The wooden floorboards were freezing under Erza's bare feet.
She blinked against the grey morning light coming through the small window of the inn room. The town outside was quiet, except for a dog barking somewhere down the street. She sat on the edge of the creaking wooden cot, her hands resting on her knees. Her legs were still a little sore from a long week of walking, but her posture remained straight.
In front of her, spread out over the rough blankets, lay two crumpled paper leaflets. She picked up the first one, flattening the wrinkled corners with her thumb.
B-Rank Escort Request: Protect cargo cart across the high rocky northern pass. Reward: 20,000 Jewels.
She set it down and picked up the second one.
Monster Hunt: Retrieve the fur, hide, and jagged tusks of the Fire Ogre nesting in the upper peaks. Reward: 35,000 Jewels.
Erza looked between the two papers, her single brown eye narrowing.
The northern pass leads right to the base of the peaks. If I take the escort job first, I can drop the merchant off at the summit outpost, get the jewels, and then head straight up into the Ogre's territory on my way back to Magnolia.
It would take at least two weeks of continuous travel through the mountains, but she needed the payout to buy food and new gear. She reached down, picking up her leather sword-belt from the floor, and buckled it tightly over her tattered iron chest-plate. She stuffed the two leaflets into her canvas bag and walked out the door.
The town square was packed with wooden crates and heavy wagons.
Erza walked past a row of fruit stands, her heavy metal boots clinking against the stone path. She stopped right behind a massive, covered horse carriage. A stout, balding man in a thick woolen coat was frantically tugging on the leather straps of the main horse harness, his face bright red from the heat.
"Are you Brutus?" Erza asked flatly.
The man jumped, dropping the leather strap as he whipped his head around. He blinked down at her, his eyes darting from her small stature to the dented, rusted iron plates on her chest. His jaw dropped. "Yeah, I'm Brutus. Who the heck are you? I sent a request to Fairy Tail for a proper wizard, not a stray kid looking for handouts!"
Erza didn't look angry. She just stared at him. "Fairy Tail received your request. I am your escort. We are wasting daylight."
"Are you out of your mind?!" Brutus yelled, waving his arms around as a few local merchants turned to look. "I'm carrying high-grade wine and rare silks for the capital! If some mountain bandits jump my wagon, what are you gonna do? Hit 'em with that rusted junk you're wearing?! Get out of here before I call the town guard!"
Erza didn't answer. She walked up to the side of the massive carriage, where the left rear wheel had slipped down into a deep mud rut between the cobblestones. The horses were straining, unable to budge it.
She took a slow breath, guiding a surge of Ethernano straight from her magic container into her arm and shoulder muscles.
Erza bent down, gripped the muddy wooden rim of the massive wheel, and let out a sharp grunt as she hoisted the entire back end of the wagon six inches out of the rut, slamming it down onto solid stone with a loud, rattling THUD.
Brutus froze, his mouth snapping shut as the entire carriage wobbled.
"The road is dangerous," Erza said, wiping a smear of mud off her hand onto her armor. "We leave now, or you can cross the mountain pass alone."
Brutus swallowed hard, his face turning slightly pale as he looked from the heavy wagon back to her face. He scrambled up onto the driver's bench, grabbing the leather reins with shaking hands. "Right. Fine. Just... get on the back and keep your eyes open, kid."
The carriage moved slowly, the heavy wooden wheels groaning as they crunched over the dry gravel.
The road was brutal. The mountain pass was narrow, sandwiched between massive walls of grey rock on one side and a steep drop on the other. Dust kicked up from the horses' hooves, making the air thick and dry. [1]
Brutus sat on the high bench, his knuckles white as he guided the horses around a sharp bend. He kept looking over his shoulder every few minutes at Erza, who was walking right alongside the moving wagon wheel. Her hand rested on her hip, right near her sword hilt.
"Hey, kid," Brutus called out, his voice shaking over the rumbling of the wheels. "You sure nobody is following us? I've been hearing rumors in the taverns all week. The local mountain bandits have been getting real bold lately. They've been stripping wagons clean and leaving the drivers in the dirt."
Erza didn't turn her head. Her single brown eye remained locked on the high, rocky ridges above them. She had been tracking the loose dirt falling down the slopes for the last ten minutes.
"Keep driving," Erza said. "And don't stop the horses."
