Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! Read at your own risk. There's still original stuff in here, but if you haven't gotten to this point in the anime/manga, then some things may be ruined for you. I advise catching up to the anime/manga if you haven't already (for more reasons than just reading my story)! Thank you and enjoy!
Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon
Chapter 75
"Yaaaah!" Michelle cried as she face planted into the guild floor, spilling the mugs of beer and plates of food that she was carrying on a tray. She whimpered as she pushed herself up onto her hands and knees and rubbed her nose. "Ouch."
"Are you alright, Michelle?" Lucy asked as she knelt beside her relative.
"Yes, I'm fine," Michelle said as she burst into tears.
"Then why are you crying?"
"I dropped all the food!"
"Oh cheer up!" Gracie said with a smile. "It's not like it's anything new."
"Gracie!" Lucy scolded.
"What? It's the truth. I mean in the week that she's been here she's dropped four trays."
"She's doing her best," Lucy said. "Besides, she's been a lot of help doing other jobs around the guild."
Gracie held her hands up defensively. "Okay okay. I wasn't trying to insult her or anything, I swear." She grinned. "But look at you sticking up for her just like a real big sister would."
Lucy blushed. "Well, you know…"
"I appreciate everything that big sister Lucy has done for me," Michelle said with a big smile, the tears vanishing as if they never existed in the first place.
"I'm sure you do," Gracie said with a nod.
"We love having Michelle here," Macao said as he received a beer from Kinana.
"She's one of us," Wakaba smirked.
"Don't worry, Michelle. It won't be long before you learn the ropes," Mira said with a sincere smile from behind the bar.
Gracie looked around Mira and into the kitchen. "Is Niky back there? I haven't seen him in a while."
Mira shook her head. "No, he's outside playing with Asuka."
Gracie's eyes shone and she stood up in a flash. "I must go see this. Right now." She then bolted outside.
Mira giggled. "She would want to see that. I wish I could see it myself."
Michelle stood back up and brushed herself off. "I'm fine, big sister. Thank you for caring." She picked up the tray. "I'll get back to work now."
"Okay. Just take it easy and don't be too hard on yourself," Lucy said. She then headed out of the guild. 'Great. Gracie's enthusiasm got me excited, too and now I want to see what those two are doing.' She walked around to the side of the guild where she could hear excited childish giggles. She sighed and smiled. "Sounds like Gracie is loving what she's seeing," she mumbled to herself.
"Again! Again!" Asuka cheered as she sat on Nikolias' back.
Nikolias was in his Half-Dragon form, a strip of leather clenched tightly in his jaws so that Asuka could hold on to something. "If you say so, little cowgirl. Just hold on tight!"
Asuka giggled excitedly as she gripped the reins tightly and kicked Nikolias' ribs. "Horsies don't talk, silly! Now giddy up!" As soon as she did so, Nikolias reared back with a roar and took off running.
"Be careful!" Alzack called out with a smile.
"Don't be too rough on Nikolias, sweetheart," Bisca said.
"Whee!" Asuka cried in glee as Nikolias raced around.
"Go, Asuka! Go!" Gracie cheered from beside the little girl's parents. "Ride that dragon!"
Lucy walked over, her eyes glued on Asuka riding Nikolias. "What are they doing?"
"Asuka asked Nikolias to play horsey," Alzack said. "Personally I'm surprised he agreed so quickly."
"Oh that reminds me, Lucy. Natsu was looking for you earlier," Bisca said.
"Oh that's right. He said something about hunting bandits," Alzack added.
Lucy sighed. "Bandit hunting. Great. I'm jumping for joy. Where is he now?"
"He's been out back since early this morning with Sky and Ash. While he was waiting for you to come to the guild he was practicing fire techniques with Ash," Bisca said.
"Great. Well thanks, guys. I'll go see him now," Lucy said.
"Oh I'll come, too!" Gracie shouted. "Catching bandits sounds like fun! We could wear masks and get cowboy hats! Bisca, do you have any extra cowboy hats?"
"Umm…," Bisca laughed nervously.
Gracie didn't wait for an answer. "Hey Niky! We're gonna go catch bandits! You coming?"
Nikolias trotted over and lay on the ground so that Asuka could dismount. He then spit out the strip of leather and shadows danced around him as he returned to his human form. "Sounds like it could be fun. I'm in."
"Sweet! Then let's go see Natsu and figure out what this mission is all about!" Gracie cheered as she ran around to the back of the guild.
