Lord Sawsaw2

The Sky And The Earth II - A Fairy Tail Adventure Reborn

Alright, so the journey post is up. If you want to explore any part of the journey, feel free to start your post with a location stamp of some kind to denote where/when it is happening. Otherwise, do feel free to continue on as you like. I should be making more NPC posts to keep up with you as you go, rather than using Illedrith to drive the story along, otherwise I might as well just be writing a novel :P

The Sky And The Earth II - A Fairy Tail Adventure Reborn

With the whole group now assembled, Illedrith led the way out of the city and along the long path through the depression in the landscape which used to be the stream that connected the Luna Crescente lake with Caverthorn stream, and thence the ocean. A dry riverbed now, the area was still a green and fertile landscape, and was well cultivated by the farmers of the area. All manner of people and goods could be found along this road, which carried the party in the long but direct route down toward their destination.

As Illedrith had predicted, the sun hung low in the sky when they reached the bubbling stream that was their destination for the evening, and so they made camp near a small group of other travelers who had decided to make this place their travel goal for the day. Merchants and adventurers by trade, these folk were welcoming like most country folk of Fiore, and so the groups all shared their evening together, before parting with them in the morning and continuing down the stream. The walk took most of the day, though the scenery was just as nice along the steadily strengthening stream, with birds and fish aplenty along the riverbank.

It was mid-afternoon by the time they reached the Regina river, which certainly lived up to its name as the Queen of rivers. At this point it was a mile wide, and it only got wider as it approached the sea. The 'ferry' which took people across the river was actually a series of four sailboats which pretty much consistently traversed the river to carry people from one main road to the other. Given the width of the river, it was impossible to build a bridge or otherwise ford the river downstream, so travelers to Darrelea would cross here most of the time and take the better maintained road on the other side of the river, rather than trying to barter passage across from fishermen and villagers on the opposite side of the river from the city itself.

Crossing to the other side using the guild discount, the group then split off from the majority of travelers, and took the path up towards the mountains. Well kept, for it was the main road for the various mountain towns to ferry produce down to Darrelea and the capital, the path was nonetheless little more than a winding trail which passed between the mountains, with yet smaller tracks winding up the sides of the mountains themselves to the hamlets there. The trip to Robinsend would take around two days for the group, who made their way there practically without incident.

Robinsend was a very typical example of a mountain town. It had started as a small group of woodcutters and the like who had built a small settlement on a flat part of the mountain, and as it became more prosperous and popular to be up in the mountainous regions, the town had expanded to be more of a mining and agricultural town, eventually growing to the point where it was designated as the town where the mayor of the area would reside. A mix of wooden and stone houses, the city spread out to the edge of the flat ridge it was built upon in concentric circles, with most of the infrastructure built either below or above the level of the town to leave room for more houses. Upon the team's arrival, they were met by an elderly man who was very clearly the Chief Tompkins who was mentioned in the job request.

"Another group of glory-seekers here to rid us of our dragon, eh? Well, for the sake of this town, I hope you'll do better than the last lot or the lot before..."

---

Vega's team would likely have taken the same road as the Harpies down to the ferry, as it was the most rational way to get to Darrelea, though whether they would have seen or met up with them depends entirely on what time they managed to get their show on the road. From the ferry, they would have had to follow the main trade road south-west along the ever widening bank of the river. As a prime fishing and agricultural spot, this land is very highly populated, and forms the economic core of the southern regions of Fiore, providing the capital with fresh produce from the many farms in this unblemished region.

With hundreds of travelers and traders on the road up the river every day, no doubt the Golems would have encountered one or two interesting characters on the day-long journey to Darrelea, but nothing that would prevent them from making it to the great southern port. A sprawling city that hugged the river and seaside, Darrelea spanned miles of waterfront land, with docks that ranged from pleasure craft to fishing boats and even less savory types at the far end of town. The quality of housing and the like seemed to be a steady gradient as one entered town, with affluent individuals living further up the river in the idyllic countryside and unspoiled riverfront properties, while those less well off clung to their coattails in the center of the city which was where the mouth of the river mixed with the ocean. Finally, the lower class lived on the far side of town, which spread out along the shore past the town center.

