A/N: And we're back with the next chapter! I hope everyone that celebrates had a good holiday!

I don't own Fairy Tail!

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 5: The Mission Begins

May 6th, X784

"There you are!" Darling exclaimed as he saw Rocco and Vincent enter the guildhall with Iva in tow, "Do you have any idea how worried I was about you!?"

"Yeah, yeah," Iva huffed before holding out Darling's mug, "Just take the damn thing back already."

"I'm so glad to have you back!" Darling said enthusiastically as he took the mug back from Iva, holding it up to his bearded face and rubbing it up against it, "I've been soooooo worried about you! Did Miss Dragomirov take good care of you? She didn't scratch you did she? Did she drop you at all? Why is there a leaf in you?"

"You're a… bit excited about that mug, ain'tcha, Doc?" Vincent sighed as he watched the display the doctor was putting on.

"Wasn't… the whole point of this to bring her back? Not the mug?" Rocco asked quizzically looking between the doctor and Iva, "He told you to bring back Iva too, right?" he said while turning to look at Vincent.

"Yep. Though I guess he was more worried about the mug in the end," Vincent answered before looking at Iva, "I guess he's done with you if you wanna run off or whatever, y'know, before he comes to his senses." Iva could only look between them all with an unamused expression before turning right back around and heading for the door, though the sound of someone shouting stopped her in her tracks.

"Hold it!" they heard a woman shout, Iva turning around to see a woman with black to white ombre hair and a sword strapped to her back walking towards them, "The doctor might have forgotten what this was all about, but I haven't!" the woman declared.

"Ah come on, Cleo, the chicky has had a busy couple of days, let her roam free for a bit," Vincent replied with a smug look on his face.

"Who're you calling a chicky!" Iva growled as she marched right back up to Vincent.

"She's more of a gecko, really," Rocco chuckled before Iva's foot flew up into the air and kicked Rocco in the face, the unexpected blow knocking him to the ground.

"Didn't you guys just get in trouble yesterday for fighting?" Cleo asked before it could go any farther, "Nika's busy training Miyako right now, but what do think will happen if I go and tell her you're fighting again." All three of them stopped in their tracks at that point, a vision of a furious Nika appearing in their heads as they slowly moved into normal poses while keeping an eye on Cleo as the woman let out a sigh, "That's better," she said before looking to Doctor Darling, "Doctor. Doctor!" she said before reaching out and grabbing Darling by the arm, giving him a slight shake to snap him out of his elated ramblings with his mug.

"Hm!? Oh… yes," Darling muttered as he finally lowered the mug and began paying attention to what was going on.

"Didn't you want Rocco and Vincent to bring Iva back for you?" Cleo asked, reminding the Doctor what this was all for in the first place.

"Right, of course, I was just… distracted," Darling said as he cleared his throat, a slight blush on his face from embarrassment, "Thank you, Miss Neredas, for reminding me. Come with me, Miss Dragomirov, it's time for your morning check-up."

"Have fun," Vincent chuckled while Iva just gave him the stink eye as she trudged past him and Rocco.

"I won't," Iva huffed before she looked back at Rocco, a malicious sneer appearing on her face, "Oh, Blue, maybe you should get your head looked at after I'm done. You've taken an awful lot of blows to the head since I got here yesterday."

"Wha… Blue?" Rocco gawked as Iva followed Darling out of the main hall and to his office.

"She's two for two," Vincent said with a smirk on his face as he looked at Rocco, the teal-haired man looking at him quizzically in response, "She's only been here two days and she's smacked you right in the face both days."

"Oh piss off," Rocco huffed.

"Will you two ever grow up?" Cleo sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Not so long as you react in such entertaining ways," Vincent stated as a sly smile appeared on his face, replacing the smirk he had as a faint blush appeared on Cleo's face, "And we both know you enjoy the show."

"Idiot… You're both idiots, you know that?" Cleo snapped.

"So?" Vincent replied smugly while Rocco just gave her a confused look.

"Don't group me together with this asshole," Rocco growled.

"Then quit getting into fights with him all the time," Cleo stated harshly before letting out a sight, "You know what, no, this isn't worth it right now. I have to be at the station in twenty minutes."

"Going on a mission, eh?" Vincent asked, "Going with anyone, or is this a solo thing?"

