After completing her first job, Mary was hoping her next job would be something more enjoyable. She looked over the jobs, but nothing really appealed to her.

"Man, wizard jobs are so diverse and varied." Mary said. "It's a little hard to believe a few of these. Well, nothing catches my eye." Mary just simply ignored it and just had a seat at a table. "Boy, being a full-time guild wizard is far different than I thought. I didn't think they could get work like that."

"It's not so bad. It can be rather fun." Yukina said as she stood with her. "Some jobs are harder than others, but it can be worth it."

"That's what Maru says. It's Yukina, right?" Mary asked.

"That's me." Yukina said. "How are things going with you and the guild so far? You like it?"

"I don't know." Mary said. "I joined to make some money, but it hasn't really been all that."

"Maybe it's just going to take some getting used to all of it." Yukina said. "I was pretty anxious and unsure when I first joined myself. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it."

"I'm surprised you're in a good mood. Unlike those two." Mary said as she looked over to Gin and Maru. The two of them just sat where they were and seemed a little anxious.

"They're just waiting for Aster to get here." Yukina said. "I'm a bit anxious myself if Aster needs our help with something."

"Is this Aster really as good as they say he is?" Mary asked.

"Not only is he strong, but Aster and those two have been good friends for years since all three of them became part of the guild." Yukina said. "Aster was also rather nice to me when I first came, and made me feel like I was part of their little group. We've all been friends since then. That might be why he's asking for our help."

"You girls talking about Aster?" J asked as he threw in his two cents. "He is rather tough. Some people call him the Phoenix Gem."

"The Phoenix Gem? What's that about?" Mary questioned. She didn't get her answer because when J looked at her, he grew rather silent. "What? What's with the look?"

"It's nothing" J said. He just turned away and left them.

"Weirdo." Mary said. Everyone else was just chilling at the guild until the guild doors opened up and someone came walking in.

"He's here!" Yukina said. All of them took notice of Aster entering the guildhall. When he came in, Maru and Gin stood up and faced him.

"Hey, Aster. You're back." Maru said.

"That's right. Gin, Maru, I'm glad to see you're both here." Aster said. "Is Yukina here?"

"Right here, Aster." Yukina said as she made herself known.

"That's Aster?" Mary questioned because he seemed like a regular person.

"Good. I'm glad to see you're all here." Aster said. "Where is Master Velvet? I need to speak to him first."

"I'm afraid he isn't here." Yukina said. "He left for a conference of the guild masters early this morning."

"I see. I was hoping to talk to him first, but this can't exactly wait." Aster said. "How soon can you all get ready to go?"

"We're practically already set. When we heard you might need our help, we all got ourselves ready." Maru claimed.

"What's going on?" Gin questioned.

"There's a bit of a situation that needs to he taken care of at once, and I might need your help." Aster said.

"Something even you can't handle?" Gin said. They didn't like the sound of that.

"I think so. Gather whatever you need and meet me at the train station." Aster said. "We're heading for Wolfbane." Whatever is going on must be something of great importance.

...

Master Velvet

Meanwhile, Master Velvet was out of town. He was attending an annual meeting for fellow guild masters to gather together for them to speak of the latest developments of the guild and how they have affected the magical world.

"So, I've heard your little guild has been busy, Velvet."

"I suppose we have." Velvet said. "We've been doing rather well, but I think we still have a long way to go."

"What's your secret? How do guilds like yours, Blue Pegasus, and Mermaid Heel make themselves so well known?"

"I don't know what to tell you. We're just doing what all guilds do around here." Velvet said.

"Don't be so modest, Velvet. I too have heard good things about your guild. You've been making a lot of progress and you should be most proud of your children. After all, the reason your guild has been doing well lately is because of the bond you all share. That's the reason other guilds have done so well." Velvet met with another master. The ones he was speaking to were just average masters, but the one he was talking to was rather famous around these parts.

"Master Makarov!" Velvet said as he felt honored to meet this old man for he is the master of a certain guild. The guild that is considered to be the best in all of Fiore. "How nice to see you once again." He said as he walked over to him. "It's been quite a while since we last saw each other, and I'm amazed you're still doing so well."

