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Chapter 4: Weight of the Blade

The Devon Bandit Gang has taken control of the small town of Freesia. A young swordswoman passing through finds herself pulled into the fray. Then, a certain shapeshifter shows up with impeccable timing.

Ben provides encouragement to the young swordswoman, and unintentionally steps on the toes of a couple other wizards that wanted to defeat the bandits.

Chapter Text

Freesia. 

A small town located in the eastern parts of Fiore, nestled in fertile farmland between a mountain range to the west and Clover to the east. It was a community mostly known for growing food crops. It also had some of the oldest architecture in the kingdom with the town's crown jewel being its historic church. Built in the center of town, it was a large cathedral constructed of polished stone, beautiful stained glass, and a steeple that towered over the community. Some would argue it rivaled the Kardia Cathedral in Magnolia. 

Lining the town's roads were various street vendors selling various items, mostly food.

"Dues! Hand over your dues now!" 

Unfortunately, the peaceful commerce was promptly shattered. 

A gang of at least thirty-or-so men swarmed the streets, all of whom wearing brown and tan garbs with hoods, wearing leather armor, and holding various medieval weapons, such as swords, axes, and maces. Bystanders in the streets and the sellers at the vending stalls were forced to surrender their money and anything valuable. 

"You should all know the drill by now! Empty those pockets of all valuables!" 

"Lord Devon demands your dues!" 

It was pretty clear that these men were thugs.

One of them, a giant of a man standing at six-foot-three, was one of several wearing knight-like armor and a helmet with black feathers sprouting out at the back. He had a squarish chin with a bushy black mustache and a gnarly scar over his left eye. He sauntered down the street holding a staff with a blue crystal orb and golden cross on top. 

He smirked smugly, chewing on the end of a wheat straw. "Money, money, money, money." He chanted to himself. "Jewels, gold, silver, or gems…I love it all!" 

It was obvious this money-loving man was the gang's ringleader. 

"Lord Devon." A thug walked up to the robust man, Devon. "By our estimate, we've acquired over 100,000 Jewels so far." 

Devon grunted, seemingly displeased. "Not enough. Keep collecting more! If any of these hicks resist, make an example of 'em." 

"Yes sir!" The thug went to relay the message to the other men. 

Devon glanced up at his staff, sneering. 'With these Rune Knight weapons, this town doesn't have a prayer against us. I'll squeeze every last cent out of this backwater town!' 

Freesia was primarily a farming community and lacked any magical guilds and had only a few Rune Knights stationed there–meaning the town had little-to-no protections from threats. Devon knew this and couldn't pass up on a chance to grab some low hanging fruits. After ambushing the town's knight outpost, they locked up the knights in the dungeon and commandeered their gear. 

The town of Freesia was essentially under the Devon Bang Gang's control now. Yes, the group was named after the leader. Very original. 

With no weapons of their own and their designated knights locked up, townspeople were forced to give into the bandits' demands. For the past several days, Freesia was forced into giving up a "daily tax" to the Devon Bandit Gang–claiming it to be protection money from hostile outside forces. 

Obviously their reasoning was bull; unfortunately though, with the bandits wielding Rune Knight gear, people had no choice but to comply…for now. 

In the courtyard nearby, a young teenage woman stepped into view. She had porcelain skin, dark purple hair tied into a ponytail, and sharp hazel eyes. Her attire consisted of a purple kimono with white wind blade-shaped accents, a bright pink ribbon tied around her slim waist in a bow, a dark violet skirt that ended above her knees, and white stockings with wooden sandals. 

Sixteen-year-old Kagura Mikazuchi calmly sauntered into the town's circular courtyard, keeping a hand near the sheathed katana strapped to her waist. She watched the bandits robbing the townspeople around her with a displeased frown. 

'Absurd. To think goons like this can do as they please.' The sight of criminals taking advantage of innocent people angered Kagura, dredging up old unpleasant memories from her childhood. 

"Well, well…look at what we have here." Snapped from her thoughts, Kagura turned to see one of the armored thugs standing off to her right, looking her up-and-down lecherously. Gross. "What's a young beauty like you doing in a dump like this?" 

Kagura was unamused. "It is of no concern to you." 

The man sneered. "Now, now, don't be like that." He paused to look around, making sure none of his colleagues were watching, "Tell ya what, beautiful, I'll let you off the hook for dues IF you agree to spend some quality time with me. If you catch my drift…" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. 

Kagura narrowed her eyes, growling angrily. "I'd rather die than spend even a moment with a worm like you." She spat.

The thug's smug grin turned into an indignant frown as he pulled up his mace. "Hey! Who the hell do you think you–!" 

CHING! CHING! CHING!

The man went silent as his armored suit was suddenly cut into clean pieces, falling to the ground. A moment later, the man's eyes rolled back as he collapsed face-first, unconscious. 

Kagura held up her unsheathed katana blade. The purplette didn't even spare the thug a second glance.

"HEY! What's going on over there!?" 

"Rosh just got taken down!" 

"Quick! Surround that girl!" 

Over a dozen bandits in the street who noticed Kagura take down their comrade immediately got into position, surrounding her on all sides with their weapons at the ready. Townspeople quickly backed away, putting as much distance between them and the potential incoming fight. 

Kagura glanced around to study her opponents and noticed something off about them, particularly their attire and weapons. 'Hold on, their armor and weapons… They appear to be from the Rune Knights. Where could they have acquired them?'

"Who do you think you are!?"

"You know who you're messing with, girl?"

The men held up their weapons to intimidate Kagura, but the young swordswoman wasn't impressed. "A group of skilless degenerates who have somehow acquired equipment they have no business wielding." She replied coolly.

"That's it! Kill her!" 

With loud yells, the men charged forward with their respective weapons. 

Kagura narrowed her eyes, and yelled, "Gravity Change! 1.5 X!" 

The bandits stopped in their tracks and hunched over, some even falling to their knees, as they suddenly felt themselves become heavier. 

