A year passed in a blink of an eye with not much happening on Felix's side. Besides taking a few requests that end in tragedies, he mainly just worked on writing fantasy books or playing with magic. His book The Hobbit, while not a bad seller, wasn't hugely popular at this time.
This is mainly due to the lack of flashy magic fantasy elements. Since this isn't a story about a pair of mages beating the snot out of each other or an adventure of a famous of a past or current mage of a guild. The book is more or less more popular among children and a few adults who aren't mages.
As of other note, Erza passed the S-class exam barely beating Mirajane. Poor Cana got booted in the first round as she had to fight Mirajane straight up. Since Mirajane is a front face fighter, while Cana is more of a supporting mage due to her card magic. Since she couldn't outlast Mirajane before she ran out of magic for her Demon Take Over magic. Cana ended up losing much to her disappointment.
"When did you become interested in studying artifacts?" Makarov asked.
Inside the Fairy Tail guild, Felix stood before Makarov with a mission slip. Besides growing a bit taller, Felix's wardrobe changed up a bit. He now had curly shoes to go with his jester hat with long tethers attached to the bells. His pants were purple in color with a diamond shape pattern on them. So he looked a bit like a jester and for some reason quite liked it.
Maybe it's because he has a hard time giving off a cheerful smile like Natsu or nearly everytime he goes on missions, many are found dead or end up dying. The amount of times his missions didn't have a tragedy could probably count on one hand and still have fingers left unused.
Now, on the board, Felix found a request asking an assistant to study a stone mask. Hopefully, it would change his trail of bodies. He has been hearing concerning titles recently such as Corpse Finder or Death Bringer.
"Maybe it won't end in tragedy." Felix replied.
Makarov fell silent as he gave Felix a look over from head to toe. Clearly he wanted to just say it was all bad luck or coincidence that most of his missions end up that way. Yet, if it was said, it probably sounds like a lie.
"Mmm." Makarov nodded. "Well, if you are sure."
After Makarov filled out the paper marking the quest taken, Felix left the guild. After returning home to grab his mission bag, Felix headed to the train station. He hasn't thought of asking anyone to join him on the mission.
Most of his friends were off on their own missions. Natsu and Happy were off battling a massive forest fire. Gray went off to deal with a group of magical beasts known as Vulcans. While Erza and Cana went off on a giant serpent subjugation. Mirajane and her siblings took a request to help dig a hole through a mountain.
Even if they weren't out on their own missions, Felix knew they probably wouldn't join him. While he did manage to get them to join him a couple of times. When Gray found five freshly skinned corpses, Natsu learned the candle maker used human fat for it, and similar events. Felix had a harder time trying to get them to join him.
Levy, who was also interested in this quest, upon seeing him also turned away. When he offered her it and would choose another she shook her head like a rattle.
--
It took nearly a week to travel to the mission destination, Joestar Estate. The family is a successful trader family that recently got a small noble title. They are both popular and disliked in the town nearby. While they don't rule like tyrants nor enforce overly harsh rules. This makes those envious or jealous of their money and status hostile towards them.
Inside the carriage, Felix looked up at the large mansion that he was heading towards. The style is a Queen Anne-style mansion. The roof title was a dark burgundy red with at least three floors of windows. Towards the back there is a large tower rising up above the roof with two attached buildings a floor or two high and smaller than the main house.
Stepping off a carriage, Felix looked up at a very tall and extremely muscular individual with a gentlemen's poise. If he had to guess, this man was at least around 6'5 in height. Such stature and height one would hardly believe he is an Archaeologist.
"Are you Mr. Jonathan Joestar?" Felix asked.
"I am." Jonathan nodded.
"So the mission is to help study a stone mask, correct." Felix confirmed.
"Mmm." Jonathan nodded.
Once confirmed, they began to head inside where another man of similar age as Jonathan stood arrogantly in the doorway. His blonde hair combed back with a smile on his face, but with his green eyes narrowed, this gave him a bit of a sinister look.
"Whose the brat?" He seemed to demand instead of ask.
"He is a mage of Fairy Tail." Jonathan replied.
"Tsk."
After clicking his tongue in annoyance, the man walked away after ramming Jonathan's shoulder with his own. Clearly, despite his handsome features, his attitude is terrible.
"Don't mind him. He is my brother Dio Brando." Jonathan said after a moment.
Felix shrugged as he is here to study a stone mask and not meddle in a family conflict.
Entering the mansion, Felix noticed a few artifacts and paintings. It was fairly nice and didn't scream wealth nor give the feeling of overcrowding. So following Jonathan to his study, Felix got his first look at the mission.
A stone mask.
The mask had two slanted eyes alongside a pair of fangs on its mouth. The more defining feature is the large ridge from the nose upwards that ends in a curl.
Felix got a strange vague feeling of familiarity from the mask. He thinks he saw it before within pages of a book but due to the time and unfamiliarity. He only recalled that his mask has something to do with vampires or some sort of undead.
When Jonathan noticed his strangeness, he asked with a bit of worry.
"Is there an issue?" Jonathan asked.
"Just a vague feeling of familiarity." Felix replied.
"Do you recognize it?" Jonathan asked, a bit surprised.
He had been studying it for a while and besides tracing it back over a thousand years. He hasn't had much luck in other discoveries. Not even the purpose of the mask is known to him at the moment.
"Not really, but I know it is related to an undead creature." Felix offered his little knowledge.
"Is that so?" Jonathan looked surprised. "I have been studying it for a while, but I haven't confirmed that part."
Given that the mask has a pair of fangs, it would be surprising if one didn't think in that direction. Still without reference or evidence, it is hard to define its usage. It could be a ritual mask or a soldier mask.
The image of hundreds of armed men and women marching forward wearing such masks. It would be intimidating.
"There is another feature of this that you might not know." Jonathan said.
Then under Felix's eyes, he dropped a small piece of blood onto the mask. At first nothing happens, then the mask jumps upwards. Out of the back of the mask, a series of tendrils extended and if worn it would pierce one brain.
"Torture?" Felix questioned.
Under his Alpha Stigma, besides a bit of magic used to activate the tendrils. He didn't see anything else. So it made him wonder if it was a torture device given that the tendrils will pierce one brain.