I'm so excited to hit chapter 400, you guys have no idea.
The walk to the guild hall was uneventful, but Nashi was still filled with anticipation. The day was finally here. After weeks of waiting, they were taking their chance. She knew they were hunting after information about the Demon Lords, but from what she could recall she hadn't been a part of a team. Did that mean something had come up?
Once they reached the guild hall, they noticed a meeting was already in progress, with Laxus talking to everyone. He stopped as they entered, casting them a smile.
"Ah, just in time," he said. "Nashi, Ultear, I have a mission for you."
"What is it?" Ultear asked, raising an eyebrow from the table she was at with the others.
"As I'm sure you remember, I had Sting contact other guilds for me to see if we could find any information on Demon Lords. And he's come back with a hit. A guild called The Hollows answered him, saying they had a plethora of knowledge on demons and could help."
"The Hollows?" Nashi asked, "I've never heard of that guild."
"I imagine you wouldn't," Laxus replied. "They're relatively recluse, as guilds go. However, you'll recognise some big names from the guild, namely Neptu Skylancer." A murmur of surprise passed over the guild at his name, and Nashi knew why easily enough. She didn't have to scan her former self's memories to remember Neptu Skylancer and his corps of Demon Hunters. As she recalled, it had been over the life of a Demon Lord takeover wizard named Gin. After the whole fight had settled, Neptu had disbanded his hunters and went home. It seemed that was where he'd gone.
"Is Gin there?" Damien asked curiously from her right, sitting by the others.
"I don't know," Laxus replied, "but they've offered any intelligence they have. Nashi, Ultear, you two and Natsu will be meeting up with Michael and Keita to go to New Avalon. You can reach The Hollows from there."
"Michael and Keita are coming?" Nashi asked, anxiety spiking inside her. She had to see Michael. Again. "And my Dad?"
"Someone has to chaperone," her Dad joked from the other side of the guild. She felt it was more of a security thing.
"When they heard that we were on the hunt for info, they offered to help," Laxus explained." So they'll be going with you. Is that a problem?"
"The more the merrier," Ultear said with a smile. Nashi was not as thrilled.
"Can I go with them?" Elise asked from beside Nashi "I don't wanna go to some dusty old church."
"More like she wants to go with Keita," Ultear muttered to Nashi, making her smile weakly.
"Don't wanna hang out with your old man?" Gajeel called from the across the guild hall.
"No," Elise shouted back, making everyone laugh.
"I'm hurt too, you know," Damien said to her. "They're not that important."
"The mission won't need numbers, Elise," Laxus said, "but if it's important to you, you're welcome to accompany them."
"Awesome," Elise said, trying to look casual about the whole affair, "I'll do that."
"I'll come with you, Dad," Steph said, "we'll make it a family outing."
"Sure, ignore me," Gajeel shouted. "Take your wife, Sparky. I won't go." Laxus seemed annoyed everyone was changing places, but he nodded.
"Speaking of, we'll be heading to Zentopia to ask the church about the Demon Lords. They must have some information about them." He then looked at Simon, who was standing to Nashi's left. "Simon, you and Erza will go with Crime Sociere to see The Olympians like we mentioned."
"Got it," Simon said with a nod. "Is the ass-kicking still on the table?"
"Absolutely," his mother said with a smirk. Simon grinned.
"Good," he said.
"If you want, take people you trust with you," Laxus said. "I'm most concerned about you guys, so if you want to take anyone, you should."
"We'll see," Erza said.
"It bears repeating," Laxus continued, "that these are recon missions. If you encounter trouble with anything, be careful. Especially you, Natsu's team. Who knows when they'll come for Nashi." Nashi gulped at this, but nodded.
"Got it," her dad said. "We'll be careful."
"I doubt that, coming from you," Laxus replied. "Everyone know what they're doing? Good. Let's get going already! Every second we waste is another we're behind!"
"I'll meet up with you in a second," Nashi said to her Dad. "I want to say goodbye to the others first."
