[IC] Fairy Tail : United we Stand

[Marc]

The warm afternoon sun shone down upon the carefree citizens of Magnolia, who were going about their busy schedules in preparation for the annual Harvest Festival that would be held throughout the town in a short months time. There was much to be done and the streets were alive with families and local businesses setting up stalls, preparing merchandise and products. Local farmers from all across the country had brought in their produce and livestock for competitions and even young children played there part by helping to create bright and colourful decorations to hang from buildings and swing off of rooftops. However nobody else was getting quite into the spirit of the festivities like the Fairy Tail Guild.

Or at least, that’s what the town of Magnolia had hoped.

Mary was practically pulling out her hair over this. The Harvest Festival was in less than a month and Fairy Tail was expected to pull off a sensational Fantasia Parade like they normally did. While around the guild, Mary didn’t find it fitting to wear her armour; and today she was dressed in a bright yellow sundress that stopped just above her knees, white sandals covering her feet. She twirled her long, blonde hair around her fingers, biting her bottom lip as she scanned the forms that needed to be filled out for the Fantasia Parade. In the corner of her eye she noticed Alicia walking over the Request Board to pin up several requests. Walking over to her, Mary let out a loud yawn before wrapped her arm around Alicia in a tight embrace.
“Alicia!” She dragged out her name in a tired groan, rubbing her forehead against the back of the woman’s head. “Alicia you need to ask Master Pollux to help organise the Fantasia Parade. These guys don’t listen to me and I can’t get started without his help.” Alicia began to pin up request after request, and when she was done she began to write up another sign as she talked to Mary.
“I’m sorry but Grandpa is not feeling very well and can’t come down from the infirmary.” Mary looked down at her feet, overwhelmed with the responsibility Pollux had placed upon her. Alicia, as if reading her mind, put her hand on her shoulder and spoke calmly.
“If Grandpa didn’t think you could do it, he would have assigned someone else. Don’t worry about it, you’ll be fine.” Alicia turned back to the board, pinning up a sign for the rest of the guild to see;

‘ALL REQUESTS ARE POSTPONED FOR AN HOUR UNTIL I CAN SORT THE FINAL DETAILS OUT. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE’

As quick as she came out, Alicia disappeared into the backroom of the guild. She just wasn’t a people person apparently. Mary scanned the jobs on the request board, and fairly soon other Fairy Tail Mages were beginning to accompany her. She could hear their annoyed groans.
“Damn, I really can’t afford to wait any longer for work.”
“Yeah, my rent was due two days ago. My landlord’s going to kill me.”
Mary ignored their voices and walked back behind the bar counter, continuing to stare at the forms that needed to be filled out by the end of the day.

---

The loud cheers of his fellow guild mates was but a distant distraction, an obstacle to be overcame. A test of wills and determination. The sun seared down on Riley’s bare skin, sweat drenching his torso and face. His hair stuck to his face in wet, messy clumps and his mouth hung open with each tired pant. The training area located out on the cliff behind the guild was rarely ever used by anyone. Fairy Tail Mages preferred the company of alcohol and friends; Riley only needed his blade. He held the katana in front of him, pointing up towards the sky. Bending his elbows back behind his shoulders, he tilted the blade forward to face one of the training dummies. He stepped forward on his right foot, stomping down on the earth while he made a quick jabbing motion with his sword. The dummy was still standing, but as soon as Riley went to sheathe his blade the wooden dummy fell apart into large chunks. He walked over to his shirt, using it to wipe his sweat away before putting it back on. It stunk, but he didn’t really care. He sat down on the ground and began breathing, Yukiko placed firmly in it’s sheathe and resting on his lap.

[Shifter_Master]

In the hour before dawn all was quiet in the guild, but that does not mean all was asleep. If anyone was awake Alex could be seen on one of the supporting rafters eating a ration bar as he stretched the grogginess out of his joints. Alex had always been an early riser, it helped that he only needed about six hours to feel fully rested, a skill he had learned during his time wandering.
"Note to self, rafters do not make comfortable beds" Alex grumbled as he grabbed his bag and quietly dropped down to the floor below. "Next time I choose to remind myself how to sleep in an odd place I'm going camping" he continued as he walked down to the main hall of the guild. Looking around he took note of the lack of other people in the area "And why do I have to be the only one who is at awake at this hour?" He whined before lightly shaking himself 'Geez' rafters are really not good beds' he mused while taking one last look at the guild hall before heading out to the guild training field 'Might as well get some training in.'

