The Bodygaurd

The wind above the clouds was frigid, as always, an observation Aven had shared with himself countless times over the past few years. Flying wasn't Aven's preferred method of transportation over long distances, especially during the daytime; it was simultaneously too far from the ground to enjoy the beauty of nature, and too taxing on his concentration for him to relax. The speed was second to none, of course, and on this particular day, there was another beneficial element: stealth.

Unlike many of his closest friends, such as Aviel and Markus, Aven didn't have a stitch of Shadow magic. Coincidentally, he'd found that it's use clashed with his nature, and made even the simplest of control over darkness far more taxing than would ever be practical. Thus, his best method of stealth- or the best he'd yet developed- was suppressing his magical aura and trailing a target from outside their range of vision. This method only tended to work outside of busy areas, but for his current business, it was all but perfect.

Clouds brushed the tips of his wings as he descended lightly below the white giants to observe his ward. She wasn't exactly a target, but the opposite: a new guild member, by the name of Spectra Vondergeist. She was an eccentric one, a loose cannon in a tightly fitted outfit, and if Aven's intuition was as sharp as usual, there'd be at least some measure of trouble wherever she set foot. It was a trend he'd noticed among the new recruits of Fairy Tail, a certain penchant for danger. He'd been hopeful that the girl's obvious Noble upbringing would curb any rash decisions, if not by intelligence alone, but earlier that very day, she'd nabbed an A-rank posting off the board, and left without a word. As normal, Aven had been keeping a loose eye on her, creating a kind of mental profile like he did for all new arrivals; the guild had been forced Dark before, and he wasn't about to let a Dark Wizard slip through the cracks again.

Luckily, at the moment, his impression of Spectra wasn't that of any kind of malicious intent, but a glaring overconfidence. Judging by her level of magic power, he'd venture the young woman would be more at home tackling the dangerous end of C-rank jobs, perhaps pushing her limits with a B-rank. The River Village job was posted recently, and Aven had considered taking it himself, as a small getaway from networking with various Wizards for the assault on Caster's realm. Needless to say, there was little choice in the matter at this point, and he'd let Mura know before he left that he'd be accompanying Spectra on the job, and to inform the Village that they'd be on their way immediately. Easier, he thought, to leave out the detail that it hadn't been an agreement between Spectra and him to tackle the job together, but seeing as she'd be disciplined for taking on a job she didn't have clearance for, Aven figured it would just be a silent favor for the new guildie, like a welcoming present.

River Village, it seemed, was also in the business of welcoming, as a group of armed men approached the Wagon that Spectra was riding in. Once again, that twinge of annoyance rose in the back of his mind, as he couldn't sense their magic power so long as his own was suppressed. He made a mental note to research an improvement to his suppression technique to overcome such a crippling flaw. Squinting, he could barely make out what was happening down below from his ethereal perch behind the large cumulonimbus: there seemed to be five of them, openly armed with weapons of some sort, and they were obviously less than cordial, as they'd blocked the path. To his surprise, Spectra emerged from the Wagon, and grew to gigantic proportions, her voice loud enough for him to hear; though, it became quickly obvious this change was only cosmetic in nature, and shortly after the bandits came to the same realization, the large Spectra had a small tantrum. Aven let out a small sigh, steeling his resolve to make sure Spectra wasn't greatly injured or killed on this job.

It was then, that the situation became a bit more serious. Ghosts flew from Spectra's massive palm, and exploded on impact with the leader of the five. Aven immediately stiffened; he knew the look of a lethal spell. He dropped his suppression, and made the executive decision that the time for observation was over. His body transformed into light particles, blending into the rays of the midday sun as he dashed at an incredible speed down from the clouds to land where the other four bandits were standing dumbfounded. He materialized from thin air, and with a small motion of his hand, a black tendril rose from the ground and swept all four of the men off the path with an overwhelming force, knocking them immediately unconscious and sprawled along the side. He glanced down, where the remains of the man Spectra had attacked were scattered intermittently, his lips a grim line. The loss of life, no matter how foul the person, was a great tragedy...

Aven lifted his head, trying to brush the matter off for the moment. He'd have to speak more thoroughly with Spectra, if he was going to truly gauge what kind of person she was. The Carriage Driver was mortified at the scene, and began to speak nervously with Spectra, who replied vehemently in return, before showing another disregard for courtesy: a ghost flew into the Carriage Driver, and his eyes glazed over. Aven clicked his tongue at the act, it was unbecoming of a proper wizard to abuse one's magic. He approached the carriage door, patting the driver on the shoulder as he passed the man, a small golden glow surrounding the man as the Ghost was forcibly shunted out of him, and he would regain his senses. Aven opened the door, adopting a light smile. "It looks like someone's been getting into a bit of trouble, hm?"

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[Word Count: 1023.]
[Word Count Total: 1023/7000.]