"Be quick," he told her, "we should be on our way." Nodding, Nashi dashed away from him and towards her friends, who were all talking amongst themselves.
"Be careful, you guys," Simon said as she reached them all. "I'm worried about you specifically, Nashi."
"Do you think they'll come after me?" She asked weakly. Simon shrugged.
"I don't know why they haven't yet," he said, "so who knows. I just don't like the idea of separating. It's easier to fight together."
"We'll be okay," Ultear said confidently, "I'll look after her, Simon." Simon smirked at this.
"And Natsu will be looking after all of you," he said.
"We don't need his babysitting," Elise moaned. "Why is he coming?"
"Why are you coming?" Ultear asked.
"Cause I want to," Elise answered.
"Cause she wants to see Keita," Damien replied, making Elise's cheeks flush.
"I do not!" She shouted in exasperation.
"Sure you don't," Steph said with a grin. "Didn't you spend some time with him over the last year? I bet you two are close."
"I-" Elise tried.
"No sneaking off for your own amusement," Ultear said as she wagged a finger at the shorter girl. "I don't want to break that up."
"I-I'm waiting with Natsu!" Elise shouted, running away from them. The group laughed at her expense, if only to lighten the mood.
"We should get going," Ultear said to Nashi, "less time we take the better."
"Yeah," Nashi agreed. "We should."
"Just be safe," Simon said again. "Don't wanna lose you."
"Again," Damien offered. Nashi gave out her share of goodbye hugs before running after Ultear, meeting up with her and her Dad at the door.
"Ready to go?" He asked, making her nod.
"I am," she said. Cracking his neck, her Dad led them out the door and into the city.
"Well, let's get going." He said, "we've got old friends to meet up with."
Nashi wished trains didn't exist.
In all her anxiety about the current situation, she'd neglected to realise they were even taking one. She'd managed to suffer through it though, as she could tell the train was slowing down now. Their group, mainly comprised of Dragon Slayers, stumbled off the train and mumbled irritably to themselves, trying to keep their breakfast down where it belonged. From what she could tell it was mid-afternoon, though she hadn't kept track of the time in her suffering.
"I really wish we just walked here," Elise hissed.
"You guys really need to get that under control," Ultear scolded, "it's ridiculous that I have to worry about cleaning up vomit all morning."
"How do you do it, Dad?" Nashi asked. Her father had remained composed the entire ride, but he hadn't said much. He laughed and look at her.
"I keep my mouth shut and hold it in," he replied, "come on, we've got to meet up with the boys." Leaving the strain station, Nashi took the time to finally take in her surroundings. From the looks of things they were at a station in the middle of nowhere, not a city.
"Where are we?" Elise asked as she pulled her coat up to protect her face from the cold wind whipping around them.
"New Avalon doesn't have a train station," Nashi's father explained. "So we're meeting the boys here with our new ride."
"More riding?!" Nashi exclaimed. "Can't we walk?!"
"Unless you want to walk all night," her father asked, silencing her. Nashi trudged with Elise sadly, both of them grumbling about motion sickness. After a while, Nashi could see a carriage pulling up from the road. Well, it looked like a carriage, but there was no horses pulling it. That, and it was going way faster than it should have been. Before anyone could voice concern over it's speed, the carriage's wheels began to lock up and it skidded to a halt nearby, a shout of surprise coming from inside.
"Damn it Michael!" A familiar voice shouted, "Sting told you to not gun it like that!"
"Where's the fun if I don't gun it?!" The other voice demanded. "Come on, that was awesome!"
"God you are so lucky we have a stabilising lacrima installed, or I would have thrown up all over you!"
"Don't be a drama queen, they can hear you!"
"I hope they hear me, so they know you're insane!" Laughter ensued, and the door to the carriage was kicked open. Stepping out from inside was Michael and Keita, Michael smiling at them.
"We meet again, Fairy Tail!" He exclaimed, "nice to be working with you guys again."
"Well, you volunteered," Ultear said with a smile.