Time flowed by quietly for Alex as he went through his workout routine. Laps, both jogged and ran, crunches, one handed push-ups, equal reps for each arm, lunges, jumping jacks, wall sits using a tree, ending with a half hour shadow boxing session against himself. Then it was time for a rest and fifteen minuet bath in a nearby river, after that it was on to his magical workout/training. Quick requip through his daggers and swords slowly moving through a weapon drill or two to make sure they are still in good repair, then he requips he staff and moves through on more drill but doesn't put it away after. Sitting down he lays the staff in his lap, as he begins to take deep calming breaths, while reviewing the basics of raw magic. 'Raw magic is the pure energy of magic in an undiluted state' Breathe in 'That energy is constantly trying to change its self to reflect an element of nature' Breathe out 'One must be calm and determined to fight magic to keep its raw state' Breath in 'Gods I love doing this' A grin splits Alex's face as he slowly opens his eyes and stands, dismissing the staff as he does slowly he brings his hand together, one hand closed parallel to his chest, the other hand resting on top of it as if he is about to show respect to an opponent, one more breath he flips his hand so both of his palms are facing away from him "Force-Make: Piercing Ray!" Suddenly the air in front of him is filled with a thin stream of raw magic, looking like a white laser, flying away from Alex at an incredible speed before spearing itself through one of the target dummies that are dotted across the field. He holds his stance for a few moments longer willing the magic circle that comes with any spell cast to hold for as long as he can make it, it's not as taxing as holding on to raw magic but it is still like trying to hold on to the wind with your hands, so soon the circle vanishes.
"Alright I think it's time for lunch" he says after admiring the clean hole his spell punched through the dummy, Turning he starts his way back to the guild his mind working at way to improve his magic as well as what to eat.

[datadogie]

With the sun beating down on his back, James was already at the training area. He had decided to go there to hone his skills a little. A little practice doesn't hurt, does it? I have nothing better to do, anyways, James thought, walking up to one of the dummies, taking notice of someone sitting down, looking puffed out. He took a breath, then cloaked his hand in a small whirlwind, preparing an attack. He raised his hand, saying, "Sky dragon's crushing fang!" as he did so. He brung his hand down on the wooden dummy, cleaving a cut straight through the front of the dummy. Unsatisfied, James started up a second attack, but with this one he shouted, "Sky dragon's claw!" He jumped up, kicking his leg down onto the dummy. The winds generated from his foot knocked the dummy flat onto the ground, and James sat down onto the ground satisfied, panting as a little sweat came down from his forehead.

[KillamriX88]

Rurik sat in the main room of Fairy Tail, head down on a table, occasionally groaning to himself. He was exhausted. Lately he'd been feeling a tad self conscious, as he only really knew three spells. They were good, versatile spells to be sure, but he couldn't even use Talon magic. He had been trying to learn the most simple version of Talon magic, but he barely even knew where to start. That meant a lot of frustrating late nights filled with failure after failure. It also meant he was dangerously short on sleep.

He knew he was going to be stuck for a while, as he was basically the last practitioner of Predator magic, at least as far as he knew. There wasn't anyone left to teach him. Sure, he could probably have still found someone to help him, but he didn't want to trouble people with his problems, even if it was those same people who occasionally urged him to just ask for help. This was his magic anyway, he should be able to learn it on his own... though he hadn't had much luck so far. If he were to ask for help though, who would he ask, he wondered. Maybe Alex? He was older and seemed to know a lot, and from what Rurik could tell his Force Make had a slight similarity to Predator magic in that it didn't use elements. Rurik shook his head though, Predator magic had nuances vital to making it work right that even Alex probably didn't know. He wasn't being stubborn, there just wasn't anyone who could help him. Well, that's what he told himself until he actually started believing it.

He lifted his head when he heard some commotion, though that was hardly a rarity at Fairy Tail. Apparently it was some drama regarding the job board. He chuckled, watching them panic over the ability to not get paid. So reliant on money. Sure, Rurik had become used to using money after living in Magnolia for a few years, but he still made forays into the forests when he felt like catching his own food. He wasn't worried about going hungry, and he wasn't afraid to sleep outdoors. Though, he was curious what was wrong... but not curious enough to get up, and put his head back down with another groan.

"Why do I do this to myself...? Uuughhh..." So very tired.

[MysT3CH]

Having extended his strides, Verin had quickened his pace. Yet still, despite his best efforts, he was unable to keep the random array of twigs beneath him from snapping. Thus, a sudden crack periodically broke the silence of the forest around him. As he continued to march onward, bouncing slightly as he stepped off his toes, he listened. There was nothing. Not a chirp, nor a rustle. Even the ground which, in an area known to be as busy as these woods, was generally littered with the prints of inhabiting creatures, was barren save for the foliage and earth. As if the woods had suddenly become void of life all together.

Then he spotted it, a blur of bright green. Grinning inwardly, his eyes narrowed into slits as he peered passed the pillars of mahogany colored wood that made up the heavy tree trunks. As he focused, it sliced through even the green sea of leaves which shielded the forest from the golden rays of the morning sun. He leaned forward as he stepped up onto a fallen log, straining his eyes further as he fought to conquer the partial darkness of the woods with his sight, determined to confirm his original assumption. He smirked at what he saw. There, not two hundred meters before him, was the beast. It's prey trailing just off to it's side as it made it's way though the woods.

Verin no longer cared for precaution, as he was sure the creature would notice him in a matter of moments. He no longer felt the need to practice an abstinence of sound, as his heart now yearned for the rush of battle. Thus, as he leaned forward, his arms begun to swing in alternation. Locked into a ninety degree bend at the elbows. While he advanced, streams of sunlight that skillfully pierced the over growth above iluminated the white of his jacket. Creating a slight glare as the light bounced off of the jacket and back into his own sight. Due to Verin haven taken up a sprint, the force of his steps caused a low thud, as well as semi-frequent snaps as he darted off towards the creature before him. Determined to make it his foe.

