Chapter 3 – Ulterior Motive

Magnolia, Summer time,

Year X792

The next two combatants entered the fight-area; Sting Eucliffe and Medea Zollzero.

Sting wore a face of seriousness, beneath a faint, confident smile. His blond hair stood up at all ends, however despite the tense air hanging between he and his opponent, he still had managed to have other things on his mind. Giving a slight glance behind his person, towards the Fairy Tail Guild Mages, a smile played over his face. "Alright, I'm ready" he called out, signalling his preparedness to the other Mage. Medea smiled, taking three steps back from the White Dragon Slayer and holding up her hand into the air.

Arthur, like he had for the previous two fights began counting down. Then the third duel would begin.

/

Fight 3; Medea Zollzero vs. Sting Eucliffe

Sting eyed up the woman before him with a slightly more predatorial gaze. Medea had deep auburn hair, and piercing violet eyes. She stood with an almost ethereal elegance, which frightened Sting a little; nothing about this woman seemed real to him. "So, who exactly were you comparing me to earlier, sweetie?" she asked with a slight smirk at Sting.

"Who me?" Sting replied with a sarcastic tone, "All I said was you remind me of M'Lady, Minerva" he added after a moment.

Medea laughed a little at Sting's mention of the Territory Mage of Sabertooth. "Oh, her… interesting" she said in a faintly amused tone. Sting frowned at the woman's words, however before he could ask what exactly was 'interesting' Arthur spoke up.

"Alright you two, on the count of three the fight can begin" he called out from the side-lines. "One…" he began counting. Sting tensed at the first number, his whole body ready to fight. "Two… Three!" Arthur barked.

As soon as the last number was called Sting activated his magic. "White Drive" he called, as white patterns began forming on his skin, along with a radiant glow that enveloped his whole form. Smirking at Medea for a moment, Sting then glanced over to the Fairy Tail Mages. Watch me he thought, before running forward, ready to strike the woman down in one blow.

Medea just smiled at the assault. "Hmm… you didn't even bother to ask me what my magic was first, that's so ungentlemanly" she chided Sting as she put more distance between herself and her opponent. Sting shrugged as he charged.

"What does it matter, as long as I've got Dragon Force on, I can beat anyone" he stated, "Now eat this!" he shouted, throwing a light-infused fist at Medea. The auburn-haired woman laughed, as Sting's fist struck something; something aside from her.

Looking up with surprise, Sting gave a shocked expression as his fist crashed into a blank-faced, mannequin-like golem, which crumpled under his attack and faded into magical light. "My power" Medea called out from a significant distance away.

Sting frowned at her, his mind trying to process what happened. "Okay then, what magic do you use?" he asked, knowing full well that was what Medea wanted him to say.

The woman laughed a victorious laugh as Sting asked his question. "You've actually already seen it" she stated, glancing over to her family for a moment. "I am a Card Mage, and that was my Soldat de carte, or Card Soldier" she informed him. Sting nodded in understanding.

"So, you and Edric use the same magic then?" he queried. She shrugged.

"Not quite. Whilst Edric is only able to turn his cards into weapons, I can turn mine into full golems and use them to fight or defend, as you well saw" she clarified. Sting smiled at this new information.

"Well then… that makes this easy. If all you're going to do is try to put those soldiers in my way, there's no way you can win. Form what I saw they can barely stand up to me for more than one attack" Sting laughed, before beginning to run towards Medea again. "I'll just crush them all!".

Medea sighed and rolled her eyes. "Men always think the same" she commented, before she took out a deck of playing cards from her bosom, "Card Magic; Card Soldiers" she called out, drawing five cards and throwing them up into the air. Sting watched them rise, each card glowing brightly, before they flashed a bright white. As the flash subsided, there were now five more mannequin-like soldiers between the White Dragon Slayer and the Zollzero woman. Each of the soldiers wore a plain-looking armour, either in red or black, with a number engraved on each of their chest-plates, along with a symbol.

Two stood in red, with the numbers five and six respectively on their chests, along with a diamond symbol. Sting was wariest of these first, as they weren't just closest to him, but also, they each wielded a longsword and buckler that could easily do some serious damage against him if he wasn't careful. "She isn't playing around" he commented, before smiling, "Still, they are just golems" he added, before deciding to use his magic a little.

