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In a land far, far away, lies the Kingdom of Fiore; a small peaceful nation of 17 million, and a place filled with magic. Found in every home, bought and sold in every marketplace, for most, magic is merely a tool, a mundane part of everyday life.
For some, however, magic is an art, and they've devoted their lives to its practice. These, are the wizards. Banded together into magical guilds, they apply their skills in search of fame and fortune.
Many such guilds dot the landscape of Fiore, but there is a certain guild, in a certain town, that soars high above the rest. One from which countless legends have been born; a guild that will no doubt continue to create legends well into the future. Its name – is Fairy Tail.
Port Hargeon – Train Station
"Excuse me, sir?" the conductor of a train looked at the pink-haired teen lying on the floor with eyes holding a great deal of concern.
"Hey Natsu, we're at Hargeon now! Time to get up!" a gorgeous silver-haired woman smiled at the mess in front of her. She had her hair tied into a ponytail behind her head, reaching her waistline. She was dressed in her signature casual redress outfit. "If you don't get up, the train might leave again, and we'll have to ride it twice!"
"Is he alright?" the conductor inquired, trying to see if he could do anything to help.
The woman smiled at him warmly. "It's fine – he's always like this when he's traveling on vehicles. It's a case of motion sickness. Don't worry, we'll ask for you should we require assistance!"
The pink-haired man, who had been subject to the conversation until now, managed to mumble despite his dizziness, "I'm never riding a stupid train again." As soon as he finished his statement, he felt another wave of nausea. "I'm going to hurl!"
The woman carried him off of the train and lay him down on a bench on the station platform. "C'mon Natsu! Let's not be so discouraged! Don't forget why we came here!" she exclaimed while poking at his face teasingly.
Natsu glared at her, "And what EXACTLY are we trying to accomplish by coming here, Mira?"
She looked at the reward paper, and stated, in a much more professional tone, "There's a man calling himself "Salamander" who has been kidnapping young women and shipping them somewhere. We need to stop 'em. Rumors have it that he's stopping by Hargeon in a few days, so we're taking our chances. Are you ready to go yet?"
Natsu clutched his stomach and leaned forward as he prepared to vomit the contents of his stomach out of his system. "Just give me a moment, will ya? I'll be ready in a couple of minutes. Just make sure I never ride one of those stupid trains ever again."
Letting a small laugh escape from her lips, Mirajane teased, with a heavily sadistic look on her face, "You look so adorable when you're like this. It makes me want to leave you on a train all day. How about this? Next time, you can sit in my lap, if that's more comfortable!"
The Dragonslayer flushed a color of dark red momentarily, to the satisfaction of the female mage, before turning back into a familiar shade of green.
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Center of the Town of Hargeon-
People were bustling around the streets of Hargeon. Located on the West Coast of Fiore, Hargeon had almost an entire monopoly over the fishing industry. Most of the people here made income off of catching sea creatures and selling them on the market. However, a variety of other businesses were still abundant in the town. Most people in Fiore, known as commoners, did not, in fact, know how to use magic. Thus, the only trade that was suffering was…
"WHAT?! You mean to tell me that there's only ONE magic shop in this WHOLE town?" a blonde girl dressed in a rather revealing blue and white outfit gasped in disbelief. Her hair dropped down her shoulders, and reached her waist. She was wearing black leather boots. A ring of keys was strapped on to her side, shining with value.
"I'm afraid so; the people around here are more fishing folk than they are magic folk. I reckon most people in town don't even know how to USE magic. I built this shop to sell to the wizards who happened to be passing through," an old man - presumed to be the shopkeeper - tried to defend himself.
"Aww man I came out all this way for NOTHING" the girl whined.
Trying to cheer up his customer's mood, the shopkeeper spoke again. "Now now, don't say that little lady, I have all the lady's goods. Let me show you a few. This color's magic is very popular with the young girls these days! It lets you change the color of your outfit with a swipe to the mirror!" He demonstrated by changing his own outfit to a shade of dark purple. "Now Green!"