Now just over a hundred meters away, he snapped his right hand over his shoulder to his back. His fingers moving in well trained unison as they unhooked the leather lock strap of his sheath, then closed into a fist around the swords handle. The sequence itself was executed with such speed, that from the front it would appear as if the young man had only grabbed at the weapon. As the he transitioned into another quick stride, his arm swung over his shoulder with his blade in hand. His fingers once again using well versed motions as they rotated the rather large sword around his palm and curled his fingers around it once more. Moving the twenty pound weapon into an reverse grip mid-step. After nearly a year of training, to Verin, it was all as simple as taking a breath.

A single word now fueled his state of equilibrium as he advanced towards his prey. Two small syllables, yet that was all he needed to tune in his focus. The simplest of thoughts, and here now it had become the source from which this young mage now derived his strength. The six letters of glory.

Attack.

And attack he did.

Kicking off of the ground with all his might, Verin entered into a forward lunge. His sword's silver blade aimed at the scaled back of the creatures neck. Unfortunately, he had become so focused on the attack, that he failed to noticed the absence of the creature's prey. As consequence, he soon found him self flat on his back. The wind literally knocked out of his lungs by the dead deer that had knocked him out of the air. Struggling to his feet, he soon found himself face to face with the terror itself. The Wyvern stared daggers into the his eyes, it's irises glowing with hot rage as they locked upon Verin's crimson eyes. Drawing nearer the creature then lifted it's head, slowly pushing it nearer to the young man's face. The flat side of Esclarin then slapped against the Wyvern's reptilian face, causing it to recoil in pain as it let out a deafening roar which seemed to shake the forest as a whole. Verin didn't hesitate.

Exhaling for the first time since being knocked to the ground, he quickly sprung back up to his feet. Sheathing his sword before bursting into a frantic sprint. Over his heavy breaths, he could hear the sounds of the breaking bark. Which when coupled with a vicious roar, was a sure sign that the angered creature had given chase. He must've been running for half an hour before he eventually decided catch his breath, thus stopped.

Drenched in his own sweat, Verin then began to quickly move through the woods once again. This time at a jog as he made his way back to town.

-=\ Ω /=-

Now under the warmth of the sun, Verin found himself sprinting throughout the town. His steps, though swift, were still heavy as he extended his strides and began running harder. Excited, he pumped his arms with purpose as he repeatedly maneuvered through and around the random townsfolk who got in his way. While none seemed overly upset at his behavior, many scolded at him as he flew past them at an impressive rate of speed.

It was only after he had jumped up as to hurdle a shop keeper's trolley, which the shop owner had been loading, that he nearly tripped. While he was able to maintain his balance, Verin could only brace as he momentarily collided with a nearby building. Taking the brunt of the impact with his shoulder so that, despite the pain, he could spin away from the obstruction and continue his sprint. After all, the news couldn't wait.

He would've ran right into him had he arrived only a second earlier. Alex that is, whom he nearly collided with as he shot though the guild's main doors. Causing them to slam against the walls almost as hard as he had against the ground, having finally tripped on his feet as he suddenly came to a halt. Gingerly, he picked himself up off the ground, rubbing his chin with a elongated "ow" as he stood. Clad in his regular white blazer jacket, which lay open as to reveal his naked chest and stomach. Verin could only smile as he shouted, much to his own embarrassment, what he had discovered just an hour before.

"It's true! There's a Wyvern in East Forest!!" His unusual display of enthusiasm made him appear laughably childish. So when many of the other mages started to snicker and smile, Verin couldn't hide from them the pinkish-red coloration of his sudden blush.

[Shifter_Master]

The warm sun, the cool breeze and the hustle and bustle of the of a town getting ready for a festival it was enough for anyone to get in to a good mood, and Alex is no exception. As he reached the town once again he slowed to allow himself to just marvel at the town. He had missed the the festival last year do to being out on a job, thus he was glad he was in town to be able to enjoy it this year, he had even mad sure to take a few high paying jobs in advance so he didn't have to worry about money for the foreseeable future.

As he walked through town he had to call or waved greetings to a fair amount of the town, his an old habit of keeping on good terms with his contacts from his wandering days spilling out of control, seeing as the whole town was a contact from his point of view. The fact that he was wearing only a tank top, his coat slung over his shoulder, made it hard to go unnoticed by a fair portion of the town anyway, but he wasn't complaining. When he finally reached the guild hall he was humming some random tune to himself, stepping through the door he heard before he saw the commotion over near the request board and it was his choice to go see what the commotion was all about that saved him from getting run over by Verin who came blasting through the doors the very second Alex had stepped free from them. Alex visibly winced when Verin ran face first in to the wall 'wonder what's got him in such a rush' Alex wondered to himself as he changed course to go talk to the younger mage, the request board commotion no longer seeming as interesting.

---

"It's true! There's a Wyvern in East Forest!!"

