A/N: And another new chapter down!
I don't own Fairy Tail!
Please enjoy!
Chapter 4: A Navigator, a Charmer and an S-Class Mage
April 4, X792 - Early Morning
Cordelia pushed herself up off her bed, scratching her head tiredly as she yawned widely and blinked the sleep out of her eyes. She glanced over to the window to see sun shining in. She then looked over to the clock next to her bed to see how early it was, popping her back a few times in the process as she stretched herself out. When she saw the time, she guessed that not many members of the guild would be up. Normally, Cordelia didn't like getting up so early, but she figured she should get a head start reading over some of the files on some of the members while also checking out the direction they were heading in for the time being.
She stood up fully from the large bed, taking another moment to stretch out her body again until she was standing on her tip toes for a moment before dropping back flat on her feet and making her way out of her room. Assuming that she would be the only one on the front ship, she just ran up to the navigation area of the ship in her pajamas which consisted of black, cotton shorts and a baggy, blue t-shirt that was big enough to slip off one of her shoulders. Her bare feet padded up the steps that led out from the lower deck. She quickly made her way across the deck until she came to the helm of the ship, entering the small area that the captain normally controlled.
She looked over at the helm for a moment to see it was still for the moment and the guild was still moving in the direction she had left them in the previous night. She turned to look over at the navigation system, though her heart instantly dropped to her stomach when she came face to face with a person. Cordelia shouted loudly in surprise, causing the other person to scream as well. The two went back and forth for a moment like this until they both came to an instant silence, staring at each other for a quiet moment with wide eyes.
The other person was a woman a few years older than Cordelia at twenty-nine. She stood on the taller side at 6'1" with pale olive skin and a more gangly build with just a little muscle and an average sized chest. Her violet guild mark was located on her right collar bone and she had gold stud earrings in both ears. Her fiery auburn hair was cut short revealing eyes of two different colors, the left being hazel and the right being violet. She wore a light lavender halter top with white khaki shorts and red, floppy sandals. She also had on red glasses that were attached to a chain around her neck and gold bangles on both wrists. Finally, she had a small pistol held at her right hip in a holster.
Cordelia was the first to find her voice, shouting at the woman in front of her, "Matilda Tollop! What the hell are you doing here?!"
"Morning Cordelia!" the woman replied energetically and in a rapid pace, "Well you see, I was thinking all night, since you're the new guild master that you might need a new navigator. I was trained by the last one and he's already left the ship to retire. Gordon didn't use me much even though I told him I could do the job, but he told me no. I think he was kind of an idiot, but I don't think you are, so I think you should use me as your head navigator. I'm more than capable of doing the job and I have the papers to prove how good I am and I can be really helpful for when you need to sleep and-"
"Oh my God! Stop!" Cordelia shouted, sweat dropping slightly that the woman had actually pulled out a scroll to prove her abilities. Matilda instantly froze as she looked over at Cordelia, the scroll opening up and rolling far out across the floor and outside of the navigation cabin. Cordelia watched the scroll roll across the deck for a moment before turning back to the other woman with a sigh, "How much coffee have you had this morning, Matilda?"
"Ah, let's see," she began, counting over the cups in her head, "The machine can make ten cups a pot and I've had twenty cups I believe since last night and this morning. So that makes it two pots. I've actually got two machines and I brought one with me to place here in the cabin. I thought you might like it too if you plan to be here often. It's my life sustenance so I can't go anywhere without one and-"
"Okay, okay, I get it!" Cordelia interrupted her again, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She knew that Matilda tended to have more energy than most people on the ships, but Cordelia had just woken up and she just couldn't handle the ball of energy at the moment.
"So…can I have the job? Please let me have the job! I'll do a great job, I promise! You won't be disappointed!"
"Yes! Oh my God, yes! You can have the job!" Cordelia answered loudly. She would say almost anything at that point to get the woman to shut up, "I think I'm gonna need coffee just to deal with you this early in the morning," she mumbled. Really, she didn't mind Matilda and she could normally keep up with her for a good while, but she needed her own cup of coffee and a shower first.
"Really?! That's great! And here!" Matilda smiled brightly as she shoved a mug of hot coffee into Cordelia's hands, "I promise that you've made the right decision! But I think it's time for a quick nap before I get started on my work!"
