WHAT A MILESTONE! With this, 100 chapters have now been published! I honestly can't believe how long this story has lasted and I have truly enjoyed writing it. While this chapter is more of a filler, I still love how the characters turned out. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon

Chapter 100

"Oooooooh, daaaaaarliiiiiiiing~," Angel moaned.

Gracie stood over Angel's bed, hair disheveled and eyebrow twitching as she watched Angel squirm while hugging her pillow. The blissful look on Angel's sleeping face…really pissed her off.

Ash and Sky tiredly stood behind Gracie. Ash yawned. "She's still going? How long is that stupid dream going to take?"

"So sleepy," Sky mumbled with her eyes closed. She teetered on her feet as she tried to fight off sleeping where she stood.

"Darling, you're so naughty~," Angel giggled.

"This has been going on all night," Gracie hissed. "I couldn't sleep a damn wink because of you. That's not good for my beauty sleep." A wicked, vindictive grin spread across her face. "There's only one way to get revenge."

Ash looked at her, too tired to express her worry. "What are you going to do to her?"

Gracie lifted her finger. "I'm going to give her a most fitting punishment. Hehehehe!"

Sky placed her head on her sister's shoulder. "So sleepy…"

Gracie placed her finger in her mouth. She pulled it out and allowed her spit to run down her finger. With impressive speed and accuracy, she stuck her finger deep into Angel's exposed ear.

Angel shrieked as Gracie's wet digit snapped her awake. She shook her head violently and sat up. She looked around but her eyes quickly found her attacker. She glared at Gracie's laughing face. "Gracie! How could you wake me up? I was just getting to the good part!" She gently touched her ear where she could feel a cool, wet sensation, but quickly withdrew her fingers with a disgusted look. "Eww, gross! What did you do to me?!"

"Wet willy," Gracie snickered, waving her still damp finger around.

"Why would you do something so disgusting?" Angel snapped as she used her blanket to try and scoop out Gracie's saliva from inside her ear.

"You kept me up all night with your wet dreams of Niky, so I woke you up with something wet in return." Gracie wriggled her fingers. "Would you like more?"

Angel hugged her pillow close to her body and edged away. "No! Keep your vile fingers away from me!"

"I thought you were a morning person, Gracie. Why are you so crabby?" Ash asked.

Gracie turned to her. "Oh, I normally am. But sleep deprivation can make even the brightest and cheeriest person want to strangle people."

"Well excuse me for dreaming!" Angel snapped.

Gracie sighed. "Well, now that we're all awake, might as well get some breakfast." She looked down at the clothes she had thrown on without much thought. They didn't match, for one, and she had also skipped the underwear stage. "Let's, uh, get ready first."


Once the four girls had changed and prepared themselves, they made their way to the main room to find a table and get some breakfast. The guild was practically barren at this early hour. Kinana was happily washing dishes to prepare for the eventual rush. Makarov sat at a bar stool, his eyes closed with a mug in his hand as he took in the silence. Other than that, there was no one around.

"It's a ghost town out here," Angel observed. Being that it was only her second day as a member of Fairy Tail, she had never seen it so empty and quiet.

Gracie sat down at one of the many empty tables and stretched. "Give it time. Everyone will be here before you know it."

Angel sat next to Gracie. "When does my darling usually arrive?"

"Depends on when he becomes conscious," Gracie said with a shrug.

Ash and Sky sat across from them. "He's a late sleeper for sure," Ash added.

"Lucky," Sky breathed with half-lidded eyes. She swayed slightly back and forth.

"So now that the Infinity Clock has been dealt with and the Oración Séis have been beaten, what do we do now?" Ash asked.

"What do we do? We chillax!" Gracie exclaimed, raising her fist into the air.

"Chillax?" Angel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, take a load off! Have some fun!"

"Okay, I'm all for that. Anything you have in mind?" Ash asked.

Gracie hummed. "Nothing I had planned out. I mean, I do have to make a stop at a weapons place to get new katanas. Mine broke facing Cobra." She gasped. "That's it! I know! We can have a shopping trip! Just us girls!"

"For weapons? You want us all to go shopping for weapons?" Angel asked unenthusiastically.

"But I don't use a weapon," Ash said.

"Me neither," Sky mumbled. "Weapons are scary."

"But it doesn't have to be just weapons. We could hit up other stores, too!" Gracie pointed at Angel. "Like getting you an outfit, for starters."

Angel was wearing the same feathered garments as the day before. After all, that's all she had to wear. Angel smirked and nodded. "I suppose I can't keep wearing these destroyed old rags any longer. I could go along and pick up some new clothes."

"Alright, Angel's in! What about you two?"

Ash nodded. "I'm in! Should be fun!"

Sky slowly nodded. "Okay."

