September 2nd, x775 Magnolia Town Orphanage
"AH-mpph!" I shot up in bed, barely covering my mouth in time as I did so. I looked around frantically, phantom faces glaring at me accusingly as I shook the last vestiges of sleep from my head before thanking whoever was listening that I didn't wake anybody up. Without even looking towards the window I knew the sun was just beginning to brighten the sky, so I carefully pulled myself out of the bed and began my morning routine.
Hoping Father Brock wouldn't consider it blasphemy, I climbed through the window and began my morning with meditation in the rays of the rising sun, allowing it to bathe me in one of the last warm days of the year before the chill began rolling in. I did my katas as well, working a little harder than usual to make up for my more lax routine the last few days before finally climbing back into the boys' room and freshening up to face the day.
As I was leaving the bathroom I bumped into Father Brock, nodding at him as I headed towards the church's entrance.
"You're up early, Helio." Father Brock noted placidly, I nodded again.
"It's part of my magic, Father. I always wake up at dawn." He 'hmmm'd' as he began dusting a statuette of Jesus. How the hell did Jesus work around here, anyways? I'd have to crack open an Earthland Bible at some point.
"Yet I heard a loud noise for just a moment from the direction of the boy's dorms." He said as if commenting on the weather. I flinched slightly, but really I should have known somebody would hear it.
"I'm not ready to talk about it Father, not yet.." He nodded at me, an understanding look on his face.
"Of course my child, I won't force you." He turned back to his duties before speaking again. "The kitchen is down the hall, if you're hungry." I nodded, despite him not being able to see it.
"Thank you Father Brock, but I was planning on eating at the guild, I've got to get there early to get my first job." Father Brock 'hmm'd' again.
"Then don't let me keep you, have a good day, Helio."
"You too Father Brock! If Cana or Gray ask, can you tell them where I went?" He nodded without speaking, "Thank you!" With that, I ran out the door and began my walk to the guild.
I didn't really get the best chance to admire it yesterday, with my excitement over joining the guild, then being dragged around by Cana, but Magnolia was beautiful. It was an odd mishmash of medieval and almost modern architecture from my first life, but it made it work. The people in the market were just setting up their stalls and opening for the day as I passed through, and waved at me as I smiled back, it was like Sun's Valley but a hundred times larger. I had expected more of a bigger city feel, but considering my village had five hundred people living in it at most, I suppose fifty thousand wasn't that much more in the grand scheme of things.
It didn't take me long to arrive at the guild just as an older man in a stereotypical chef's attire was unlocking the door, a bleary eyed Makarov holding a large pile of papers next to him.
"Good morning Master!" I said happily, Makarov blinked a few times before answering.
"Oh, good morning Helio, you're certainly up early." He half spoke, half mumbled. "Hoping to get a good job before anybody else gets them, I take it?" I nodded.
"Yep! I want to see what all I can take before choosing one, no offense to them, but dog walking just doesn't sound like a mage's job, and I think I'm a bit young for people to trust me babysitting for them."
"Don't worry kid, it's not just the fighting jobs that pay well, I'll show ya what I mean when I get set up." The big man said as he opened the door. The Master stumbled his way to the request board, using his magic to cover every inch of the board in requests. I noticed a slight pattern as he did it, the monster subjugation and dark guild assault requests were tacked at the top, followed by retrieval and bandit removal, then pest control and finally the non combat requests below that. With a jaw cracking yawn, Master Makarov made his way back to the bar where a cup of coffee as big as the Master himself was already sitting.
I stopped paying much attention after that, reading over the jobs. Obviously I wasn't ready for the stuff near the top, and I doubt Master Makarov would let me take them anyways, so I mentally crossed those out and focused on the lower end of the board.
'Lost and Found, Search and Rescue, Plant Retrieval, Escort, Pest Control…'
'Pest control?' I thought to myself, looking over the request.
PEST CONTROL
RANK: D
I recently bought an old building in Magnolia Town for a steal, only to learn its basement is infested by giant rats! Please clear them out, and I will pay you most handsomely for the work!
PLACED BY: Joey Gant
REWARD: 50,000 JEWEL
Oh my god, it was literally the first quest in an RPG, I couldn't not take it.
"Decided on a job yet?" The man from earlier asked, I turned around and nodded my head at the request I was eyeing. "Pest Control, eh? Not bad for a first job, giant rats deserve to be eliminated." He shuddered, "Were are my manners? I haven't introduced myself, name's Genkei, Genkei Shingen, I'm the chef around here." He pointed at a request at the bottom of the board, drawing my attention to it. "That's one of the well paying non combat jobs I was talking about."
MAGIC SHOP ASSISTANCE
RANK: E (NON-COMBAT)
I'm the owner of the most successful magic shop in Magnolia, Magic of Magnolia (est. x750), and if you've worked for me before you know what this request is about.
Despite being the owner of Magnolia's best magic shop, I am sadly not a wizard, so I must rely on the wonderful members of Fairy Tail to charge some lacrima and keep some of my demonstration devices topped up. Stop by before or during regular business hours (Weekdays 7-5, Weekends 8-3) and I'll pay you handsomely for your service!
