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CHAPTER START---
Late at night, sitting around a small campfire, two of the armored soldiers look out over the valley.
The other guards were up and alert, while these two were having dinner before resting for the night, then getting back to standing guard all day tomorrow.
"Look, over there," one of the men says as he points across the valley, to the far side almost directly opposite their campsite.
Near the middle of the cliffside, he could see a small orange glow, the telltale sign of a campfire in the darkness.
"I guess the kid isn't dead yet," the other man says. "How much longer do you think it'll take him?"
The other man scoffs, "Assuming he can kill the damn thing, remember how useful our Magic Swords were against it, never seen so many of them shatter before.
"Which means the armor they make from it will fetch a hefty price, and our bonus will be all the better for it."
"Don't forget we have to protect our haul all the way back across the continent," the man says. "The sooner we leave Fiore the better, the Wizards here are the most dangerous, and I don't want to run into some of the more hostile ones, especially if the kids can take down Magical Beasts like that."
"This is the last damned trip I'm taking this far West, at least until I learn the Unarmed Arts, Magic Swords can only do so much against people like that."
"When we get promoted and learn that, then the next stop is trying out to be a Royal Guard…but then I'd have to move to the other side of the country."
"What, scared your wife won't want to move?"
The man laughs, "Scared she'll want to come with me!"
Both men laugh as they enjoy the peaceful night before getting some rest.
---Meanwhile, in a small cave on the opposite end of the valley…
Sitting with his legs crossed, hands out, drawing Runes in the air with his Light Magic, Oberon is recovering from another day of fighting the Swamp Wyvern.
A few feet away is a small campfire and his bedroll, as well as his Communication Lacrima and books.
He was only wearing a pair of shorts, his upper body covered with acid burns that are still healing, and his right shoulder wrapped in bandages with some numbing cream to ease the pain.
All injuries from today's round of battling his target.
As he's drawing runes, in the corner of his eye he sees his Communication Lacrima blinking.
With a thought he uses Gravity Magic to float it over to him and gently touches it, accepting the call.
"Ah, so you're not dead," Master Makarov says as he appears on the Lacrima. "But from the looks of you, you're certainly not in great shape…"
"These injuries will heal by morning," Oberon says as he's still working on the runs. "Did something happen back at the Guild?"
"No, but it's been four days since you left, this type of Job never takes this long for you, is everything alright?"
Oberon thinks for a moment, then sighs, "No, not really."
"What's wrong, did you get seriously hurt?" There was clear concern in Makarov's voice.
"It's not that," Oberon says. "It's just that, on the first day I fought the Swamp Wyvern, I made a mistake. I got cocky, underestimated my opponent, and I had to run away."
"Oh, you ran away from a fight? That is unexpected."
"Yeah well, punching that wall would have just broken my hand, so I had to think of something else," Oberon says. "But the last two plans I came up with didn't work, especially since it's on guard now."
"I see," Makarov rubs his chin, deep in thought. "I assume the problem is the innate Defense Magic the creature has, yes?"
"Yeah, this Wyvern–it's bigger and stronger than all the ones from the books, and smarter too."
"Well, just as all humans are the same species but can have vastly different qualities and traits, the same goes for everything else, especially Magical Creatures such as this," Makarov says. "And do you have a new plan for this creature?"
Oberon frowns, "I really hate the fact that I've had to run away every time we fight, but, I just don't have the tools to deal with this thing. Especially since the client wants it in perfect condition so he can harvest the parts, I'm fighting with one hand tied behind my back here."
"Yes, but that is the life of a Wizard, we often have to overcome quite difficult challenges."
"Yeah, but it still feels really bad," Oberon mutters.
"Honestly, I'm just glad you have more sense than to throw yourself at it until you die. Many would-be great Wizards have thrown their lives and futures away by listening to their ego instead of their mind.
I'm proud of you for running away when needed, after all, I rather have you back at the Guild, alive, than anything else. But I'm also surprised by how well you're taking this."
Oberon looks at the Communication Lacrima, confused, "What do you mean?"
"Well, ever since you joined Fairy Tail and properly began walking the path of a Wizard, you've experienced nothing but absolute victory. Be it in sparring with your guildmates, in your studies, or the Jobs you've taken.
