A new player joins the game. The clock is ticking for Wendy! Let's find out what happens next in:
Chapter 11: Attack on Nightstalker!
Alida stepped out into the blinding sun, shielding her eyes from it for a moment. When the blinding subsided, she set off northwest, where her targets currently were. A smile spread across her face as she walked past the people in the slum's streets. One random person accidentally bumped into her, apologized, and hurried on his way. Alida went back and grabbed his arm.
"Hey, what the-!" the thief yelled before his voice was cut off by Alida's sword ramming through his chest. She went to his back pocket and retrieved her wallet that the man stole and continued on her way, leaving his corpse to be gawked at and ravaged by the people.
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On the other side of town, the group was puzzled as to what the newly discovered key leads to. "I have absolutely no idea what this key goes to," commented Drake, juggling the keychain in his hand. "How about you guys?"
Luffy took the keychain from him and spun it in his fingers. "Maybe it goes to his secret chest full of meat." A knock upside the head from Lucy and Sanji.
"Will you shut up about your damn stomach for one minute?!" Lucy screamed. "This key might be our only clue to finding Wendy!"
"It could lead to a hotel room, or maybe a locker compartment somewhere, maybe at the train station or someplace," remarked Erza.
"It might be so," said Robin. I say the train station should be our first stop to visit."
Not far from the alley, Alida appeared out of thin air, leaving behind a mist of pink and black diamonds which disappeared when she emerged from them. She climbed to the rooftop and eavesdropped on the crew, listening in on their discussion on Stern's key. A smile spread across her face as she peered further over, revealing her head in sight. "I know where that key goes to," she said loud enough for them to hear.
"What? You know?" asked Gray. "Tell us, please."
Alida grinned. "I'll tell you if you can catch me in a game of tag." With a giggle, she leapt off the roof and ran off. The gang knew they probably had no choice but to chase after the mysterious girl. They broke off into their pairs again and had Happy fly overhead to keep tabs on the target.
Natsu and Lucy ran straight after Alida while everyone else worked to flank her, keeping tabs on their positions so they would not get lost. Drake and Robin covered the east paths while Ace and Robin covered the west paths. Luffy and Gray went ahead and Zoro and Sanji stayed back to provide support.
"Catch me if you can!" shouted the gleeful Alida. Drake grew furious and broke from Robin.
"Drake, stop!" she cried, sprouting hands to catch him, but he jumped out of her reach.
"I have to catch her, Robin!" he said back. Robin hesitated in ensnaring his body with her hands and let him do what he wanted. Drake leapt from rooftop to rooftop, growing closer and closer to Alida. He leapt for her, his hand outstretched, but she swatted him away with a swing of his sword and continued on while he rubbed his cut. "She clearly isn't playing some childish game here," he said into hi microphone. "Something is up and we'll have to capture her." Drake gave chase, pairing back up with Robin again.
"Are you alright?" she asked. He merely nodded and pressed on while she carried a worried look upon her face. Natsu and Lucy dove in on Alida, but she sidestepped out of their reach with grace. It almost seemed like she was moving on ice, the way she moved. Elsewhere, Robin got an idea.
"Gray, can you cover the ground in the surrounding area in ice?" she asked him.
"I can, but I don't know if the girl will slip on it or not."
"She doesn't have to, I just need to spot her for one second." Gray did not understand, but he followed her order. He pressed his hands to the ground and the entire surrounding area became encased in ice, including in front of Alida. She spotted the ice and leapt high into the air, revealing herself to the group, including Robin. "I have you now! Fluer Capture!" Robin crossed her arms and at least a dozen of her hands emerged from all over Alida's body, catching her by surprise. The hands bound themselves to her, preventing her from even moving an inch and she fell to the ground with a thud.
"Nice job there, Robin," complimented Ace as everyone regrouped. Robin tightened her grip on Alida and added more hands to keep her in place. Drake offered to do the interrogation. He stepped up to the defenseless Alida and cracked his knuckles.
"I'll give you one chance to tell us what you know before I beat it outta you," he said with an icy tongue. "I have no quarrels about beating up a woman," he added as a final warning.
"Wait I'll tell you," Alida pleaded with tears in her eyes. "See, we are situated in the southeast part of town, in the slums. Our hideout is located in the cellar of the rundown inn called, 'The Shallow Hut.'"
"Why are you telling us this already?" questioned Erza.
A smirk spread across Alida's lips. "We will already be gone by the time you get there," she chuckled. "We will have taken the Catalyst to the deserted landform south of here, past Galuna Island. There, the sacrificial ritual will commence when the full moon rests in the night sky, and our Lord Ashtul will be revived anew. There is nothing you can do to stop us." Alida let out an evil laugh and freed one of her hands and snapped her fingers, causing her to disappear in a flash of diamonds.
"Damnit, we lost her!" yelled Natsu, who smashed the side of a building into rubble. "We need to find that hotel before it's too late!"
"You heard the girl," said Drake, who was leaning against a wall with a cigarette in his mouth. He took a puff. "By the time we get there, Wendy will already be gone. Hell, that girl is probably already there warning them to move out."
"Is there anything we can do?" asked Lucy.