As the shopkeeper continued to demonstrate the use of the Color's magic, the blonde girl spoke aloud. "I already have one of those; what I really want are some powerful Gate Keys!" As she spoke of what she desired, her eyes fell onto a silver key hanging by one of the shelves behind the counter.
"OH WOW, IT'S THE LITTLE DOGGY!"
The shopkeeper tried to explain, "Yes, but that one isn't very powerful…"
She persisted, "I know, but I really, really want it. How much is it?"
"20,000 Jewel" the price demanded by the shopkeeper was a rather high one, as the average income for most common folk was around 50 Jewel an hour.
"I'm sorry, but how much was that again?" the blonde tried to bicker with the shopkeeper, in hopes of lowering the price down to a more reasonable range.
The man was insisted on his price and repeated himself "20, 000 Jewel"
She propped herself to lie on top of the countertop. She positioned herself in a seductive way, making sure the shopkeeper could get a good view of her impressive figure; she leaned in, and whispered into his ear.
"Oh, come on, how much is it really?" She wrapped his arms around his neck, making sure he could feel her chest against his body. "Surely you could cut me a deal."
The shopkeeper was tense. Sweat rolled down the back of his neck. Is she trying to seduce me? "Alright, I suppose, I can give you a bit of a discount."
The girl moved back, and winked at the old man. "Aww~~ you're so sweet~~. So, how much is it now?"
"19 000 jewel" the shopkeeper proudly stated.
Her eyes filled with rage. "19 000 jewel?!"
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As she walked down the street, the girl continued to mutter to herself about the terrible deal she had just failed to bargain successfully.
"I can't believe that he only knocked off 1000 jewel. That stubborn old geezer must be blind! That trick usually works! So much for using my feminine wil-"
A distant crowd erupted into screams of joy and love. A passing conversation could be heard between two young ladies.
"Are you serious, is he really here?" said one of the girls.
"SALAMANDER!" the other one squealed.
The blonde, who had just processed what she heard, grinned widely. "Salamander, as in the wizard who uses Fire Magic you can't even buy in stores? WoW!" She then had a puzzled look on her face. Scratching her head, she then spoke loudly, as if to ask the world, "He's in THIS dead-end town?" To see what was going on for herself, the girl began to make her way to the forming crowd in the clock tower district.
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In Another Part of Town
As Natsu and Mirajane walked down the streets of Hargeon, they were attracting the attention of many of the townspeople. "Look at that girl, she's so pretty!" the men remarked. "That boy, he's really hot!" the girls swooned. They admired the great things everyone passing by had to say about them. They looked at each other for a moment, as if to see whether or not the statements circulating around them about each other were true. Mirajane stared into his eyes, his deep, black pupils; she could see… his eyes. He then blinked. She couldn't see his eyes anymore.
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He does have an attractive face - she thought to herself. His jaw is well-toned, he's got a nice body, and a personality like no other – What is there not to like about him? Loud screaming coming from the alleyway snapped her out of her absorbed thoughts. Turning her head, she caught sight of a man who was seemingly in his mid-30s, surrounded by a group of girls. "Salamander! You're so dreamy, and so hot!" The name rang throughout the town square. Salamander, huh? I guess we found him! Grabbing a hold of her partner, Mira made her way through the crowd. The man at the center of the crowd turned his head to look their way. He flipped his hair, and pulled out his hand. On his fingers were two rings: One of them resembled a heart, and the other resembled a moon in the night sky. Pulling her back, Natsu urged, "He has charm spells on him. Be careful." The silver-haired mage nodded her head, and continued towards the crowd. "Hey there, hottie" the man cooed, "Care to join me on my yacht tonight?" He lifted his hand in an attempt to touch her, when Mirajane batted his hand away. "You'll have to ask that guy over there!" she spoke slyly while pointing towards Natsu's direction. "Huh? OOF!" Salamander was gut punched in the stomach by a pink-haired boy. His red eyes seethed with anger. So that must be his girl.
