"I wish we could have taken a day off," Yolric muttered as we approached Tuly Village. The cool breeze accompanied us on our travel to the small town. A crisp smell filled the air. I couldn't believe Yolric wanted to take a day off with such beautiful weather.

"When we pay the master back, we'll take a break. I promise," I replied. Yolric sighed a blissful sigh and smiled. "You're such a dork," I added.

As we entered the village, I noticed how many people were walking about. No one looked exceptionally wealthy, but they all looked happy. They talked in the open-air market and laughed together on the streets. I found myself wishing I had the time to mingle among them, myself. Small, rustic houses lined the streets, and Yolric and I both began to search for the one that belonged to our client. Other than the Kotoko Inn, nothing really stood out to the eye.

"Hey, June, this looks like it might be the place," Yolric called to my attention. I turned to where he was looking and saw a house that looked no different than the others around it. On the other hand, I felt something different radiating from the building. Yolric and I walked up to it and knocked on the wooden door. As soon as I did, the image of it seemed to flicker ever so slightly. I looked up at Yolric and raised an eyebrow, and he nodded back at me.

The door soon opened to show a tall man with neat salt-and-pepper hair. A pair of fashionable glasses perched on his nose with kind, bright eyes looking at us through them. Just by looking at him alone, I felt as though he did not belong in this small village. He looked at us and saw Yolric's Fairy Tail emblem. Immediately, his smile beamed.

"You two are Fairy Tail Wizards! I was beginning to think no one would show for my job request, it is so important to me," his voice rang out like a bell. "Please, come inside so we can discuss the details of your work."

We follow the man inside before we could get a word in edgewise. The inside of the house was the complete opposite of the outside. The walls were painted white with high ceilings. Many tapestries decorated the walls with what looked like framed newspaper articles. The ceilings were painted with a blue sky and white clouds outlined in what looked like golden leaves. There was a quaint fire place in the middle of the room, four chairs, and a small table in between them. Many other rooms spread off from the central ones. Other than the front door, not one other was in the house; all rooms were open. The strange thing was that I felt that the inside was genuine. Nothing wavered or shimmered.

Our host sat down in front of the fireplace and waved for us to take a seat. Yolric and I sat beside each other in the wooden chairs across from the man. He cleared his throat and began to speak.

"My name is Bram Laken. This is not the first time I have hired wizards to conduct this sort of job, so I will answer all of the questions I have been asked by others before you. I am sure you noticed that the outside of my house does not correlate with the inside. I do love this village, but I like to have the inside of my house this way, as well. I have lacrimas installed in order to make my house resemble the others on the outside. In my younger years, I made a living getting captured creatures, rare and common, back into the wild. These days, I am not able to get out and go on such adventures, so I hire wizards to do so for me. All I ask is that I am there with you when the creature is released. I know this all seems sort of sketchy, but I have articles from releases I have participated in all over the walls, feel free to look as you please. I will give you 50,000 jewel up front along with disguises to help you blend in with the auction. I will also provide transportation to the city in which this is being held. Now, any other questions?"

I sat, sort of stunned at what all was just said. Fortunately, Yolric was not as perplexed.

"Mr. Bram, you have our word that we will complete this mission to the best of our abilities. Juniper here is a Forge God Slayer and I, Yolric, use Mental Magic. Together, getting the Phoenix back to where it belongs should prove to be simple enough. June, do you have anything else you would like to add?"

This seemed to snap me out of my trance in an instant.

"What do you know about this group?" I questioned, taking the other job request out of my pocket and handing it to Bram. He squinted at the paper for a second before his eyes grew wide. His hands gripped the paper so tightly that he began to shake.

"These people... These villains... They are nothing but trouble. On paper they may not seem like much, but they know how to fight. They call themselves 'River Rine'. This group... They are the reason I have had to stop what I loved to do so much. I was never a wizard, I just wanted to do good. I had two wizards that would travel with me, but... River Rine took their lives, along with a part of me." Bram then lifted his pant leg to reveal a prosthetic leg from the knee down. Above the prosthetic was mangled, even though the injury came from years past. As soon as I saw it, my heart dropped for the man and my blood boiled for the injustice done to him. I related to his story too much to take it lying down.