PLACED BY: Colin Valentine Farrington
REWARD: 30,000 JEWEL
"He's a pompous little man, but pays well, and tends to give younger members of Fairy Tail old stock if you do well. Just make sure you have good control of your magic if you do it." He winced, "Laxus took one of those jobs a while back and blew up a couple of items, almost made Mr. Farrington start choosing other guilds." I snickered at the mental image of Laxus holding an exploded lacrima, covered in soot. I'd seen him yesterday as I was leaving the guild, he looked like an arrogant brat, and the thought of him sullied like that was hilarious.
"Can I take both?" I asked curiously, 80,000 jewel for my first day on the job would be sweet and get me well on my way to renting an apartment when I got a little older. Especially since one of my plans was to at least find Wendy Marvell and Edolas Jellal before Wendy ended up in Cait Shelter. I'd be in charge of at least one child in two years, and I would need to have a good amount of savings to ensure I could do so.
"You could, but do you have enough magic to do so? Fighting some giant rats," he shuddered again ", and recharging magic items will be draining. I'd recommend doing one then coming back and doing the other." I nodded at his reasoning, I had a lot of magic for a ten year old, but it would be absolutely pathetic to wear myself out refilling magic items just to get killed by giant rats, or run out of magic before I finished refilling the items.
"I'd recommend doing the same Helio." Makarov sounded much more awake now, his coffee cup making a clunk as it hit the bartop. I nodded and decided it would probably be best to do as they said, senseless recklessness would get me killed, and I planned on living a very long life. Pulling the pest control request off the board I presented it to Makarov, who nodded and marked something down in a little book he pulled from under the bar. "It's registered to you Helio, good luck on your first job!" He said cheerily, I smiled and rushed out the door around a couple of unfamiliar people who were just entering the guild.
The building I was looking for was on the edge of Magnolia, just a little ways from the East Forest. It didn't look so bad from the outside, the paint was old and peeling in places, but the brickwork looked like it'd had a good power washing recently. I walked over to the door, and considering it looked like an old hotel, I just walked in.
A weedy, nervous looking man in a suit was standing behind the counter, tapping his fingers nervously as his eyes darted towards a darkened hallway. He noticed me and clammed up for a few moments, stuttering a nervous greeting.
"H-he-hello, h-h-h-how m-ma-may I h-he-help y-you?" I heard a faint scratching noise that had him jump slightly before he smiled in a way that looked more like a grimace. "Don't m-mind th-the n-n-noise, it's s-s-simply a dog!" I raised an eyebrow and held up the job flyer, he fell forward, crying into the countertop.
"Oh thank goodness someone's here! Those rats are driving me crazy! I wanted to open my own hotel, but the previous owner neglected to mention the place had an infestation of giant rats!" He looked up at me through bloodshot eyes, looking like he hadn't slept well in days."Thank you so much for doing this for me, young man!" He reached into his coat and pulled out an old brass key, "Here, use this to unlock the basement door, I'm going to hide in case a rat gets out." With that, he darted towards the stairs, not even giving me time to introduce myself.
I blinked a couple of times before shaking my head and walking down the hallway the scratching was coming from. The basement door was at the end of it, and the noise was getting louder. With one hand already lit up and ready to attack, I stuck the key in the lock and turned the knob...
Only for a rat the size of a border collie to come bounding up the stairs the second the door began to open.
"FLARE!" The attack left my hand and slammed into the rat's face, sending it into the door frame as I slammed the door on its back half. The rat struggled for a moment, squeaking as it clawed weakly at the wound on its face before going limp. I sighed and carefully opened the door again, kicking the corpse down the stairs and fumbling around for a light switch.
Flicking it on, I could see why it was called an infestation.
There were ten of the bastards, not counting the dead one they were currently trying to eat.
He was also apparently the runt of the litter.
"Fuck this." I gathered magic in my hand, preparing an attack that could hopefully kill the bastards before they decided I looked delicious.
"Flare!" Charged more than the one I had used just a moment ago, the attack flew into the center of their scrabbling and exploded outwards, throwing them back into old rotten wood crates and the concrete walls of the basement. The rats squealed and screeched alongside the thumps that echoed through the basement, but I didn't really think I'd killed them all. Jumping down the stairs, and thanking magic for the fact it made you preternaturally durable, I ran to the nearest one and axe kicked it in the neck, before turning towards the one that had been put through a rotten crate, letting out feeble weak squeaking noises.
I didn't bother using magic on this one, simply requipping the shovel I kept on me and driving it into its neck.
A quick check with my shovel ensured that the rest of them were dead before I piled them all up in the middle of the basement before heading back up the stairs. Mr. Gant was back behind his desk, no longer shaking like a leaf, but looking rather relieved. "They're all gone then?" He asked hopefully, and I smiled at him.
"Yes sir, I left the corpses in a pile for however you wish to dispose of them." He shuddered at the thought.
