Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or it's characters.
-The Enchanter of Fairy Tail-
Chapter 25: Roll The Dice! Let The Game Begin!
Year: X754. 30 years till Canon begins.
Cade POV:
"So what kind of game are we playing then?" I asked curiously, as I took a seat at the table with Gildarts standing behind me, him watching with interest.
"It is a simple game that requires an equal amount of luck and and skill. The game I am talking about is called Swindlestones." Cass explained as he took a seat opposite of me. He the reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out a set of 12 six-sided dice and layed them on the table.
"The rules are simple enough to understand. We each roll our dice before beginning a round, then we hide them so only we can see them. Throughout the game each player will take a turn to bid on the face values of the dice that both players have in total. Bids will get higher as the turns go on and will reset each round. You can choose to call if you think your opponent is lying. If you are incorrect, then you lose a dice. You lose the game if you run out of dice." Cass stated the rules to to me
He then pulled out a small wall from under the table made out of wood, which he then put on the table. "I do not know the origins of this game, but I learned of it from a passing trader who had came from the Guiltina continent up north." Cass said, as he dusted the table and handed me six of the six-sided dice.
I picked up one of the dice and examined it carefully.
'Hmm… doesn't look rigged to me.' I thought, as I then placed it with the others on my side of the table. I then pulled one of the small wooden walls over to cover my side of the table.
"Now then, I don't mind your friend here watching the game, but he is not aloud to interfere in the game in any way whatsoever. If I find out that either of you are cheating in some way then the game is immediately cancelled and you will not be acquiring the armour today or any other day." Cass spoke in a warning tone.
"Right. I understand." Gildarts confirmed carefully, as he moved to stand behind me.
"Hold on. How would you know if I'm cheating or not using magic? I've never said anything about being a mage." I spoke up with interest.
"To be honest it doesn't matter if you are a magic user or not. There is a special spell on the seats here that prevent a wizard from using their Ethernano. Try using your Ethernano or magic." Cass asked as he made a simple gesture to me with his hands.
I then held out my hand and focused my Ethernano as I would usually do. However, I found that I wasn't able to focus my Ethernano. It was like it was never inside me in the first place. I had a shocked expression upon realising this, and Cass seemed to pick up on that.
"Sorry that I have to do this to you. I get quite a few wizards from Phantom Lord that always try to trick and deceive me. As such, precautions were put in place by me."
"And how do I know if you're not a wizard? And that your seat isn't edited like mine." I questioned suspiciously.
Instead of being annoyed at my suspicion towards him, Cass let out a smile to me. "Oh? That is the first time I have been accused of being potentially cheating with magic during my games. While there is no proof that I am a wizard, you can check my seat to see if it is edited like yours." He requested as he stood up and directed his hands towards the seat.
I then stood up and made my way over to his seat and sat in it. I then tried to use my Ethernao again, but like before, I had no such luck. Satisfied with the result, I stood back up and went back to my seat and sat back down.
Cass then sat down on the seat I was just in, so now we were now facing each other. "Now then, as for what's on the line here…" Cass began to say. "I assume you want the armour?" He asked, as he gestured to it with his thumb.
"Yeah." I stated to my soon to be opponent.
"I see. Now then how much money do you have on you?" Cass inquired next.
"I've got 700,000 with me." I answered.
"That is enough for me. The terms I'm laying out are this: You will bet the 700,000 jewels and I will bet the armour you are interested in. Do you agree with these terms?" Cass listed as he narrowed his eyes.
I took a deep breath. "I accept."
"Very good!" Cass remarked with a smirk. "If there are no more interruptions, then let the game begin!" Cass declared, as he moved the wooden wall to the middle of the table.
'Well this is it then. This game will decide if I leave a winner with the best possible armour I could have on me, or if me and are forced Gildarts walk home to Magnolia in shame.'
-Cade VS Cass-
Begin!
—
Me and Cass both picked up our dice and gave them a good shake for a few seconds, before we rolled them out on our side of the table, behind the wooden wall.
—
Round 1:
Dice – Cade 6, Cass 6.
Cade: One 5, one 4, two 3's, two 5's,
Cass: ?
—
"Best of luck to you." Cass wished. "I shall let you make the first bid." He said, as he then looked down to see what his dice were like.