I stood up from my seat and looked Bram straight in his now sorrowful and tired eyes. "We will succeed today. Both in releasing the Phoenix and capturing River Rine. This may not fix everything, but it will give you closure. I swear to you; I'll capture them myself if I have to."

Bram disguised us as rich yet unlawful merchants. I wore a short dress that revealed my midsection and was made from black lace. Over it I wore a purple coat lined in fake fur to cover my Fairy Tail emblem. Red heels made me stand taller than I was ever used to. The scar on my waist, though partially covered by the coat, really stuck out. Bram said it went along with the lawless scene. Yolric wore a navy blue jacket with the collar popped, skinny pants with tears, and boots. I had to admit, we both looked the part.

A Magical Vehicle powered by an SE-Plug sat covered in the backyard of the house. Bram said it had belonged to the wizards he had traveled with, but we were free to use it to get to the city of Era. Since the Magic Council was destroyed there sometime before, it had been a place of many underground illegal activities. Yolric strapped the SE-Plug to his arm, saying that my magic would be more useful in this situation than his. Besides, he rarely ever used his abilities for more than five minutes, according to him.

It was around 4 o'clock in the afternoon when we drove off. The auction was at 7, so we had plenty of time to get there without having to speed through all of the towns.

"This outfit gives me anxiety," I mumbled when we left the first town. Yolric looked over at me and laughed.

"Anxiety? Why? Scared of showing too much skin in public?" he questioned in between his chuckling. I wrapped my arms around myself and blushed deeply, he had the right to think I was joking. I had never told him the truth of my past. Frankly, I could barely remember it myself. But who would believe someone who said they couldn't remember what happened before meeting someone else? All I knew was who had done bad things to me. Somehow, skimpy clothing was tied to it.

Yolric glanced over at me again and saw how I was holding myself. He instantly stopped himself from laughing and grabbed my hand with his free one.

"I didn't know you were serious... I'm sorry. I think you look beautiful always, I guess that's why laughter just came out," he explained. I grinned up at him and nodded. "You know, you have to tell me what makes you tick sometime."

"You know what makes me tick. Asking me to imitate a clock is what usually does it."

"Not what I meant, Juniper."

Ouch. The whole first name. That stung a little. Despite that, I kept my mouth shut. That's what I always did when he wanted to know about my past. I had told him what he needed to know, which was really all I remembered. Eventually, he just sighed and left the topic alone. Even though I could tell he was annoyed with me, he gripped my hand with a loving tenderness.

We managed to keep small talk going until we reached Era about an hour before the auction. I could tell where the Magic Council had once been by the rubble on top of the hill that stood in the middle of the city. The city surrounding the mountain, like any other place, had its good and bad spots. Unfortunately, it seemed as though more bad spots than good lurked in the area. People darting back and forth between alleyways and looking very suspiciously at us made Yolric and I keep our guard high.

We finally found the place the secret auction was supposed to be held. Surprisingly, it was in a better part of town. It was a small café with many people enjoying beverages both at outside benches and inside tables. I double checked the address Bram gave us to make sure we were in the right place, and we were according to his instructions.

I chained up the Magic Vehicle so no one could steal it before Yolric and I sauntered inside the store. As soon as the woman at the front counter saw us, she smiled and walked toward us.

"You two must be here for the evening program! It is right this way," she told us, continuing to smile and leading us to a door in the back of the building. When she opened it, a flight of stairs stretched down into what looked like a basement. Yolric and I nodded our thanks and walked down as she closed the door behind us.

"Gah, we must really look like thugs," I murmured. Yolric only nodded, nothing more. I could tell he was concentrating on something.

"Something isn't right," was all he muttered as we reached the bottom of the stairs. As soon as we entered the room, I felt an uneasiness settle in my stomach.

The walls were clad in steel, the lighting dim. This one room stretched to be bigger than the guild by two or three times. At least eight other rooms stretched out from this one with large doors leading into them. A large stage stood at the front of the room, which was already packed with people. These people appeared a lot like we did; wealthy criminals. I could feel the magic radiating from every wizard, mostly weaker magic, but some were immensely strong.