"Perfect! Breakfast then shopping! Let's do it!" Gracie cheered while raising her hand into the air. "Hey, Kinana! Food time!"


The first stop was Kain's Weapon Shop near the center of town. It was a well-furnished, small brick shop. Empty suits of armor were placed in the windows to draw the attention of passing customers, though their only true clientele were guilds and the occasional traveling merchant in need of something to protect them on the road. The inside was neatly organized by weapon use, size, and shape. Armors and shields covered racks and shelves on the right side, blades and tools were laid out on the left, and the center was where the finest weapons were displayed behind the shopkeeper.

"Kain, my main man! How's it goin'?" Gracie called out as the girls entered the shop.

Kain was not only the owner of the shop, but he was also a highly thought of blacksmith. He created his own weapons from scratch in the back of his shop and they were always of top quality. This also meant the shop was always very hot, so he always wore his blacksmith gear when manning the store. Sweat glistened off his toned muscles and bald head as he leaned forward on the counter. "Well if it isn't Gracie! Feels like forever since you last visited with Titania."

"It's been some time, yeah. But I've just been sooooo busy," Gracie said dramatically.

Kain laughed heartily. "I bet! Word has it that Fairy Tail got involved in something again. Didn't take you guys long to stir the pot after coming back, eh?"

"It was a necessary step to saving the world," Gracie answered proudly.

"Right, of course. So, what can I help you with today?"

Gracie scratched the back of her head. "Well, while saving the world, my katanas kinda…broke."

"Ah, I see. Want me to do a repair job?"

"Yeeeaaaah, that might be tricky. Ya know, considering they exploded into hundreds of itty bitty pieces and are now scattered across a mountain range."

Kain blinked. "How the hell did you manage that?"

"It wasn't my fault! Sir Shrieks-a-lot blew them apart with crazy Sound Magic! They couldn't hold up to the vibrations!"

"Sir Shrieks-a-lot?" Angel repeated. She had never heard that name for Cobra before.

"So then you're looking for new blades?" Kain surmised.

"Yes I am! So whatcha got for me?" Gracie asked.

"Well, what kind of quality do you need?" Kain inquired, crossing his burly arms over his chest.

"I need something a little more durable than what I had while maintaining a razor-sharp edge. Oh, and it should be more light than heavy. What's the best set of katanas you have like that?"

Kain scratched his scruffy chin. "Along those specs, eh? I guess that would have to be…" He turned behind him and grabbed a katana off the wall behind him. The hilt was gold and white and the red and black blade flashed in the faint light of the shop. "This here would be the best. Crafted from melted down wyvern spikes mixed with metal alloys. Those spikes give it more durability, but also a tad more weight for a heavier and more deadly cut. Take a swing and see how it feels."

Gracie took the blade from Kain. She carefully looked over every inch of the blade and hilt. Once she finished, she spun it in her hand a few times. She waved it in front of her in a flurry of moves that would put most master swordsmen to shame. She finished her test, keeping the blade pointed down, and held it out to Kain. "Yeah, this'll work great! The extra weight won't hinder my movements and should help me pack more of a punch. Think you could make a set for me?"

"Sure I can," Kain replied. He took the katana back and hung it on the wall in its space. "Any other customizations?"

"If you could make it a couple inches longer, that would be great. Also, I'm a fan of the blade's color, so can you also make the two red and black? Oh, and matching hilt, too."

"You got it! It'll take me a few days to complete your order."

"A few days? Hey, that's not bad! I'll swing by in a few days to pick them up and you can tell me what I owe. Deal?"

"Deal!" Kain held out his hand, which Gracie took and shook. "Pleasure doing business with you as always, Gracie. Give my best to Titania as well!"

"Thanks Kain! See ya soon!" Gracie turned to Angel, Ash, and Sky, who were all staring at her dumbfoundedly. She blinked. "What?"

"I don't think I understood a word of what you just said," Ash answered.

"Confusing, but impressive," Sky said with a nod.

"Aww, thanks!"

"Well, if you're about done with this sweltering shop, can we leave?" Angel asked, fanning herself with her hand. "I'm going to melt if I stay in here any longer!"


Angel smiled giddily as she stared at the guild doors, giggling softly as her chin rested in her hands.

"When is my darling going to arrive? I want to show him my new outfit!" Angel asked eagerly.

Gracie, Angel, Ash, and Sky had spent several hours bouncing from store to store looking for a new outfit for Angel. Angel had considered everything carefully as if her life depended on it. Eventually, she found an ensemble that made her face light up. She now wore that very outfit; a white off the shoulder sweater dress that was pulled down just below the slope of her slender shoulders and came down just below her hips in length, as well as a pair of very short navy blue jean shorts that barely peeked out from below the hem of the sweater dress. Her expression once she put it on showed just how pleased she was with her new look.

