BOOK 4 - Fairy Tail (Pirates) AU: On Magical Tides

CHAPTER X: The Improvised Escape Plan

Natsu and Laxus submerged into the swamp and slowly swam all the way towards the camping site of Stella. They both infiltrated the place and stealthily moved towards the main tent. The tent of the leader of the people from Stella. When they finally reached the tent, they waited until the leader left and finally took the chalices from his desk.

    "So what now?" Laxus asked.

    "Get mixed with the people" Natsu replied.

    Natsu and Laxus started walking normally while trying not to raise suspicions. But then suddenly, one of the guards who walked by right next to them realized there was something wrong. He turned around immediately and tried to attack the pinkette and the blonde man. But Natsu was faster and punched him in the face first.

    After that, Natsu and Laxus made a run for it through the camping and hurried to reach the swamp. However, they then suddenly found themselves cornered by a whole bunch of guards. There was no escape for them. Therefore, they were both captured and tied up to a pair of palm trees.

    "Great... Now we are both captured" Laxus said.

    "Yeah, but you surely have an escape plan, don't you?" Natsu asked with a childish smile.

    "I'm gonna let you improvise like you always do"

Natsu sweat-dropped and then started thinking of a way to escape. But considering how well-restrained they both were at that moment, it was surely gonna take the pinkette a while before finally acting.

<<Back with the mermaid>>

    The poor sea creature found herself bound and tied up tightly to a tree. She had half of her body submerged into the water of a deep spring, but her other half was exposed to the surface. Her will was starting to break bit by bit at that moment. And now that the kind-hearted missionary, the only source of hope she had, was gone forever, she didn't know what to do at that point anymore.

    But to her complete surprise and happiness, someone arrived in a hurry and even freed her from her restraints at that moment. It was none other than the kind missionary she ended up falling for. The mermaid was unable to believe her eyes. The man was alive and safe. And it turned out that the whole scene about his death was nothing but a fake one.

    "I'm really sorry, mermaid" the missionary said.

    "You... are alive" the mermaid replied. "And you came back for me, why?"

    "Y-you are different, are you not? Do you not know of kindness? Compassion?"

    The mermaid found her heart touched at the sweet words coming from the missionary. In addition, she felt a very heavy and pleasant sensation in her soul at that very moment. And without her even realizing it, she ended up crying at last while holding the missionary's hand... Not out of sadness... but out of joy.

    But not everything was perfect. The entire crew of Hades had been hiding that whole time while waiting for the exact moment to show themselves. And now that the mermaid was finally letting out tears, they all came out and quickly restrained her and the missionary once more.

    After that, one of the masked officers took out a tiny vessel he was carrying and used it to save one of the tears falling down the mermaid's cheeks. "Heh... Tears of sorrow never... Too tough for that... But of joy..." Hades muttered devilishly. "They say they might even be stronger in any case"

    The missionary tried to convince the mermaid that he had nothing to do with what had just happened, but the damage was already done. After that, he begged Hades to let the mermaid go now that he had what he needed from her. But unfortunately, the ancient pirate refused and decided to tie the mermaid up again while letting her burn under the sun.