Yolric and I made our way to the row of seats right in front of the stage. As we sat down, a group of people caught my eye. They were across the room from us, but they were all easy to pick out. Each of them had a different color of hair: red, white, brown, and blue. Despite their differences, most everything else appeared the same. Same tan skin tone. Same piercing blue eyes that were visible from miles away. They even all appeared to be the same height. I squeezed Yolric's knee and nodded my head towards the group. He looked and nodded. We both felt the huge magic energy coming from their direction.

"We'll handle them. Meanwhile, I've got the bidding part. I just need you to get the attention of the auctioneer. Can you do that, Lovely?" Yolric crooned. I felt my face get hot as I nodded my response. I had a feeling I knew what he was going to do.

A woman in a red, skimpy dress walked onto the stage. She grabbed the microphone that stood in the middle, blew the audience a kiss, and began to speak once the men had quieted down.

"Good evening, Everyone," her sultry voice rang. "What an amazing crowd we have here tonight. I have a feeling I know why you are all here, so let's get to the main attraction. Bring out the first item!"

Three men wheeled out a huge golden cage. Inside the cage, a scarlet and orange bird flew about, crashing against the cage trying to get out. Loud and melodic noises of distress escaped its beak amidst the roars of the crowd. Its tail feathers were thinned out from being plucked to see the ability of rebirth that it had. When the crowd settled down, the woman began to speak again.

"For those of you that do not know the rules, I will give a run-down for you. At this magic auction, my attention must be peaked in order for me to get your offer. Use your magic powers to draw my eye, and then shout out how much you want to bid. Highest bidder wins. Once you win, head to the back room where negotiations will take place. Simple enough?"

Now I knew why Yolric needed me to get her attention.

"Right, then who wants to start us off?"

"Don't do anything until the bidding gets higher. We can't afford to be too suspicious," Yolric whispered when the bidders took off. I nodded in understanding. I watched as a stone pillar sprang up with "750,000 J" inscribed on it in moss. It rose right next to the group that had peaked my interest. No doubt now that they were River Rine.

Prices kept climbing up. 850,000 jewel. 1,000,000 jewel. All the way up to 1,500,00 jewel. The Phoenix, terrified of the commotion, continued to flail around in its cage. At this point, I had no idea how Yolric planned to get us out of paying for all of this or how we were going to calm the bird down.

Yolric squeezed my knee to signal for me to act.

I stood up from my chair and held my arms to my sides, palms down. Fire began to make patterns of flowers and grass on the floor. Slowly, I raised up my arms and the landscape continued. Steel trees with flaming leaves scattered about. The ceiling and walls became a red sky. Small, metal animals even crept around the floor, rabbits nibbling at people's shoelaces and small birds hopping and pecking at the ground. As I looked up at the Phoenix, I noticed that it had stopped moving. Its head moved around to look at the scene and then looked at me with its amber eyes. It knew that I had made this happen.

A hush fell over the crowd. The auctioneer looked down at me and Yolric. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him raise his hand to place his offer. I saw the woman took into Yolric's eyes and knew she was done for.

"One jewel," he mouthed.

She stood in silence, mesmerized by his gaze. Finally, what he had said registered with her. With a wave of her hand, all magic in the room that had been used for bidding disappeared. While still looking at Yolric, she held the microphone to her mouth and began to stutter.

"S-sold to the l-lovely couple in the f-f-front."

Shock filled the room. Everyone assumed that we had millions of jewels in order to end the bidding just like that. Yolric stood up, smiled, and took my hand to head to the back room. As we walked to the back door, I glanced to where River Rine had been.

All of them were gone.

I sped up to get to the back, and Yolric quickly followed my pace. If we didn't get our prize soon, the Phoenix would be gone, I was sure of it.

We walked into a dimly lit room with a long, wide corridor. There stood the three men, who I could now tell were triplets, that had been toting around the mythical bird. One of them stepped forward with a very confused look.

