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6.09% Fairy Tail: Metal and Threads / Chapter 41: Sparring with Erza

章節 41: Sparring with Erza

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

September, x776.

A few months passed since Erza joined Fairy Tail. Today, shortly after breakfast, she, along with Alfonzo, Elicia, and the rest of their group of younger wizards were in the guild's backyard doing their usual training. While Elicia and the rest of the kids were standing off to the side, cooling down from their training, Alfonzo and Erza were facing each other in a rather intense spar.

Wielding a sword, Erza thrust forward at Alfonzo's throat. Although it seemed vicious, Erza, in only a few months, had enough control of her body to stop the thrust should it become apparent that it would land on Alfonzo.

As it turns out, constantly using your body for manual labor with little in the way of nourishment made stamina and energy control grow immensely. On top of that, Erza had an uncanny knack for wielding swords.

Tilting his head slightly, Alfonzo dodged Erza's thrust. Then, with the Eskrima stick in his left hand, he flicked Erza's sword upward, destabilizing Erza's center of balance for an instant. However, for Alfonzo, that instant was more than enough.

Following his flick, Alfonzo lashed out with the stick in his right hand, aiming for Erza's abdomen. Reacting quickly, Erza blocked the incoming attack with her free, left, arm.

*Thump!*

"Gah!" Erza groaned as the titanium Eskrima stick slammed into her left forearm.

Causing Erza to wince in pain, Alfonzo lowered his body and swept his right leg at Erza's legs. In response, Erza leapt slightly, clearing the leg sweep. Then, on her way down, she swung her sword, that had been deflected upward previously, down toward Alfonzo's shoulder.

Reacting just as quickly, Alfonzo crossed his Eskrima sticks over his head, catching Erza's sword at he intersection of his two weapons. Then, scissoring the sword between them, he jerked the blade to his left.

In response, a flash of light appeared in Erza's outstretched left arm. An instant later, a second, nearly identical sword appeared in her left hand that she wasted no time swinging down toward Alfonzo.

"[Metal Magic: Spring Dash]." Alfonzo chanted as springs coiled around his calves and feet.

Then, Alfonzo pushed off, flinging himself backward, narrowly avoiding the incoming slash. A moment later, as he regained his footing, Alfonzo, with the springs still equipped on his legs, sprung forward. Jamming the two ends of his Eskrima sticks together, the two rods become one longer one.

With a staff in his hands, Alfonzo thrust forward, using his new found reach to take the advantage. Deflecting Alfonzo's thrust with the sword in her right hand, Erza attempted to close the distance, making Alfonzo's longer weapon useless.

However, just as Erza stepped forward, Alfonzo pulled the staff backward, grabbing it toward the middle with both hands, and began whirling it around with great force.

*Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!*

Using the two swords in her hands, Erza had no choice but to stop her advance and begin blocking and deflecting the swinging staff.

"Whoa!" Cana exclaimed in surprise. "It's only been a few months since she got here, and Erza can already keep up with Fonzie in melee combat."

"Yeah." Gray said with a nod. "Is she some kind of genius?"

"That's what it looks like to me." Ultear added.

"Well, she definitely has superb body control." Ur said, walking up behind the spectating youths. "That probably has something to do with how quickly she picks up swordplay."

"Mom." Ultear said with a happy smile on her face.

"Master." Gray said respectfully.

Nodding in response, Ur kept her eyes on the spar between Alfonzo and Erza.

"Still, Alfonzo is going easy on her." Ur said.

"Of course." Elicia said with a big smile. "Fonzie is the best."

Hurriedly, Cana nodded in agreement with Elicia's statement, watching Alfonzo with hearts in her eyes.

Glancing at Cana's expression, Elicia nodded to herself internally.

'Maybe it's about time I talked to Cana about sharing.' Elicia thought to herself. 'Sharing is caring, after all.'

At that moment, Alfonzo felt a chill running up his spine. At the same time, Alfonzo was finally able to land a blow that would end this spar.