"Ok then." I muttered as I looked at my dice.
'Damn… these face values could certainly be better… Should I focus trying to get him with my 3's or 5's?' I wondered carefully. 'I'll play it safe for now.'
"One 4." I began firmly.
"I see…" Said Cass, as he put a hand on his chin and grinned a little. "In that case, one 5." He bid with a smile.
'Alright! He definitely has a least a single 5 on his side. I think I can keep raising it slowly and catch him out near the end.' I planned with confidence, though I done my best to not let that show.
"Two 5's" I spoke emotionless.
"Three 5's." Cass said with a smile.
'Ok so assuming he has one five on his side that could be the minimum face value of all the 5's we have. But… he definitely has more than a single 5 there… How high should I go before calling?' I contemplated deeply.
"Four 5's." I sighed carefully.
"Five 5's." Cass said with his smile only growing just a little more.
'That'd mean that he has three 5's on his side of the table for that bid to work for me. Or… from his perspective I would have to have a single 5 and he would have to have four 5's.' I mulled over all the face values internally. 'He must be bluffing! There's no way he would have four fives on him out of the six dice!'
"Call!" I said firmly.
Cass chuckled to himself as he reached down to grab the wooden wall and pulled it away to see what the total bid of dice were.
—
Cade: One 1, one 4, two 3's, two 5's
Cass: One 6, one 2, two 2's, three 5's
Total Bid – One 1, two 2's, two 3's, one 4, five 5's, one 6
—
'No! I lost that round!' I exclaimed with surprise. 'Now I lose a dice.' I grunted and put one of my dice to the side.
"Shame that you lost there. Never a good thing to lose on the first round. Makes things much harder for you as you'll see later." Cass stated with a shrug.
We then both moved the wall back to cover the middle of the board, and picked up our dice before giving them a good shake before throwing them.
—
Round 2:
Dice – Cade Five, Cass Six
Cade: Three 1's, two 2's
Cass: ?
—
"I will start this time, and I shall bid…" Cass seemed to think carefully about this one. "One 1."
'The heck is this hand meant to be?!' I thought in surprise, upon seeing my dice values. 'Three 1's huh? That could work… but I need to keep in mind that Cass has six dices compared to my five. That means I could always have a lower face value than him no matter what! Is this what he meant by the game getting harder for me now? If so… then I have to make sure I win this round to have an even playing field for the next round.' I was determined to win this round to set the score even again.
'He did just bid saying one 1 there, so I could make these 1's of mine work for me.'
"Three 1's." I bid firmly. Cass raised his eyebrow in suspicion upon hearing that.
"Four 1's." Cass stated, as he stared me in the eye.
I took a deep breath, before I said my next bid. "Five 1's." I said with a bit of fear in my voice.
Cass chuckled to himself when he heard that. "Call." He said with a grin, as we then both prepared to move the wall away, to see our total face value
—
Cade: Three 1's, two 2's
Cass: Two 1's, one 2, one 3, two 6's
Total Bid – Five 1's, Three 2's, one 3, two 6's
—
Cass looked a bit surprised at seeing that total bid there, but he regained his calm posture quickly. "Not bad." He admitted, as he slid one of his dice to the side.
Now the score was even again. We slid the small wall back to cover each others view, and picked up the dice and shook them, before rolling them.
—
Round 3:
Dice – Cade Five, Cass Five
Cade: One 1, two 3's, two 5's
Cass: ?
—
"You shall make the first bid again." Cass said to me calmly.
'Hmm… would have honestly preferred it if Cass went first here. Not that much to work here.' I thought as I looked at my dice. 'Should I focus on the 3's or 5's?'
Cass seemed to notice my hesitation, and spoke up. "Get a bad roll over there?" He asked in a playful tone.
I grunted and then decided on what my bid would be. "Two 3's." I said carefully.
Cass actually looked a little annoyed to hear that and called out his bid. "Two 5's." He said without showing any emotion in his voice.
'No way! He bided two 5's just there!' I thought in excitement, while making sure to look calm and composed on the outside. 'He must have a high amount of fives there on his side, he did look annoyed when I bidded on there being two 3's earlier. He must have wanted me to start low, and he would work his way up.' I thought, as I began to think of a plan.
"Three 3's." I bid calmly.