---

"Now, that is something" Alex said as he stepped out from the cover of the crowed guild hall, mulling the information over in his head. He had seen Wyverns before, fought them a time or two while wondering, but that was when he was younger. "I take it that's what had you hauling in here so quickly you needed the wall to help slow down" He continued jovially. Alex always enjoyed getting the more stoic or "cool" of his comrades to either blush or crack a smile, as long as it was when there wasn't any significant danger anyway. "Not that I blame ya' seen plenty a people do similar things on a first encounter with a Wyvern." He finished with a small smile. Inside he was running numbers, of a sort, trying to gauge the danger that Magnolia town faced. He figured they were safe for a while, as long as Verin hadn't done something to piss of the Wyvern and even then they had time before it would come looking for payback, they were smart creatures, unfortunately.

[KillamriX88]

Rurik lifted his head once more, though this time it more shot up and nearly popped off his shoulders. What had he just heard? A wyvern? Really? He stood up and dashed over to Verin, suddenly forgetting that he was tired. This could be exactly what he needed. His eyes were wide and his mouth was twitching into a grin. It was a little creepy really, he was way too excited.

"Did you say wyvern? You actually saw a wyvern? Nearby?" Rurik questioned him almost frantically. It was all he could do to contain himself and not just grab Verin and shake him until he said where he'd seen it. If he could just study this beast, it could help him develop his magic. A wyvern was most certainly a predator that could teach him something. Wyverns had talons right? Maybe he could even... but it was too soon to get that excited.

Would the guild be going after it, he wondered. If so, would they let him go? None of this meant anything if he didn't even get to see the beast. Even so, just the idea had him practically vibrating.

[RowsOfDeath]

Whistle blowing, steam pouring from the engine, the midday train pulls into Magnolia station, brakes causing it to screech to a stop. New passengers start to purchase tickets, as the doors open, and the previous passengers spill out onto the platform. Men in business suits head to buildings downtown, kids run to hug parents who pick them up after the school day, and several other passengers head to their respective destinations.

Aero steps off the train, and takes a deep breath, admiring the Magnolia air. He's just returned from a job in Clover Town, where the villagers were having a giant crab problem. He took the job, and sure enough, there were giant crabs there. Giant. Big as houses. He ended up having to freeze them all, and break them into tiny pieces. Not only did he fix their crab problem, he solved their food shortage as well, and as a gift he was given the Pisces Celestial Key, which he has no use for, but one of his guild mates might.

Aero is going casual today, which for him is a button up shirt, slacks, black shoes, and a sports coat. Most people would say he's overdressed to be casual, but hey, it's what he's comfortable in. He heads down towards the station, stopping to talk with a few people he knows. Not knows in the sense that he would go over to their house for dinner, but the kind of know where he knows their name, what they do, and can carry on conversation for a minute.

After leaving the station, Aero heads through the town, towards the guild. He stops at a few shops along the way to sell some items from his journey, and to get provisions for his next job. The further he gets into town, the more he notices the festivities strewn up around.

"Wow, I can't believe I've already forgotten about the Harvest Festival. Didn't we just have one of those last year?"

"Aero, you dork. You know that the harvest festival is every year, at exactly this time. I swear, if your head wasn't attached..."

Enter a tall woman, with skin as pale as ice, hair that matches, and lovely silver eyes. Those eyes are currently looking him over, taking in his appearance, and most of all, his clothes.

"When I left you in Clover Town you were in a full-on suit. Did you decide to go casual today?"

He smiles, and rolls his eyes at her. She's his sprite, named Elena. An ice sprite, she matches him perfectly, with both her powers and personality. She's literally his best friend, and his inseparable partner. Inseparable except when he needs something collected.

"Hello El, glad you made it to Iceberg and back alright. Did you get it?"

"Of course I did Aero. You asked me too, so I can't exactly not fetch it can i?"

Smiling playfully, she hands him a package, that's covered in frost and snow. He rips it open, and pulls out a pendant. Filled with NeverIce from the Iceberg Kingdom, it can never melt, and is extremely cold to the touch, though not to him. To him it feels like home.

[Rune_Alchemist]

Chloe had always been an early riser as far as she remembered, though that was probably more from habit. The travelling merchants that took her in when they found her always were up before dawn to pack up camp so they could get as much travel in their day as possible. Despite being just a kid, she was expected to help out then as well, either by helping to pack their stuff, or by helping with other things. So she was used to only a few hours of sleep, and spending the rest of her day just being active. Rather it being training or just hanging out with friends. She tended to get twitchy when she just sat around doing nothing. By the time Alex had woken up, and the others had gone through their routines, Chloe had already been through her routine, had breakfast, and showered. It would be a rather impressive feat if she had a strict training regime. Training wasn't really her style, but it helped keep her occupied until her fellow guildmates were up and about. It usually just consisted of a light jog and a few push ups.

She was sitting at the bar taking a large swig of some drink when she heard a commotion at the request board. Something about the requests being put on hold for a bit. "Oh, great, the requests are down. Now all I can do is sit here and drink. Such a shame." She chuckled loudly to herself. A few of the others around her seemed to share her sentiments and joined her in laughing by ordering a refill of drinks for them. Might as well enjoy herself before she got back to work, after all, all work and no play made someone either too stressed or an un-fun person. So she ordered herself another drink, and proceeded to chug it.

it was around this time that Verin came running into the guild, and ran face first into a wall. She couldn't help but wince a little as he did so, followed by a laugh at his enthusiasm at finding a Wyvern. Now that, was something she was interested in. Downing the last of her drink and practically jumping from her seat, she was at Verin's side in a flash.