"Whoa!? What happened!?"

"My armor just got heavier…"

"Hold on…" A thug's eyes widened as it dawned on him. "That girl! She has to be a wiz—AH!" He was unable to complete his sentence. 

While her opponents were thrown off by their increased gravity, Kagura rushed forward and expertly swung her blade. 

Pained cries rang out from the bandits. The townspeople standing at the perimeter of the courtyard watched in awe. To their untrained eyes, it appeared Kagura was moving in a blur.

Kagura suddenly appeared standing outside the group of men. The bystanders remained silent and looked on with bated breath. Would this wizard defeat this band of criminals who had taken over their community?

In one fluid motion, she sheathed her blade with a click. Immediately after, the bandits collapsed forward unconscious—their armor and weapons reduced to scrap. 

The townspeople then broke out into applause at Kagura's victory.

Ignoring the praise, the swordswoman glanced over her shoulder at the defeated bandits. 'I see, no skill whatsoever. Only a bunch of fools swinging their weapons around.' She mused. 'Even someone like me with burgeoning sword skills had little issue.'

Kagura perked up at the sound of metal footsteps, turning her head to see over two dozen more armed bandits enter the courtyard. The townspeople's cheers died away as the rest of the Devon Bandit Gang surrounded the purple-haired swordswoman. Kagura remained calm and prepared to unsheathe her katana once more. 

"I shall give you only one warning. Drop your weapons and surrender or I will strike you down." Kagura said strongly. 

The tone in the swordswoman's voice was enough to make the bandits hesitate, an advantage she was about to take full advantage of. "Gravity Change! 1.5–" Kagura was unable to complete her incantation as she suddenly felt her magical power fade away…and her feet leave the ground. 

"What?!" She looked down to see a blue magical circle on the ground beneath her. Her eyes widened when she recognized its markings. 'A Rune Knight capture seal!' It was a spell used by Rune Knights meant to capture wizards by nullifying their magic, rendering them powerless. 

"Heh-heh." Kagura turned to see that the source of the chuckling was Devon. The burly man ambled toward her holding up his staff, the lacrima orb glowing blue. "Well, well…Isn't this a surprise. A guild wizard. I wonder…" He glanced over his shoulder at the townspeople cowering in the background. "...did one of these people hire you to stop us?" 

Devon's eyes narrowed, frowning. "If that's the case, we'll have to come down harder on these folks. Take even more of their money!" 

The townspeople flinched in response.

"Jewels, gold, silver, and gems…I love it all! I want it all." He chuckled to himself. 

"Enough!" Kagura shouted indignantly. "No one in this town hired me. I was simply passing through." 

Devon scoffed at the response. His eyes then drifted towards Kagura's blade. He activated a feature on the Rune Knight staff that telekinetically disarmed Kagura off her katana and levitated it into his open hand. 

"I may not be the most shiny coin in the treasury, but I ain't the dullest if you get my meaning. Wizards don't just pass through a small town in the sticks like this for no reason." He then unsheathed the blade, throwing the wooden sheath off to the side—irritating Kagura. "Not a bad blade…"

He suddenly smashed the broadside against the cobblestone street with all of his strength, causing it to shatter into pieces all the way to the hilt.

"Bastard!" Kagura yelled, enraged. She had just gotten that sword crafted for her!

"Now, start talking missy!" Devon tossed the broken katana away like trash. "What guild are you from, and who hired you? How much money are they paying you?" His eyebrows scrunched up. "I have to know…" 

"...I am a member of Mermaid Heel. And I've already told you no one sent me." Kagura responded. "I was passing through."

Devon snarled at her reply and was about to order his men to turn their weapons on the townspeople until…

"Lord Devon!" The robust man turned to the exclamation, seeing a few of his men guiding a large, covered wagon pulled by a purple boar-like creature into the courtyard. "We have travelers! A merchant, in fact!"

From his seat on the wagon's chaise, Mr. Kale looked at the courtyard scene with growing concern. He had passed through Freesia many times in his travels, but the atmosphere never felt as intense as it did now. These men with armor and weapons…they were bad news. 

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Mr. Kale murmured. 'I really wish Ben wasn't such a deep sleeper…'  He discreetly glanced over his shoulder into the wagon. 

"A merchant?" Devon then sneered as a devious idea came to mind. "Perfect. Get him off the wagon!" 

The bearded merchant was forcibly pulled down from the wagon and he nervously put his hands up in surrender. "Please, I mean no harm. I'm just a traveler…" 

"One who trades goods to many parts of the kingdom. Surely you have plenty of money on you…or things that can be exchanged for money, yes?" Devon demanded. "Jewels, gold, silver, or gems?" 

"Well…y-yes?" The merchant replied, unsure. 

"Good. That means all I have to do is take your wagon and be rid of you." Devon stated offhandedly. 

"W-what?!" Mr. Kale panicked. 

The criminals keeping the bearded merchant in place pulled out their weapons, preparing to strike him whenever their ringleader gave the order. 

The bandit ringleader then returned his gaze to Kagura, sneering. "Are you sure you don't want to tell me who hired you? It would be a shame if an innocent man's blood was spilled across this nice and expensive courtyard."

Kagura's eyes widened. "Please, spare him!" She shouted vehemently. "I already told you no one hired me!" 

Devon wasn't convinced. "Still playing dumb… Fine. Then this merchant's blood is on your hands. Men!" 

"NO!" Kagura cried out in horror. 

"Hey… What's with all the noise?" A new voice asked. 

Everyone paused and turned to see a brown-haired young man step out of the wagon. He wore olive-green pants that went past his knees, brown sandals, a sleeveless black shirt, and a sash with green and white triangle patterns going from his left shoulder to the right side of his lower back. On his arm was a green-and-black pattern sleeve on his left arm. 

After being awakened from his afternoon nap, Ben looked around in confused concern by what he was seeing. At first glance, the armored men with weapons certainly didn't look like good guys. When he turned to see Mr. Kale had weapons pointed at him, Ben instantly realized these men were bad news. 