"There is," commented Gray. "We need to get to that land mass in three days time before the full moon."
"We should return to Fairy Tail and gather more members as well as the rest of the Straw Hats and head out," said Erza. "Your ship is capable of carrying all of us, correct?" The Straw Hats nodded. "Good, let's get back with haste."
"You guys go on," said Drake. "I'm going to find this hotel to try to get some answers. I'll meet up with you guys out on the ocean." He headed off when Robin grabbed his arm.
"Be careful, alright?" she said. He smiled and removed her hand, kissing it before running off. The group hightailed it back to Clover Town Station as fast as they could to get back to Magnolia.
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Deep underground in the Darkstalkers Guild, the Hooded Man had gathered all the members of the guild to prepare for the journey south. "Is the Catalyst ready to be transported?" asked the Hooded Man. Wendy sat on her knees with magically-bound handcuffs and shackles on her with many cloaked men standing around her.
"Yes, sir," said one. "She is ready to be taken to the island."
"Good. Styler, open the hidden tunnels, we shall leave for the coast through there." One cloaked man nodded and went to a rocky wall, placing his hand inside a hall and a loud click was heard, then a doorway appeared in the wall. Everyone but one cloaked member and several Nightstalker lackeys entered through it before the tunnel suddenly collapsed.
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Out on the surface, Drake found the inn. "This is the inn alright," Drake muttered as he stared at the rundown shack of "The Shallow Hut." "Certainly lives up to its name now." Drake entered through the destroyed door only to find decay and ruin. He made his way around, trying to find the entrance to the cellar where the guild was hidden.
He searched around the first floor and soon found the doorway heading down below ground. He descended down into the dark staircase where unknown dangers reside. He continued downward for perhaps an hour or so before he came upon a wooden door that was locked. A large "133" was drawn onto the door, solving the mystery of the keychain the group found off the assassin. He kicked the door open to find a large man by the name of Styler surrounded by twenty regular Nightstalker guild members.
The man Styler had a large broadsword sitting across his back. He sat upon a wooden chair, leaning back on two feet, a smug grin upon his face. "Well, well," he chuckled. "Looks like one of those Fairy Tail trash has arrived." Styler's lackeys all laughed around him, gripping their weapons and readying their magic.
"Where is Wendy Marvell?" was all Drake said. Styler laughed again.
"She is already gone. She has been taken south across the sea for her fate as the Catalyst, but that doesn't concern you for soon you'll be dead!"
Drake glared at all the Darkstalker wizards before him and raised his hood over his head. "You dare waste my time with such petty talk?! I thought about going easy on you all, but you have tried my patience, and I have better things to attend to than wasting more time than necessary wiping you out!"
The wizards only laughed. "And just how do you intend to defeat every single one of us?" Styler inquired. "Especially I, Styler, one of Nightstalker's top elite Class B wizard?"
Drake fell to his knees and gripped the ground. A low growl escaped his lips. "I will need only these two hands to utterly destroy you!" he growled, his voice pitch going low. When he rose back up, everyone was taken back in horror. Styler himself took a step back, his broadsword clattering to the floor.
"By the Gods, what are you?!" he shouted.
Drake looked at him with piercing, slanted eyes. "I am your death." And he leapt for them, his claws brandished.
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Not even a half hour later, Drake reemerged to the surface with blood trailing the ends of his long coat. He wiped a spot of blood off his cheek and pressed on for the train station to catch up to the rest of the group. By the time he would arrive in Magnolia, the group would be halfway to Hargeon for the Thousand Sunny.
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In the Fairy Tail guild hall, The Straw Hats regrouped with the rest of the crew and Gajeel, Levy, Juvia, Alzack, and Bisca. They would have brought Laxus or Mystogan along, but they were out on missions already.
They all headed straight for Hargeon to board the Thousand Sunny to head for the land mass where Wendy is being held prisoner. Drake was on a train for Magnolia already, but he definitely will not make it in time. Franky was unable to restock their cola supply in the time they were gone, so the ship will have to cruise at normal speed. They all boarded and set a course southeast.
While on board, everyone was preparing for battle while getting some rest for what may lie ahead. Juvia spend half her time fawning over Luffy, who she thought was so much stronger than Gray. "Luffy-sama, you are so amazing!" cooed Juvia, swooning over him while he sat on the prow. Luffy paid no attention to her for he was too busy picking his nose. Typical of Luffy.
"I'll be keeping an eye out for this island, and hopefully we will make it in time," Nami said to everyone while she looked at a map of Fiore. Alzack took a long stare at Nami before being yanked aside by his ear and given a chew out by Bisca, whom he lowered his head to and apologized.
"Alright, everyone!" yelled Natsu. "Let's rescue Wendy!" Everyone threw up their fists and cheered.
"Let's set out for adventure!" yelled Luffy. Oh geez.
Back at Hargeon Port, Drake hired a small boat and set sail for southeast, for the large island and after the Thousand Sunny. He stood at the boat's prow as the wind caught his sail and sped him along. "Wendy," he thought to himself, inhaling the salty air through his lungs. "I promise I will rescue you, even if it costs me my life."