Negima and the Curse of the Dreadnoids
Chapter 1: The Infestation Arrives
It was the beginning of a usual day at Mahora Acadmey. The girls made their way to the classes. Negi was with Asuna, Konoka and Setsuna as they made their way to their class room.
"Hurry up Negi! Class will start and I WILL blame you if we're late!" Asuna shouted.
"Well let me catch up first!" Negi said. Chamo hung onto Negi's shoulder for dear life as he ran to catch up with the girls. Up ahead already was Kotaro.
"Hey! Negi!" Kotaro said waving.
"Not now Kotaro! We're going to be late for school!" Asuna said. Kotaro watched as they just passed him by.
"Uh...all righty then." Kotaro said. Just then, he saw Chizuru coming up to him. He gasped and ran behind Negi and the others.
"Well, at least wait for me then!" Kotaro shouted. When they finally arrived at their classrooms, the day went on as usual without much change. Asuna and Ayaka got into another fight that Negi couldn't stop until the bell ending class had rang. He met up with Kotaro outside.
"Hey Negi. Been waiting for you." Kotaro said.
"Why?" Negi said. Kotaro smiled.
"I think my skills might be a bit sloppy. Mind if we have a practice bout to see if I'm right?" Kotaro said. Negi gulped.
"Well, uh..." Negi said. He figured that Kotaro wouldn't let him leave without agreeing. So Negi agreed to a pratice match. But they did it where no one would see them. Asuna and Konoka were at their dorm room waiting for Negi.
"Wonder where Negi is." Konoka said.
"I think Kotaro wanted him for something." Asuna said. When Negi returned, it was getting late and he was exhausted.
"Kotaro wanted to have a practice battle and then I had to see Fei Ku and Evangeline for lessons as well." Negi said. Asuna groaned.
"Negi. If you keep doing stuff like this, you'll probably collapse by the time you get back here." Asuna said. Negi chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. But looking at Negi's face, his eyes were droopy and he looked ready to pass out.
"Don't play that game with me kid. You better go to sleep right now. A ten year old needs his sleep after all." Asuna said. But Negi said he wasn't tired and Asuna looked at him with a sly smile. She knew she was right and Negi didn't want to admit it. As Asuna helped Negi to bed, Konoka giggled.
"Eh? What's so funny Konoka?" Asuna said.
"Oh nothing Asuna. Just remembering back to when Negi first came here. You two NEVER got along well as you are now. And I think it's sweet." Konoka said. An hour later, Asuna told Konoka she was going for a short walk.
"Don't be long Asuna. It's really late." Konoka said. Asuna chuckled.
"Yeah. I know. Just make sure Negi stays asleep. The kid works too hard." Asuna said. She went outside while the moon was beginning to rise over the grounds.
"Wow. Look at that moon. It sure looks nice tonight." Asuna said. Suddenly, she saw something fly by her face. It was a small bug but she didn't pay attention to it. However, she should have. This bug wasn't normal and it went merging into her skin. She felt a small sting on her right arm and looked. The bug wasn't there.
"Wha? That's weird. I thought...I...felt...sleepy..." Asuna said. She suddenly fainted and she was sound asleep. At the girls' dorm rooms, a mysterious dust was being casted over the girls. The dust turned into more of those bugs and they landed on any open skin areas on the girls. And like Asuna, the bugs merged with them and they were out cold. By the time morning broke out, things were quiet.
"My. That was a good night rest." Negi said. He was just getting up and he stretched his arms out with a yawn. He looked towards Asuna and Konoka's beds. They were empty with the sheets pulled back.
"Guess Konoka and Asuna must be up already." Negi said. He put his glasses on and looked around. Just then, Chamo came rushing into the room and leaped onto Negi's blanket covered lap.
"Negi! Negi! We got trouble! And it's the REALLY BAD kind too!" Chamo shouted. He jumped up and down constantly on Negi's lap. Negi caught Chamo and tried to calm him down.
"Chamo. Calm down. Tell me what's wrong." Negi said. Chamo took a deep breath.
"It's the girls Negi! They're all GONE!!" Chamo shouted.
"Wh...What?!" Negi shouted "Are you sure?!" Chamo nodded.
"All of the doors to their rooms are opened and the beds are empty! And I haven't seen any of them at all anywhere on the grounds! It's a ghost town!" Chamo said. Negi got out of bed quickly and rushed to the rooms. Sure enough, every room was empty without a trace of the girls ever being there.
"C...Chamo? Where are the girls?" Negi said worried.
"Like I told you! They're all GONE!" Chamo shouted. He grew worried and rushed to Evangeline's room on the grounds. But just like the others, she was gone too along with Chachamaru!
"We better check the school." Negi said. He quickly returned to their room and changed into his black shirt with the blue jacket. After grabbing his staff, Negi hurried to Mahora Academy and rushed down the hallways. It was the weekend and there wasn't any class today.
"Oh...we better find them. I'm worried about them." Negi said. Just then, he looked ahead and there was Kotaro rushing up to him with Jennifer at his side.
"Kotaro! Jennifer!" Negi said.
"Negi!" Kotaro and Jennifer said. They met with each other half way down the hall.
"Negi! What's going on?! I can't find Chizuru anywhere. Natsumi and Ayaka are gone too. And Jennifer can't find Evangeline or Chachamaru." Kotaro said.