Their shopping excursion now complete, the girls returned to the guild for lunch, partly because Angel was dying to show off her clothes to Nikolias.

"Should be any minute now," Gracie replied, stuffing her face with her pasta.

"Oh, I hope he likes what I'm wearing."

"I'm sure he'll be thrilled," Gracie answered with a touch of sarcasm. She looked to Ash and Sky. "You sure you two didn't want something new?"

Ash crossed her arms and huffed. "New clothes? Please. Like we care about that."

"We're broke," Sky answered honestly, hanging her head in disappointment.

"Sky!" Ash hissed, blushing in embarrassment.

"What?"

"Don't tell them that!"

"But it's the truth."

"Still!"

Sky sighed as she tugged at her frayed and worn gray shirt. "I wanted new clothes."

Gracie hummed. "Broke, huh? Yeah, I get that. I'm not exactly financially stable myself. Hell, most of my Jewels will more than likely be going towards my new katanas. What about you, Angel?"

Angel looked towards her. "Spent it all."

Gracie smiled and put her hands on her hips. "Well then, that settles it! Looks like it's time for a job!"

"A job?" the three girls echoed.

"Yeah, a job! A mission! If we're all strapped for cash, we need to work, right?"

Angel looked towards the mission request board. A few papers were tacked to the board, but other than that there was a lot of empty space. "It doesn't appear that there are all that many options."

Gracie turned to look as well. "Yeah, that's true. Times have been tough of late. I guess not many people are requesting jobs from us." She sighed. "I remember when the board was littered with job requests. It was a simpler time."

"So what do we do?" Ash asked.

Gracie leapt to her feet. "We investigate!" She sprinted towards the board. There were three request papers before her.

The first request post was in town. An elderly woman was requesting help moving boxes of supplies to storage. Apparently the boxes were extremely heavy and she couldn't manage with her back. The pay was extraordinarily low. It almost surprised Gracie that the job was accepted as a request for a guild. Then again, it was probably only Fairy Tail and its now bottom-of-the-totem-pole reputation that posted this job.

The second request post was in Onibus, the next station over by train. A merchant was requesting assistance hauling lumber from the neighboring forest to be used in construction. The merchant clearly was looking to cut corners because the pay did not match the amount of physical labor involved.

The third and final request post was in Kurokate, which Gracie knew was a small town on the northeastern shore of Fiore. The job was to investigate a pattern of disappearances. The pay was the best of the three, but it was also significantly farther away. They'd probably end up spending all the Jewels they earned for travel expenses, so it wasn't ideal.

Angel, Ash, and Sky walked up behind her. "Anything good?" Ash asked.

"They're all boring!" Gracie complained.

Angel scanned the three papers and made a face of disapproval. "These are the types of requests Fairy Tail receives?"

"They used to be better, I swear!"

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. Which one do we take?" Ash asked.

Gracie looked over the papers again. She couldn't decide. None of them called to her. "Beats me. Any thoughts?"

Sky stepped forward and pulled a paper off the board. She held it shyly in front of her face, allowing just her eyes to peek over the edge. "I like this one."

"The storage job?" Gracie asked. "Sure that's the closest one, but we won't exactly make money off of it. Then again, none of these jobs really would do that for us." Her voice trailed off as she spoke, clearly disappointed in all the payouts.

"Why that one?" Angel asked.

Sky looked at her feet. "This one feels like the most helpful," she replied quietly. "I want to be helpful."

The three girls smiled at Sky. "That's a good reason for me," Ash said.

"I like the way you think, Sky!" Gracie exclaimed.

"I have to agree. That one does sound like we'd be quite helpful," Angel said with a nod.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's take the job!" Gracie cheered.

The girls walked over to the counter where Kinana was working. Sky placed the paper on the surface. Kinana looked at it and smiled. "You four are taking this job?" The girls all nodded. "Great! I'll document that this request is taken. Thank you so much!"

Gracie pumped her fist. "All right! Let's finish lunch and get started!"

"Hello everyone!"

The guild doors opened and a sweet voice called in. The voice belonged to Mira as she strolled in with Nikolias right beside her. They both were holding suitcases as they entered.

"Niky!" Gracie exclaimed as she pranced over to him. "Look who finally woke up!"

"Oh can it," Nikolias huffed. "I've been awake for a while now. I've just been preparing so I couldn't stop by until now."

"Preparing?" Gracie repeated. She looked at the suitcase in his hand. "Is that what the suitcase is about?"

"Yep. I'm taking Mira on a vacation, so we were getting ready for the trip," Nikolias replied with a joyous smile.

"Aww, you're leaving?" Angel asked sadly.

Nikolias nodded. "Yeah, we'll be gone for a couple days. By the way Angel, I'm glad to see you getting along with Gracie, Sky, and Ash."

