Chapter 5.5: Team Shadow Gear Helps Out

Ramza scanned the job board, trying to find a job that he could do within a single day. As he kept on looking, a familiar blue haired girl tapped his shoulder.

"Hey!" Said Levy. "Looking for a job to do?"

"Oh, it's you!" Ramza said. "And yeah, I am looking for one."

"Well, you're in luck!" Levy handed him a flyer for a job of taking out a nearby bandit outpost. "This job can be done quickly, since it's so close and it pays a decent amount of money!"

"That's cool and all, but why're you telling me this?" Ramza raised an eyebrow.

"I thought that you wanted some extra money and coincidentally we had the perfect job!" Levy smiled. "I also haven't got to know you that much ever since you helped me, so here's the opportunity!"

"So, I'm joining you in this job?" Ramza read the flyer again.

"Me and my team, of course." Two men appeared behind her. "This is Jet and Droy, my teammates."

"'Sup!" The one with the brown tall hat said. He extended his arm, to which Ramza firmly shook. "I'm Jet."

"And I'm Droy." The one with black hair introduced. "Nice to meet you."

"I think that you'd fit in with us, Ramza." Said Levy.

"For this job, sure." Ramza agreed.

"I heard from Levy here that you backed her up before." Jet mentioned.

"Oh really, it was nothing..." Ramza looked aside.

"She also said that you beat those lizards with a bow." Droy grinned. "That's pretty cool, y'know."

"Well, thanks..." Ramza bashfully rubbed the back of his head.

"Those skills would come in handy when we tackle the bandits later." Said Levy. "With you and our magic, we'll breeze through the job in no time!"

"Breeze, huh?" Ramza smiled. "Okay then, I'm in."

"Nice!" Levy grinned.

"By the way, I'm just curious." Jet said. "You a requip wizard like Erza? With that sword of yours?"

Ramza shook his head. "No. I don't"

Droy frowned. "Well, maybe you'll find out in this job."

Ramza sighed. "Maybe."

After a bit more discussing, the group decided that they would go on with the mission on the next day. Ramza then waved the group goodbye as he left to visit the fletcher. He used up a lot of his arrows in the last mission, so he had to get new ones.

"'Sup, miss fletcher!" Ramza greeted.

The lady smiled at him as he entered. "Well hello again, Ramza." He then looked up from her work. "Anything I can get you?"

Ramza nodded. "Yeah. Just a bunch of arrows."

She glanced at Ramza, "How many?"

"Four dozen."

"Of course. That'll be 4,000 jewel." The fletcher took his payment and stored it in a box.

The lady looked again at Ramza. "You seem to be using these arrows a lot. For jobs, I assume?"

"Yup." Ramza said. "I'm also going on one tomorrow with some friends of mine to take out some bandits. Apparently, they're close to here."

"Well, good luck with that." The fletcher turned and directed her attention towards her work. "I saw some guys that looked suspicious a few days ago. They were carrying something big in a box, I don't know what was in it though."

"Huh." Ramza tilted his head. "Thanks for the info."

With that, Ramza said his thanks and left the shop. He walked back home. As he opened the door to his home, he greeted it hello. He walked to the fridge and took out a glass bottle of coffee. He took a seat as he sipped from it.

"No magic yet, huh." He mumbled to himself. "This sucks."

Ramza then pondered on what miss fletcher said. "I wonder how will tomorrow's mission will go..."

............................

Ramza sat on one of the chairs of the Fairy Tail bar, patiently waiting for his teammates to show up. Perhaps he should get something to eat before they go on the mission?

"Hey Mira." Ramza raised his hand. "Got any meals here?"

Mirajane walked over. "Yes, we do. Take this." She handed him a sheet of paper.

"A menu?" Ramza raised his eyebrows. "I didn't think you guys would have this much options, given that this is a bar."

Mirajane chuckled. "It may look like a bar, but we have the choices of a restaurant! Now, what would you like?"

"Considering that it's kinda early," Ramza's eye landed on one of the breakfast meals. "A bacon and eggs would do."

"Noted." Mirajane turned around. "I'll be back in a bit with your food."

"Y'know kid, you seem very attached to this bar." A voice came from Ramza's left.