'He'll think I'm still focusing on the idea that I'm aiming for 3's to win this round. When in reality, I'm focusing on the 5's.' I thought with glee.
"Three 5's." Cass said, him raising the bid little by little.
'Now!'
"Five 5's." I declared with a smirk.
Cass scoffed upon hearing that. "Call." He stated with a laugh as he reached to move the little wall.
—
Cade: One 1, two 3's, two 5's
Cass: One 3, one 4, three 5's
Total Bid – One 1, three 3's, one 4, five 5's.
—
"What?!" He shouted with some small shock. "You actually had two fives there?" He said in disbelief.
"I was planing to bid on and focus on my 3's throughout this round. When you bid on having 5's however… my plan changed quickly. I decided to take a page out of your book and gamble on you having enough 5's. I assumed you had a few, as you looked annoyed when I started to bid at a value higher than one." I explained to the gambler.
Cass's face was showing a bit of anger during this explanation, but when I finished explaining my plan to him… he grinned at me? "Hah, that was risky of you to decide to go off on luck back there. That's a move I would have done when I was still at the casino tables. Not bad kid." He approved moving one of his dice to the side, while being amused by my move there.
We then both slid the wall back to the middle of the table, and picked up dice and shock them again, with us then rolling the dice on the table.
—
Round 4:
Dice – Cade Five, Cass Four
Cade: One 2, one 3, two fours.
Cass: ?
—
"I'll start the bidding this time." Cass said before looking down at his dice since rolling them. "Hmm… One 5." He started.
'Well damn. I don't have a single 5. How do I work with this?' I decided what to pick for a moment before speaking up.
"Two 4's." I said calmly.
Cass pondered on what to bid for a moment. "Two 5's."
"Three 4's." I said.
'I don't like where this round is going…'
Cass then took a deep breath before giving his next bid. "Three 5's." He bid before looking at me to try and get a read on my strategy.
I took another look down at my dice. 'No way he has three 5's on him. He must be expecting me to have a few 5's on my side.' I thought in suspicion.
"Four 4's." I said.
"Four 5's." Cass stated determined.
'What!? Does he really have four 5's on him?! No, that can't be right! He must be expecting me to have a five on my side. Well, sorry to disappoint you Cass.'
"Call." I said with a wide grin, as I moved the wall to the side.
—
Cade: One 2, one 3, two 4's
Cass: Four 5's
Total Bid – 2, one 3, two 4's, four 5's
—
"Wh-What in the world!? All four of your dice were 5's?" I exclaimed, completely taken aback by this twist.
"That's right!" Said Cass with a smirk. "I was stunned to see my hand like that, and I decided to play it slow to see what your hand was like. When I saw that you weren't biding on 5's, I assumed that you had hardly any of them to your name." Cass explained to me, as I flicked one of my dice to the side of the table.
"Hmph, you're pretty good at this." I admitted, as I could not deny the man's talent.
"Well I was a gambler before this." Cass reminded me as he moved the wall back to the centre of the table.
We then both rolled our dice again, and I prayed that I would get good face values this time.
—
Round 5:
Dice – Cade Four, Cass Four
Cade: One 2, two 3's, one 6
Cass: ?
—
'Well it could be worse...' I realised with an internal sigh, as I looked up at Cass. He had an unreadable expression which made it hard to see how well his dice were. "I'll bid first right?" Cass nodded his head. "Alright then, one 2." I began.
Cass opened his mouth, him about to bid – but he quickly closed it. He then put two fingers on his chin and began to think carefully.
'What's he up to then, eh? He was about to bid there but he stoped right before he could.' I noticed with interest.
Cass then cleared his voice and spoke up. "One 6." He said with certainty.
'Hmm… wasn't expecting that from him. Maybe he's trying to psyche me out like before? Or does he genuinely have some 6's in his hand?'
"Two 3's." I said quickly, trying to cut the man off from thinking about any strategies.
The gambler scrunched his nose upon me saying that and looked down at his dice. "Two 6's." He bid as he continued to look at his dice.
'Damn. Do I try to go with the 6's and hope for the best, or do I stick with the 3's?' I wondered. 'I'll go with the latter.'
"Three 3's." I called out.
Cass hummed under his breath, before he looked up at me and stated his next bid. "Four 6's." He said as he gave me a watchful gaze.