"Alek and Asher, if you must know," Cleo huffed, "But I heard Nika had something special planned out for you two in a few days," she added before walking past the two men, "So good luck with that," she added before exiting the guildhall through the main doors.

"The hell is Nika planning now?" Rocco wondered aloud, "Ain't she already got her fill of punishing us in when she yelled at us yesterday?"

"Apparently not," Vincent sighed, "Whatever it is, I don't like it. But I gotta strong feeling as to what it might be."

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Rocco groaned as he thought about what this special thing might be.

. : + : .

It had been a long train ride. Long, agonizing, uncomfortable and awkward, that's all that could pass through Layla's head as their train had finally arrived in the City of Amaryllis on the western coast of Fiore. The feeling in the cabin was so awkward Layla couldn't even bring herself to draw during the trip thanks to the tension between Emrys, Jaku and Connor. Once the train whistle had blown, Layla had stood up, grabbed her bag and darted off the train as fast as she could to begin stretching her legs and get away from that uncomfortable feeling that had followed her there all the way from the guildhall.

"You in a rush or something?" she heard Jaku ask as she turned around to watch him step off of the train, Emrys following close behind with Connor trailing behind him.

"Oh… No, just couldn't wait to get off of that train, it was stuffy in there, hehe," Layla said with some nervous laughter before she watched Connor begin to walk off and leave them behind, "Oh! Wait up, Connor!"

"I told you all I expected you to keep up with me," Connor growled, "I'm here to do a job, not stand around and gab."

"Asshole," Jaku muttered.

"Unfortunately he's right this time," Emrys sighed, beginning to follow Connor, "We've got a schedule to keep with after all. We need to meet our contact in thirty minutes."

"Who is the contact?" Layla asked, trying to look at the mission flyer in the much taller man's hands, Emrys lowering it down for her so she could see.

"A man called Balfour. He's a servant of one of the local nobles. A longtime patron of Phantom Lord in fact," Emrys explained.

"Master Jose has a lot of friends in high places, doesn't he?" Jaku asked as he held his hands behind his head as they continued to follow Connor through the train station.

"He does," Emrys answered, "You could say that while Fairy Tail is a guild that appeals to the common person and their needs, Phantom Lord appeals to the nobility and their needs. It's really no wonder we clash so much, even if Master Jose didn't hold a grudge against Makarov we'd still get into fights because of this."

As Emrys finished explaining this, the four of them stepped out of the train station and into the city and were suddenly surrounded by a multitude of buildings, several of them towering into the sky above them, especially as the buildings grew closer to the center, where the cityscape was dominated by a large, white, glittering castle that was covered in towering spires and towers and was lined with fortifications.

"Amaryllis Keep," Jaku said in awe as he looked up at the castle in the center of the city, "I heard it was big, but damn that's a really big castle if we can see it from here."

"The Keep has to be well-reinforced ever since Alvarez tried to invade three years ago and cut off all diplomatic ties last year as well," Emrys continued to explain, "Western Fiore has been on edge since then, bracing for another invasion that may or may not even happen."

"I guess that's why this place feels so different than home," Layla said as they continued to follow Connor through the busy, crowded streets, "Everyone is so afraid here and there are soldiers everywhere. You'd never see so many soldiers in Jaborosa unless something terrible had happened."

"I doubt there are any other cities with more military fapping about other than Crocus. Puts even the Clover Town garrison to shame and they're on the Boscan border," Connor added gruffly.

"The Duke is some military bigwig though, ain't he? Jaku asked as they continued pushing their way through the crowd.

"Yes, Duke Hamilton Bryce Ealdwine. His family has always been heavily involved with the Fioran Military," Emrys answered.

"Are we working for Duke Ealdwine?" Layla asked.

"No, his son, Count Alexander Hamilton Ealdwine. Though I guess we'd technically be working for the Duke if we're working for his son," Emrys thought aloud, "But I don't think we'll be seeing either of them."

"I think it would be kinda fun to have met nobility," Layla pouted before they were flagged down by a soldier.

"Hold it, what's your business here to be walking around with weapons," the soldier asked, gesturing to the pistol on Connor's hip and the axe on Jaku's back.