There were three key buildings which served as the centers of the town, arrayed around three sides of a huge courtyard with an ornate fountain which was squarely in the middle of town. These buildings were: the mayor's residences, a huge townhouse which housed the office and sleeping quarters of the town administrators; the Darrelea Branch Mage Council Offices, which were larger still and took over most of the block they were on; and the guildhall of the Sea Rats, a lesser known guild mostly known for their mild piratical nature and 'good natured' pranks.

Unlike the Harpies, there was no welcome for the Golems when they arrived in town, since to most eyes they were just another set of regular visitors to the town, and not worth giving more than a passing glance during a day's work. When the Golems finally made it to the central courtyard, Adrien piped up.

"So then, 'boss', what's our go? Straight to the Mage Council offices like the job said?"

---

The Sky And The Earth II - A Fairy Tail Adventure Reborn

Alright, it's been enough time for people to post. Since nobody has decided to take us ahead, I'll just narrate the journey to each location with what's along the way. Feel free to time-skip to visit certain places and scenes along the way if you want to.

The Sky And The Earth II - A Fairy Tail Adventure Reborn

@lmpkio Very sad to hear it! I do hope things improve for you IRL, and that this isn't a long-term issue for you. Your spot here is open for if ever you wish to return to it.

I'm sure I'll see you around!

---

In more positive news, I've edited a map of Fiore to note where the cities and towns are in relation to the wider lands. If there was one previously made in one of the other iterations, please let me know and I'll change to using that instead!

The Sky And The Earth II - A Fairy Tail Adventure Reborn

Delsin looked up from his paperwork at the sound of his door being opened. He raised an eyebrow at Phoebe as she, in her ever brief manner, let him know she was done with her mission. He'd not expected her back in time for the trials given the distance to the job she'd chosen, but then again he wasn't exactly surprised to see her back so soon; completion speed did tend to be the defining characteristic of her jobs.

"Good to see you too, Phoebe, how nice of you to ask about my day! In regards to your question, the S-Class trials are already underway. I believe almost every team has left by now, though I think I saw the Harpy team that Kage joined still in town. Other than them, Vega's team might still be around, and would in any case be on the road to Darrelea; you'd be able to catch them if you wanted to join that team. Feel free to ask Angela out the front for any details and the like that you need to know; that might distract her for long enough for me to catch up on some of these infernal Mage Council documents. You can get her to organize the payout from your job at the same time I imagine."

---

Illedrith Adrasia

Cyril was, as ever, and as expected, was both artful and flirtatious as he attempted to shed blame for his heinous crime. Taking slow and menacing paces forwards to emphasize her points, she maintained eye contact with Cyril as she spoke with an airy but almost threatening tone.

"Oh you poor dear, however would you have coped with the humiliation of having to drink through a straw? I recall the last time someone stole my food, they spent the rest of their day seeing their worst fears in just about every reflective surface around them, the [Mirrors of the Soul] can be such an unsettling thing to see in every shop window you pass..."

Reaching out, she took hold of her halberd that Cyril had planted in the ground and attempted to take it back from him.

"In any case, Alexandria has headed off to do some research on something, so we have a bit of time before we can leave the city. I would suggest that in order to avoid a terrible fate, you ever so swiftly fetch me a pair of sundaes while we walk back to the guild."

"And don't eat my food again unless you're cruising for an extended, no holds barred training session!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was a little over two hours later when the group was finally ready to leave. Mis had, as she always did, linked up the small hand-mirror which hung from her neck beneath her armor with a mirror which hung beside the bar in the Nest. That way if they ever needed to contact home, they had a quick and efficient way of doing so. She'd also grabbed a map, and was sitting and plotting their route to Robinsend as the last few members of their group arrived at their meeting place outside the guildhall. They could cross the river at a few places, and she'd had a look to see where their best campsites would be, so it shouldn't be a difficult trip. Looking up at the rest of the group as the last person arrived, she addressed them as a whole.

"Alright! I hope we're all ready to go, if you've forgotten anything, now's the time to remember!"

