To say this job wasn't a job Magnus would normally take was an understatement. If beasts were causing issues on the roads then that was an issue for the people of that area to deal with - afterall, roads that cut through open areas were fair game for animals in Magnus' eyes, and animals generally didn't attack unless they felt threatened. But when he overheard more details he knew he had to step in. The beasts that were described by the few survivors thus far were not what one would call 'normal'; they were apparently some odd, chimerical hybrid of creatures. There were even some wilder claims that the beasts were, in fact, partially human. And it was this latter claim that had caught the attention of the Chaos mage. He'd already fought two such creatures before.
The first had been a former miner in Hargeon; Jacob Goodnight, a man whom was already an outcast whom, Magnus was informed, had had a sheet of paper on how to cast Takeover magics and had clearly dabbled in it only to becomes an amalgamation of a rat, a lizard and, sadly, part human. He'd lost his mind and gone on a rampage, killing several people in the town and even one of the town guard when they attempted to apprehend him. Magnus had handled it and, seeing the state the former man had been, put him down for good.
The second had also been at a port town, but on the other side of Fiore in Cedar. This time it was a large bipedal creature, half fish and half stone. It had been protecting a hoard of treasure and was even more violent than Jacob had been; Magnus himself had seen it tear two grown men apart and now had a scar across his chest to show for his own battle with it. His client, Flora had found more notes on Takeover magic hidden within the treasure. Now Magnus wasn't the smartest man, but he could see patterns. And the description he'd heard of the creature or creatures attacking and killing people here, near Sakuramori, were far too similar to be a mere coincidence. He'd taken the job flyer and headed out immediately.
The Fairy Tail mage approached a couple of men that looked like knights and waved. "I am Magnus, from Fairy Tail! I have come to help!" he declared loudly, his booming voice putting the two men on alert immediately. The guards both looked him up and down, before one nodded. "He has a guildmark, he's genuine." The other nodded in response. "Very well. Apologies, but we can't be too safe given the circumstances. So what do you know of the situation so far?" he asked.
"There's an odd beast here that needs dealing with. It's been attacking people who have been walking the main road in and out of the city."
The two men looked at each other again with a frown. "Not just an odd beast, a very dangerous beast. It's casualties have already hit double figures and have continued to rise. Unfortunately we can't get word out fast enough about the issue and more merchants and travellers keep trying to get here. It's all we can do to keep people clear from this side and get word out to you mages."
Magnus barely took the words in as he turned around and looked at the road in front of him. "...how far away?"
"The particular hotspot for its activity is approximately an hour's walk if you follow the road, but the beast has appeared at various points along the track. Stay sharp."
The first guard stepped forward a little with a hand outstretched.
"The name's Otis, I'll be coming with you to report back as soon as the task is done."
Magnus looked down at the man's hand, unsure of what he should do with it. He tilted his head slightly, then decided to ignore it and look up at the man instead, who quickly withdrew his hand and looked back, a nervous look in his eyes. He was met with a smile from the larger man "...just don't get in the way." Magnus replied calmly, before turning around and beginning to walk down the track, Otis in tow.
----------------------------------------------------------
Several times during the walk Otis tried to start conversation with Magnus, but to no avail. Every attempt was met with Magnus immediately shushing the guard or simply ignoring him entirely. After about fourty minutes or so Otis tried once more, only for Magnus to stop abruptly and turn to face the guard, terrifying him in the process. "If you don't shush, beast will hear and get you! Stay! Shush!" he hissed, although it sounded more like a snarl to the guard who simply nodded with wide eyes. He remained silent for the next ten minutes or so before a noise nearby caught the attention of both men.
Magnus darted in front of Otis before the latter knew what was happening, bringing his fist up and meeting flesh as he caught the beast in mid-pounce. The creature recovered in midair and landed on its feet, snarling at Magnus. This beast was not unlike the other two in that it was bipedal and, Magnus noted, one of its muscular arms was very much human. But this one was almost entirely coated in leopard spotted-fur, with claws replacing its hands and feet. It was a much more complete takeover than the previous two beasts he'd fought and the look in the eyes of this one was far more clear - whoever this man had been before, he was clearly still in control. He WANTED this.
