Fairy Tail: Morning…

As Erza was finishing her breakfast, Law was looking over the request board. "Those jobs from the stack were good to us, but we won't get far with them. Preferably, the next one takes us out of Magnolia." He plucked one that got his attention "Hm, this one seems good.

120,000 Jewels, but it says here the client wants three Wizards. Erza and I make two, but who should I get to accompany us?" Law surveyed the guild before ultimately settling on Gray. "He should do if what I've heard is correct."

Law didn't doubt the strength of the older Wizards, but he felt synergy would be strongest, this early on, with someone around their age. That narrowed things down to Laxus, Cana, or Gray. Realistically, Laxus seemed a bit uncooperative.

That only left Cana and Gray. Between the two, it seemed the consensus was that Gray's magic suited combat-oriented requests. While the request didn't give away too much, it did ask for those capable in combat.

So, Law approached the Wizard's table. "Excuse me, Gray…right?"

"Yeah." The boy replied.

"Would you like to accompany my sister and I on a job?" Law asked, presenting the request.

"This one?" Gray looked it over before grinning. "Sure, I'll come. When do we leave?"

"As soon as Erza is finished with her breakfast." Law answered as he took a seat across from him. "She should be done shortly. In the meantime, you could tell me about your magic."

"I use Ice Make." Gray slammed his right fist into his left palm, the air around it became cold as he produced a snowflake made of ice. "I can create things made of ice."

"That's pretty cool." Law nodded. "Can you only make objects?"

"Every Maker Mage has their own style, that's what my master always used to say." At the mention of his master, Law noted how the guy frowned. "Yeah, I can only make non-living objects. What about you? What's your magic?"

"Duel Monster Magic." Law had his DiaDhank unfold. "With this, I can initiate a duel with someone who shares my magic. Against them and/or the rest, I can utilize the power of the cards for a myriad of combat applications."

"That's cool too." Gray nodded. "What about your sister? What's her magic?"

"So far, she's been able to levitate objects." Law responded. "Though, I highly doubt that's going to be where she ends it."

"What are you guys talking about?" Erza asked as she joined them.

"I was just getting to know the third person we need for this job I found." Law spotted Makarov. "Speaking of…" He waved the man over. "Master!"

Makarov came over. "Can I do something for you, my boy?"

"I would like to take this job with Erza and Gray." Law stated, presenting the request.

Makarov thought about it for a moment. 120,000 jewels wasn't too crazy a reward to shoot for, especially with three people going. Though Makarov hadn't seen the capabilities of Erza and Law at this point, he's heard enough on how the latter commanded his monsters.

"Alright, you three are approved." Makarov declared.

Law and Gray stood with the former nodding. "Alright, let's go you two."

"Right!" Erza declared.

Gray grinned. "Just don't slow me down."

Carriage

Law booked a carriage to carry them where they'd meet the client. As they moved along the road, Erza looked through the window and enjoyed the view of nature.

"So, how will we split the reward?" Gray asked.

"Since Erza and I live together, we'll divide the reward in halve." Law informed. "Should we complete this, you'll get 60,000."

"Sounds good." Gray declared, not about to argue against getting more money than he thought.

Road

Eventually, the carriage stopped, and the driver informed them they'd arrived. The group exited the carriage, which took off after, and the group proceeded to take the path off the main road.

"So, all we got to do is deal with some monster that's taken up residency within some old home?" Gray questioned.

"Given some of the listed factors, it's likely we're dealing with a duel monster." Law held up fingers as he explained his reasoning. "Vehemently defends the home, and a noticeable golden aura appears around it on occasion."

"Does that mean we're dealing with a Duel Monster Summoner, like you?" Erza asked.

"Unlikely." Law stated. "This monster is the only one that ever comes out, so I'd wager this monster was summoned by the owner before his death."

"How do you figure that?" Gray asked.

"When the owner of the card passes, at a time they're summoned, they usually shatter as though having been defeated." Law informed. "If the monster and owner had a firm enough connection, the monster can continue doing what their master wanted."

"Ah, he's protecting the home." Erza realized.

"Does the monster just persist forever without intervention?" Gray asked.

"If this is a duel monster, in this case, it'd have ended up absorbing the summoner's magic to sustain itself." Law informed. "To my knowledge, no duel monster is able to retore that magic, so it'd eventually shatter like it should have. Of course, this is just speculation. Even if I'm right, some people aren't willing to wait, so that's simply our gain."

Later…

Eventually, the trio reached a rather nice-looking group of tents with a few servants going about their work.

A man wearing a tan traveling cloak emerged from the larger tent to greet them. "I assume you are the Wizards from Fairy Tail."

