First Job

The next morning, Gerald and Cana left the Guild after having a quick and tasty breakfast. The meal was courtesy of Makarov, of course. Free food always tasted better. Both of them agreed on that as they rubbed their bellies.

Cana led the way to Nelos Arms with a skip in her step. She had gone on a few jobs with the other Guild members her age, but it was mostly out of necessity.

Today, Cana was going on a C-rank job that she could've handled on her own with ease. She had done multiple of those item retrieval jobs before, and she had completed them alone. Yet, she had invited Gerald for this one. She liked spending time with him, even though he was a bit quieter than she preferred, but that was because he didn't have that much to talk about. He didn't have any stories to tell of his adventures. This would change today, and she would make sure of that.

The kids in the Guild weren't allowed to take B-rank jobs on their own. They had to have at least one more teammate for those jobs. Only Erza and Mira were permitted to take B-rank jobs on their own, but that's because those two were monsters. She could understand Erza since she had seen her train like a madman for the past three years, but Mira was a different story. The eldest Strauss had so much Magic Power, a strong Magic, and so much talent. It wasn't fair. Cana also had a lot of Magic Power, but why didn't she have a strong natural Magic? She had been stuck with her Card Magic, and she had been content with for so long. Maybe it was time to add a different Magic to her repertoire.

Cana looked at her new friend, who was the main reason for changing her mindset. Gerald also had Card Magic, but the first chance that he got, he started learning another Magic. He wasn't satisfied with the cards that he was dealt with and wanted more. Maybe she should follow his example. There were so many books in the archive of Fairy Tail, at least one or two should work for her, right? Even if they don't, she could try to get inspiration from Gerald's Card Magic. Traping powerful monsters in her cards and using them to fight for her sounded like a good idea. As long as she finds a way to control them.

"Is there something wrong?" Gerald asked. Cana had been staring at him for a while now.

"Nope! I'm just happy we are going on a job together," Cana answered with a bright smile and looked away. Gerald had to physically restrain himself from reaching out and ruffling her hair.

"Annnd, we are here!" Cana exclaimed as they reached Nelos Arms. The armory was a small store with a sign above the door that had its name proudly written for everyone to see.

"Welcome to..." A tall and muscled man with black hair and wearing nothing but pants greeted them.

"Nelos Arms!" A carbon copy of the man jumped out from behind him.

"I'm Nel!"

"I'm Os!"

"We are the Blacksmith Twins!"

"And this our shop!"

Gerald and Cana shared a knowing look before the girl turned to the blacksmiths and showed them their job request. "We are mages from Fairy Tail."

The two blacksmiths narrowed their eyes and observed the kids in front of them. One was a boy with messy brown hair, green eyes, and simple clothes that had seen better days. The other was a girl with long brown hair and large brown eyes. She had switched out of her dress for the job. Cana now sported a yellow shirt and beige shorts that were actually shorts, unlike the ones Mira wore. She had a pink belt around her waist with two holsters that were holding her cards attached to it. And finally, she had a brown bag over her shoulders.

"You two are mages?" Nel asked. He wasn't expecting kids to take their job request. He knew that there were a couple powerful ones in Fairy Tail since they had made a name for themselves already, but he didn't recognize the two in front of him.

"We can handle ourselves," Gerald replied. He saw the doubting look of the blacksmith duo and picked one of his cards. "Celtic Guardian."

The appearance of the elf warrior startled the two. Especially since he was even taller and bigger than them, but the moment their eyes landed on his armor and sword, they lit up brightly.

"Oh, my!"

"Indeed!"

They were circling him around like little kids.

"This sword..."

"Remarkable craftsmanship."

"And the shoulder and breastplates..."

"Indeed, green metal like that is not common around here."

Both of them had reached out, just about to touch Celtic Guardian, when the elf warrior dissipated into white participles. The two turned to Gerald with dejected faces, looking as if he had just robbed them blind of their fortune.

"We can handle ourselves," Gerald repeated. He might not have confidence in his own abilities, but he trusted those of his summons. Celtic Guardian had saved his life once, and although he hadn't seen Le Fay in action, he was sure that she was special.

'Of course, I'm special, silly Master. I'm a magician, after all.'

Gerald almost faltered in his steps even though he was standing in one place. Fay had explained to him that she and the others can speak to him telepathically only right after they've been unlocked. After they've been summoned once, they will lose that ability. So, how was she able to do it now?

'It's because I studied, silly Master.'

He remembered that one of the first dozen books that Fay read was Telepathy. That meant that she had already learned a Magic while he was at about 40% done with Archive. Yeah, she definitely is special. Now the question was if she had learned any other Magic as well? That was one scary thought. The only answer he received was the sweet giggle of Le Fay in his mind.

"...and the guards we had hired ran back to the city to inform us of what had happened." The two blacksmiths had explained the job while Gerald was lost in thought.

"So, a pack of feral lizardmen. Shouldn't be that tough," Cana remarked. There were two types of lizardmen in Earth Land. Intelligent ones that lived in tribes and were treated like humans. And feral ones, who were barbaric and were treated like monsters.