"What do you mean don't stop?!" Brutus muttered, wiping his sweaty forehead with his sleeve. "You're starting to freak me out! If we get caught in a dead-end on this ridge, we're totally finished!"
Erza kept her pace steady, her boots digging into the loose dirt as the path grew steeper.
CRASH!
A massive boulder came tumbling straight down from the high rocks, smashing into the center of the path right in front of the lead horse.
The horse reared back, letting out a loud screech as Brutus violently yanked the reins. The heavy carriage skidded sideways, the iron-rimmed wheels grinding against the very edge of the rocky cliff before coming to a violent halt.
"AHHH! WE'RE DEAD!" Brutus screamed, instantly diving under the wooden driver's seat and covering his bald head with his arms.
"Get down!" Erza barked.
Five men dropped down from the high boulders, landing heavily in the dirt right in front of the carriage. They were big, filthy, and caked in trail mud, carrying rusted iron axes and long daggers. The lead bandit, a massive guy with a scarred jaw, took a step forward, a heavy iron axe resting over his shoulder as he let out a loud laugh.
"Well, look what we got here, boys!" the lead bandit chuckled, his yellow teeth showing as he pointed his axe at the wagon. "A fat merchant with a cart full of goodies, and a little tin-can doll to play with! Hand over the jewel pouch and maybe we won't throw you off the edge!"
Erza stepped right in front of the horses, her body perfectly blocking the path to the cargo. Her face remained completely flat as she stared at the five men.
"Get out of the way," Erza said.
"What did you say, brat?!" one of the younger bandits yelled, waving a rusted dagger. "You think you're tough because you're wearing some junk from a scrap yard? We're gonna break you in half!"
Erza didn't say another word.
The five bandits charged forward at the same time, their heavy boots kicking up a cloud of grey dust.
Erza didn't hesitate. With a swift movement, her magic container flaring for a split second as her short sword materialized straight into her right hand out of a tiny golden ripple in the air.
SWISH!
Under her skin, she locked down her Body Enchantment Magic, forcing the raw Ethernano into her legs and forearms.
The lead bandit swung his massive iron axe downward. Erza didn't block it. She tilted her body an inch to the side, the heavy blade missing her nose and burying itself straight into the dirt floor. Before the man could even pull the handle back, Erza drove her armored metal boot straight into his ribs.
BANG!
The heavy impact cracked through the air. The massive bandit let out a hollow gasp, flying five meters backward before hitting a boulder and sliding into the dirt, completely out cold.
"What the heck?!" another bandit screamed, stopping dead.
Erza didn't give them time to think. She turned into a blur of speed, sliding under a wild dagger swing. She smashed the flat of her steel blade straight into the second bandit's jaw, sending him spinning into a pile of gravel. The remaining three thugs panicked, swinging their rusted weapons wildly, but Erza moved too fast. She caught one by the wrist, twisted his arm until his dagger dropped, and cracked her forehead straight into his nose.
Within thirty seconds, the entire brawl was over.
Five grown mages were rolling around in the dirt road, groaning and clutching their faces. Erza stood right in the center of the path, her breathing steady as she flicked the dust off her sword and sent it back into her spatial pocket with a soft chime.
The sun was dipping below the mountain peaks by the time the carriage finally pulled into the rocky summit outpost.
The outpost was a small, fortified clearing with a few wooden cabins and a cargo trading post. Brutus scrambled down from the driver's bench, his entire body still shaking from the adrenaline. His face was completely red, but his eyes were wide with absolute respect as he looked at the twelve-year-old girl.
He dug into his coat, pulling out a heavy leather pouch that clinked loudly with gold coins. He held it out with both hands, his head completely bent down. "Here... here is the full twenty thousand jewels, miss! Plus a little extra for the... uh... trouble! I'm sorry for what I said back at the town! You're a real wizard!"
Erza took the heavy pouch, slipping it into her canvas bag with a small nod. "The contract is complete. Stay inside the outpost until morning."
"Are you staying here tonight?!" Brutus asked, looking up at the dark, smoking mountain peaks looming right above the outpost. "The trails up there are completely pitch black!"
Erza turned around, her single brown eye locking onto the freezing, high-altitude trail that led straight into the Ogre's territory. She adjusted her leather belt.
Part one is done.
She took a slow breath, stepping out onto the dark path alone.
Time to go get those tusks.