Otis stood alongside Magnus now, his spear drawn and ready. "Don't try to fight it. If it goes for you, use that...thing...to keep it away." Magnus ordered, taking himself by surprise for a moment - when had he started giving orders? He shrugged it off and returned to the fight at hand. The creature had lowered itself into a prowl, eyeing up both men in front of it. Magnus could almost see it calculating its odds, which one of them to go for. He wouldn't give this beast the satisfaction of thinking too long.
"Chaos Control!"
Magnus surged forward, a black and white aura coating his bod. The beast reacted in kind, lunging forward at the Chaos mage and attempting to lock its jaws around his left arm. Just as it looked like it was going to succeed, the three orbs that had surrounded Magnus immediately shifted in unison and the beasts jaws clamped around them instead. It was then thrown aside by a hefty right hook from the mage, sending it sprawling to the left - closer to Otis. The beast's agility was overwhelming as it twisted in midair once more to land on its feet and was immediately back on the hunt, this time going for Otis. The guardsman stood his ground in spite of the foe and used his spear effectively - rather than trying to pierce the beast, Otis span around and used the shaft of the weapon to slam the beast away. The beast preempted it though, locking its claws around the shaft and using Otis' momentum against him, swinging him around at the opposite end of the weapon and flinging him toward Magnus. Magnus side-stepped the sudden grown man coming at him and readied his next spell.
"Chaos Blast!"
The beast brought the spear up in a vain attempt to stop the spell, but instead ate a faceful of shattered wood as the blast shattered the shaft of the spear. The man-beast threw the remaining weapon aside and charged at Magnus again, this time taking a swing with its claws. Magnus stopped the first attempt by blocking with his left arm, then leaned back to dodge the second. He wasn't expecting the third though as the beast brought one of its legs up in a spin-kick, piercing Magnus' abdomen with its claws. Having succeeded, it then followed up with a punch to the jaw, sending Magnus back a few feet. The Chaos mage spat blood out from his mouth and wiped it clean, a masochistic smile appearing on his face. "This is more like it..." he chuckled before getting serious again.
"Aspect of Heaven - Heavensfall!"
The beast wasn't expecting an attack from above and the blast cracked it square in the back of the head. It started getting back to its feet but Magnus was already on top of it, bring his arm up and taking the beast-man back off its feet with a devastating lariat, before turning around to face the beast again.
"Aspect of Hell - Raising Hell!"
Black spikes burst from the ground and sent the beast flying upwards into the air with an inhuman screech bellowing from its lungs. It tried to turn in midair to land on its feet again but, upon turning upright, it realised it had nowhere safe to land. That didn't matter though as Magnus was already preparing the final blow.
"Chaos...NOVA!"
The mage launched a huge black and white orb at the beast-man which exploded on impact, sending the beast flying almost fifty feet away and slamming into a rock, cracking and shattering it. The beast attempted to get back up again but Otis was already there on top of it, cracking a piece of the rock over its head and knocking it unconscious. The guard dropped the rock on the floor and sighed with relief before looking over at Magnus with a smile. "Good job, mage!"
"Nice hit, guard." Came the reply, matching Otis' grin. Otis manacled the beast at the wrists and ankles, and the duo made their trek back towards Sakuramori - this time with happy conversation the entire way. The beast attempted an escape once but was met with Magnus immediately pinning it down. It seemed as time passed too, the beasts fur began to fade and its body became progressively more human. By the time they arrived back, the Takeover magic had completely worn off.
"Nicely done mage, Private. And as for you Yoha... The guard approached the not-so-beast man now and grabbed him by the throat. "To finally catch you is a blessing! No more will you threaten others with your experiments!"
