Destroyer of Mountains

Now this seemed like a decent challenge for his mentee.

Vandrad had wandered down from his after-training shower, grabbed a quick meal and was now heading over to the job board, as was his usual routine. That game plan had changed drastically in the last few weeks with the addition of Magnus joining him in his early morning sessions. While Mercury was still present every other day, she was far less chipper and excited about it until she’d had her infusion of caffeine. The wild mage was far more thrilled to work out and train both his body and his magic, which made him the perfect student for the Prince of Bellum. He respected Magnus’ drive for power and desire to test himself against anyone -- hell, he’d challenged Nessa on his first day without so much as a second thought. And every morning he was there, willing to take blows and dish out attacks back at Vandrad.

But while training in the room was great, it only offered limited options. He likened himself to a creative teacher but he couldn’t account for every scenario or situation. In truth, he needed to do something outside of the training room with Magnus to truly understand his capabilities. A job was the perfect opportunity for such a thing but he needed the right one -- it couldn’t be something mindless or simple. He wanted a true challenge -- not just for himself but for the wild man as well.

He’d searched the board several times over the last couple of days for something to strike his fancy. So far, he had come up with nothing and had simply resorted to waiting until the right opportunity arose. As he wandered over to the board and took up position before it, his eyes lazily rolled across the manuscripts without much hope. But then a parchment caught his eye, Vandrad raising a brow as he leaned over to inspect it further. A man by the name of Arthur Fish, who was an elder for a village in the Mysterious Canyon, had sent out a notice about mysterious and alarming disappearances.

According to his account, a group of people had settled into the canyon without fanfare or notification to the rest of the villages. They kept to themselves, simply visiting the other villages so they could trade and purchase supplies. But shortly after that, villagers started disappearing in the middle of the night. It was highly suspected that the new neighbors had come to the villages under the guise of buying supplies so that they could scout out victims.

Their suspicions proved correct, as Arthur detailed that they had discovered this group to be a dark guild called Iron Corpse. Their intent, apparently, was to wake some kind of monstrosity that lived beneath the canyon by sacrificing human villagers. Woefully unprepared to face down neither dark mage or monster, they needed wizards to come and stop the dark mages from raising the creature from its slumber.

It was just the kind of excitement that could truly push Magnus’ abilities. With a smirk, he tore the paper down, claiming it as his own. When the wild man finally made it down to the guild hall, Vandrad would be there waiting for him. He shoved the paper towards him so that he could read it. "How do you feel about hunting some dark mages?”

Vandrad had no idea that Magnus couldn’t read. In fact, they hadn’t discussed very much beyond training methods and other topics that concerned with strengthening one’s form and magic. It wasn’t that they didn’t have a good relationship -- in fact, the Prince would argue that it was his most healthy relationship beyond his family. But nonetheless, Vandrad hadn’t gone out of his way to learn any deeper parts about Magnus’ life unless it was distinctively mentioned by the wild man himself. He wasn’t a fellow that went out of his way to bond with people; the miraculous partnership that he had established with Mercury was, by far, the greatest attempt for him to work with someone else on the same level. But it honestly had been that connection that had probably opened up the avenues for him taking on a mentee at all.

Magnus glanced at the paper in Vandrad’s hand but didn’t reach to take it, instead opting to ask for more details. That was odd - he expected the wild man to grab the paper and pick up all the information himself. Curiously, the Prince pulled the paper back, running his gaze over Magnus for a moment longer before he spoke up. "There’s a man named Arthur Fish, based out of Mysterious Canyon, that is having a problem with some dark mages. They showed up recently and have begun abducting members of the village for sacrifices to some kind of forgotten monster. The dark mages are operating under the guild name Iron Corpse -- opting not to play coy with their intentions,” Vandrad explained, adding a scoff at the end. At least they could have some creativity when it came to naming themselves. "Arthur has asked for us to come and assist him in stopping the beast from being woken up and to stop the dark mages from taking anyone else. With any luck, it’ll prove a worthy challenge to the both of us. Getting to Mysterious Canyon involves us having to take the train to Clover Town and then taking a boat up the river and out to Whirlpool Sea. Safe to say we’ll be gone for a few days so get some supplies or whatever else you need.

It seemed that he had decided for them that they were taking the job. He asked that Magnus meet him outside the guild hall in fifteen minutes, so that he had time to put his armor on and pack up some needed supplies. After the short break, he would wait outside the hall for the wild man to appear. Counting that he had prepared himself as well, Vandrad would lead him to the train station, purchasing two tickets for himself and Magnus and hopping onto the train heading towards Clover.