"We'll be on the road until sunset this evening, when we should reach Caverthorn stream. We can camp there for the evening and then follow it all the way to the river, where there is a ferry station that can get us across. After that we can head north to the main road and then follow that up to Robinsend. Any thoughts, complaints or otherwise? If not, let's get this show on the road!"

The Sky And The Earth II - A Fairy Tail Adventure Reborn

((@Valor, @Sho Minazuki, @Joker892, @pkken))

---

---

With the festival slowing down as people transitioned towards the nightlife, or headed off in their respective directions, Arianna walked back along the path to the Guildhall, herding a large number of the younger members of the guild in front of her. Eager to get them to bed, their energy levels ranged from the zombie-like dragging of feet all the way up to the youngest who was bouncing around and tugging on her sleeve, asking her to make him float around again. Laughing quietly, she promised to do it some other time when it wasn’t past their curfew. Corralling them all back into the waiting arms of their parents or the young dormitory, she wandered back into the main hall, and down the winding steps under the main hall to the floor that housed both her room and the other restricted areas.

The door was a flat slab, with no doorhandle or lock obvious on it, but as she approached, she clicked her fingers and used the air inside the door to unlock the room without triggering any of the alarms or traps; a motion as casual and practiced as that spoke nothing of the years she’d taken to get it perfect, even once or twice giving up and leaving herself locked out of the room because she couldn’t make it open…

She’d just closed the door behind her and headed across the central lobby of the floor when she heard a dull series of thuds on the other side of the thick door. Surprised to have a visitor at this time, since she’d just been in close proximity to most of the guild, she nonetheless headed over and opened the door, to find Alexandria standing there and clutching a book with a serious expression on her face. Not that she was really known for any other expressions, Arianna supposed.

”Hello my darling, come in, come in!”

Arianna stood aside and invited her through the door, ready to close it behind her when she was clear of the huge door.

”To what do I owe the pleasure this evening? It’s your first time coming all the way down here to visit me isn’t it?”

Alexandria gave a bow to Arianna when she opened the rather large door. It was a strange experience, seeing the inside of Arianna’s room for the first time. Alexandria dismissed the feeling rather quickly, however, as she didn’t have time to be awestruck. The S Class mission needed her full attention, and Alexandria didn’t want to waste time. Stepping briskly into the room, Alexandria waited for Arianna to close the door before she began to speak. Holding the book up so that Arianna could take it if she desired, Alexandria revealed what she had learned. “Good evening guildmistress. This is the first time I have been here, yes, though I didn’t want to exactly come without a proper reason. Currently, I have something to discuss that might be a bit more private than most things. Within this book is the history of a blacksmith turned dragon hunter who forged a set of armor in dragonfire. It’s said to be incredibly potent against dragonkind, and the last passages detail that the armor was donated to this town upon the death of the creator to be kept for safekeeping by our guild. I was wondering if we still had it?”

If Alexandria was still holding the book by this point, she would open the book to the pages that she was talking about, and would tap her finger where “Harpy’s Wing” was clearly spelled out. There was no doubt in Alexandria’s mind that the guild spoken about in this book was the same guild she was standing in due to the matching town name and timeline, and thus, by all extensions of her reasonable judgement, the armor and weapons detailed should reasonably be here.

If something like that could be acquired, then Alexandria could reasonably safeguard the rest of her team should an actual dragon appear. Alexandria hoped that it didn’t come to that, but, as with most things: Alexandria would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

Arianna smiled when she was shown the picture of the armor. It was certainly well known to her, but she was sad to have to disappoint her hopeful guild member.

”That old armor, eh? You’re certainly right, it does, or certainly did, live in this town. Without any dragons to slay, there was no reason for anyone to wear it, it being otherwise far too cumbersome for normal use.”

Leading the way over to a nearby table where she poured them both a glass of cold water and then had a seat, she continued.

”As your book describes, the armor was originally left to the guild, many years ago. When I was made Guildmistress, it was even still in our posession, a dusty old artifact at the far end of the elite armory, just through that door over there.”

She pointed across the lobby at another door of similar size to the one they had just passed through.

