The Natural Cycle (Job/Leila)

Leila Vergious  ❃  S-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

It has been a good while since the guild Silver Wolf was formed beneath the banner of Leila Vergious, one of the Wizard Saints. A woman who was currently in her guild hall and staring very intensely at a certain gadget, its metallic form clashing rather sharply with the adorned table of dark wood it was placed atop of. While the primary focus of her guild was certainly one of survival and providing shelter for other mages, she had taken research of magic and magic-related technology to her liking lately. And after some consulting with the rest of the guild, this was also established as one of the guild’s goals.

And as for the little device that she was trying to work on? An upgrade to a nation-wide magical scanner that resided in the guild hall. If configured well enough, then perhaps its range could be extended even beyond the border of Fiore. And yet, despite her knack for this sort of thing, the silver-haired maiden was somewhat struggling with the task at hand. So it was surely no surprise to anyone that she decided to take a bit of a break after several more failed attempts. An unsatisfied sigh would escape her as she stretched her limbs and headed to the entrance.

The snowstorm was raging there as always, the only thing protecting her guild being a powerful magical barrier that did not allow the angry element to level this building with the ground as well as making the surrounding area warm enough for anyone to forget that they were in an ice-covered location. She had taken a liking to just sitting here, staring into the storm and pondering. Was she by any chance growing old and sentimental? No, probably not. It was merely the memories of her past adventures that were creeping up her back, forcing her to delve into her own mind library and recall it all.

She managed to change so much, it was only natural that she would do a bit of self-reflection like this. It was not a bad thing by any means, as it even helped her appreciate what she had right now all the more. A smile would grow on her face as she scratched the back of her head. While all of this was rather nice, there was probably no point in waiting, as it would not help her with the task at hand. If a progress was to be made, she had to go back inside and continue working on her little gadget. However, just as she was about to turn and return inside, she saw dim lights in the distance.

As someone who created a guild in this place, Leila already knew what this meant. So she would wait here a little bit longer after all. The figures of ethereal wolves would soon become much more distinct, their bodies glowing warmly in the falling snow as the moved toward the building, another more humanoid figure following them. Those were the guardians of these mountains, spirits of wolves that would lead astray anyone with vile intentions while helping those who had a good heart and desired to reach this place unharmed. It seemed that they lead a postman at this time?

Regular members would be protected by their guild mark, but outsiders just had to rely on these wolves and their own good will if they wished to approach. Clearly, this man had absolutely no intentions of doing anything bad here, as he got through just fine. Shaking the snow off his heavy and fluffy attire once inside the barrier, he would look around and smile at the guild master who approached him. “Good day! Are you by any chance miss Vergious of Silver Wolf? I have a letter for you if you are indeed her.” So he was here for her. Perhaps the magic council was sending her on another mission?

“Yes, that would be me. I apologize for having you go all the way here.” But the man would simply shake his head as he handed over the ivory-white envelope. “There is no need to apologize, miss. I’ve chosen this job precisely for this sort of thing! Always experience new things with you hermit mages. Now then, have a pleasant rest of today!” Quickly saying his goodbyes, he would turn and head back into the storm while the wolves surrounded him once more to safely lead him through.

Leila was no longer a real hermit mage, but she did not correct him either. It was actually quite interesting to see how certain people reacted to her, or what outlook on this world they had. It would actually make her chuckle as she opened the envelope that was given to her, revealing its content and realizing this was most definitely not sent by the magic council, as most letters she usually received. As she read through it carefully, a frown formed on her face. “Kosetsu, huh…” She was in that world only once in the past, and it was with her sister Noheme.

It was not exactly the most smooth of explorations, as they managed to encounter a giant humanity dragon that nearly wiped the floor with them. If she was to accept another contract in that world, she could only hope that things would go a little bit more smooth this time around. Which, of course, was something no one and nothing could promise. It also seemed that she would have to finish her little scanner upgrade some other time, for this request appeared rather urgent. Nodding to herself, the girl would hide the letter in one of the many inner pockets of her outfit and whistle.

From the building behind her ran a green-colored wolf with many pink marks on its body. This was Melon, Leila’s faithful companion. “We’re heading out, so if you would.” The lupine already knew precisely what it had to do, using its own magic to grow to a size of an average horse and forming floral wings on its back. Leila would hop onto her companion and they would both run out into the storm. At that moment, the girl’s guild mark, located on her outer left thigh, would start glowing and create a barrier around them to keep the storm at bay.

Without any difficulties, they would fly out of the harsh weather and head straight toward the Wakusei portals. It was a rather convenient method of transport, this. Not even an hour later, they have managed to arrive at their destination, the guild master hopping of mid air and landing gracefully on the ground as she put on her mask. Melon would fly around for a bit longer, but then also landed and shrunk back to her original size. Looking around, the girl was quick to notice someone else seemingly standing around. “How unusual, for someone to be here…”

1,149 / 17,000 WC 

@ivyleaf33 

Leila Vergious  ❃  S-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

The white mask made out of an unknown porcelain-like material and adorned with a black Phoenix logo was removed from the girl’s face just as soon as she had put it on. It was not exactly a piece of useful equipment, or something that would help her in any way. But the symbol on its front, a symbol of a guild that was no more - Golden Phoenix, would help her remember who she once was and the family she had. It was an item that she treasured and would always put on when on a mission, shielding one of her more weaker body parts from harm at the same time.