"So energetic," Nikolias sighed.
"Would you have her any other way?" Lucy giggled as the two followed the bubbly blonde.
He shrugged. "I guess it depends on the day." Lucy laughed.
The tiny back field of the guild sat nestled between the back wall of the guild hall and the woods filled with tall trees. There were a couple toppled trees near the border, which was where Natsu, Happy, Sky, and Ash were sitting when Gracie, Lucy, and Nikolias walked over. Upon seeing Lucy, Natsu leapt to his feet. "There you are, Lucy! What took you so long?"
"We've been waiting for you!" Happy exclaimed.
"Sorry, Natsu," Lucy apologized, "but you know if it was that important, you could have woken me up before you left for the guild."
"I didn't know about this totally awesome job until I got here and Erza told me about it. Besides, you were the one who decided to sleep in."
"Michelle and I have been here for an hour. If you wanted to see me so badly, you could've tried to look."
Natsu pointed to Ash. "Ash and I were working on fire stuff and I kinda lost track of time."
Lucy sighed. "And yet you were perfectly fine with being impatient with me."
Gracie clapped her hands. "Alright kiddles, that's enough. Hey Natsu, what's this job you wanted to go on? I hear it involves catching bandits!"
"Aw Gracie, you ruined the surprise," Natsu pouted.
"We all already knew," Lucy said. "Sorry, but it wasn't going to be a surprise."
Natsu fell onto his backside and huffed. "Great. What a downer. I wanted to surprise you with an awesome job for our team."
"I appreciate the thought," Lucy said with a smile. "Can I see the request?"
"It's inside," Natsu said while leaping off of the tree. "Come on!"
Everyone walked back into the guild and over to the request board. Natsu ripped off the paper and held it out to Lucy. "Here you go!"
Lucy read over the paper. "I see…"
"What are you doing, big sister Lucy?" Michelle asked as she walked over. She looked over Lucy's shoulder. "Is that a mission you have there? Oh, can I please come with you? I'd love to watch you work."
Lucy looked at the girl, whose eyes were shining with excitement and hope. "Well…I'm not sure if that's such a good idea."
"Oh, but I want to see firsthand what you can do. Besides, you'll be there to protect me," Michelle said.
"Yeah, let her come along!" Natsu said.
"She'll be fine with all of us there," Gracie added.
Lucy thought it over. "Well Natsu, Nikolias, Gracie, Erza, and Gray will all be there, too…oh alright. You can come." Lucy looked over to where Macao was sitting at the bar with Wakaba and drinking. "Any objections, Master Macao?"
Macao waved his hand. "If that's what you want to do, I say go for it."
Lucy nodded and smiled at Michelle. "Alright then, it's settled. Welcome to the team, Michelle!"
"Oh this will be so much fun!" Michelle clapped.
Natsu cracked his knuckles. "I'm so fired up!"
"So where are Erza and Gray?" Lucy asked.
"They were getting things prepared," Happy said. "They'll be outside in a bit I think."
Gracie patted Sky and Ash on the back. "So right now it's Natsu, Lucy, Michelle, Gray, Erza, Niky, and myself. Are you two in or out?"
"Thank you for asking," Sky said softly.
"We'll pass, though. We haven't really looked around the town yet, so we were gonna do that today," Ash said.
"Okay then," Gracie said. "I guess that makes seven."
"That's plenty," Nikolias said as he walked over to the bar. He went behind the counter and kissed Mira on the cheek. "We're going to head out soon."
Mira turned to him and gave him a quick peck on the lips while pressing her hands against his chest. "Okay then. Be careful out there."
"Can do."
"By the way, how was little Asuka?"
"Adorable." He rubbed his jaw. "She's got a strong grip, though."
She giggled. "I wish I could've seen it. I bet you looked cute together and I'm sure you were great with her."
He leaned in close and whispered in her ear, "Well I do love kids. I would like to have some of my own someday after all." He chuckled as he backed up and walked away with a wave.
Mira watched him walk away, blushing furiously and her heart beating loudly in her chest. 'Children…having children…starting a family with Nikolias…wow.'
"You okay, Mira?" Wakaba asked.
"You're all red. What did he say to you?" Macao asked.
"Nothing," Mira said as she went back to work with a smile.
Nikolias rejoined the group. As soon as he did, Gracie grabbed his arm. "Come on, Niky. Erza and Gray are outside waiting for us."