”Sadly, you won’t find it there any more, for during the dark guild attack, it was issued to a member to use in order to hold one of the defensive chokepoints, since the dense armor would be useful there as mobility was not required. Sadly, when the guilds split, the armor was still in that man’s possession, and he was one of the many who chose to side with Delsin. I must be honest, I don’t know what became of it after that...”

Alexandria was not one to reject the hospitality of her guildmistres. Taking the glass of water, Alexandria sat near Arianna and faced her while she spoke. Her expression darkened slightly as the truth of the matter was revealed to her, but instead of sadness or loss settling into her eyes, determination rose. Taking a hearty drink from the glass she had been given, Alexandria spoke rather boldly for her usually calm and neutral approach. “Then, if it is within the hands of the Golem’s Hand guild, would it not be fairly simple to go and ask them for it? Though perhaps avoiding most of the regular guild members would be a wise choice, I’m sure that Delsin would be reasonable enough to allow it’s return?”

Alexandria had a sinking feeling that this was not the case, but it was still a question that she wanted to ask encase the option was available.

Arianna had a quiet chuckle to herself at that, though even so she could see the uncertainty in Alexandria’s eyes.

”If only it were so simple to get things done in this town. Delsin is indeed a reasonable man, but if the armor is in the hands of someone who doesn’t wish to give it back to its old home, I think even he would have a hard time separating them from it.”

Turning around and searching around for a bit, Arianna grabbed her writing set which was sitting nearby, scrawling out a quick note and stamping the bottom with the wide ring which bore the guild’s formal seal.

”Here, take this if you’re going to go see Delsin, it should get you a meeting right away, even if it won’t necessarily get you the armor.”

Alexandria took the note gently from Arianna’s fingers. Nodding, she finished the rest of the water in a swift yet surprisingly elegant way. Rising from the chair, Alexandria took a moment to make a few small adjustments to sections of her outfit that had shifted slightly before she stored the note in a pouch. Along with this note, Alexandria picked up the book she had brought and placed it within the same pouch. It would be nice to have it on hand to give exact details about what she was talking about. There was one question that was on the tip of her tongue, but Alexandria figured that asking it might have been a bit too troublesome. Resistance was a natural thing to expect when asking for items of value, and so Alexandria mentally prepared for the worst. Giving another bow to Arianna Alexandria bid her farewell and promised to return as soon as she could. Turning to leave, Alexandria took a few steps towards the door before she stopped. Looking up and down at the door Alexandria turned back to the guildmistress and raised a hand towards the somewhat awkward mechanism of the door. “Excuse me, guildmistress, but how do I open this?”

A slight blush of embarrassment danced upon her cheeks, though it was well hidden. Alexandria didn’t want to trip the alarms that were likely present on such a secure door and thus operation of of the complex mechanisms was probably better left to Arianna, who knew them well.

Arianna, for her part, had turned away and was clearing up her things, but turned back to her guest when she heard her voice.

”Oh! So sorry my dear, let me get that for you.”

And with a snap of her fingers, the mechanisms slid back and the bolts retracted, allowing her guest to simply push the door open on her way out.

”It was lovely for you to come down to visit me by the way, it makes me happy that you’re comfortable enough to do that these days! If you ever need anything again, do let me know! And good luck with the armor, I have a feeling you might need it.”

Alexandria nodded to the guildmistress, and assured her that it wasn’t too much of an issue to visit. After all, she was the one who would know the answer to this question more than anyone else. With that, Alexandria left. There were plenty of lights throughout the town, so taking a lantern wasn’t totally needed. Alexandria walked briskly towards the Golem’s Hand guild, with a firm hand clutching the pouch where the note and book were kept. They were not going to be lost under her watch.

---

Delsin, like Arianna, had been wandering around the festival for some time now, answering any concerns his Golems might have, as well as approving teams and their missions. He now had only one team left to approve, and it didn’t surprise him in the slightest to note that it was Vega’s. Still, as he walked towards Vega, he noticed he’d managed to get a small group together, and it looked like a pretty strong group all things considered. Through the stone he also sensed a pair of feet that seemed to be present in a place where there was nothing but thin air; he chuckled to himself, maybe Vega had attracted more people than he thought.