"Of course!" Angel grabbed hold of the hem of her sweater dress and fidgeted nervously. She lowered her head slightly, but kept her eyes on Nikolias. "So, umm, darling? What do…what do you think? About my new clothes, I mean?" She was blushing slightly as she asked for Nikolias's thoughts.

Nikolias blinked before nodding with a smile. "You look very good. It suits you well."

Angel sighed in relief. "I'm glad you think so."

"I saw you girls at the counter talking to Kinana. Are you four taking a job?" Mira asked.

"Yeppers! We could use some spending money because we're all broke as hell, so we grabbed one of the few jobs on the board," Gracie answered.

"What's the job?" Nikolias asked.

"We're helping a woman in town move boxes to storage," Ash explained.

"That's quite thoughtful," Mira said with a sincere smile.

"And totally unlike you, Gracie," Nikolias smirked.

"Hey!" Gracie pouted. She slung her arm around Sky's shoulders. "It was actually Sky who chose the job. She said it sounded like the most helpful of the three."

"Is that so?" Nikolias asked, turning his attention to Sky.

Sky blushed and fiddled with her baggy shirt. She nodded slowly.

Nikolias put a hand on top of Sky's head. "That was very considerate of you. Nice going, little sister."

Sky's eyes went wide and her whole face and ears turned a dark shade of red.

As did Ash's face. "W—w—w—w—what did you call her?!"

Nikolias looked at Ash. "I called her 'little sister'."

"B—b—b—b—b—b—but wh—wh—wh—wh—why?" Ash stammered.

"She called me 'Big Brother' yesterday. I thought I'd return the sentiment," Nikolias explained. "Would you like me to call you 'little sister' as well?"

Ash's whole body went stiff. Her lips moved up and down, but no sound came out.

Nikolias chuckled as he removed his hand. "Never mind. Anyway, we need to take off. Our train is going to be departing shortly. We just wanted to let everyone know where we were going before we left. Mind passing along the message if anyone's looking for us?"

"Okay, sure thing! Enjoy your trip!" Gracie said with a wave.

Mira and Nikolias turned and walked out, waving behind them as they did.

"Goodbye, darling! Come back soon!" Angel called out.

Gracie turned to Sky, who was still completely red. "So little sister, huh?" she cooed.

Sky buried her face in her hands. "So embarrassing," she whined.

"What's so embarrassing about it?"

Sky shook her head, not removing her hands. "I thought I dreamed that. I didn't think I actually said it out loud to him. So embarrassing…"

"I don't think it's that big of a deal," Gracie said. "Hey, since Niky and I are like siblings, that makes you like my sister, too! Yippee!" She turned to Ash, who also had not moved or stopped blushing since Nikolias had left. "Ash, too!"

And Ash still had yet to make a sound.

"Ash! Sky!"

Ash robotically pivoted towards the voice and Sky shyly looked over her shoulder. It was Macao who was walking over to them.

"So you four are taking a job, huh?" Macao asked.

"Yes we are," Angel answered for Sky and the catatonic Ash.

Macao smiled at the twins. "You know, it just dawned on me yesterday, but you two haven't actually received guild marks yet. You've already fought for Fairy Tail and the guild members, so we would love for you two to be official and stay with us. However, I do have to ask; do you want to stay? Do you want to officially join Fairy Tail? We're pretty run down after all."

Sky and Ash looked at each other. They snapped out of their embarrassment as it was replaced with pure joy. They looked to Macao, beaming. ""Yes!""

Macao held up the guild stamp. "Happy to hear it! Just tell me a color and location."

Sky rolled up her baggy shirt sleeve on her left arm so that her hand was completely visible. "Can I have it on my left hand in orange?"

Ash smiled and held up her right hand. "I'll take it here in an icy blue."

Macao nodded, pressing the guild stamp on Sky's left hand and lifting it back up. The Fairy Tail mark left behind was orange like a burning wildfire. He then pressed the stamp on Ash's right hand and lifted. The Fairy Tail mark left behind was blue like glacial ice.

Ash and Sky turned to each other and smiled as they showed off their new guild marks.

Gracie threw her arms around the girls. "Congrats on your official joining!"

Ash and Sky nodded emphatically. ""Yes! Thank you!""


The girls arrived outside of the building described in the request.

It was a small mom and pop-type store; a one story, plain brick shop with a simple white sign out front that read "Pamela's Potions". Located on the northeast side of Magnolia, there wasn't much about it that stood out.

"This is a cute little shop," Gracie observed as she opened the door. A small bell rang softly. "Excuse us!"

