The Devil You Know

There came a certain darkness walking down Main Street towards Dragonbane Lane in Magnolia city. The kind of darkness that wore a suit and tie, that kept one hand in his pocket while the other swayed nonchalantly by his side. The sort of shadow that you'd take notice of but then dismiss as something you're seeing out of the corner of your eye. After all how could it be anything more than that when passers by who took notice of this looked and found only an ordinary looking man passing by them? A well dressed man for sure, but nothing extraordinary necessarily. Quite a bit of a swagger in his step and a confidently look on his face, but he certainly didn't look like any number of the well known and eccentric wizards that called Magnolia home.

Yet as he turned down Dragonbane Lane, some just might think to themselves "is he headed to the guild?" before going about their business, putting the man out of mind and certainly not connecting him to the ephemeral feeling of dark that washed over them for a moment. Said well dressed man would head right for the guild hall of the famous, some would say infamous even, independent guild and stand outside for a moment, looking up at the neogothic architecture that made up the castle like exterior. Taking it in so to speak. Sizing it up. The guild insignia shined brightly in the sun with the various metal letters that advertised this as the one and only Fairy Tail. There was no mistaking it.

The journey had been long for him, but now the well dressed shadow had made it. He stood outside the gate for what might have been an unusually long time, long enough for a dark cloud to pass overhead and cover him in actual shadow, leaving him to stand menacingly. The cloud would pass just as quickly as it came and as the sun shone down once more, the man standing outside of Fair Tail would walk forward, passing through the gate and heading towards the front doors. No use in dawdling, after all!

As the front doors to the Fairy Tail guildhall were thrown open, the sunlight would obscure the man's visage for a few moments as the bright light flooded inwards, casting a long shadow of a man with his arms thrown outward as if to embrace, or perhaps choke, all those inside. Anyone who looked would get that same momentary feeling of something dark and sinister, menacing even, looking in on them, perhaps setting them on edge or putting their guard up as a natural response to such a feeling, only for it to pass as the source of the shadow stepped forward into the hall and quietly shut the doors behind him, revealing naught but an ordinary man, any trace of a fiendish aura gone!

Giuseppe stood wearing a black suit with dark grey, thin vertical stripes, a light blue dress shirt and a dark blue tie, shined black leather shoes and long blond hair combed back neatly and a friendly smile on his face! Aside from the niceness of his clothes, there was nothing especially stand out about him, though. Looking around at those present in the hall, Giuseppe would raise his hand and wave before speaking. "Good day! Pardon the intrusion, but this is the Fair Tail guildhall, is it not? I hope it's not too terribu for me to be so forward, but I was wanting to join a wizard guild and I've heard tell this one is quite flexibu, and so I was wondering if this one was accepting new applicants, perhaps...?"

Hm. Well that was a bit of a funny accent, wasn't it? A speech impediment maybe? Regardless he spoke so clearly and confidently, if not somewhat hesitantly because of his sudden entrance, it came off more as charming than fumbling. And he had said he was interested in joining the guild! Just who was going to approach and give this new fellow an introduction to what Fairy Tail was like?

WC: 682
TWC: 682

The well-dressed blonde would soon be answered, but not with verbal words at first. No, no, no, this was his first time entering the hall of Fairy Tail, and such an accomplishment was to be toasted! On the left side of the entrance hallway leading to the lounge was a smooth, state-of-the-art bar recently renovated along with the rest of the guild hall, stocked with cold and warm drinks for all visitors to quench their thirst with. One such drink – a juicy strawberry smoothie to welcome in the airs of spring break – was being shaken ready by a tanned gentleman on the other side of the desk, his hair chestnut-brown and combed back strongly to emphasize its glow.

“No, no, it’s alright, my good sir! Many walk through these doors to enter the guild’s ranks… I believe this is your first time here? Then this drink is on the house,” Adam, the name behind the bartender, spoke to the blonde sir with the funny accent and plonked down a glass cup filled with a freshly made strawberry smoothie, accompanied by a pink straw shaped as the symbol hanging above the gate.

“Welcome to Fairy Tail! The Guildmaster or one of the Aces will likely show up very soon, so enjoy your drink.”

