"Zeph, go on this job with me!" Cana rushed over to the table where I was sitting and slammed the flyer down, seemingly content to interrupt my breakfast.
This had been a common occurrence for the past two years I had been a member of the guild. According to Master, I had shown up and joined the guild about six months after Cana had shown up and started hanging around which made me the only person around her age since none of the other members of the main cast besides Laxus had shown up yet. As a result, we were constantly hanging around one another but her coming to me wanting to go on a job was new to me. Usually she wanted to try fortune telling for when Gildarts came back from a mission.
"No, that's okay. I wasn't trying to eat my breakfast or anything like that." I tried giving her the stink eye but she had started waving the flyer in my face when I didn't give an immediate yes.
"Who cares about food when we need to go out and do this job. Come on!" Without waiting for an answer she grabbed my arm and started dragging me toward the door despite me digging the heels of my feet into the floor.
"You're ruining the floorboards."
"Shut it and start walking!"
Resigning myself to whatever Cana had in store for us, I followed her the train station where we bought two tickets to a town called Berith. After finding our seats, Cana seemed to sink into herself, going quiet from thinking. I only had an inkling about what this was really about, but I couldn't really be sure without asking.
"Hey, Cana?"
"Hm?" She still only seemed to be paying half-attention to me but at least she was acknowledging that I had spoken to her.
"Why the sudden intense need to go on a mission today? Usually I'm the one who has to drag you to train or work, not the other way around."
Cana went to speak before pausing and sinking back into herself again, probably trying to figure out how to word what she wanted to say properly.
"I just," she stopped again before picking back up, "I just need to gain strength in order to become S-Class. If I don't, I won't be able to become acknowledged by someone."
"Gildarts, right?" I asked, although I already knew the answer, and she did a spit take at the immediate and correct answer I had given.
"How!? I never told anyone about that!"
I gave her a deadpan look and she seemed to grow nervous as I continued to not even bother to give a response.
"Cana, literally all you do when I don't drag you away from the guild is wait for someone to show up. Whenever Gildarts shows up you're always the happiest to see him and the first to walk up and start asking about his mission. It's pretty obvious, I don't know how the others haven't realized you have such a big crush on him."
I inwardly smirked at the outraged look she had at my false conclusion. Of course, I really knew that he was her father, but that would seem really weird if I knew that tidbit of information so I came to the best conclusion I would've had if I didn't know that, a crush.
Cana continued to sputter and I decided that I was going to milk this for all it was worth until she actually decided if she was going to tell me the truth.
"It's okay, really it is. I understand that a lot of women like that whole rogue thing he's got going on. I'll support this crush you've got going on."
"That's not what is going on! Not even close!"
"Then what is it?" I asked but she turned her head to the side, not making eye contact with me.
"I can't say."
"So, you do like him." She reached over and started pulling my cheeks.
"It's not that! It's something personal that I don't feel comfortable saying-"
"So, it's a crush."
"But it isn't a crush! Just leave it alone already!"
Deciding not to push my luck any further I chose to change the topic to the actual reason she had called me out of the guild hall in the first place.
"So, what exactly is the job we're going on that's supposed to help you with your S-class ambitions? Not the usual fortune-telling?"
"No, there's a wolf pack that has been causing problems for people passing by on the road to Berith. Rumor has it that they're low-level magic beasts."
That little tidbit caused me to furrow my brow. In a world filled with ethernano, it shouldn't be a surprise that not just humans have the potential to use magic, which is exactly what happened. Certain creatures evolved to use magic, like Vulcans using take-over magic, and usually makes them more intelligent as well as increase their lifespan. However, there are even rarer cases where a regular animal that lives in an area of abundant magic energy will develop the skill all on its own, a one in two hundred thousandth of a chance. The fact that a whole pack had developed the ability was something that should have been impossible.
"That can't be true Cana. Statistically, maybe one of the wolves could have mutated like that, but the entire pack can't have happened like that."
"I know that, but it doesn't change what's been said about the animals. Better to prepare for the worst and hope for the best." She went back to looking out the window after saying this, done with the conversation.
Not bothering to try and get her talking again, I spent the rest of the ride going over all the different techniques I had mastered or remade over the past two years in my head. Despite what I actually thought of about the job Cana had chosen, she was right. Statistics be damned I needed to expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised when it didn't happen.
After a few hours the conductor announced that we would be arriving in Berith in about thirty minutes, so I got up and double checked all my gear was good and my sword sharpened while Cana went through her deck again before looking over at her.
"You picked the job so how do you want to approach this after we meet the client?"
"We're going to meet the client and then ask around town for any information on the pack, after which we'll set up a trap by their usual hunting grounds."
While basic at best, it was still a solid idea I order to take them by surprise. Confidently, Cana led the way once the train stopped towards the address on the flyer, ringing the bell of a red house where a portly, older man opened the door.