"That's what WE want to know!" Chamo said. Negi hurried to Konoe's office with Jennifer and Kotaro by his side. Meanwhile, Konoe was up against a corner with someone growling and snarling. It stopped when it heard the doors burst open.
"Dean Konoe! My class has gone..." Negi said. But he stopped when he saw who the monster pinning Konoe into a corner was. It was Asuna with pale blue skin, small horns on her head, her elbows were more pointed and her eyes were turned black and red. She held her giant pactio sword over her shoulder and her teeth became fangs. She was in her armor form but her armor looked purple instead of pink.
"A...Asuna?!" the three of them said.
"What happened to HER?!" Chamo said. Asuna snarled and jumped at Negi's group swinging her blade. They dodged while Jennifer tumbled back into the hall. Suddenly, the doors slammed shut with Jennifer still out in the hall.
"Negi?! Kotaro?! Are you all right?! Say something!" Jennifer shouted while banging the door. Asuna looked back and roared when she saw she missed. Negi held his staff tightly while Kotaro got ready to attack.
"Look out Negi! Here she comes!" Kotaro said. Asuna yelled loudly as she leaped at Negi with her blade ready to swing.
"Sorry Asuna. No hard feelings!" Kotaro said. He jumped at Asuna and kicked her right in her stomach. She went crashing to the ground but got back up rather fast.
"It seems we have no choice Asuna. I'll have to fight you!" Negi said. He shouted a spell and sent bolts of light towards her. She deflected them with her sword and they nearly got Konoe in the head!
"Sorry Konoe! I didn't mean to..." Negi said. But quick as a flash, Asuna caught Negi by his neck and raised him up. Chamo hopped off of Negi's shoulders and onto the desk behind him.
"Negi!" Kotaro said. Asuna chuckled in a darker voice as she squeezed her grip on Negi.
"Now you pay the price...child of the Thousand Master!" Asuna said "You will PAY for your father's crimes against the Dreadnoid race!" Negi didn't understand anything Asuna just said. When Konoe heard "Dreadnoid race", he looked quite worried. Kotaro growled and charged for Asuna.
"Don't interfere you puppy!" Asuna said. She suddenly moved Negi in front of her like a shield. But Kotaro slid beneath Negi and got behind Asuna.
"What?!" Asuna said. Kotaro chuckled and struck Asuna right in the back with a ferocious burst of kicks. They came right after another and with one final kick, Asuna dropped Negi and she was sent flying towards the door. The force was so strong that it shattered the door and she went crashing through the walls until she was outside the school.
"Asuna!" Negi shouted.
"Oh sure. You worry about HER instead of us?" Kotaro said. They quickly rushed to Asuna's side. Asuna was knocked out cold from smashing through the walls and she moaned.
"I should have guessed this was their vile work." Konoe said. He reached into his robe and pulled out a small vile of blue liquid.
"Professor? Please hold Asuna's head up." Konoe said. Negi tilted Asuna's head up and held it while Konoe leaked the liquid into her mouth. With a few gulps, Asuna's eyes slowly opened. Her skin and body started changing back to normal and a small dark bug was ejected from her arm. It squealed a bit before popping like a firecracker.
"What was THAT?!" Kotaro said.
"That was one of the Dreadnoid race's disgusting bugs." Konoe said. Asuna moaned and looked at Negi. Her eyes were changed back to normal and Negi smiled.
"N...Negi? What...what hapened?" Asuna said. Konoe brought Asuna back to his dorm room and she sat down in a chair. Negi gave her a glass of water.
"The...Dreadnoids?" Asuna said. Konoe nodded and looked out his window.
"Those filthy monsters. I thought the Thousand Master destroyed them all years ago. I guess he missed a few and now they're acting up again." Konoe said. Negi stood by Konoe's side.
"What are the Dreadnoids?" Negi said. Konoe turned to Negi.
"I suppose you should know. The Dreadnoids are an ancient group of magical creatures that were the most vile monsters in the known universe. They aimed to corrupt every living being in the known universe so they too become one of them." Konoe said. Negi looked back at Asuna. He figured that Asuna would have become a Dreadnoid if they hadn't saved her.
"They use those dark insects to merge with the skin of any living organism and slowly transform them into horrible monsters that only seek power and destruction. Knowing this had gone on for too long, your father faced them and supposedly destroyed them all." Konoe said. Negi couldn't believe it.
"My father...could do THAT?" Negi said. Konoe nodded. Kotaro, Jennifer and Asuna looked at Negi and Konoe worried.
"But, apparently, he missed one or two and they've decided to revolt against the Magic Association as well as the Thousand Master for nearly wiping their race from existance." Konoe said.
"What do they have against the Magic Association?" Asuna said. Konoe sighed.
"It is because the Magic Association were aiding the Thousand Master in attempting to destroy them. They now see all humans as their enemy. Those monsters...must have the rest of your class Professor Springfield. But judging by the time past since the girls vanished, I don't suspect they are still within Mahora City." Konoe said. Negi and Asuna gasped.
"Wait a second. Does that mean...?!" Asuna said. Konoe looked at her and nodded.
"I'm afraid I have no choice. Professor Springfield? Asuna? You must find the girls wherever they are on this planet and retrieve them before they become what Asuna would have been." Konoe said.
END OF CHAPTER