Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
November, x784.
After seeing off the representatives from the royal family, Alfonzo, Makarov, and Ur returned to Makarov's office. Alon the way, Makarov answered a few questions from the members of the guild who were surprised that the kingdom sent a messenger.
When they found out that a couple of high difficulty quests were assigned to the guild to complete, most of them were excited to take such a high profile quest. Though, most of them would be disappointed.
Eventually, after answering all the questions he was willing to answer, Makarov led Alfonzo and Ur back up to his office.
"So, what's the deal with these two quests, Old Man? Ur asked as she flopped onto one of the couches in Makarov's office. "I saw that strange expression when you looked them over."
"*Sigh* I really want Alfonzo to take on one of these quests." Makarov replied in a resigned tone as he took his seat at his desk. "But I know I won't be able to stop you from going once you find out about it."
"Stop trying to sound so cryptic." Ur said with an eye roll. "Just get to the point."
'Yeah, the quest he's talking about is definitely the Oración Seis subjugation quest.' Alfonzo thought as he watched the interaction between Makarov and Ur. 'Still, I really wanna know about the other one instead.'
"Fine." Makarov said, placing the quest sheets on his desk.
With that, Alfonzo, who was already standing walked over to the desk to check out the quests while Ur stood from the couch and did the same.
Reaching the desk first, Alfonzo picked up one of the quest sheets and started reading it.
'Just like I thought, one of them is the Oración Seis quest.' Alfonzo thought as he read the quest sheet. 'They want them taken alive, especially Brain, as he is a fugitive to the kingdom as the former head of the Bureau of Magical Development.'
"So, we'll be teaming up with Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and another guild I've never worked with, Cait Shelter, on this one, huh?" Alfonzo said after seeing the expected list of participating guilds. 'Well, they have some pretty strong wizards in their guilds, so I guess it shouldn't be too bad."
At the same time, Ur arrived in front of Makarov's desk and picked up the other quest sheet, starting to read it immediately.
"Still, I guess I can see why Ur would jump at this one." Alfonzo continued, catching Ur's attention with his words. "The king is asking us to take down the Oración Seis."
Immediately, Ur snapped her head in Alfonzo's direction. Then, she snatched the quest sheet out of his hand.
"I guess I should have seen that coming." Alfonzo muttered with a wry smile.
"I'll be going on this quest." Ur said, bloodlust leaking into her words. Then, she pressed the other quest sheet against Alfonzo's chest. "You can have this one."
In response, both Alfonzo and Makarov could only shake their heads in resignation.
"Ur, I know you have a bone to pick with Brain, but remember, you have to bring him in alive." Makarov warned.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, Old Man." Ur replied with a cruel grin on her face. "He'll be alive. Though he'll probably wish he wasn't."
"*Sigh* I guess that's the best outcome I could ask for." Makarov said, shaking his head once again.
Meanwhile, Alfonzo was reading the other quest sheet while Makarov and Ur had their short conversation.
'Seriously? Two more crossover characters?' Alfonzo exclaimed internally. 'Ugh. And I don't wanna deal with either of their creepy asses. How the fuck do people like Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Orochimaru end up working together? On top of that, what kind of subordinates will they have with them?'
"Damn, the kingdom has bad luck with hiring scientists, huh?" Alfonzo said to hide his shock. "With Brain from Ur's quest and the two in this one, the top three researchers from the Bureau of Magical Development have all gone rogue. And if you count that sick fucker Shao Tucker from that other quest I took, You'd get the idea that maybe that Bureau should just be shut down."
"Agreed." Makarov replied in a solemn tone. "But these people really are some of the worst scum I've ever come across. Brain, Orochimaru, and Shao Tucker all used children in their experiments. Meanwhile, Mayuri Kurotsuchi drove an entire race of people to near extinction just to research their biology."
"Well, I don't know about the kid, but when I'm done with Brain, I guarantee he won't be a threat to anyone else." Ur said, still leaking bloodlust.
"*Sigh* As long as you don't go too far…" Makarov reminded.
"Is bringing him back without limbs considered going too far?" Ur asked with an innocent expression on her face while still leaking a large amount of bloodlust, quite the jarring contrast.
In response, Makarov simply shook his head.
"Anyway, now that it's decided who will lead the team on which quest, the two of you have some decisions to make." Makarov said in a solemn tone.
"We need to pick our teams, huh?" Alfonzo said, finishing Makarov's thought.
"Correct." Makarov replied. "Naturally, I trust both of your judgements. So, I'll leave team assignments up to you, as well."
"I'll be bringing Tear and Gray with me." Ur said without hesitation.
"That leaves one more A-Class." Makarov said, having expected Ur's decision.
"I guess I'll take the fire kid." Ur added after thinking about it for a few moments.
"Natsu is a good choice." Makarov said with a nod. "Under the right circumstances, he's possibly the strongest wizard in the guild under S-Class."
"Yeah, plus his sense of smell might come in handy." Ur added once again.
"What about you, Alfonzo?" Makarov asked curiously.
"Honestly, I'm not sure yet." Alfonzo replied. "*Sigh* But I know I can't take Lici on this one."
"What do you mean?" Ur asked curiously. Then, she snatched the quest sheet out of Alfonzo's hand and began reading it again.
"Rude." Alfonzo said once he found himself no longer holding the quest sheet.
Ignoring Alfonzo's comment, Ur continued reading.