"Piney told us you have to pay one jewel..," he mumbled. Yolric nodded, pulled a jewel out of his pocket, and gave it to the man. All three of them looked between each other, shrugged, and nodded. "What the boss wants, she gets. Have fun with that thing. We have to prepare for the next bid. Thank God nothing else is a living thing, I hate to clean up after them." After those mumbled words, they all left.

"You take the Phoenix out to the car. If I'm not out there soon, I'll meet you at Bram's. I'll use my armor. Just get it out of here while I take care of these guys," I told Yolric. He was about to object when a loud commotion came from the other side of the door.

"If you have to calm her down, use your magic."

Thud.

"Go now. I'll be fine."

I tapped my pendant for my armor. One of the metal horns fell to my mouth.

Bang.

"Use your earpiece, I'll stay in touch. If you say anything and don't run now, I might strangle you."

The door fell off of its hinges.

"You got it," Yolric said and he ran down the corridor wheeling the Phoenix with him. I could hear her crying out all over again. I glanced back at them for a second before I threw a metal wall up behind me. No way was I letting these idiots get my bird.

"You honestly think that little thing is going to stop us?" the girl with white hair questioned.

"Oh, Honey, no. That's what I'm here for," I replied, flicking my wrists for my sword and shield to spring out.

"That's Tigris to you, Wench," she growled, throwing one hand out. Vines sprang out at me, but I instantly shot fire from the palms of my hands, turning them to ash.

"Wow, 'wench'. That's an old one. You're so creative, really. I'm impressed."

"Euro does not appreciate the vileness of you, Maiden," the red-haired male spoke, stepping forward. "Animal Possession: Black Bear."

Euro's hands and mouth rapidly began to transform. His hands took the shape of huge bear paws, claws unsheathed. The teeth in his mouth changed from normal and rounded to huge and lethally sharp. In shock, I clasped my hands over my mouth.

Not really in shock. More so in laughter.

As I covered my mouth, a metal muzzle covered Euro's. His eyes grew wide as he tried to pry it off. I began to rub my wrists, chaining up his own together. For good measure, I pointed to his ankles where he was then chained to the ground.

"I'm beginning to think I don't even need armor for you guys," I joked. I could see that this was getting their blood boiling just the way I wanted it to.

"Rio, undo Euro's chains. It might be better if he keeps his mouth shut, though. I will handle the brat," the brown-haired man commanded. The final girl with white hair nodded and waved her hand. Instantly, the chains disappeared into thin air. As I looked at Rio, I noticed something terrifying odd.

Her mouth was stitched shut.

"What kind of wizard are you, Girl?" the man who I assumed was Nile spoke again.

"Forge God Slayer," I replied, throwing up another metal wall up behind the group. Not even turning around, Nile looked straight at me and raised an eyebrow. "So you don't try to leave the party early," I added.

"Ah," Nile nodded, "I see. Well, if this is a party, we mine as well make you dance."

Rock pillars sprang up and surrounded me. I sighed, jumped up, and activated the wings on my armor. Just as I was about to escape from the top of the structure, I felt something wrap around my arms and legs.

Chains.

Before I had any time to think, I was slammed back to the ground. I saw stars for a moment before I heard my headset buzz.

"Are you okay?" Yolric's voice came in. "We're out of Era."

"For the love of Mavis, I'm fine," I hissed back.

"Busy. Gotcha," he quickly replied before disconnecting.

"Awh, how sweet. A little boyfriend. Should've had him say his goodbyes," Tigris purred. A roof of vines began to cover the top of the pillars. It began to grow so thick that I knew just a simple flame wouldn't cut it.

"You underestimate me," I laughed. "Hey, by the way, are these chains made out of metal?"

Nile looked at Rio, who nodded briskly.

"Why do you ask such stupid questions?" Nile barked.

"Why do you make so many stupid moves?" I retorted. I clenched my fists and instantly felt the chains waver. "See, being a Forge God Slayer, metals and fire powers me up. So I thought I would just, you know, absorb these chains. No biggie."