And with that the woman promptly dropped to the cabin floor in a heap, Cordelia staring at her sprawled out form with exasperation. She then looked down at the cup of coffee in her hands to see that the woman had added cream and sugar to it already for her. She smiled at the liquid before taking a sip of it and enjoying the suddenly quiet atmosphere, "At least I get free coffee and a navigator at night now," she said, leaning against the cabin wall as she stared out over the ocean and watching over Matilda until she woke back up.
. : + : .
Cordelia and Matilda were discussing different paths that the ship could take later that morning after Matilda's nap and Cordelia had gotten ready for the day. The new master wasn't sure exactly where to have the guild go for the moment aside for warmer waters. She had mentioned heading towards the islands of Caelum since there were quite a few ports there for them to dock on in order to restock on foods and such. Matilda was going through which ports would be best to head to first when the large, white lacrima crystal began to start beeping and flashing loudly. This crystal acted as a beacon for whenever a boat that belonged to their guild was approaching them. There was another matching lacrima on all the smaller boats that would guide them back to the guild, considering how much they moved. Cordelia and Matilda exchanged glances right before Zinnia came running onto the deck, shouting out to the new master.
"They're back! It's their boat!" the brunette grinned brightly, popping her head into the front cabin.
"No way! Really?!" Cordelia replied, her excitement building quickly. When Zinnia nodded at her, Cordelia squeaked happily and jumped up from her spot, "Sorry Matilda! We'll have to finish this later!"
"No worries!" Matilda called out, laughing as she watched Cordelia run off the boat at full speed, "I'll keep working while you're gone!"
Cordelia ran faster than both Zinnia and Bones, her coat billowing out behind her. She saw that other people had started to make their way over to the right side ship that was used not only for more training purposes, but as storage for all the smaller boats mages used to go inland for missions. She began pushing people out of her way as the crowd grew thicker and thicker. Eventually, she started jumping over people until she stood at the forefront of the growing crowd to watch a motorboat quickly making its way towards the guild. Her smile grew wider as she saw two men on the boat, confirming that Zinnia had been right.
The first man was the easiest to spot, considering the sheer size of him. It was surprising that he wasn't actually tipping the boat over, but the weight of the second man in the back of the boat managed to keep things even. This man was known as Seth Ornison. He was thirty-one, an S-Class mage and probably the tallest member of the guild at 6'9". Along with his tall stature, his build was bulky and muscular. Though, he was well proportioned for his size. His skin was a light brown tan while the guild mark on his left hand was dark blue. His long black hair was tied back in a ponytail that reached the center of his back and his light green eyes shined brightly in the sun. He wore black and white camouflage, cargo shorts that went past his knees with black sneakers and a thin, white short-sleeved hoodie that he left unzipped. He had a few small scars across his body, but the most prominent scar was the five inch marking along his left pectoral. The man also had several tattoos along his body, but only two could be seen at the moment. The first was on his abdomen and was in the shape of a tiger's claw. The second was on his right pectoral and was in the shape of two droplets that represented a komodo dragon's venom.
The second man that sat at the back of the boat and was guiding it towards the guild was named Eli Winchester. He wasn't as tall as Seth, but he still had some height to him at 6'3"; and he was only a couple years younger than the S-Class mage at twenty-nine. His build was toned and muscular almost to the point of perfection. His skin was a flawless bronze and his teeth practically sparkled when he smiled widely. His navy blue hair was slicked back in a messy, handsome way, reaching down to the nape of neck. His golden eyes were even brighter than Seth's green ones in the sun and they held a playful charm to them. His white guild mark was located on his left shoulder. He wore a blue, skin tight and sleeveless under armor shirt that ended halfway up his neck. He wore a pair of dark jeans with it that were held in place by a black leather belt with a silver buckle. The jeans were tucked loosely into a pair of heavy, steel-toed black boots. He also wore a black leather gun holster on his back and shoulders that held a pair of hand guns on either side of him.
"Looks like the usual crowd was created to greet you home," Eli said with a smile, looking over at the other man in the boat.
Seth laughed loudly at the comment before replying, "I think they're all here to see you more than me."
"Is it true?!" Eli shouted up at the crowd, "Are you all here to see me?!" he continued, talking more to the women of the crowd than the men. Most of the women began to call down to him and coo over the man. Eli sent them all a charming smile, causing a few of the women to faint from it.
