Chapter 3: An Unusual Mission
Yo, how's everyone doing today? I'm back with a new chapter for you all.
Because I don't want to jump right into the Tower of Heaven Arc right away, I'm going to create several chapters dedicated to showing all of you the rest of Neo's abilities. There will probably be about two chapters, including this one, before we get to the ToH Arc.
Now sit back, and enjoy!
(Magnolia-Neo's House)
Neo slowly opened his eyes and let out a tired yawn. He sat up in his bed and stretched his arms over hie head before slipping out of the sheets. The young boy then smelled a wonderful aroma coming from his kitchen. As if in a trance, he began to trudge towards the kitchen, letting his nose lead him as he was too lazy to open his eyes.
Mirajane was in the kitchen, humming a soft tune as she cooked breakfast. She had left Fairy Hills early that morning to make Neo a welcome home breakfast. She turned to the door when it opened and a tired Neo trudged towards her with his arms outstretched like a zombie. He walked right into her, and his feet was still moving as if he hadn't hit her at all.
"Good morning Neo," Mira giggled. Neo stopped moving and slowly opened his eyes to see that his face was planted into Mira's side. He stepped back and chuckled nervously.
"Good morning Mira, sorry about that," Neo apologized as he went to sit down.
"It's fine Neo," Mira told him as she turned back to the food. "I was expecting you to wake up soon anyway."
"So why are you here making breakfast anyway?" Neo asked. "Not that I'm complaining, I'm just curious."
"It's to welcome you home, you get your own personal meal," Mira explained to him. Neo just grinned at the prospect and eagerly awaited for Mira to finish.
A few minutes later, Mira placed a plate of food in front of Neo. A stack of three pancakes with syrup poured over it, with several mini-sausages on the side along with bacon and a glass of milk.
Neo stabbed his fork into a sausage and popped it into his mouth. As soon as the flavor hit his tastebuds, his face broke into a large grin.
"You're cooking has gotten better Mira," Neo told her as he began to cut up his pancakes. "I've missed your cooking, it's way better than that garbage all those inns had."
"Thank you for the compliments," Mira said to him as she grabbed a piece of toast.
After breakfast, Neo went back into his room and changed into his normal clothes and put on his transformation. He walked back downstairs and saw that Mira was done cleaning and was waiting by the door.
"Ready to go?" he asked as he adjusted his jacket. Mira nodded and the two left for the Guild.
(Fairy Tail)
The two arrived to see that some of the other members of Fairy Tail had arrived and were beginning to build the new Guild Hall. Makarov had cleared the area of the rubble from the old Guild and everyone began to start construction.
"Yo Gramps!" Neo shouted as he entered the area with Mira. Makarov turned to face them before pulling out a hardhat and slapping it onto Neo's head before doing the same to Mira.
"This is a hardhat area, if I catch you without it while here I'm gonna smack you silly," Makarov told them.
Neo sweatdropped before thinking, 'Same old Gramps, both protecting us and threatening us at the same time.'
"Neo," said male turned around to see Erza dressed in a construction outfit while hauling several pieces of lumber. "Great to see you here, we need a lot of metal."
"What kind of metal? As in, what shape do you want them to be?" Neo asked.
"Just beams and plates," Erza told him. Neo nodded and slammed his fists together as a grey seal appeared before him.
"Elemental Soul: Iron!"
Neo morphed into his Iron Form and changed his hands into squares before he began to make all of the necessary items needed. About an hour and a half later, they had enough and Neo turned back to normal before placing his hands on his knees in exhaustion.
"You okay?" Lucy asked. She had arrived later and was helping out while Neo made the metal.
"Yeah, just a little tired," Neo told her as he gratefully took a bottle of water that Mira got for him. "Just haven't had to use my magic continuously for that long before."
He then stood up and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I think that I'm gonna take a job, get us some more money for repairs," Neo said. He then walked over to the Job Board and scanned all of the jobs listed before his eyes landed on one in particular.
Skilled Mages wanted! There is a horde of Gorians raiding our town and stealing from us! We desperately need help quickly! Please help us!
Location: Taiyo Town
Reward: 6,000 Jewels
"This should be good for the day," Neo said as he pulled it from the board. "Hey Mira, mark this one down for me."
"Okay, good luck!" Mira told him as she marked down the mission. Neo nodded and walked out towards the town to head towards the train station.
"Neo! Fight me!" Natsu shouted as he raced towards the S-Class Wizard. Neo just swung his arm to the side and clotheslined Natsu, sending him tumbling into a pilar.
