heh, sorry about the hiatus, been busy. but the story is not dead, and I will (try) to continue posting chapters around the end of each month.
Alex got up and left to see tichus.
"We'll be heading to the town today."
"Why?"
Tichus smiled "you'll see."
Alex shrugged and followed the old man into town. Once in town Alex immediately and discreetly started checking for any followers.
"Ah, here we are" tichus announced
Alex turned and looked up at "a sweets shop?" he look back to tichus "why are we here? I thought I had training?"
"You were done with that since last week, come on let's get a table." And tichus entered the shop.
"…oh..." Alex said to the now empty street. And entered the place.
Alex sat across from tichus as he ordered. "I'll have a chocolate shortcake."
"And you?"
Alex looked up at the waitress "whatever you recommend." Which was a lot better than I don't know.
Tichus watched as she left.
"You're embarrassing yourself old man." Alex said in his hand
"I'm old, I can get away with it. Anyway how do you feel about the year so far?"
Alex grunted "Hopefully things get better."
The waitress came back with the shortcake and a mini apple pie.
"You know, you shouldn't be so gloomy, you are still young. And if you're worried about the guild. Then don't, you have your whole life ahead of you."
They finished their treats and Alex went pay when tichus waved him off "this one is on me."
"Are you sure?"
Tichus nodded
After tichus paid for them, they went back to the guild.
A full week later Alex stood with tichus to give the full report to the guild master.
"As previously stated in the last report, Alex's magic seems to have the ability to neutralize magic. Upon further analysis we've learned that this magic neutralizes the magic within the target's body."
"Similar to Aria?" jose questioned, Aria was a member of the element four and had a spell that could drain all magic from a person.
"Yes and no. "
Jose leaned forward "oh?"
"Yes in the fact that Alex can drain the magic from a person or object. But the manner and effect differ.
"Do continue."
"Alex's magic works at a very limited range, usually means alex would have to touch someone to deal the full effect of his magic. His magic also interacts differently with each type of mage. Against the most common magic's, caster, maker and holder, Alex can easily drain caster and maker magic while having almost no effect on holders. And unlike aria, this new lightning is a slower, steady drain on a person or object."
"Alex can you leave us?"
Alex looked jose in the eyes "sir if this is about me, I would wish to stay."
Master Jose steepled his fingers "very well. Normally I would have promoted to S-class. But since you're relativity. Well, weak, possibility weaker than before. But we can't keep you in the common mages now can we? So I think I have an elegant solution."
Both Alex and tichus waited for him to continue
"You could be my personal assistant. My phantom."
Alex looked to tichus, who just shrugged in response
Alex looked back to the guild master and nodded "okay I'll be your assistant."
"So you're like a secretary?" Verna asked as they walked through the town
"Of sorts."
She let out a peal of laughter
"What?"
"I just never thought you as a paperwork person."
"I do what needs to be done, even if it means paperwork."
She sighed "so you probably know more about the rumors,"
"They're true."
"What?! No, we're a legal guild. Not a bunch of crim-"
Alex cut her off "don't, don't insult the guild. What we do is necessary for the survival of this guild."
"Necessary!? That is wrong, there has to be other ways."
He raked a hand through his hair "yeah, well we do what we must." He sighed "anyway I have to head back, need to find some documents."
"Thank you, and I have a task for you."
"Another? Fine, what is it?" he said as he placed a bunch of papers on the desk, and started to tidy the desk up.
Master Jose smirked "we've received a…unique job, I need you to scout and acquire information on the Fairy Tail guild."
Alex stopped "What type of Information?"
"Information that will be useful in a fight."
"You're serious?! Master that could mean-"
"I know what the possibilities are!" Jose snapped.
Alex took a few steps back. "I'm sorry master."
After some time Jose calmed down "Alex, we need this job to be a success, when we complete this we will be financially stable and our biggest rival will be destroyed."
"But, what about the magic council." The council, the most powerful force in all of fiore and Alex's biggest fear for the guild.
"They won't do anything, and those that would want to won't be able to, thanks to you of course."
"Okay so when do I leave."
Alex was sitting in the back of a wagon and they just entered magnolia town, he hopped out, payed his fare and watched a pink haired boy and blue flying cat pass by.
Alex pondered for a moment before deciding that this was Natsu Dragneel the "red dragon of fairy tail" Alex walked down the street, Natsu was one of the people Alex had to watch out for, but not the one Alex had to locate.
"Natsu! Happy!" A blonde came running down the street after the mage and cat. Alex, who did not recognize her for who she was, simply sidestep and kept on going.
Alex travelled from one dingy bar to another in search for a black marketeer who could sell him the information he required. He took a seat at the bar his face hidden in his hood.
The bartender spat "what can I get you?"
"I'm looking for someone." Alex threw down some cash, and heard more than a few chairs shift behind him. He couldn't help but smile, if he had to guess some of those people were trying to escape from being 'someone' the rest would be hunting 'someone'.
"I'm looking for someone that can provide me with goods that… are hard to come by." Alex clarified. At that the bar regained some conversation but there was tension in the air.
"There is a person that does that work… but he comes in later." The bartender said trying to get him to leave.
"Good, I have time" and Alex moved to a side table to spite him.
Hours later and on the brink of night a man swaggers in, Alex watches as he speaks to the bartender. The tender glances at Alex for a moment before continuing his conversation with the new but obviously familiar man.
The man moved to an empty table. Alex got up and moved to his table "If you're the man I think you are, I need you-"
The man cut him off with a raised hand and kicked both feet up on the table before saying "It doesn't matter what I can do for you. But rather, what you can do for me?"