Inside the girls could see countless vials of all different shapes and sizes lining the shelves secured to the walls. Each vial contained a different color liquid. Some of the liquids were still, but others seemed alive as different shades swirled around like shooting stars. Not too far from the door stood a plain oak desk. Sitting behind the desk was a small elderly woman. Her hair was tied back into a tight, neat bun and her head was hanging low. Upon hearing the door to her shop open, she lifted her head to greet her customers. It was then the girls could see the sorrow on her face. Tears threatened to fall from the corners of her eyes, but she wiped them away before they could. "Oh, hello there. Welcome," she greeted. Her voice trembled. "What can I do for you today, my dears?"

"We're from Fairy Tail. We're responding to your request," Ash answered. "Umm…is everything okay, ma'am?"

"Oh, you're from Fairy Tail?" She gave a small bow. "Thank you for coming to help me." She slowly straightened up. "And you're sweet to ask, but it's nothing you need concern yourself with, dear."

"But you seem so sad," Sky breathed.

"If it's something we can help you with, we'd like to offer our assistance," Angel said.

"Yeah, tell us what's on your mind," Gracie said with a comforting smile.

The old woman seemed reluctant to speak at first. Her brow was furrowed and she twiddled her thumbs as if afraid to share her troubles. After some time, she spoke. "You see, my grandson takes care of carrying out deliveries and picking up ordered supplies. This morning he had gone to Lea on the other side of the East Forest to pick up the order for herbs I put in. Normally, it takes him only a few hours to drive our vehicle through the forest and back again. But he's been gone over half a day. He should have been back hours ago." Her body trembled as she sniffed. "I'm so terribly worried about him. Something must have happened to him. But there's nothing I can do. My back prevents me from traveling, which is why my grandson assists me in the first place."

Gracie walked up to the old woman and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Don't you fret anymore, ma'am. We'll go find your grandson."

The old woman looked at Gracie and then each girl in turn with teary eyes. She shook her head. "I appreciate your concern, dear. But I'm afraid that I can't pay you any more than I offered in my request for moving boxes. I couldn't ask something so much from you all for so little compensation."

Gracie gave a big grin and chuckled. "If memory serves, your request was to move supply boxes to storage. But I don't think it specified where the boxes were being moved from." She turned to the others. "Do you remember seeing that, girls?"

Sky shook her head. "Uh uh."

Ash crossed her arms and smiled. "No, I don't think it did, Gracie."

"There you have it," Angel smiled and winked. "It looks like we have no choice but to go to the forest, find the supplies, and carry them to storage."

Gracie stood up and saluted. "Ma'am, as members of Fairy Tail, we will complete your request! And hey, if we just so happen to find your grandson while we're out there doing what we were paid to do, well that will just be icing on the cake!"

Tears rolled down the old woman's cheeks as she clasped her hands together in gratitude. "Oh you sweet girls…How can I ever repay you for your kindness?"

"No need to repay us," Gracie said, pointing to her guild mark on her shoulder. "We're always happy to lend a helping hand!"


Deep inside the peaceful East Forest, the sound of heavy, pounding hooves echoed out.

Riding on the back of a powerful chestnut-colored stallion was Gracie and Angel. Gracie held the reins while Angel wrapped her arms around Gracie's waist as the stallion raced through the trees. Flying alongside the two was Sky with Ash being held in her arms.

"Seriously, how many people do you know, Gracie?" Ash asked. "I didn't even know anyone owned a horse like this in Magnolia."

Gracie snickered. "I've got many connections, my dear Ash."

"Everyone in Magnolia seems so nice," Sky breathed. "They help each other."

"So, where exactly are we going?" Angel asked. "This forest is huge. Even with a starting direction, there's a lot of ground to cover."

"I would bet if we stick on a relatively straight path, we'll find something; some kind of clue as to what went wrong. It's our best option."

"I hope the old woman's grandson is okay," Ash said. "I wonder what could have happened to him."

Gracie sighed as her smile vanished. "Yeah, about that. Do any of you actually know where Lea is located?"

"Not a clue. Why?" Angel inquired.

"It's a busy town near the border of Fiore and Bosco, a little west from a village called Cedar where my friend Christina lives," Gracie answered.

"I remember Christina," Sky said. "I wonder how she's been."

"What are you getting at, Gracie?" Ash asked.

Gracie tightened her grip on the reins. "I didn't want to say anything in front of the old shopkeeper, but…Corrupt Spiders have been seen in the area."

"Corrupt Spiders?" Angel repeated.

"Nasty, huge ass spiders. I killed one in this very forest not too long ago. It's how I met Christina. Anyway, it seems that they've left their nest in Bosco. It wouldn't surprise me if they've started making a new nest in this forest. Those things are incredibly dangerous. If the old woman's grandson ran into one, it would spell disaster."

"Disaster?" Sky gulped. "What kind of disaster?"