"Ah, another hostage, good!" Devon grinned sinisterly. "The more, the merrier!" 

'Definitely bad guys then.' Ben mused sardonically while discreetly pulling up the sleeve hiding the Ultimatrix. 

"Yes, Lord Devon! You!" The nearest bandit pointed a broadsword at Ben, and ordered, "Hands in the air!" 

Ben remained nonchalant. "If you say so." As he lifted his arms up, he swiftly activated the Ultimatrix and slapped down the dial without looking. A brilliant green flash suddenly filled the courtyard, causing everyone to shield their eyes. 

When the emerald flash died away, standing in Ben's place was a large, bulky humanoid with reddish-brown, rocky skin. It also had a giant mouth and a molten red core on its stomach. It wore black shorts with green stripes and a green belt with white stripes. The Ultimatrix dial was positioned directly on its forehead.

"Gravattack!" The rocky humanoid exclaimed. 

Everyone in the courtyard was taken aback by the sudden transformation. Gravattack immediately held up his hands and an invisible force emanated from them. All of the bandits suddenly felt their feet leave the ground as they floated into the air. 

Mr. Kale sighed in relief as the men holding him hostage floated away. "Thanks, Ben." 

"No problem. You know what's going on, Mr. Kale?" Gravattack asked. 

"I believe these bandits have taken over this town…" The merchant replied shakily. 

"Is that right?" Gravattack's eyes narrowed.

"W–what is that thing?!" A bandit exclaimed. 

"What's he doing?!" Another shouted. "Is this some kind of a spell?" 

"Why is another wizard here?"

"Lord Devon, help us!" 

"Tch." Lord Devon, who was still on the ground, spit out the straw he was chewing off ang glanced up at Kagura, looking miffed. "So you brought backup, eh? Should've known. You wizards are no better than tax collectors, I say." 

Kagura didn't respond as she stared at Gravattack in bewilderment. 'A Take-Over wizard? But what is that form? Is he using some kind of Gravity Magic?'

"Well, no matter. I have ways of dealing with pesky no-good wizards." Devon focused on Gravattack and tapped his staff on the ground. 

"NO! You there, watch out!" Kagura shouted out, panicked. 

But it was too late. Another blue magic-nullifying seal appeared directly under Gravattack's feet. Lord Devon smirked sinisterly, expecting the Take-Over wizard to transform back and his men return to the ground. 

…

…

Nothing happened. 

Devon gapped in shock. "What?!" 

Kagura's mouth gaped, equally dumbfounded. 'He's still able to cast his magic? How!?'  

"Hm?" Gravattack briefly glanced down at the blue circular seal glowing underneath him before looking at Devon, arching a rocky brow. "Uh… Is that circle supposed to do something or what?" 

"H-How!?" Devon took a step back as his arrogance immediately turned into shocked dismay. "Y-your magic should be canceled!"

Gravattack shrugged his bulky rock shoulders. "I dunno. Maybe you cast it wrong?" He then pointed his left arm at Devon and removed his gravity, causing him to float into the air with his men. "Tough break for you." 

The bandits shouted in protest as they levitated in the air helplessly.

"I don't know the full story here, but it's obvious you guys are up to no good. So," Gravattack grinned impishly, "how bout I take you for a little spin!" 

Gravattack suddenly levitated in the air, rolling his body into a rocky planetoid shape. Using his gravikinesis, he pulled the dozens of bandits into an elliptical orbit around his body. The Galiean increased his pull on the ruffians and before long they were being spun around at insane speeds until they were nothing but a blur. 

With Devon losing focus in his zero-gravity tumble, the capture spell on Kagura was broken as she smoothly landed on both feet. She looked up at Gravattack in astonishment. To all of the observers in the courtyard, the bandits almost resembled a planetary ring around Gravattack with how fast they were being spun. 

Moments later, Gravattack unrolled into his bipedal form and let his feet touch the ground again. He stopped spinning the bandits around him and held them in place several meters off the ground. Their eyes were swirling as their faces had turned a sickly green, some had even hurled on the courtyard below. Gross. 

"Now, just to make sure none of the rats scurry away…" He focused his gravikinesis to gather all of the hoodlums into a ball, and then lowered them to the ground, gravity keeping them pinned together with Lord Devon at the core–being smushed in from all sides.

"No…I can't lose…All the money…" Devon struggled comically. "Jewels, gold, silver, and gems…MINE!" Despite his best efforts, the bandit leader was unable to move. 

Gravattack made sure the gravity binding them all together was strong enough to keep them trapped, but not so much that it would kill them. Funny, this was only Ben's second time transforming into Gravattack since rediscovering the Ultimatrix, yet the knowledge of how to use his forms just seemed to come natural to him. 

"There! I christened it… Planet Doofus!" 

With the Devon Bandit Gang defeated, the courtyard suddenly burst into loud applause. Gravattack blinked at the cheers before placing his hands on his hips in a proud and confident manner. He didn't know why, but the attention somehow felt familiar. 

He really liked it, actually.

Kagura continued to stare at Gravattack in subdued awe. 'He's strong.' 

…

Later on, the Devon Bandit Gang were being led away in chains and cuffs by the local knights. Upon capturing the bandits, some men had freed the knights locked away in the town's dungeon and they went to immediately apprehend the criminals after reclaiming their stolen gear. 

While the money that the bandits had stolen was also being redistributed to Freesia's residents, Ben and Kagura stood together by the courtyard's decorative fountain in front of Freesia's mayor. 

"I can't thank you wizards enough for your help." The mayor bowed respectfully. He was a five-foot-seven well-fit middle-aged man with graying hair and average looks. 

"It was no big deal." Ben smiled proudly. "Just happy I could help." 

"Please. I am not deserving of any praise." Kagura stated, turning away in shame. 

Ben glanced at the kimono-dressed girl in confusion. What did she mean by that? 