Spectra was a feisty one, that was for certain; the petite girl scowled as she stormed out of the carriage, likely antagonized by his light demeanor. It wasn't entirely unexpected, Aven had known he was in for a good deal of difficulty reigning in such a wild card; though, in that respect, it wasn't exactly his first rodeo. His plan was primarily to observe, and wait for her to get in over her head, to allow her to learn from her mistakes before he stepped in to ensure the safety of his guild mate. To that end, things weren't going terribly, besides the reveal of a violent tendency in the young woman. Aven did laugh softly as she made her brazen declaration that he wouldn't follow, but he didn't comment, as obvious as it was that he wouldn't be following her orders.

Spectra seemed to sense that insubordination, as she would likely call it, and fired off a quick bout of magic at him, before flying off into the nearby woods. The Ghosts she summoned whirled around him, attempting to enact some kind of magic, which he surmised was contact-based, as they repeatedly attempted to bash themselves into him. Their efforts were rewarded by full frontal battery into a barrier of light he summoned in response, halting their progress a few feet away from him. Aven watched Spectra closely as she flew off into the distance, making a mental note of her direction, then turned to address the Carriage Driver. "Please excuse my guild-mate's behavior: if you send word to the Fairy Tail Guild in Magnolia, I'm sure they'll be happy to compensate you for the misfortune you've been caused."

The Carriage Driver was still reeling from recovering his senses, having been previously taken over by one of Spectra's ghosts. Aven assumed the magic currently circling him was of the same type, or at least akin, and since his protections hadn't activated, he could safely rule them out as an attack spell. Regardless, they would be a nuisance if he allowed them to continue; after summoning a pair of ethereal wings, with a short breath in, Aven absorbed the magic energy around him, robbing the ghosts of the magic power they were comprised of. The spectres faded into thin air, and Aven took off without another word, trusting that the Carriage Driver could make his own decisions.

Ahead of him, in the forest, he was picking up a mass of magical signatures. One was familiar, belonging to Spectra, but the rest were foreign, and he shook his head softly as the wind whipped around him, ruffling his white silky pants and unbuttoned jacket. Spectra was going to run straight into them in her little huff, wasn't she? There was something to be said for her situational awareness, but he supposed that would come with experience. For the time being, Aven decided to sit back and watch, keeping his magic at the ready and within range. If he needed to, he could protect her with a powerful shield from the hundred meter observational distance he was maintaining, but for the moment, he would let Spectra handle herself.

The Sword Wizards were not happy, to say the least. It seemed the man she'd blown to pieces was one of their leaders, and they didn't take kindly to her personal brand of justice. Another wave of ghosts put some of them out of commission, but it wasn't enough. Aven made a small note; if he got the chance, he'd advise her to develop an area of effect spell, for exactly these types of situations. Again, it was a matter of experience, one she may not have previously encountered: a simple phrase that held incredible weight on any battlefield, 'Numbers Kill'. No matter how strong an individual is, without area of effect attacks, they can be easily outnumbered and overwhelmed when alone.

At the moment, Spectra was getting by with a ransom plea. Not bad, taking advantage of their greed to buy time. The sword wizards, of course, weren't complete pushovers that would allow her a chance to easily escape, and kept her under restraint, hauling her off further into the woods. Aven's hand twinged in annoyance, only willpower stopping him from approaching and annihilating the captors: even if she was a newer member, she was a member of Fairy Tail nonetheless, and Aven didn't take kindly to those who threatened his guild mates. If it weren't for the fact Spectra had gotten them an easy lead to the fools base, he may not have been so reserved, but he kept his composure. Aven had learned a bit of observational reconnaissance from Aviel, ill suited as his magic type was for the task, and he recalled one of the primary lessons of the field, spoken many times by the Seraphim: "The moment you think you should reveal yourself, is two moments too soon." Patience was a virtue, one that Aven had tempered over his lifetime, and he put it to good use here.

The Sword Wizards dragged Spectra through the forest, chains and all, to a small encampment near the center of the woody area, only a few miles from the Village. Aven, on the other hand, trailed a good distance away, ensuring he had proper line of sight and magic in case the ruffians tried anything. It wasn't an incredibly large encampment, but it could accommodate thirty people at minimum, and that was not a number to scoff at in the wizarding world. Keeping his magical presence concealed, he wondered to himself whether they'd taken notice of his magical presence earlier: it would complicate things if they made the connection that he and Spectra were connected, and they could possibly try to use her as a hostage against him. If they wisened up to a plan like that, he'd have no choice but to step in full force, and that could ruin any chance of Spectra learning a lesson from this encounter. If she wanted to become a successful wizard, it was important that she know her limits, because there wouldn't always be someone to bail her out of trouble. Aven, himself, had found that out the hard way.

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[Word Count: 1036.]
[Word Count Total: 2059/7000.]