Gracie looked at Sky's fearful face and slowly shook her head. "The nothing-left-to-identify kind of disaster."

"Cursed Spiders…I can only hope that's not the case. I want to bring the old woman good news," Angel said.

"I do, too. Man, I wish Niky didn't go on vacation today of all days. We could really use his tracking skills," Gracie groaned.

"Why couldn't we ask Natsu or Gajeel or Wendy?" Ash asked. "They're good at smelling, too, right?"

Gracie was silent for a moment before slapping her forehead. "Aw, shit! How could I have forgotten that?" She sighed. "I must have been in too much of a rush. I let my concern about him running into Cursed Spiders keep me from thinking clearly. Well, nothing we can do about it now. I just have to hope the time we saved in having to find and ask one of them to come along won't mean taking longer to find the grandson."

The four continued on to Lea, searching for anything that looked out of place or suspicious. After several more minutes, it was Sky who spoke up. "I see something."

Ash looked up at her sister. She noticed Sky looking off to the right. She followed her gaze and gasped. "Hey, guys! Look, Sky's right!"

Gracie pulled on the reins. The stallion whinnied before coming to an abrupt stop. Angel held on tight to Gracie to avoid slamming her face into Gracie's back. The two girls turned and spotted what Sky had seen.

It was a magic vehicle. It was parked behind a tree and hard to spot, making it appear as if someone were trying to hide it.

"Good eyes, Sky!" Gracie cheered. She pulled on the reins to steer the stallion through the trees towards the vehicle. Once they reached the vehicle, Gracie stopped the stallion and hopped off. Immediately, her eyes scanned the abandoned vehicle.

Angel hopped off as well. "Think this is the old woman's vehicle?"

"It's a safe assumption," Gracie replied. "Hard to imagine a vehicle being out this deep in the forest for any other reason. There are no other towns close by, so that pretty much rules out foragers or merchants."

Sky put Ash down on the ground. "I'll fly up high. Maybe I can see something."

"Good idea," Gracie said. Sky nodded and flew up above the trees.

"See anything?" Ash asked Gracie as she inspected the vehicle as well.

"No sign of Cursed Spider venom or webs," Gracie said. She let out a relieved sigh. "Thank goodness. That puts my biggest fear to rest."

"So then what happened? Where's the shopkeeper's grandson? And why is their vehicle stopped here?" Angel asked.

Gracie touched the vehicle gently with her fingertips. The metal was cool. "It hasn't been driven in a while. The vehicle is off any kind of path, so most likely it was placed here to hide it." She opened the door to the seating area. There were crates upon crates full of herbs of all shapes, sizes, and colors stacked onto the seats and on the floor. "These must be the herbs he was picking up from Lea. So whatever happened to him happened on his way back home." It was then that Gracie noticed something was off. "Huh…hey, do you guys see that?"

Angel and Ash peered inside. "See what, exactly?" Ash asked.

"All I see are crates," Angel replied.

Gracie bent down and picked up a small leaf. It was dark green in color and glossy. The rounded blade was curved upward, making it look like a spoon's head. She studied it carefully before narrowing her eyes. "Now how did you get here, little guy?"

"Isn't that just one of the herbs he was picking up?" Angel asked.

"I'm no herb specialist, but probably."

"So why make a big deal about this?" Angel asked with a shrug.

Gracie backed up from the car as she held the leaf in her fingers and gently twirled it. "Because there were no crates with this type of herb inside the vehicle."

"I don't get it. How does this help us find the old woman's grandson?" Ash asked.

Gracie put the leaf in her pocket. "Not sure. But it does paint a better picture about what happened to him."

"It does?" Angel blinked. "But…it's just a leaf."

"So what happened to him?" Ash asked.

"This is just a hypothesis, but it makes sense. All the pieces fit. First, a cool car tucked off in the trees away from any wide road that it could possibly drive on. Second, the leaf of an herb on the floor of the vehicle when there were no similar herbs anywhere to be found. Third, the grandson was on his way back from picking up said herbs when he disappeared. Adding all of that together, I believe the grandson was the victim of bandits."

""Bandits?"" Angel and Ash cried.

Gracie nodded. "Yeah, bandits. Now while it could just be bad luck that the grandson was the victim, I'm guessing they targeted the grandson when he was on his way back from Lea because of the herbs he was carrying." She patted her pocket where the leaf was tucked away. "Since only this herb appears to have been taken and all others were left behind, it's my guess that this particular herb is very valuable."

"Amazing," Angel breathed. "You came up with all that just from the vehicle and a leaf?"

"So…what now?" Ash asked timidly. "Do you think the grandson is okay?"

Gracie scratched her head. "Sorry, I don't know that much."

"We have to find him," Angel said determinedly. "For the old woman!"

