvil for one with a different shape and gradually, the metal began to take shape. What originally had been nothing more than a hunk of metal became something more refined, though Natsu could not spare an awful lot of attention to trying to work out what it was. Maintaining the forge was continually draining his magic and it was taking all he had just to keep it going. An hour passed, then two, then just as Natsu was about to give up, the blacksmith finished his work.
"It is done," Johan said. "Well done lad, you can rest easy now."
No sooner had he said that than Natsu sank to the floor. "Is it finished?" he asked.
"Not yet. I just need to finish it off, in the meantime, you can rest," said Johan, before walking to one of the workbenches. He placed the metal down next to a carved piece of wood, which was of a similar size and shape. He fiddled around with the two pieces, bolting them together and adding two straps on the wooden side. From a protective case, he withdrew a few delicate looking silver filigree pieces and attached them on the metal side. He spent a few minutes adding finishing touches and painting the surface, before inspecting the piece. Nodding in approval, he walked to the centre of the room again and held the piece over the forge, using the residual heat to help dry the paint.
"Well then, lad, it's well and truly finished now. What do you think?" he said, displaying their creation. Natsu could see now that the piece was, in fact, an ornate heater shield. The main body was formed from a light-brown wood, while the metal served as the reinforced plate on its front face. Four dragons adorned the outer edges of the shield, while the centre was occupied by a single golden key. Overall, it was a sophisticated piece, crafted with a high level of skill and care- more than worthy of a family of extreme wealth or nobility.
"It's... beautiful," he replied. There really was no other word to describe it.
"I'm glad you think so," Johan stated simply. "I hope my customer feels the same way. Speaking of my customer... he should be here in a moment. Mind if we go out front so I can greet him when he gets here?". He exited the room and Natsu followed suit.
"I'd better try and find my friends then- we still need to find that delivery after all," said Natsu, turning to leave the shop.
"Hang on a second, lad," Johan said, gently placing the shield on the counter. Natsu turned to look at the man, who said. "Thank you... I wouldn't have managed to finish this commission without your help."
"It's no big deal, really. Just doin' what I could."
"You say that, but 'doing what you could' really saved my hide. Say, lad, what's your name?"
"Natsu... Natsu Dragneel."
"Well, Natsu. You're alright in my book, so feel free to drop by any time, if you need anything."
"Sure thing."
The two of them shook hands and at that very moment, a bell chimed as someone entered the shop. "Ah, excellent timing," said Johan, turning to greet the visitor warmly. "Good afternoon, sir. Please, come on in."
"Thank you, Master Johan. Your warm welcome, as always, is much appreciated." said the newcomer, as he stepped through the doorway. The middle-aged man's blonde hair was slicked back and he had a thick, but well-trimmed moustache. Between his well-groomed appearance and his expensive-looking brown suit, he had quite a severe presence. Yet his dark eyes were kind, especially when he gazed at the lovely lady who entered behind him.
She was a vision of beauty and the epitome of elegance. Tall and graceful, your eyes couldn't help but be drawn to her. Tall and graceful, your eyes couldn't help but be drawn to her. She wore her long blonde hair up in a bun, held in place by a lacy baby pink band with ruffles on its edges, but with two long strands that framed her face. Her long dress matched her headband and her soft brown eyes were full of compassion.
"Greetings, Master Johan. I hope the day finds you well," she said, with a voice as smooth as silk.
"I am very well, my lady," Johan said, bowing slightly in reverence. "Once again, your presence lights up my shop, as it always does."
"You give me too much credit, good sir... your fascinating shop far outshines myself." She glanced around as she said this, finally taking notice of Natsu. "Ah, my apologies Master Johan- it appears we interrupted you whilst you were with another guest."
Ah... it appeared that Natsu was about to be drawn into a conversation with two individuals who were obviously highborn, or at the very least, extremely wealthy. 'Time to use those manners that Igneel taught me,' he thought, stepping forward. "It is no trouble, my lady. I'm not exactly what you would call a 'guest' either- I'm just here to complete a job for Master Johan."
