Chapter 43: Warren's Distress Signal
Chapter 43: Warren's Distress Signal
The news that Erza was working as a waitress at the sweet shop spread like wildfire through the guild.
This explosive piece of information caused a significant drop in the tavern's customer count.
Most of the guys who usually hung around the guild decided to check out the spectacle, curious to see what Erza would be like as a waitress.
And, surprisingly, most of the girls decided to join them too.
The person who spread this news... it couldn't have been Rod.
"Was it you again?"
"I only told Marcus."
"…So you might as well have told the whole guild."
"Looks like everyone is really looking forward to Erza's service," Mira smiled. "Rod, don't you want to go and experience it for yourself?"
"Spare me," Rod said. "When she dressed up as a nurse, she almost strangled me with bandages. As a waitress…
"Would she use the tray to bash customers' heads in? Or maybe stomp on them?"
Mira waved her hand. "It won't be that bad, I promise."
"Let's hope so," Rod muttered a quick prayer for his guildmates and took the opportunity to head to the backyard for some training while the place was quiet.
In the corner of the guild's backyard, there were several dummies and wooden posts, along with a rack holding up sandbags for practicing punches and kicks.
All the wooden parts were crafted by Laki using her Wood Make magic.
In return, Rod drew a simple diagram of a 'Blood Dropper,' a weapon or projectile from martial arts novels. The gruesome design made it look more like a torture device, which Laki found appealing.
She mentioned she had already asked someone to modify the design and was planning to start manufacturing it soon.
Rod was the primary user of the training equipment, but occasionally, his guildmates would be inspired by his dedication and join him for a workout.
Especially those who had been defeated by him, like Jet and Droy.
Rod had originally asked Laki to make two wooden dummies, but when Natsu saw Rod hitting them with a satisfying thud, he insisted on trying it out.
The dummies were reduced to mere posts.
But it didn't matter much; it just meant more targets to beat up.
The sound of punches and kicks echoed through the backyard as Rod's control over his magic and physical attacks became increasingly fluid.
...
"Answer my call, Crimson Beak Birds!"
A deep red magic circle flashed, and six birds appeared in the guild's backyard: one large and five small.
"Chirp~" The largest bird tilted its head and let out a somewhat raspy call.
The Crimson Beak Birds, also known as the Six Birds or F6, were not particularly powerful monsters in the game, but in the real world, their sharp beaks had impressive piercing capabilities.
In addition to their beaks, they could launch their feathers like throwing knives.
The smaller ones could shoot one feather at a time, while the larger one could release a barrage of them.
The feathers would regrow after use, which Rod interpreted as a cooldown period, and he named this ability "Feather Shower."
The downside was that they couldn't fly very high; their wings were too small, giving them a flight capability slightly better than a wild turkey.
The good news was that the larger bird could carry Rod for gliding or low-altitude flight, and thanks to their sturdy legs, they had decent running abilities.
"Success!" Rod clenched his fist, feeling a surge of joy.
It wasn't just because he had summoned the six birds, but because he had managed to shorten the incantation.
The lengthy chant had been reduced to half a sentence plus a name, making it much more practical for emergencies.
He believed that with more time, he could achieve his goal of summoning them with just a name.
He gauged the magical energy consumption of summoning the six birds, which was roughly equivalent to summoning three crabs. Not bad at all.
Rod directed the Beaks to perform some simple maneuvers, then summoned the Three Wolves to try and coordinate their movements and execute flanking attacks.
Next, he summoned the Stone Beetles to see if he could form a balanced formation for both offense and defense.
After a thorough practice session, which left his magic reserves depleted but not to the point of hindering normal movement, Rod returned to the guild hall.
The incident with Erza a week ago had passed without any casualties, much to everyone's relief.
The news of the Dark Guild, Venom Scorpion's, downfall had made the front page of the Mage Weekly.
The Council had commendably admitted that it was solely Erza's achievement, showing no intention to take credit for it.
While there was some mild dissatisfaction with Erza's unilateral actions, her abilities were praised without hesitation.
"Erza lives up to her reputation," was the common sentiment among her guildmates.
"That guy is getting stronger and scarier," Gray commented, even checking to make sure he was still dressed.
"The Venom Scorpion... Isn't that a legitimate guild?" Nab's question brought an uneasy silence.
It seemed true that Erza had taken action against a legitimate guild? No, that couldn't be right; the Council would never allow it.
Marcus was happy to clarify: "The Venom Scorpion was only recently classified as a Dark Guild. They were secretly helping some major merchants by kidnapping and threatening their competitors, and this was only exposed recently."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but their hearts soon raced again.
"Help! Someone, help me!"
Everyone in the guild, including Rod, heard this cry for help.
"How terrifying! Someone, save me!"
The same voice echoed again.
Rod suddenly realized the voice wasn't coming from outside but directly from his mind.
Before he could ask, Mira said sternly, "That's Warren's 'Telepathy' magic. It allows him to send his thoughts directly to others."
Rod didn't know Warren well, only remembering that he had a peculiar side-swept fringe and preferred to keep to himself.
Others had also 'heard' it: "That's Warren's voice!"
"He's asking for help! Is he in danger?"
"But wasn't he supposed to be on a date with his girlfriend today?" Marcus recalled the information he had gotten from Warren yesterday.
"Where are you, Warren!" Gray leaped to his feet, shouting as he tried to communicate with Warren.
Others either shouted or mentally called out to Warren, but no one received a response.
Warren just kept repeating words like "terrifying," "scary," and "help."
Loke burst through the guild hall doors, panting, "Does anyone know what's happening? Everyone on the streets is hearing Warren's cries for help! It's causing panic!"
"It's a mass call for help!" Erza couldn't sit still any longer, "The Master is away, so I'll take command! Everyone, prepare for battle!"
Erza quickly assigned tasks: some were to head out immediately to maintain order and protect the citizens, while others were to search for Warren and prepare for a rescue.
Typically, mages were responsible for their own actions and the risks they brought upon themselves. Interfering without permission could be seen as a sign of disrespect and hurt someone's pride.
However, if a guildmate was in genuine danger and called for help, they would do everything in their power to save them.
At least, that's how Fairy Tail operated.
(End of Chapter)
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