"Afternoon sir! We are the mages who picked up your request for the extermination of the wolf pack outside of town."
The man sagged in relief before ushering us inside where he showed us to a decently large living room and telling us to sit down.
"Well, thank you very much for accepting the request. My name is Oliver and I'm the mayor of Berith. I'd been beginning to think that no one would ever decide to take care of this problem for us."
"Wait," I furrowed my brow in confusion before continuing, "exactly how long have you been waiting for someone to accept your request? Something like this would have been picked up immediately if the rumors of the pack becoming magical beasts is confirmed."
Oliver seemed to shift nervously in his seat before continuing.
"I posted the quest at almost thirteen guilds about a year ago, but after the first few groups were defeated by the alpha of the pack no one wanted it anymore. I had to send it up to more high-profile guilds, but they all had higher paying requests I'm assuming because after the last attempt at the job no one else took it for almost six months before you two came along. We're all getting really desperate for this to stop."
"Well, we're here now and Fairy Tail never gives in. So please, tell us all you can about this alpha that has been beating all the others that have been sent after it."
Smiling at our acceptance of the job, the mayor began regaling us with the tales of a larger than average she-wolf that was wielding a great sword in its mouth, ferociously beating back all attempts to root her pack out from their territory.
I frowned at this new information that had come to light. This sounded oddly familiar to something form my past life but I couldn't quite put my finger in what it was. An anime? Light novel?
A nudge in my side indicated that Cana was ready so without further delay we exited the Mayor's house and quickly devised a proficient way to get all the information we could. Agreeing to meet back up in two hours, we went our separate ways in order to cover the most ground possible.
Unfortunately, every person I talked to just made the nagging at the back of my head worse about why this scenario seemed so familiar. A big, gray she-wolf that fought with strength and savagery. The alpha fighting people off with a greatsword as black as night. Every new piece of information was making me frustrated with why I couldn't recall where I had heard this from before. I may have gotten a bit worse at remembering things from before my rebirth but it shouldn't be this bad damn it! Calling it quits, I headed over to the rendezvous point where Cana was already waiting for me to arrive.
"All the same things the Mayor said to us before. What about you?" I could hear how aggravated she was in her voice.
"Same thing on my end. Did you pick up all the stuff for this trap you have planned?"
"Yep."
"Than lets get to it."
No more words were needed as the two of us made our way to the eastern gate of the village and began trekking down the road to where the hunting grounds were supposed to be about an hour or two down the road, but little things began to seem off the further we went in. Every once in a while, the animals that were making noise would go quiet before picking back up again at random intervals, and there was a feeling in the back of my head that made my hair stand on end.
Finally, we reached the spot which Cana had deemed to be our trap area. Setting to work, we dug for about a half hour, making sure the hole was at least deep enough that the beasts wouldn't be able to easily climb out once they fell in, as well as setting up traps of all kinds like snares and falling logs. By the end of our second hour of setting up and deeming the area up to standard and placing bait, we began to leave in order to hide before the nagging at the back of my head suddenly screamed at me to move.
"Cana!" Other than screaming her name, I dove into her making the both of us crash to the ground as the whistling of something sharp passed through the air above.
Quickly rolling to the side and drawing my sword in the same notion, I came face to face with one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen.
Standing at about five feet from the top of her head to her paws, she was easily the largest wolf I had ever seen, with dark grey coloring all along the back of her head, over her shoulders and down her back while her muzzle and legs were a lighter grey, bordering on white. Piercing yellow eyes as she held the handle of a greatsword with the blade out towards her left. The reason for the rumor of a whole pack of magical beasts becoming clear as phantom copies of her began to come to life and circle the two of us, white an transparent but just as deadly.
The strange familiarity after hearing the description of our target suddenly making a whole lot of sense now that she was standing right in front of me as I felt my heart pump in excitement. How many people could say that they had actually fought their favorite boss in a video game franchise.
"Cana," I could feel her gaze on my back as I stood to face the beast, "I know you said that you wanted to do this as training to get stronger but please allow me this one favor. Keep the copies off my back while I fight her."
"What! No way am I going to let you-"
"Cana! Don't argue with me. I promise that I will let you handle every other monster you want while I back you up, but this one time I need to do this. I can't explain, just trust me."
"Grrrr! Fine, but you owe me big time!"
Yeah, I did. Slowly circling the wolf as she did the same, I began to charge my magic in my sword before the two of us dashed at each other, the clashing of steel ringing out through air.
"It's a good thing you're up for a fight, because I'm going to prove who the alpha is here. I'm going to make you a part of my pack from now on, you got a problem with that?"
She growled even more at my proclamation before we clashed again.
"Don't worry, I've got a great name already picked out for you as well. After the greatest I ever heard of. I think it fits, doesn't it… Sif!"