"So fast!" Lucy shouted in shock.
Neo just shrugged and told her, "I am an S-Class after all." With that, he walked away.
"Master, shouldn't someone go with him?" Gray asked.
Makarov shook his head. "He'll be fine, Neo is an S-Class Mage so a group of Gorians won't even be a challenge."
"Aye!" Happy agreed.
"Shut up cat! You don't even know him!" Lucy yelled as she tried to strangle the blue cat.
(Train Station)
Neo sighed as he sat on the bench, waiting for the train. He missed the Guild and all, but sometimes their craziness would drive him up the wall, no wonder Erza was always uptight.
'But, at least they're lively. Being in a Guild that wasn't so...active would suck,' Neo thought with a smile. He spotted the train arriving and got onboard. He picked a lone booth to sit in and put on his lacrima headphones to relax.
"I wonder what Erza's doing right now?" Neo thought out loud. "Knowing her, she's probably beating up Natsu and Gray for fighting. reminds me of the first time I met her..."
(Flashback-Year X778)
"Master, I know that I said that I didn't want to be with people just yet, but why do I have to look on them from back here?" A seven year old Neo asked.
"Because I want you to know the people who you'll one day interact with," Makarov explained. "Besides, I'm pretty sure that you'll get a good laugh out of it."
"A laugh?" Neo questioned as he tilted his head. "I don't get it."
Makarov merely chuckled and told him, "You'll understand in a few minutes." He then walked off to mix and mingle with the rest of the Guild.
Neo just shook his head and watched all of the people as they laughed and enjoyed each other's company. He bit his lip as he wanted to join them, but knew that he couldn't. His magic was still uncontrollable, and he didn't want to hurt anybody.
"Quit staring at me you stripper!" Neo jerked his head to the side to see the pink haired boy, Natu if he recalled, glaring at a boy wearing only pants.
"How about you quit staring at me flame brain!" Gray yelled back. The two were touching foreheads and sparks could be seen flying from between their eyes. Neo looked on, wondering if this was what Makarov wanted him to watch.
But before the two could start, a female voice interrupted them, freezing the two boys in their tracks.
"What did I say about fighting?!" A young Erza yelled as she smashed the duo into the floor. Neo couldn't help but snicker at the events that happened. Unknown to him, Erza could hear his snickering and made a not to head over there when she was done with these two clowns.
"You two are Guildmates, so start acting like them!" Erza yelled in a threatening tone.
"Yes! We're getting along just fine!" Gray shouted as he wrapped an arm around Natsu.
"Aye!" Natsu agreed as he followed suit.
Neo was struggling to hold in his laughter at the sight he was beholding. 'I guess this is what Master was talking about,' he thought. When he finally got his laughter under control, he let out a sigh and opened his eyes to see a certain redhead looking down at him.
"Who are you?" Erza demanded. Neo began to panic, he wasn't supposed to be seen by a member of the Guild except for those who already knew of him. Neo began to shake with fear that he might be discovered by everyone.
"Who. Are. You?" Erza demanded again, this time with more force in her words.
"Y...Yo-you're n-n-not supposed to...kn-know about me-e-e," Neo shakily said. He gasped as he felt his magic start to act up, the familiar heat of his Fire Form building up within him.
"I won't ask again," Erza growled as she pulled out a sword. Neo was in quite the predicament, he had to try and control his magic while being threatened by a girl with a sword.
Makarov was over by the bar when he felt it, that little spike in magic power that felt similar to Neo's. He quickly looked over to where he left him and saw a hint of red hair, causing his eyes to widen. He quietly slipped away from the bar and raced towards the duo. He grabbed both Neo and Erza and raced towards the back door of the Guild and threw Neo to the middle of the backyard before slamming his hands on the ground.
"Sealing Magic: Soundless Barrier!" A circle of magic surrounded Neo and he threw his head back and let out a roar that only he could hear before his body erupted into flames, taking on his Fire Form. He was breathing heavilly as his magic was let out in a large amount. He caled down and looked up at Makarov and Erza.
"Master, who is this stranger? And why is he here?" Erza asked.
"Erza," Makarov began in a hard tone, "what I'm about to tell you is something that you should not be said to anyone else unless they already know about this. Neo is a child that Gildarts, and myself found in the forest, we brought him back to the Guild and have been helping him to control his magic ever since."
"But why haven't we seen him around the Guild before?" Erza asked.
"He didn't want others to see him yet," Makarov explained. "Neo's magic is unstable at the moment, and he wants to gain control of his magic so he doesn't hurt anyone."