As Erza slashed at Alfonzo horizontally, he turned his staff so that it stood upright and blocked the strike. Then, he quickly slammed the butt of his staff into the ground, using the recoil to jab its other end at Erza's chin faster than she could react. An instant later, Alfonzo stopped his strike just before it struck Erza.

Meanwhile, Erza's other sword was stopped halfway through her swing, knowing that she had lost the spar. Using her magic, [Requip: The Knight], Erza allowed her two swords to disappear in a flash of light. Then, she smiled at Alfonzo while wiping the sweat that ran down her face.

Erza's magic, [Requip: The Knight], is a type of spatial magic that allows her to store and equip different types of weapons, armor, and clothing in/from a separate space. Though [Requip Magic] is not rare, it is relatively uncommon. On top of that, Erza's variant was special in its own right.

Most users of [Requip Magic] can only store weapons or armor. Erza, on the other hand, can store both. On top of that, she can bring up a panel, similar to an inventory window in a video game, that allows her to organize what she has stored in her storage space.

"That was quite the spar." Erza said, clearly happy with the workout. "It's especially impressive how you can change weapons seamlessly."

"Well, I put a lot of work into it." Alfonzo said with a proud smile on his face. "It was no where near as smooth a couple of years ago."

"I can imagine." Erza replied with a nod.

While Erza continued discussing the spar with Alfonzo, the rest of the group walked over to them.

"That was awesome." Alzack said, amazed at the skill displayed by the two.

"Yeah, you two are pretty good." Jet said. Then, after raising his head slightly, he continued. "But I'll be better. Just you wait."

"Well, if you don't put more effort into your training, that will be impossible." Laki said, pouring a bucket of cold water on Jet's pride.

Although he wanted to deliver a snappy retort, Jet gritted his teeth instead. He knew what Laki said was right. After watching the way Alfonzo, Elicia, Cana, Gray, Ultear, and Erza trained, he could not bring himself to disagree. Not to say that he and the others did not train hard, but those six were on a whole different level.

Ignoring Jet after her statement, Laki pulled on Alfonzo's clothes, gaining his attention.

"I need to feed my stomach." Laki said. "Cook something."

"You know if I cook something, it will cost you, right?" Alfonzo asked with a smirk.

"Stop it, Fonzie." Elicia said, playfully smacking Alfonzo on the arm. "As long as they pay for the ingredients, you don't mind cooking for them, right?"

"*Sigh* Lici, you're messing up my money making operations." Alfonzo said as he glanced at the brightly smiling Elicia. "*Sigh* Fine. Just pay for the ingredients. I won't charge you any labor fees."

"Yeah!" Everyone else, including Ur, cheered happily.

"Unfortunately, you'll have to wait 'til dinner." Alfonzo said, taking the wind out of their sails. "I have to visit Master Goldstein this afternoon."

"Ugh!" The group groaned simultaneously.

After that, the entire group returned to the guild hall. While Ur went to the bar and ordered a drink, the kids all went to the showers to clean up after their training session. Then, when they were all cleaned up, they ordered lunch and ate together.

"So, Lici told us that the project you've been working on will be complete soon." Cana said before putting a fork full of spaghetti into her mouth.

"That's right." Alfonzo said excitedly. "In fact, if everything goes well, you'll get to see it tonight."

Hearing that, most of the kids at the table were excited. They knew that Alfonzo had been working on this project for almost three years now. So, they were curious to know exactly what it was. Erza, on the other hand, had only been in the guild for three, or so, months, so she did not know exactly what everyone was talking about.

"A project?" Erza asked.

"Oh, that's right." Elicia said, knocking her knuckles on the side of her own head. "You haven't been here that long, and I don't' think it has come up yet. Fonzie is apprenticed under Master Goldstein and he's quite the magic item craftsman."

"Master Goldstein?" Erza asked, clearly unsure of what that name represents.