"Hiya guys!" She cheerily greeted Alex, Verin, and Rurik. "What's this about a Wyvern?" she questioned. If anything, she just wanted in on this little venture because she was slightly bored, and she hadn't fought anything worth fighting in awhile. A wyvern might be a good challenge for a change.

[MysT3CH]

At his own fault, Verin barely had time to address Alex before Rurik appeared and began bombarding him with questions. Thus, he could only give the elder mage an exuberant nod before he turned his attention to the red head. Who seemed even more excited than Verin, as he nigh bounced on the spot. He had just parted his lips, and had even managed to utter "Yeah, it.." before Chloe seemed to meander over and cut him off.

As she spoke, inquiring about the Wyvern, just like everyone else, Verin nearly lost his train of thought. Letting his eyes yearningly fall over her frame, as they had innumerable times. Though he had never been sure how to approach her, Verin had always found Chloe to be beautiful. In fact, he thought she was incomparably so. Hence always found himself flustered in her presence. Currently, he was experiencing such an episode.

Having quickly redirected his gaze to meet her eyes, smirking slightly as they did. The young mage then endeavored to explain himself to the bunch once again. Albeit in a calmer manner.

"Yeah, I did. It was about half a mile down, west of the first fork on the trail. Took me a while to track it, thought it was a bear at first. I tried to attack it, but the damn thing's fast. Swatted me clean out of the air. Probably would've ate me if i hadn't introduced Esclarin to the side of its jaw..." He let his words trail off as he realized he'd probably angered the beast. But that didn't stop him from breaking a smile. Which broadened as he looked to Alex expectantly.

"That thing's trouble right? Let's hunt it! I mean come on, what'd be better for a feast than fried Wyvern meat?" As he firmly threw his fist against the open palm of his opposite hand, a brief black flame flickered from within his palm.

[Shifter_Master]

"I tried to attack it"

---

Those five measly words struck Alex like a slap to the face, knocking him out of his train of thought on how younger men needed to have more confidence in themselves. "You attacked it..." He said quietly as he ran a hand down his face before resting his chin in his palm his eyes closed as he started to think, trespassing on the territory would go unpunished considering Verin ran, prey can always come back, but an attack that would be met with a retaliatory attack. 'This isn't good' me thought calmly, an angered Wyvern getting in to The town was a disaster just waiting to happen.

"We need to deal with this quickly" Alex said after a moment of silence reopening his eyes as he did so, "And since you seem eager to get another shot at it, your part of the hunting group, but your not going to be able to deal with just by yourself, too risky." He explained as he took a step back turning a more critical eye on the other two mages that felt like learning more about the Wyvern spotting mentally reviewing what he knew about them "You two seem interested in this Wyvern as well, so how would you like to help Verin here clean up his mess and see if you three can get it to abandon this place as a hunting ground?" He asked folding his arms across his chest as he did so. Alex was confident enough that he could take the Wyvern out alone if he needed to, but why waste a perfectly good opportunity to help out some of the younger mages get some experiance while also teaching them to be more careful around Wyverns in the future.

[RowsOfDeath]

He sighs as the pendant touches his skin, and the cold flows throughout his body. Aero uses NeverIce to aid in his power, strengthening the ice that he forms. While normally good with ice, the pendant makes him excellent.

"I hope you know how long it took me to find that. I had to head up all the way to Glacier just to find someone willing to sell me a container that could hold it." As she says that, she playfully punches him on the shoulder, grinning.

"Well thank you, Elena. Good news is, with this pendant, it won't run out this time. You won't have to go get anymore... Speaking of getting more, maybe we should head up to the guild. They're bound to have more jobs."

"They do, but last time I was there, the board was still being updated. They may have fixed it by now, though."

Together, they head up to the guild, laughing and talking to various street vendors and villagers. As they get closer to the Guild, Aero pulls out the Pisces Key. I wonder who I'm going to give this to... I guess we'll see.
They reach the guild a few minutes later, and stop at the door. Aero makes sure all his stuff is safe from pickpocketing, and Elena does the same.

"Wonder if anything's changed in the week that I've been gone... They always change things so fast on me.."

"Only one way to find out Aero."

"You're right..." He straightens his sports jacket, and they head in.

[Rune_Alchemist]

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately for Verin, she obviously didn't notice his stares. She was completely oblivious to things like that. In fact, she didn't really know the guy all that well at all. As far as she was concerned he was just another guild member. She knew his name and his magic, and that was about it.

"Hah! You worry too much Alex. If that overgrown lizard comes anywhere near the town I'll rip its wings off and beat him to death with them!"She chuckled enthusiastically, giving Alex a friendly pat on the back. She would likely do it as well, or at least try to. The most she would accomplish is probably breaking its wings, but that wouldn't stop her from trying. "But if we're gonna go hunting it, I'm all for it. I need a bit of excitement right now," She grinned. "And this Wyverns sounds like a good warm up!"

Despite her seemingly relaxed nature, She knew a Wyvern could possibly mean big trouble. She didn't sweat the big details though, worrying about something like that was just asking to get our ass kicked. At least, that was her reasoning. Being all tense and worried about something during a fight wasn't the way to do it. You needed to stay relaxed and focused, otherwise you and possibly someone else is going to get hurt.