"Of course I did!" Michael said, "you guys are my friends, I gotta help out! Would be rude not too." Nashi noticed Michael seemed to be in a much better mood than when he'd helped them defeat Zoka and Ruli, but she couldn't tell why. Did it have to do with her being one again? Did he expect something of her? He wasn't even looking at her, though...
"Nice ride," Ultear said, "why is it some odd hybrid carriage and truck?"
"It belongs to the guild," Keita explained. "We were converting it to run on an SE-Plug, so it's basically halfway between the two."
"And it's hilarious looking," Michael added, "but it was all we had. All aboard!" Nashi moved with the others into the carriage, making sure to avoid eye contact with Michael. She hadn't been ready for this but, as usual, it had been thrust upon her. "Oh, and don't worry Dragons. Like Keita said, this baby is stabilised. You'll be okay."
"You're not driving!" Keita shouted, grabbing the SE-Plug from the blonde as they got in. "Let me do it, you give them the run down." Michael shrugged at this.
"Fine, be that way," he said. Keita strapped himself in and the carriage roared to life. Taking the seat that had been moved to peer ahead of them, Keita began the drive. Nashi was pleased to find Michael was right. She wasn't getting sick.
"So, what exactly do we need to know?" Her Father asked, crossing his arms.
"Well, not much," Michael said as he shrugged. "As I'm sure my Dad told you, this is that Neptu guys guild. I assume he and some allies are there. I know Gin is there though!"
"He is?" Elise asked, "that's good. We haven't seen him in a while."
"Yeah," Michael agreed. "In any case, my Dad was asking around for info on Demon Lords, and he got in contact with the Master, named Xeros. He said that since they have a history with demons, they may have had more to share with us. Granted, we had to come and get it from them."
"They couldn't just call us?" Ultear asked, "Seems odd."
"Well, that's the thing," Michael said. "Apparently Neptu is the one we'll be asking, but he's been going through some trouble. It may be related." Nashi wondered what that trouble could be. Could it be demon related?
"I'm not surprised he knows something," Her Father said. "He seemed pretty knowledgeable when I talked to him last." Michael nodded.
"Apparently he comes from a long line of Devil Slayers," he said. "So I guess the info runs in the family. Who knows."
"Maybe we can ask Gin too," Elise said. 'What was his Demon's name? Morty or something?" Nashi took a moment to reflect inward on her memories.
"Mortavius," she corrected once she found it, "The Brute." Ultear shivered.
"No offence to Gin, but I hated that demon," Ultear said. "The vibe I got from him when he transformed...I didn't like it."
"Didn't help it was the opposite of Gin," Elise replied. "He was generally inoffensive, nice, quiet. Mortavius was loud, smelled like blood and violence, and generally seemed to cause it too."
"Let's pause a moment," Michael said, making a 'T' with his hands. "Let's talk about these Demon Lords."
"What about them?" Nashi's Father asked.
"Well, there's twelve of them, right?" Michael asked.
"Yes," Ultear said.
"How many can we account for?" The White Dragon Slayer asked.
"Xisplate," Nashi offered. "That's one. Vantros and Meridia is three."
"Mortavius is four," Elise said.
"Damien fought a Demon Lord at Silverridge," Ultear said. "I forgot who, but that's five."
"Zoka and Ruli make seven," Michael said. There was brief silence as the group rocked their brains.
"Neptu was hunting one," her Dad eventually said, "I forget his name, but Neptu called him the Lord of Pain. Eight."
"Eight," Keita said from the driver seat. "So, we're missing four names?"
"Seems so," Elise said. "I shudder wondering about what they're capable of."
"Well, let's hope The Hollows can fill us in," Keita said. "Because we're here." Nashi made a face. Surely they couldn't be here already. She'd have been able to see the city from the train station right?
"How are we here?" Ultear asked, "surely we'd have seen it."