"White Dragon Roar" he commanded, before spewing forth light from his mouth that struck the two sword-bearing golems. As Sting expected, they each crumpled and faded instantly. "Yep, still just as weak as the other one" he laughed, before continuing his charge, and taking out two more golems with just one punch each. These golems each wore black armour and wielded maces; they also had the numbers three and four on their chests as well as a club symbol. "That's two more down" he commented, as he continued to get nearer to Medea. The woman seemed displeased by the White Dragon's progress, however she made no move to try and stop him.

It was only when Sting defeated her final golem, another black armoured mannequin, wielding a spear with the number two and a spade symbol on its chest, that Medea finally acted. Sting was barely three paces away from her now, and yet she smiled with an almost victorious smirk. "Well done, you're not just a pretty boy" she praised the blond Dragon Slayer, "However…" she drew another card "Let's see how you do against this guy" she stated, showing another card to Sting; the Jack of Hearts.

As the card glowed, Sting gave off a laugh. "Another weak golem for me to beat?" he asked in a condescending tone, "Fine. After this I'll beat you" he smiled confidently.

"Oh really" another voice chirped up, as the card flashed, and the golem was summoned. This one was different from her other soldiers; instead of a bland-faced mannequin, Sting stood almost toe-to-toe with a handsome, smirking male with red hair that was set into a sweep of spikes.

"What? Who are you?" Sting gawked in surprise, as the man stood close to him, laughing in a mild tone.

"Aww, that's cute" he cooed, "Although I suppose that's an appropriate response I suppose. I'm the Jack of Hearts" he gave a little bow.

Sting frowned, "So you're the card?" he asked. Jack nodded.

"Yes. My fair summoner called me into existence to defeat you" he stated, glancing over to Medea, who stood with a hand on her hip and a smile that was as put-on as any of her other actions Sting had seen.

"Jack, I called you to fight, not to flirt" she stated commandingly. Jack shrugged and his hand came to rest on a short sword at his hip.

"I suppose so," he replied, "However you know I can't help it" he added with a smile, before looking back to Sting. The White Dragon Slayer was taken by surprise at the relaxed demeanour of the Jack of Hearts, however as his gaze was drawn away from the guy's face to the sword at his hip, that was nestled beside several daggers and throwing weapons, Sting regained his fighting composure.

"You almost got me off guard" he stated, more as a reprimand at himself than a statement against the Card Soldier. "However, even if you do have a personality, you're still just a golem and I'll beat you all the same" Sting commented. Jack laughed.

"We'll see…" he stated, before he drew his short blade in his right hand, and a dagger in the other. The two looked at each other for all of three seconds, before Jack made the first move. "Let's see how fast you are" he stated, slicing with sword in a vicious arc.

Sting jumped back, his White Drive enhanced speed making it an easy feet for him to dodge his opponent. Jack just smiled as he jumped up, bringing his leg across to strike at Sting, who then had to duck before trying to counter with another light-infused fist. This attack was successful, however unlike the other golems the Jack of Hearts was not beaten, although he was pushed back some. Smirking, Sting moved to give another blow, however the Jack smirked back, before rounding his other arm out, the dagger tip trained for the Dragon Slayer's belly. "Sting!" Natsu called out, which made the White Dragon Slayer jump, as he dodged the blade by kicking the Jack in the chest and forcing him out of range.

"It's okay Natsu" Sting replied, "I know what I'm doing" he added, giving the Fire Dragon Slayer a smile. Although that was close. If anyone else had shouted I don't think I would've been able to react as quickly Sting thought as he and the Jack stood off against each other. "So, you're stronger than the other golems then" he commented.

The Jack gave a little bow. "I did say that, didn't I?" he asked-said with a smile. Sting preferred this opponent to his real opponent, especially since unlike her this man seemed sincere in his smile and words, however just defeating the Jack wouldn't yield his team another victory.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to try a little harder" Sting muttered to himself. The Jack noticed Sting's tense form, and readied for another exchange of blows, however the White Dragon Slayer didn't begin rushing forward, instead he took a defensive stance, all his power being directed to his throat. After a moment, the spell was ready and Sting unleashed another White Dragon Roar. The Jack gave a wide-eyed look at the attack, as it rapidly closed the distance between Sting and himself, and realising he had no time to dodge, he had to do the more unorthodox.