You've always been growing at a rate which, quite frankly, almost makes me jealous. But while you learn from winning, surviving a defeat can teach you so much more than most wins ever could. And it seems that using that knowledge is exactly what you've been doing, so, how do you plan to use it against this creature?"
"By using sunlight."
"Sunlight?" Makarov looks confused. "Wyverns aren't bothered by being out during the day."
"Yeah, I know that," Obeorn sys. "But I went back to the Radiance Formula and found some of your notes toward the end, about gathering or manifesting sunlight and having it enhance the power of destructive Light Magic, so I'm using that."
"Hmm, applying that principle to regular Spells isn't something I intended to teach you for quite some time, after all, it is one of the fundamental principles of Fairy Glitter."
"What's Fairy Glitter?"
"It's a Spell exclusive to our Guild, sort of an open secret of sorts within the Wizard community," Makarov says. "Fairy Tail has three Ultimate Spells, those which are without equal, the First Master, Mavis Vermillion, created and used them to end the 7th Trade War back when the guild was founded."
"Then how come I've never heard of them?"
"Because they are so rarely used that most people think it's just a rumor we started for attention, but the Magic Council knows they exist as a fact, which is part of the reason they've had to be so lenient toward our Guild in the past.
We've had some problems with going overboard on Jobs and such in the past, and conflicts with other Guilds, and in a few of these cases that would result in our Guild being disbanded, but they can't do that without the local government's approval.
And the kingdom of Fiore knows these spells exist and doesn't want Fairy Tail moving to another country, so they keep stopping the Magic Council."
"Wow, they're really that strong?" Oberon asks, eyes wide and excited at the thought of such powerful Magics.
"You can learn more about them after you become S-Class," Makarov says. "However, harnessing the properties of sunlight is what amplifies the annihilation power of Fairy Glitter. It also uses the properties of moonlight to nullify the Magic of anything it's targeting and hold it in place, and the properties of starlight to actually cause the destruction."
"Starlight?"
"Yes, starlight can have potent destructive properties, since it is a dimensional destruction Magic when focused in such a manner, the only thing more potent would be Etherion, which is a super condensed form of raw Ethernano, and Celestial Spirit Magic, but the former is only available to the Magic Council of Ishgar, and Celestial Spirit Magic doesn't have any spells that properly weaponize its power, since that Magic isn't intended to take lives at its core."
"I see," Oberon says thoughtfully. "So using the properties of Magic Sunlight to enhance my Light Magic should let me pierce the Defense Magic of the Swamp Wyvern…then I'm already on the right track."
"If only you were allowed to go all out with your Gravity Magic, but your client has specific needs, and we wouldn't be very good Guild Wizards if we ignored them completely."
"Yeah, he wants the insides intact, so I can't just crush it with Gravity Magic, although that thing is so tough I doubt I could even do that," Oberon sighs. "I'll just focus on enhancing the potency and precision of my Light Magic for now."
"Yes, but do be careful, adding those properties atop the Radiance Formula greatly increases the amount of Magic Energy needed to maintain those spells."
"Yeah, I noticed, but don't worry, I've got more than enough Magic Energy to handle this," Oberon says with a confident smile.
---Fairy Tail Guild Hall…
Sitting at a table on the second floor, Communication Lacrima set aside and sorting through some Job request forms, Makarov takes a sip of his beer and focuses on his work once more.
After a few minutes, Gildarts walks over to him, carrying a plate of food, and sits opposite him.
He slides the food over to Master Makarov before relaxing into his seat.
"So, you aren't in a bad mood, that mean the kid is alive and kicking?" Gildarts asks.
"Yes, he's fine, just taking a bit longer than expected on his Job."
"See, told you there was nothing to worry about, he's a smart kid, he can handle himself."
"Yes, quite smart actually, he managed to figure out the amplification aspect of Fairy Glitter, well, more like the first of one hundred pieces of it."
Gildarts doesn't say anything, just looks at Makarov who continues silently reading the forms.
"Wait, you're serious?" Gildarts asks.
"Mhm."
"Awe man, that was supposed to be my Spell to learn," Gildarts grumbles.