But it was also considered rather creepy by most, sending strange and unwelcoming gazes her way on more than just one occasion in the past. Due to that, she had also learned to remove it as soon as possible whenever she was about to come into a contact with another individual, regardless of who they were. And as her voice was very clearly heard by the smaller girl up ahead, it appeared this was precisely the time to do so once more. Honestly, she just wasn’t expecting anyone to be here already at all. But surprises like these were the more pleasant part of adventuring.

Allowing the mask to disappear behind her midnight blue garb, Leia was revealed to be a pleasantly smiling girl with a somewhat pale complexion, rosy red cheeks, and deep blue eyes. Her wolf ears would twitch like a pair of ivory white scissors as she approached the younger guild master while the tail between her legs and her clothes tried to waggle from one side to another, albeit rather restricted by the place it was tucked in. Something the girl actually did on purpose so that this more animal-like part of hers would not just go crazy whenever she felt happy or ecstatic.

And once close enough, she had actually managed to recognize the individual in front of her rather easily! Although there was action taken before she could even let out a single word. Sorano Granon would pull out a very familiar letter and ask if Leila had received it as well. Straight to the point and introduce later, huh? Well, she was not the first person with that attitude the wolf girl had met during her travels. Though she would not expect it from someone this young. But then again, the girl was a guild master much like herself, so she clearly had to be more mature than her appearance would tell you.

“Good day! Yes, I have received the exact same letter and so I came…” Should she start being worried now? The last time she was part of a chain mail like that, the Regent of the Night captured a good deal of powerful mages in her own world and people have actually died. Not permanently, but it was still a rather unpleasant experience overall. Anyone gathering powerful mages in one place in general just didn’t seem like something that could ever end well as far as Leila was concerned with her view on things. But Sorano appeared rather calm about it all and finally introduced herself.

Not that it was really required, shew as quite the famous person. Fairy Tail was one of those guilds that seemed to be capable of surviving just about any catastrophe that would be headed its way, so it was no surprise that the guild’s master would be a pretty famous person. All the more for the fact that she was still a very young girl. Not many people were able to rise to power that early in their lives. It was probably correct to say that she might have been some sort of prodigy in some way. But there was not much of a point thinking about that now.

Instead, the silver-haired maiden decided to return the pleasantry by taking hold of the top hat that adorned her head and sat upon one of the aforementioned wolf ears, bringing it down to her chest level and bowing elegantly to the young princess. “It is a pleasure to meet you! My name is Leila Vergious, a wandering mage of Silver Wolf and Saint of Eden.” She usually did not introduce herself along with her title like that but figured she might have as well when she was dealing with a fellow guild master, someone how had probably pretty close ties to the Magic Council.

Melon actually nodded as well in her own feral way while the exchange happened, barking happily afterward as a greeting. But it seemed that no too many more words had to e exchanged. They both knew why they were here and they were ready to do the job someone entrusted them. And if it was some sort of trap, then surely they would be able to deal with it with ease. After all, they were both girls known for being members of the more elite mages in Fiore. Truly an honor to be standing next to someone like that. So with a smile on her face, Leila followed the girl to the portal.

Unlike Sorano, she was not entranced or surprised by it at all. A the end of the day, she was a traveler in every meaning of the word. She had seen all of this continent already, from Fiore to Akuma, and visited nearly every single one of these portals as well. She adored seeing new lands, undiscovered places that were untouched by the sometimes filthy hands of humans or other intelligent lifeforms. And she had hopped through these gates more times than she could count. In fact, her relationship with them was even more special than just using the gates to move to different worlds.

Among these active portals, there were few empty gates that lead nowhere. And one of them still had a slot at the side of the structure where a small rectangular talisman could be placed in. If done so, the gate would activate and lead to the Floating Continent, a place Leila had discovered a good while ago with her very own group of explorers. But a lot happened shortly after, resulting in the girl losing her talisman and thus being unable to access that place as of right now. She was still searching for a way to return there, but couldn’t do so right now.

So she just sighed and literally jumped into the swirling magic without a shred of hesitation, allowing the colorful lines of ethernano to consume her and warp the space itself around her physical form. Really, it was not too different from her own power to create warp gates between different places. And in no time at all, she would find herself falling out on the other side, easily landing on both her feet. Sorano stood there perfectly still, taking it all in. Seemed that she might have been here or the very first time. It made Leila chuckle slightly.