"We're here on mage business, sir. We're members of Phantom Lord," Jaku answered as he pointed to the violet guild mark on the left side of his neck.

"I see, let me see the rest of yours as well," the soldier requested as Emrys held out his right hand while Layla and Connor pulled back their left sleeves, revealing a dark green, pink and green guild marks respectively.

"All right then, that checks out. Move along," the soldier said, waving them on dismissively before the four mages began to continue on their way.

"Security's heavy here," Connor scoffed, "One flash of a recognizable guild mark and they just wave you on."

"At least they checked us since we're carrying weapons," Jaku sighed, "I'd be more concerned if they just let me walk around with an axe on my back without saying something."

"Well, we're almost there anyhow," Emrys said as they approached a small café and moved to enter the building. As they stepped inside, the four mages were instantly greeted by the hostess.

"Hello! Welcome to Café Le Papillion, a table for four?" the hostess said happily.

"Actually we're meeting someone here, Balfour?" Jaku answered as the hostesses eyes lit up in recognition.

"Ah yes! Sir Balfour! He has been expecting you, follow me please," the hostess replied before walking off, the four of them following behind as they walked back to a private room that had an armed guard standing outside of it, "Sir, I believe these are the mages Sir Balfour was expecting."

"Mission flyer please," the guard requested before Emrys handed it over, the guard examining it closely for a minute before handing it back to Emrys, "They may enter," the guard announced before stepping aside, the hostess leading them into the room.

Upon entering, they were greeted by a young man, thin and slim with black hair tied back into a low ponytail while he was immaculately dressed in a freshly pressed butler's suit, his bright blue eyes shining with just a hint of mischief.

"Sir Balfour, the mages from Phantom Lord have arrived," the hostess announced.

"Thank you, dear. Would you be so kind as to brew us a fresh pot of tea?" the man asked politely before the hostess left to fulfill his request. "Please do sit, my friends. My name is Baldwin Balfour, I am here representing my master, Count Ealdwine, for the duration of this mission. Would you be so kind as to tell me your names?"

"Ah right, I'm Emrys Kindell," he said as the four of them took their seats as he gestured to each on in turn, "That's Jaku Labane, Layla Sparrow and Connor McKlyne."

"Marvelous. Well met," Baldwin said happily as the hostess returned with a fresh pot of tea, pouring each one of them a cup before setting the pot down and leaving again, "Now, it's onto business, I'm afraid. My master was quite insistent that you begin as soon as possible."

"Right, the flyer said it was an art thief?" Jaku said after taking a sip of his tea.

"Well, my master wanted the flyer to be rather vague, to be honest," Baldwin admitted, "This is more than just a simple retrieval of artwork I'm afraid."

"Of course there's more to this crap than expected," Connor huffed, having quickly downed the tea in a single gulp before pulling out a flask of whiskey.

"While several valuable pieces of art were indeed stolen from us, the true prize is the family sword, a marvelous enchanted blade imbued with holy light magic," Baldwin explained.

"Um… How did all of this get stolen in the first place?" Layla asked, practically hiding her face behind her teacup.

"They were being transported to Amaryllis Keep from the Ealdwine Manor in Crocus when the thieves attacked. Dark Mages, or witches rather, all atop of broomsticks or using some other manner of magic or magical tool to fly. I believe they called themselves the Night Witches," Baldwin answered, a grim look on his face as he set his teacup down, "I was quite lucky myself, but some of my other compatriots were not."

"Sounds like we're in for a fight then, more my style anyways," Connor huffed.

"I'm afraid so. But regardless, even if you fail to retrieve all the other artwork, so long as you recover the sword, my master will consider the mission a success. Of course, he also said that if you manage to recover everything undamaged, he will award you all with a bonus," Baldwin continued, their faces lighting up at the mention of a bonus.

"Right, so where were they last seen heading towards?" Emrys asked as Baldwin pulled out a map.

"An excellent question, I'll explain everything I know," Baldwin said as the five of them began to pour over the map.

. : + : .

Nika let out a sigh as she reclined back in one of the chairs in the courtyard's pavilion, Miyako and Azielle having gone home a bit earlier after Miyako had woken up. The sun was now beginning to dip down in the sky, coloring it all kinds of wonderful shades of orange, red and yellow. She turned her head slightly to look inside of the guildhall, seeing Raoul having a laugh and a few drinks with some of his friends as she let a smile of her own cross her face.