'Four 6's? Why would he…?'
'Ah.'
"I see… very clever there Cass." I said as I turned my head a little to side.
"Oh? What did I do?" Spoke up Cass with a surprised look.
"You know what you did. You've raised the bid high enough to the point where it will not matter what I'll pick. I'll lose no matter what. Right?" I said, as narrowed my eyebrows at the man.
"I'm sure what you are talking about." Cass replied as he held up his hands in defence. "But I am sure that it is your turn to bid or call." He said has he gestured his hands to where my dice would be.
'Tch! I'm trapped either way.'
"Call." I said begrudgingly. With that, the wall was moved and we saw each others dice.
—
Cade: One 2, two 3's, one 6
Cass: One 4, two 5's, three 6's
Total Bid – One 2, two 3's, one 4, two 5's, four 6's
—
"Hmph, not bad." I pushed one of my dice to the side. 'Now I only have three dice left. That means I am limited in a sort when it comes to biding. I can really only bid safely under the total number of dice that I have.' I thought with worry.
I swallowed a lump in my throat, and pushed the wall back, before I grabbed up my dice and began to shake and roll them with Cass doing the same.
—
Round 6:
Dice – Cade Three, Cass Four
Cade: Three 1's
Cass: ?
—
'N-No way! The gods must have answered my prayers or something just there.' I thought with pleasure upon seeing my dice. I made sure to keep a straight face, to not make myself seem suspicious. 'This is good. If Cass got a 1 on any of his dice, I think I can make that work for me.'
"Now then… One 1." I began.
"Hmm… One 2." Cass responded.
"Two 1's." I said firmly.
Cass hesitated for a moment. "Two 2's."
'Oh? A bit of hesitation I sense there, hmm?' I thought with internal laughter. 'Well it's all or nothing here.'
"Three 1's." I said, as I crossed my arms.
"Heh, call." Came Cass with a sly grin, as he began to move the wall.
—
Cade: Three 1's
Cass: Three 2's, one four
Total Bid – Three 1's, three 2's, one 4
—
I grinned. 'Hell yeah.'
"Well, well, I must admit I am impressed that you actually had all 1's there. I thought you were hoping on me having a 1 in my hand." Cass said. "Seems I was wrong."
"We've each lost three dice each. Now the game is halfway there." I added.
"There isn't really a halfway point in this game. It is possible to completely sweep your opponent without losing any dice." Cass explained. "But in this case, then yes, we have reached the halfway point. Well done for not losing yet." He complimented, as he removed a dice from his side.
"Thanks, but that doesn't mean I'll just forfeit and let you win." I stated, as I picked up my dice and moved the wall back. Cass followed me on that, and we were now shaking our dice and then rolled them on the table.
—
Round 7:
Dice – Cade Three, Cass Three
Cade: One 1, one 3, one 5
Cass: ?
—
'This is what I was afraid of… Now that we have less and less dice there is less of a chance that we will get more than one of the same face value on our dice. Now I have to hope Cass might have some of the same face values as me.'
Cass looked down at his dice before speaking up to me. "I'll go with one 2."
'I don't have any 2's… could he be gambling in me having some 2's?' I stoped for a moment to think about it, before then deciding on my bid.
"One 3." I said plainly,
"One 4." Cass replied back to me.
'I don't have a single 4 either! How do I go about this? I mean sure… he doesn't know I don't have a 4 or 3 on me.' I thought with concern, yet I kept a calm demeanour on the outside.
"Two 1's." I continued with no emotion.
"Two 3's." Cass said immediately after me saying that.
I was about to raise that bid just there. But then a realisation hit me. 'No… I shouldn't be biding any higher here… Cass is in the same sort of situation as me I bet!' I realised with surprise and a sudden burst of confidence.
"Call." I said sternly.
Cass looked surprised at me saying that, and I swore I could see a small bit of fear on his face as he moved the wall away for me to see all the dice.
—
Cade: One 1, one 3, one 5
Cass: One 2, one 4, one 6
Total Bid – One 1, one 2, one 3, one 4, one 5, one 6
—
"Heh, seems I win this round." I said, as I watched Cass move one of his dice to the side. "Gotta say, I didn't expect there to every possible face value on the table here." I remarked as I looked at the dice.