"Not true," the mayor countered, "the fact that you stood up to those hoodlums is worthy of praise in itself. You also took down a few criminals too. Though I am curious, were you the two Fairy Tail wizards who had accepted my job request to deal with those bandits?" 

'Fairy Tail…' Ben recalled his friends from Cait Shelter mentioning that guild's name. 

Kagura shook her head. "No, I am a member of the Mermaid Heel guild. I was merely passing through here to a place in the mountains to train." 

"I see. And you?" The man then turned to Ben. 

"Uh, no. I was just passing through myself." Ben answered. "Saw those guys causing trouble and couldn't just stand back and do nothing, ya know?" 

This caught Kagura's attention as he glanced at him from the corner of her eye, intrigued.

The mayor nodded and smiled. "Well, it must be the blessings of the gods that both of you came when you did. Please, allow me as Freesia's mayor to repay your kindness." 

"Uh, you don't need to repay me." Ben waved off. 

"Nor I." Kagura shook her head. "Besides, I became careless and was captured as a result. I deserve no reward." She paused to stare at the hilt of her broken katana, tightening her grip on it. 'I'm still nowhere near strong enough…' 

"Hey, don't be too hard on yourself." Ben turned to the purplette. "I mean… There's no way you could've known those guys had some magic-canceling spell." 

'And yet the capture spell didn't work on you…' Kagura mused skeptically.

"Please, there must be something I can do for you." The mayor said in a pleading tone. "I don't exaggerate that those men really made life hard for us these past few days." 

Seeing that the mayor wasn't going to back down, he tried to think of something he could ask for that would satisfy the man while also not sounding like he was demanding too much. He glanced over to Kagura; specifically, the broken sword she was holding. 

"Well, there is one thing." 

Both the mayor and Kagura looked at the brunet curiously. 

Ben then pointed to Kagura's broken katana. "It looks like her sword was broken in the fight. Maybe you could give her enough money to replace it?" He suggested. 

Kagura lightly gasped in surprise. 'What? Why would he–'

"Ah, yes." The mayor smiled, clasping his hands together. "I can certainly fulfill that request! Please, wait here for a moment and I'll head to my office to acquire the money."

"No! W-wait!" Kagura called out to stop him, but the man had already taken off–leaving her and Ben alone by the fountain. 

"Um…did you not want that?" Ben asked carefully. 

"Why would you do that?" Kagura looked at him skeptically. 

Ben shrugged absentmindedly. "You were staring at your broken sword earlier. Thought you'd like a new one. Was I…wrong?"

Kagura closed her eyes, sighing. "No, I was disappointed to have lost my new sword; especially to those riff raff. But I didn't accomplish anything here today. I am not worthy of a reward." 

"Then… Maybe see this as a gift then?" Ben offered sheepishly. "On me?" 

"That is…quite generous of you." Kagura admitted, looking surprised. "Especially to someone you don't know." 

"You have a point there." Ben then offered his hand, smiling confidently. "Let's fix that then. Ben Tennyson. Nice to meet you." 

Kagura looked at the hand shortly before returning the shake, a small smile crossing her face. "Kagura Mikazuchi. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." 

'Mikazuchi…? Why does that sound familiar?' Ben wondered. 

His eyes widened when the image of a young teenage girl with short black hair, a white skirt, and pink jacket came to mind. Her bright brown eyes and dazzling smile briefly filled his vision, making his heart skip a beat. 

Ben blinked twice as the image faded away. A name then popped up in his mind. 'Yamamoto…Julie… Is that who that girl was?' Why did his heart flutter at the thought of her? Was she special to him in some way? 

"Is something the matter?" Kagura enquired, noticing his brief blank expression. 

"Oh…um, no." Ben snapped out of his musings, pushing his thoughts of Julie off to the side for now. "It's just…I think your last name reminded me of someone I know. I think…" 

She arched an eyebrow. "You think?" 

"It's a long story…" Ben sighed deeply. 

"I see. Well, in any case, I'd like to thank you for your help, Ben Tennyson." Kagura bowed to him, taking the Ultimatrix bearer off guard. "Had you not shown up when you did, there would've been a great tragedy today." 

"I'm…" Ben rubbed the back of his head. "...just happy I could help. I was lucky those guys were incompetent and I was able to get the jump on them." 

"No. Luck had nothing to do with it." She retorted firmly. "It was your quick thinking and skill that allowed you to be victorious today. I implore you to give yourself more credit."

"Well…" Ben puffed out his chest, grinning confidently. "I guess I was pretty cool, huh?"

Kagura narrowed her gaze. "Don't let it get to your head, however." She warned.

"Heh-heh, right." The Ultimatrix bearer chuckled. "So, you said you were passing through to train somewhere, right?" 

The purplette nodded in confirming. "Yes, there's a place in the mountains where I often go to train my sword skills and magic without risking property damage." 

'Without risking property damage?' Ben then recalled his current roster of transformations…and how powerful they are. Even in his amnesiac condition, he was smart enough to know his forms could be dangerous if used improperly—training or otherwise. 'Actually, that's pretty smart on her part.' 

Another thought then crossed his mind. "What is your magic, Kagura? Does it have to do with swords?" He asked curiously. 

She shook her head, replying, "No. It's Gravity Magic. I can use it to manipulate the gravity around a target, whether it be myself or someone else." 

"Seriously?" Ben beamed. "That's awesome! That's just like Gravattack's abilities!" 

"Gravattack?" She perked up in recognition. "The rocky Take-Over form you assumed earlier?" 

Ben nodded eagerly. "Yep. From what I understand, he can manipulate gravity around objects freely. Increase it, decrease it. Whatever he wants." 

Kagura was dumbstruck. "So… You were employing Gravity Magic with that form?" 

"I think so…" Ben sounded a bit unsure. "Or at least some kind of variation."

