[X779, Magnolia]
— Dannis Martell —
"You're finally here, brat." The master greeted me as I entered his office.
It was finally time, the last two years of my life was dedicated to this, the chance to find out the truth about my magic.
"I'm ready, master."
The old master nodded as he took out a scroll from behind his desk and handed it to me. "A deal is a deal. This is a missive I received from the magic council a few years back. A fugitive demon and a former member of the dark guild Tartaros is rampaging across Ishgar. The council sent this to all light guilds as an S-Rank mission."
I opened the scroll to see the exact mission details that the old man told me about.
[Hunt down and exterminate Grilthos the Wizard Killer. S-Rank. 5,000,000 Jewels]
My mind boggled seeing that reward money. Holy crap, five million Jewels was around the price I needed to buy my house and the land it sat upon.
One S-Rank job was worth the same amount of two years worth of work and that stipend from the Magic Council.
If this is the average pay for an S-Rank job, then just how rich was Gildarts?
"Was there anything else that the Magic Council said that could help me in the job?" I asked the Master.
"Just recently, the council had made a decision to mark Grilthos as a Catastrophe Level Threat." Makarov then questioned. "What do you know about Fiore's Hazard Registry?"
I shrug slightly. "Just what everyone knows really. It's a threat index by the Magic Council, meant to rank creatures or people that pose a large enough threat to wizards and people in general."
The old man nodded. "A Catastrophe level threat is put on S-rank bounties that have crossed a certain line. Either due to their sheer brutality or disregard for human life in general. Grilthos earned his title of Wizard Killer. While I have faith in your abilities, there's no telling what would happen with an enemy such as this." He then pulled out a pair of lacrimas before handing me one of them.
"These are communication lacrimas. By activating it, you can communicate to a person holding the corresponding pair, which I have. I want you to give me periodical updates of your location at least once a month. If you miss these updates even once, then I'll be sending Gildarts after you."
I raise an eyebrow, quite surprised. "Is this really necessary, Master?"
"Yes. I gave this same speech to both Gildarts and Laxus when they both became S-Class. S-Class missions are a completely different breed than what you've faced until now, Dannis. Believe me when I say that this is a necessary precaution."
"Alright, Master." I nod in understanding as I pocket the communication lacrima. I then stand up to prepare my leave.
"Good luck my boy, I hope you find what you're looking for."
I smile.
"I'll be back soon." I wave the master goodbye as I exit the room.
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Walking through a small path built on the side of a canyon, I contemplate the details of the job.
Grilthos the Wizard Killer was an entity that many mages fear. Like the master said, he earned his nickname when he completely decimated an entire light guild by his lonesome, with the survivors testimony saying that his skin was capable of shrugging off any and all magical attacks.
A tiger-headed demon capable of inducing fear with a look, whose presence managed to utterly destroy at least a hundred mages throughout the years.
While it's been a mere three days since his journey, he really didn't have much clue as to where he could find the demon. The recently updated mission details said that Grilthos was last seen heading north, towards the Kingdom of Seven.
There was really no prime nor purpose to his actions, the only thing consistent was the trail of destruction left in his wake.
So right now, I'm on my way to the last known location of the demon, a small village near Mount Hakobe. It's widely known that Mount Hakobe snows all year round, not to mention the large herds of Vulcans that call that mountain their home.
The small village had sent a warning of help towards the station of rune knights closest to their location, but unfortunately, they were too late.
By the time the rune knights arrived, the entire village had been destroyed.
I sent a message ahead of time to that station of rune knights, to have someone nearby to that location so I could ask them some questions.
Hopefully, with the help of that rune knight, we could find some trails or tracks that'll put me in the right direction.
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My surroundings slowly shifted from a rocky canyon to a snowy landscape. A white blanket of snow covered the ground as far as my eye could see. In the distance, large mountains stand stall with clouds forming near the peaks.
There it is, Mount Hakobe. I take a small puff from my cigarette, relishing in the heat it grants me against the cold winds.
