Trust I seek and I find in you

Every day for us something new

Open mind for a different view

And nothing else matters

The next few weeks continue on with all of us totally focused on training. Freed and I decide to spar the sixth day, with me resulting as the victor. It was a close battle, and there were a few times I was worried I'd lose. The rune mage did not hold back, and he was so clever. I ended up having to use brute strength to overpower him after a long fight. He was not the best in that area, and that was both something we realized we needed to work on. There were going to be times when just magic power and wit would not be enough, so I began more strength training. The look on everyone's face when they saw me dragging boulders up the mountain had been priceless, that's for sure.

Just in the short amount of time since we'd started, my magic and strength had improved greatly. After a full month, I managed to tap into my second origin. It was an incredible feeling, but I had to continue to train my body heavily afterwards to withstand the sudden jump in magic power I possessed.

Evergreen and I spend almost every night in the hot springs relaxing and talking. The rigorous exercise had everyone feeling sore. It was nice having the hot waters full of minerals to help refresh us. Not to mention, having the girl who was like my sister back was something I wanted to take full advantage of.

I try my best to avoid being alone with Laxus and he seems to have the same mindset as me. We both work hard to get stronger and talk very little. Neither of us mentions that first night and our kiss. It was hard, being near him and ignoring everything I felt. Nevertheless, it was necessary. Bickslow and I get along as well as we always do, and on team training days I spend a lot of time working on my agility and acrobatics with him. He doesn't flirt with me as much and I'm grateful he's being considerate of my feelings.

It's a rest day, and Evergreen and I have decided to go into town. We've been here well over a month now and have yet to really spend any time in town, besides our trips to get the basic essentials. We check out all the little shops and spend majority of the morning walking around. This town was not the biggest I'd ever been to, that's for sure, but it's cute. There's a lot of little touristic stalls in the center of town that had beautiful art and clothing items for sale. Neither of us had much money, however. Evergreen was pouting about all the clothes and trinkets she couldn't buy.

"Ugh, this shawl is gorgeous!" She groans for the 100th freaking time as she peruses a clothing stall. I resist the urge to roll my eyes and sigh.

"Maybe we can find some local residents that need some help and earn a bit of jewel." I suggest "We can check out the bars; they usually have lots of info on what's happening in the area."

"That's a good idea!" Evergreen says "We'll be here for a little while longer so it would be nice to have money."

"Yeah, and I'm really tired of hearing you complain." I mutter quietly as we start walking.

We decide to tell the guys about my idea to see if they'd like to join. Evergreen pulls a small communication lacrima from her purse and calls the lacrima at the boy's cabin. Freed answers, and agrees that it's a great idea. He tells the other two men and they decide join us as well. Evergreen and I wait around for about twenty minutes before they finally meet up with us in the town center.

It takes us a bit to decide on which places to check. Freed suggests we split up to visit multiples bars, since it would take a long time to check them all one by one. Not to mention, most of them were not guaranteed to have any available jobs.

"How about Laxus and (Y/n) take the west side and the three of us go east," Evergreen says suddenly, smiling mischievously "And then we meet in the middle!"

"Awh, but I wanna go with (Y/n)." Bickslow pouts, and the fairy mage grabs his arm.

"Nope, you're coming with us." She starts pulling him away, waving at me and Laxus "See ya!"

I glare daggers at her back as she drags the seith mage away, Freed following them reluctantly. Evergreen had been trying to convince me to talk to Laxus ever since I told her about our kiss. Of course she'd jump on any chance she could to get us alone. "That little…"

Laxus clears his throat and I turn to face him. He's looking at me expectantly and I sigh and walk past him, heading to the west end of town. It's quiet for a while, neither of us talking. I hope we find a job opportunity quickly. We get to the first tavern and walk inside. It's still early in the day so there aren't many people. I go straight up to the bar and order myself a drink.

"Aren't we supposed to be finding work?" Laxus teases as he sits beside me. The bartender fills a glass with dark liquid and slides it across the counter at me. I throw down some jewels and grab the glass. The bartender looks expectantly at the lightning mage and he pulls some money from his pocket. "Can I get a whiskey?"

I glance sideways at him as I take a sip of my drink "I won't tell if you don't."

"Agreed. So, what's got you so worked up? Is having to be around me that bad?"