"What do you mean by that?! This old man still has some pep in his step!" Makarov said.

"In your step? You can't move around so well on your own anymore! You need a wheelchair to help get around!" Velvet argued. Despite that, the two of them sat together and talked about things. "So, how's your guild been doing? Still causing trouble?"

"I wouldn't say that." Makarov said.

"I do greatly admire your guild, Makarov." Velvet said. "Though compared to yours, I must say we still have a long way to go if we're ever going to reach your level."

"Don't be discouraged." Makarov said. "After all, your guild stands for taking on challenges. Though, let me ask you something. You are getting up in the years, Velvet. Take it from me and retire while you think you still have some youth."

"You're one to talk. You're about twice my age, and yet you're still at it." Velvet said.

"That's because my brats won't let me retire! Every time I try, they reinstate me as master!" Makarov claimed. "They've already done it twice! I'm never going to be able to retire! That is why I'm saying you should while you still can!"

"Maybe they don't believe you need to retire if you still have this much enthusiasm." Velvet argued.

"Anyway, how are things in your guild?" Makarov asked.

"Rather well. We recently recruited a new member named Mary." Velvet said. "She uses a very rare type of magic, but she's not quite sure about the life of a guild wizard is really for her."

"As long as you show her what is like and make her feel welcomed in the guild, she will feel greatly loved and want to stay." Makarov claimed. "After all, you and I share similar beliefs on what a guild is like. That's also how your own has been doing well lately." That was certainly something Velvet greatly appreciated from Makarov. "But understand that the girls in your guild can't match the beauties in mine!"

"Where did that even come from, you dirty old man?" Velvet said.

...

The Train Station

"Oh man..." Mary complained. "How did I get wrapped into this?" She was at the train station and waited with the others at the train station.

"So why did you come?" Sandy questioned.

"I didn't want to. Remember?" Mary said as she pulled on Sandy's ear. "I was on my way home because this wasn't my problem, but you came out of nowhere and lifted me off the ground to bring me here! What were you thinking?!"

"It will be okay, Mary. It might be a good experience." Yukina claimed, but Mary had her doubts.

"Good. You're all here." Aster said. "Are you all good to go?"

"Sure am." Maru said.

"All set." Gin said. Aster was glad to hear that, but he noticed Mary.

"Hold on. Who are you?" Aster said.

"We didn't meet. My name is Mary and I'm new to Phoenix Flame."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was so focused on this mission that I didn't get the chance to introduce myself and meet you. I'm Aster. Anyway, we better head to Wolfbane."

"Isn't Wolfbane like the grand train station of the country?" Gin questioned.

"Yeah. They have cargo, metro, and other types of trains." Maru said. "Why are we heading there?"

"I'll explain on the way." Aster said. Whatever is going on must be serious. Once that was all settled, they all boarded a train and headed for Wolfbane.

"Why am I even here?" Mary complained. "How did I get dragged into this?"

"Come on. Don't you have a sense of adventure?" Sandy said.

"Shut it!" Mary said with annoyance. "Well, at least I'll be able to see what you've got Aster. Everyone I spoke to thought highly of you."

"Really? Well, I'll admit I might be a great wizard, but I wouldn't say I'm anything too special." Aster said.

"J told me you're called the Phoenix Gem." Mary said. "What's that about? What kind of magic do you use?"

"I have a feeling you'll see soon enough." Maru said.

"Yeah. Some think it's rather pretty." Sandy said.

"Pretty? I don't know about that." Aster said. "If we're talking about magic in that sense, I think Yukina's is rather pretty."

"Yukina's?" Mary questioned as she looked at Yukina with curiosity.

"Let me show you." Yukina said. She just held up her hand and blew against the palm. White flakes just flew off with her breath. "As my name might suggest, I use snow magic. It can be quite nice to have since we don't get a lot of snow back home." She claimed with Mary amazed.

"Okay, no more stalling." Gin said as he wanted to get down to business. "Aster, I think its time you tell us what the hell is going on."