"A job?" the man asked, eyeing up the young boy.
"This young fellow is from the local wizard guild," Johan clarified. "I put in a request for help and this young man and his companions came to fulfil it."
"Ah, I see," the man said with approval. "Well, you look a little rough around the edges, but I appreciate a young man who works hard to make a living."
Ouch, talk about a backhanded compliment. But Natsu swallowed the indignant words that wanted desperately to come out. "Thank you, sir," he said instead. "I hope to continue doing so for a long time to come. I hope you'll excuse me, but I need to go and finish the job Master Johan has asked of me."
"Of course, young man. Please, don't let me keep you from your work," he turned to the lady beside him. "What do you say, my dear, should we collect our order and be on our way?". Johan led the couple over to the counter, where he had placed the shield and Natsu stood to one side to give them room, as the clutter left little space. But then, as the lady was passing him, she staggered and almost tumbled over. Fortunately, the man caught her before she fell. His eyes were full of worry and his hands shook slightly as he held her.
"I'm sorry, my dear husband... it seems I'm a little tired," she said with a faint smile.
"Balderdash," he said. "You still aren't feeling well, are you? I told you it would have been better for you to stay at home and rest."
"It is not as bad as you make it out to be, I'm fine, really,"
Satisfied that she would be alright, Natsu tuned out of the conversation at this point. He made as if to slip past the woman, but paused when he caught sight of something peeking out from behind the woman's skirt. It was a face- or half of one at least. The little blonde girl looked almost exactly like the lady, so they were clearly closely related- most likely mother and daughter. She gave the girl a slight smile and walked past her to the exit.
When Natsu emerged from the shop, he was almost dazzled by the sun. While the shop had been far from dim, it still paled in comparison to the summer sun, which had sunk lower in the sky and now shone directly into his eyes. It was a pleasant greeting, but it was also a reminder that they were running out of time. They could hardly search for the delivery in the dark, but waiting until tomorrow wasn't much of an option either, as the blacksmith was relying on this lacrima being delivered in order for him to do his job. He needed to find the others and quickly at that. "Man," he muttered. "Really wish I'd thought earlier about how I was going to find them. Guess I'll just have to do this the hard way."
As there was only one entrance to the city, any delivery person would have to enter through the gates in the south. The most logical place to start looking for this person would be there and he could bet without a doubt that his friends had had the same thought.
'Wait... 'friends'?' he thought. 'At what point did I start thinking of them as my friends?' He shook his head to clear it and started jogging to the gates.
He arrived at the gates mere minutes after he had set off- a testament to his stamina after years of training and rigorous activity. He had completed the easy part, but the hardest part was yet to come... and that was to find where his friends had gone from here. The path split off into several forks at this point and it was likely that they had ventured down one of these paths, though it wasn't immediately obvious which one they had picked. Fortunately, he had a plan in mind. A Dragonslayer's nose was just as good as their eyes, so long-distance tracking was, for the most part, fairly easy for them. Natsu wandered around in circles, sniffing the air like a dog, before eventually catching a whiff of a familiar scent. Grinning like an idiot, he ran down the dirt path that ran south-east, towards the scent.
He continued jogging for a further half hour down the path that he had chosen. The scent had gradually grown stronger over time and he could tell that he was drawing closer to whoever, or whatever it was that he was following. He began to scan the ground, looking for any clues that could lead him to his quarry. Suddenly, he noticed some unusual marks on the ground. He dropped into a crouch and saw that the path had several gouges taken out of it. These same marks ran off the side of the road into the trees and through the undergrowth, trailing away into the distance.
'This looks promising,' he thought, following the tracks. He emerged through a bush and stumbled across an abandoned cart, besides which a familiar figure crouched. Cana looked up at him in alarm, then relaxed as she recognised him.
"Geez, Natsu," she said. "Don't scare me like that! You almost gave me a heart attack."
"Oops, sorry," replied Natsu with a sheepish grin. "Wasn't tryna scare you or nothing, was just following a scent."
"Huh? What kind of scent?"