I know he's joking, but I can't help feeling bad. We were getting along really well before the kiss and the awkwardness that ensued. It was all my fault for trying to ignore it. "No, just needed something to take the edge off. Evergreen is like an annoying older sister, always meddling in my business."

"I'm guessing you told her what happened?" He asks casually, swirling his glass and then downing half of it.

"Yeah..." I sigh "Listen, I want to talk to you about, you know, that night and the whole, uh..."

"The kiss?" He asks, his face completely blank. I mentally facepalm at my awkwardness. He looked completely calm while I was sitting here with my heart racing.

"Yeah, that. Look, I know I've been avoiding you ever since. But it's just because…" I stop for a moment, trying to find the right words. I decide to simply speak from the heart and tell him. "For seven years, I faced so many hardships and losses. All that time, I felt that it was up to me to help the guild keep going. I was hurt so deeply, but I knew you guys would come back. I wanted everyone to return to a guild they could be proud of...

"That obviously didn't turn out well, and losing year after year was awful. The Grand Magic Games are so important to me, and we finally have the chance to win after so many humiliating losses. I don't want anything to get in the way of Fairy Tail winning. Acting on any kinds of feelings I have towards anyone would just distract me from that goal... I really like you Laxus."

I sigh, bracing myself for the most difficult part "I like someone else too though… And I've already told them the same thing I'm telling you. I don't want anything clouding my mind right now. I need to focus on getting strong and winning so that we can be number one again."

I finish my speech, and find that my glass is empty. It's quiet, and I glance over to see Laxus staring intently at his drink. I bite my lip worryingly "I'm sorry I wasn't honest from the start. I avoided you, hoping we could just forget it. Someone decided that wasn't the right decision, so here we are."

"You really are something (Y/n)." Laxus mumbles and I look at him questioningly "I just kinda figured that you didn't have feelings for me and that's why you didn't say anything. After what I did in the past, I really wouldn't have blamed you if you still hated me... But I'm happy to hear what's really going on, that you do like me. I don't mind waiting, and I don't mind competing with Bickslow for you. Honestly, you're worth it."

My eyes go wide in shock. He was so perceptive that he even knew who the other person was? Not to mention, he thought I was worth waiting for. I wasn't sure which part to focus on first. "Really? I mean, how'd you know about Bicks?"

He rolls his eyes "C'mon, he's my best friend. I can tell the difference between him being a pervert and being truly interested in someone."

"Oh." I mutter "Yeah, I guess that makes sense…"

"Look," He says, interrupting my musing "Let's make a deal. I'll back off and we can continue pretending that nothing happened, and focus on training. Then, when we win the games, I get to take you out on a date. If you'd like to, that is..."

I blush, and can't help but giggle when I think back to when the seith mage said the same thing. Those two were more alike than they would ever be willing to admit. "Sure. Although I gotta warn you, Bickslow plans on doing that too."

"I ain't worried about that pervert." He smirks. I laugh softly, and smile at him. When I was a kid pining over Laxus, I never thought he would be asking me on a date. I suddenly couldn't wait to be done with the games. It would be hard to choose between two great guys, but after all this time I was finally happy.

Laxus finishes his drink, and we ask the bartender if he knows of any jobs available nearby. He doesn't, so we leave and make our way to the next place. We go to a few more before finally finding something promising. It's pretty busy when we walk in and I sigh in relief at seeing the first job board we've seen so far.

"They have a job board! Thank god, I was starting to lose hope."

"Seriously." Laxus grunts, looking around "Go ahead and see what they have, I'm gonna use the men's room."

"Alright." I respond, walking over to the far wall to look over the small board with a couple papers pinned to it. "Hmmm, there's not much."

I see a few different requests for small jobs like helping with local stores or doing housework. There's one asking for someone to organize books for a nearby shop. The reward is two free tomes and a small amount of jewels. Freed might like that one. Most of the jobs don't pay much, and I wonder if we're better off all picking something to do solo. If we had to split the reward five ways, we'd all barely get anything. I'm lost in thought as I stare at the board and don't realize someone has come up behind me.

"I hope you don't mind the intrusion, but I've never seen you here before." A voice says.

I look back and see it's a guy with deep green eyes and mid-length black hair tied into a pony-tail. He's a bit taller than me and looks to be about the same age. He has a handsome smile and I stare for a moment before I realize he was talking to me.