WC: 212
TWC: 894

Giuseppe turned his head to his left as the brown-haired wizard spoke up and, for a brief instant, there was a glint of something mischievous in his eyes that went away just as quickly. He watched the tanned man making the drink and listened to him speak, taking notice of the Fairy Tail insignia stamped on his face of all places. How bold! How telling...

"Ah, much appreciated!" he answered, turning fully and walking over towards the bar. As he approached the very pink drink he looked it over as if inspecting a piece of merchandise - sizing it up almost - before reaching down and picking it up. "How charming!" he remarked, regarding the straw. "Thank you! I hope I won't have to pay for them in the future, though," he stated plainly before taking a sip through the straw, the thick smoothie taking a couple of seconds to reach his mouth because of the straw. He let out an appreciative groan at the flavor!

"I appreciate the welcome. Tell me, who are you though, fellow wizard?" he asked innocently. What harm could come from giving someone your name, after all?


WC: 195
TWC: 1089

”The name’s Adam. I’m the local bartender and frequently earn a living here in Fairy Tail’s hall,” the tanned persona stated, “If you’re looking for the Guildmaster, I think he’s upstairs. He hasn’t been out on a mission today. Strange…” Mura also had written duties to sign and read through stuff in his office, and after the renovation of the guild hall, he’d spent quite some more time in his cozy corners just reading. It was telling that his hunt in Desierto with Akemi gave him quite a stronger appreciation for the art of bibliotheca.

Still, Giuseppe would wait a solid moment… and then the gate was smacked open in confusion. “Any Fairy Tail Mages free right now?! Some random creature is running amok outside!” the voice of a young teenager roared in fright, “C-Came out of nowhere, like it just teleported here! I swear, if it’s one of your Summoning Spells, guys…!”

*CRASH!*

The sound of a window smashed to shards could be heard upstairs. That was when some people around the bar exhaled in relief, knowing exactly who moved out of his office to address the issue. A handful of people did also approach the gate opening to look out and see the Guildmaster in action, while Adam looked out from the bar and then glared at the blonde gentleman: “The one you’re looking for is outside now. Go talk with him after the issue’s dealt with, y’know, before he gets distracted again.”


If Giuseppe took the advice and walked out of the hall’s entrance, he’d spot a purplish beast, a lion-like demon with quills for a mane, a scaly composition and the evil omen of a sting from a scorpion. It slowly approached its foe on its four paws, the foe being a swordsman in an orange haori carrying a katana with a bone handle carved as a dragon’s neck and face. The beast in front of him wavered not and sealed its face with a single, electric leap towards the swordsman… and its head suddenly fell off its head, rolling across the street from the force of a sudden vortex kicking up around it.

Kyuken-Ryū, Ato-Ren... Karura!

The vortex was like a small gust circling around the beast that died down quickly, turning people’s fearful faces into those of gallant gratitude and praises. The blade was sheathed and Mura walked back towards the guild hall where he’d immediately notice the new face. Fairy Tail was a place of familiar faces, and the Guildmaster could tell a newcomer from the rest quite rapidly.


“… Greetings. Sorry for the danger earlier. I hope it hasn’t ruined your smoothie’s taste. Our boy, Adam, is a shrewd brewer.”

WC: 448
TWC: 1537

Mura was happy to hear that from this Faust guy. As long as no one was hurt, everything seemed just under control for him. It had been quite hectic with the intensifying atmosphere outside of Fiore’s borders lately, but reassuring the citizens of Magnolia Town that Fairy Tail was ready and willing to beat back any foe and fiend heading their way meant a lot to the Guildmaster. It installed peace in their hearts and strengthened the bond between the guild and its neighbors.

However, his face turned into pure dots at the sight of Vandrad, who did not look so happy about the scene that Mura caused – especially since it cost a window. With the first part of his phrase being fast, sped up by worry, Mura protested: “It was an impu-…. i-impulse?” Vandrad merely walked past him and decided to rid of the body himself, even before Mura got the idea of just burning it away… but hey, the citizens also saw Fairy Tail’s Executive Ace in action now, so… maybe it was all fi-

N-No, nope, nevermind, Vandrad still looked grumpy. True, maybe Mura could’ve avoided breaking the window, b-but the creature being fought here and all was a bit too abrupt to have been changed. “I-I think, yeah, I could’ve avoided breaking a window, but the beast came out of nowhere… did someone summon it?” the shaman asked with a frowned eyebrow, wondering if there was a chance for a second volatile beast to spawn all of a sudden. Really, where did it come from?