Still, it wasn’t enough for him to be allowed to approve the group, so he quickly scanned the Golems in his immediate vicinity, before heading over and looming over a group of spikey haired young men who looked like peas in a pod. The eldest, a tall and well dressed man covered in flame motifs, turned around at his approach and gave him a lop-sided grin.

“What’s up old man? Seems like it’ll be an interesting ride this year, appreciate you changing things up!”

Raising an eyebrow at ‘old man’, Delsin replied in a droll tone.

”So glad it lived up to your expectations, Adrien. I see you chose not join a team this time around though. How many years have you been an A-Class now?”

“Close on 10 now I’d imagine, what’s your point?”

”I think it’s high time you actually put yourself up for this, young man. Much as I appreciate you hanging around to look after your younger brothers-”

At this, Delsin looked over at the other two spikey haired members of the group, two young boys who were very clearly emulating their big brother in both hairstyle and clothing, who seemed to be currently fighting over a cake of some kind.

”-and being a presence around the guild, you’re certainly a viable candidate for this.”

Adrien seemed to consider this for a while before he replied.

“Even if I wanted to join at this point, surely all the teams have been filled?”

”I came over here to talk to you because there’s one left. You may not like the leader, but it’s a strong team, and I’m sure you’d do well on it.”

The young man’s face darkened a little, immediately figuring out who Delsin was referring to.

“Me on Vega’s team eh? I see how it is, you’re just trying to fill up his team because he can’t get any members himself.”

”Actually, he’s managed to pull together a pretty respectable team himself already, I just need one more person to make it fine to send out. But of course if you’re not interested in the potential recompense I’d be willing to offer, perhaps I should find someone else…?”

“Wait, recompense? What exactly are you talking about?”

”Oh I don’t know, perhaps in your absence I could convince Angela that the suspicious and unexplained charring and fire damage in the west wing of the Rock has a perfectly reasonable explanation, and that she should stop trying to string you up by the ears?”

“...Fine. Let’s go then.”

”That’s the spirit! Knew you’d get excited about it eventually!”

Leading the young man over, Delsin finally approached the small gathering around Vega, just in time to hear him decide on a mission, and for Damian to voice his approval.

”The sooner the better indeed, though it’s surprising to hear such active words coming from you, Damian; what made you turn over this new leaf?”

Turning to see what mission Vega had chosen, Delsin nodded in approval.

”And you’ve chosen a selfless mission to boot! Surprises all round with you lot today. As you are, however, I cannot approve your group, you’re simply too small for an S-Class mission.”

Holding up a hand to quell any complaints or objections, Delsin continued.

”However, if you agree to take Adrien here with you, I’ll approve your team on the provision that you keep in touch, and accept reinforcements if the situation gets out of hand somehow. You’ll need to seek Magistrate Sayatachhi to get details for this questline, you should be able to find her in the Mage Council offices in Darrelea, which turns out to be basically on your way anyway. Do I have your agreement to both my conditions, Vega?”

---

((An hour or so later, after Alexandria leaves Arianna))

Alexandria’s trip had been thankfully uneventful. Since the hour was growing late the town has begun to wind down. Lamps and other exterior lights were being lit and shops were closing their doors. Alexandria’s footsteps echoed slightly as she walked briskly towards The Rock. Alexandria paused for a moment when she came to the end of one of the four bridges that lead to the guild hall. Alexandria tied the pouch containing the book and the note as tight as she could before she began to approach The Rock. It was unnerving to approach the home of Golem’s Hand, even on a somewhat diplomatic mission. Even on her official diplomatic missions approaching the guild hall was nerve wracking at best. Especially since Golem’s Hand held some more volatile mages than Harpy’s Wing did.

Still, there was to be no fighting, the rules for the S Class trials would see to that. Walking as briskly as she usually did, Alexandria stopped before the large door to The Rock and paused for a moment. Now was the final chance to turn back. Steeling herself, Alexandria raised her hand and knocked firmly upon the door four times before pushing it open. To her relief, she saw Angela sitting behind the front desk. They had spoken a few times before, and thus this would be a more relaxed meeting.