As the Roar attack subsided, Sting gave a momentarily cocky look, which faded as he saw the Jack was still standing. "How?" he staggered in surprise.

The Jack grinned, holding up his blade. "I just used my power" he stated, before demonstrating to Sting what he meant. The White Dragon Slayer was surprised, as the blade of the weapon immolated with crimson flames. Sting looked at the weapon for a moment.

"I see… so you used magic to counter my spell" he stated, seeking confirmation from his opponent. Jack nodded.

"Yes, now… shall we continue" he gestured with the tip of his sword pointed towards the Dragon Slayer. Sting nodded.

"Yeah, 'cept I can't really afford to waste any more time with you" he replied, giving a slight glance at Medea, who had stood watching them battle with relative quiet. "I'm gonna finish this in one attack, then go and finish her off too" Sting declared, before preparing to cast another magic spell. The Jack of Hearts was going to make another comment; however, he was cut off as light back growing in intensity in between Sting's fingers. "Holy… RAY!" Sting directed the light forwards, as streams of white arced out.

The Jack could do nothing except look on as the light streams battered him from all sides, knocking him around like a pebble caught up in a great stream, lost in the flow and unable to escape. Sting maintained the assault for a few moments, before he released his spell, the Jack of Hearts being thrown to the side by a few final strikes of light. Injured, but not beaten, the Jack slowly got to his feet, although this was no use as he looked on to see Sting rushing forward, only two steps away from Medea.

"I've got you now!" the White Dragon Slayer declared, as his fist was about to make contact with Medea. The Zollzero Mage sighed at the brash assault.

"Never leave a man to do a woman's work" she muttered, before she activated another spell.

Sting sensed the magical power rise around the woman, however he believed she could do nothing to stop his assault at this critical stage. He was wrong.

With a surprised gasp, Sting found himself striking air as the form of Medea rapidly changed in a poof of magical smoke. "What the-" Sting was about to say, before he inhaled sharply. Looking down the White Dragon Slayer saw a huge coiled viper wrap its way around his leg, abdomen and chest, stopping short of his head, with its fangs bared at the Dragon Slayer's neck. Sting tried to struggle, however the serpents grip was vice, and with its fangs bared to his neck he knew he had lost. After a moment, Arthur shouted out.

"Medea is the victor of this duel" The snake gave a wicked smile at this declaration, before retreating back to the ground and then transforming back into the taller, smug human woman it had been a few moments ago, this time with platinum blond hair however.

"You could use two magic types?" Sting questioned with an angry glare. "When I asked you earlier you only claimed to use Card Magic" he added with a curled fist. Medea chuckled quietly.

"You asked me about my magic, I told you about some of it. At no point, did you ask me to tell you about all the magic I could use" she replied, before beginning to walk back to her family. On the way, she snapped her fingers. The Jack of Hearts, still standing to the side, bowed, before returning to his card form a floating back over to Medea's hand. "Useless" she said to the card, before replacing it back into her deck.

Sting watched her leave for a moment, before he traipsed his way back to his own group. "Hmph…" he sighed. Natsu was the first to great, him patting the blond on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, you fought great Sting" he reassured the Dragon Slayer, "She was just super strong, like the others were too" he added. Sting frowned, but then decided to give Natsu a smile; after all, I can't let myself seem like I'm down… even though I just embarrassed myself in the worst possible way Sting thought. Makarov glanced to the other Guildmaster for a moment, before looking back at the Zollzero group.

Arthur smirked, before beginning to stride out into the duel field. "It looks like this will all be decided by me" he declared, looking to the guild wizards with amusement. "Me and Miss Scarlet there, I think" he added after a moment. Makarov nodded, looking to Erza. The red-head was already prepared to walk out and fight.

After all, she was a wizard of Fairy Tail. Not only that though, she was the best chance they had of winning this bet.

"I'm ready" Erza stated boldly.

Arthur nodded. "Just like I'd expect from you" he commented.

/

Fight 4; Arthur Zollzero vs. Erza Scarlet

Arthur stood five paces from Erza, a bright smile on his face. He looked similar to his brothers, although with a less rounded face. Erza could see some level of musculature on his face, however he did not appear to be very physically intimidating. He was also about as tall as Natsu. "Do you want me to count down, or… should I get one of the others to do it for fairness sake?" Arthur asked Erza, his tone amicable, but with an underlying confidence that made the Requip Mage wary.