"ELI!" Cordelia shouted grabbing the two men's attention. Seth began laughing again while Eli's smile quickly dropped as they watched Cordelia jumping down towards them.
"What do you think you're doing, you idiot?!" Eli shouted, trying his best to make sure to catch the woman falling towards him. It didn't help much as she continued barreling towards him and tackled him right off the boat and into the water. The pair quickly popped back up out of the water, their wet hair plastered to their faces, "Cor! What's the deal?!"
"It took you guys forever to come back home!" she answered loudly, splashing more water at him. As he moved his arms to shield himself, it gave Cordelia the chance to move in and hug him tightly, "Welcome home!"
Eli finally smiled again as he hugged her back, "You always have one hell of a way welcoming a guy home."
"It wouldn't be home if she didn't," Seth said as he reached down with one hand to yank the two out of the water. With ease, he lifted them both by the back of Eli's shirt and sat them down in the boat, "You better have a hug for me too."
"Of course I do!" she smiled as she turned towards him and hugged him tightly despite still being wet. Though, Seth didn't seem to mind as he returned the hug, absently picking her up in the process, "So I take it the mission went well?" she asked after she was set back down. She was ringing her hair out as the two men connected the smaller boat onto ropes that hung on the side of the larger ship in order to pull it up.
"Yeah, the monsters terrorizing that fishing village have all been taken care of," Seth answered.
"Still don't know why you needed me," Eli said, "You could have easily taken them out by yourself."
"You know I'm not that great at negotiating," Seth answered with a chuckle, rubbing the back of his head in the process, "The town hadn't set a price since they didn't know how many monsters there were. You always manage to strike a good deal, so I took you along. Plus, it's always better to take a mission with someone rather than go by myself."
"It's more like you used him for his looks," Cordelia snickered.
"Just because I can strike a deal on my natural good looks and boyish charm alone isn't a reason for you to get all jealous, Cor," Eli replied with a smirk.
Cordelia puffed her cheeks out in annoyance, "Anyone who thinks you look good is an idiot!" she snapped, "Now then! Dry me off properly!"
"Why should I use my magic to dry you off after you just insulted me?" Eli questioned as he began to help Seth pull the boat up the side of the ship. The pair made quick work of it, being about halfway up before Cordelia answered him.
"Because it's an order from your new guild master!" she answered, puffing out her chest in pride.
"What?!" Eli shouted, letting go of his side of ropes. His side of the boat instantly fell, dropping the man back into the water. Seth managed to keep hold of his side of ropes and caught Cordelia in the process to keep her from falling with Eli. She hung at her waist as she laughed down at the man in the water.
"Looks like we have to go back down to get him," Cordelia said, glancing up at the large man holding onto her.
"Seems so," Seth answered, "And it looks like you have a story for us too."
The trio worked together again to move the boat back down to get Eli first and then finally managed to pull the boat all the way up to the top deck of the ship. The two men were quickly greeted by many members of the guild, asking how their mission went and what the monsters were like. Once the excitement of their return had begun to fade, the crowd began to disperse across all the ships again, leaving behind a much smaller group of just Seth, Eli, Cordelia, Zinnia and Bones.
"I thought you were going to wait until we were back to challenge Gordon," Eli began, almost pouting down at Cordelia, "I wanted to watch the fight."
"Well maybe if you two hadn't been out playing with monsters, you could have seen it," Cordelia answered.
"We were working a mission, not playing around!"
"Still not my fault," she huffed, turning away from him with crossed arms, "You were supposed to be here, you know."
"Then why didn't you wait for me?!"
"Because other people were gonna try to go for the spot before me. I couldn't let that happen!"
As the two continued arguing, Seth turned to look over at Zinnia, "Was it a good fight?"
"Of course," she answered with a smile, "She even got to use her Tsar Cannon on him."
"Oh, come on!" Eli shouted upon hearing Zinnia's comment, "You finally got to use that cannon and I wasn't even here to see it?! I was the one that helped you get that weapon in the first place!"
"I think someone's just mad because they don't get to go on missions with Delia anymore," Zinnia said with a knowing grin, catching Eli off guard.
"What is that supposed to mean?! I knew this was going to happen at some point!"
"Doesn't mean you're still not upset about it," Zinnia teased, earning a loud laugh from Seth upon seeing the embarrassed flush across Eli's face.