"Okay. Let's get started then."
The group went out to meet Erza and Gray. There was a large pile of supplies tied together and sitting on a wagon. The sad part was that most of it was Erza's supplies.
Erza noticed Michelle was with the others. "Michelle is coming along?"
"Yeah, she wants to see us at work," Lucy said.
Erza smiled. "Sounds good to me. Experience is important, even if you're not always fully prepared for it. Isn't that right, Lucy?"
Lucy laughed nervously as she recalled the time that she got pulled into doing an S-Class job with Natsu after being with the guild for a very short period of time. "Yeah, you've got a point."
"Alright then. Shall we go meet with the client?" Erza asked.
"Man, why'd we have to wait here?" Gracie complained. She, Nikolias, Natsu, Lucy, Michelle, Gray, and Happy stood on a cliff overlooking a forest. A thin dirt road cut through the thick trees, which was where they were headed. Erza had gone to speak with the client alone, however, so everyone else was waiting for her to return before starting the mission.
"Well Natsu does have a tendency to say all the wrong things to the clients," Lucy teased.
"I do not," Natsu said.
"Whatever. The point is we stayed behind. It's not the end of the world," Nikolias said. "See it as a chance to avoid a boring conversation."
"I guess…," Gracie said.
"Besides, Gray has all the info we need," Nikolias added as he pointed to Gray. "Mind telling us a bit more about these bandits?"
Gray nodded as he took out two pieces of paper from his pocket. He unfolded them and started to read them. "According to this, these bandits are so ruthless that their victims suffer from night terrors after they're attacked."
"That's awful," Natsu said with a grin. "This should be fun then!"
Gray continued to read. "Wow. Apparently even the Royal Soldiers who went into the mountains to search for them came back crying like little kids."
Lucy groaned. "I'm having second thoughts now."
"Don't worry, big sister Lucy," Michelle said as she held up a small pastry. "I brought snacks if you're hungry." She took a bite. "So good."
Lucy sweatdropped. "I swear you and Natsu could be twins."
Michelle looked at Lucy. "I can't believe you're depended on even more than the royal soldiers," she said with her mouth full of food.
"I wouldn't say 'depended on' exactly," Lucy said.
Nikolias' ears twitched and he turned towards the forest that was behind them on the cliff. "Sounds like a cart is coming this way."
"Really? A cart? What would that be doing here?" Gracie wondered. "You sure you don't just have something in your ears?"
"I hear wooden wheels and hooves. I think it's safe to assume it's a cart," Nikolias said.
Just then, a wooden wagon with a cloth cover came bursting through the trees being pulled by a large boar. At the reins sat Erza, all of her supplies thrown in the back. She pulled on the reins to force the boar to come to a screeching halt and leapt off of the seat. "The client gave us this to use."
"Hah! See? Not a cart. It was a covered wagon," Gracie said while poking Nikolias in the shoulder.
"Oh bite me," he spat. "Cart, wagon, same thing."
Natsu started to sweat nervously. "Please tell me we're not riding in that thing," he begged.
"I'm more concerned that Erza will be driving," Gray added.
"What was that?" Erza asked darkly.
"Nothing!" Gray said quickly.
"Busted," Gracie giggled.
Erza cleared her throat. "Anyway, if you'd like to hear my plan now I will tell you."
"Oh a strategy from Erza! I can't wait!" Gracie said excitedly.
"First," Erza began, "we will tempt the bandits into robbing us using this wagon. Lucy and I will be riding in the front seat of the wagon posing as a pair of helpless women while Natsu, Gray, Michelle, and Gracie hide in the back to spring the trap. Nikolias will be following us in the air. Once we're surrounded, Lucy and I will distract as many of them as we can with our feminine wiles. At that moment, Nikolias will begin to attack our group of bandits from behind and Natsu, Gray, and Gracie will leap out and dispatch the other bandits before joining us in a heated battle…"
"If you think I'm gonna ride in that thing, you're out of your mind!" Natsu interrupted.
Erza shot him a deadly glare and smiled maliciously at him. "Oh? You object to my plan? I must admit, Natsu, that's pretty gutsy of you."
Natsu trembled in fear, but stood firm. "You can beat the shit out of me all you want, but I still ain't going!"
Michelle leaned over to Lucy. "I'm confused. Why is Natsu so adamantly against this plan?" she whispered.