"I'm sorry; I didn't realize that she was your woman." Salamander took a quick apologetic bow at Natsu. He then continued, "Anyways, the both of you are invited to a party on my yacht tonight, at around 7 pm." He then turned towards the crowd, which consisted of girls who seemed to be the age of 18-30, and one particular blonde girl who seemed to be very annoyed. "And you, my lovely ladies, are all invited as well. I've got to prepare, so catch you later! PROMINENT FIRE!" With a snap of his fingers, Salamander had created purple flames coming from his feet, and was lifted 10 feet into the air. "I have unfinished business with you!" Natsu screamed. As he was about to chase after the target, a hand came across to stop him. Mirajane spoke calmly, "It's ok; let's catch him on his yacht at his party. I want to see what he's really up to."
"Hey," a third voice came from the now leaving crowd. It was the blonde girl. "I want to thank you for helping me out back there. And- OH MY GOD ARE YOU MIRAJANE?" Her jaw dropped and she stood there, gaping at the woman in red standing in front of her. Suppressing a giggle, she smiled. "Why, yes it is!" The blonde became eccentric. "Oh my god, it's Mirajane- IN THE FLESH! You're so pretty! I love your bikini pictures! Oh my, can I do anything for you guys? Let me treat you out to lunch." Before Mira could reply, her partner jumped to an answer. "You said lunch; and lunch means food. Food is good. Ok, we're in." Mira let out a sigh. "Alright, let's go!"
As Lucy and Mirajane talked a bit about themselves, the two Fairy Tail wizards learned that the blonde girl was called Lucy. She was a Celestial Wizard that aspired to become Fairy Tail Wizard some day. "So, Mirajane, if you're from Fairy Tail, who's this guy?"
"Oh, Natsu? You may have heard about him, he's known as Salamander, one of the most destructive members in Fairy Tail!"
"Really? Wow! So that other Salamander was clearly a fake. I can't believe I fell victim to his Charm Spell. What a creep. Those things have been illegal for such a long time. He must've went through a lot of trouble to get his hands on it."
There was a moment of silence as both of the girls watched Natsu in awe as he devoured all of the food on the table. "So, you're the Salamander that can use special Fire Magic?"
Mirajane piped in, "Well that's a common misconception. People think that Natsu can only use Fire Magic, but truthfully, he can use lots of other magic too! Iron, Ice, Lightning, and much more!"
Lucy dropped her fork. "Really?!" She also dropped her jaw. "That's insane! Anyways, I was thinking that since that other Salamander is a fake, he must be up to no good. I'm planning to attend his party in the evening to see what he's up to."
Mirajane flashed a wicked smile. "Really, that's what I was thinking too!"
"That's scary Mira, cut it out!" the spiky-haired wizard said through mouthfuls of food. After his last bite, he proclaimed, "Now that's a hefty meal! Cya later!"
With that, Natsu and Mira stood up, and left the restaurant. Lucy quickly followed, and they went their separate ways
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Atop of the Shore – 7:00 pm
Natsu and Mirajane watched as the "Salamander" yacht pulled out of the port. There had been around 50 or so girls on the ship, and Lucy was one of them. The pink-head spoke. "Alright, Mira, you go on first. I'll catch up."
"Sure thing partner!" Mira's body began to glow. "Takeover: ANIMAL FORM! FALCON!" Mira's body shrank to the size of an eagle, and she took off into the air. She soared into the air, towards the direction of the ship.
"Guess it's my turn." Natsu looked towards the ship one more time. "I'm going to regret this." Water Dragon's Secret Art – Surf of the Waves. He conjured up a great wave of water, and hopped on top of it. With his gigantic wave, Natsu cruised along the sea towards the ship at amazing speeds. Once he approached the yacht, he then aimed the wave to crash down into the captain's cabin. He hopped off of the wave and his fist became engulfed in flames. Fire Dragon's IRON Fist! He crashed down through the rooftop and landed on the floorboards, making a dramatic entrance. Mirajane seemed to be handling the guys on board well enough. She had taken the form of one of her she-devil forms: Leviathan. "As the devil of Envy, I turn you against each other! Now Fight! Only the winner may compete against me!"
The ship swayed slightly. "Ulp-" Natsu suppressed the urge to vomit. Trying to regain his composure, Natsu walked over to one of the walls to try and regain his balance.