"You're right." Aster said. "It started when I was on my way back after I finished a job. I stopped to grab something to eat when I overheard some people talking. They mentioned a name I recognized: Zareb the Quick."

"Never heard of him. Who is he?" Mary said.

"Zareb was a wizard that worked in a legal guild like we did, but Magic Council found out that he's been taking jobs under the table." Aster said. "I mean jobs the Magic Council outlawed, especially assasination."

"He's a killer?!" Mary said as they were all shocked to hear that.

"When they found out, Zareb was expelled from his guild, but they never caught him." Aster said. "To this day, he's still causing trouble."

"And you think he might be up to no good in Wolfbane?" Maru said.

"Yes. I didn't get all the details, but I know that much." Aster said. "That's why I asked for your help. I might be able to take him, but his magic could be a problem. He uses speed magic."

"I get it now." Maru said. "You need our help to make sure he doesn't escape because his speed magic could be a problem."

"That's right. His speed magic is probably what also helps with his killing." Aster said. "I don't know what he's after in Wolfbane, but he is a dangerous man. Something about this must be done." Now that they all know what they might be getting into, they could see how serious this really was.

"I can't believe I got mixed up in this." Mary said as she wasn't looking forward to this.

...

Wolfbane

The city of Wolfbane is quite a large city. It's mostly known for it's grand train station that allows trains of all kinds. Aster and the others soon arrived at the station and were now in Wolfbane.

"Okay. We're in Wolfbane, so now what?" Gin said.

"Let's keep our eyes open for anything. We don't know what Zareb is after." Aster said and started walking with the others following.

"I've got a few questions." Mary said with her dislike for this being known in her tone. "Do you even know what this Zareb even looks like? How are we suppose to find someone that is incredibly fast, not to mention we don't know what he's after? Also, how are we suppose to take on someone that kills people for a living?"

"Boy, she sure does complain a lot." Sandy said.

"We'll figure it all out, now keep your voice down. You never know who might be listening." Aster said, and he was right to do so. Normally, it would to prevent fear, but it was because someone that wanted to cause trouble was listening this time.

...

The Main Control Room

"And are you sure this is all correct?"

"Yes. I'm sure it is." An employee said as he was fearing for his life. The room where all the people that work at the station was attacked. All except one person was attacked by one man. It was a lean and tanned man with long black hair that framed his face and him wearing a white shirt with the edges of shirt all blue and lines connecting them together with him wearing green pants and black gloves. This was Zareb himself. He looked over what appeared to be a manifest.

"Good. It looks like what I'm after will be here after all." Zareb said as he sounded most pleased. Just then, a portal piece called a communication lacrima went off. "What is it?"

"Zareb, we might have a problem. It looks like a small team of wizards from some guild are here to get in the way."

"Really? They caught on to me already? Well, at least that makes things interesting." Zareb said as he seemed pleased that Phoenix Flame was here. "Let's go on and give them a nice welcome."

...

The Team

"This place really is the grand station of train stations. There are trains everywhere I see." Mary said.

"It's possible Zareb hasn't even arrived yet. Maybe we should..." Maru stopped talking when he saw something suspicious. He noticed a few people were eyeing them. "Guys, I think we might have trouble."

"I've noticed." Aster said. "It looks like Zareb isn't acting alone. Looks like he might have gotten some local thugs to help him out." Things weren't shaping to be anything good. That was when they heard the sound of glass smashing. All of a sudden, chaos was ensured. Some thugs were smashing up everything and were chasing innocent people and the train conductors away. Maru and the others remained where they were until they saw there were thugs everywhere.

"Did Zareb really recruit all these people to help him out?" Gin said.

"Whatever he's planning must be bigger than I thought if someone like him needs this kind of muscle." Aster said. Sounds like things are a lot worse than they expected.

"These little runts are the ones here to try and stop me?" All of them took a look and soon spotted Zareb himself standing up on a beam.

"It's him!" Aster said.

"I don't know what you little runts are doing here, but you made a big mistake to try and get in my way." Zareb threatened. Now that they're faced with a wizard that was forsaken by the magic order; what could he be after, and how can Maru and his friends stop him?