"That…is very impressive." Kagura sounded impressed. 'A Take-Over wizard who has better control of gravity than I do…' She glanced at her katana's broken hilt, frowning sadly. 'I really am weak…' 

Noticing her downtrodden expression, Ben became concerned. "Hey… What's wrong?" 

Kagura hesitated to reply before exhaling. "Apologies… I'm just realizing how weak I still am." 

"Weak?" Ben arched a brow, bemused. "What are you talking about? You're not weak, you're–"

"I am." She cut him off. "Your Gravattack form has full control of gravity whereas I can only increase it. A 1.5 multiplier, to be exact. I haven't had much success with other gravity spells, I'm afraid." 

Kagura sighed heavily, holding up her katana's hilt. "And my swordplay is average at best." She paused briefly. "When I hear stories of Fairy Tail's Titania and how amazingly gifted she is with the blade…it just reminds me of how far behind I am." 

Ben didn't respond immediately as he looked at her empathetically. Then, another vision suddenly played through his head; more specifically, it was related to the first time he had ever transformed. 

He was running around in the middle of a forest in panic. Seconds earlier, he had just transformed into a rocky flaming humanoid that he'd later dub Heatblast. "AHHHHH!" He yelled in a deep, raspy voice. "I'M ON FIRE! I'M ON FIRE! AHHHHHH!" 

Heatblast then stopped running when he realized something. "Hey…" he calmed down and looked at his fiery body, clenching his fists in relief. "I'm on fire and…I'm okay. Check it out. I'm totally hot. Ha-ha-hah!" He chuckled from his own pun.

A roguish smile grew on the Pyronite's face as he glanced back at a tree. "Oh yeah" He turned to face the tree and stood in a wide stance with his arms ready at his sides. "Uh huh." He held out his right hand with his index finger pointing out, giving it the shape of a gun. "Here goes…"

He discharged a small fireball from his fingertip, which blasted through the tree trunk and left a smoking hole in it.

"That's what I'm talking about." Heatblast commented. He brought his hands together and formed a bowling ball-sized fireball. "Liking it."

Caught up in the moment of his newfound abilities, he threw the fireball behind him and it easily went straight through three trees. But, as a result, those trees burst into flames.

Heatblast's empty eye sockets went wide in alarm when he realized what he had done. "Wait! Stop!"

Naturally, the fire ignored Heatblast's pleas as it spread from tree-to-tree. He ran toward the epicenter of the newborn forest fire and started stomping his foot on the flaming ground. However, his fire-wreathed feet did nothing to stop the spread of the inferno.

"Aw man. I'm gonna get so busted for this." Heatblast said nervously.

As the memory concluded, a bead of sweat raced down Ben's face. 'Not my brightest moment…'

With that memory in mind though, Ben returned his attention to Kagura. "You know, I have this Take-Over form I call Heatblast. He's made of fire and rock…and he grants me full control over fire. Heck, I can even control the earth to a degree."

"Hmm… Reminds me of those rumors surrounding Salamander." Kagura mentioned offhandedly. 

'There's that name again…' Ben thought, recalling that Pepel had mentioned it as well. 'Should probably find out who he is later.' 

"I guess…Anyways, I can do a lot of things with Heatblast. But when I first changed into him…I accidentally set the forest I was in on fire." 

Kagura turned to him, cocking a brow. "You set a forest on fire? What, were you a child?" 

"Actually…yeah. Heh-heh," Ben scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Ten, to be exact." He then shook his head. "But even though I screwed up then, I was determined to get ahold of Heatblast's powers. I kept training and practicing, and now eight years later his abilities come second-nature to me." 

Kagura stared at Ben, realizing where he was getting at. 

Ben paused briefly before continuing, "Tell me, Kagura, why do you want to get stronger? Not just with your magic and swordplay, but in general." 

Kagura was pleasantly surprised by the sudden question. Her gaze then fell to the cobblestone ground as she reflected upon it. Her thoughts drifted back to her childhood. 

Living in Rosemary Village in a small house.

Blessed with loving parents and a protective older brother. 

Poor…but happy, nonetheless. 

Then, one day, a dark cult ruined it all by raiding the village… Killing or capturing everyone in it. Her parents had been sadly killed while her brother had been taken. 

And thanks to a red-haired girl hiding her away in a barrel, she had escaped. Meanwhile, her brother and the other children in the village hadn't been so lucky. 

Kagura trembled at the memories and unconsciously tightened her grip, causing the hilt in her grasp to creak from the pressure. 

"Kagura?" He became concerned when he noticed her eyes were brimming with tears as she struggled to contain her emotions. 

Ben quickly guided her over to the fountain's edge and sat her down, taking a seat beside her. He kept a little bit of distance between them though to respect her space. He looked at her concernedly and was about to ask if she was okay until she finally spoke up. 

"My brother." She sobbed lightly. 

He cocked a brow. "...Your brother?" 

Kagura sniffled and wiped her eyes. "When I was young, a dark wizard cult raided our village. My parents were killed and, aside from me, they kidnapped all of the children–my older brother included." 

Ben was horrified by this revelation. 'Holy crap…'

She looked out toward the horizon introspectively. "That's why I am training in magic and swords. He's out there somewhere…" She turned back to him with a determined expression. "...and I will find him. I need to be capable of defeating anyone who stands in the way of that goal." 

Ben needed a moment to process her response before nodding understandingly. The circumstances were different, but he could relate to Kagura's goal of setting out to find her remaining family and training herself to endure the arduous journey. 

"I…can understand. Then, let me say this… If you're passionate and determined to accomplish something, you can achieve it. Maybe right now you're not the greatest swordswoman…or the most proficient in Gravity Magic… but you can be." 

Kagura looked at him with growing intrigue. 

Ben grinned confidently. "If there's any advice I can give you as someone who accidentally started a forest fire the first time he transformed, just keep training! You will get stronger, I'm sure."

Her eyes widened as her breath hitched in her throat at his declaration. She studied his expression for any signs of deception or falsehood…and spotted none. He meant every word. 