"You can do it, if you want" she stated, her voice flat and much less pleasant than the Zollzero Mage.

Arthur shrugged. "If that's what you want" he said, before looking up at the sky for a moment, "One…" he began counting.

"Two…" Erza interjected, making the blond male look at her with a faintly amused expression.

"Three!" Arthur declared. Erza made the first move, a sword appearing in her hand faster than Arthur could even blink. "I guess you don't just look fast, but you really are that fast" Arthur commented, "However… one shouldn't leap before they look" he added with a smile. Erza frowned as she charged forward with her sword raised.

"What do you mean?" she questioned, before Arthur smiled.

"I mean that attacking me like that will never work" Arthur said, before snapping his fingers, "Observe" he said, from behind Erza. No, not from behind her, from where she had been standing a second ago.

"What is this… wait… I know this magic" she said with faint recognition.

Arthur grinned brightly, "Yes indeed" he replied, before glancing over to the group of guild wizards observing their fight, it seemed that Natsu and Gray were confused, although not for much longer.

"What was that?" Gray questioned aloud. Natsu nodded.

"Yeah, one minute he was there… and then…" the Fire Dragon Slayer couldn't process what had happened. The pair looked to each other, before looking to Sting. "Hey Sting, you don't seem confused" Natsu observed. The blond-haired Dragon Slayer nodded.

"I actually know that magic pretty well" Sting stated, earning even more confused looks from the two other Mages. Sighing Sting looked back towards Arthur, "That's the same magic M'Lady uses. And by the looks of it, Arthur is about as skilled as she is too" Sting explained. Gray had faint recollections of Minerva from the Grand Magic Games, however he had never fought her directly and so did not know much about her power. Natsu just couldn't remember anything anyways, so knowing or even understanding this magic was well beyond his mental capacity.

Arthur heard Sting's explanation and looked over towards the Guild Master with a faint bow. "I am indeed a user of Territory," he admitted, "However to compare myself to Miss Minerva Orland would be sacrilege. She is by far the superior user when it comes to this magic's spatial manipulation techniques" Arthur stated, before returning his gaze back to Erza.

The Requip Mage stood with a faint smile on her face. "I had real difficult defeating Minerva in the Games, however… if it's true that you are not as strong as her, then I should have no problem vanquishing you" Erza stated bravely, before conjuring forth a second blade into her free hand. Arthur laughed at the bluster.

"Perhaps… however, I did not say I was inferior to Minerva, just that I was inferior in spatial manipulation" he replied, "Still… I encourage you to attack me, if you can" Arthur laughed cockily. Erza decided to test this man.

"Hmm… fine" she said, before beginning to rush forward.

"Another frontal assault. You may be Queen of the Fairies, however you are by no means a skilled tactician" Arthur commented, to which Erza smiled.

"Are you sure about that?" she questioned, before she flicked her arm, throwing the sword she had just conjured forth toward Arthur. The blond raised his eyebrows a little, but did not flinch at the attack.

"Trying to get me in a position where I can only dodge one attack, clever, however… futile" he stated, before outstretching his arm. "Red Gate" he commanded, a shimmering portal opening up before him that absorbed the sword, seemingly making it vanish. Seeing what happened to her sword, Erza stopped just short of the gate.

"What on Earthland?" she questioned aloud. Arthur smiled.

"Hm… where oh where could your sword have gone… hmm… how about to your left" he stated, before gesturing with his outstretched arm to his right, Erza's left.

The Sword Mage followed his arm, before raising her sword quickly to deflect the oncoming blade. "What the-" she began as she sent her own sword spinning to the side, before it became embedded in the ground. Arthur laughed.

"Good show" he clapped his hands. "However, can you tell me exactly how I did that?" he asked Erza.

The redhead frowned for a moment as she went to recover, and indeed confirm, that the blade was the same sword she had just thrown. "You… teleported the blade, so it would strike me?" she gave an unsure answer.

Arthur nodded. "Correct. As I said, I am inferior to Minerva at spatial manipulation, however… I am by far the superior user of Territory. Whilst I can only just about control a small bubble of space, I can teleport things to and from different locations through my Gates" he explained, "Like your sword, or indeed any other thrown weapon" he added.