Seeing the confusion in Erza's eyes, everyone did their best to explain who Nell Goldstein was. Eventually, around the time they finished eating, Erza had some understanding of who she was and what she did.

"That's impressive." Erza said, looking at Alfonzo with stars in her eyes. "Does that mean you could make magic swords and armor for me in the future?"

"Shouldn't be a problem." Alfonzo said, standing up from his seat at the table before picking up his dirty plate. "As long as you provide the materials, I don't see why not. Oh, but it will cost you."

Like he does any time he talks about money, Alfonzo held up his right hand, rubbing his thumb and index finger together.

"Understood." Erza said with a nod.

"But we can talk about that later." Alfonzo said, turning away from the table. "I have to go and meet Master Goldstein. I'll see you guys this evening."

Like that, Alfonzo left with his dishes in hand. Meanwhile, the rest of the group continue to chat without him.

"So, how was the new eye during the spar, Erza?" Elicia asked, curious to know how it felt.

As Elicia's question indicated, Erza had a new eye implanted shortly after she joined the guild. However, since the process of healing and adapting to the new organ was delicate, Porlyusica did not allow her to participate in any spars or any activities that could result in her taking a blow to the head.

In fact, it was only yesterday that she was cleared to spar and to do any intense training. Although, she never really followed the last instruction. In fact, in the beginning, it was common for Makarov to have to stop Erza from training after seeing how hard she went at it. Eventually, after a month of constantly stopping her and telling her to take it easy, he gave up. As long as Porlyusica did not find out, then it was fine.

"Honestly, it feels just like my old one." Erza said. "From what I can tell, there is no difference in my vision. No, I guess that's not completely true. It feels like my field of view has expanded ever so slightly."

"That's a good thing, right?" Droy asked.

"Yes… In the long term." Erza replied. "But as of now, it feels a little weird that I can see further to my right than I can to my left."

Hearing that, everyone nodded in understanding.

"Well, you'll get used to it." Elicia said in an optimistic tone.

"Indeed." Erza replied with a nod. "And with all the excellent training partners here in the guild, I'm sure it will happen sooner rather than later."

Like that, the kids continued to chat for the rest of the afternoon. And like every day, there were several brawls that broke out in the guild hall. However, the most brutal brawl of the day was when one of the older wizards was knocked into the kids' table, crushing Erza's strawberry shortcake underneath him.

Immediately after it happened, the entire guild hall fell silent as a dark, ominous aura began flooding the hall. At its source was Erza with her head down and her bangs covering her eyes. When she raised her head, no one she looked at, not even Makarov, was able to move. A moment later, she identified those who were responsible for the loss of her cake and… Let's just say it was not a pretty sight.

Several hours after showing her dominance, Erza was still sulking at the loss of her shortcake. Unfortunately, as she had not been granted permission to take quests yet, she did not have the funds to buy another slice.

"Don't worry, my shortcake." Erza muttered to herself in a resolute tone. "I was able to avenge you. And I promise, there will never be another lost to senseless violence as long as I am present."

"That's intense." Gray said, looking at Erza with a weirded-out expression on his face.

"Just let her be, Gray." Cana said. "Everyone has something they are passionate about. Even if they don't know it yet."

Though he was not completely sure what Cana was talking about, it seemed to make sense. So, Gray nodded in understanding and let it be.

"Oh, by the way, Gray." Cana continued.

"Yeah?" Gray asked curiously.

"Nice undies." Cana said with a giggle. "The ice cubes are cute."

"Huh?" Gray exclaimed, simultaneously looking down. "Ah, what happened to my clothes."

"While Gray quickly gathered his clothing and got dressed, the other kids laughed. However, a moment later, not only the kids' laughter, but all the noise in the guild hall stopped when they heard a noise from outside.

*Honk!* *Honk!*


創作者的想法
SixthSense1029 SixthSense1029

1/2

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy the story.

Comments, Reviews, and Power Stones ar ealways appreciated.