"It's not often that he's the one blushing," Seth said, "It's good to see him getting a taste of his own medicine for once."
"Is it true?" Cordelia asked, looking up at the man with a curious stare, "Are you upset that you don't get to go on missions with me anymore?"
Eli stayed quiet for a moment before he let out a bark of laughter, "Yeah right! Do you know how troublesome you are on missions?! I should be thanking Gordon for letting you take his spot!"
Cordelia puffed her cheeks out in irritation before turning on her heels and smacking the man with her wet hair in the process.
"Hey! I thought you wanted me to dry you off first?! Where are you going?!" Eli called out to her.
"I can dry myself off in my guild master's quarters! I don't need your Fire Magic for anything!" she snapped in reply before walking off with Bones following closely, the hound giving the man a quick growl first.
"What's her deal?" he mumbled as he watched her leave.
"Such an idiot," Zinnia sighed. She gave the man a quick smack upside the head before running off after her friend.
"What HER deal?!" he repeated much louder, rubbing the back of his head.
Seth slung an arm across Eli's shoulders, causing the other man to lurch forward slightly from the weight, "I think you upset the little miss. You might want to start thinking of ways to make it up to her," he said before chuckling lightly at the pout on the man's face, "And to think, you could have avoided all this if you had just told her the truth instead of trying to laugh it off like an idiot."
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said quietly, looking away from the man.
"Is that so?" Seth asked with a grin, "Then maybe you should think about this. Even with all the other S-Class mages and senior mages like her father on this guild, she still only looks to you for approval. Why do you think that is?"
"Like I have a freaking clue," he grumbled.
"Well then, maybe once you figure that out you'll understand why she got so upset," Seth explained, "And you didn't even congratulate her on becoming the guild master. What a horrible friend you are!"
"You didn't either!"
"That's because you kept on arguing with her. Now come on, I'll help you come up with way to make it up to her…over a beer of course! My treat!"
"Yeah, it sure as hell will be your treat!" Eli answered loudly, "This is really all your fault for making me come with you on your mission!"
Seth simply laughed off his comment while the two walked up to middle vessel to head towards one of the bars.
. : + : .
"All right!" Cordelia shouted over the crowded deck of the middle ship. She stood up on one of the tables to make sure everyone would be paying attention to her. She waited a few moments in order for things to quiet down before she started talking again, "Today we're going to have a challenge to see who will take over my S-Class spot! It'll be Battle Royale style, so anyone who thinks they've got what it takes to become an S-Class mage is welcome to participate! The last one standing will win the title!"
As she explained the rules of the challenge, Ace, Jay and Seth made quick work of clearing away the tables and chairs across the deck. Eli would have helped out too, but he was still off sulking by the bar about his earlier interactions with the guild master. Cordelia felt her eye twitch when she saw him sitting at the bar, but decided to let the feeling to smack him upside the back of the head go for the moment. She had the up coming battles to focus on and she didn't want the rest of the guild seeing how angry she was at the moment.
"Okay, so anyone who's interested in going for the spot, you may step forward!" she shouted. Jean was the first mage front and center, almost having Cordelia laughing at his quick reaction time. Many other mages began making their way forward and Cordelia knew all of them as she had grown up on the ship. She knew that many of them were good mages, but there were four mages in particular that stood out to her, Jean of course being one of those four.
A young man of nineteen stood a few feet away from Jean. She recognized him as Rin Noburu and knew he had been a part of the guild for the past nine years. He stood tall at 6'2" with messy black hair and friendly, green eyes. His build was slightly thin but with defined muscle and lightly tanned skin. His navy blue guild mark was located on the inside of his right wrist. He wore a classic black tuxedo with coattails, a black bow tie, black dress shoes and a black top hat that was tipped slightly to the side. He also had one silver loop earring in his right ear while he carried two rapiers on either side of him within simple leather loops. The one on his right side was name Jundo and was made of a silver metal and had an angel wing protruding from the bottom of it. The one to his left side was named Uingu and was made of a black metal and had a demonic wing protruding from the bottom of it.
Cordelia was sure that he would be a good opponent for Jean and may even give the blonde man a run for his money if they ended up fighting against each other. She knew that Rin had his eye on an S-Class spot for a while now, so his motivation to move up in rank was just as fierce as Jean's. Her eyes then moved over towards a young and short girl.