"Yes, you have the disposition for that one and Fairy Law, too bad you have rocks for brains."
"Hey, my Crush Magic is more than enough–it's never failed me yet," Gildarts says. "Besides, that kind of Magic is a bit flashy for me anyway, I rather just use my fists."
"You expect me to believe you aren't flashy? I was there when you named those 'Spells' of yours."
"Hey I like to think I'm great at naming my attack," Gildarts says as he frowns.
Makarov rubs his eyes and pushes some of the papers aside before he takes a bite of his dinner.
After a few minutes in silence, listening to the soft music and rowdy partying of the first floor, Gildarts sighs.
"Master, I'm worried about what's coming next," He says.
"Which part?"
"I just got back from visiting Shirotsume Town, some of my old drinking buddies were there, said they're hearing whispers of people getting ready to head away from Fiore, people are getting word about the ban on Assassination Jobs and Charm Magic."
"Yes, this change in the laws will be most heavily enforced here in Fiore, since other nations don't have as many Wizard Guilds they will likely offer some protection to those that want to keep doing such things."
"Fiore getting weaker isn't my concern," Gildarts says. "If half the Wizard Guilds leave we'd still be stronger than any other nation in Ishgar…"
"You're worried about the Guilds that don't want to leave, that will fight against us because of this change."
Gildarts leans forward, hand under his chin and elbow on the table, "As much as I hate the thought of killing people just for money, or using Charm Magic to 'seduce' people, suddenly having the laws flipped on you–being labeled a monster one day after what you've been doing has been perfectly legal–will leave a lot of people resentful. At least, that's the case with the former."
"Anyone in particular that we need to worry about?" Makarov asks.
"I traveled a bit up north, and heard some rumblings that Phantom Lord has a bit of drama within its Guild."
"That's not surprising, Jose has always been a vile man, and most of their income comes from Assassination Jobs, he was very much against this change."
"What about the other Wizard Saints?" Gildarts asks.
"Most of them didn't care either way since they don't belong to any Guild, Jose and I were there at the meeting, and you know where we stand. Alivia didn't see such a thing worth her time, so she didn't even show up.
As for Osian and Aven, they took my side, thankfully, but Ines was with Jose. That means of the Wizard Saints who cared enough to show up, Osian, Aven, and myself were in favor of outlawing such things, and Jose and Ines were against it."
"So the Four Gods of Ishgar didn't show up?" Gildarts asks. "I'm surprised Sir Warrod didn't have anything to say about it, I thought for sure he would have taken your side, since he is a founding member of Fairy Tail."
"He is retired, and for better or worse he does not meddle in things such as this," Makarov says. "Unless a full-scale war is on the horizon, or something that threatens as many lives, he will 'leave it to the kids', as he always says."
Gildarts grumbles under his breath, "Which means we've got a lot of Dark Guilds that will appear, but Jose loves the attention and money being a Wizard Saint brings so we don't have to worry about him going completely dark, at least publicly, right?"
"Thankfully," Makarov says. "Ines also won't care enough to actually push back against this change, especially since he lives out in Midi, where the Magic Council's influence is barely felt, if at all."
"This still leaves us with a lot of smaller Guilds pointing swords at us."
"Yes, which is why I believe it is in our best interest to begin working more closely with our neighbors."
"Neighbors?"
"Goldmine is still on tour with his band, but Bob and Ooba have both formed Guilds of their own here in the eastern side of Fiore, it's about time we all started working together."
"So the coalition of Light Guilds is going to be more than just a useless non-aggression treaty huh," Gildarts shakes his head. "Most of the Guilds are bitter rivals, so I can't see that going very far."
"The other Guilds are not a major concern of mine, they should be able to handle themselves, especially if they want to call themselves a Guild," Makarov says. "This will mainly be about taking the fight to the Dark Guilds, as we are able to defend ourselves if they come here."
"Knocking on the door of a Wizard Saint…even they aren't that dumb," Gildarts says. "Say, does this mean I'll get to ride on that airship Blue Pegasus recently got?"
Makarov choked on his food for a moment, "I'd rather you didn't, we can't afford to replace something that expensive..."
END CHAPTER---
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pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene [Read ahead & support me]
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