SUMMONER'S JOURNEY

9:00 AM January 16, X784 – Magnolia's Southern Gate

Due to Winter The morning sun had barely risen over Magnolia when Richard arrived at the Southern Gate, carrying his enhanted backpack with essentials for the mission.

Standing next to a purple boar-drawn carriage, Gray was already waiting, arms crossed, looking mildly impatient.

Richard waved. "Morning, Gray."

Gray nodded. "You're on time. That's a good start."

Richard raised an eyebrow when he noticed something off about Gray's outfit.

Or rather, his lack of an outfit.

"…Gray," Richard started, eyes twitching. "Where the hell are your clothes?"

Gray paused, looked down at himself—only wearing pants and a side bag—and his face twitched.

"…DAMN IT! WHEN DID I STRIP AGAIN?!"

Richard let out a tired sigh, already getting used to this nonsense.

"How does this keep happening? Do your clothes just vanish into another dimension?"

Gray quickly grabbed his shirt and coat from the side, putting them on with an annoyed grumble.

"It's just a habit, okay?! I don't even notice when I do it!"

Richard crossed his arms. "So… do I have to worry about you suddenly being naked during the mission?"

Gray glared at him. "Shut up and get in the carriage."

Richard smirked, hopping onto the carriage seat as Gray told the driver to go.

With a quick snap of the reins, the boar-drawn carriage began moving, heading south toward Kiwi Village.

---

As the carriage rolled along the dirt road, Gray leaned back, stretching his arms behind his head.

"Alright, let's go over the mission process since this is your first job," he said.

Richard nodded, paying close attention.

"First, when we arrive, we need to check in with the client—usually the one who issued the request," Gray explained. "In this case, it's the village chief. We also need to show our identity."

"Right," Richard confirmed. "By identity, you mean the guild emblem, right?"

Gray nodded and pulled down his shirt collar, revealing the blue Fairy Tail emblem stamped on his chest.

"This emblem is our proof. The guild registers each member's mark, so it can't be faked."

Richard observed it for a moment, nodding. "Makes sense. That way, people don't just pretend to be Fairy Tail mages."

Gray smirked. "Exactly. Now let's talk about my magic."

Without warning, Gray snapped his fingers, and suddenly, a glowing blue emblem of Fairy Tail formed in the air, made entirely of ice.

Richard stared in amazement. "Damn, that's cool."

Gray grinned. "Ice-Make Magic. My specialty."

Richard's curiosity sparked. "So, you can create anything with ice?"

"Pretty much," Gray said. "Weapons, shields, structures—though only non-living things."

"Still, that's pretty versatile," Richard noted.

Gray shrugged. "It gets the job done."

Richard thought for a moment. "Then you must be really strong, right?"

Gray's eye twitched. "I hold up just fine—"

Before he could continue, a memory surfaced in his mind.

—A certain pink-haired dragon slayer smirking at him.

—"Gray, you ice freak."

—A fistfight immediately breaking out.

Gray clicked his tongue, shaking off the thought. Next time I meet that pyro, I'm gonna beat the crap out of him.

"Never mind," he muttered. "Anyway, what's your magic?"

Richard rested his hand on his storage ring. "A special type of Summoning Magic. Unlike Celestial Spirit Magic, I don't need keys to summon my creatures, and I have a limit on how many summons I can form contracts with. That limit increases with my magic capacity, though and everything else is similiar to Celestial Spirit Magic."

"And due to small space I cannot show you . As summons take up a lot of room." Richard shook his head.

Gray nodded. "Fair enough. Guess I'll see it in action later."

---

After four hours, the carriage rolled into Kiwi Village, a peaceful farming town surrounded by lush orchards.

The village entrance had a large wooden arch, with trees stretching out in every direction.

The streets were lined with wooden houses, and villagers were already up early, tending to their fields and fruit gardens.

"This place smells amazing," Richard muttered, inhaling the fresh scent of fruit and flowers.

Gray nodded. "Yeah, Kiwi Village is famous for its orchards. Their fruit gets exported all across Fiore."

As they hopped off the carriage, Richard approached a nearby villager.

"Excuse me, can you tell us where to find the village chief?"

The villager, an older man with basket of fruits, looked up. "Ah, you must be the mages that took out request?!"

Gray flashed his emblem. "That's us."

The villager smiled. "Follow me. The chief's house is this way."

---

The village chief's house was a large wooden building near the center of town.

Inside, they found an elderly man in his sixties, dressed in simple robes, seated at a wooden desk.

"You must be the Fairy Tail wizards!" the chief said warmly.

Gray and Richard both showed their guild emblems, confirming their identity.

After the formalities, the village chief explained the situation.

"A Rampaging Boar has been attacking our orchards, destroying trees and injuring villagers," he explained.

Richard frowned. "How long has this been happening?"

"About a month now," the chief said. "At first, it only stayed in the eastern forest, but recently, it's been coming closer to the village."

Gray crossed his arms. "And when was the last attack?"

"Three days ago," the chief replied. "It always comes at night and disappears by morning."

Gray nodded. "Alright. Can you show us where the most recent damage is?"

The chief gestured for them to follow him.

---

The orchards stretched a dozens of acres , filled with rows of fruit trees.

Most of the trees looked untouched, but toward the outskirts, several trees were heavily damaged, their trunks cracked and roots ripped out of the ground.

"Damn," Richard muttered. "This thing's got serious strength."

Gray inspected the damaged trees, kneeling beside deep hoof marks in the dirt.

"This is fresh," he said. "It's definitely been coming back to this area."

Richard turned to the chief. "Since it's still afternoon, we should try to track it down today."

The chief nodded. "Be careful"

Richard took a deep breath. "Alright… time to test my summons."

Richard stepped forward and raised his hand.

A silver magic circle appeared on the ground, glowing with arcane symbols.

He took a deep breath and chanted his spell.

"Through the ancient pact, sealed by blood and will,

From the echoes of the past and the call of battle,

I summon thee from beyond the veil,

Rise, WAR WOLF—Groff!"

The magic circle pulsed, and from within it, a massive black and red wolf emerged.

Standing at 1.7 meters tall and 2.4 meters in length, the War Wolf looked majestic yet savage, with piercing red eyes and thick fur.

Name: Groff

Species: War Wolf

Magic: Body Strengthening, Armor Magic, Summon campions (locked)

A third of Richard's total mana drained instantly.

Gray whistled, impressed. "Damn. That's a big wolf."

Richard patted Groff's head, feeling the power radiating from him.

"War Wolves are bred for battle. They have enhanced strength, an armor ability, and their claws cause bleeding effect that are hard to heal and cause serious blood loss" Richard explained.

Gray smirked. "I like it."

Richard knelt down beside Groff. "Can you track the boar?"

Groff sniffed the air, then growled softly, ears twitching.

Then, without hesitation, he took off running eastward.

Richard and Gray followed closely behind.

After forty- five minutes, Groff led them to a large cave entrance in the deep forest.

The air smelled foul, and the ground was littered with broken branches and trampled dirt.

Gray cracked his knuckles. "Looks like we found our target."

Richard nodded. "Are you ready boy."and asked to the Groff.

As Groff Growled to show his excitement.