A small, soft smile crossed Kagura's face. "T-thank you." She said quietly, a tint of red rising on her cheeks. 

Ben unconsciously stared at Kagura, momentarily admiring her beauty. However, he then noticed something at one of the vendor stalls in the background–a specific item had caught his eye. 'Huh… I wonder.' 

"Could you wait here for a second, Kagura?" Ben requested, standing up. 

"I can…?" Kagura replied, confused. What was he up to? 

"Cool! Be back in a sec!"

Kagura remained sitting at the fountain and watched as Ben ran over to one of the stalls in the street by the courtyard. She watched him in bewilderment as he made a purchase and immediately ran back to her, holding a brown bag. 

"What did you purchase?" Kagura inquired curiously. 

"Nothing for me. I actually got it for you." Ben handed her the bag. 

Kagura blinked in surprise. She wasn't expecting that. "For me? But…I couldn't–"

"I insist. At least see what it is first before you diss it." He urged politely. 

Not wanting to come off as rude, Kagura took the bag and pulled out the item inside. "A headband?" 

Indeed. It was a white headband with a white ribbon tied at the middle in a bow, pointing straight up. 

"Try it on." Ben encouraged her, smiling. 

Kagura humored him and carefully placed the band on top of her head. When she turned to look at her reflection in the fountain water, her eyes widened slightly in surprise. 

"I noticed it from that stall across the street. I thought the white bow on top would look good on you." Ben explained. "I think it fits the style you're going for." 

Kagura would concur. She wasn't the best with fashion style or girly things, but even she could admit the headband was a nice touch. As a matter of fact, she'd dare say it looked cute. Not outwardly though. 

"I… Yes. It does look…nice." She admitted, smiling softly at her reflection.

Ben noticed Kagura's happy reaction and smiled. "You know…your smile is really nice." 

"W-what?!" Kagura stiffened up, her face turning beet red. Where did that come from?!

Ben shrugged. "I said your smile looks nice." He said unashamedly. 

"T-that's…I mean…" Kagura stammered, feeling flustered. 

Since hitting puberty, many men had commented on her looks. Calling her 'hot', 'gorgeous', or (her least favorite) a 'babe'. With her womanly figure, she supposed that she couldn't fault them. But none of them had ever mentioned anything about her smile. 

Although, to be fair, that was likely because she didn't smile very often, if at all.

Commissioned by BoweraStudio on DeviantArt

"Apologies for the wait!" 

Kagura breathed a sigh of relief as the mayor finally returned. She took a deep breath to recompose herself. 

The pair stood up as the mayor approached them holding a brown envelope. "Here you are, miss. This should cover the cost of your sword and then some." 

Kagura looked at the envelope, unsure. "I…I don't…" 

"You could use it to buy a newer and better sword?" Ben inserted. "It may be beneficial to your training and goal too."

Kagura considered Ben's suggestion and admitted that he raised a fair point. With a deep sigh, the purplette took the envelope and nodded in appreciation towards the mayor. "Thank you, sir." 

The mayor smiled and nodded. "Of course. Thank you both again for your help. Feel free to stop by Freesia anytime." 

With that, Ben and Kagura bid the mayor their farewells. 

"Ben!" 

The pair turned to see Mr. Kale waved over to him by his wagon. "I finished my business here. It's time to head out to Clover!" He shouted. 

"Got it! I'll be over in a sec!" Ben yelled back. 

When the bearded merchant noticed Ben standing by the kimono-dressed girl from earlier, he smirked coyly before giving him a thumbs-up.

Meanwhile, Ben looked back to Kagura. "Well, I guess I should get going." 

Kagura nodded in understanding, though there was a hint of disappointment noticeable in her expression. Much to her own surprise, she had enjoyed spending time with Ben…as brief as it may have been. Outside of her father and brother, he was certainly one of the better men she had met in her life. 

She then glanced down at the money in her hand. "Ben, are you sure you don't want this–"

"Trust me, I don't." Ben cut her off, holding out his hand. "I don't need any money right now. Besides, I meant it when I said you could use that to buy a new sword. If you're going to find your brother someday, you'll need every advantage you can get. Right?" 

"I…" She couldn't argue with that solid logic. If her older brother was still alive and enslaved by that dark cult, then having a better weapon to wield could prove advantageous. Especially one that wouldn't break just by being smacked into the ground at the right angle. 

The purplette then bowed graciously to the brunet, taking him off guard. "Thank you. I am truly grateful for your kindness, Ben."

Ben smiled and nodded. "Don't mention it. Happy I could help." 

"Before you go," Kagura continued, "may I ask what guild you're affiliated with?" 

"I…" He rubbed his shoulder awkwardly. "...I'm not with one." 

Kagura quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "You're not in a guild?" That was surprising. 

"No. I may join one someday, but…" His expression became contemplative. "...there's some things I need to figure out first." 

"I…see." Kagura wasn't sure what to make of that response, but thought it'd be rude to pry any further. He had his reasons, she surmised. "Well then, I wish you safe travels in your journey, Ben." She sincerely stated. 

Ben nodded. "Same to you, Kagura. It was nice meeting you. Maybe we'll meet again someday?" 

"If you're ever in the town of Peony, feel free to stop by the Mermaid Heel guild hall. I'd be happy to show you around." Kagura offered. 

Ben smirked. "I'll keep that in mind. Well, I should get going now. Don't wanna keep my ride waiting. Take care, Kagura." He mimicked her bow from before, earning a smile from the purplette. 

With that, the pair disembarked in two separate directions. 

Kagura discreetly glanced over her shoulder back at Ben, who was climbing up onto the merchant's wagon. She noticed how his black sleeveless shirt showed off his toned, muscled arms. As her hazel eyes trailed over his body, she inwardly noted that he was quite attractive. 

'No!' She turned away and shook her head, feeling her face flush. 

