Retreat to Fiore (Fairy Tail)

2 - Healing magic

Erza turned to face her group and effortlessly dragged Elrion in a circle around her axis. "Everyone, look, I found someone who knows a healing magic." - she exclaimed with quite a bit of pride, presenting him to the group with a smug smile on her face. Elrion sighed as he realized his toes are no longer reaching the ground, since the S rank girl now held him in the air as if he were a large fish. She even happily gestured towards him with her free hand, as if she is introducing him. Meanwhile, Elrion held onto her armored gauntlet with both of his arms, hoping his shirt somehow lives through this. "Oh, my apologies." Erza said as she lowered him back on his feet, finally letting him out of her grasp.

Once he was finally freed, Elrion took a breath of relief as he readjusted his shirt. Then he took a closer look at the group of mages Erza dragged him into. He blinked once, then twice, as he kept looking over the eccentric group in front of him. They were far from what he would expect of a mission companions escorting an S ranked mage. He was aware how some mages tend to be quite eccentric, but this group was quite out there.

First there was Natsu Dra-something. He is also in the magazine which Elrion still had rolled in his pocket. Natsu was a pink haired mage who currently seemed to be plagued by an ongoing case of severe motion sickness. His whole face was a shade of pale green and he was sweating profusely. His eyes were tightly shut as he concentrated, presumably not to puke all over the rest of his team. Magazine also mentioned two other things. One was his overwhelming battle power, and the other one was a huge amounts of collateral damage he leaves while solving his missions. Once, he somehow destroyed a whole port. A port, like a piece of town. How someone destroys a port as collateral damage was beyond Elrion's imagination at this moment. Now, he was seeing this mage famous for his destructive force - mumbling and softly whining with puffed cheeks. It made for quite an underwhelming first impression. Reacting to new presence, pink haired mage produced some sounds. "Mmmmnnrg pwhaaaAAa?" Whether that was an attempt to speak or a simple moan due to his current state, Elrion did not know, so he decided to move on to the next passenger.

Sitting next to him was a black haired young man whose name Elrion did not manage to remember. He was certain this guy was also in the magazine along with Natsu and Erza. Still, Elrion remembered how he was a bit annoyed when he saw this guys pictures. On most of the pictures taken, this guy was without his shirt, acting as if he was unaware he is without one.

It might be connected to his magic, Elrion thought back then as he flipped over his page. He mentally tried to make some sort of an excuse for a guy, even though he suspected half-naked guy only wanted to show off his muscular torso to the female readers. Yet, he could not make excuses for the fact that this guy was without the shirt right this very moment, in the middle of the train, during autumn. Here and there, you could find one of the bolder passengers sporting short sleeves. But that was it. Half of the passengers were already wearing light jackets. Nobody had a reason to be without shirt at this temperature.

Just how badly do you want to show off your abs? - Elrion thought bemused.
In a similar displeased tone, the black haired mage with crossed arms, turned his head and returned a frown. "Erza, are you sure this guy is a healer? He is barely older than us." - he said with an unmasked look of suspicion.

Elrion was about to retort, but he was completely taken aback by a blue feline creature with short white wings sprouting on its back. The creature skillfully flew in front of Natsu and diligently fanned his face. It did this without flapping said wings, presumably by using magic. The magical flying feline creature was still acceptable to Elrion. He saw a lot of unusual monsters along his search for materials, but once the creature said "Hang in there Natsu!", for a moment he was tempted to pinch himself. Elrion shook his head to regain his focus. There are many endemic monsters living only in specific areas, and a surprising number of them has the ability to talk. This cat must be one of the local types of creature he has yet to learn about, Elrion assumed, and decided to put his curiosity on hold for now.