Alexandria stepped into the guild gently. Each step felt like she was stepping onto the pressure plate of a trap, even though such a thing would be foolish to install. Alexandria pulled the note from her pouch, though she held it close until she stood before Angela’s desk. Greeting Angela, Alexandria showed her the note that she had received from Guildmistress Arianna and requested to know if Delsin was free for visits.

Hopefully he was. To come all this way for nothing would be quite a disappointment.

Angela looked up from her work at the sound of knocking, expecting yet another requisition request or some minor complaint, as was the norm before big events. She was practically snowed under with paperwork to ensure that everything was dealt with in the proper manner during the S-Class trials, so it was with a reasonable amount of surprise and no small amount of irritation that she watched an unforeseen problem walk through her door. A Harpy’s Wing envoy? At this hour? That meant nothing but more work and probably trouble. Sighing, she sat up and returned Alexandria’s greeting as she approached, then took the proffered piece of paper.

‘Acting in my formal capacity as Guildmistress of Harpy’s Wing, I do hereby request that the bearer of this document be given free passage and an immediate audience with Guildmaster Delsin. - Arianna Carolina (xoxo)’

Sighing at the informal signature, in all likelihood written by Arianna just to annoy her since it had been a matter of complaint by Angela on multiple occasions, Angela reached over to the corner of her desk and spiked the memo on a thin rod which held several similar requests. She then turned to Sam, who was guarding the door into Delsin’s office, and waved him aside.

“She’s an envoy from Arianna, let her through.”

Turning back to Alexandria, she affixed her with a serious look.

“It’s absolute bedlam around here as I’m sure you’ll appreciate. This had better be important, and you’d best be brief.”

Alexandria nodded and spoke to Angela briefly. “I had no plans otherwise.” Turning to Sam, Alexandria nodded and stepped into Delsin’s office after knocking at the door four times, as was her custom. What she saw within was quite expected: An exhausted Delsin going about whatever it was he did as Guildmaster. Giving a bow, Alexandria spoke first. “Greetings and good tidings Guildmaster Delsin. I have come with an inquiry towards a set of arms and armor that was loaned to one of your members during the dark guild assault some time ago. It was still in their possession when they left Harpy’s Wing and came here, and I was hoping that I could retrieve it for both personal use and to return it to the original guild it was left with for safekeeping as was instructed by the original creator upon his death.”

Alexandria spoke confidently and formally, applying much of her skill as a diplomat to clearly carve her words and intentions into the air. Reaching into the pouch she had brought the book and note in, Alexandria produced the book she had brought with her and added to her previous statement. “The armor is described here within this book, as is it’s fate. If you turn to page fourty, you can see an illustration of the armor and weapons that I speak of.”

Alexandria held the book out for Delsin to take should he desire. There was nothing else for Alexandria to say at the moment. It was now time to wait for Delsin and see what he had to say.

Delsin looked up and groaned as someone knocked on his door before stepping through. The pile of papers on his desk was getting comically high, and he was sure this was just going to be more of them. It was with some shock, therefore, that a far more interesting prospect walked through his doors and greeted him. Returning the greeting, Delsin listened as Alexandira explained why she was here. Reaching out for the book, he flicked to the page in question, and immediately recognised it.

”The Dragonslayer Armor, of course. It is certainly familiar to me, since Ria made a bit of a fuss when Tycho came over to the guild with it. Since technically it was town property left in the Harpy Armory for lack of a better place to put it, that whole argument came to naught, particularly since nobody had used it for decades before then.”

Looking up at his guest, he grinned at her.

”Doesn’t exactly take a genius to figure out why you’d want this, I imagine that your team must have taken on the Crazed Dragon Job. Well done on your research young lady, but unfortunately I’m no more able to be of help to you than Ria. Shortly after joining the Golems, Tycho was chosen as one of our starting S-Class mages. He went off on a job and unfortunately has not returned. We haven’t had contact from him in years now, don’t know if he’s alive or dead. His last known location was the Mage Council offices in Darrelea, where he came back to report and resupply before heading back out on his job. Not a sign of him since.”