章節 42: The New Rides

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

September, x776.

*Honk!* *Honk!*

"What the hell is that?" Macao, who was sitting at the bar with Wakaba asked after the unfamiliar sound was heard from outside the guild hall.

"I don't know." Wakaba replied. "I've never heard a sound like that before."

"Should we go outside and check it out?" Macao asked, curiosity glinting in his eyes.

"Yeah, I don't' feel like we're in danger, so why not." Wakaba replied with a shrug.

Before either of them could get up from their seats, however, they saw Elicia with an excited smile sprinting toward the front doors of the guild hall. Behind her was a group of curious kids, also running toward the doors.

"What are those kids doing?" Wakaba asked, standing from his seat.

"I don't know, but we better make sure nothing happens to them." Macao said, following Wakaba and standing from his seat.

"Why are you brats talking so much?" Makarov shouted as he slapped Macao and Wakaba upside the head. "Hurry up and follow them."

With that, Makarov hopped off his usual spot on the bar and ran toward the front door, just behind Ur, who was also thinking of protecting the children. Meanwhile, Macao and Wakaba glanced at each other for a moment before following Makarov.

*Bang!*

A moment later, Elicia reached the doors and flung them open. When she did, she opened her eyes wide in surprise. Then, as the other kids and Ur arrived, she smiled brightly.

In front of Elicia and the others were three magical vehicles that looked just like cars from her past life. On the left, was an almost exact copy of her car from her past life, a silver-blue BMW Z3, on the right was a cherry-red Cadillac Escalade, and in the center was a silver Aston Martin Vanquish. Leaning against the driver's side door of the Vanquish was Alfonzo, smiling brightly at the stunned expressions on his friends' faces.

"Fonzie! This is amazing!" Elicia shouted as she dashed toward Alfonzo.

Taking a step away from the car, Alfonzo opened his arms and caught Elicia who jumped toward him with everything she had. Then, as soon as he caught her, she wrapped her arms and legs around him and kissed him on the cheek.

Meanwhile, Elicia's shout pulled the others out of their stupor. Then, they began walking toward the three vehicles, though Cana was pouting, hard, at Elicia's display of affection.

A moment later, the rest of the guild, with Makarov, Macao, and Wakaba in front, arrived at the door. And just Like Ur and the kids, they stood in stunned silence after seeing the three magical vehicles.

"Is this what he's been working on with Nell for the last three years?" Makarov asked absent-mindedly.

"Hey, Kid." Ur said as she approached Alfonzo and Elicia. "I have a few questions. First, Just what are these?"

"These are the magical vehicles I created." Alfonzo said with a proud smile on his face. "Master Goldstein helped me iron out any issues with their construction. But I designed and built them myself."

Alfonzo then went on to explain the same things he talked about with Elicia and Nell. Explaining that he thought the older magical vehicles were stupid because they used a wizard's magic power and how that was bad in an emergency. Then, he explained about he rechargeable lacrima fuel source. However, he stopped his explanation with a frown when he realized that no one was really listening to him.

"The big one is awesome." Droy said excitedly while gawking at the Escalade.

"Yeah, but I like this silver one." Ultear said as she circled around the Vanquish.

"The blue one reminds me of ice." Gray said, really liking the color of the Z3.

"That's so impressive, Alfonzo." Levy said, the only person who was interested in the theory behind the cars' creation. "Do you have any ideas of how to improve them in the future?"

"Well, at least someone cares about all the hard work that went into making these." Alfonzo muttered, causing Elicia, who was still in his arms, to giggle.

"Yeah, yeah, really interesting and all that." Ur said, dismissively waving off Alfonzo's explanation. "Now, on to my second question. Can I have one of these?"

"Nope." Alfonzo replied immediately.

"Why not?" Ur asked with a frown. "It's not like you can drive all three of them."