"Oh, sorry! I'm (Y/n). I'm just staying nearby for a few months."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Kade. I'm not from around here, but I've been staying at this inn for a while on a job. I was wondering why I'd never noticed someone as beautiful as you before."The guy, Kade, leans down and takes my hand in his, kissing the back of it softly.

Well, that's fucking cliché. I think as I smile politely at him, fighting the urge to roll my eyes.

He continues to hold my hand gently as he goes on, "So, what brings you all the way out here?"

"Training. I'm gonna be competing in the Grand Magic Games with my guild." I answer slowly, subtly trying to pull my hand away. This guy seemed friendly but I didn't feel comfortable with the prolonged contact. He finally lets go and puts his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"I knew you were a mage!" Kade grins "What guild are you from?"

"Fairy Tail." I answer, pulling down the collar of my shirt and showing him the (f/c) guild mark that lies on my left breast.

He laughs, staring at my chest perversely before I cover it back up again. "Fairy Tail? Damn, that's funny!"

I frown, surprised at his reaction "And why is that funny?"

He lifts up his shirt, showing me a mark on his ribs and I instantly recognize it as Sabertooth's guild stamp. Kade smirks at my shocked expression "Because my guild kicks your guys' asses every single time."

"Well that won't happen this year!" I growl heatedly. Of course a Sabertooth mage would be this fucking cocky. Although, I don't remember ever seeing him at the games before. "Our strongest members have returned and we're gonna win."

"Sure, babe." He purrs and I can't contain my disgust when he drapes his arm around me. "Listen, I'm willing to look past you being a part of such a shitty guild since you're so hot. Want to come have some fun with me?"

"Yeah right!" I spat, pulling back and going to smack him, but he grabs my wrist hard.

"You shouldn't be so quick to deny me. A puny little Fairy like you should be happy to gain my attention." Kade says, pulling me towards him. I try to slip out of his hold but to no avail.

"Let me go!" I growl.

"Wow, you really are weak."

His grip tightens. I feel my bones grinding together under his hold and I grit my teeth, trying to hide my pain.

"I like that; it'll make it easier to dominate you."

"Dammit." I mumble, looking around. I'm in a tough position. There are too many people in this bar to fight him; I could end up hurting someone if he decided to fight back. My magic was too wild to let loose inside. This guy would be done for if I could use magic. Where the hell is Laxus?

As soon as I finish that thought, I feel a strong electrical current move through me and the Sabertooth mage drops my arm in shock. It didn't affect me, but he surely felt a sharp stinging sensation from the current.

"Is there a problem?"

I can't contain my sigh of relief when Laxus comes up to us, his stare fixed intently on Kade. I can tell he's trying hard to hold back so we don't get in trouble with the bar. With his hearing, he probably heard what the Sabertooth mage had said.

"Well, would you look at that." Kade grins, his voice full of arrogance "Another Fairy. Wait, I recognize you. You're Laxus Dreyar, the phony dragon slayer."

Laxus folds his arms, towering over the shorter man "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Kade, a Sabertooth mage." He responds, puffing out his chest "I was just about to show this bitch a good time before your ugly ass showed up."

I glared at Kade, trying hard not to just punch him in the face. I can tell Laxus is feeling the same way as me.

"How about you get the hell out before you embarrass yourself." Laxus says, moving to stand in front of me.

"Yeah right!" Kade laughs loudly "As if a Fairy could ever beat a Sabertooth mage in a fight!"

I roll my eyes at his boasting. "I've never even seen you fight in the games before. I bet you're just simple cannon fodder, meant to build up the numbers in Sabertooth."

Kade turns to me, glaring "Who the hell are you to talk? You're just another pathetic Fairy whore. I've seen you Fairy Tail women before, I'm pretty sure your guild will accept any chick with a nice ass and rack."

My jaw drops in outrage, but before I can respond I feel electricity sparking off Laxus. The dragon slayer pulls back his fist and punches Kade in the jaw, instantly knocking him out and sending him flying into the wall. "Laxus!"

"He was getting on my damn nerves." Laxus sneers. "Let's go before the owners come yelling at us."

I agree immediately and we swiftly walk out, not slowing down until we're a few blocks away. My adrenaline is pumping and I'm still fuming, itching to fight. I can feel myself starting to lose control of my magic and I grit my teeth to calm down. Thunder clouds come rolling in despite my efforts and we take cover under a random shop's patio when it starts raining.