"So lets get going then! This Wyvern isn't gonna kill itself!" She cracked her knuckles confidently.

[KillamriX88]

Alex almost immediately asked Rurik to accompany Verin. He'd also asked Chloe, but the important part was that he'd get to see the Wyvern for sure now. He quickly saluted in response,

"All right! Leave it to m-" Wait, wait, he'd been scolded about this before. "Err, us. Leave this to us!" He was working with other people, and he'd probably have to let them help. "And he said drive off, not kill!" he corrected Chloe. "We don't have to kill it just because Verin decided to attack it!" He may or may not have taken a shot at Verin with his words there, but seriously, some people just had no manners when it came to dealing with predators! Well, he supposed it was good they were all going to together. Now Rurik could show them how dealing with such a dangerous creature was done... not that Rurik had ever seen a wyvern before, but in theory it was just another, much larger and stronger, predator, right?

What was the worst that could happen?

"I, uh, we just have to prove that it's too dangerous to hunt here and it will leave! At heart, it's still just an animal and can't afford injuries that will stop it from hunting and eating!" Rurik explained. "So, lead the way, where did you last see it?" he asked Verin. He might not have had the borderline bloodthirsty exuberance that Chloe had, but he was still very eager to find the beast.

[Marc]

Riley watched as James practiced in front of him. He and James were basically the only people who ever came out here anymore. He couldn’t blame them. The guild was warm and welcoming, while the training ground reeked of sweat and blood. He shuffled to his feet, hanging the strap for Yukiko’s sheathe over his shoulder. He began to whistle to himself, walking away from the training ground. He turned his head back to James and yelled out to him.
“You should hurry back inside, or all the good jobs will be gone.” With a quick nod, he began to walk back around the side of the building to the entrance. Pressing his hands up against the door, he wasn’t surprised to see yet another commotion going on as he entered the building. Verin was practically going spastic. The guy looked like he’d seen a ghost or something. Chloe was just as loud and disruptive as ever, but Riley couldn’t help but smile at how energetic she was. A few of the other Wizards had once suggested that Riley had a thing for her, but after a close encounter with Yukiko they never dared mention it again in front of him. Surprisingly enough, Rurik was also getting involved in the discussion. Riley rarely ever saw him get involved in group things like this. It seemed like he and Rurik had swapped personalities. On any other day Riley would be howling just as loudly as the rest of them, demanding to be let in on the info and challenging people who were way out of his league to spars. On that thought, he noticed Alex was getting involved as well. He grit his teeth. Alex being there ensured that Riley wouldn’t try to get involved. Only a week ago Alex had kicked his ass when he challenged him, and he was still sour about the whole thing. Yukiko would roll in her grave if she found out he’d lost to such an opponent. He violently flung her sword down on the bar counter, sitting down with his head buried in his arms.

Mary had just finished filling up several pints of ale for the guild members, watching the conversation between the three eagerly. She’d never seen a wyvern before, but it looked as though they wouldn’t need any more help. However, when Riley sat down looking so down in the dumps she couldn’t help but try and cheer him up. She removed a plate of freshly baked cookies from behind the counter and put them in front of him. He opened one eye to them, their sweet scent calling to him. However, he knew better than to actually eat anything that Mary cooked. Mary noticed the expression and looked down at her feet.
“I didn’t make these by myself. The guilds chef helped me.” She turned away, returning to fill up more cups of ale. Riley felt bad for not at least trying one, especially when they smelt so delicious, so he grabbed one from the plate. It was still warm in his hands, and when he bit down into it he was delighted to find out how soft and gooey they were.
“These are great, Mary.” He said with a bright smile, doing his best to repent for upsetting her. She turned around with a red face. She went to open her mouth when the roars from the guild arose as the three began to prepare to depart from the guild.
“What’s up with them? They going on some big adventure or something?” His tone was spiteful, and Mary wasn’t sure if it was because he still was angry at Alex or because he didn’t get to go with Chloe. As if reading her thoughts, Riley’s face turned bright red and he began to stutter when he tried to defend himself.
“It’s not like that! I’m just pissed I don’t get to go on any of these cool missions. What the hell are those losers doing anyway? Ah, sorry.” He quickly apologised when he saw Mary’s stern frown directed right at him. Little miss love and rainbows here didn’t take too kindly to anyone insulting her friends.
After a brief moment of silence, she resumed cleaning up glasses and preparing bowls of dried fruit and nuts for the tables.
“They’re hunting a wyvern that’s just made an appearance near Magnolia. It’s not just some big fun adventure, Riley. People’s lives could be in danger if the wyvern came into town.” She spoke while she worked, and Riley couldn’t help but admire her confidence in her guild members. “They act cocky and confident because they don’t want us to worry about that. They’re just as concerned as I am about the beast. Alex is going with them so they should be fine.” The mention of his name made Riley growl in anger, to which Mary ignored. She’d just let him throw his tantrum; within a week he’d be treating Alex like a big brother once again. Riley was just so sick of it. Whenever something needed to be done, everyone called on Alex. He was just so freaking perfect to everyone. There were other mages in this guild aside from him that could get the job done. As if she’d heard his thoughts, Alicia burst through the door behind the bar and briskly walked over to where Alex was. She was wearing her strange white lab coat and spectacles, carrying several letters in her hands.
“Alex get here this instance!” Her tone was furious, and no one in the guild had ever heard such a thing. It was rare enough for Alicia to ever show her face, let alone speak to anyone. She usually just came in, put up the requests for the day, and then left. Yet here she was speaking to one of Fairy Tail’s strongest members as if she actually had any right to. Yet there was something about her this time that frightened Riley. What a strange thought. Alicia couldn’t even use magic, let alone fight, how could she scare Riley? Perhaps it was all in the way she presented herself. Despite never actually being here, she walked around the Guild with a sense of purpose. She was after all, granddaughter of Pollux Vermillion; former Wizard Saint and a legend upon legends. She walked right up to Alex and then to the group that were about to leave.
“We can’t have you chasing wyverns at a time like this, there’s an emergency at stake. These 3 can handle it on their own.” Mary wondered how she knew about the Wyvern, but then she realised that the Guild had been shouting about it for the past ten minutes. Just because she tried to ignore everyone in the guild, doesn’t mean she always succeeded. “The town of Holstur is under threat of an avalanche and the Magic Council has requested assistance from Fairy Tail to help evacuate the citizens. Go now Alex.”