"Wh-what?! Nile, I thought these jokes had to eat things, not absorb them!" Tigris panicked. The chains began to get thinner and thinner. I could feel my strength building up.

"With most, yes. But with me, I've trained a lot. I thought taking time to eat would be a drag," I replied. The metal was now transparent, my power increased. I stretched my arms and legs and my barriers fell away. Brushing my shoulders off, I glared over at the team of four, standing stupefied. I cocked my shoulders back and the compartments on them opened up. Two cannons, one from each shoulder, rose up. They were not huge by any means, but they had the same power as one two hundred times bigger.

"You guys might want to step back. Or don't, it would make my job a whole lot easier if you didn't," I called to them. I fired two shots into the stone pillars. Three of them came tumbling down, causing noise and debris to arise. When the smoke cleared, I stepped out from my rock prison. I looked to where the group had been to fine foliage covering where they stood. I detached the wings from my armor and flicked my wrist. The spikes that surrounded it began to spin and a rapid rate. Much like a boomerang, I tossed it at the wall. The grass and vines were cut before the metal wings made it back to my hand. As I snapped them on my back once more, I noticed the four. Tigris and Euro were standing in shock while Nile and Rio looked sternly at us. However, when I looked at Rio, I noticed a tinge of fear in her eyes. It wasn't from me, though. That much I knew.

"As much as I love a good fight, I think we know how this will end up," I began. "So, you can surrender now or you can just have me take you down. Either way works."

The four of them were silent. Euro, Tigris, and Rio all looked at me with straight faces. Nile, on the other hand, was furious.

"How dare you degrade us in such a manner. None of us will ever surrender to you. These creatures give us outstanding powers, ones that we need in order to be the strongest wizards this world has ever seen. If you think you will turn any of us against each other, you have lost your mind. You see what happened to poor Rio here. Bless her heart, she ran off to defy us. To help a man save these useless creatures. For years now, I have kept her mouth stitched closed. Our other member got the worst punishment, but I cannot say we miss him," Nile raged.

The two wizards that went with Bram.

Rio was one of them.

I looked over at her and watched her eyes tear up with fear. She looked back at me and shook her head apologetically. There was no other choice for her. I related to her all too well.

"Let her go," I growled at Nile. A smirk crept over his face right before he snatched up a handful of her hair. Rio didn't struggle. Didn't move. It was almost as if she was used to the torture.

"Iron Rock Fist," he chuckled with a wave of his hand. Out of the ground sprang up a rock arm with an iron fist. I put up my shield just mere seconds before it hit me. I felt the shield creak under the weight, but I held firm. Just when I thought it was through, I was suddenly being pelted by stone fragments from the pillars that had gone down. I nodded forward and put down my face mask. I waved my free hand above me, forming a steel done above my head. The rocks stopped falling from above, but almost instantly they started pelting me in my side. I was thrown over to the side wall and slid down it.

Slightly dazed, I tried to stand back up. Before I could get steady, a heavy weight pounced on me from behind. I tried to reach behind to grab what was on me, but it was too quick. I felt claws slamming down on my back trying to get into my skin. Propping up on my arms, I struggled to arch my back. I willed fire to not only cover me, but surround Euro's paws. I heard a muffled yelp as he leapt off of me.

Quickly, I stood back up. Nile threw Rio back onto the ground. After a moment of being curled up on the ground, she slowly stood.

"Chain her up so I can finish her. Now," he commanded. She looked up at him and then over at me, her eyes still full of tears and fear. "Do it, Rio. Or you will have to learn how to live blind!" She kept her eyes on me and slowly nodded. With a wave of her hand, chains shot up.

Euro, Tigris, and Nile were all slammed into the ground. They were bound to the earth by their wrists and feet at first, but it didn't stop there. Out of blinding fear, Rio kept going. Their mouths were chained shut. Waists bound to the ground. Tears were streaming down her face.

Tigris lifted her hand as much as she could while Rio wasn't looking. Before any more spells could be cast, I drew a circle in the air. A ring of fire encircled the chained trio. Tigris instantly put her hand down and glared at me. I waved my hand and another metal done appeared, only this time it covered the three criminals. Before I set it down over them, I caught Nile's eye, full of hatred, rage, and defeat.