Erza looked at the Territory Mage with new revelation. "So a direct attack won't work… then how about this… Requip!" she commanded, activating her magic to conjure forth a new armour and blade. "Flight Armour" she said, as the leopard-like outfit formed on her person.

Arthur raised an eyebrow again, however this time he did not say anything as Erza began running around him, trying to find a blind spot which she could exploit. When she thought she had found one she leapt at high speed, her blade-tip trained at Arthur. "I've got you now" she called out. Arthur laughed.

"Hardly" he stated, as a faint shimmer in front of Erza was the only signal to the quickly opening red portal.

"No!" she exclaimed as she ran head-long into the gateway. As soon as she had passed beyond the gate, Arthur quickly closed it, opting for opening another above their battle field, that sent Erza falling from a relative height. She landed without barely a scratch, however she did appear fatigued.

"What did you… where did you send me?" she asked in between a few breaths. Arthur shrugged.

"I may have teleported you to the Space I control. It doesn't do much, but it will sap your magical energy ever so slightly every time I use it to teleport you" he stated with a dismissive expression.

"Is that how you intend to win, by weaking me over time?" she asked. Arthur laughed.

"Well that's one way to do it… however, that would be boring. I think I'd rather try a different tact" the blond man stated, before outstretching his arm in Erza's direction. "How about this, Infinity Gate" he called out, a white portal slowly forming in front of his person. Erza glanced at the shimmering white portal, before Arthur smirked. "Good luck" he commented before snapping his fingers. "Release. Infinity Beam" he stated. Erza barely had a moment to recognise the attack, before a white beam of energy shot out from the portal.

"Requip!" she commanded hastily, as her Adamantine Armor formed around her person. Using the shield of this defensive piece Erza was able to deflect the continuous stream of energy. Arthur, realising the attack failed, deactivated his spell, a slight moment of weakness passing over his features. This did not go unnoticed by Erza. "It seems that attack used up quite a bit of energy" she commented. Arthur shrugged.

"Maybe a little, but it's not like I'm anywhere near out yet" he replied. Erza laughed.

"Even so, that attack could not break through my shield, if you attempt it again, I will be ready" she stated. Arthur looked the armour up and down for a moment before laughing openly.

"You think so…" he muttered, before pointing an accusing finger towards the red-head. "Well I think I grow tired of this guild's defiance of our family. It's time to pay on your debt!" he declared.

Erza frowned. "That is why we are duelling" she stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

Arthur Zollzero smiled. "Yes indeed. And he who wins by any means decides the fate of your guild, so I think it's about time I make that decision" Arthur replied, his voice losing its more pleasant tones to instead become a very thinly veiled threat. Erza, recognising the danger, tensed in preparation.

Nothing, however, could have prepared her for what Arthur did next. With a wicked smirk on his relatively-handsome face, Arthur threw his arms wide. "Mass Gates, Infinity" he commanded, his magic power growing in intensity with every second. After a few moments, he unleashed the spell, and hundreds of white gates appeared around Erza's position, too many for her to dodge, and certainly too many for her to defend against.

"What…" she grew wide-eyed with surprise. Arthur, however, cackled evilly at her fearful gaze.

"Yes, that's right. Now you die!" he said to her, raising his arm up into the air and clicking his fingers. "Activate!" he commanded. Erza could do nothing except look in fear, and defeat, as an uncountable number of white energy beams descended down onto her position.

Then everything went dark. Arthur Zollzero was victorious.

/

"Erzaaaaa!" Natsu and Gray called out as their friend and guildmate was blasted with hundreds of white beams of energy. The attack was so bright they could not see her anywhere. Arthur stood firmly and after only a moment, he deactivated his spell, looking over to his family, and then over to the guild wizards. "Erza Scarlet is dead. I am the victor" he declared, earning scornful, hateful gazes from all of the wizards of Fairy Tail, along with a greatly surprised look from Sting.