"Sorry..." I sigh, crossing my arms tightly as I lean against the wall. "We finally find some promising job opportunities and that asshole had to come ruin it."

"No big deal, I'm sure the others probably found some. Did he hurt you?" Laxus asks. I roll my eyes, hiding my wrist which I know will bruise.

"I'm fine. As if some b-grade Sabertooth mage could actually hurt me." I respond. He stares at me disbelievingly, gently grabbing my arm and sliding my sleeve up to look.

"I should go back there and kick his ass again." Laxus growls as he sees the marks on my wrist. He gently rubs his thumb against my skin and I blush.

"It's not a big deal." I say, looking out towards the street.

The townspeople have all run inside to avoid the rain. I feel bad, having been the cause of this storm. Now that it started there wasn't any way for me to stop it. It would have to simply continue raining until the clouds were empty. Although, I was somewhat grateful that nobody was there to witness this moment between us. Laxus was being unusually gentle and caring and it made my heart race. I remind myself again not to get distracted by my emotions.

"Sorry I didn't get there sooner."

I jerk my arm away from him, annoyed "I said I'm fine. I'm a big girl, I don't need protecting."

"You're right, my bad…"

The disappointed look on his face as he steps back makes my heart constrict, but I'm too upset to do anything about it. Neither of us says anything for a while, and the storm finally dies down. There are still clouds in the sky, but at least it's no longer raining.

"We should head back and meet up with the Thunder Legion." I suggest, and Laxus nods in agreement.

We leave, walking in silence. He keeps his distance, and I begin to feel bad for snapping at him. He was only trying to look out for me, but it pisses me off when guys act like I'm some delicate flower that can't take care of herself.

It takes us a while to get to the center of town, and the Thunder Legion is already standing there when we arrive.

"Finally!" Evergreen exclaims when she sees us "What took so long? There weren't that many bars."

"We had to stop and wait out the storm for a bit."

I glance at the lightning mage in surprise when he casually responds. He seemed to understand that I don't want to bring up what happened, and I really regret the way I acted. Laxus was a protector, and he would have reacted similarly if any of his teammates had gotten harassed like that as well. Way to run him off (y/n). Of course he'd be worried, he likes you. The thought that Laxus cared so much about my feelings cheers me up just a bit and I smile softly, quickly looking away when he catches me staring at him.

"I figured you two would out be enjoying a storm like that." Evergreen laughs. I was glad she was so clueless, but I wondered if anyone else realized something had happened. I was bad about losing control of my magic because of my emotions. It was something I needed to be working on, and I mentally add it to my list of things to do during training.

"So, did you guys find anything?"

I notice Bickslow is watching me intently and I avoid his gaze. Figures he would know something was up. "Nope, nothing. How about you guys?"

"We found a very lively bar that had lots of jobs options." Freed says "We didn't choose any though, we figured you guys would like to come with and help us decide."

"Sounds good" I say, faking a smile "Let's go!"

Freed and Evergreen start walking towards the bar, and Laxus follows. I sigh quietly when Bickslow discreetly moves next to me, walking slowly to create some distance between us and the other three mages.

"Did something happen?" He asks, his babies wisely staying quiet for once as they float around him.

"Just some stupid shit, it's no big deal." I shrug, shoving my clenched fists into the pockets of my jeans.

"(Y/n), I know you better than that." He says, frowning "I can tell you caused that storm, and I know you only lose control like that when you're upset."

I don't respond, choosing instead to stare at my feet, kicking rocks as we walk.

"Fine, I'll leave it alone for now." He gently drapes his arm around me "But I will get you to tell me. I know you can't deny me."

I roll my eyes, moving out from under his arm and scowling at him "You wish."

"Oh, if looks could kill!" He groans dramatically, clutching his chest. A smile slips through before I can stop it and he beams "There, that's what I wanted to see."

"Whatever." I say, trying to hide my amusement. I glance at him from the corner of my eye and grin. "Thanks Bicks."

"What are friends for, eh?" Bickslow says, his babies chirping happily "Friends, Friends!"

Friends, huh? I think, finding myself imagining what it would be like to be more than just friends with the seith mage. At the same time, I start thinking about what happened with Laxus and how he had rushed in to help me. There was no denying I felt something for the dragon slayer too. I should probably tell Bicks while I have the chance… Laxus already knew about Bickslow, and it was only fair the seith mage knew as well. I bite my lip and slow my walking even more, wanting to leave enough distance to where the dragon slayer up front couldn't possibly hear us "Listen, Bicks…"

Though I can't see his face beneath his visor, I know Bickslow well enough to tell that he's looking at me from the corner of his eyes. "'Sup Stormy?"