Gracie thrust her fist in the air. "I like your spirit, Angel! Woo!"

"Everyone!" Sky's breathy voice caught the girls' attention. They watched her gracefully float down and gently land on the ground. She seemed to have a bit of a panicked look on her face. "I saw something!"

"What did you see, Sky?" Ash asked.

"I saw some smoke," Sky began. "I flew closer and saw people standing around. There was a guy tied up to a tree, too."

"Could that be the grandson?" Angel gasped. She looked at Gracie in wonder. She couldn't believe how accurate Gracie's prediction was turning out to be.

"Whether it's the grandson or not, someone's in trouble," Gracie said. She held out her hands. "Come forth, kata—!" She froze. Her expression sank, as did her head. "Oh, that's right. I don't have them yet."

"You really forgot? You just ordered the new ones a few hours ago," Ash sighed.

"I can't help it!" Gracie whined. "My katanas were my best bandit slasher-upers!" She slapped her cheeks and shook her head. "Alright! Plan B! Come forth, scimitar!" Gracie held out her hand. A golden glow enveloped her and in a flash of brilliant light a curved sword appeared in her grip. She twirled it in her hand and sighed. "It's been a while since I've fought with something so light one-handed…it feels weird."

"Why don't you use one of your bigger swords?" Sky asked. "Like when you fought Jarvan?"

"Lighter is better for groups of people," Gracie replied. "I'll manage, so don't worry." She stopped twirling her blade and held it at the ready. "Alright. Lead us to 'em, Sky!"

Sky nodded and headed towards the direction where she saw the group of men. Gracie, Ash, and Angel followed closely behind her. They ran through the dense thickets of trees as quickly and quietly as they could. Soon, they could see a small clearing through the trunks. In the center they could see people standing around. They all ducked behind some nearby bushes and peered over the leaves.

Just as Sky had described, there were men standing around. All of them were dressed in loose clothing or topless. They were all quite muscular and armed. They were all faced towards one tree where a young man was tied to the thick trunk. The young man looked terrified. Sweat dripped from his face and his eyes were wild. There was also a small puddle of blood underneath him.

"Please," he rasped. "You got what you want. I swear that's all I have. Please just let me go!"

The men all laughed. One of the men squatted down and patted the young man's chin with the flat of a dagger. "Now why would we let the golden goose escape? No, we have plans for you. You'll help us get even more. That is, if you value your life."

Gracie's eyes scanned the area swiftly and analytically, gathering all relevant information and formulating a plan. She kept her gaze straight ahead as she spoke. "Alright girls, here's the plan. We'll focus on a three-pronged attack. Angel, you go left. Ash, you go right. I'll push down the middle. We'll divide their forces and wear them down. Sky, while we have their attention, you go super sneaky and free the grandson. Agreed?"

"Got it," Sky nodded.

"Sounds like a plan," Ash said.

"Absolutely not!" Angel hissed.

Gracie blinked as she looked at Angel. "Umm…okay, wow. That's a first. So what doesn't sound right?"

"The 'Angel go left' part! I can't use my magic!" Angel whispered.

"Whaddya mean you can't use your magic?" Gracie snapped, trying desperately to try and keep her voice down.

Angel looked away as she sat crisscross on the grass. "Darling would get upset with me if he found out. The cost of my magic is my life force, you know. After all the trouble he went through to save me and refund the life I spent before, I can't just spend my life force like that again!"

Gracie frowned. "Funny. I could have sworn I heard you say you would do whatever you could to help people to atone for past sins. Or am I wrong?"

Angel's eyebrow twitched. "I—I suppose I did say that."

"Plus, I'm sure Niky would actually be proud to hear that you did so much to help someone."

Angel puffed out her cheeks and squeezed her eyes shut. She softly squealed and shook her head before sighing heavily. "Fine! You win! I'll use my magic this one time."

Gracie smirked triumphantly. "Glad to hear it!"

Ash sighed. 'Man, Gracie sure does play dirty.'

Gracie gave a thumbs up to the group. She leapt out of the bushes and burst forward with incredible speed. Like a skilled predator, her footfalls barely made any noise as she crossed the clearing and approached the back of the nearest bandit. He remained oblivious to her presence as Gracie's scimitar sliced through the back of his neck. With a gurgling sound, he fell forward with a thud.

Even with the noise made from the bandit alerting the rest, many couldn't react in time before meeting the same fate. Gracie's scimitar made deep cuts in the necks and backs of several other bandits before anyone could finish turning around. After taking out a handful of bandits, the leader gave the order. "Intruder! Kill her, lads!"

By the time these words were spoken, as Gracie slashed her way through the middle of the pack of bandits, Angel and Ash leapt out of the bushes and ran to the left and right respectively. Sky vanished into the wind.