Haruna Kimura was only sixteen years old and had only been with the guild for a year, but Cordelia felt that she had enough spunk and power to make it far in the challenge. While Cordelia didn't think that Haruna would actually gain the title of S-Class this time around, the girl was sure to give the others a hard fight for it, considering the work she's seen from her past missions. She had made quite the impression on Cordelia and that's what made the girl stand out. Though, she was fairly short at 5'3" and her build was average for a sixteen year old girl, having subtle curves and a smaller bust. She had mocha colored skin while the guild mark on her right thigh was violet. Her curly, midnight blue hair reached her shoulders and she had gray eyes with specks of hazel. She wore an emerald green, cashmere sweater that exposed her bellybutton. She also wore a gold scarf, puffy beige shorts, white knee-high socks and black boots that reached five inches above her shins, though they had no heels on them. She also had a phoenix earring in her left ear and a black bow in her hair. Finally, she had twin katanas that sat on either side of her hips in a simply, brown leather holster belt.
Haruna also had a slight advantage over the other mages since she also had an Exceed partner by the name of Sho. The little cat had maroon colored fur with blue-green eyes. He wore a black vest and an indigo beanie with holes for his ears to pop through.
The last mage that managed to catch Cordelia's attention was a man of twenty-eight by the name of Ajax Airheart. She knew Ajax on a more personal level since he tended to hang out with her group of close friends. Seth had also vouched for the man's strength several times and she had gone on a few missions with him as well. He stood at 5'10" with lightly tanned skin and a toned and muscled build. His pitch black hair was spiky and slicked back, reaching the nape of his neck, leaving his hazel eyes exposed. His black guild mark was on the right side of his chest while he had a black tattoo of the initials 'A.A.' on the inside of his right wrist. He wore loose fitting, tan cargo pants held up with a simple brown belt with a white muscle shirt and a pair of brown, steel-toed boots. He also had white bandaging starting at his hands and going up to his elbows. The last thing he wore was a tan fisherman's hat, a string hanging on either side of it for when he wanted to take it off and tie it around his neck.
"Is everyone ready?!" Cordelia asked, earning nods from everyone in the participating crowd, "Then let's get this started!" she shouted, quickly jumping off the table before the fighting started. She made her way over to Zinnia just in time to see the first blows being made. Some mages were taken out with the first hit, not being strong enough or smart enough to evade heavy hits made by other mages. Both Cordelia and Zinnia had to duck a few times as bodies flew over them, but they managed to stay in their positions and watch the battles. As the numbers began to dwindle away, a pairing managed to catch their attention.
Haruna came to stand in front of Ajax with a cheerful smile on her face, "Afternoon! Looks like I'll be your opponent now!"
"Why did it have to be you?" Ajax sighed, "I can't hit a girl, especially one so young!"
"Don't worry! I can take anything you dish out!" she continued grinning, "Plus, I have Sho here to pull me out of trouble. Neh, Sho?"
"Yeah, she's got me!" the cat shouted, flying above Haruna with his white wings, "And don't look down on my Haruna! She'll beat you to a pulp!"
"Don't be rude, Sho," she smiled up at the maroon Exceed, "Maybe you should go find me a snack while I fight."
"You're seriously thinking about food now?!" Sho shouted.
"But I haven't eaten anything in a while," she pouted.
"Two hours isn't a while!"
Ajax sweat dropped at the banter between the pair, unsure of how to proceed with the fight. Though, if the girl really wanted an S-Class spot, then she would have to go through him. It wasn't every day that a spot was up for grabs like this and he wasn't going to give it up so easily, even if the brotherly side of him was yelling at him for taking on a girl like Haruna. Instead, he ignored that part of himself and pulled out his brass knuckles from his pockets and put them on.
Without thinking about a plan of attack, he headed straight into battle while shouting, "Air Punch!"
Ajax used his Air Manipulation Magic to propel his fist forward much quicker and harder than it normally would. He brought it straight towards Haruna, the girl barely missing the attack thanks to Sho pulling her up out of the way. Ajax's fist landed right in the deck, creating a large dent in it and almost managed to break through it.
"That was a close one," Haruna sighed, "Thanks Sho!"
"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled, "Now, go show that punk who's boss!"