"I want you to know something..." I begin softly, wanting to ease into the conversation. However, Bickslow seems to read my mind and speaks before I can continue.

"Is it about Laxus?" He asks quietly, and I look at him in surprise. "I could tell something happened between you two just by the look on your face."

"Shit, am I really that obvious?" I pout

"Nah, I just know you too well." He grins, but he also looks dejected and I hate that I'm the cause of it.

"Look, I really like you Bickslow, and I want to get to know you as more than a friend. But Laxus…" I sigh, watching all the people bustling through the streets as I gather my thoughts.

"I thought all the feelings I used to have for him were gone. Seeing him now though, it's all coming back. I don't know what to do… You guys both mean a lot to me. I just wanted to let you know what's going on, so you're not feeling misled. I already told Laxus I wasn't interested in continuing anything until we win the games, same as I told you. I'm not sure who to pick, and I hate the thought of hurting either of you. If you decide it's not worth waiting for, I won't blame you."

He stops walking suddenly, turning to me. "Why would it not be worth it? (Y/n), you're an amazing chick. I've never met anyone that accepts all of me the way you do. I want to win you over, and it's worth the time to try, even if you end up choosing someone else."

"I don't want you to give up having fun just for me." I frown "You could miss out on some really awesome people. If you find someone you're interested in, you don't have to hold back just because of me, okay?"

"I doubt there's anyone that could ever compare to you. I honestly have more fun just spending time with you than I ever could banging somebody." Bickslow says, caressing my cheek and smiling genuinely at me.

I laugh at his blunt words, and stare up at him, my heart pounding loudly. What had I done to deserve such incredible men? They were both completely understanding of my situation, even willing to put their bachelor lifestyles on hold for me. I jump into Bickslow's arms, hugging him tightly. We stand like that for a while before parting. I briefly find myself wishing I didn't have to choose, and could have both. That was just a silly fantasy, and I quickly dismissed the idea. There was no way those two would be okay sharing a lover with someone else. Right...?

"We should probably catch up to the others." I suggest after a moment, and he nods. We walk quickly to meet up with our group and they barely notice us sneaking up to them. We continue walking for a few more blocks before reaching a large inn that Evergreen informs us is the one we're going to. There are lots of people outside and you can hear the music from the street.

Inside, they show us a job board that had a lot more requests than the one at the bar we found. Laxus and I look over all of them while the other three point out jobs that they thought would be good. There are some well-paying jobs and we finally decide to do one big job together. I pull down the request that we agree would be the best. It involved fighting and the reward was enough for us to split and have plenty of jewels for supplies and anything else we wanted to buy.

Help Needed! Large creatures keep attacking farms and killing livestock! 500,000 jewel for defeating beasts.

Please visit the farmer's coalition at the listed address for more details.

"Isn't it kind of strange that this request wasn't sent to any guild?" Evergreen asks as we look over the paper. "Seems like a pretty big job."

"Well there isn't really any well-known guilds close by." Freed says "Maybe they figured they'd get a response quicker here. Lots of people come travelling through this town, including mages."

"Yeah, tell me about it" I grumble, thinking about my run in with the cocky Sabertooth asshole from earlier. Laxus snorts quietly at my petulant tone and they look at us questioningly. "It's nothing. So, shall we get started?"

We take the request and get directions from the bartender. He sends us out to the south edge of town, away from the mountain. There's no snow at all in this area, and it's not nearly as cold as it was on the mountain.

The address leads us to a building in the center of a small farming province outside of the city. It's a modest single-story wooden building with a playground and field. We go inside and see it's a community meeting/convention hall with a little stage. The five of us look around, not finding any people.

"Hello?" I call out "Anybody here? We're mages from Fairy Tail, we saw your request!"

A loud crash is suddenly heard, and a door opens to reveal a kind looking woman in her early thirties. She has short blonde hair and light purple eyes. She smiles awkwardly, kicking a few items back and shutting the door she came out of. "Hello! Nice to meet you, my name is Elizabeth. Let me go get my husband real quick! He's the one in charge of the request."