He’d purchased regular coach seats, so they were set up in a small cabin that wasn’t anything to write home about. That was fine by him -- he had never been a fan of traveling in such lavish style. Transportation was a means to get from point A to point B and showing off whatever you were riding in on the way was just snobbish. The only amendment he made to that way of thinking was driving a motorcycle but frankly, his was still in Bellum and the only reason he considered that separate was because it could travel at a much faster pace than other vehicles. Normally he chose to fly in whatever direction he needed to but he wasn’t entirely sure that Magnus could fly of his own volition. He’d seen the wings on his angelic form but…

Well, Vandrad wasn’t sure he wanted to have his mentee use that form around him just yet. During their training, Vandrad had activated some kind of magic that was beyond his normal realm. It had overwhelmed him and caused a lot more damage than he had intended. The sight of the angelic take over had initiated it and he wasn’t entirely sure that it wouldn’t happen again. The power that had come from the experience had been incredible as well as frightening. While it was certainly something he wanted to explore and figure out, he didn’t really want to jump right in without treading the water first -- which was unusual for him.

He’d settled into his seat, staring out the window with his arms crossed over his chest. While Vandrad was comfortable like this, he did feel that perhaps he should make some kind of effort to get to know Magnus. After all, knowing his background would probably help the Prince understand his motives better and help him reach better peaks of strength. "So…” he spoke up, turning his gaze to the wild man. "Where do you come from? I don’t recall hearing it when you came to the guild hall.”

They had quite some time before they reached the Mysterious Canyon so it seemed like it was a perfect opportunity to get to know Magnus a little better. Vandrad wasn’t exactly one to go around and ask about a person’s background out of any deeper interest -- something the wild man certainly understood at this point. But at the same time, the Prince understood that if he knew more about where Magnus had come from and what kind of training he had experienced already, it would help Vandrad start to create a suitable regimen for the man. After all, while physical labor within the training room was suitable for strengthening the body, the real test of a person’s abilities came during the mission. So rather than sit in silence for the moment, Vandrad spoke up, asking the man where his origins were.

Magnus looked a little surprised at first, as this was strange for his mentor to do. Indeed, they were quite well suited to simply convene in the training room and get to work rather than spend any amount of time chatting. Words were saved for when Mercury opted to meet up with them, as the Silver Wolf mage always had something to say either about the wild man or the Prince. But alone, their communication was through their attacks. But Magnus only balked for a moment before he spoke up, explaining that he came from the west, his home a place called the Crucible. Its specific location seemed to be in the craggy lands that jutted out over the Whirlpool Sea. He finished the thought, explaining that while he recalled the place with care, he had no desire to return to it.

That was interesting. Cherished memories followed him but not the intent to return home and show what he had learned. Perhaps something perilous had occurred that had forced him out. Magnus had come to Fairy Tail boldly, demanding a fight and picking one with one of the guild’s aces. And the word crucible was hardly lighthearted either -- anything that was named like a trial was probably quite the challenging atmosphere to grow up in. It did explain why the wild man was interested in testing his own strength against others. Magnus was a man of few words so it was hardly surprising that the explanation hadn’t gone into vivid details. And luckily for him, Vandrad wasn’t one that sought to dig into people and learn more about them. He’d gotten his answer and he was satisfied with that.

Magnus turned the question back on him, now wanting to know more about the Prince. "Bellum,” he said simply, glancing out the window. "I was in the military before I left -- an officer in charge of training. When I learned of some personal business that required my attention, I retired and came to Fiore to seek answers. Fairy Tail offered the best opportunity to work as a mercenary while also conducting my own investigation.” That was the most he was going to touch upon the subject, which was still arguably more than most people got. At this point he had become more comfortable with the subject of his being there so he was willing to open up a bit more than before but not too much. He still kept people at a distance, save for Mercury who had forced herself into his life.

"Once we arrive, we’ll seek out Arthur and gather as much information from him as possible about the dark mages before we head down and attempt to find them. There’s no telling what kind of armaments they will have so best to be prepared for anything.” He wanted to leave things there and return to a comfortable silence but something was toiling away in his head. Magnus’ home, its name, was such a puzzle that it was starting to unwind Vandrad’s tightly bound curiosity. After a few moments of silence, he sighed against his better nature. "This Crucible. Based on its name, I imagine growing up there provided quite a challenging lifestyle. If you can forgive my interest, what was it like? As someone who is new to Fiore, I’m still learning a bit about the different people.”

Vandrad and Magnus had never discussed their magics, respectively. They’d certainly used it against one another in sparring, as the Prince was insistent upon putting his mentee up against a force that would truly challenge him. And the wild man had done his part to utilize his magic each and every time to push his limits beyond what they were. But the specifics of what they could utilize, what they could control, had never been properly discussed. While that had worked just fine up until this point, the only way that Vandrad could truly help his mentee advance was to understand what the wild man could already use and how he could challenge that. The Prince had a guess but simply guesstimating wasn’t going to provide him with useful facts.

Magnus paused only long enough to process the question and figure out a proper answer for it. His answer came hesitantly -- not from a lack of wanting to answer but simply from a place of not knowing how to explain it. He called his magic Chaotic Body Magic and hinted that the name and source had somehow evolved. He explained that it was a perfect balance of light and dark magic, allowing him control over the elements of light and shadow seemingly and that he could manipulate that balance however he pleased. But he paused there, contemplating that answer before he continued, broaching an entirely different angle. It explained that his magic hadn’t been enough during one job, a mission that had pit him up against a minotaur. The beast had given Magnus quite the challenge and he had been running out of options when suddenly his arm had provided a shield out of nowhere and in his time of need. Since then he had been experimenting with his magic, seeing just how he could utilize this new power.