"Yes that rarely happens in this game. Always funny when it does though. There is ultimately no other choice but to hope your opponent has the same face values as you." Cass said with a sigh, as he moved the wall back into the middle of the table so we could begin the next round.
We each then scooped up our few remaining dice, gave them a good shake and rolled them.
—
Round 8:
Dice – Cade Three, Cass Two
Cade: One 2, one 3, one 6
Cass: ?
—
'Another dodgy set of dice.' I sighed as I looked down at my dice. 'I'll be biding first, which is kinda bad as it means that Cass will get an idea of what I have on me.'
"I'll start with one 3."
Cass showed a stern gaze and uttered his bid. "Two 3's." He countered carefully.
'Does he have a 3 perhaps? He only has two dice left so that's hard to say…'
"Two 6's." I said hesitantly.
"Three 3's." Cass spoke, after a while of thinking of his next bid.
'Hah! Does he really expect me to think that he has two 3's over there? The odds of that happening are low!' I thought in delight.
"Call." I said with a half laugh, as I reached to move the wall to see his dice.
—
Cade: One 2, one 3, one 6
Cass: Two 3', one 4, one 5
Total Bid – One 2, three 3's, one 4, one 5
–
"Argh! No way!" I cried out upon seeing his dice. "You had two 3's on your side of the table?! What are the odds of that..." I exclaimed in astonishment.
"Very low. It appears good old Lady Luck is on my side today." Cass stated with a grin.
I then moved one of my dice to the side and moved the wall back, so I could pick up and shake my two remaking dice.
"That's us each got two dice left." I said as I shook the dice, with Cass doing the same.
"You best be sure to give them a good shake there young man. You'll need all the luck you can get in these last few next rounds!" Cass called out to me, as he rolled his dice, with me doing the same.
—
Round 9:
Dice – Cade Two, Cass Two
Cade: One 1, one 5
Cass: ?
—
'Well this will be interesting for me. We each have two dice each, so that will not not only mean that these rounds go in super fast, it will also mean we bid above four...' I noticed with interest. I then looked to Cass to see what his beginning bid would be.
"One 6." He started without much thinking beforehand.
'That's pretty bad… I was hoping he would start with something a little lower than that so I could try and slowly build up the bidding. Seems Cass wants this game finished.'
"Alright I'll go with two 1's.' I said.
"Two 3's." Cass replied with a laid back expression.
'I swear this guy goes through as many emotions as possible during his games to throw his opponents off.' I looked at Cass, and then back at my dice.
"Two 5's." I added.
"Hmmph, two 6's." Cass bidded.
I paused.
'Does he really have two 6's over there? Or has he done the trap of making the bid so high to the point where it becomes dangerous to keep bidding? Damn. I might have to bid and hope for the best. Not really much else you can do with two dice.' I decided, as my face scrunched up in annoyance.
"Call."
With that being said, Cass was the one to move the wall out of the way so I could see his dice, and he could see mine.
—
Cade: One 1, one 5
Cass: Two 6's
Total Bid – One 1, one 5, two 6's
—
"A-Again!?" I said in disbelief and anguish. "How can this be happening?!" I cried out, as I filled one of my dice to the side.
"Call it gamblers luck." Cass said with a small smirk. "Anyway, with that round done you now have only one dice left. The odds of you winning this game now are nigh impossible. As such I'll strike you a deal: If you forfeit now, I'll give you 100,000 jewels which would be enough to get you two to wherever you need to go." Cass offered as he gestured his hand to me and Gildarts.
"What?" I said with surprise at Cass's offer there.
"Sometime you gotta know when to pull out kid. I leaned that the hard way when I was gambling back then." Cass continued. "Well? It's a fair deal, and I think I'd be best for the both of you if you took it just now. I won't offer it again."
I looked down at my knees and said nothing.
"Oh? Are you accepting defeat just now?" Cass wondered with a silver tone.
"…"
"…"
"I've got a deal for you myself." I said suddenly, cutting Cass off.
"Excuse me?" Exclaimed Cass in astonishment.
"If you surrender and hand over the armour to me now, then I'll give you the chance to not be embarrassed by a kid." I stated as I looked up and glared Cass in the eye.
"Tch!" Cass gritted his teeth at me as I said that.