"Hey, Lucy!" Natsu beckoned the blonde. "Got anything that could bring us back to shore?"
"Well, in fact, I do!" she chirped. Pulling out the keys that were attached to her waist, Lucy plugged one into the water, while chanting, "Open, Gate of the water bearer, Aquarius!" Out of thin air appeared a mermaid-like being, holding a large vase in her arms. "Now, Aquarius, whisk this ship back to shore!"
The mermaid scoffed. She then spoke, "Bark an order at me like that again, and you're dead."
The blonde tensed up. "I'm sorry ma'am!"
Water came spewing out from the ocean, and washed the ship back onto the port of Hargeon. With a large crash, it was close to smashing into the town itself.
"Thank,s Aquarius!"
The mermaid glared at her. "Don't call me for a while. I have a weeklong vacation with my BOYFRIEND, and he's HOT!"
The blonde became angry, "YOU DON'T HAVE TO RUB IT IN!"
In a flash, the mermaid was gone.
"Ughh, Bora, why was the sea so angry?" One of the fake Salamander's lackeys groaned while rubbing his head.
"Don't CALL me that, you idiot!" the purple-haired mage hastily replied.
Natsu stepped out of the wreckage and with a menacing glare, he looked down upon the men on the shore. "So you claim to be a part of Fairy Tail, huh?"
Bora readied a purple flame in his hand. "Yea, so what's that to YOU?"
Natsu crunched his knuckles. "Heh heh, well, I'M A MEMBER OF FAIRY TAIL, AND I'VE NEVER SEEN YOU BEFORE!" he ripped off his jacket, revealing the Fairy Tail emblem engraved onto his left arm, with bold red ink.
"This guy's the real deal!" one of the lackey's exclaimed.
The lackeys approached Natsu, but he took them out with ease. One by one, he knocked their heads into the sand. "I will NOT let you dirty the Fairy Tail Guild name!"
Bora screamed in distress, "That's ENOUGH! PROMINENT FIRE!" He launched a large ball of fire towards Natsu, who became surrounded by the flames.
"Haha, that's right men. The larger the talk, the weaker the man!"
Out of the blue, Natsu's voice complained, "Ugh- these are the nastiest flames I've tasted!" He stuffed the last bit of the flames into his mouth, and taunted, "Are you really a fire wizard? These taste more like sparks then flames, dude!" The men stood there in shock, their jaws hanging wide open. "How did you…? AHH!" They all began to realize that the wizard standing in front of them, was , indeed, the real Salamander.
"That's right! I'm Natsu Dragneel, and I'm here to serve you some JUSTICE!"
FIRE DRAGON'S SECRET ART: Crimson Lotus Flame!
He formed a piece of fire in each of his hands, and combined them, creating a much brighter, and larger flame. "Here we go!" He aimed his hands at the group of men standing by the shore, and blasted them with his fire. The houses and shops along the shore, unfortunately, suffered from this attack as well. The whole place ablaze, it didn't take much to realize that Natsu had gone overboard.
As Bora and the others got up and began to run for their lives, seeing what a monster they were dealing with, Natsu continued his relentless hunt.
CHAOTIC VOID!
"Did he just disappear into thin air?" Bora questioned. Behind him, a sharp metal object jabbed through his stomach. He was out cold.
ICE DRAGON'S ROAR! The wizard unleashed a wave of frost at the group of men, including the one that he had just taken out with his iron sword. They became encased in a thick iceberg. "That should do it." Natsu crossed his arms, and then turned towards Mirajane.
"You think we should just leave them here, then? You know, for the authorities?"
Mira smiled nervously. "I think so. We might want to leave soon, they're on their way here." They turned to Lucy. "You wanted to join the Fairy Tail guild right?" Natsu smiled, "So let's go!" With a look of surprise, Lucy began to process what he was saying. "I- can join Fairy Tail?"
"Of course! You might wanna hurry up though. I can hear the Rune Knights coming right now." They dashed towards the port, and made a run for it.
I can't believe it- I'm actually going to join Fairy Tail!"