"I'm not a punk!" Ajax shouted, "Air Kick!" he announced as he jumped and turned towards Haruna, using his magic to give his kick an added boost like his previous attack.
"Tulip Blast!" Haruna shouted, slamming a hand down on the deck to create a large tulip. The bright pink head of the flower slammed right into Ajax's stomach, instantly stopping his kick from reaching her. He coughed out as he was sent flying backwards, but he managed to catch himself before he skidded too far from her, "Nature Magic isn't something to look down on, neh Sho?"
"That's right!" he quickly agreed.
Haruna smiled brightly as she announced her next attack, "Vine Wrap!" This sent out several large vines towards Ajax, attempting to wrap around him and cease his moving.
Though, Ajax was much quicker than the vines and used a counterattack to keep them at bay, "Whirlwind!" he shouted, moving like a spinning top as he sent out a flurry of kicks and punches. He managed to keep the vines from touching him long enough for him to create an opening, "Air Hop!" he yelled, using air to propel him upwards and away from the vines. He landed on a heavy stack of boxes, using the side of it to push off with another Air Hop straight towards Haruna, "Force Push!" he shouted, sending a forceful gust of air towards the girl. It caused Sho to go flying off far from her while she had to work to keep herself balanced, "Sorry about this, but that spot is mine. Air Punch!" he shouted, slamming a fist into her gut. She coughed out like he did earlier and her small frame was slung across the deck, Zinnia catching her in the process. Her eyes swirled as she limply hung from the older woman's arms.
"Poor thing," Zinnia giggled, "But she put up a decent fight for a while."
"She's a good girl," Cordelia smiled while ruffling the unconscious girl's hair playfully.
"Better keep your guard up, Ajax!" Rin shouted, showing up behind the air mage. Ajax turned and attempted to use a Force Push attack on Rin to move him backwards, but Rin was able to easily use his Redirection Magic on the man. He had out his silver sword, Jundo, and swung it out in front of him to collect the energy from the Force Push, "Energy Sling!" Rin yelled as his sword took in the energy of the magic and then slung it right back at Ajax in a solid bolt of air. Caught off guard by the redirected attack, Ajax wasn't able to come up with a quick counterattack before the air hit him hard and knocked him off the deck and right into the water. Rin laughed down at him before throwing a rope over the edge often boat to allow the man to pull himself back up, "You really need to learn how to use that Air Magic in smarter ways, my friend!"
"Can it!" Ajax snapped, mad that he had been beaten by the man.
Rin laughed once more before turning back towards the battleground. It was then he realized that it had come down to just himself and Jean, "I was hoping that I would get a chance to fight you," he said, looking over at Jean with a playful grin.
"It seems you've gotten your wish then," Jean replied, calling back his Silver Point to bring forth a new rapier, "Cross Point," he announced as a rather elegant blade appeared in his hand. Its blade was silver in color while the handle was lined in gold and the point of the sword was a scarlet red color, "I hope you'll take this fight seriously because I won't be playing around this time."
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of going easy on you," Rin answered, still smiling at the older man, "And I still remember our last spar. I must make up for that loss after all."
"Well then, let's begin!" Jean shouted, pointing his blade at the man.
Rin sent his own rapier out in a hard thrust, the thin blades echoing in solid and clear metallic smacks as the two men attempted a normal sword fight at first. Both men were quick in their attacks, the blades almost appearing as flashes as they moved back and forth. Jean made a quicker move, though, and knocked Rin's hat off of his head. This distracted Rin long enough for Jean to move in with a hard strike to his side. Rin jumped away quickly, holding onto his side and leaving his hat behind for now.
"I'll give you the first point," Rin said as he straightened himself out, "But you'll have to do better than that."
"Then let me make things a bit more complicated," Jean smirked as he channeled his magic into his sword, igniting the red tip to make it super heated, "Now, let's take it up another level, shall we? Rythme!" he shouted, sending out a rather fast spell at the man once he was close enough to him. This unleashed eight simultaneous strikes at a rapid pace, causing Rin to have to be on the defense from not only the blade but the heated tip as well, "Coup de Taille!" he continued, not giving Rin the chance to attack. He charged energy through the blade and made a hard downwards chopping motion. Rin had to jump away again in order to dodge the attack. The sword come down on the deck and instantly burnt a hole through it from the heat coursing through it. Jean continued his onslaught though as he stabbed his sword forward while shouting, "Coupe!" This charged energy through the blade again before sending outwards in an explosive beam.