"We will send five of our own men with you and a caravan. Once you deal with the lizardmen, they will collect our inventory and let you choose two of the items. And we will be willing to pay you an additional 10, 000 Jewels if you agree to guard the caravan until it arrives at Oak Town."

"Deal!" Before Gerald could try to bargain for more, Cana had agreed. The money didn't matter that much to her since she had two weeks until she had to pay rent. What mattered was that she got the opportunity to spend more time with him while traveling Fiore.

Nel or maybe it was Os, shook hands with Cana to finalize the deal. With that, the two Fairy Tail mages got onto the caravan that led them to their destination.

It took them roughly about an hour to reach there, and on the way, the guard had told him exactly what had happened. Apparently, a large pack of lizardmen had been passing by the road, heading to a nearby forest, when they encountered the caravan. They were all armed with sticks and stones, but there were over 40 of them while there were only ten guards, including the coachman. Their numbers were too much, and after five of the guards had died, the rest had run away. They weren't sure how many lizardmen they had taken down, but they believed to be around ten or so.

"So, are we supposed to look through the entire forest?" Gerald asked.

"Nope," Cana said while shuffling a deck of cards. "Choose a direction and pick a card." She spread the cards for him.

"Fortune-telling?"

"Fortune-telling!" Cana nodded.

Gerald pointed randomly, picked a card, and showed it to her. "Nope, choose another direction and pick another card," Cana said after shuffling the deck one more time.

A bit of trial and error later, she exclaimed. "That's the way!"

Gerald summoned Celtic Guardian and made him act as the vanguard. The elf warrior was more than happy to finally be able to help his Master. He had failed him once and would make sure that never happens again.

The three walked towards the direction Gerald had pointed earlier, and it didn't take them long to encounter their first lizardmen when they neared a cave. Two green-scaled humanoid creatures, who were as tall as an adult human with weapons in their hands, rushed towards them.

Celtic Guardian didn't waste any time and dashed to meet them head-on. His honor as a warrior was hurt when he was slain by the bandit leader, and he had to reclaim his pride. He had to prove his worth to his Master. And that he did.

The lizardmen carried weapons, but that didn't mean they knew how to use them. Celtic Guardian, on the other hand, was swordsman with honed skills. With his first attack, he disarmed one of the lizardmen, and with his second, he chopped his head off. The other lizardman swung his sword at the elf warrior, but Celtic Guardian blocked it with ease before stabbing him through the chest.

"Wow!" Cana exclaimed.

'Wow indeed,' Gerald though. Celtic Guardian's skill with the sword was nothing to scoff at.

They didn't have the time to marvel at the elf warrior's abilities since they heard growling and hissing of more lizardmen coming from the cave. That was followed by footsteps that were moving towards their direction.

'Call upon me, Master, and let me slay those heathens that dare raise their hand against you!' A hissing voice sounded in Gerald's head.

His eyes widened in surprise. Another card had been unlocked. Gerald pulled out his cards, and one of them was no longer blank. On it, there was a lizardman wearing red-spiked armor with a saber in his hand.

'Say my name, Master, and I will slay those heathens in your name!'

Gerald knew that he could sustain one summon for about one hour as long as he didn't need to use any additional Magic Power. He didn't know how long he could sustain two, but he obliged the request of his new card. "Alligator's Sword!"

Cana was surprised by the sudden light when a lizardman in red armor appeared in front of them. Celtic Guardian was the silent type, but the same couldn't be said about Alligator's Sword.

"Rarara! I will slay you all for attacking my Master! Rarara!" After his battle cry, he rushed out to meet the lizardmen and show them their place.

Cana blinked a few times, startled by Gerald's new summon, before a grin formed on her face. "I can't let them hog all the glory, right?"

With her cards in her hand, she followed behind Alligator's Sword. Cana was a mid-range fighter, and she was like a fish in the water. Celtic Guardian and Alligator's Sword were taking the lizardmen head-on while she had hardened her cards with her Magic Power and threw them like shurikens. Not a single one of their enemies had come even close to her since the two warriors were keeping the attention of the lizardmen on them. Alligator's Sword was doing a particularly good job at that.

"Die! Die! Die!"

"For my Master!"

"Pathetic heathens!"

Every single one of his attacks was followed by his words. He was a complete opposite of Celtic Guardian in that regard. The elf warrior didn't say a thing while he was mowing his way through the lizardmen.

Their fighting styles were also nothing alike. Celtic Guardian used precise strikes without any wasted movements, while Alligator's Sword was wildly swinging his saber like a hurricane. But the one thing they had in common was that both of them were skilled warriors the lizardmen couldn't compare to.

"I don't care about your so-called God!" Alligator's Sword spat out after he chopped the head of a lizardman. "I will slay him in the name of my Master! Die! Die! Die! Rarara!."

It didn't take them more than ten minutes to deal with all the lizardmen that were coming out fo the cave. Celtic Guardian and Alligator's Sword were covered in blood as they walked up to Gerald, who hadn't moved since the start of the fight. Not like there was much that he can do since he didn't know how to fight.