Ash slid to a stop and gathered spit in her mouth. She fired missile-like fireballs from her mouth that lit the clothes of several bandits on fire. They panicked, dropping their weapons as they tried to put the flames out. She continued her assault, gathering spit and firing more fireballs to keep the fires from going out.

Angel positioned herself just as planned. She could feel her heart beating rapidly. 'I'm sorry, darling. It looks like I'll be spending some of the life that you saved. But I promise it's for a good cause.' She held out her hand. She took a slow deep breath. "The cost is 20." Two coins appeared in the palm of her hand. However, these coins were different. The gold coins had strange black markings wrapped around them. Also, there was no pain in summoning these coins. Angel's eyes widened for just a moment before glistening with tears and softening. A warm smile appeared on her face as relief washed through her. 'Darling. You truly are incredible.' She tossed the two coins at the bandits. "I summon Gabriel, angel of strength!" The coins bounced on the ground and glowed brightly. Once the light faded, a towering, muscular figure appeared. The pure white man-like being had a full grey beard, four thick arms, and wings. Grasped in its two right hands was a massive golden hammer. "Gabriel, blow them away!" The angel obeyed. He reached back and swung the hammer, batting away a large group of bandits.

The grandson was speechless as he watched. On his left, there were bandits desperately trying to put out the fire on their clothes. On his right, bandits were being sent flying by a massive being that appeared out of nowhere. And straight ahead, all he could see was blood and flashing steel as bandits were being slaughtered without putting up much of a fight.

Suddenly, he could feel his bonds being loosened. He turned his head and was surprised to see a girl working on untying the ropes. He blinked. He didn't even see or hear her approach. "Who are you people?" He had lots of questions, but that was the one that jumped to the forefront of his mind.

Sky smiled as she continued to work on the ropes. "We're Fairy Tail!" she replied cheerily with her sweet, breathy voice.

The grandson's eyes widened. "Really? Fairy Tail?"

Sky proudly showed off her new guild mark. "Mhm!"

The grandson could feel some of his fear fading away. "Thank goodness. Thank you so much for helping me. But how did you find me?"

"Your grandmother told us about your job. Gracie did the rest," Sky replied, gesturing with her head towards Gracie, who was now shouting angrily at the remaining bandits who were running away for their lives.

The grandson let out a massive sigh. "You have no idea how happy I am right now. You all saved my life. I can't thank you enough."

Sky finished untying the ropes, allowing them to fall to the ground. The grandson threw them off his body and stood. "Our pleasure."


It was nearly dusk by the time Gracie, Ash, Sky, and Angel returned to Pamela's Potions with the owner's grandson as well as all the supplies.

"Thank you! Thank you all so much for bringing my grandson home safely!" the old woman cried. Tears of joy flowed down her wrinkled face.

The grandson held out his hand, which Gracie shook. "Again, thank you so much for saving me. I thought I was a goner."

"Happy to help!" Gracie chirped.

"So what did those bandits want with you anyway?" Angel asked. "It certainly sounded like they didn't want to let you go."

"One of the herbs my grandmother orders from Lea is called Devil's Bane. It's a rare plant that, when used properly, can be used as a potent medicine. However, if used improperly, it acts as a vicious poison. It's for that reason that Devil's Bane flows through shady channels and back alley deals frequently."

"That's why they targeted you?" Ash asked.

The grandson nodded his head. "Yes. I'm not sure how they knew, but they were lying in wait for me in East Forest. They kidnapped me, saying I would be their supplier of Devil's Bane and make them rich."

Gracie clenched her fist. "I knew I should have chased them down. No survivors!"

The grandson laughed nervously. "Well regardless, I'll be sure to travel safer routes from now on to try and avoid running into them or anyone like them ever again. Though I'm sure you adequately scared off that particular lot…"

Gracie scratched her head, beaming happily. "Aww really? Shucks."

"Not sure how or why you're taking that as a compliment," Angel sighed.

The group received their payment for the request and said their final goodbyes. As they walked down the street back to the guild, they talked merrily about the adventure they just had.

Gracie spun on her heels and walked backwards, her hands folded behind her. "So Angel? Whaddya think about doing missions as a Fairy Tail wizard?"

Angel looked between Gracie, Sky, and Ash. All of them were smiling at her, waiting to hear her response. She closed her eyes and softly chuckled. "What do I think?" A wide smile spread across her face as her face gave off a warm glow. "I absolutely adore it!"


And there it is. 100. I can't wait to keep going! Thank you all so much for reading and helping to keep this story alive this long. I really could not have done it without you. I hope to see you in Chapter 101 and beyond!

Also, just as a warning, the next chapter will be rather lemony (it's been a looooong time since I've written one, after all) as we do one last bit of filler before diving into the next arc. See you then!