Seeing their brother's victory, the Zollzero children made their way over to Arthur's side, as he paced up to Makarov to confirm receipt of the debt. "Makarov, you have been defeated and you now owe the Zollzero family eighty million jewel. Whilst you do not have to pay it now, we will be expecting it in increments over a period of time. If we go inside, we can discuss your payment scheme. You should come too Master Eucliffe" Arthur stated with a calm tone. Makarov could barely believe his eyes at what he had just seen, and inside he was a broiling mixture of anger, hatred, and sad defeat. "You just… killed Erza" he mumbled. Natsu and Gray were far more vocal.

"He just killed one of us, Gramps. Shouldn't we be punishing him?" Natsu barked from his place in between Makarov and Sting.

Makarov seemed frozen in shock for a moment. Arthur frowned. "Our agreement was for victory by any means. That means murder was allowed, surely you understood that?" the blond twenty-year-old stated. Natsu balled his hands into fists.

"Yes, I mean… had my fight gone differently, I might very well have stabbed one of you all" Edric added on as he walked up with his hands in his pockets. He shot Gray a smile as he said this.

Gray frowned. "So, you really were trying to kill us?" he asked, his fists now balled too.

Arthur nodded. "Of course, it's the fastest way to win" he stated. This line was the last straw; both Natsu and Gray leaped forwards, each primed to strike the Territory Mage. Arthur sighed, and raised his arm; the typical blue-black sphere of spatial control formed over his hand. Natsu and Gray immediately stopped where they stood as Arthur did this. "Don't pretend to threaten me, maggots" Arthur said scornfully at the pair, as Territory spheres formed around Natsu and Gray's feet, rooting them in place. Two more spheres formed around their heads too, silencing their complaints. "If you continue to pester me… then we could always see how you'd feel when I teleport your heads from your bodies, hmmm?" Arthur stated, with a wicked grin.

Medea laughed hollowly. "Oh Artie, you're so cruel" she said, patting Arthur's arm.

Arthur shrugged. "I'll be what I have to be" he replied, before releasing his magic. Gray and Natsu did not move for a long moment as Arthur's grip on them lessened.

Makarov took this opportunity to ask the question he had. "What did you do to Erza, you couldn't have vaporised her with that spell" the old man stated, a little spark of hope in his eyes. Arthur smiled.

"Ah…" Arthur laughed, "What indeed?"

As Arthur said these words, Erza, a little weak, and a little wounded, stumbled out from the guild hall. "I'm alright everyone" she said with a faint smile, "Arthur just transported me down the street. It took me a few minutes to get here" she explained. With this knowledge, all of the guild mages gave sighs of relief. Arthur grinned brightly at all of them.

"I said I'd be what I need to be. However, right this minute, I need not be a killer" he explained, earning slight chuckles from both Edric and Medea. Makarov frowned at the blond.

"You have a sick sense of humour; however, you did not harm Erza. We have lost and will pay our debt" he stated, before turning towards the guild, "Come, we can discuss this inside" he said, as Sting and Arthur walked up to follow him once more into his office.

Natsu and Gray, each a little unsettled, followed quietly behind, each of them sparing only a few glances behind them to the trio of other Zollzero children. They both knew; they really hated these people.

/

A little while later

Natsu sat sulking with Happy and Lucy, Gray sat at the bar drinking. Neither had sad more than two words when they re-entered the gild. Many of the other Fairy Tail wizards had watched the fights from the many windows of the guild, and each and every one saw how Erza had gotten beaten. Despite this, no one made fun of any of the four duelling mages, not even Laxus or Gajeel; they were all more concerned with the massive debt that had fallen onto their laps.

When Makarov reappeared with Sting at his side, the whole guild went quiet. Medea had already sent all of the goon's home, bar three, and so there was only the guild wizards present in the hall at this time, alongside the Zollzero children. "It's been decided!" Makarov called out, "Could Erza, Natsu, Gray, Laxus, Gajeel, Lucy, Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen report to my office in the next five minutes" Makarov added, before turning and walking back to the aforementioned room. Sting waited at the top of the stairs, as Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Lucy all made their way up.

He looked very apologetic. "I'm very sorry" he said. Natsu, although still sulking, shook his head.

"It's fine. It was bound to happen, since those guys were so strong" he said. Sting shrugged, and nodded in agreement. The group then made their way in silence to Makarov's office.