"Natsu has trouble handling transportation," Lucy replied softly.
Michelle looked over to see Natsu continuing to make his case, arms flailing about as he continued to argue with Erza. "That's certainly surprising."
Gray took a seat, his shirt mysteriously missing in action. "So hot," he wailed.
"Don't you dare strip!" Lucy shouted at him.
Gracie squatted in front of Gray and patted him on the cheek. "I think you may have a condition."
"As long as he keeps his pants on I don't really care," Nikolias huffed. He just wanted to get started with the mission.
Michelle walked over to Erza. "Excuse me?"
Erza turned to Michelle, ignoring the rest of Natsu's rant. "Yes?"
"If you'd like someone else to be up front I'm a fairly capable driver," Michelle said with a smile.
"Huh?" Lucy squeaked.
"You sure you don't mind being bait?" Natsu asked.
"Yeah it could be dangerous," Happy added.
Michelle pumped her fists. "I know, but don't you think it makes more sense to have all of the fighters in the back? If it could better our chances in succeeding on this mission, I'll gladly take the reins!"
"I'm really not too sure about this," Lucy said worriedly.
Erza thought it over. "Interesting…"
"I like it!" Gracie exclaimed as she leapt up. "Let the poor girl participate. She's here and willing so I say go for it!"
"I believe Gracie's right," Erza said. "Besides, Michelle has a point. Having all of our fighters in one place makes sense. Plus Nikolias will handle the group surrounding Lucy and Michelle, so I have no doubt that she'll be okay." She smiled at Michelle. "Alright then. We'll revise the plan. Here's how it will go…"
"Well would you look at that," a tall man said as he and his group of bandits stood on a cliff overlooking a dirt road. They were perfectly concealed from view by the trees as they watched a covered wagon being driven by two blonde women rush down the road.
"Ooo more visitors," another man said.
"That looks like a big haul today," another man added.
"Natsu, the next time you wanna fly leave me out of it!" Happy complained as he carried Natsu through the air high above the wagon to avoid being seen by anyone. "You're so heavy!"
"Gimme a break. You fly me all the time," Natsu said. "If you really wanna blame someone, blame Erza. This was her plan. Now keep your eyes open for anything suspicious." He looked over to Nikolias who was flying nearby. "See anything, Nikolias?"
"There's some movement in those trees," Nikolias said while pointing to the right. "I think they'll make their move soon."
"Oh my," Michelle said as the wagon came upon a wooden fence blocking off the road. She pulled on the reins to force the boar to stop. "It looks like the road is blocked."
The sounds of rustling leaves caught the attention of the two girls. "Here they come," Lucy said. "Don't leave my side. Understand?"
Michelle nodded, but it was clear that there was some uneasiness in her expression.
Slowly, bandits began pouring out of the tree line and surrounded the wagon. Each of them wielded a broad sword and they laughed as they approached. They all wore strange clothes and some wore strange masks.
"Operation: Show the Goods is a-go!" Lucy said as she quickly began taking off her clothes.
"Right," Michelle said.
Lucy took off the last garment of clothing to reveal her white bikini with a pink flower on the left breast. She struck a pose and winked. "Oh we're so lucky that you big strong men found us!" she said as seductively as she could without hurling.
Meanwhile, Erza, Gray, and Gracie waited patiently and quietly in the back to spring their trap.
"Prepare yourself," Erza whispered.
"Okay," Gray said, "but could you really only come up with 'Show the Goods'?"
"I think it's perfect," Gracie giggled.
Back outside, Lucy was on her hands and knees, leaning over and wiggling her body to show off her impressive cleavage and impressive bust. "We're lost and we could really use some help." She laughed in her head. 'And now they're totally putty in my hands.'
The men all blushed uncomfortably.
"Would you please cover yourself?" a tall man with a red hat and glasses asked.
"Yeah, nobody wants to see that," a man in a white mask added.
"Only bimbos flaunt it," a man in a brown cap said. He began to walk around to the back. "Besides, my skin is far more fabulous than yours."
"You tell her, girl!" the man in the white mask cheered as he went around to the back of the cart.
"Get the cargo before I vomit," the tall man added as he followed the others.
Lucy sank onto her seat. "There goes my self-esteem."
The men reached for the cloth cover. "I hope you're packing product, ladies!" the man in the white mask sang.
"Or a wagon full of chocolate!" the man in the tall hat said.