Law showed his stamp. "We are."

"My name is Reginald." The man informed. "As you saw from my request, a monster has taken up residency within a home I recently acquired." The man informed. "I would like you to get rid of it."

"Well, I'm Law Pharos, she's Erza Scarlet, and that's Gray Fullbuster." Law nodded. "We shall see to your request."

"Excellent." Reginald smiled relieved. "This path to my left leads to the wall around the courtyard of the property. No matter where you intend to set foot on said property, the monster will know. Be cautious for it is a quick one."

Estate: Later…

Situated behind a brick wall, there was a rather spacious courtyard which led up to a nice three-story home. The trio of Wizards walked around the wall and up to an open, black iron gate which led into said courtyard. It was wide open, yet there were signs of damage.

Nothing major to the point you'd think a battle happened here, but it was evident something had attacked here. Right now, things were peaceful, and there was nary a sound. In a way, that was a problem since no sounds meant all wildlife avoided it.

As they stared into the courtyard, Gray looked at Law. "Now what?"

"Given we were warned about the monster's speed, we should rush into the courtyard and fan out to avoid being clustered." Law reasoned. "Additionally, we'll need to be ready to react accordingly to whatever comes out of that building.

Given the state of the building is perfectly fine, but those doors are wide open, I imagine that's where this monster will come from. Just in case, keep your wits about you since we don't know a lot about its capabilities."

"Right/Got it." Gray/Erza stated.

They then executed on it by rushing into the courtyard. Almost immediately, a roar rang out from within the building. The Wizards fanned out across the courtyard as something ran out of the house. It was a bipedal fossil with glowing yellow eyes and a trident embedded in its left arm.

The monster roared before charging Law, he was directly ahead of it, but Erza moved in to intercept with her blade. Considering this monster could move quickly, it wasn't about to be taken off guard like that and ended up locking its trident with her sword.

"What's the plan now?" Gray asked, not wanting to inadvertently hurt Erza.

Said red head was currently managing to stave off the monster; however, its speed prevented her from taking decisive command of their encounter. Still, she was managing to hold its attention.

"If it's a duel monster, we either need to overcome it with multiple weaker blows, or one blow powerful enough to best it." Law had two cards slot out of his deck. "Think you can manage to entrap that monster on my command?"

"I can, though I'm not sure what I create can hold him long." Gray responded.

"That's fine, I just need a few moments for a clean hit." Law voiced.

Gray nodded at that before rushing past the monster, who turned his gaze towards him, but Erza pressed the attack. Despite not knowing what they were cooking up, she trusted Law to have planned something. As such, she would continue to hold this monster as long as possible.

"I summon Dark Magician!" The purple robbed spellcaster appeared. "Erza, get out of the way!" Erza disengaged and lept back. "Gray, do it not but get away immediately after!"

Gray rushed at the monster's back while initiating his magic, seeing the monster to him. "Ice Make: Cage!"

Just as the monster attempted to attack, Gray lept above him and formed a cage made of ice.

"I now activate Thousand Knives!" Law called out.

By this point, Gray had landed, only to immediately rush off as Dark Magician waved his staff to fire a barrage of knives. While the monster had smashed through the ice, this left it wide open to the barrage. The knives sliced clean through and shattered him, like a duel monster.

Law then approached where the monster had been destroyed. If the one who summoned them were alive, the card would have gone to their graveyard. In a case such as this, wherever a duel monster shatters, that's where you'll find their card.

"Fossil Warrior Skull Bone." Law noted.

"So, it was a duel monster." Erza voiced, as she and Gray joined him.

"Well, that's good." Gray noted. "Means you got yourself a new monster."

"Not quite." Law turned to them. "I'll keep it brief. This card has a purple border, so it requires a fusion spell as well as most often needing specific materials to be summoned. My deck does not have the capabilities to summon this.

Though, depending on the card, they can fetch a pretty jewel. They can also be used to trade with others who utilize this magic, and some shops will do that as well. Regardless, what happens with this card depends on the client now."

"If he lets you keep it, it's yours." Gray shrugged. "Sounds like you still have more use for it than either of us would."

"Agreed." Erza voiced.

Law couldn't deny a desire to keep this card, whether it be to trade or even just get some extra jewels for more cards, but he meant what he said about running it by the owner. "I'll keep that in mind. For now, we must report to the client."

Camp: Later…

They headed back to Reginald's camp where the people gathered to hear what happened. Given their expressions, it was clear they were pleased.

"Thank you for your work." Reginald nodded. "Here's your reward." He passed over the money. "As for that card, take it. Far as I'm concerned, the further that monster is from my property, the better."