"I don't see anything that would make you keep Lici out of this." Ur said after she finished reading and put the quest sheet on Makarov's desk again.
"It's because of the participating guilds." Alfonzo replied, pointing at the section that mentioned the two guilds who would be joining Fairy Tail on this quest. "Though I don't have any issue with the ladies from Mermaid Heel, There will be issues with the fool Quatro Cerberus will be sending."
In response, both Makarov and Ur looked at Alfonzo in confusion.
"*Sigh* Their ace and only S-Class, Bacchus Groh, has a thing for Lici." Alfonzo continued with an expressionless gaze. "Usually that wouldn't be an issue. I mean, I know she's beautiful and has many admirers."
"Why does it feel like you're just bragging." Ur said.
"The problem is…" Alfonzo continued, ignoring Ur's interruption. "That drunk asshole has convinced himself that Lici is just as in to him, but I'm keeping her from being with him against her will."
With that, the light of realization shined in Makarov and Ultear's eyes. Yet, Alfonzo still was not finished.
"And if I brought her with me on this quest, I'm sure he'd do something that would force me to kill him." Alfonzo said, maintaining his expressionless gaze.
"Yeah, that would be bad." Ur replied with a nod.
"As guild master, I forbid you from bringing Elicia with you on this quest." Makarov said in a solemn tone.
'Now that he mentioned it, Goldmine mentioned something about that to me during the last annual meeting.' Makarov thought to himself while thinking back to a conversation from nearly half a year ago. 'And I'd rather not sour relations with my old teammate over something like this.'
"Still, that leaves Laxus, Erza, Mira, and Mystogan to choose from." Alfonzo said after nodding in understanding at Makarov's order. "Plus all the A-Classes to pick from."
"Oh, and after her showing in the tournament and her recent signs of improvement, I've also decided to promote Marin to A-Class later today." Makarov said with a smile.
"You're just trying to make this decision harder for me, aren't you, Gramps?" Alfonzo groaned.
"What could you possibly be referring to, Alfonzo?" Makarov asked with an innocent smile on his face.
"Please don't do that, Old Man." Ur said, recoiling in disgust. "You look creepy as hell when you smile like that."
Hearing that, Makarov looked like he had been physically struck. However, Ur decided that she would not give him the chance to respond to her insult. So, she turned around and walked towards the elevator.
"I'll go inform the kids." Ur said, waving her hand over her shoulder as the elevator door opened. "We have to leave the day after tomorrow to meet up with the other guilds on time."
"Huh? But you have to go all the way to the outskirts of the Worth Woodsea." Alfonzo said in confusion. "If you were driving, I could understand the time frame you mentioned. Hell, you could make it in about eighteen hours if you drove nonstop. But your car cant' seat that many."
"Oh, don't worry, I'll be taking the Old Man's new Escalade." Ur said casually without turning around. Then, she pressed the button for the first floor that was located on the wall opposite the open door. "I'm sure he won't mind."
As the door started to close, Alfonzo and Makarov saw Ur reach into her pants pocket and pull out a keychain that she started spinning on her index finger.
Recognizing the key, Makarov's eyes and mouth widened in shock. Theen, he started frantically checking his own pockets, the top of his desk, and the drawers of his desk, to no avail.
"Damn that woman!" Makarov shouted in frustration. "Other than bringing it home, I haven't even drove that new one yet."
"Seriously?" Alfonzo asked with a disbelieving expression on his face. "You bought that one from me back in August. It's November now, how the hell haven't you driven it?"
"Because I'm afraid of breaking it." Makarov replied sheepishly. "I have a terrible case of road rage, you know."
In response, Alfonzo could only look on blankly.
"Well, admitting you have a problem is the first step in solving it." Alfonzo said blandly.
"Don't make it sound like I'm an alcoholic or something!" Makarov shouted in response.
Alfonzo's gaze only grew more blank in return.
"Don't look at me like that, I could stop drinking if I wanted to." Makarov protested.
"Right…" Alfonzo replied dismissively. "And you actually ordered Cana to go to AA meetings. Pot, methinks thy name is Makarov."
"Just go pick the members of your team." Makarov said, blushing in embarrassment after being exposed so blatantly. "You have to leave the day after Ur if you wanna make it to Karakura Town in the south of the kingdom on time."
"So, I guess that means you're gonna let Ur use your new ride?" Alfonzo asked with an eyebrow raised.
Immediately, Makarov jumped out of his seat and rushed towards the elevator.
"Damn it, that's right." Makarov said in a panic. "I need to at least get some kind of promise that she'll either bring it back in good condition or replace it if it gets too heavily damaged."
A few moments later, the elevator doors closed and Alfonzo was left alone in Makarov's office. Then, he picked up the quest sheet to read it once again.
"Seriously, their hideout is suspected to be somewhere in the Hidden Leaf Ravine near the outskirts of Karakura Town…" Alfonzo muttered while looking over the details of the quest again. "What the hell is up with this world."
At the same time, all the previously mentioned guilds were preparing for the upcoming quests. While Fairy Tail would be sending two S-Class wizards on each quest, three of the remaining five, Lamia Scale, Quatro Cerberus, and Mermaid Heel, would only be sending one S-Class each.
Meanwhile, Blue Pegasus would be sending two S-Classes while Cait Shelter would not be sending any, a decision that baffled most of the wizards who were participating in the Oración Seis subjugation quest.