Riley immediately stood up, grasping Yukiko in his hands. He yelled out over to Alicia and Alex.
“I’m going with him!” His voice was furious, and no wonder. He wasn’t going to let yet another important task just be thrust down upon Alex like everything else was. Mary whispered to him violently, trying not to raise her voice too loud.
“What did I just say Riley? This isn’t some game. People’s lives are at risk!”
“I’m just as capable as that poser! I’m going too!” Riley ignored the embarrassing stares from the rest of the guild. Mary knew he wasn’t going to give up, and she looked up at Alex with a stern expression. An expression that said; don’t let Riley do anything stupid.
“I don’t care who goes, just get there as soon as you can!” Alicia yelled at the two of them, rushing back into her office without another word. That was all Riley needed, and he quickly moved away from the bar and slipped past Alex with his teeth gritted.
“Don’t mess this up, kid. It’s a serious job.”
“Don’t get in Alex’s way!” The other guild members belittled him, and he wanted to cry. He wouldn’t. Not ever. The last time he cried was when Yukiko asked him to do the unthinkable; end his masters life. She’d always respected him and treated him like an adult. Why was it so hard for everyone to do it here? He left the guild, a worried Mary looking down at the ground. She cleared her throat and then spoke out over the rest of her guild mates.
“The Wyvern and Holstur incidents are being taken care of. Stop gossiping about them and start focussing on your own jobs! We have a lot to prepare for the Fantasia Parade, and if I find out that all of the requests on the board relating to helping out with the Harvest Festival have been ignored, there will be hell to pay. Got it?” Even though it was rare when Mary spoke up and assumed command, no one ever really questioned it. The way she spoke to the guild it was like she was meant for it. No one was better at motivating the other wizards than she was, aside from perhaps Alex or Master Pollux, and sure enough the other guild members started to move out to take on their own jobs. With no more drinks to serve, Mary thought she’d take a pick to see what other jobs there were. She instantly saw the request for gathering wild flowers for the Fantasia Parade and the idea of spending the day picking flowers in a beautiful valley appealed to her. She signed up for the request, hoping a few of the remaining members would take it with her.

[datadogie]

James looked at Riley, who spoke to him before leaving, and nodded, agreeing. He wanted to do one last thing to the target dummy. James sucked in a big breath, and bellowed "Sky dragon's roar!" he let the breath out, and it resulted in a tornado-like blast coming from his mouth and destroying the dummy on the ground. He smiled, then silently walked back to the guild hall to see if there were any quests yet.

James arrived at the guild pretty quickly, and saw some guild members talking about a Wyvern or something like that. He shrugged as he walked past them in his shy manner. Instead, he shyly walked straight up to the request board. There didn't seem to be anything that was his type of thing, but he saw a quest for picking flowers for the Harvest Festival with a reward of sixty thousand Jewels split among participants. He whistled, as that was a lot of Jewels. "I'll be taking that," he whispered to himself, signing up for the quest.

[Shifter_Master]

Alex hid a small grin as he watch the three mages he had grouped up to fight the Wyvern, silently patting himself on the back as he did. He was not blessed to be a natural leader that some he had met had, therefore the fact he had set up a situation that would help three mages, the town, and the Guild all without having to really force anything in to place seemed to be an impressive accomplishment to him, as long as he disregarded the fact that most of it falling to place was shear luck. "Alright then seems everyone is in agreeance, I'll-"

---

“Alex get here this instance!”

---

Alicia, granddaughter of the current Guild master, head of logistics and request management and The great mystery of fairy tail. On a surface Alex had a reasonably decent relationship with Alicia they were similar in age and they both took care of the guild, albeit in completely opposite ways more often then not. Dispite that Alex could help but distrust Alicia, she was far too closed off and far too secretive for his taste but that is neither here nor there.