"Thank you." Law stated, satisfied to lay claim to such a monster.

He wasn't certain what a card like this could fetch, but he'd at least make certain it went somewhere it could find another master.

"Bye!" Erza called out as she followed Law and Gray down the initial path they'd utilized.

As they were walking, Law divided the money and gave Gray his share. "Here's your cut."

"Thanks." Gray stated happily.

Over Months…

After the success of their first job together, Law, Erza, and Gray ended up taking on more together. Soon enough, they formed a sort of team. That's not to say they took every request as one. Still, the three of them were racking up a good record.

Whenever they weren't taking requests outside of Magnolia or spending time at the guild, it wasn't uncommon to see at minimum Law and Erza continuing to take on Magnolia requests. For Law, it was along the lines of what he'd done back on Pharos Island.

You tended to pitch in wherever you were needed. While the pay wasn't anything to brag about, one could certainly rack up a tidy sum. Though, it's not like they weren't making good money on the requests that saw them leaving Magnolia.

As for Erza, she enjoyed the requests enough and liked doing the work with her brother. While Gray didn't always come with them, which was understandable to Law, he occasionally came out on these jobs as well. All said, Law and Erza truly felt like Guild Wizards now.

Fairy Tail: Day…

Law was once again at the Request Board when the master approached. "Looking for your team's next job, Law?"

"Yeah, seems Erza and Gray have come to count on me picking them." Law shrugged. "Not that I particularly mind."

"Well, I've just recently gotten a personal request from Reginald for your services again." Makarov pointed out as he produced a new flyer.

Law took the flyer and looked it over. "Looks like what they can only confirm as a creature has been terrorizing a vineyard he had installed near that home of his. Another 120,000 to come deal with it."

"I have a special request." Makarov voiced, drawing his attention. "I'd like for you to head out alone and see about handling this."

Law was a tad stunned to hear that while those words ended up drawing the attention of Gray and Erza, resulting in the pair joining them.

"What's this about sending Law off on his own?" Erza asked.

That's not to say Law and Erza haven't taken separate jobs before, but this would be the first time either of them did as such outside the city.

"I have my reasons for wanting Law to try and tackle this request alone." Makarov stated. "If he can handle it alone, great. If it is too much, return to your client and inform him to evacuate the area. Then, return here to retrieve your team and handle it."

"I'll do it." Law agreed.

"Are you sure?" Erza asked, a tad concerned.

She knew full well Law could take care of himself, but this request, despite coming from a client they knew, still carried some unknown aspects.

"Yeah, I got this." Law nodded. "Worse comes to worse, I'll do as the master says and retreat to come get you two."

"Alright." Erza sighed. "Just be careful."

"Of course." Law stated before heading to the door.

Reginald's Estate: Later…

Law had taken the carriage to the gate of the wall around Reginald's estate. He got out before proceeding through it. Since he was last here with Erza and Gray, it appeared as though Reginald had the landscape repaired.

Said man was waiting for him. "Ah, I'm relieved you've shown up, but I had assumed you'd all be coming."

"Master wanted me to see about handling this one alone." Law returned. "If I can't, you'll need to evacuate the premises while I return to the guild to get them. That said, we've been on our fair share of requests since then."

"Then, I'll leave this creature destroying my vineyard to you." Reginald stated. "Follow me behind the house. We've created a path to it from there."

"Is there anything you can tell me about this creature that wasn't included in your request?" Law asked, as he followed.

"We sent that in before fully questioning my people." Reginald admitted. "Now, I can tell you that it's a Vulcan from the nearby East Forest."

"Vulcans have the capacity to utilize a form of Takeover Magic on us humans." Law voiced. "Can you tell me, with certainty, that everyone who works for you has been accounted for?"

"Oh dear, I hadn't realized, but I can confirm my people are accounted for." Reginald informed as they reached a walled path that stretched on a bit. "If that's all you need, this path will take you to the vineyard."

"Right, I'll see what I can do." Law stated.

Vineyard

He walked down the walled path and eventually reached the vineyard. The vines and wooden poles the grape vines hung from were smashed.

"Looks like this Vulcan is trying to stamp…" Law began before his eyes suddenly widened.

He turned towards an undisturbed section of poles and grape vines as he noticed the hulking shadow of a Vulcan. That was all he could do before the thing's large hand swatted him away. Law hit the ground before moving to rise to his feet.

The Vulcan emerged onto the path, pounding his large fists together. He was green with pink hearts in his fur. His upper half was far larger than his bottom half, and he seemed pleased with himself.

He laughed. "You noticed me, but you were just as easy to beat."