"This games not over till it's over Cass. I have still have a dice left and that means I'm not going to give up until that happens." I said with a serious expression. "Now then. Shall we continue the game?" I suggested as I moved the wall back, and picked up my dice.
"Heh, you'll regret not taking my deal." Cass remarked with a warning tone, as he turned his head a little while saying that.
"Ditto." I agreed, as we both rolled our dice for the next round.
—
Round 10:
Dice – Cade One, Cass Two
Cade: One 5
Cass: ?
—
"I'll start this game off Cass." I said confidently.
'Cass was right about one thing. Since I have only a single dice, it's gonna be crazy hard for me for to win here based off skill. I'll have to rely on luck and bluffing to win here.' I took a deep breath in through my nose and out through my mouth.
"Now then, One 1."
"One 2." Cass bid.
'Well it's all or nothing here. Heart of the dice, guide me please!'
"Two Fives."
Cass chucked when he heard that from me just there. "Hah! Call!" He said with a confident smirk, as he pulled the wall away.
—
Cade: One 5
Cass: One 2, one 5
Total Bid – One 2, two 5's
—
"What in the?" Cass gave a shocked look. He then gave a soft curse under his breath, before he picked up one of his dice and placed it to the side with a thud sound, as he may have put a bit more strength into it than he should have.
"Now then. We each have one dice. That means tha-"
"Yes I know what it means!" Cass interrupted in annoyance, as he then moved the board back in the middle of the table.
'Heh, he's losing his cool.'
We each then picked up our dice and rolled them for the final time.
—
Round 11:
Dice – Cade One, Cass One
Cade: One 6
Cass: ?
—
'I think there's only on way to win this. But it relies almost entirely on luck. Come on Cade! Show this gambler what a Fairy Tale wizard can do!' I started to pray internally.
"One 1." I started off.
"One 3." Cass said next.
"One 5." I responded.
'We're wasting no time then, huh?'
"One 6." Cass added with a cold voice.
'This is it… I don't care if I have to use up all luck in the next 10 years or so! Just give me this victory!' I thought in determination.
"Go ahead! I have a feeling what you're going to bid next!" Cass said, as he pointed a finger at me in a daring manner, while his other hand cusped his chin with the elbow on the table.
"Two 6's" I declared, trying to not lose my cool.
"Ha!" Cass rebutted with a laugh. "Call!" He yelled out.
I then amused him, by pulling the wooden board to the side to show him my dice.
'Pleasepleasepleaseplease!'
—
Cade: One 6
Cass: One 6
Total Bid – Two 6's
Winner Cade!
"I WON!" I cried out in happiness
"ARGH!" Cass shouted out. "I don't believe it! I lost to someone who has never played the game before!" He cried out, as he gave a face of anger and annoyance.
"Alright! Nicely done Cade!" Came the voice of Gildarts in delight. "I er, would have cheered you on during the game but I didn't want to risk you getting disqualified. But hey! It all worked out in the end!" He added with a smirk as he put his arm round me.
"Yeah! I thought I was done for during the game – many times as a matter of fact." I said awkwardly.
I then approached Cass, who was looking dejected. "You know, if I had known before hand what good of a player you were I think I would have shut up shop for the day." Cass admitted.
"Look I know everyone hates losing, but it is something that we have to go through to get better at certain things." I stated to the gambler, as I scratched the back of my head.
"Yes, I know, I know" Cass grunted holding up his hands as if he had heard this talk a hundred times before. He was a gambler, so I guess he had this talk before a few times in his career. "I was just hoping to save the armour and wait for someone with a massive amount of jewels to come and buy it from me. I just thought you'd be an easy opponent." Cass confessed with a frown. "Seems I was wrong."
"Thanks for the game there. Do I just take the armour then? I don't need to write a contract for it or anything?" I asked curiously.
"Yes it's yours. You can just take it off the mannequin and bring it with you now." Cass explained as he grabbed an empty cardboard box at the side of the room. "Why don't you put it in that?" He suggested with a shrug, as he put the box below the mannequin.
"Yeah that'd work! Thanks Cass." I said, as I began to strip the mannequin and put the bits of the armour in the box.
When I was finished a minute or so later, Gildarts surprised me by putting his waist armour he bought earlier today in the box as well.