Rather than being shocked or taken aback herself, she just made few steps forward into the snow-covered land and stretched. “Aaah, this place has not changed at all. Brings back memories.” When she was here last, it was actually with Noheme, someone who was part of Fairy Tail now. The two sisters searched for forgotten ruins in this world. And once they found them, they also had a little showdown with a giant dragon of humanity. A fight she would never forget. And yet, those memories seemed kinda hazy, as if she was not supposed to recall them.

Regardless, she would turn around to face her companion for this journey, also seeing how her wolf walked through the portal behind the smaller girl. Poor Melon was a bit more hesitant to jump into the space-altering whirlpool of magic it seemed. But now they were all here and ready. “Now then… the letter didn’t exactly give us any directions, but would you maybe happen to know at least in which way we should walk? I know from experience that it’s pretty easy to get lost in this place if we’re not careful, so we should also leave behind some sort of crumb path to help us later on.”

2,528 / 17,000 WC 

@ivyleaf33 

Leila Vergious  ❃  S-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

Sorano appeared more emotionally deprived than most of Leila’s associates over the years. However, even then, she still had a certain air of surprise around her as they entered this white and mysterious world. And if she had never been to this magical world, then a reaction like that was perfectly normal, even if more internal in the girl’s case. Not many were fond of introvert-like behavior in this world that supported extroverts and their actions. But the Silver Wolf’s guild master was more accepting than most. She even found the young girl quite adorable in her mysterious attitude, yet experienced words.

But that was about enough of creepy staring at a young girl, they had to get a move on. And thankfully, the Fairy mage was able to get them at least a general vague direction, which was still better than what they had. And what more, she did so in a way that was most interesting to Leila. After all, Silver Wolf had a pretty strong focus on magic research, as well as its development and development of magic-powered machinery. This item that the other girl was using easily fell into that category, hence the interest. Though the maiden did not dare to be rude enough to ask what it actually was.

What mattered most was the fact that they now knew where to go. Or at least they hoped so. They had a location of where their letter originated, but that did not mean it would lead them to where they needed to be. Living creatures only rarely stayed in one place, as one would have it. Their only hope was that their location was some sort of a settlement that would stay in place more permanently. The unfortunate part was that neither of the girls really knew who lived here. Sorano even less than Leila, who was only once to this world in the past. And questions in regards to that quickly arrived.

But even before then, there was the question of keeping track of where they were. At the end of the day, this world was nothing more than a white abyss. Absolutely everything was covered in the blanket of warm snow, and this made the environment indifferent no matter where they would go. Yes, there were some mountains in the distance, but that seemed to be about it right now. No real landmark that would help them keep orientation. Thankfully, Leila did have an answer for that as well, one that lied with her magic. It’s been a while since she used it like this, actually.

Turning around, she would extend her hand toward the ground and use a tiny bit of her magical energy. The smooth snow would suddenly bulge as a little sapling forced its way through, growing rapidly and out of nowhere. This process took few seconds as the girl created a flower that was roughly half of her body in length. And in a bit, multiple beautiful blue petals would appear on it as well. In the middle of these petals sat a circular organic core that started shining brightly in a cool, blue color. Even if they were to move a fair distance away, they could still see the shine no problem.

“There. If I grow one of these every now and then, then we will have a good set of beacons to guide as back. But if you want to be a bit more practical, I could always open up a warp gate anywhere to take us back. Unless you dislike going through small portals like that.” She would inform Sorano as well. As long as she had any magical energy left in her body, shew as able to return back to Earthland in pretty much an instant. She did not offer this right away because she had met people who had a strong distaste toward portals and would not use them.

But then again, they had to use one to even get here and also would have to move through it once more to get back out. So in the end, it would probably not matter a whole lot. Regardless of that, she would now also try to explain a bit about this place, though she herself was far from an expert. “I have been here only once, but I noticed no real difference aside from the permanent weather. The usual life here is pretty similar to Earthland as well, a lot of furred creatures. What I encountered here last time were pieces of humanity shaped. Black monsters lead by a dragon of destruction.”

Probably not exactly something that anyone would want to hear when asking what they could expect. Thankfully, they would probably not see anything even remotely similar to that on this specific mission. “LBut as far as I discovered, those were not natives to this world. Whatever thread we are supposed to take care of here should be human or human-like, or so it seemed from the letter.” Their employers, on the other hand, were probably less human-like creatures. But they could not know for sure until they would actually see them.

However, it was indeed time to move now. Whistling, Leila would let Melon know and the young wolf would suddenly start growing in size again. She had arrived on her companion’s back and there were no issues doing it again. Soon nearly as big as a horse, the silver-haired maiden hopped onto the creature’s back and extended a hand toward Sorano. “There is enough room for two if you want. And calling me just ‘Leila’ is fine as well.” While being formal was often required, Leila honestly preferred acting friendly toward her companions much more.

Regardless of how Sorano would answer and whether she would hop onto the wolf’s back and position herself behind the other girl’s back, they would head toward the destination shown by the fairy’s device.

3,515 / 17,000 WC 

@ivyleaf33