From what I remember, the village should be located near the base of the mountain. A few more kilometers and I should find it eventually.
*BOOM*
The sound of an explosion surprised me as I turned around, spotting a smoke cloud that was emerging from the canopy of trees a few hundred meters south. I narrowed my eyes in thought before brandishing Obsidian and rushing towards that direction.
What greeted me was the sight of a lone mage fighting hordes and hordes of vulcans. The mage was covered entirely in a dark blue cloak with his arms and legs covered by bandages.
What interested me the most was how he utilized a plethora of magical staves, utilizing them in a manner of different ways, creating different magical effects with each one.
I saw how the masked mage raised his staff aloft as five magic circles appeared overhead of the horde of vulcans, which released a concentrated beam of magical power that decimated an entire group of the ape-like creatures.
'He's pretty good.'
A sudden burst of magic caught my attention as in the middle of the field, there was a strange yellow shimmering portal. I noticed how that masked mage kept glancing at it. He was quite hard to read due to my inability to see any facial expressions, but his stance told me that he was perhaps quite worried about that thing.
Finished with my analysis, I lunge towards the nearest vulcans as inky darkness spreads from beneath my feet. It spanned the entire field with the ground now colored black.
I noticed the surprise from the masked mage as he gazed at me, wondering if I was an enemy. I ignore him as multiple tendrils of darkness emerge from the darkened earth below that constricted each vulcan in the vicinity.
"Darkness Magic: Abyssal Tendrils."
The tendrils latched onto the arms and legs of the vulcans, immobilizing them as outcries of confusion and panic rang across their number. I used the chance to quickly strike down the restrained vulcans with my blade. The masked mage also recognized the opportunity and simply gave me a nod of acknowledgement.
I was a blur to most in the area as I dashed around, cutting down any vulcans who stood in my way. It was during one of these attacks that I suddenly felt weak. My steps faltered as I fell to a knee, gasping lightly, my cigarette falling down to the snow below.
My eyes widened as my tendrils all dissipated, seemingly getting sucked into the yellow portal. The vulcans roared in anticipation and rage as they were now freed from their constraints.
I didn't understand what happened, what the hell is that thing?
"Don't use large scale attacks!" The masked mage screamed as he smacked a vulcan's head with one of his staves. "That yellow portal is an anima! It sucks away ethernano! The more magic you use, the more will get absorbed!"
Nodding in understanding, I forced my body to stand and immediately jumped back, dodging two hammer-like fists that a vulcan slammed towards my previous position. Spiderweb cracks appeared on the point of impact as clumps of snow flew from the power of the strike.
"Dark Cloaked Blade."
Since I can't use any of my bigger moves, simple techniques like this should do the trick. Darkness poured to the edge of my blade as I beheaded the ape with a single swing.
Some of the apes that surrounded me suddenly stumbled as they fell, now fully asleep from a spell cast by my new ally.
"Extend!"
A dark blade lengthened from the tip of my sword as I cut down six Vulcans in a single swing. With the both of us working together, it didn't take long until most of the beasts fell.
I let out a sigh, my breath visible in the cold air. I look back towards the masked mage, seeing him pull out another staff before pointing it at the yellow portal. A magic circle appeared on the edge of the staff that covered the entirety of the portal, forcibly closing it.
He then lowered it before looking at me. "Thank you for the assist. I admit I was having some trouble dealing with the vulcan horde while my focus was on the anima. Your presence certainly helped."
"Don't mention it." I replied as I sheathed my blade. "Name's Dannis Martell. I'm a mage of Fairy Tail. What the hell was that thing? You called it an anima?"
"You may call me Mystogan." The aforementioned Mystogan nodded. "To answer your question, the anima are gateways that absorb the magic of Earthland. As you have experienced yourself, they are an existence dangerous to mages in the entire continent. I made it my mission to suppress them as much as I can."
I whistled. "Sounds like a pretty hefty mission. Are you an independent mage? I don't see any guild marks on you."