I gave him a glare. "What?" He gave a defensive look. "It beats carrying it around all day. Plus we only have to walk to the train station to get to Magnolia." He argues as he held up his arms.
The waist plate wasn't that heavy and my armour was relatively light, so I was able to still lift up the box easy enough.
Before we were about to leave the building, Cass handed me the 700,000 jewels. "Here. Deals a deal Cade. The jewels and the armour are yours now. I hope you put them to good use out there." He spoke. "You part of a guild?" Cass inquired.
"Yeah we're members of Fairy Tale." I answered, as put down the box to roll up my sleeve to show the red Fairy Tale emblem, with Gildarts doing the same.
"Oh? I don't get any other guild wizards other Phantom Lord here. They've all lost to me of course." Cass remarked with a smirk. "Anyway, I won't keep you any longer. Feel free to come back for another game Cade whenever you wish."
"As long as there's no gambling involved I'll play you again." I said with a smile.
"I find it hard to play when there's nothing on the line…" Cass replied with a frown. "So how about bet on who pays for dinner!" He suggested with a wide grin.
I was a little surprised by that, but actually smiled after hearing that. "Heh, I guess that works for me." I admitted, as me and Gildarts left the shop with me carrying the box.
We then booked the next train back to Magnolia, and eventually arrived back in town. We both got off the station and moved out into the town square.
"So then. See you here tomorrow to see how we look in our fighting gear?" I wondered with a smirk, as I opened the box for Gildarts to take his waist plate."
"Sure thing! We'll show up here then surprise everyone at the guild!" Gildarts said excitedly. "I can't wait to see their expressions!" He then looked at me with a curious look. "Do you plan on wearing that cape tomorrow?"
"Well of course. It's part of the armour." I replied casually with a shrug.
Gildarts then sniggered upon me saying that. "Are you sure…? I'm just saying it might look ridiculous that's all."
"Hey! It won't look ridiculous. Just you wait and see." I argued as I crossed my arms at him with a smirk.
"Well, I'm off to my place now. See you tomorrow Cade." Gildarts said as he walked off, raising his hand as he walked away from me, while carrying the chest plate under his other arm.
"See you tomorrow Gildarts." I waved, as I picked up the box and made my way back to the family manor.
No POV:
Master Makarov was currently sitting on one of the guilds stools against the counter. He was quite deep into this latest Sorcerer Weekly magazine, taking a careful look at some of the images on the pages.
"Hey Master! What do think about this job right here?" Came the voice of one of the guild members, interrupting him from his reading.
Makarov quickly put the Sorcerer Weekly magazine he was reading in his pocket to not let whoever called him see it, and then looked to see who had said that.
"Ah, Frag. Hmm let me see the job." He asked as he saw the job request Frag was holding out in front of him
"… Well then, this job looks right up your alley. Fixing broken windows?" Makarov remarked with a grin. "Should be a walk in park for you. Just make sure to make the glass thick enough." He reminded Frag.
"Yeah this is the first time I've seen a job that basically asks for a certain wizard without specifically asking for them." Frag added as he scratched his chin. "By the way, have you seen Gildarts or Cade around today? Was wondering if I could continue training with Cade, and I thought Gildarts might know where he ran off to." He asked Makarov.
"Yes they haven't come in today. A bit strange. Cade and Gildarts always try to come in everyday to see what jobs there are. Yesterday I sent Cade to try and get some armour for himself in Oak Town. I think Gildarts may have went with him." Makarov said, as he thought back to that day.
'Cade has been making some remarkable progress since he joined a few years back. I'm glad he's been doing well since his father's death.' Makarov remarked internally.
It also helped that he had been decoding those spell pages for him. Makarov was glad that he was the one doing it and not himself. He wanted to see what kind of spells were in that book just as much as he did. Also having the diary pages are nice to hold onto. He found it surprisingly interesting to read what it was like inside a Dark Guild, and how not all members join for power.
"Perhaps you could try at his home up on the hill outside of town. He may be feeling a bit down or maybe even a bit sick." Makarov suggested to the glass mage.
"Yeah maybe. I'll head up there and check just now." Frag said as he turned away from where the Master was sitting and made his way to the front door of the guild.