Natsu wrinkled his forehead in thought and sniffed the air twice, trying to work out what the scent was.
"Are you wearing perfume?" he asked.
"W-what?". Cana's stammer and blushing face was all the answer he needed.
"Cherry blossoms, if I'm not mistaken." he continued. "It's not the first time I've smelled it. You use it often?"
"Not really. Occasionally, I visit the market near the park... there's a lady runs a perfume stall there and sometimes I go and sample one... the Cherry Blossom one is my favourite."
"It's nice, you should wear it more often," Natsu said honestly- maybe a little too honestly, as the sincerity in his words only made Cana blush even more profusely.
"T-t-thanks," she stammered. "But there are more important things to talk about right now. How did things go with the client?"
"Just fine. I managed to help him finish his order just before his customer arrived to collect it."
"Good... good," Cana muttered absentmindedly.
"How about you guys? Managed to find anything?"
"See for yourself," she said, indicating the cart behind her. "This is the cart that was carrying the delivery- the driver is inside. Seems his horse panicked for some reason and veered off the road. The cart lost a wheel, the driver was injured and the horse ran off."
"How's the driver doing?"
"He's fine, for the most part- he broke his leg and was in a lot of pain, but I dulled his pain and put him to sleep with my magic."
Natsu gaped in surprise. "Your magic can do stuff like that?"
Cana grinned proudly. "Sure can," she fished around in her pocket and pulled out a strange pack of cards. The backs of the cards bore a dark cross with heart-shaped arms, which was surrounded by an intricate motif. "I use Card Magic, which means I can make magical cards that have different effects and then use them to cast spells." She selected two of the cards and turned them over, showing Natsu the front face of the cards. The first had a caricature of a sleeping ram, while the other had an image of a wise man holding a vial. "These are the two cards I used on the driver- I call them 'Resting Flock' and 'Alchemist'. The first can put someone to sleep and the second can dull pain and help with injuries or sickness."
"Woah, you can heal people?!"
"Not exactly... I just help the body heal itself. But it doesn't work straight away and it's slow," after a pause she continued speaking gravely. "If someone is about to die, I can only make it easier for them to go- I can't do anything to save them."
Natsu didn't know how to respond to that. Or rather, he didn't feel like it was right to say anything after such a grim comment. He couldn't disregard the gravity of her words with a flippant comment, so he merely gave a respectful moment of silence.
"Well, even so," he said finally. "It still sounds pretty awesome to me." Cana smiled gently, but with a little sadness in her eyes.
"Thanks. It really does come in pretty useful... it's how we managed to find the driver in the first place," she explained. "I used three of my cards, 'The World', 'The Arrow', and 'The Wanderer'. Together, they can help locate someone or something, though it's not always exact."
"That's... so... cool! I wish my magic could do stuff like that... all I can do is wreck stuff."
"Personally, I think your magic is a lot cooler. You're the only person I know who can breathe fire like a real dragon," said Cana, giggling. "And your nose is pretty good too," having said this, she froze. "Wait... your nose."
"What about it?"
"I don't know about you, but I don't think I'm up to pulling the cart, so if we want to get back to town, we need to find the horse first... do you think there's any chance of tracking it down?"
"I'm... not sure," Natsu said uncertainly. "I only managed to find you because your perfume was familiar. I don't know what the horse is supposed to smell like exactly and there are so many new smells here that I wouldn't be able to work out which one is the right one."
"Damn," cursed Cana. "Guess our only option is to start looking ourselves or hope that Gray and Erza find it soon,"
No wonder the two of them were absent- they had been searching for the horse this entire time. Meanwhile, he and Cana had been chilling out and chatting. It didn't sit well with Natsu to not be doing anything while the two of them were working so hard. "I'll go have a look too,"
"It might be better than you stay here Natsu. I gave the two of them one of my cards so that I can find them if I need to, but I don't have a spare one to give you. If you got lost here, it would only make more problems."
"So what do we do instead, just wait?"
"That's the best thing to do right now. When they find the horse, they can use the cards I gave them and it'll tell me where they are. Then we can go retrieve the horse and go home."