They pulled open the curtain covering the inside of the cart and as soon as they did, they were sent flying by a surprise ice attack from Gray. Gray chuckled as he stood at the ready, his shirt once again missing. "Sorry fellas, but all we're packing is a beating!"
All of the bandits leapt to their feet and sprang for Gray, hunger in their eyes.
"He's gorgeous!" the man in the red hat drooled.
"Kiss me!" the man in the white mask begged.
"I saw him first!" a man in a red ski mask said.
"AAAAAHHH!" Gray shrieked in disbelief as the men drew closer.
Fortunately for him, Gracie and Erza leapt out and landed fierce kicks and punches, sending them all flying.
"Fiends!" Erza shouted angrily. "I stayed up all night long planning that strategy of ours and now it's been for nothing!" She quickly requipped into a strange blue robe atop a gray haori and a pair of navy blue hakama. Strips of cloth were wrapped around her chest. A Fairy Tail lantern and knife were clutched in her hands. Her hair was tied in a ponytail and she wore a black headband around her forehead. "In the name of all night owls, I shall punish the lot of you!" She then began to chase one of the bandits around. The man screamed in fear as he ran.
"I think she's lost it," Gray said.
"I think you should meet your fans," Gracie giggled.
"Shut it."
Lucy and Michelle ran around to the back of the cart. "Wow. This was not part of the plan," Lucy said.
"You made me break a nail, witch!" the man in the tall red hat wailed at Erza, a large bruise on his forehead. "I'll get you back for this!"
"Keep trash-talking. That's not all she'll break," Lucy sighed.
"You brazen hussies!" a deep voice boomed.
The man in the tall red hat looked dreamily behind him. "Big Sis, it's you!"
The man known as Big Sis stood facing the Fairy Tail members. He wore a brown fur vest over a pink shirt and red pants. His boots were purple and the hat atop his head was short and pink. He wore a necklace of large pearls and golden bracelets on his wrists. He had a thin brown mustache and a small beard and he had long brown hair down to his neck. There was a scar running across his right eye. He glared at Lucy and Michelle. "You may have been born women, but your hearts will never possess the feminine spark ours do!" He wiggled his hips. "Also, your hair is atrocious, your hips are too curvy, and those fun bags look about as real as Daddy's did!"
The man in the tall hat swooned. "I have such a girl crush on you right now, Big Sis!"
"I see," Lucy said slowly. "Now I understand why their victims kept having nightmares after being attacked by them."
Big Sis leapt at Lucy with a sword at the ready. "I think someone deserves a spanking!"
"Lucy, look out!" Michelle cried.
Suddenly, a strange force hit the ground hard, sending Big Sis flying. He shook his head as he looked into the dirt. "What in Heaven's name was that?" As the dirt cleared, he could see a man standing there with Michelle in his arms and glaring at him with golden brown eyes. "Oh my. Aren't you handsome!"
Nikolias tsked. "I don't really wanna hear that from someone as rotten as you."
"Oh. Thank you for saving me," Michelle said with a slight blush, "but what about big sister Lucy?"
Nikolias smiled at her as he let her feet touch the ground. "She's fine. Don't you worry about her. Your big sister can take care of herself. Just watch."
"That's right!" Lucy said as she charged forward off to the side of Nikolias and Michelle. She had managed to leap out of the way before Nikolias had hit the ground. "Thanks Nikolias. Now I'll take care of this weirdo. Now Fleuve d'étoiles!" she cried as she took out her whip. However, no magic came out of the handle. "Huh? Why does this have to happen to me?" She began banging on the handle. "Come on, work! Pretty please?"
"Lucy!" Michelle cried.
Lucy turned to see Big Sis once again lunging at her. She didn't have time to summon a Celestial Spirit. Her whip wasn't working. She was helpless.
However, before the attack could land, a burst of flames struck the ground, engulfing Big Sis and causing him to yelp in pain.
"Don't you dare touch her!" Natsu roared from the sky. "Let's do it, Happy!"
Happy threw him towards the ground. "Aye sir!"
Fire collected in both of Natsu's hands. He brought them together and swung down. "FIRE DRAGON BRILLIANT FLAME!" he shouted as a large fiery explosion roared beneath him, burning some of the bandits and causing them to shriek in pain.
Gray created ice spikes that froze some of the bandits.
Nikolias tied some of them up with shadows.
Gracie tackled one of them to the ground and held them there firmly.