"And I don't intend to." Alfonzo said with a smug smile. Then, he pointed at himself with his thumb before pointing at Elicia with his index finger as he continued. "The silver one, the Vanquish, is mine. And the silver-blue one, the Z3, is for Lici."

"Then, what about the red one?" Ur asked, clearly getting irritated. "There are three of these… cars… and only two of you."

"Oh, that one is for the both of us." Alfonzo said, his smile widening. "Just in case we need to take some more people on a quest with us."

Hearing that sound reasoning, Ur could not help but huff while stomping her artificial leg that Alfonzo officially dubbed Automail. Then, when she calmed down, she glared at Alfonzo.

"Then, can you make me one?" Ur asked, and according to her gaze, she would not be taking no for an answer. Then, she pointed at the Z3 and continued. "I want one like that… Z2… I think that's what you called it. I want one of those in violet."

"It's Z3. And sure." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "That shouldn't be a problem."

Hearing that, Ur finally began smiling. However, as soon as she heard Alfonzo's next words, her frown returned.

"But it will cost you." Alfonzo said, raising his right hand while rubbing his thumb and index finger together.

"How much?" Ur asked warily.

"2,639,000 Jewels." Alfonzo said, causing everyone present to inhale a deep breath of air.

'With eighty percent of that being the cost for materials and Master Goldstein's cut for using her connections, I still make about 520,000 Jewels with every Z3 sold.' Alfonzo thought to himself with a smile. 'Lici and I will be able to build the house we want on that piece of land we bought by the lake in no time.'

"Are you kidding me?" Ur asked, flaring her magic power. "That's highway robbery."

"Not really." Alfonzo replied with a shake of his head. "Considering the materials and labor costs, Master Goldstein and I agreed that was the best price."

Alfonzo then proceeded to list off the materials that were used. From the interior to the exterior, Alfonzo used the best materials Nell could get her hands on. In fact, if he did not take so many quests over the last three-plus years, he would still be in debt with Nell. Luckily, he and Elicia have been able to take on B-Class quests for the last four months, getting about 500,000 Jewels per quest.

"*Sigh* It's not like I can't afford it." Ur said in an exasperated tone. "How long would it take to build one?"

"Half a month, and I need half the money up front." Alfonzo said with a smile. "Gotta buy the materials and what not."

Nodding in understanding, Ur walked over to the Z3 and began looking it over like the other kids were. Then, Makarov made his way over to Alfonzo and Elicia.

"How much would it cost to buy one of those big ones?" Makarov asked while rubbing his palms together, hoping Alfonzo would give him a discount as the guild master.

"You mean the Escalade?" Alfonzo asked. Then, he looked at Makarov apologetically. "That wone's a bit… Well, a lot more expensive. That one will run you, 7,100,000 Jewels."

Hearing that price, Makarov gripped his chest as if he were having a heart attack. However, when he looked at the cherry-red Escalade, he gritted his teeth and glared at Alfonzo with determination in his eyes.

"Fine, how long will it take?" Makarov asked.

"Half a month, but only after Aunt Ur's…" Alfonzo said.

"Don't call me 'aunt' you brat!" Ur interrupted from the other side of the Z3.

"… is done." Alfonzo continued, not minding the interruption in the slightest.

"Fine, I'll have half the money for you when you deliver Ur's." Makarov said, bloody tears threatening to flow out of his eyes.

"Pleasure doing business with you." Alfonzo said with a smile.

With that, Makarov walked away with unsteady steps and returned to the guild hall.

"Hey, Fonzie." Elicia said, now standing next to Alfonzo and holding his hand.

"What's up?" Alfonzo asked in response.

"Will Gramps even be able to reach the pedals?" Elicia asked with a curious smile on her face.

"Probably." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "He's got that [Giant Magic], after all. I'm sure he'll just make his legs longer, or something."