"Macao." Ramza smiled at the man. "Well they got great coffee here, and that's rare enough for me to be attached to it."

Macao grinned back. "I know, right? By the way, thanks again for Mount Hakabe."

Ramza shook his head. "Don't mention it."

"I mean it." Macao took a swig from his mug. "Also, the booze here is great! You should try it, alongside your coffee!"

Ramza sighed. "I'm fifteen."

Macao sighed. "Worth a try."

"Stop influencing the kid to drink, Macao." Said a female voice.

"Like you're one to talk, Cana." He grumbled.

"Hmph." Cana lifted a barrel to her mouth and did not respond back.

"Woah, is that full of beer?" Ramza asked.

Cana put down the barrel. "Was full of beer."

"Dang, she drinks a lot." Ramza sweatdropped.

"Yup." Macao sighed. "A lot of our booze goes down her throat."

"Here you go!" Mirajane's sweet voice cut through their conversation. "Bacon and eggs, just as you ordered!"

"Thanks." Ramza took the meal from her hands and began digging in. In no time at all, the plate was emptied.

"Kid," Macao commented. "You eat nearly as fast as Cana here drinks booze."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Ramza wiped his mouth with a tissue. "Now, have you seen Levy?"

"Nope not - wait, there she is." Macao pointed at the guild doors, where the Shadow Gear team leader was waving at Ramza.

"Hey Ramza!" Levy said, "You coming?"

Ramza stood up from the bar. "Yeah."

"Well, come on!" Levy grinned.

Ramza joined the group quickly as they left the guild behind. He did a quick check of what he had brought. His wazikashi was at his side and his bow was slung across his back. His tanto was still stowed inside his coat, hidden from plain sight. He also had his backpack where his cloak, food and other items were stowed.

"Checking your stuff?" Asked Jet.

"Yeah." Ramza felt relieved as everything he packed was still there.

"By the way," Droy said. "Can I see your sword?"

"Sure." Ramza unclipped the blade from his belt and put in Droy's hands, still sheathed. "By the way, it's called a wazikashi."

"Cool!" Droy removed the sheath and held the weapon in front of him. "You just swing this around?"

"Depends." Ramza pondered. "Sometimes you swing, sometimes you slash. Some situations may call for a stab, while others may call for using it to defend. It's a very versatile weapon."

Droy nodded as he sheathed it and gave it back to Ramza. Jet asked another question. "So you use this for close combat and the bow for long range?"

"The bow is my main weapon." Ramza glanced behind him at the weapon. "Though my swordsmanship is no slouch."

Team Shadow Gear and Ramza walked out of Magnolia and proceeded to their destination.

"So, that mission was about a 20 minute walk from the Magnolia exit?" Ramza asked.

"Yep." Answered Levy.

"Oh." Ramza said. "Let's get moving, then."

The four of them were approaching the mission location. It was a small building, with watchtowers around it. Thick stone walls dotted the landscape, like some sort of very broken maze. For some reason, it was eerily quiet. Jet touched his hat nervously. Droy clutched his pouch a bit tighter than usual. Levy subconsciously put a hand in front of her, as if to draw her spells. Ramza looked side to side, but nothing seemed unusual.

"Welp." Ramza declared. "I'm scared."

"Us too, you know!" Hissed team Shadow Gear.

"I actually haven't seen anyone yet." Ramza said. "Suspicious..."

"Y-yeah." Jet said. "There isn't anybody on the watchtowers, either."

"Then where are they?" Asked Droy aloud.

He got the answer quick. A bunch of guys in black clothes hopped behind them from the bushes and blocked their way out. They had some sort of weapon on their hands; daggers, swords, spears. They wore a belt with an symbol of a scythe on it.

"Your money or your life!" One of them shouted.

"The bandits!" Levy exclaimed.

"Don't move, missy." Taunted another bandit. "Or we'll have to gut you!"

"We can take you on any day!" Snarled Levy.

"Oh, can you?" The bandit sneered. "With our weapon?"

Ramza saw the glint of something at the edge of his eyes. As fast as light, he tackled his team to the side, just in time for something to hit the dirt where Levy once stood.