It was here that everything finally clicked. Magnus explained everything to the two guards, about what had happened at Hargeon and at Cedar. Both stood stunned for a moment before the first guard turned back around and punched Yoha in the jaw. "...THAT was for our man in Hargeon. You'll have a lot worse to come, let me assure you..." he snarled before facing Magnus once more, taking a deep breath before he spoke again. "I will pass this information on to my superiors. You have our utmost thanks, mage. We will send your reward to your guild."
-END-
WC: 1818
The first had been a former miner in Hargeon; Jacob Goodnight, a man whom was already an outcast whom, Magnus was informed, had had a sheet of paper on how to cast Takeover magics and had clearly dabbled in it only to becomes an amalgamation of a rat, a lizard and, sadly, part human. He'd lost his mind and gone on a rampage, killing several people in the town and even one of the town guard when they attempted to apprehend him. Magnus had handled it and, seeing the state the former man had been, put him down for good.
The second had also been at a port town, but on the other side of Fiore in Cedar. This time it was a large bipedal creature, half fish and half stone. It had been protecting a hoard of treasure and was even more violent than Jacob had been; Magnus himself had seen it tear two grown men apart and now had a scar across his chest to show for his own battle with it. His client, Flora had found more notes on Takeover magic hidden within the treasure. Now Magnus wasn't the smartest man, but he could see patterns. And the description he'd heard of the creature or creatures attacking and killing people here, near Sakuramori, were far too similar to be a mere coincidence. He'd taken the job flyer and headed out immediately.
The Fairy Tail mage approached a couple of men that looked like knights and waved. "I am Magnus, from Fairy Tail! I have come to help!" he declared loudly, his booming voice putting the two men on alert immediately. The guards both looked him up and down, before one nodded. "He has a guildmark, he's genuine." The other nodded in response. "Very well. Apologies, but we can't be too safe given the circumstances. So what do you know of the situation so far?" he asked.
"There's an odd beast here that needs dealing with. It's been attacking people who have been walking the main road in and out of the city."
The two men looked at each other again with a frown. "Not just an odd beast, a very dangerous beast. It's casualties have already hit double figures and have continued to rise. Unfortunately we can't get word out fast enough about the issue and more merchants and travellers keep trying to get here. It's all we can do to keep people clear from this side and get word out to you mages."
Magnus barely took the words in as he turned around and looked at the road in front of him. "...how far away?"
"The particular hotspot for its activity is approximately an hour's walk if you follow the road, but the beast has appeared at various points along the track. Stay sharp."
The first guard stepped forward a little with a hand outstretched.
"The name's Otis, I'll be coming with you to report back as soon as the task is done."
Magnus looked down at the man's hand, unsure of what he should do with it. He tilted his head slightly, then decided to ignore it and look up at the man instead, who quickly withdrew his hand and looked back, a nervous look in his eyes. He was met with a smile from the larger man "...just don't get in the way." Magnus replied calmly, before turning around and beginning to walk down the track, Otis in tow.
----------------------------------------------------------
Several times during the walk Otis tried to start conversation with Magnus, but to no avail. Every attempt was met with Magnus immediately shushing the guard or simply ignoring him entirely. After about fourty minutes or so Otis tried once more, only for Magnus to stop abruptly and turn to face the guard, terrifying him in the process. "If you don't shush, beast will hear and get you! Stay! Shush!" he hissed, although it sounded more like a snarl to the guard who simply nodded with wide eyes. He remained silent for the next ten minutes or so before a noise nearby caught the attention of both men.
Magnus darted in front of Otis before the latter knew what was happening, bringing his fist up and meeting flesh as he caught the beast in mid-pounce. The creature recovered in midair and landed on its feet, snarling at Magnus. This beast was not unlike the other two in that it was bipedal and, Magnus noted, one of its muscular arms was very much human. But this one was almost entirely coated in leopard spotted-fur, with claws replacing its hands and feet. It was a much more complete takeover than the previous two beasts he'd fought and the look in the eyes of this one was far more clear - whoever this man had been before, he was clearly still in control. He WANTED this.