Alexandria would’ve frowned were she not acting as diplomat. This was not news she wanted to hear. There were a few options to try, however, but the S Class trials would not wait. “What job did he take? Do you remember?” Traveling in that direction now was probably going to be out of the question, since Darrelea alone was a day away and they couldn’t really spare the time to travel there to inquire about Tycho when they had an S Class job to prepare for. The situation was building up that Alexandria was not going to have the armor in time for the mission, and this caused a great deal of irritation to her, not that she showed it.

Without more questions to ask that didn’t depend upon the answer of her already asked question, Alexandria remained silent and waited for Delsin to speak again.

”The job he was on? He’d been hired by a mining corporation to clear a sprawling mine of an infestation of gribbly creatures of some kind. I think he hoped that his armor would help him in the thin corridors and such in the mine. I could request the job details from the Mage Council, but it’d be just as fast for you to go there yourself, not to mention you’ll be off on the job this evening I would imagine.”

Alexandria thought for a moment. It would be fairly simple to travel to the Mage Council and ask them, but she was working under a fairly strict time limit. Alexandria remembered what Illedrith had said before Alexandria had departed: “Family comes first.”

And indeed it did. Alexandria would have to wait and investigate later, or perhaps not at all, since the need for such armor would have passed. Holding her hand out for the book, Alexandria spoke again. “I will ponder on doing this. Thank you for the information Guildmaster Delsin.”

When Alexandria was given the book back, she would bid farewell to the guildmaster and depart silently after giving a bow. She didn’t have the time or the resources to go on a goose hunt, not when the trails were afoot and her team needed her. She’d have to figure things out as she went.

Walking back to her guild in silence, Alexandria took a deep breath to relieve her anger. There was no point to being angry now. History couldn’t be changed, only worked with. Unfortunately, history was not on Alexandria’s side.

Approaching the guild, Alexandria returned the book to the library. She doubted that she would have further need of it. Hopefully an actual dragon didn’t appear, or else they would be in real trouble.

The Sky And The Earth II - A Fairy Tail Adventure Reborn

((Apologies, @lmpkio, it's been the better part of a month now, so I'm just going to manhandle this team ahead until you're back again to take charge.))

---

---

Arianna had been having a fantastic time at the festival. The teams had come together just has she had predicted, and she was confident so far that all her precious Harpies would be making it back alive from their quests. The leaders seemed to have done an excellent job of choosing the easiest ones to complete, so those ones all flew off the board within a couple of minutes of the captains being released. The last Harpy team to require confirmation was Dreadlin's, and so she was making her way over when she saw the altercation with Kage. While her first instinct was to separate Dreadlin from the impending danger, she quickly recognized the Golem, and watched from a distance as they seemed to reach some agreement after a brief scuffle.

Smiling to herself, she quickly crossed the remaining distance between herself and the budding team, just in time to hear their collective agreement on their choice of mission. Appearing silently over Illedrith's shoulder, she blew softly in her ear before whispering

"Boo"

Illedrith almost leaped out of her skin, spinning in a similarly comical fashion to how Dreadlin had done so not two minutes prior. Fortunately, she gathered herself together before striking out, deflating like a balloon as she saw Ria behind her.

"Riaaaa, why are you like this?"
"Ufufu, it's all about keeping you on your toes my dear! Your reaction to the situation earlier would have been much too slow if your new Golem friend meant any harm."

Grinning at her protege as she seemed to be suitably chastised, Arianna waved her children in together, so the whole team was within earshot, specifically taking the time to make eye contact with Kage to make sure she knew she was also invited.

"Alright, you're all together, and I see you've chosen a mission? Let's see here..."

Taking the sheet of paper from Dreadlin, she looked at it with a deep sigh.

"And it would look like I have once again outsmarted Guildleader Delsin. That's three bets in a row he's lost to me today alone. I knew only you would be insane enough to take this assignment, Dreadlin."

Looking around at the assembled group, she sighed again. Much as she'd like to tell them to take an easier mission, with a group of this size she didn't really have the grounds to deny them the mission they'd chosen. Looking each of them in the eye, and lingering on Illedrith, she spoke in an uncommonly stern and serious manner.

"Alright. I'll approve you as a team. And while I have full confidence that as a team you will work well together, I have a very serious instruction for you. If you're over your heads, leave immediately. And I do mean immediately. If this turns out to be a true ancient dragon, and not a hoax or a series of bad pranks, this is well over the heads of even a group of S-Classes, let alone you lot. There will be many years to attempt your S-Classes, but you have only one life. Don't. Waste. It."