"A sniper!" Ramza realized. That glint must have been from the scope. "Take cover!"

"Get them!" Ordered a bandit and they all surged forward.

Jet and Droy ducked behind a stone pillar while Levy and Ramza took cover behind another. The bandits came forward, but Droy struck first. He dug a hand inside his pouch and threw something out. A magic circle appeared and suddenly green fists flew towards the bandits. Most of them were able to dodge the attack, but one was too slow and got punched in the gut and he went down.

Jet then ran at them with a magic circle at his feet with incredible speed, kicking one of the bandits right in the face. They tried to retaliate, but he just sprinted out of reach. Another shot rang out, just narrowly missing Jet.

"Stick behind the walls and you won't get shot at!" Levy yelled. She then put her hand in front of her and wrote. "Solid Script: Wind!"

Three bandits were blasted back into a stone wall, and it seemed that they wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. More bandits emerged from the bushes and soon the group was facing a small army.

Levy chanced a glance at the shooter, but she quickly fell back into cover as the stone to her side was blasted to shrapnel. "We need to take him out!" She said. Levy then looked at Ramza. "Can you do that?"

Ramza nodded. "I've got you."

"Good." Levy grinned, like this was a normal situation. "We'll handle these guys over here, you take out the sniper."

Ramza then patiently waited as the sniper took another shot and jumped out of cover. He ran forward, but was intercepted by a duo of bandits.One of them held his spear and charged at him. Ramza sidestepped and sliced the spear in half, knocking out the bandit with the butt of his blade. The second one raised his sword in the air, bringing it down in a slash. Ramza then twirled and smacked the bandit in the back with the flat of his blade, making the bandit eat dust. He then quickly dipped behind a wall, just as another bullet flew through the air.

He then looked over the wall, seeing that the sniper was in one of the watchtowers around them. The sniper then saw Ramza's head and took a shot, but missed as he had taken cover. Ramza unslung his bow and nocked an arrow. Ramza waited for an opportunity to shoot, but it seemed that the sniper had infinite bullets.

"Perhaps a magic sniper?" Ramza mused. "Then I'll have to improvise."

Once the sniper took another shot, Ramza looked over the wall and saw that the watchtowers were made of wood. They only stood tall because of the wooden beams and the ropes binding them. This gave him an idea.

"Shoot." Ramza aimed and took a shot at one of the wooden bases of the watchtower, making it shudder. The sniper on the top of it seemed to notice that his tower was shaking, and jumped before it collapsed. He landed on a big pile of hay, unharmed. Ramza took this opportunity to dash to the shooter, putting his wazikashi to his throat.

"Yield?" Ramza asked.

"Yield." The shooter surrendered.

Ramza then punched him in the face, making a tooth fly out. He then climbed up another watchtower, bow ready to take down anyone. As soon as he stood on top of it, he nocked an arrow and fired, pinning a bandit to the floor. In no time, the rest of the bandits were sprawled on the ground, defeated. They had been knocked out by a combination of Team Shadow Gear's magic and Ramza's arrows. As he saw that his friends were celebrating, Ramza climbed down the tower and joined them.

"Wooooo!" Levy pumped her fist into the air. "We got them!"

"That was some wicked magic, you guys." Ramza grinned as he approached them.

"You did good too, Ramza." Levy smiled. "Your shots were on point."

"Thanks." Ramza said. "Now, let's get that into that building."

"Wait, we aren't done?" Piped up Jet.

"Nope, we still gotta clear out their HQ." Droy answered.

The four of them entered the building, but it seemed deserted. They looked around for a bit, but they never saw any trace of anyone staying in the building. As they were leaving, Levy saw a bunch of papers that caught her attention.

"Hang on guys, let's check this out first." Levy then walked over to the papers and began to read.

"What's this about?" Said Jet as he picked up a sheet.

"Part a si siht?" Droy read aloud. "What's that mean?"

Jet raised his sheet of paper. "That's on here too."

Levy raised an eyebrow. "Some sort of code?"

"Yep." Ramza answered. The message was as clear as day. "'This is a trap.' The writings were backwards."

"What!?" Levy's eyes bulged. "I thought it was more complicated than that?"