"Are you pleased, Master?" Alligator's Sword asked with an expectant look and snapped Gerald out of his daze. The fight might have lasted around ten minutes, but to him, it felt like it was a few seconds.

"Uhm, yes. You did well," Gerald praised them and saw that Celtic Guardian had the same look, so he continued. "Both of you."

"That was... amazing!" Cana exclaimed. This might as well been her easiest monster extermination quest. Feral lizardmen weren't considered a large threat since they didn't have any magical abilities, but she had expected a tougher fight. No, that couldn't have even been considered a fight. That was a slaughter. Both warriors could've probably taken all the lizardmen out on their own without much problem. Gerald's summons were a lot stronger than what she had imagined.

"ROAR!!!!!!" They didn't have the time to celebrate as a large green-scaled lizard made its appearance. The monster was as large as two grizzly bears put together. Attached to its arms and sharp-clawed hands, were rippled and torn webbed-wings. The lizard let out another monstrous roar as it stared at the pesky humans that had killed its slaves.

'Master summon me now!' Gerald heard Le Fay alarmed voice in his mind. He wasn't sure if she was scared of the creature or scared of his safety. Either way, he didn't ask her and trusted her judgment.

Gerald first willed Alligator's Sword and Celtic Guardian to dissipate before summoning Le Fay. "Dark Magician Girl."

There wasn't any of her usual antics when she appeared. She didn't twirl around, nor did she wink at Gerald. Fay was focused on the creature that threatened the life of her Master. It might be just an adolescent Wyvern, but it was still a monster that Gerald and Cana couldn't handle. They didn't have any abilities that could pierce its tough scales. Alligator's Sword and Celtic Guardian would also have a tough time taking it on. They would only end up draining Gerald's Magic Power while healing from injuries that the Wyvern would cause them.

Fay, on the other hand, was a mage. Her firepower was uncomparable to her Master's other summons. The only thing limiting her abilities was Gerald's Magic Power, and judging by her senses should be at around 60%. More than enough for her to take out the Wyvern.

"Darkness Magic: Dark Binding!" Le Fay pointed with her wand, and a magical circle appeared underneath the Wyvern. Hand like appendages made of darkness appeared and grabbed ahold of the monster. Gerald lost 10% of his Magic Power with that spell.

"ROAR!!" The Wyvern struggled and resisted, trying to break free from its binding, but Fay was already preparing her another magic. A magic circle larger than even the Wyvern appeared in front of her. The Wyvern's eyes widened in fear sensing the large amount of Magic Power coming from the magic circle.

"Darkness Magic: Dark Devastation!" A massive beam made of purple energy shot out and hit the Wyvern straight on the face. 40% of Gerald's Magic Power was taken from him in an instant, and he dropped on his knee.

The spell caused a dust cloud to appear, and once it dispersed, they were able to see the remains of the Wyvern's body. Its legs and arms were the only things left. The rest was obliterated from the attack.

Le Fay had immediately dematerialized after casting her spell, not willing to drain her Master's Magic Power more than needed to.

'I'm sorry, Master. I wasn't sure if a weaker spell would do the job.' She apologized even though she saved their life.

"Holy Crap!" Cana yelled out. "The blond is THAT strong!" Cana had met her once, and the entire time, Le Fay had spent reading books and sitting in Gerald's lap. She thought that the blond was nothing more than a bookworm. She was wrong, however.

Cana then noticed that Gerald was breathing hard and helped him up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just running low on Magic Power. I will be fine after a short rest." He took a few deep breaths and said. "Let's go and call the guards, so they can collect the inventory from the lizardmen."

'Roar!' Gerald heard a weak cry in his head and checked his cards when he got his bearings straight.

'Interesting.' He thought. 'This could be useful later.'

After the guards collected all the inventory, Gerald selected a sword and a saber as a reward since Cana didn't like any of the items. He planned on getting some weapon training from Alligator's Sword and Celtic Guardian after his finishes learning Archive. The entire fight he hadn't even moved a muscle, and that didn't sit well with him. He felt useless even though it was his summons that had done most of the job. He swore to change that.

They climbed on the caravan, and after a safe one-hour-long journey, they reached Oak Town. They were given 30, 000 Jewels as a reward, and the guards bid them goodbye after thanking them.

"Want to explore the town and help me find a clothing store?" Gerald asked.

"Yes!" Cana was more than happy to agree.

Oak Town was a medieval-looking town that was situated on a hill with a castle built at the highest peak. The two had a fun time exploring the city. Gerald bought some new clothes, discarded his old ones, and after they ate in a restaurant, the two were ready to leave for Mongolia.

"Want to return back in style?" Gerald asked with a grin.

"What do you have in mind?"

He smirked and pulled out his new card. "Baby Dragon!" An orange-scaled dragon, a bit smaller than a bear, materialized in front of them.

"How about by riding on a dragon?"

"No. Freaking. Way!"