And then with a grin and a pat on the head to Ceri, she was off, skipping across the courtyard to find Delsin. She had some debts to collect.

---

Illedrith Adrasia

In all the commotion of the sudden appearance of Kage, Illedrith was caught totally off guard by a puff of cold air in her ear, which sent an active shiver all the way down her spine, followed by a quiet "Boo" right next to her ear. Her reaction was instantaneous, and practically involuntary. She spun on the spot, ready to hammer whoever had the audacity to scare her like that, but stopped short at the sight of Ria with a massive grin plastered across her face. Pouting to somewhat allay how much the jump scare had got her, she complained bitterly about these antics, but her Guildmistress's point about how she was slow to react stung her into sullenness, and so she silently resolved to focus on it in her next month of training. She'd not be caught off-guard like that again.

She listened seriously to Ria's warning about the mission. It was a very real concern, and one that she would probably have raised at some point herself anyway, but coming from Ria it carried much more weight as an instruction rather than just a warning. She would give this job her all, as usual, but if it came to it, protecting the members of her guild and getting them out alive was worth more than anything else this job could contain. She'd waited this long to be an S-Class, and she could wait a bit longer.

As Ria meandered off back into the crowds, Illedrith's eyes were drawn with her to an amusing sight. Her eyes were drawn to a large flashy object over the heads of the crowd. It was wobbling around like a tree caught in a strong breeze, and was unmistakably the head of her halberd. Attached to the other end, and apparently doing a valiant effort to make sure it didn't hit anyone, was Cyril, who had Saeko in toe. Stifling a laugh at the scene, her eyes soon narrowed. When she'd given it to him, that halberd was piled high with sundaes. What was it suddenly doing face up in the air? Clearly, someone needed to answer for their heinous crimes.

Turning to the rest of the group, Illedrith quickly followed up on Ria's comment, keeping the group's attention to avoid people getting off-topic.

"Guild family first. That's the rule, that's always been the rule. I trust we're all mature enough to not go glory-chasing and endanger each other."

If her eyes seemed to linger on Dreadlin longer than necessary, that was surely a coincidence...

"Still, as the last group to be approved from the Harpies, we should definitely get going to make sure we don't get left behind. I see Cyril and Saeko over there by the alley, and I'm going to go let them know what's happened. Anyone who isn't packed and prepared for the journey needs to go do that now, everyone else is welcome to follow me to collect them and head back to the Nest. We'll meet outside in an hour and a half if anyone needs to go off and get things."

With that, she turned and cut through the crowd towards her guild members and the mystery of the lost sundaes. Hardly difficult to miss at the best of times, the beeline she made for Cyril must have alerted him to her a long way off. Sweeping up in front of him, she put on a big smile and an almost airy tone of voice, while at the same time looking him straight in the eye without blinking.

"Deary me Cyril, it's so hot outside today, and I'm just absolutely parched. I sure would love one of the three sundaes I left you with. I do hope that's not a problem?"

The Sky And The Earth II - A Fairy Tail Adventure Reborn

Holy broken guild, batman! It's been a long week, waiting for the site to come back up, but now we're back! I'll have a post up (hopefully in a few hours) shoving us all along towards PLOTVILLE. If anything has come up in the last week and you've been unable to contact me for whatever reason, now is your time. Get ready to leave town for places unknown, and as-yet not-quite-written!

The Sky And The Earth II - A Fairy Tail Adventure Reborn

Alright, with a full week having passed since the last post, it would seem to fall to me to just drive the plot forward. If anyone has something more to deal with in town, please post it in the next half day. If not, I’ll be using the NPCs and Illedrith to drive the story onto the road to get things rolling. I’ll also ping everyone to check who is still around.

The Sky And The Earth II - A Fairy Tail Adventure Reborn

@lmpkio, if you could just throw up a quick post with Dreadlin confirming the mission, I'll railroad us on our way.

@Sho Minazuki, @Spanner, @Joker892, what's going on in the Golem camp?