"Same." Ramza sighed. "These guys have no style."

"No brain, either." Levy agreed.

"So..." Droy said. "What's the trap?"

"Dunno." Ramza replied. "Maybe we should go outside and find out?"

As they did so, the four of them saw a large man waiting for them as they left the building.

"Hah!" Sneered the man. "You have fallen for my trap!"

"Uh, what trap?" Asked Jet.

The man looked offended. "Me! I am the trap!"

"So you're gonna prevent us from leaving, right?" Ramza said.

"Exactly!" The man puffed out his chest. "I, Holf the Terrifying, will stop you!"

"And how will you do that, big guy?" Questioned Levy.

"By killing you!" He said as he took a massive cleaver blade from behind him and swung it down at Ramza. He dashed to the side, but his bow was sliced in half.

"Woah!" Droy stepped back, a little late.

"You serious?" Jet stepped back as well.

"How'd you do that?" Levy marveled.

"How!?" Snarled Holf.

"My bow..." Ramza murmured.

"You seem like a decent warrior, come and fight me to the death!" Challenged Holf.

"No, don't do it!" Warned Levy.

"I accept your challenge." Ramza removed all the equipment on him, except his sword. "This is for my bow that you broke."

"Plus," Ramza looked back at his teammates and grinned. "I have you guys as backup."

"Grrahhh!" Holf advanced first, swinging his cleaver sideways.

"Hup!" Ramza backed off from the attack. He then stepped forward, unsheathing his blade partially so that the butt of it punched Holf in the gut.

"Argh! You'll pay for that!" Holf growled. Grabbing the cleaver's end tightly, he sliced downward.

Ramza twirled to dodge it, and whacked his sheathed blade at Holf's wrist. "Hiat!" Unsheathing it, he then brought the blade horizontally at Holf's neck.

Holf intercepted the strike with a knife in his other hand. Seeing the extra weapon, Ramza backed off. "Afraid of a little dagger?" Taunted Holf.

"More of the fact you have two weapons now..." Ramza muttered.

"Woooo! Go Ramza!" He heard the shouts of encouragement from his friends. "Take him down!"

Holf moved forward again, knife slicing at Ramza. He blocked the attack with his wazikashi, but the cleaver came at him from the other side. He reached into his coat and brought out his tanto to counter it. Sparks clashed as the blades met, and the two backed off from each other.

"You fight like a scared cat." Taunted Holt.

"So, what of it?" Ramza said. "I still fight."

"Hmph."

"So be it then."

Ramza quickly advanced forward, sending multiple sharp thrusts at his opponent. Holt used his cleaver as a sort of guard, but it didn't prevent multiple small cuts from appearing on him. Ramza then thrust one more time and Holt went to intercept it, but it was a feint and Ramza twisted his strike to slice instead. A deep gash was now in Holf's shoulder.

"Argh!" Holt grabbed his shoulder in pain.

"Yield." Ramza steadied his blade. "There is no way out."

"I do not yield." Holf snarled.

Holf then threw his knife at Ramza, who blocked it with his wakizashi. He then leaped forward, his cleaver drawn back to swing at maximum force. Before he could swing though, his face had collided with Ramza's fist, knocking him out.

"That's done." Ramza blandly stated.

"Nice one!" Said a grinning Jet.

"Good fighting!" Whooped Droy.

"I thought you were gonna lose for a second there..." Levy let out a sigh of relief.

Ramza grinned. "Have a bit of trust in me, will you?"

Soon the four of them arrived back at the guild, reward in hand. The other guild members congratulated them on their victory. Jet and Droy went ahead to tell them of what happened during the job, while Ramza took a seat at the Fairy Tail bar again.

"Coffee, if you will." Ramza motioned for Mirajane to take his order.

"Well, good job!" Levy said as she slid into the chair beside Ramza.

"I mean, I had you guys there..." Ramza said.

"You were there too!"

"True..." Ramza said his thanks to Mirajane as he got his drink. "Shame I didn't get my magic though."

"Ah, sorry about that." Levy then patted him on the back. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get them in no time!"

"Yeah, sure..." Ramza said absentmindedly.