When the dome had them captured, I looked over at Rio. She stared at me for a moment before she let out a muffled cry and fell to her knees. I tapped my chest plate and walked over to her as my armor sheathed itself. When I reached her, I knelt down and she continued to sob. I lifted her chin up toward me and smiled. With my other hand, I began to draw a line across her mouth. A soothing fire began to burn away the stitches.

"You know, I think my employer has been looking for you. A Mr. Bram Laken. Do you know him?" I questioned. The look of fear in Rio's eyes turned to hope. She strained to open her mouth, but it finally opened.

"Thank you, Ma'am! Thank you so much! Please, take me back to him, he's the only one I have left! P-please!" she sobbed, latching onto me. I hugged her back and stood up.

"Of course I will. You just have to stay hidden while I turn the others in. Okay?"

Rio nodded her head and hugged me tighter. I felt her cool tears drip onto my shoulder.

I had Rio hide in the alleyways as I went to turn the other three in to the police. It really wasn't too hard considering they had caught wind of River Rine being in the town and were all over the place. They seemed shocked that I was able to do it all alone, but I didn't pay attention to that part. They asked me multiple times if I had seen Rio, but I told them that she had escaped shortly after I had captured the other three. Eventually they came to terms with me and handed over 45,000 jewel. When I found Rio again, she had found a cloak in order to cover her face.

The only problem now was the both of us getting back.

After some thinking, we came up with a brilliant but really stupid plan. I fashioned a simple plate of steel and Rio chained her feet down to it. When I had my armor equipped, she looped two chains around my arms and held the end of them.

See how this is going? Like I said, brilliant and stupid.

Of course, I had to start off slow, but I eventually built up enough speed while making sure Rio didn't fall off the back. I could feel her holding on as tightly as she could. Every once in a while, I would hear a scared little chirp as we went around a tree or a building. We were going fast enough to where no one could really tell what was going on.

Within fifteen minutes, we were at Bram's house. I quickly opened the door and shut the two of us in. I undid my armor, and the two of us laid out on the ground. I was sweating, out of breath, and my legs felt strained. Rio, on the other hand, was shaking and out of breath.

When I looked up, I could see the Phoenix on a perch, looking down at us questioningly. Yolric and Bram ran over to us, full of concern. Rio stood when Bram came to her, and they instantly rejoiced. Yolric saw the two and tried to give me a hand, but I was too tired to get up at that point. He smiled, shook his head, and sat with me on the floor.

The Phoenix flew down and landed beside me. When I looked at her, she nudged her beak under my arm, much like a dog would. Gently, I stroked her head and down her back. I could swear that I saw her smiling back at me.

"She seems to like you," Yolric interrupted. "She must have known you wanted to make her safe, I didn't have any trouble getting her here."

"There's a good chance she has imprinted at this point," Bram called from the fireplace with Rio. "This means she cannot be released. It's so tragic, really. Though it really does surprise me since she was obviously treated with cruelty."

Yolric and I looked at each other and grimaced. The scene I had projected during the bidding along with getting her away made her not want to leave us.

"It does seem as though she is attached to you, June. Why don't you take her along with your payment? It is the least I could do. You went above and beyond expectations, wonderful job. I thought Lorie here had died long ago," Bram continued. I looked at Yolric, and he explained to me that Rio had once been Lorie. Bram had told him all about his travels long ago, so he assumed that was the case.

After catching my breath and staying with Bram and Lorie for a short while, we decided to leave. Lorie insisted on using the Magical Vehicle to get us back to the guild. She kept saying she wanted to do more, but that maybe this would make up for some of it. It didn't take much persuasion for us to say yes.

I remember sticking my head out the back window and seeing the Phoenix flying high above us. Sticking my head back inside, I looked at Yolric and smiled.

"We did our first job," I giggled, nestling my head on Yolric's shoulder.

"And we did a damn good job, too," Yolric replied, stroking my short hair. At that moment, I drifted off into a restful sleep.