"Energy Absorb!" Rin shouted as he stabbed his own blade forward to take in the beam. The rapier easily captured the magic and stored it away for Rin to use later, "You should know better than to send out a beam of energy like that at me. Jundo will just eat it up. But I'd like to see if you can take your own attack," he smirked, "Blast Release!" he yelled, releasing the entirety of the stored energy back at Jean in another explosive beam.
While the redirected attack was explosive, it was a move that Jean knew since it was his own magic being sent back at him. So it wasn't a surprise he knew exactly how to dodge it without a single hair being singed. He quickly twisted around the attack before taking an aggressive step forward and aiming the burning point of the blade at Rin's neck. The younger man gulped at the close proximity of the heated blade, quickly dropping his own blade in the process.
"I give! You win!" he said while holding up his hands in defeat.
Jean smirked at the younger man, "Glad to see you know when to give up," he said as he recalled Cross Point back into his re-quip space.
"Yes, well, I hope you know that this won't be our last spar," Rin said as he picked his own rapier back up and put it back into its leather loop, "Don't get too comfortable in that S-Class spot, Jean."
"Get some more training in and then you might be ready to handle me."
"And we have our new S-Class mage!" Cordelia shouted, interrupting the two men and throwing Jean's hand up in the air, "Jean Marcus!"
"Haha! I told you I would be ready today!" Jean said, calling out his standard rapier and striking a victory pose with it.
Cheers could be heard from the entire crowd while people surrounded Jean to congratulate him. He was soon lifted up by Seth and sat on the large man's shoulder.
"Let's celebrate properly with drinks!" Seth smiled widely.
"Of course, of course!" Jean answered, "Just put me back down!"
Cordelia smiled at the newest edition to the S-Class team. She knew that Jean would be good for the position. While he could be a bit goofy and a bit of an idiot at times, he took what he did seriously and he had a good heart. He would be someone to look up to and would be respected by others. She felt that her previous S-Class spot was now in good hands.
A/N: And there we are! I hope you all enjoyed it!
Credits
Matilda Tollop - CryptozoologyConundrum
Seth Ornison - Origm2012
Eli Winchester - MyDearWatson
Rin Noburu - Resmesh
Haruna Kimura and Sho - Sakura-Fiction
Ajax Airheart - XLil MEkoX
I had a lot of fun with this chapter between all the new characters and all the interactions and all the fights. So I really hope you all enjoyed it as well.
I have to say the character I most related with this chapter would probably have to be Matilda due to her addiction to coffee, lol! So I had a lot of fun writing her scene and it was easy to write her character since I understood that caffeine need. But all the other characters and their scenes were super fun!
Hmm, I don't think I have much else this time around, so I'll jump right into the review!
Thanks to all of you that reviewed last chapter!
Benthino - Yep, these chapters just seem to be rolling out on their own! And I'm glad you enjoyed that little crush Jay has! ^.^ I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Origm2012 - LOL, well it doesn't seem that you mind me spoiling you with these chapters. But I'm glad to hear that you really like Cordelia's character. I really have a lot of fun writing her. And her rivalry is super fun for me as well! Yeah, I think that challenge from Jean ended so soon mostly because he didn't fully have his heart in it to take her out like he did Gordon, but I think he makes up for that in this chapter. Haha! I loved that description for Eli myself. I kept laughing through the whole chapter after I had written it. It's still making me laugh now actually, lol. Glad you enjoyed the motorbike on a boat. Well I'm glad that pairing in general are working out. I always get worried if the friendships and everything make sense, so it's always good to hear that they do. And I hope I did Seth justice in this chapter! I really love him a lot, so I was worried while writing up his character (like I do for most of them) about getting his personality and such just right. So I hope you enjoyed how he came out as well as the chapter!