'I will Not complain' Alex thought as Alicia marched up to him and more or less forced a request on him, granted it was a request that he would have most likely taken anyway. It was more the principle of the that bugged him, that he wasn't entirely free to act as he wanted at times. 'At least it is only in times of emergancy' he mentally shrugged and he nodded to Alicia "I'll head out right awa-"

---

“I’m going with him!”

---

'Can't finish a sentence at the moment it seems' Alex remarked internally as Riley interrupted, volunteered to help with the avalanche problem, and left before Alex could reply. "So it seems tha- and you've left already" He tried to say to Alicia to turn just in time to see her vanish in to the back room once again. Sighing to himself he turned to the Wyvern hunting team "Seems like you guys are on your own as it were for the wyvern, consider it a job from the request board and you'll do fine." Alex said confidently "you don't need to kill it as Rurik said, just scare it off, their smart creatures so if it learns that this isn't a safe or effective hunting ground it will head elsewhere. Also don't try holding back too much as they are highly durable creatures, so you'll be hard pressed to hurt it if your pulling you punches too much." He added before walking past the bar, sending Mary a look of reassurance and 'I got this' as he did, and pulled his travel pack down from the rafters with a simple whip of force. Pulling his coat and pack on he called out "I'll catch you all later got a train and a swordsman to catch" before leaving in a jog to catch up to Riley before he got too far away.

"Oi! Wait up a step!"

[MysT3CH]

Verin sighed, momentarily smirking at Chloe as she expressed her willingness to disable the Wyvern. Though he didn't verbally respond to Rurik's snide remark, the young mage shot him a brief yet challenging glance. Unable to understand how he could be so petty, when clearly it was a threat. One they had only been able to verify, do to his decision to act. When the mage continued to explain his reasoning, Verin simply sighed again. Inwardly scolding the red head, who apparently thought them incompetent.

However, when Alicia thundered in, just as Alex was about to give them his blessings, Verin was unable to resist shooting up a brow. It was only after he had witnessed both her delegation of a quest upon Alex, as well as Riley's outburst, that he bit back a smile. Nonchalantly, he then waved Alex off before turning to once again face the other two.

"You don't listen so well, huh?" As he began to address the question Rurik had previously asked, Verin moved towards the door. Simultaneously placing his hands within the pockets of his coats as he spoke. "Just keep up." With that, and a quick glance over his shoulder, he was out the door. Clearly, he had no intention of waiting, as he had taken up a brisk pace. Moving swiftly and assuredly as he began to back track his steps.

[Rune_Alchemist]

"Yeah yeah, I get it. Don't kill unless we have to." She grumbled, in reply to Alex and Rurik. Honestly, wouldn't it be better to kill it? It would save everyone trouble in the long run wouldn't it? What if it came back later or something? Or after they drove it off it attacked some innocent traveler? It living was only going to possibly cause some problems in the future. If they stopped the problem before it began, it seemed like the more reasonable, safer course of action. She was about to make a comment about how killing it might be a better course of action when Alicia stormed in and start bossing Alex around, telling him to get going on some job. She couldn't help but snicker a bit at the scene. Seeing Alex get bossed around like that was a bit amusing.

As Alex left on his ordered job, her enthusiasm quickly returned. "Hah! Alright lets get going. I wanna see how strong this lizard is!" She loudly said as Verin ran off. She glanced over to Rurik with a grin. "I'll try to be gentle with the beastie, but I'm not gonna let it endanger the lives of the people here. I'm not gonna pull any punches either, so If you can't run it off...I will end it." She said that statement probably a littler darker than she meant too, but she meant what she said. She would make sure it didn't bother anyone if Rurik couldn't "Oh, and Verin said it was in the East Forest." She added, returning to her usual levity. With that, she was off, quickly following Verin. Within just a few seconds she had caught up to him and matched his brisk pace.

[KillamriX88]

Rurik grumbled and narrowed his eyes. Of course he'd heard it was in the forest! But forests were big! It was like asking where to find a store and being told "in a city." Well no crap, which part of the city? He sighed and tried to calm down. For now, it seemed he had a wyvern to rescue. At this point, he had a feeling the beast was in more danger than anyone else. The irony was killing him.

"Yeah, yeah..." Rurik muttered and chased after them. For someone so cheerful, Chloe sure had a penchant for, arguably needless, violence. He really didn't' understand why people rebelled against nature so much. Well, at least it made life interesting. He didn't get bored very often, that was for sure. When he caught up with them, he began thinking. This job was definitely something right up his alley, so obviously it was up to him to make sure it went right. Naturally, he'd have to instruct Verin and Chloe on how best to proceed. It was a perfect opportunity for him to teach them! Finally, all his experience with predators could be put to direct use to help the guild!

Then he remembered who he was dealing with and let out a tired groan. What was the chance that these numbskulls would actually absorb any of what he said? Chloe especially seemed to have very wall-like qualities when it came to listening. Everything just sort of bounced off...

"So, uhh..." How to word this so that the two would listen? "As you know, my magic is based around Predators-" Good, good, open with the assumption that they already know, that way they won't think that you think they're dumb or ignorant. "-so you might want to let me take the lead on this one. You'll probably be able to learn something useful!" Yes, give them something to gain, that'll make them more likely to respond!

And in the process, he hadn't sounded the least bit arrogant. Not even a little... nope, not at all...