Getting a hold of herself, Kagura pondered on why Ben wasn't in any guild. Perhaps he was new to the country? 'For once, I'm actually disappointed that Mermaid Heel is strictly female-only.' She mused. 

Her attention then shifted to the brown envelope in her hand. Curious, she carefully opened it and pulled out a written check. Her usual stoic and calm demeanor faltered as her eyes snapped open in shock from the amount written. 

'Over 300,000 Jewels?!' She trembled while clutching onto the check. She had never received such an exuberate sum in her past jobs. 'This…this is far too much! Especially for me! I didn't even defeat those bandits! I should give this back to Ben–'

Her inner monologue was interrupted when Ben's words resurfaced. "...you could use that money to buy a new sword. If you're going to find your brother someday, you'll need every advantage you can get."  

Kagura paused and glanced back toward the courtyard, watching the merchant's wagon roll off in the opposite direction. 

A short moment passed before she adopted a determined visage. 'I won't let this generous gift go to waste! I will get stronger! For Simon's sake, I will!' Nodding to herself, Kagura placed the check back in the envelope and continued down the street. 

Her training would have to be put on hold. She had a particular destination in mind now. A while back, she had visited a well-renowned swordsmith's shop to purchase her old katana. It wasn't the best one he had to offer, but it was the best one she could afford at the time without taking a massive loan. 

However, with the amount of money she now had, she could purchase his best sword. A certain sword that had caught her eye the moment she had laid eyes upon it. One that was quite powerful and magically enhanced. 

It would be the perfect blade for cutting down the deplorable cultists who had destroyed her village, killed her parents, and kidnapped her older brother.

'Archenemy… Soon you'll be mine.' Kagura thought resolutely. 

Meanwhile, on the merchant wagon, Mr. Kale glanced over at Ben side-eyed. "I must say…I'm a bit jealous of you." 

"Pardon?" Ben quirked a brow. 

"I love my wife and would never dream of leaving her. But heck, when I was your age, I never had your luck with women. You make it look so easy." He grumbled. 

He blinked, dumbfounded. "I…don't know what you're talking about. Kagura and I were just talking. Nothing romantic happened." 

"Oh?" He smirked slyly. "Then I suppose that headband you gave her was just you being a nice guy then?"

"It was!" Ben argued before realizing something. "Wait! You saw that?!" 

"Heh-heh-heh," The merchant chuckled impishly. "I noticed when I returned to the courtyard after handling my business. You certainly have a way with women, don't you?" 

"I… No comment." Ben turned away, blushing slightly. 

"Heh-heh…By the way," the merchant pulled something out of his vest's inner pocket, "I found something in town that you may like." 

"Oh?" Ben took the item, which was a rolled up magazine. He unrolled it and examined the cover. "Sorcerer Weekly?" 

"It's a magazine that talks about guilds, wizards, and magic stuff. That issue is over two months old, but it should still have relevant information for you." The merchant explained. 

"I see. Thanks." He then gazed at the front cover, which featured a young busty blonde woman with teal-blue eyes wearing a pink leopard print bikini, posing very suggestively with a sultry smile. 

Ben swallowed some spit and felt his face heat up a bit. 'She's beautiful…' Realizing he had been staring at the cover, he quickly turned the page to find the table of contents. He discovered that there was a photo spread for the blonde wizard on the cover. 

'Jenny Realight, huh? Don't know why…something seems familiar about her…' He tried to think but couldn't make any connections, so he decided to shelve that thought for later…and discreetly ear-marked the page that her photo spread was on. 

Mr. Kale, however, had noticed what Ben did and chuckled to himself. 'He's a man of good taste I see…' He then cracked the whip, forcing the boar to pull faster down the road.

As Ben read through the magazine, he came across a section listing out the rankings for wizards guilds based on membership, requests fulfilled, and popular vote. 'This might be interesting…' His eyes darted across the page. 'Quatro Cerberus is fifth. Blue Pegasus is Fourth. Lamia Scale is Third. Second is… Phantom Lord?' He did a double take to make sure he was reading correctly. 

'Weird… I thought Juvia said Phantom Lord was the strongest guild in Fiore…' He then checked who was ranked first overall. 'Fairy Tail, huh?' 

Intrigued, Ben continued to read on, searching for any new information he could find on the wizard guilds of Fiore; especially for the Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail guilds.  

…

Later that evening in Freesia, a peculiar pair was walking into town passing the many street vendors on both sides. One was a young man with spiky, pink hair with a big green backpack and rolled up sleeping back strapped to his back. He wore a red jacket over a black vest with gold trim–which was open, revealing well-muscled arms and chest–and a pair of white, knee-length pants that seemed to be tightened to his legs by black straps. Around his neck was a scarf that bore a scale-like pattern. 

"Ugh… I'm never riding the stupid train again." He groaned, still feeling the lingering pains of nausea. 

"You always say that Natsu. But we have to ride the train if we want to go anywhere." The second member was the oddest. It was a small, blue humanoid cat with a white underbelly and wore a pale green knapsack around its neck and over its back.

"Don't remind me, Happy…" The pink-haired man, Natsu, grumbled. 

The blue cat, Happy, sighed and shook his head in mild exasperation. 'We got off the train at Clover several hours ago. He should already be over that motion sickness.' He thought. 'He's just being dramatic…' 

"Man…I'm starting to get hungry." Natsu looked around at the stalls on the street, his sensitive nose picking up on the various aromas of different foods. He could feel his mouth watering from the delicious smells. "Hey, Happy…how much money we got for food?" 

"Not much." Happy frowned. "I don't think we can afford to buy anything until we complete this job." 

"Ugh, fine. Hopefully those stupid bandits at least make the trip worthwhile." Natsu commented.

"According to the request, this Devon Bandit Gang has been terrorizing this town for several days now." Happy looked around, seeing no sign of the troublemakers. "But…I'm not seeing them anywhere." He also noticed that the townspeople who were out didn't seem to be on edge either. 

"Think those punks ran away when they heard we were coming or something?" Natsu questioned.