Despite its size, though, it was easy to deal with. Whoever tried to attack Magnolia Town with that level of summons was walking way too far from their comfort zone. No, it couldn’t have been summoned by a mage… it would’ve definitely been stronger. And it showed no magical signature linked to someone else, which was a trait shared by summoners.

“Why are they always coming out of nowhere?! First vampires, now giant lion crocodiles…!”


That wasn’t Mura’s voice; it came from the samurai ghost who accompanied him. “Shall I take a look around town?” “No, no, I got it covered,” Mura assured the spirit before clapping his hands. Some bundle of pebble nearby began rising up and emitted purple flames before taking the forms of humanoid spirits that began flying out through the many streets of Magnolia – while Mura himself was faster, it was great to have many eyes looking at the same time.

“… No signs of any portal or anything. Hey, Faust… you don’t happen to have recognized that creature from anywhere, do you?” Mura was smiling dryly as if trying to pass his statement up as a joke, especially since he’d rather know more about Faust and what the man could bring to the table – was he able to defend himself, was he able to carry out Fairy Tail’s high-level standards when coming to the quests that they’re handed, and not least; was he able to integrate himself into Vandrad’s training hours…

But something felt off… or maybe it was just a hunch. Mura’s hunches were never on point, really.

WC: 523
TWC: 2965

… Fair enough. Chimera, huh? Those hybrid demons with heads like lions, tails like serpents and wings like… wait, it also had a sting on its tail. That would suit the description for a manticore more, right? Or had he mixed up the two names? Did he now?

Well, if it wasn’t intended by Faust, then it only supported his claim. Still, a random demon like that causing havoc without the slightest sign of a Summoning Spell was just… absurd. It was also new to see a volatile creature attack them on the same day a potential recruit walked into the hall of Fairy Tail – usually, monsters would attack after the initiations, but the world kept growing more and more unpredictable.

Speaking of recruits, another one strolled towards them just now; the honey-helmed fox spirit Kumiko brought into the fray a bubbly joy as always. It was quite a relief from being scolded at, but at the same time, Mura could not appreciate Kumiko’s admirations in full without feeling the planetary gaze from Vandrad pull his shoulders down to the earth. Lately, Mura… hadn’t been the most rational guy, right? If Kumiko suddenly lost faith in him, then his heart probably wouldn’t be able to hold on anymore.

What an unfortunate existence. Mura’s face was blank, flattened by embarrassment more than awe. “Hehe, w-was it, huh? I’m… glad you’re impressed, Kumi,” he faintly responded to her with a few strokes over her honey-colored hair and vixen ears. He was able to make people happy and joyous over his actions, but he had to tread carefully on his path to this paragon of the town that he desired to uphold – otherwise, he’d end up becoming like… him.

Vandrad made sure to let Faust know their names, so Mura continued: “Let’s head back inside. Kumi, want something to drink?” Kumi had been working a lot, and someone of her small stature surely needed refreshment once in a while… but his care for her also stemmed from the deal with her new Lacrima. That whole ordeal was likely still lingering in the back of her head, so he wanted to ease her burdens and make her look forward in life a bit more.

With that said and done, Mura returned back to the lounge of their guild hall, reminiscing back to the more mundane days when they didn’t have a lounge as awesome as this one where they could relax and enjoy the sight over the fields leading up to the Fairy Hills, their own apartment complex. He pressed a few buttons on the colorful jukebox that they owned, before walking back and letting the sweet, vintage music fill the hall before taking a seat. “Monsters and demons and all in-between, they tend to hold a grudge against us. If you wish to join us, then I do hope that you have combat experience of any kind. Things can get rowdy, as you just witnessed… but first, tell me your story.”

There was a seat next to him where Kumi could enjoy the grape juice that Adam prepared for her at the bar. The paperwork could wait for later – more often than not, better results were granted by having a conversation in more relaxed conditions like in the lounge. Internally, Mura would’ve asked Vandrad to get something to drink as well, but the shaman knew how dedicated his Executive Ace was to his work… almost obsessively so. And it seemed to have kicked up slightly during these last few weeks. Still, Vandrad was ever reliable, and Mura wouldn’t want to devalue his efforts one bit.

WC: 602
TWC: 5011