Erza tied up the hands of the leader with red rope and stepped on his head. "So are you going to come quietly?"
"Yes," Big Sis whimpered.
Michelle watched in awe as everyone restrained the bandits. "Amazing!" she breathed as her eyes sparkled in wonder. "That was absolutely incredible, big sister! I can't believe how strong you and your friends are!"
"Thanks," Lucy said in a defeated tone, "but…uh…I didn't do anything."
The Royal soldiers ushered the restrained bandits onto a train headed for their prison. The Fairy Tail members watched to make sure everything went as planned.
"So what did you think of your first job?" Erza asked Michelle with a smile.
Michelle clasped her hands together with a blush on her cheeks. "It was absolutely awe-inspiring! Wizards and their guilds are so amazing!"
"That's right," Gray said. "It can get pretty crazy at times, but that just means that there's never a dull moment."
"It's like one big family with people completely unrelated to you," Gracie added. "It truly is a wonderful place to be."
Michelle giggled and smiled brightly. "I couldn't agree more!"
"So what did you find?" Macao asked Wakaba, who was entering the guild. He was standing at the bar and Carla was sitting on the counter with a cup of tea in her paws.
Wakaba walked over and sat on a bar stool with a sigh. "I had one of my contacts look into it for us. Laki should be back with the full report any second now." He looked towards the door. "Ah, speak of the devil."
Laki walked into the guild, clutching an envelope closely to her chest. Her face was serious as she approached Macao and Wakaba.
"Thanks Laki. We owe you for this," Macao said.
"Sorry to send you on such a weird errand," Wakaba said.
Laki began to open the envelope. "No need to apologize. It wasn't any trouble." She pulled out the papers and began to read. "According to your contact, the Lobsters were a wealthy family that had a lot of land in the Zentopia region's townships."
Macao sighed as he dug his hands into his pockets. "So we were worried over nothing."
"I wouldn't say that," Carla said. "These days, you truly can never be too cautious. Still, this is quite a relief for sure."
"Hold on just a sec there," Wakaba said. "Laki, you said they were a wealthy family. What does that mean?"
Laki's eyes saddened. "It's pretty grim. The rest of the family was lost in a tragic accident several years ago."
"Shit. That sure is grim," Wakaba said.
"So Michelle is the sole surviving family member then," Carla deduced.
"At least she has Lucy," Macao said. "If she didn't, she really would be all alone."
Lahar and a group of Rune Knights stood staring at the smoldering remains of a church. It had completely burned to the ground. Stones had melted and hissing steam rose from the site.
"This makes no sense," Lahar growled while clenching his fists. "First it burns, then it collapses, and now it's corroding? Given the distance from each parish and the traces of magic left behind, there's clearly more than one person involved in all of this."
Lahar turned to see an old man dressed in white cloth kneeling on the ground, looking away from the remains as he cowered in fear. "This can't be," the old man said. "It's impossible."
Lahar turned to one of the knights. "Who is he?"
"The priest, sir," the knight replied. "He was outside of the church when the incident occurred."
"But the reports from earlier stated that there was a body found among the wreckage," Lahar said.
"Yes sir."
"So then if the only man who was supposed to be here is still alive, where did the body come from?" Lahar questioned as he looked over the scene once more. "Could it be one of the culprits?"
"We don't know, sir," the old man said. "He insists that no one else was here."
An odd figure stood on a building overlooking the site of the burned church. It was wearing a large bear mask, it had robotic arms, and an odd lever was attached to its torso. It laughed evilly as it observed the baffled Rune Knights.
Sitting outside a riverside restaurant, Lucy and Michelle were enjoying a nice afternoon snack after a mission. Michelle took a sip from her cup of tea before leaning forward slightly. "Big sister Lucy?"
"What is it?" Lucy asked.
"I've been thinking about something and I was wondering if I could run it by you," Michelle said.
"Go for it. Ask away."
"I was curious about how your guild receives its jobs. Do people have to pay for their requests to be considered?"
"I think so," Lucy said as she took a bite of bread.
"I would like to know more about the memento your father left, so I'm thinking of putting in a request."
Lucy swallowed hard and smiled. "Michelle, that's brilliant! Let's go right now!"
"This is a first," Makarov said as he drank his beer at the bar.
Wakaba chuckled. "In all of my years, I don't think I've ever seen a wizard hire another wizard."
"I see no problem with it. Mira, would you mind making a request poster for the board?" Macao asked.