Although Alfonzo and Elicia were only eleven years old, from what Alfonzo read, there were no laws that dictated when someone could drive. So, they never worried about being able to drive their new cars. On top of that, they were both pretty tall for their ages. Elicia was already 5'1" (approx.. 1.55 m) tall. And although he was a little shorter, having not hit his growth spurt yet, Alfonzo was 5' (1.52 m) tall. Meaning, neither of them would have an issue reaching the pedals, as long as they adjusted the seats.

Nodding in understanding, Elicia then took a step away from Alfonzo. A moment later, she held out her free hand, palm up, with an expectant gaze in her eyes.

"Hahaha! I was wondering how long you would be able to wait." Alfonzo chuckled as he reached into his pocket. When he pulled his hand out, he was holding a key with a keychain that was shaped into a Z3. "Here you go."

As soon as Alfonzo put the key in Elicia's hand, she immediately let go of Alfonzo's. Then, she sprinted toward her Z3 and opened the driver's side door and jumped into the driver's seat. Naturally, this caught everyone's attention.

After a few minutes spent adjusting the seat and checking the levers in the interior, Elicia slid her key into the keyhole.

*Vroom!*

As soon as Elicia turned the key, the Z3's engine roared to life. Through the windshield, a happily smiling Elicia could be seen. Then, they saw her press something on the ceiling. And when she did, the car's roof began to peel backward before it was deposited in the back of the car.

"Who wants to go for a joyride?" Elicia asked with a smile.

Before anyone else could react, Ur, using her magic power to increase her speed, opened the passenger side door and sat in the seat before closing the door.

"You should have seen that coming, Lici." Alfonzo laughed at the spectacle.

"I gotta see what my upcoming purchase can do, don't I?" Ur asked with a smile.

Shrugging her shoulders, Elicia put on her seat belt, told Ur to do the same, put the car into reverse, made sure there was no one behind her, then backed away form the guild hall before turning the car around and driving into the town.

As soon as Elicia pulled off, the other kids stared at Alfonzo, hoping that he intended to go for a joyride as well. Seeing those gazes, Alfonzo also shrugged his shoulders. Then, he pulled out the key for the Escalade and hopped into the driver's seat.

"I can take four more." Alfonzo said after rolling down the windows.

Hearing that, Cana, Laki, and Erza were standing in front of three of the doors before Alzack, Levy, Jet, and Droy could react. Then, while they were all looking at each other to see who the last passenger would be, Makarov shot out of the guild hall and jumped into the passenger's seat, through the open window.

"You girls can ride together in the back. Hahahaha!" Makarov shouted with an excited laugh.

While Cana, who was about to open the passenger's side door so she could sit next to Alfonzo, pouted. Laki and Erza shrugged their shoulders before opening the rear passenger's side and driver's side doors, respectively. Then, they climbed into the backseat, Cana following Laki a moment later.

Then, like Elicia did before, Alfonzo put on his seatbelt while instructing the others to do the same. Then, he backed away from the guild hall while turning around.

"Okay, everybody." Alfonzo said with a smile. "Let's go. I haven't' put this beauty through its paces yet. So, we're gonna see exactly what it can do."

"Yeah!" Makarov, Cana, Laki, and Erza cheered as Alfonzo started driving toward the town.

It did not need to be mentioned that Elicia and Alfonzo's cars drew quite a bit of attention from the townsfolk as they drove through the town.

Eventually, when Alfonzo exited the town through the south gate, Alfonzo let himself go, pressing the accelerator and watching the scenery pass in a blur.

Meanwhile, back at the guild, the rest of the Fairy Tail wizards gawked at the Vanquish for a while before they decided to go back inside. Although having one of the new magic vehicles would be nice, none of them were willing to spend that kind of money.


創作者的想法
SixthSense1029 SixthSense1029

2/2

I don't know if I mentioned it before, but I decided to tiwht 1 Jewel equals 1 cent in USD.

Also, if you're interested, check out my other story, High School DxD: Scattered Cherry Blossoms.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy the story.

Comments, Reeviews, and Power Stones are always appreciated.

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