"We'll see how that holds up when you got to deal with this." Law's three zones appeared as a card ejected from his deck, and the Vulcan rushed him. "I Summon Jack's Knight!"

The blue armored warrior with long blond hair appeared, to the shock of the Vulcan. The duel monster capitalized by slamming full forced into the Vulcan's less developed legs to get him off his feet.

With the Vulcan off his feet, the knight slashed his blades with all his might to send the beast flying. As said beast crashed to the ground, Law retrieved another card from his deck and was ready to use it as the beast picked himself up.

"Er, you are making me mad!" The Vulcan shouted.

"If Jack's Knight is getting to you, you're not about to like what I got for you next." Law called out before the beast jumped. "I summon Summoned Skull!"

A skeletal monster appeared before Law, discharging purple lightning. The Vulcan's eyes widened before he was blasted by the lightning square in the chest. Despite being able to utilize magic, Vulcan's certainly weren't as durable as any Wizard worth their salt.

Said Vulcan was just sent flying clear out of the vineyard. Either that beast was done for, or it wouldn't be coming back. If it did come back, Law would return, free of charge, and truly finish the job.

Reginald's Estate

Law returned to the estate where he informed Reginald of the encounter, and what he should do if the Vulcan returned, which was enough to satisfy the man. "Thank you, once again." He gladly paid. "This tells me if I have any further requests, I should always send them Fairy Tail's way."

"We'll appreciate the work." Law smiled, shaking the man's hand.

Fairy Tail: Days Later…

After returning to the guild and informing the master of his success, Makarov told him he'd understand the reason behind his intervention soon. Law would have questioned it, but the master seemed proud of him. As such, he decided to be patient.

That meant leaving Gray and Erza unsatisfied, but that didn't prevent any of them from getting back to their usual routine. Then, one day after returning from a mission, the trio entered the guild to find everyone picking as many jobs as possible.

"What's going on?" Erza questioned.

Gray knew what this was from last year. "I can't believe I forgot!"

"What?" Law questioned.

"The S-Class Promotion Trail!" Gray replied with excitement before pointing to the second floor. "Up there are the S-class jobs, only S-class mages are allowed up there. Every year, the master chooses guild members for the trial. Sometimes someone wins and sometimes no one wins."

"Does the guild have any S-class mages presently?" Law asked, unable to recall hearing anyone holding such a rank.

"Right now, all the guild has is Gildarts Clive." Gray responded.

Suddenly Makarov lept up to the second floor, coughing to gain everyone's attention, and ended up spotting the trio. "Hey Law!" He smiled. "You're just in time to see what my intervention was about."

Gray and Erza looked at Law, who was stunned. "Wait, was that some sort of test?"

The master did not elaborate as he switched to a serious expression. "I will now announce the candidates for this year's S-Class Promotion Trail!"

Everyone quieted down in anticipation.

"Laxus Dreyar!" Makarov announced.

"About time." Laxus stated.

"Macao Conbolt!" Makarov announced.

"Me?" Macao questioned with a surprised expression.

"Cana Alberona!" Makarov announced.

"Finally." Cana said with a smile.

"No fair!" Gray whined. "Is it because she's been here longer than me!?"

"And finally…." Makarov paused, making everyone lean forward in anticipation. "Law Pharos!"

"It wasn't even because I've been here for less time than Cana." Gray lamented, though a part of him was happy for the guy.

"Way to go, brother!" Erza cheered.

The rest of the guild was split.

"He hasn't even been here for a year!"

"How do you know he's ready!?"

"Short as his time here may have been, Law Pharos has done exceedingly well." Makarov stated. "Gray and Erza have vouched for his skills by the way they talk of him, but what tipped the odds in his favor was the fact I learned he could complete a request outside the city solo."

"So, that was his way of testing me for this!" Law realized fully.

"I'm confident he's S-class material, so stop your whining!" Everyone went quiet as they accepted the master's judgment. "Now, this year's trial will take place on our guild's sacred ground, Tenrou Island. There will be two trials, from which only one may emerge.

Once we have that one, they shall engage in a final trial where I shall determine if they are truly fit for the rank. Now, all those taking this trial are to meet me in Hargeon tomorrow. We will then head out to Tenrou island."

He leaped down and was met by Erza. "Master, can I come with you to watch the trails?"

She gave a pleading look that the master couldn't ignore. "Well, I don't see the harm." He smiled. "You can spectate the trails with me."

"Can I come too?" Gray asked.

"Just don't interfere with the candidates, okay?" Makarov asked with a stern expression.

"Understood." Gray replied.


kuroshiragami0: Thank you.