As he was about to open it, the door swung open for him, sending Frag flying into the side of the room! The sun then shined into the guild blinding everyone inside, including Makarov. As the aging man narrowed his eyes to see who it was, he could see two silhouettes at the front door.
'What the?! Who are-?' Makarov suddenly thought in confusion. However, before he could speculate any further to who these two people were, they walked into the guild a bit more and the door closed behind them which allowed him to see who they were.
On the right stood Gildarts! He seemed to be the one that kicked the door open. He wasn't wearing his usual causal clothing. This time he wore a long, black, high-collared and tattered cloak with shoulder plates. Around his waist is a simple belt. He also wore loose-fitting dark pants, complete with an armoured waist-guard bearing plates similar to the ones on his shoulders, tucked inside simple boots.
On the left was Cade, and his attire certainly surprised Makarov. He wore what looked like leather armour and was equipped with gauntlets, boots, a chest piece, arm guards and leg guards. It was coloured dark maroon from head to toe. A long cape was attached to the back of him which was red on the inside, with a tall collar and held together with square silver brooch over the front of his the shoulder. There was also a sword holstered on his right side.
"Hey guys! What do you think of our new outfits?" Cade asked with a grin, as he put his hands on his hips to show off his new armour.
Seconds after everyone in the guild saw them, they immediately started to talk loudly, both towards Cade and Gildarts and among themselves.
"Hey! Nice armour you guys!" "How much did that cost you?" "Where did you get it?" "You got any spare?" "What do you think of the cape man?" "I think capes are cool!" "Capes aren't cool!" "You two look like you take on anything now!" "Let's see just how good that armour is! Twister!"
One of the guild members sent an attack towards Cade and Gildarts quite quickly. Cade quickly fired a spell himself in order to block it.
"Ice Beam!" He cried out, which sent the beam of ice towards the wind attack cancelling them both out. He then brushed his shoulder and took out the sword on his side and fired a spell off. "Lightning strike!" Which sent a strike of lightning towards one side of the room. This caused the guild members in that area to go flying backward.
At this point most of the other guild members had started to fight each other in the main hall. Makarov saw that Ivan was going down into the guilds basement to avoid the brawl.
'For once I don't blame you going down there Ivan.' He sighed.
Cade then approached Makarov and showed off his armour. "Hey Master! What do you think!? I think this suits me quite well. It's light, can holster a sword, pretty durable and it can even change its size to fit me as I grow!" Cade said with a grin, as he turned around to show the armour from different angles.
Makarov was… a little surprised to learn that the armour he wore could do all of that. "That's… incredible Cade! Seems like you found the perfect armour." Makarov gave a nod with approval, as he was currently ignoring the brawl going on. As long as it didn't get too rough or if Gildarts decided to join in, then he was fine with these small scuffles. It helped build teamwork and friendship.
"Yeah! Can't wait to go on some quests with it." Cade stated as he looked down at the armour.
The Master then turned his attention back to the brawl going on. With dozens of spells going off left right and centre it did make it hard for him to think straight.
'Those kids never learn to hold themselves back, do they?' He mused with a groan. He would never finish his magazine now…
'Sigh. Some things never change around here, do they?'
And boom! That's this arc concluded (finally…) Feel free to leave a review of your opinion on this chapter.
Now Cade has the three things all Fairy Tale wizards have: A cool outfit, magic, and a good friend to partner with. That was really what this arc was focusing on. Showing Cade developing his magic and getting his unique armour. Can't guarantee that the next few arcs will be as long. They may be shorter… but they may also be longer. Depends on how long I want them to go on for, I gotta try to keep them at a reasonable pace.
I know many of you all are wondering exactly how long it will take for us to get to canon. Well I plan to do quite a few things before we get there (like… a lot) but I will try to speed things up now that Cade has fully established himself. I'm hoping to make time-skips a bit more frequent throughout chapters as we go. Things will go by faster when we get to around the X770's, as that's when some more main characters join Fairy Tale.
Also what did you think about that Swindlestones game? Don't worry, I won't turn this whole Fanfic into a freaking Yu-Gi-Oh story with dice if that's what any of you were worried about. This won't be something that I think I'll come back to, just thought it might be fun and unique to do.
With all that said, thanks for reading this chapter! I hope you liked it, and I hope to see you next week.
Lord-Bedlam - Glad you liked the last chapter.