Left with nothing else to do, Natsu sat on the ground and waited, with Cana say crosslegged opposite him. The time passed slowly, with only the sounds of the forest to keep them company. Natsu's tiredness had started to catch up with him, so he lounged against a fallen tree and closed his eyes. Though he hadn't intended to, he almost fell asleep. Half an hour passed, then he was jarred out of him semi-unconscious state by a repetitive flash and the sound of a gong. A little dazed, he glanced around, before focusing on Cana's pack of cards, which she was balancing on her knee. The flashing light and noise were coming from the topmost card in the deck.
"What's that?" he asked.
"That's a message," she answered. "Sounds like Gray found the horse... some good news, finally." She picked out the offending card and stood up. "Come on, let's go and meet up with him,". She led the way through the trees, occasionally glancing down at the card in her hand. Every now and then she'd hold the card out in front of her, turning slightly in a semi-circle, as if she was playing a game of 'Hot and Cold' with it. The further they travelled, the more frequently she would do this. Just as she was about to stop once again, Natsu caught wind of another familiar scent. Sniffing the air, he walked closer to the scent.
"Natsu? What are you doing?" Cana asked
"Following a scent... this one's familiar too."
He couldn't quite put his finger on it- though he knew this scent, he wasn't able to work out why it was familiar. He kept drawing closer to it and the scent grew stronger. More interestingly though, the ground grew... squishier.
"Hey, idiot,"
'Is the ground talking to me?' Natsu thought, looking down. What he saw looking back at him was a rather irritated looking Gray, who had camouflaged himself amongst the dirt.
"Are you planning on getting off me at any point? Or are you going to keep stepping on me?" he asked crisply.
"Ah, oops," Natsu said without remorse.
"Is that all you say to someone after standing on them?" Gray growled.
"It's kinda your fault for hiding in the dirt," retorted Natsu.
"I don't go around doing this for fun, you know," Gray said through gritted teeth. "You see that thing ahead of us?"
Natsu glanced up, scouring the woods, before eventually picking out a figure.
"Oh yeah, the horse," Natsu noted.
"Yes, that goddamn horse. It keeps running away from me whenever it sees me, so I've had to try sneaking up on it. Now, don't go ruining my hard work by scaring it away."
"...I really can't make any promises about that,"
"I swear I'm going to beat you up when we get back to the guild,"
"Boys," Cana said in a hushed tone. "Can you stop with your little rivalry for a second? Otherwise, you really will scare it away."
The boys both whispered apologies. The three of them thought quietly for a moment before Gray interrupted the silence. "So," he said. "Any ideas on how to catch that thing?"
"I have one," Cana replied. "If we wait till Erza gets here, I can try using my Card Magic on it to calm it down and she can get a hold of it and stop it from running off."
"...Can't say that I can think of a better plan," Natsu said.
"Me neither," added Gray.
"Well then boys," Cana said, reaching for her cards. "Hang tight for a sec while I call Erza over,"
Erza arrived mere minutes after Cana sent her message. They quickly filled her in on the plan and she agreed, eager to finally bring an end to this long search. Satisfied that they were as prepared as they could be, Cana stepped forward. The skittish horse took notice of her and looked like it was ready to take flight any second. Moving as slowly as she could to avoid startling it, Cana prepared her cards. "Card Magic..." she whispered quietly, "Resting Flock, Euphoria, Shadow's Veil- Soothing Touch." The three cards flashed briefly and she stretched her hand out towards the horse. Immediately, the beast's eyes clouded over and became calmer. Cana urged Erza forward and the girl approached the horse as quickly as she dared. Reaching out slowly, Erza grabbed the horses reigns tightly. The four youngsters cheered silently. "Well done everyone," Cana exclaimed. "Now, let's get back to town."
They managed to get back onto the road just as the sun was beginning to set. After an exhausting day, the party of four were glad to finally be on the last stretch of their adventure. Finding the horse hadn't been the last obstacle that they'd had to face on the way back- coaxing the horse to follow them hadn't been easy and to top it all off and when they'd finally gotten back to the cart, they had suddenly remembered that the cart's wheel was still broken. Now, the forest is not exactly brimming with spare wheels, so they had been forced to improvise.