"The city is protected from a distance," Michael explained. "Xeros told my Dad that when he told him how to get here. Welcome to New Avalon." As Nashi looked out the window, the city fizzled into view. The city was all made of the same tan bricks, making it look like a mirage in the desert as the protective magic failed. The archway into the city was made of the same stone, looming over the road as they approached. From where they were, Nashi could see a path leading into the nearby forest. The forest entrance was completely black, leaving her with a foreboding feeling.
"Why is the city protected like this?" She wondered aloud.
"Given the story Neptu told me, I can guess why," her Dad mumbled. "After all, this is New Avalon."
"...Meaning Old Avalon was probably the home he lost," Ultear said. Silence came over the carriage as Keita pulled it into the city and stopped it. Nashi was grateful to be freed from inside, not a fan of enclosed spaces after spending all afternoon on a train. As soon as they all exited the carriage, they were immediately beset upon by a group of people. She did not recognise any of them, but the woman leading them looked vaguely familiar. She had the same black and blue striped hair as Neptu, so Nashi assumed it was his sister.
"Are you guys from Sabertooth and Fairy Tail?" She asked. The woman in question had sharp facial features, her striped hair tied up in a ponytail that fell below her neckline. Her eyes were the same blue as her hair, which was a striking pattern.
"We are," her dad said as he stepped forward, "and you are?" The woman smiled and offered him a hand.
"Zynna Skylancer," she said, "I'm told you're familiar with my brother."
"You could say that," Elise muttered as Natsu and Zynna shook hands.
"We'll be glad to help any way we can," Zynna said, her expression turning pained, "it'll just be a bit of a hassle. My brother is, well, in a tough position right now."
"Why is that?" Nashi asked.
"Well," Zynna replied, "as I'm sure you know, my brother gave up hunting for Devils after the fight he had with your lot. He disbanded his Hunters, but some stayed together. And some have showed up asking for him, and they won't take no for an answer. He'd been skulking around the mansion for days now. So we should take care that they don't see you all enter. They've, ah, been rather rambunctious to say the least."
"I can handle our entrance," a man behind her said. This man was wearing a green robe, and a necklace of leaves around his neck that stuck out in the winter weather. His head was shaved, but his dark eyes gleamed confidently. "I'm a Druid, I can mask our entrance."
"This is Dharen," Zynna said as she gestured to him. "Once you're all ready, we can-"
"And I'm Anna!" Another voice said. Jumping out from behind Dharen was a little girl, who couldn't have been more than six or seven. She had dark black hair cut very short, but it was very clearly looked after. Her eyes were blood red, which startled Nashi more than she wanted to admit. Despite her small stature, the girl was trying her hardest to stand up tall with everyone else. Zynna sighed, smiling.
"And this is Anna," she said, "a member of our guild."
"Nice to meet you!" Anna said. "I hear you're all friends with Gin! That means we're friends too!" Nashi couldn't help but smile at the girls energy. It was nice to see some innocence was still in the world.
"Hi Anna," she greeted, "you must be the security detail for the guild, right?"
"Of course! I'm strong! I'm a Demon Lord takeover wi-"
"Anna!" Zynna shouted, making the girl flinch.
"Ah!" Anna shouted, "ignore me, I didn't say that!" Nashi and her friends had been stunned into silence, but Zynna just looked annoyed.
"Sorry," she said. "I'm told you're all comfortable with Demon Lords, but I was hoping she wouldn't blurt that out..." The longer Nashi stared at Anna, the more the girls bloody eyes seemed to glow with strength. This was no joke.
"She's one?" Ultear demanded, "this little girl?" Zynna nodded.
"She is," Zynna said. "Well, I suppose a proper introduction is in order. Anna, Demon Lord Takeover wizard. Host of Quinxotic, The Priestess of Blood."
"That's me!" Anna agreed cheerily. The group was dead silent for a moment, no one having anything to say.
"Well," Michael said after a while. "I suppose she's the ninth one we can name, huh?"
If anyone hasn't read Homecoming of a Devil yet (the spin-off story for this) it covers Anna and the events that transpired when Neptu returned home. Go and read it! It's very relevant! I hope you all enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try and get five!