"I am not affiliated with any guilds." Mystogan shook his head. "This is my responsibility, I don't intend to burden anyone else with a life such as this."
I quirked an eyebrow, curious. "Your responsibility, huh? You also called them gateways earlier, meaning they absorb magic and bring it somewhere else. Does this unknown place have anything to do with that?"
His body tensed and I realized that I must have hit it right on the head. My mind whirled at the implication. Gateways that absorb magic from the entire continent, not limited to the environment, but also steals magic from a mage's core.
If the sudden weakening of my body earlier was any indication, then this anima is dangerous. One that could potentially threaten the entire wizard population of Earthland.
"Look, Mystogan. I don't really know what your deal is or why you believe you should shoulder this burden alone. From what you told me, the anima is dangerous. Enough to be labeled a Calamity Level Threat if the council knew about it."
I paused slightly as I noticed his hands clenching on his staff. "If you want my suggestion, then join Fairy Tail. Tell the master everything. He's a Wizard Saint, after all. You should realize by now how difficult it would be to face something like this alone, right? Me helping you just now is proof of it. It's good to have someone watch your back once in a while. That's the point of having comrades."
Mystogan was quiet for a while before he sighed. "I will consider it. I won't lie and say I'm genuinely hesitant, because all of this is really my fault." He then did something that quite surprised me and took off his mask, revealing a young man beneath it with blue hair and a red tattoo on the right side of his face. He looked familiar for some reason.
I listened as Mystogan told me his life story, of how he was born in an entirely different dimension called Edolas. He told me his real name was Jellal Fernandez, and he was the crown prince of his world. What surprised me the most was the fact that Edolas was a world without magic. People born there are incapable of harnessing ethernano within their bodies.
He told me of an Exceed named Panther Lily, who saved him as a child. How his father, the king, is a tyrant who wants to steal magic from Earthland and use it to supply his kingdom in Edolas.
He told me of his failure in stopping his father and decided to escape, running to Earthland to try and close the anima from this side.
It was a roller coaster of a story, and I felt some respect for this man who was only a year or so younger than me.
I smiled at him as I patted him on the back. In the middle of the story, we ended up sitting side by side on a campfire. "Believe me when I say you're already a Fairy Tail mage through and through. It takes a special kind of character to go against your own father for the greater good."
My words definitely surprised him, judging from his widened eyes. "Everyone in Fairy Tail has some kind of shitty past. That's how we relate to one another and support one another, because everyone knows what it's like to feel pain."
I stand up as I pat away the snow clinging to my clothes. "Come to Magnolia and stop by Fairy Tail. See for yourself what it's like. If you think that it's where you belong, then consider joining up."
Jellal smiled back, somewhat reinvigorated by getting everything off his chest. "Maybe I will, but I'll probably still have to keep on the mask. Somewhere out there, there's the Earthland version of me walking around, I'd much rather skip the headache of being identified for someone I'm not."
"I'll keep your secret." I nod. "I'll make sure to keep a lookout for these anima gates. I don't know what you did, but I'm pretty sure I have my own way of closing them if I need to."
I had my own way of absorbing and nullifying magic after all. Perhaps studying how this anima works could help increase the strength of Black Hole? There's certainly potential in it.
Mystogan's eyes widened once more. "Really? I'll be interested in seeing that in action. But having an extra pair of hands would certainly be helpful."
"Maybe next time I get back to the guild and you decide to join, we can go on a mission together." I smirk. "It'll be good to spar against a magic tool user, it's a style of combat I haven't seen much these days."
An uncharacteristic grin grew on Jellal's face. "I'll take that as a challenge."
"Heh." I grin back. "I hope to see the mark of Fairy Tail on you the next time we meet, Jellal."
"Count on it." he nodded.
I gave a wave of my hand as I walked ahead. I wasted enough time. Time to go demon hunting.
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AN: Dannis meets Mystogan! He'll have a bigger presence in this fic than in canon. I really like his character.
Sorry for the late chapter. Been dealing with a few things IRL.