"Representative Nika," she heard a woman say softly from behind her, Nika turning around in her chair to see a very tall woman standing at 6'8" and wearing an outfit similar to a nun's.

"Lulu. Did you need something?" Nika asked as Lulu began to walk around the table, Nika looking up to see that she was still wearing the white blindfold that never seemed to bother her ability to get around.

"Nothing in particular," Lulu admitted as she sat down, "But my prayers left me with the feeling that you have been stressed lately and I thought that I may offer you my company."

"Your prayers might be right, though I'm pretty much always stressed," Nika chuckled, "But it's appreciated."

"I see. Well, hopefully my presence is a calming one for you. I'd hate to be a bother for you," Lulu stated, her calm and gentle demeanor persisting.

"Well, I believe I'll skip whatever sermon you may or may not have planned out, but I'll gladly sit and talk with you," Nika said as Lulu looked slight disheartened for a moment before smiling again, earning another small chuckle from Nika.

"Very well, the teachings of the Khalai will wait for another day," Lulu stated in agreement before the two of them fell into a comfortable silence, "How is the new member of the branch?" Lulu eventually asked, breaking the silence, "I have yet to meet her."

"She's a firecracker. She's gonna be… Nah, already is a real handful," Nika explained, "She's already caused Darling a couple of headaches and it really doesn't help that she's kind of fallen in with Vincent and Rocco."

"Such reckless young souls," Lulu said softly before falling into a silent prayer, "But I believe they have hearts of gold underneath their violent and angry exteriors."

"Someone has to have faith in them, I guess," Nika shrugged, "But I guess she's more or less what I expected her to be when Master Jose said she was a Dragon Slayer. Angry, violent and grumpy."

"Such avarice, those creatures were said to possess. I fear the stories may have left a poor impact on her then," Lulu said, slightly shaking her head back and forth.

"I don't actually know what her opinions are on dragons," Nika admitted, "I know Gajeel got real angry if you tried to talk to him about them, but he'd never say what for. And that Salamander kid… I heard he ran off from Fairy Tail to try and find one like a week ago and then came back empty handed."

"What strange times we live in where one goes looking for a dragon," Lulu sighed, "The stories paint them as naught but beasts of rage and violence who preyed on humanity. There are even a few verses about the dragons in Khalai's sacred scriptures."

"I'm sure none of them say nice things about them either," Nika added as she leaned onto the table in front of her and looked into the guildhall again.

"Not at all. The one venerable trait they are praised for is their relentless tenacity. 'Be ever so determined as a Dragon to do good deeds and spread the word of Khalai.' The metaphor is used a few different times in our scripture," Lulu explained, "Usually in a similar capacity as that one."

"Interesting," Nika mumbled before sitting up and looking out towards the open sky above the courtyard, the sky having turned more of a mix of purple and blue as the sun dipped even further, "Night's almost here," she said as she stood up from her chair.

"Are you going to go and prepare for the next day?" Lulu asked.

"Yeah, my work is never done, unfortunately. Gotta submit today's reports and then prep for tomorrow's busywork before I can go to bed," Nika sighed as she stretched out her arms.

"What a busy life the guild master forces you to lead," Lulu stated as she stood up as well, "I will offer up an evening prayer that you might feel energized come morning."

Nika looked up at the tall woman for just a moment before another smile appeared on her face, "Thanks Lulu, it's appreciated," she said before walking off, the tall woman smiling and nodding to her as she left.

Credits:

Cleona "Cleo" Olympia Neredas – musicaldreams89

Baldwin Balfour – Dreadburner94

Lucretzia "Lulu" Celestine Zemerik – Benthino

A/N: And there we are! Chapter 5 finished! I hope you enjoyed!

After this chapter, there's just four more characters that need to be introduced for the main starting cast, so we're almost to that first important milestone for the story! Asides for that, I don't have anything special to talk about here.

But, a big thank you to Grimnack, Benthino, Origm2012, wjolix98, musicaldreams89, LucasVAMP, Elements08, MyDearWatson and Carla the wizard for the reviews! They are much appreciated!

But that's all from me for now.

Your host,

Dreadburner94.