"Of course! I think that's a great idea, Lucy!" Mira exclaimed from behind the bar.
"I agree. I look forward to seeing who will take the job," Makarov said.
"Thanks, Master!" Lucy said.
Natsu stood by the table where Michelle was standing with the case that stored the memento. "So you're gonna ask Fairy Tail for help?"
Lucy walked over. "Yep! It was approved!"
"I'm curious about the magic on the cloth wrapped around the memento and I'd like to find out what Mr. Jude was trying to tell Lucy," Michelle said. "I mean, it was his very last message to her after all."
"Good attitude!" Natsu said as he pumped his fist. "Happy and I will solve it no problem!"
"I'll help, too!" Gracie exclaimed. "I think it's sweet that you want to find out what Lucy's father was trying to tell her."
"I'm more curious about the scent of that cloth," Nikolias said. "It really does reek, so I'd like to find out more about the memento."
"We'll help you out as well," Ash said as she wrapped her arm around Sky.
Sky nodded. "Please let us assist you."
Makarov chuckled from the bar as he listened to the conversation. "It certainly seems like fate that Michelle and Lucy have met up like this."
"Yeah," Macao said as he leaned against the bar. "The only family either of them has is each other."
"Oh, by the way Macao, I want you to know I'm impressed that you had the foresight to run a background check on our new friend," Makarov said.
"Being thrust into the role of Master for seven years teaches you to think on your feet," Macao sighed. "It's exhausting, but I've learned a lot." His eyes narrowed. "Like how to be paranoid."
Michelle opened up the case and unwrapped the memento from its cloth confines. "There we go!" She carried it over to where Lucy was standing. However, being the klutz she was, she tripped over a small stone chip, falling flat on the ground as the memento went bouncing away towards the door.
"Are you okay?" Natsu asked.
"You're not hurt are you, Michelle?" Lucy asked with concern as she knelt beside Michelle.
Makarov peered over his shoulder. "What's this now?" he said, sensing something he hadn't before.
Nikolias let out a low growl and his hair raised slightly as he stared at the memento. "I don't like the feeling I'm getting right now."
And then suddenly, the memento began to lift into the air and spin like the hand of a clock while remaining parallel to the ground.
"What the hell? Am I imagining this?" Gray asked.
"No. I see it, too," Erza said.
"Freaky," Gracie breathed as she watched the memento rise higher and higher.
Sky hid behind her sister. "What's going on?"
"Like I know," Ash said as she stood on guard.
The memento spun around a few more times before it stopped spinning and stood straight up and down so that the circular part was closer to the ground and the thin, zigzagged part pointed towards the sky. Suddenly, golden runes began to appear on the circular part as well as up the thin part, glowing brightly like small lights.
"What is this?" Lucy asked fearfully.
"What's with the weird writing?" Gray asked. "Is it some kind of ancient script?"
"I've never seen a language like this before," Nikolias said, still standing on full alert.
"Maybe Levy will be able to read it," Lucy said.
"She left with Shadow Gear this morning for a job clear across Fiore," Makarov said as he slowly walked over to the group. "Freed is gone, too."
"What do you think it's trying to tell us, big sister?" Michelle asked as she looked at the memento with confusion.
"I wish I knew," Lucy said while shaking her head.
"Gramps, can't you read stuff like this?" Natsu asked.
Makarov narrowed his eyes at the memento. "Listen closely. I think you all should let sleeping dogs lie."
"What are you talking about?" Lucy asked as she stood up. She looked at the memento behind her. "I can't just let this go. I can't. I will solve it." A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face. 'I can't let this freak me out. I have to solve this. For my Dad's sake and for mine.'
"That's the spirit, Lucy!" Gracie exclaimed. "Don't give up!"
"I'm with Master Makarov," Nikolias said, his gaze not once leaving the memento. "This thing is giving off a bad vibe. I don't see this going well if we pursue these questions you have, Lucy."
"I don't care if it's dangerous," Lucy said. "I have to do this. Please understand."
"We won't let you do this alone," Natsu said. "I'll help you out however I can!"
Lucy blushed and smiled. "Natsu…"
Nikolias huffed. "Suit yourself. I'll help, too. I'd feel sick if I let you dive into this without backup."
"Thank you, Nikolias," Lucy said. "Don't worry. I'll be safe, I promise." She pumped her fists. "Now to hit the books and do some research! I will figure this out. Count on it!"