It was at this point that Gray had revealed the nature of his magic to Natsu and Erza. His brief but concise explanation had been that he used Ice Maker Magic, which allowed him to create inanimate objects out of ice. He'd then proceeded to demonstrate this by crafting a perfect wheel out of ice using the remaining wheels as a template. Together, they'd managed to fit the new wheel, get the cart back onto the road and start making their way back to town on the back of the cart. Gray had volunteered to drive, as he had apparently had some experience with horses before, while the other three had climbed in the back. At that point, the four youngsters had started to relax, confident that everything would be smooth sailing from there- well, with one exception.
The moment that the cart had started moving, Natsu began to feel... unwell. It started as a feeling of mild unease, which gradually became worse. Now, his vision was starting to get blurry, as if everything around him was vibrating slightly and he began to feel lightheaded. On top of it all, he started to come down with a headache and nausea, which grew to a crippling level within minutes. Erza and Cana watched him with concern as his condition grew worse, while Gray glanced at him every so often from the driver's seat, with mild interest.
"Are you alright, Natsu?" Cana asked.
"I feel like I'm going to die," he groaned.
The girls were far from reassured by his answer and glanced at each other worriedly. Gray, on the other hand, looked intrigued.
"Is this your first time in a cart, pyro?" he asked curiously.
"Yeah..." Natsu groaned. "I normally walk or ride on Igneel's back."
"Hang on, who's back?"
"Igneel's... he's the dragon who raised me."
The others all cried out in shock and disbelief. "Wait," Gray said. "You were raised by a dragon?"
"Well, duh," Natsu answered. "Where else can you learn dragonslayer magic?"
The ordinarily cool boy spluttered, unable to come up with a good retort. When he finally got over his surprise, he simply said. "Anyway, ignoring the dragon comment for a second... it looks like you suffer from motion sickness. In particular, when it comes to vehicles."
The girls uttered 'ah's of understanding. "You sound like you know a fair bit about it," Erza said. "Do you know of any cures?"
Gray thought about it for a moment. "Not cures exactly, but there are ways of treating it. Some types of medicines help, getting fresh air, chewing ginger-"
"Chewing ginger?"
"Supposedly... though it may be the chewing itself that helps and not the ginger. On top of that, looking at something in the distance, or closing your eyes and napping apparently helps."
"So, it sounds like it's all about distracting your mind..." Erza mused. "Natsu, come a little closer."
He scooted up next to her obligingly, albeit with a little confusion. She smiled gently, tapping her lap. "Here," she said. "Rest your head and try to relax". Natsu tried to object, but Erza bullied him into it and in the end, he reluctantly lay down and rested his head in her lap. At first, he felt stiff and uncomfortable, but Erza stroked his hair gently and spoke to him in a soft tone and he couldn't help but be soothed by her words. He closed his eyes and eventually, his symptoms subsided enough that he was able to drift off to sleep.
Natsu managed to sleep throughout the remainder of the journey back to town. Upon arriving at the city gates, Erza woke him up and the four of them climbed out of the cart. Natsu, Erza and Cana waited patiently while Gray went to inform one of the guards about the injured driver. The guard that he spoke to nodded and walked off, presumably to go and find a doctor and Gray rejoined the group. "Alright," Erza said, hauling the delivery out of the cart. "Let's go and inform the client that we've found his lacrima". Without waiting any longer, the group returned to the shop, with the sun just about to set on the horizon. They filed into the shop just as Johan was beginning to shut up and the man looked up at them in surprise.
"Welcome back," he said. "How did the search go?"
Erza brandished the protective case that she carried in answer to his question. "It went very well," she said. "We've got the lacrima right here". The man's face brightened considerably.
"Good news," he said. "Good news indeed!"