Otis stood alongside Magnus now, his spear drawn and ready. "Don't try to fight it. If it goes for you, use that...thing...to keep it away." Magnus ordered, taking himself by surprise for a moment - when had he started giving orders? He shrugged it off and returned to the fight at hand. The creature had lowered itself into a prowl, eyeing up both men in front of it. Magnus could almost see it calculating its odds, which one of them to go for. He wouldn't give this beast the satisfaction of thinking too long.
"Chaos Control!"
Magnus surged forward, a black and white aura coating his bod. The beast reacted in kind, lunging forward at the Chaos mage and attempting to lock its jaws around his left arm. Just as it looked like it was going to succeed, the three orbs that had surrounded Magnus immediately shifted in unison and the beasts jaws clamped around them instead. It was then thrown aside by a hefty right hook from the mage, sending it sprawling to the left - closer to Otis. The beast's agility was overwhelming as it twisted in midair once more to land on its feet and was immediately back on the hunt, this time going for Otis. The guardsman stood his ground in spite of the foe and used his spear effectively - rather than trying to pierce the beast, Otis span around and used the shaft of the weapon to slam the beast away. The beast preempted it though, locking its claws around the shaft and using Otis' momentum against him, swinging him around at the opposite end of the weapon and flinging him toward Magnus. Magnus side-stepped the sudden grown man coming at him and readied his next spell.
"Chaos Blast!"
The beast brought the spear up in a vain attempt to stop the spell, but instead ate a faceful of shattered wood as the blast shattered the shaft of the spear. The man-beast threw the remaining weapon aside and charged at Magnus again, this time taking a swing with its claws. Magnus stopped the first attempt by blocking with his left arm, then leaned back to dodge the second. He wasn't expecting the third though as the beast brought one of its legs up in a spin-kick, piercing Magnus' abdomen with its claws. Having succeeded, it then followed up with a punch to the jaw, sending Magnus back a few feet. The Chaos mage spat blood out from his mouth and wiped it clean, a masochistic smile appearing on his face. "This is more like it..." he chuckled before getting serious again.
"Aspect of Heaven - Heavensfall!"
The beast wasn't expecting an attack from above and the blast cracked it square in the back of the head. It started getting back to its feet but Magnus was already on top of it, bring his arm up and taking the beast-man back off its feet with a devastating lariat, before turning around to face the beast again.
"Aspect of Hell - Raising Hell!"
Black spikes burst from the ground and sent the beast flying upwards into the air with an inhuman screech bellowing from its lungs. It tried to turn in midair to land on its feet again but, upon turning upright, it realised it had nowhere safe to land. That didn't matter though as Magnus was already preparing the final blow.
"Chaos...NOVA!"
The mage launched a huge black and white orb at the beast-man which exploded on impact, sending the beast flying almost fifty feet away and slamming into a rock, cracking and shattering it. The beast attempted to get back up again but Otis was already there on top of it, cracking a piece of the rock over its head and knocking it unconscious. The guard dropped the rock on the floor and sighed with relief before looking over at Magnus with a smile. "Good job, mage!"
"Nice hit, guard." Came the reply, matching Otis' grin. Otis manacled the beast at the wrists and ankles, and the duo made their trek back towards Sakuramori - this time with happy conversation the entire way. The beast attempted an escape once but was met with Magnus immediately pinning it down. It seemed as time passed too, the beasts fur began to fade and its body became progressively more human. By the time they arrived back, the Takeover magic had completely worn off.
"Nicely done mage, Private. And as for you Yoha... The guard approached the not-so-beast man now and grabbed him by the throat. "To finally catch you is a blessing! No more will you threaten others with your experiments!"
It was here that everything finally clicked. Magnus explained everything to the two guards, about what had happened at Hargeon and at Cedar. Both stood stunned for a moment before the first guard turned back around and punched Yoha in the jaw. "...THAT was for our man in Hargeon. You'll have a lot worse to come, let me assure you..." he snarled before facing Magnus once more, taking a deep breath before he spoke again. "I will pass this information on to my superiors. You have our utmost thanks, mage. We will send your reward to your guild."
-END-
WC: 1818