"Maybe. We should check with the mayor at his office first before we do anything though." Happy advised. 

"Yeah…good call."

Later, after asking around and following posted signs, the pair found themselves at Freesia's city hall. 

"Looks like this is the place." Happy noted. 

"C'mon. Let's find this guy so he can tell us where those stupid jerks are." Natsu began walking up the building's steps. 

Before they reached the door though, a middle-aged man with graying hair stepped out. "Oh… May I help you?" 

"Actually, yes. We're looking for the mayor." Happy replied.

The man was briefly startled over the fact that the blue cat could talk, but quickly recomposed himself. "Oh, well look no further. I am him." 

"That makes our job easier then. We're the wizards from Fairy Tail who accepted your request. So," Natsu grinned roguishly, punching his open left palm, "tell us where those bandits are and we'll take 'em down for yah quick!" 

"Aye!" Happy jumped up, pumping a fist (or paw?) out.

"Oh…uh," the mayor fidgeted and coughed into his hand, "...well, this is awkward." 

"Hmm?" Natsu and Happy both tilted their heads in confusion. 

"You see, I just mailed a notice to your guild earlier that I canceled the job." The man smiled sheepishly. "I suppose you didn't get it in time, huh? Heh-heh-heh…" 

"Canceled?!" Natsu shouted, shocked. "Are you serious?!" 

"May we ask why, sir? Your request sounded pretty urgent." Happy pointed out. 

"Well, yes, it was. But you see the Devon Bandit Gang was already defeated this afternoon." 

"Seriously? Someone stole our job?!" Natsu yelled incredulously. 

"Not exactly. You see it was a young man passing through town. He was very proficient with Take-Over magic by the looks of it." The mayor answered. "He made defeating those ruffians look quite easily actually…with no property damage to boot." He muttered that last part. 

'Something your guild could stand to learn from…' The mayor mused sardonically, recalling the many rumors and articles he had read detailing Fairy Tail's destructive nature. 

"Aw man!" Natsu pulled his hair in frustration. "This blows!" 

"Aye…" Happy agreed, downcast. 

"I apologize for the inconvenience. I'll be sure to repay your guild the fee I owe them." He tipped his hat toward the wizard duo. "Please, have a good evening you two." 

As the mayor hurriedly walked away, Natsu and Happy took a seat on the building's stairsteps, sulking. 

Natsu groaned, slumping over in frustrated disappointment. "Man, we rode the stupid train and came all the way out here for nothing!"

"Aye. It is a bummer." Happy sighed heavily. "We really could've used the money…" 

"Ergh…" Natsu clenched his fists and flames ignited around them! However, the pink-haired man didn't seem bothered by that. "If I ever find that guy who stole our job, I'm gonna deck him! A flaming knuckle sandwich is what he's gonna get!" 

"Now, now, Natsu…let's just drop it and head back home." Happy placated. "C'mon. If we hurry, maybe we can get back to the guild hall before Mira closes the kitchen." 

Natsu took a deep breath and exhaled, letting out his frustration. "Yeah, you're right." He turned to his blue companion. "Can you at least fly us to Clover or something? We can get back faster that way…" 

"Aye, sir!" Happy replied. 

Happy suddenly sprouted a pair of white angelic wings from his back! He flew up to grab Natsu by the back of his vest and pulled him into the air. The pair were now flying high over the town of Freesia with many farmlands surrounding it. In the west was a distant mountain range with the sun settling over the horizon, casting a beautiful orange color in the sky. In the east, the sky was turning bluish-black as night steadily set in. 

As they flew in the direction of Clover, they didn't notice below was a large, covered wagon on a winding dirt trail also heading toward Clover at a much slower pace.

…

Later that night, Mr. Kale had parked his wagon off the side of the dirt road. The purple boar was sleeping soundly off to the wide while Mr. Kale sat around a small fire–gazing longingly at a small photo of his wife and two children. Meanwhile, Ben was sleeping inside the wagon, lounging on a makeshift bed of sacks filled with clothes and textiles from Cait Shelter.

He groaned lightly in his sleep as he shifted; his expression contorting in discomfort. 

Various images that he couldn't decipher appeared in his dreams. 

A vast open space with a pink sky and floating roads and mountains. 

A beautiful young woman with long white hair and purple eyes. 

A humanoid tortoise (that vaguely resembled Terraspin) with a pink flaming head, laughing madly while levitating in the air. He then proceeded to chant a phrase he couldn't decipher the meaning. 

Then, something else appeared in his mind against the pink backdrop of the strange land. 

Ten gems with different colors appeared into view, forming a decagon shape. Four were glowing brightly in their respective color, which were: 

Black…

Navy Blue…

Light Green…

Violet…

The other six colors remained grayed out. 

Ben's eyes suddenly shot open as he sat up. He looked around to see that he was still inside Mr. Kale's wagon. He took a moment to steady his breathing. 

'Was that just a dream? Or were they memories?' Ben wondered, scrunching up his brows. 'And what was with those ten stones? Do they mean anything?' 

He groaned in frustration before plopping back on his makeshift bed, arms sprawled out. "I'm so confused. Having amnesia is really inconvenient…" He murmured to himself. 

Notes:

Apologies for the delayed update! I intended to have this done before the end of April, but was sidetracked by a busy work schedule, The Man Out of Time, and a minor case of writer's block.

Little more action here in this chapter, but nothing to write home about. Mainly because there isn't anything that can really challenge Ben at this juncture of the story.

I think it goes without saying that Gravattack sounds and looks like his Omniverse design. Definitely one of the best aliens, alongside Feedback, that was introduced in that show.

Also, the Devon Bandit Gang was a real criminal group in the Fairy Tail canon. They were barely mentioned a couple times though, so they had no real impact on the story. However, my take on Devon is my own as I couldn't find anything official for him. In true Fairy Tail villain fashion, I gave him a weird quirk—which involved money and valuables. I thought it fit.