Erza stepped forward to hand it over and explained their theory about the accident. Johan nodded in concern but was relieved to hear that the driver wasn't seriously hurt. "I see," he said, inspecting the lacrima, which was thankfully intact despite all that it had been through. "The circumstances weren't ideal, but everything turned out alright in the end. You did well, I shall make sure to drop your reward down to the guild first thing tomorrow."
The group smiled proudly, pleased to be recognised for their efforts.
"Is there anything else that you need us to do, sir?" Cana asked.
"No, you've done more than enough, thank you," Johan replied.
"In that case, we should get back to the guild- it is getting late after all."
The blacksmith thanked them again and the four said their goodbyes, before leaving the shop.
As Natsu was about to leave, Johan called out to him. "Hold on a second Natsu," he said. "Do you have a moment?"
"Huh?" said Natsu, turning around.
"I'd like to thank you again for your help with my customer's order earlier- he was very pleased with it."
"There's no need to thank me for it, I was just doing my job."
The blacksmith shook his head. "No, lad. You did far more than complete the job- you went above and beyond what was requested of you and you should be rewarded for that. If there is anything that I can do for you, just let me know."
Natsu pondered the offer for a moment and looked around the shop briefly, before coming to a decision. "Well," he said. "I'm not sure there's too much you could do for me- I'm not big on using swords or armour. But I do have an idea."
"Oh?" Johan asked curiously.
"You know the red-head girl who was here with me earlier? She uses swords a lot."
"Ah, I thought she had the air of a swordsman about her. What of it?"
"I was wondering if maybe you could spare a weapon for her."
Johan stroked his chin in thought and looked around the shop with a frown, his eyes flicking over the weapons on display. Natsu began to feel a little nervous, worried that maybe he'd asked too much. But a moment later, the blacksmith came to a decision. "Wait here a moment," he said, before going out to the back of the shop. He returned a moment later, carrying a sheathed sword in one hand. "I think this would be a good fit for your friend," Johan said, unsheathing the sword. He held the weapon out flat on upturned hands. "What do you think?"
The blade he held out was dull black from end to end, as if it was crafted from pure shadows. It was fairly short compared to your average sword and the blade was slim, giving it an agile appearance. The edge was completely straight and the tip was slightly rounded. It also had two small wings that acted as a guard and a rounded pommel to help balance the blade. Just above the guard, on the base of the blade, silver lettering had been engraved, resembling runes of some kind. It was a subtle and high functional blade, made for a nimble combatant.
"I made this blade for a customer a while back, but they weren't satisfied with it and decided to leave it in favour of another item," explained Johan. "It's a Jian-style sword and at sixty-five centimetres in length, it's just shorter than your average blade. Despite its simple appearance, it's a well-made weapon and can take a beating. Given your friend's build, I think this weapon would be the most suitable for her."
Natsu eyed it with approval and gave a slight bow out of appreciation. "It looks perfect, thank you."
"Don't mention it," Johan replied with a grin. "Now, you'd better go and catch up with your friends."
Natsu jerked, realizing that his friends had left some time ago. He all but snatched the sword from Johan's hands and ran for the door. "Thanks again," he said. "I'll make sure to visit again!". With those final words, he left the shop, leaving the bemused blacksmith behind.
"My... what an interesting fellow," Johan muttered to himself.
In his haste, Natsu all but tumbled over his own feet as he left the building, barely managing to tumble down the few steps leading up to the doorway. To his surprise, he found Erza waiting for him just outside. "About time, slowpoke," she said. "What took you so long?"
"...You waited for me, Erza?" he asked.
"Of course," she said as if it was matter-of-fact. "Someone had to make sure that you got back safely,". Natsu was a little touched by her remark, but he wasn't about to admit it. She then took notice of what he was holding. "What's that?" she asked.
"Uh... well, it's a sword," he replied.
"I can see that, but why do you have it?" she asked. "I hope you didn't take it without permission," she added with a slight glare.
"No, I didn't," Natsu answered. "Johan wanted to thank me for helping him complete his customer's order, but he doesn't exactly have anything I'd want. I thought maybe I could get him to give me a sword and I could then give it to you."