Neo had calmed down and reverted back to normal before sitting down on the ground. He looked up to see that Makarov was explaining things to Erza, and closed his eyes before falling back onto the ground.
(Flashback End)
'I'm glad that Erza understood what was wrong with me. Her guidance really helped me gain control over this magic,' Neo thought. 'She was able to help me be ready for the S-Class trials only 2 years later. I really need to find some way to pay her back.'
He felt the train slow to a stop and looked outside to see that they had arrived in Taiyo Town.
"Wow, time sure flies when you're lost in your own mind," Neo remarked. He pulled his headphones down to around his neck before exiting his cabin and getting off of the train.
"Well, time to start looking for the mayor," Neo said to himself as he began to walk through town. He looked around and saw that several buildings were undergoing repairs, most likely from the Gorian attacks.
'I'll fix this,' Neo thought to himself as he continued walking.
After about a half hour of wandering, Neo got fed up and asked a local where the mayor's house was. After being pointed in the right direction, he immediately slammed his face into a wall after seeing that he had passed that house at least three times. He then dusted off his clothes and walked up to the door and knocked.
"Hello?" A maid asked as she answered the door.
"Hi, I'm a Mage of Fairy Tail who accepted the job about the Gorians," Neo told her.
She then looked around and asked, "Are you the only one?"
"Yeah," he replied, which made her frown, "but don't worry, I'm an S-Class Mage." That definitely cheered her up, and she lead him inside to meet the mayor. She lead him to an office on the third floor and knocked on the door.
"Enter," a male voice said. The maid opened the door and motioned for Neo to enter. He nodded in thanks and walked inside, where he saw a man in his late 40's siting at a desk. He looked like he hadn't slept in several days and was on the brink of a panic attack.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"My name's Neo Banshin, a Fairy Tail Wizard," Neo introduced himself. "I came here because of the job you posted."
"I specifically asked for a team of Mages to handle this," the mayor frowned.
"Don't worry," Neo reassured him, "I'm an S-Class Wizard."
The mayor sighed in relief and slumped back into his chair. "Thank goodness, I was worried that we weren't being taken seriously."
"So what's the deal with the Gorians?" Neo asked. "From what I can tell, they're raiding the village to steal food."
"Yes, that's what they've been doing for the past week," the mayor explained. "The strange thing is that they haven't abducted any women."
"Vulcans abduct the women," Neo corrected him. "Gorians may be related to Vulcans, but they don't share everything. Though they may abduct women, it's really a rare thing when it comes to Gorians."
"I see," the mayor muttered. "Well, that takes some of the panic off of my mind."
"Do you know where the Gorians are holed up?" Neo asked. "I'm gonna go and take care of them."
"They're hiding out in the forest, just listen for the sounds of wild partying, you can't miss it," the mayor told him. Neo nodded and left the office.
(Taiyo Forest)
True to the mayors words, the Gorians were making a loud racket with all of their partying. Neo didn't even have to try to be quiet and just walked over there, crunching leaves and branches under his feet along the way. He observed the Gorians and counted about 15 of them. Eventually, one of the giant monkeys noticed him and called out to the others.
"Why man here? We no like man! Go away!"
"Wait! Maybe he taste good!"
"We roast him and put seasoning on him!"
The monkeys began to cheer at the thought of food and began to advance on Neo, who just sighed.
"Stupid monkeys, I'm going to give you one warning, leave the town alone and never bother them again," Neo demanded.
"No way! Town have good food! Better than food in forest!" A Gorian shouted.
"Then you leave me no choice...Elemental Soul: Earth!" Neo took on his rocky appearance and clenched his fists before launching towards a Gorian and slamming his fist into its stomach, sending the beast flying into a tree.
"Gravel Gun!" Neo opened his hands and sent a storm of small pebbles at two of the Gorians, forcing them to cover themselves with their giant arms. Neo then ducked as another Gorian tried to take him from behind.
"Element Shift: Iron!" Neo quickly became encased in metal and slammed his fist against the monsters face before giving it a hard kick into the stomach. He then morphed his hand into a hammer and slammed it into another Gorian, sending the beast tumbling into a tree.
"Get man! Why you all so weak?" A Gorian shouted.
"I'm just too strong for you!" Neo shouted as he slammed his iron-clad foot into the monkey's chin. He turned on his feet and jumped onto a branch and slammed his fists together.
"Element Shift: Water!" Neo transformed into a being made of water. Like his other forms, his mouth and eyes were filled with a white light. Some bubbles could be seen floating through his body. A Gorian threw its fist at Neo, but it merely caused that part of his body to burst apart before reforming a moment later. The Fairy Tail Mage threw his arm to the side and created a watery whip before snapping it against the Gorian's back.