IdentityCrisis.03 - Well thanks for the cookie! ^.^ And I'm really glad to hear that Tazz came out the way you pictured her! She appeared quicker than I thought too, but she just worked so well with the group of guys that I had planned to introduce that I couldn't not use her in there! And I'm glad you enjoyed the interactions between Jay and Cordelia. I thought it was rather cute myself, lol. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Momochan77 - Glad you enjoyed the chapter as well as Jean's character! And we got to meet Eli this chapter, so I hope you enjoyed his introduction. And I'm glad you enjoyed Jay's crush. I had a lot of fun with that. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Joshua1277 - Yeah, Cordelia was definitely stretching for that win against Jean, poor guy, lol. And I'm glad you enjoyed the scene with Tazz and the boys and how Lance was introduced! And I seem to keep catching you off guard with things in this story, lol. But yeah, that crush on Cordelia turned out so well it seems! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
reven228 - Glad to hear that I did well with Jean's character! I really had a lot of fun writing him and I really enjoyed his character more in this chapter, so I hope you enjoyed it as well! And I'm glad you're enjoying all the other characters as well and how they go about their day in the guild. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Sakura-Fiction - Glad you liked the chapter and Tazz's character! And yeah, we're slowly getting to see more side of all the characters, so I'm glad you liked Ace's. And I'm glad you enjoyed the little crush Jay has. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
XLil MEkoX - LOL, yep, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do that to Jean. And I'm glad you're liking Cordelia as the guild master! And I'm glad you're liking all the other characters as well. And I hope I got Ajax right for you in this chapter! And I hope you enjoyed the chapter as a whole!
Cat the Alien - Yeah, I wanted this to be a bit lighter than Thunder Stone. It'll still have its moment, but I don't think they'll be anywhere near Thunder Stone's level. But I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying this story along with it's characters. And I'm glad that you like both Zinnia and Tazz. Both girls are really fun for me to write. And I'm super happy to hear that I was pretty spot on with Ingrid! I just love her so much! And her rivalry with Cordelia! And I'm glad you enjoyed that little scene with Ingrid's file. I had quite a bit of fun with that myself, lol. And eventually we'll get to meet Duke…not sure when, but it'll happen! So just keep a look out for him! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
frozenwolf94 - Glad to hear you enjoyed the chapter and the way Chris turned out for you! I'm glad he turned out the way you pictured him! And I hope you enjoyed the S-Class challenge in this chapter! I had a lot of fun with that! And I hope you enjoyed the chapter as a whole!
Resmesh - Yep, since Rin and Jean both used rapiers I figured they would work really well as rivals and everything. I also hope Rin turned out well for you too! I really enjoyed his character! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Dreadburner94 (Guest) - Glad to hear you enjoyed the new characters. And yeah, I thought Tazz would work out really well as a rival for Nanami because of how her personality is when compared to Nanami's. So I'm glad you enjoyed that too. And yeah, poor Jean, lol! But I believe he more than makes up for that slip up with Cordelia this chapter! So I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
DarkHyena - Glad to hear that you like the concept of the guild! And thanks again for your character! And yeah, it seems for this story I got a lot more young adults, which I actually liked a lot, so I'm glad you're enjoying that too. And yeah, I think Squall and Mia are rather cute as well! And Hagi seems to be really well liked among the other readers too. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Ogrespi - Definitely poor Jean! But I think he makes up for that mishap this chapter, lol! And I'm glad to hear that you're enjoyed the personalities and interactions of the characters! And as for that challenge to Cordelia by Jean, well, I don't think his heart was fully in it like it would have been against Gordon, so really, I think Jean let her actions slide since the man is an expert swordsman and all and he knows how to fight well. But I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
ThePrinceOfLight - Glad to hear I could make your day again with a new chapter! Yeah, that office is way more spacious now thanks to Hagi, lol. And yeah, poor Jean! Losing t with his own weapon! But he gets to make up for it in this chapter! And I'm glad you liked Tazz's character too! I really had fun with her and her motorbike! And I really happy to hear that you enjoyed how Rio turned out. I quite enjoyed writing his character! And I can't wait to write more of him! And I'm glad you liked that scene with Jay and Ace. I figured that they balanced each other out nicely, so I'm glad to hear that it came off that way. But that poor guy having a crush on a woman that's super oblivious to it. Although…she has her reasons to be oblivious like that, lol. But I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
LightandDarkHeart - LOL, glad to hear you enjoyed Tazz and her motorbike! I had a lot of fun with that myself. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
You guys continue to be awesome with your reviews! I really do appreciate that so much!
I think that's all for now!
I'll have the next chapter up soon!
Please remember to review!
Yours Truly,
MyDearWatson