/

Once everyone was assembled, and Medea, Edric and Thomas had been called in, the Fiary Tail Guild Master decided to explain what was to come. "We have decided" Makarov repeated his earlier announcement, "That in order for the debt to be paid, Sabertooth and Fairy Tail will work together, each taking half of the total sum. That's forty million jewel per guild" Makarov left this number hanging over the wizards for a moment, before Arthur decided to pick up.

"In order to pay this debt," the blond began, "It has been agreed that the two guilds will select specific members who caused the destruction to pay off the debt. That, of course, means all of you" Arthur explained, gesturing to the assemblage. "Now we are a fair bunch, at least we are fairer than our father, the Patriarch of our family. We have allowed for the debt to be paid in increments, so as not to deprive you wizards of your income. Basically, we'll deduct ten percent of the reward money from your jobs per wizard that goes on the job. If two go on a job then twenty percent will be taken, if five go on the half, or fifty percent, will be taken. The remainder may be split between you wizards however you see fit" Arthur added.

Sting took the opportunity to speak. "I've already got a letter ready to send to Sabertooth. They're gonna have Rogue, Yukino, Orga, Rufus and a couple others helping pay off our debt, whilst I stay here to work with Fairy Tail" Sting explained.

Makarov nodded. "Yes, and on that note I would like to explain how I want you to operate. I feel as master that the best way to pay this off will be in groups" Makarov began to explain, before Gajeel rudely intervened.

"I ain't working with nobody" he called out.

Makarov smiled. "I thought you might say that, so I chose to leave you out of a group. Instead Gray will be working with Lucy, Erza can work by herself, Laxus, you can either work with your little group, or you can work alone, and then Natsu…" Makarov smiled broader.

"You're gonna be working with me" Sting interjected. Natsu looked to Sting.

"Really?" he asked. Sting nodded.

"Yeah, I always thought it'd be cool to work with you, so I decided to take this opportunity" he said. Natsu smiled slightly at the suggestion.

"Okay, that's fine with me" he beamed. Makarov nodded.

"One final suggestion, however… If Laxus and Erza work on S-Class quests, and the rest of you keep working on the jobs you can do, then we'll have this debt paid in no time" the old Mage stated. Arthur nodded.

"I estimate it will only take a few months. We aren't in the business of adding lots of interest on to sums this large, so just pay it off steadily and you'll have no problem" Arthur added. "Oh… and I'll be leaving two of my subordinates to ensure the money is getting given to us, just so you aren't surprised. Just to remind you they are here on work, so picking on them will be an insult to our family, and no one wants that" he added with a smile.

The guild Mages all looked with scorn to the blond-haired male for a minute, before Arthur pulled out a pocket watch from within the suit he wore. Replacing it he nodded to the other members of his family. "Time to go?" Edric asked.

Arthur nodded. "Indeed. We've done what we must here… I'll just leave you with this pleasant 'good luck', dear Fairy Tail and Sabertooth" he laughed, before opening the door. Medea smiled at all of the wizards before making her way out. Her gaze rested upon Sting for a moment in passing, and the blond pouted at her. She laughed a little at his actions, but made no remarks.

Edric lead Thomas out, turning to the wizards before closing the door. "Adieu" he said, bowing before closing the door with a cocky smirk on his face.

Once they were gone Makarov allowed his face to go slack. "Well they were annoying" he muttered. Everyone nodded in agreement, before turning to go. Only Natsu remained, as Sting asked him to for a moment.

"Hey Natsu" Sting said to the pinkette, who looked to him in question.

"What is it Sting?" he queried. Sting smiled.

"I've just gotta go deliver this letter, but then how about we have a drink, I think I need one after that fight. We can plan out what our first jobs gonna be" Sting said.

Natsu shrugged. "If you wanna drink with me you can, however… I asked Mira to hold a job for me. If it's okay with you we could do that one first?" the pinkette asked. Sting smiled brightly.

"That's great, I'll be around later to find you" he said. Natsu nodded before heading towards the door.

"Okay then, see you around" he said.

Makarov watched the pair for a moment with a questioning gaze. Although Sting had only offered to work with Natsu to help pay off the debt, he seemed a lot more willing than the old Guild Master had expected. If he was a sceptical man, Makarov may have even thought Sting had an ulterior motive.

Sting, on the other hand, just smiled brightly; there was only one thing on his mind.

He got to work with Natsu.

End of Chapter 3

Chapter Hint; First Job