Finally, he focused on the final member of the group, a good looking young blonde woman who sat across the two guys. At least he would focus, if he was not distracted by her shirt, or better to say, what remained of it. Divided by a tattered line, the lower third of her green shirt was completely missing. It as if the shirt was ripped apart by something, so the girl's flat stomach was completely exposed, along with plenty of fair skin. Even while it was presumably whole, the shirt allowed an impressive amount of cleavage. Her black skirt was quite short as well. Ironically, the most functional part of her wardrobe were her black colored leather knee-high boots. It was probably a nice thing that she is aware how attractive she is. Still, she was dressed as if she was paying her clothes by how much they weight, and she was very short on money.

On one side, a motion sick destructive mage and a showoff mage wearing only his pants. On the other, a flying/talking/magical cat, and quite poorly dressed injured girl. We can add to them half armored beauty which accidentally wrecks doors when annoyed and lifts people in the air when excited. Elrion has never seen such an odd group of mages before. Yet, despite the comical scene, there was a sense of camaraderie among this group that couldn't be missed. It made Elrion somewhat jealous. Would these five remain friends he wondered, or would they end up divided by the world? Only time would tell.

Allowing himself a few seconds to process the sight of group in front of him, Elrion refocused on the girl he knew was called Lucy. She was undeniably pretty, and while Elrion did appreciate eye-candy, this was not the time for that. It was very obvious the girl was in significant pain. Her white teeth were visibly clenched, and one of her eyes was shut as she was struggling to endure the pain of her injury, her hand clutched at her left side. Elrion also noticed several very obvious skin cuts along her arms, which were a glaring contrast to her otherwise smooth skin. These minor cuts were of different length and sizes, likely caused by thorns or sharp vegetation. Whether she fell through some sharp branches or was forced to run through them, Elrion could only guess. But these cuts were a minor concern compared to the injury she clutched with her hand. When she noticed him, she masked her pain with a weak smile, putting on a brave front. "Hello . . . " she said in a weak voice.

The talking cat gave Elrion a closer look and commented with a energetic and out of place optimistic voice. "Dude, you are kinda suspicious." Obviously, the cat was not very subtle with its words. Erza glared at the creature which made him float backwards a dozen of centimeters. "Silence. He is the only one I found who might assist us." - she said in resolute voice.

Elrion frowned in annoyance, noticing how she did not deny the suspicious part. This was to be expected he thought, his only remaining clothes were a mess. They were even ripped in few places as he was escaping through the woods for a few days. His hair was disheveled and messy, and he would not be surprised if there was a leaf or two in there. Finally, he was certain he had decent dark circles underneath his eyes, given the fact he had no time to properly sleep for the last five days. And even if he was in his best condition, his sharp purple colored eyes always put people on guard. They made him appear far more violent and volatile than he was. Still, Elrion decided to salvage as much of the situation as he could by being polite.

"I am well aware how I look. You will have to excuse my current state. I run into a bit of trouble, and it appears I am not the only one. Lucy I presume?"

She nodded slowly in response. "Yeah, that's me. Also run into a bit of trouble . . . " she said in a soft voice and with a bright smile which did not fit her current situation. Elrion suspected she is attempting to lighten up the mood and make the others less worried about her injury.

"I am not a proper healer or an expert in healing magic" Elrion said as he sat next to her. He left his bag on the floor and continued, "but I will likely be able to alleviate the pain and ensure you are on the path to full recovery. It should make the pain far more manageable and easy to endure until you reach the city where you can find a proper healer and take professional care." While he was saying this, he looked into her hazel eyes hoping his serious attitude about the matter and sincerity will come across to her.

Lucy met his purple eyes without fear and gave him a grateful smile. "That would be a huge help. I will appreciate any help you can give." Pleased she did not flinch as many people do when he tries to establish eye contact, Elrion lowered his eyes onto her injury. "Now, let's see what we are dealing with." he said in a comforting voice hoping to make her feel a bit more relaxed. "Please, go ahead." - she said and removed her hand from her side, revealing an ugly and very large dark-purple bruise. Injury was clearly visible as her shirt has been ripped apart in this place, likely by the same thing which hurt her.