Apparently the day that Vandrad had summoned Magnus and Kaido to the training room was the first time the wild man had attempted to do a full change. He met the Prince’s gaze, musing on the fact that he felt he had a good amount of control on the magic but he didn’t know what it was or where it had come from. Vandrad nodded softly. "It’s not uncommon for human bodies to materialize a second magic, depending on their history and genetic make up. I’ve trained several Bellum soldiers that started with simple magics such as Fire Make that then evolved and gave them control over magma and the ground attached to the lava. I believe its just the evolutionary pattern that comes with magic. There’s a good chance whatever you summoned was, perhaps, a secondary tier of your Chaotic Body Magic. Or it’s entirely possible that it is its own limb -- only time will tell.”

Yet he wasn’t the only one that had experienced a wild change in their first meeting, was he? Vandrad had undergone his own transformation of sorts -- one that he hadn’t been pressing or testing, like Magnus had. He thought about that for a moment before he spoke. "Energy Monarch. That’s my magic. Essentially I’m connected to ethernano at the atomic scale and can utilize it in any way or form I desire. If I wanted to, I could even use elemental attacks such as darkness and light and beyond. But instead, I opt to control the primal energy within the particles, absorbing its energy into my body to enhance my attacks as well as create blasts of explosive magic.” A simple enough explanation but then he continued. "What you experienced during our first meeting was… strange. I am not wholly sure of what happened but I know that when your took on your form, I could feel the holy resonance of it. And it activated something in me -- something I didn’t give permission to exist nor to come to the surface. An annoying fact, as I prefer to have full control over most if not all of my bodily functions. I am still trying to work out what it was but I have not been experimenting as you have. A mistake I aim to rectify.”

Hearing that his mentee had been making strides to work past his own developments had incited a desire to do the same in Vandrad. "When we return to Fairy Tail, we’ll begin a new training regimen. I will help you earn better control over your newfound magical abilities and help you discover their origin. In turn, I’ll ask that you utilize your transformation as a means of helping me overcome my own anchor and wrestle control back into my hands. Agreed?”

While Vandrad had little doubt that Magnus would agree to the new training regimen, he still felt the need to explain the reasoning behind it. It was a show of respect and faith in his mentee; one that allowed him to express his confidence in the wild man’s abilities without having to explicitly say so. The Prince of Bellum could never claim to be a wordsmith nor was he truly capable of connecting to people on an emotional level, so far as he understood. There had been brief and fleeting moments with Mercury but even those didn’t last very long. Plus that was the last thing he wanted to think about while he was on a job with Magnus -- his focus should be in the moment and nowhere else.

The conversation between them had reached a comfortable and natural stopping point. Vandrad had spoken enough and asked more questions than he was usually comfortable with. With the new information floating around in his head, he was a bit more prepared to help better Magnus’ magic and his abilities and luckily, his mentee was more than ready to accept what came. Crossing his arms over his chest, Vandrad leaned back into the seat and joined his mentee in looking out the window, already structuring a series of trials and tests for them both when they returned. The mission they were currently on was at the back of his mind, as he saw no reason to concern himself over the particulars until they were there.

It would take almost all day for them to reach the end of the train line, the engine and cars coming to a halt in a sunset-illuminated Clover Town. The docks were not a far walk from the train station and they were able to procure a man willing to take them up river through the night, as the journey to Whirlpool Sea would take at least a day and a half. Their sleeping quarters were two pieces of cloth hanging between the walls, hammocks that had seen some wear and tear over the years but were still, remarkably, stable. It wasn’t the most comfortable sleep but rest was rest and it didn’t matter in what state he could get it -- Vandrad would never shirk sleep when offered it.

Morning consisted of a quick workout on the deck of the ship, the Prince mentoring Magnus on some of the more practiced methods of training while the crew stared at them. Before long the river they were on started to open up and the horizon took on a pale blue color as the ocean beyond approached to welcome them. The captain came down as they breached the sea waters, the briny smell becoming as pungent as fresh food. “Don’t know if you fellas know about Whirlpool Sea or all but it’s a dangerous bit o’ water. Reason its got that name is the amount of water funnels that are open, pulling down anythin’ caught in its wake to the depths of the ocean.”

That seemed to make sense -- one didn’t simply name an ocean offhandedly. Vandrad glanced at the captain. "Should we expect trouble then?”

“Nah sir, we’re gonna stay right along the shore until we come upon the docks yer’ aiming for. It should only be another hour or so at best.”

Not that long at all. Vandrad nodded his understanding. "Best to prepare ourselves then. While I don’t anticipate action right from the start, one can never be too careful. The key is to be on guard without looking like you are. Training your body to be ready for combat without ever looking like it earns you opportunities against opponents that believe you unprepared,” he advised Magnus briefly, taking the opportunity to provide some personal insight.