She leaves, walking through a different door and we stare at her in confusion.

"Well that was odd." Freed comments, and we all nod.

"Damn though, she was kinda hot!" I say quietly. With me being bi, I could fully appreciate a gorgeous woman. Despite her age, she had a youthful look about her and her voice was light and melodic. Everybody laughs at my statement and I shrug, unapologetic.

"That's my girl!" Bickslow snickers, throwing his arm around me. Laxus rolls his eyes, looking annoyed and I can't help but giggle.

We hear voices coming closer, and soon another, totally different door is being opened. Elizabeth walks out with a man I assume is her husband, a large brown haired guy with a beard and tanned skin caused by years of farming.

"Ah, thank goodness you guys are here!" The man says loudly. "Follow me to my office and I will fill you in on everything!"

He leads us to yet another door, and Bickslow murmurs quietly to me as we follow "How many fucking doors does this place have?"

I giggle at his comment as we all shuffle into the somewhat cramped office. There's a large sturdy desk that the man sits behind and we all stand awkwardly in front of it. Elizabeth closes the door behind us, leaving us alone with her husband to talk about the job.

"Allow me to introduce myself." The man says "My name is Goren and I am the head of the local farming committee. We have all pitched in to hire you mages to help us. Not very long ago, we noticed many of our fields being trampled by large beasts. It was simply a minor annoyance then, but now these things are attacking our livestock."

"What kind of beasts are they?" I ask.

"They're hodras." Goren says, and we all nod. We were all well aware of what he was talking about. "Hodras are very common nuisances among farmers. They're large pig-like beasts with nasty tusks and are known to be aggressive. They often destroyed crops and killed farm animals. These ones, however, have even begun to injure men out in the fields too."

"Do you have any idea where they're coming from?" Laxus asks.

The man shakes his head sadly "No, we don't dare try to find out lest we anger them. Our normally bustling farming province is almost a ghost town. Nobody is willing to leave their homes except when absolutely necessary. I'm sure you guys will have no trouble finding them though!"

"Yes, of course not." Freed says politely "It will be no problem! Was there anything else you needed us to know before we get started?"

"Nope that's about it. I will show you to the front now, I know these doors get confusing, hah!"

He stands up and leads us back out the front of the building. His wife is standing near the entrance, smiling gratefully at us as we leave. "If you just follow the wreckage left by the hodras, it should be easy to find their base. Thank you all so much for your help! I will be here if you need me."

With that, he shut the door. We stand there for a moment trying to comprehend what just occurred. They had been in such a hurry to get us out and working, it left us baffled. And what was with the fucking doors, honestly?

"Okay, those people were strange." Evergreen spoke, breaking the spell. We all nod in agreement, having thought the same thing. "But I guess he told us everything we needed to know."

"Yeah, this seems simple enough." I respond "Hodras aren't smart, we just have to track them down and subdue them. Although, with the reward so high I'm sure it must be a large pack."

"Nothing we can't handle, right babies?" Bickslow says, his totems agreeing cheerfully.

"Let's hurry up and get this over with." Laxus says, face scrunched up as he smells the air "These hodras leave a nasty scent trail that will be easy to follow. When we get close, we can split up and surround them. Freed, I want you to write some runes to keep them contained and then we all attack, sound good?"

We agree, and set off in the direction Laxus said the scent was leading to. The further we walked through the village, the worse the damage got. Many houses had been trampled, and the fields were practically barren dirt. I felt bad for the poor people whose lives had been so badly affected by the hodras.

After a few minutes, the farm fields end and we continue into the forest. Laxus leads us around in circles for a little, having trouble pinpointing the exact direction. He said their smell was completely overwhelming his senses, so we give up trying to track them that way. Instead, we begin following their tracks. Their path of destruction led us deeper and deeper through the trees. Eventually we come across a large opening that was clearly the hodras's nest. The beasts were not here however, and Laxus held his hand up, motioning for us to stay silent. He stands still, listening for them intently.

"They're coming."

Not even a minute after he spoke, we heard loud squealing and thunderous footsteps. Everyone tensed up, not sure where they would be coming from. The noise reverberated through the small space and made it impossible to pinpoint the direction they would be coming from.

"Look out!" Bickslow shouted suddenly, and we all dove out of the way just in time when the herd came running out of the forest behind us. They went barreling past us and I stood up from where I had fallen, covered in thorns.