"I- I'll pay you an extra ten thousand jewel just to dispose of them yourself, please?" He practically begged, "The back lot has a fire pit to use for it, if you would be so kind."
Ten thousand more just to destroy the corpses? This guy really hated dealing with these things, not that I blame him, because they're disgusting, but still, I wasn't about to turn down ten thousand jewel just to haul them out back and set them on fire.
"You've got a deal sir!" I enthusiastically agreed, he slumped forward in relief.
It didn't take but thirty minutes to haul them out of the basement and into the lot after I had used the remains of the crates I'd destroyed to haul them out like a sled, and after setting the fire and collecting my pay, I was on my way back to Fairy Tail.
I'd half expected to uncover some sort of criminal activity or an ancient evil considering how batshit this world was, but I guess sometimes a milk run is just a milk run.
Returning to Fairy Tail and confirming the job as completed with Makarov was quick, but now it was only ten thirty in the morning, I had sixty thousand jewel burning a hole in my requip space, and I was bored. I gave a quick look at the request board, hoping to find that magic shop job, but it was gone, the only E ranked jobs left were babysitting, tutoring and dog walking.
"Helio!" Came the familiar voice of Cana over the light din of the morning crowd, I turned towards her with a smile on my face. "There you are! Father Brock said you'd headed to the guild, but I didn't think you'd be here already!" I smiled sheepishly as I waved for her to follow me to the bar. I'd meant to eat breakfast before I left, but I had been a little bit excited for my first job, and now my stomach was reminding me quite forcefully that I'd not eaten since last night.
"I actually got here just as Master and Genkei were opening the guild." Cana's jaw dropped.
"That's way too early!" She said in horror, I shrugged. "How are you so upbeat at being awake so early?!"
"Easy, it's a side effect of my magic, a weird one, but a side effect nonetheless." I stopped talking to Cana to order a steak omelette and a tankard of orange juice. "The sun wakes me up every morning if I don't get up earlier." Cana looked honestly disgusted at the very idea of being up before sunrise.
Yeah, I remember those days too kid, cherish the fact you're in a guild and can set your own hours.
"Earlier?!" I laughed at her reaction.
"Yeah, I used to go to the temple in my village and meditate to the sun rising with my Master…" I stopped speaking, blinking furiously to keep the tears out of my eyes. I'd had two whole days of being a blubbery mess, I wouldn't cry here. Cana got an understanding look on her face as I stopped talking.
"So, what have you been doing since you've been here for so long?" Cana asked in a not at all subtle attempt at changing the subject. I smiled in thanks at her.
"I took my first job!" I held up the flyer for her, a proud look on my face. Cana snatched the flyer from my hand and read it before smiling at me.
"Nice work Helio! I thought your first job would have been something simpler, not pest extermination!" I smiled widely as I took the flyer back and requipped it. I might not have a place of my own to display them just yet, but I was going to keep at least my more important job requests somewhere, for nostalgia if nothing else.
"Job done Helio?" Genkei's voice pulled me from my conversation. I nodded and pulled my flyer out again, smiling like a fool as I did. He laughed as he placed my breakfast on the counter. "Good job! Any day that begins with less of those things existing is a good day in my book!" I smiled and began digging into my food.
"Thanks Genkei! This is amazing!" He ruffled my hair and moved before I could do anything other than stiffen in surprise.
"No problem Helio! Only the best for Fairy Tail!" He called back as he returned to the kitchen. I didn't answer him this time, my mind had short circuited for a moment upon his contact.
"Helio?" Cana's voice brought me out of my thoughts, and I looked at her while I went back to eating my food. She looked at me for a moment before shrugging away whatever she was thinking of and looked over at the board and back to me, a contemplative expression on her face. "Would you like to go on a job together sometime? Gray usually prefers to work alone, even if it means only doing local jobs, so it'll be nice to have someone my age to work with." I thought about it for a moment and nodded with a smile as I swallowed my last bite of omelette.
"Sure! Just let me know when, okay?" Cana nodded excitedly.
"Awesome! I don't need to take one today, that bandit job paid out 33,000 jewel between me, Macao and Wakaba, so I won't be hurting for money for a week or so, my cards and supplies aren't that expensive." She 'hmmm'd' for a moment before she spoke again, "So do you have anything else you need to do today, or are you free?" I closed my eyes in thought for a moment before shaking my head.
"As far as I know I'm free, I've already completed my meditation and martial training, so unless I wanna do magic training I'm free for the rest of the day." Without replying, Cana smiled widely and dragged me out the door, running past a tired looking Gray.
"Good! Because Gray needs to do a job today, and I would have been bored out of my mind otherwise!" She said as I was once again dragged through Magnolia.
I went with it and let Cana drag me, it had been a long time since I'd just played with someone my age after all.
AN: Man, this chapter fought me at the end, I just couldn't get it to end properly at all. Sorry about the wait between chapters, I was trying to write a couple in advance before this one was posted, but those were fighting me enough I figured I shouldn't let this one sit unposted.
See y'all next time!