"Hydro Needle!" Neo threw his arms out to the side and hundreds of water needles shot out of his chest, taking down three Gorians. He then sent a stream of water into the face of another Gorian that tried to jump him, sending the beast flying into a tree.
"Element Shift: Fire!" Neo morphed into his fire form, causing the Gorians to back away in fear of being burned. He brought his hands close together and created a sphere of fire between them. He faced the Gorians and flashed them a predatory grin as the heat from the sphere became more intense.
"Inferno...Cannon!" Neo thrust his hands forward and unleashed a stream of flames that sent four Gorians to the ground with massive burns on them. He then turned and sent out a wave of fire that caused a Gorian sneaking up on him to back away in fear.
"This is getting boring, time to end this," Neo muttered to himself. "Element Shift: Earth!"
Neo transformed into his earth-like form again. Only this time he was mixed with his fire form as the cracks that ran along his body turned red. He raised his fist into the air and slammed it onto the ground, creating a large explosion that decimated the Gorians and their home.
When he looked around, he saw that one Gorian was left shivering in fear while the others were unconscious. "So," Neo began, "you gonna leave the town alone now?"
"Yes! Yes! We leave town alone! No more hurting!" the Gorian pleaded. Neo smiled and formed holes on the bottom of his feet before expelling fire from those holes and rocketing back to the village. The large monkey sighed in relief and proceeded to fall onto his back and go to sleep.
(Taiyo Town)
"Thank you for all that you've done!" the mayor said as he shook Neo's hand.
Neo just chuckled and rubbed the back of his head with the other hand. "Please, it was nothing. I only did what any other honest Mage would do."
"But you still saved us, and in a quicker time than we anticipated. We shall sing praises of you," the mayor told him. "Is there a title that we should address you as? I know that Fairy Tail is host to famous Wizards like Salamander and Titania."
Neo blinked for a moment before he had a flashback of a similar situation.
(Flashback-Year X780)
A nine-year old Neo was sitting in Mira's kitchen as she had invited him over for dinner. The Strauss siblings had known of Neo from when Makarov first brought him into the Guild, and have been close with him ever since.
"I can't believe it," Lisanna sighed, "you're going to be leaving in a month."
"How long are you going to be away again?" Elfman asked the young boy.
"Gramps and I decided on four years," Neo answered. "He wanted it to be shorter, and I wanted it longer, so we came to a compromise."
Lisanna hummed and turned towards where Mira was cooking dinner. "And when you come back you're going to reveal yourself to everyone."
"With my Transformation on," Neo reminded her. "I'm not letting a lot of people know my real age."
"I still don't understand why you're doing that," Mira said as she brought over a large plate of Roast Beef.
"I don't want people to think I'm special because of my age," Neo reminded her. "I'm not an attention hog like you."
Mira merely stared at him before wrapping her arm around his neck and driving her fist into his skull, making him cry out in protest. Lisanna and Elfman just sat there and laughed at the duos antics as Neo managed to free himself by snaking his hand into Mira's underarm and wriggling his fingers, making the elder Strauss push him away while trying to contain her giggles before they sat down and ate.
After dinner, Elfman had retired to him room, leaving the girls and Neo in the kitchen.
"Say," Neo began, "do you think I'll get a title like you and Erza one day?"
"Of course you will!" Lisanna told him. "You're magic is awesome!" And then she mumbled. "But not as awesome as Natsu's..."
Giving her a knowing smirk which caused her to squeak in embarrassment, Neo then asked, "So what would my title be?"
Mira turned around and said to him, "That's easy, you're going to be..."
(Flashback End)
"Fairy Tail's Elemental Master," Neo told the mayor.
The mayor nodded and said, "All of Fiore will know of you."
Neo nodded and picked up his reward before heading towards the train station. He smiled as he heard the people already looking happier now that they didn't have to worry about the Gorians anymore.
'It feels good to do a good deed,' Neo thought. 'Leaves a good feeling in me.'
And done!
So this chapter was some more insight into Neo's abilities and some scenes from his past. I enjoy writing about Neo, he's just one of those OC's that you like. But then again, I like all of my OC's as they're a part of me, of my imagination.
So let's talk a little about Fairy Tail. The manga's showing a new enemy for the team to face, and it's an empire to boot! Plus, they've got the strongest of the Ten Wizard Saints on their side, that'll be a challenge.
Please Review! And have a Happy Fourth of July!