"Of course I'd land in a freaking thorn bush!" I winced, trying to brush them off before turning back to the problem at hand. The hodras trampled everything in their path, their massive size causing so much destruction.

"Freed, keep them from getting away!" Laxus shouted, facing the beasts with lightning sparking off his body. "Everyone be ready to fight this time!"

Freed quickly set up a rune trap to keep them in a condensed area, and the sound was deafening as the herd of hodras came darting towards us again. We all got into our stances, prepared to attack.

"Fairy Bomb-Gremlin!" Evergreen moved first, throwing her dust at the hodras and causing a huge explosion. They split off, running in different directions as they cried out in anger.

"Everybody pick one!"

There's six total, and I run over to where two of them are headed. "I've got these guys."

"Hey, why do you get two?" Bickslow pouts. He's barely paying attention and nearly gets trampled by a hodra. He jumps out of the way at the last second, narrowly avoiding it.

"Shut up and focus!" Laxus warns as he sends a lightning attack directly at a particularly large hodra.

"Yeah Bicks, worry about taking out your own before you worry about anything else!" I tease as I begin attacking.

I start by quickly summoning an ice storm. The ground freezes and causes one hodra to slip, while the ice hits the other one dead on. The beast falls, taking out several trees as it slides to a stop. The remaining hodra squeals loudly in frustration as it tries to catch its balance. I glance over and see Freed using his Dark Écriture destruction spell to attack his chosen target as Bickslow's babies shoot large beams at another hodra. The creatures are running wildly within the rune trap, trying to force their way out.

"Damn these things are annoying." Laxus curses, gritting his teeth as the sound irritates his sensitive dragon hearing.

He uses his lightning dragon roar and easily takes out his hodra as I summon a dust storm to tear up my remaining target. The beast stops running, momentarily blinded by the sand and dirt swirling around it. It gives me the perfect opportunity to land the finishing blow.

"Let's hurry up and finish this so we can get our reward!" Evergreen says.

I nod in agreement, shouting out my final spell "Storm Magic; Hail!"

Large chunks of ice hit the hodra from above, finally defeating it. I catch my breath as the Thunder Legion finishes taking out the remaining hodras.

"Fuck, I hope I never have to deal with these things again."

"I think we can all agree to that." Evergreen sighs as she walks over to join me "I forgot how bad they were."

"At least you don't have to smell them like I do." Laxus grumbles, a slightly green tint to his face.

"Let's go turn in to Goren." Freed says, straightening his hair. I giggle as I watch him fret over his appearance.

"You're hair is as magnificent as always Freed, don't worry." I tell him, and he scowls at my teasing.

We all start walking back to the committee headquarters, eager to finish and get our reward. Evergreen babbles excitedly about all the stuff she's going to buy with the money nearly the whole way back. Everyone kind of just blocks her out, and we're quiet as we make our way to the convention center. The whole group of farmers is there to greet us when we finally return just a little while before sundown. Their families have joined them, the young kids beaming excitedly. Goren stands at the front of the group, shaking our hands vigorously when we reach him.

"Thank you all so much!" Goren says. His wife stands beside him, holding a young boy in her arms and smiling sweetly at us. "We can finally go back to farming our lands in piece."

"It was our pleasure!" I said earnestly "Fairy Tail is always here to help."

"If we ever need you again, we'll be sure to contact your guild right away." Elizabeth says, hugging each of us as her child hides his face against her shoulder.

The entire village takes turns thanking us, and it feels great to have made a difference in these people's lives. This was one of my favorite things about being a mage. As long as you did the job right, small towns like this were always so grateful and caring. It made all the shitty jobs worth it.

I watch how the Thunder Legion reacts stiffly to the praise, being that they were all such awkward outcasts. They were still getting used to stuff like this, even though they'd been mages for so long. I supposed back when they were causing trouble for the guild, they didn't get much praise. The group could be incredibly intimidating when they chose to be.

We collect our reward after a bit of socializing and head straight back to the cabins. The sun was almost completely set we get back, and we all spend the rest of the night relaxing. We'd have plenty of time some other day to go shopping. I was way too worn out for any of that shit.

A/N: Alright, this is the biggest chapter so far and quite a bit happened. Sorry for any errors, I try to get all of them but some slip through

I hope you guys are enjoying this story as much as I enjoy writing it! :) We're almost to the Grand Magic Games!