Erza looked dumbstruck- clearly, she hadn't been expecting him to say that. "Come again?" she said.
"I said, this is for you," he reiterated, handing her the sword. For a moment, she just looked at him in bewilderment, then turned her attention to the blade. She slid the sword halfway out and stared at it with a with an unreadable expression. Finally, she slid the sword back into its sheath and stepped towards him, embracing him in a tight hug. "It's amazing," she whispered. "Thank you for thinking about me". Taken aback by this sudden change in attitude, he could only hug her back gently.
The moment seemed to stretch for an eternity, but eventually, Erza let him go and stepped back, blushing slightly. "Well," she said. "Today has been an interesting day, but I think we should get back to the dorms and get some rest."
"Good idea," Natsu replied, just as red-faced as his comrade. The two of them walked in companionable silence, eventually reaching the guild hall, where their paths were to diverge. "So," he said after an extended period of quietness. "We completed our first job as guild wizards,"
"It was... definitely an interesting experience," Erza said. "Makes me wonder what sort of adventures are going to be next". She gave him a hesitant sidelong look. "Speaking of adventures to come... it's been fun working with you. I hope we can go on more jobs together at some point."
Natsu gave her a quick grin. "Of course, that would be awesome!"
Erza smiled gratefully, relieved that he had so readily accepted her invitation. The two shook hands- it was an acknowledgement, or perhaps a promise of the days to come.
And so, their first proper days as Fairy Tail wizards came to an end. This was just the beginning of their story, a taste of the adventures that they had yet to experience. The coming days would no doubt be filled with trials and suffering, but also great happiness. This was what it meant to be a Fairy Tail wizard- and while the smaller details may not be remembered through the ravages of time, there would no doubt be legends about their escapades that would last for many ages.
And what marvellous legends they would be.
And there we have it- Natsu's first job. I always found it a little weird that despite Fairy Tail being about a wizard guild, we rarely see anyone take on any jobs, so I thought it would be cool to add one in here. It's also a really convenient way of getting characters to spend time together and bond, so it makes writing a little easier.
Anyway, I just want to have a word regarding the polls in this bit, so if you're interested in the results so far, feel free to keep reading. If not, then I hope to see you for the next chapter.
Ok, so the first poll I want to talk about is regarding Natsu's harem and that has attracted the most interest by far. Right now these are the current positions with the most votes:
1st: Erza (9 votes)
2nd: Juvia (8 votes)
3rd: Lisanna (8 votes)
4th: Mirajane (8 votes)
5th: Levy (7 votes)
6th: Ultear (5 votes)
7th: Wendy (5 votes)
Now, I'm going to try and include as many girls in Natsu's harem as possible without making things completely over the top, so I may include 5 girls, or I may include ten depending on how well I manage to write things. When I see the opportunity to, I'll add in shipping moments and stuff, before eventually adding a girl to the harem. They may not necessarily be added in the order of popularity, because the last thing I want is to rush things and add someone before I've built it up enough. I do also take into account requests through private messages on top of the polls. The point is, don't worry if it doesn't look like your favourite girl is not getting enough love- it's just a matter of time before things happen.
Now, for the second poll. People seemed fairly against the side pairings- only Elfgreen seemed to get a decent number of votes. I'll try to avoid side pairings- though I can't promise that I won't give Levy a mini-harem with both Natsu and Gajeel (because I just think that sounds cool). I see that there have apparently been only 9 unique voters on this poll, so if you want to vote and haven't, you should! Your vote could tip the scales.
For the third and final poll regarding my writing style for later chapters, it seems rather inconclusive. Only 7 voters, 4 people voting for my own additional content and 3 voting for the X784 timeskip but with major flashback events. As there is a fairly even split, I'm going to do a mixture of the two for now and try to add the minimum necessary number of original chapters for character building along with the major flashbacks, so we can get to the start of the series (i.e. episode 1) fairly quickly.
I'm going to leave these polls up for at least the next few chapters so that anyone who hasn't voted can get the chance to. I think that's all I have to say, though knowing me I'll remember something I meant to say immediately after uploading this. So, until next time!