Zarkun

Phoenix Wing: New Dawn

Mako Kurohiko, Dragon's Fist Wanderer

Name: Mako Kurohiko

Age: 23

Birthday: August 23, X871

Dragon Chi Enhancement

Dragon Chi Enhancement is a familial Caster type magic unique to the Kurohiko family. The magic allows the user to enhance their body beyond the level of normal enhancement, but focuses entirely on enhancing speed, agility, and reflex by tattooing an eastern dragon the length of the user's body. It also temporarily boosts the user's mental acuity, allowing them to calculate certain things faster than a normal person.

Another form of the magic gives Dragon Style martial arts boosted strength, making recieving a blow from any member of the Kurohiko family incredibly dangerous no matter the point of impact. Two years of practice has extended the time he can maintain the initial enhancement and learned new moves when meeting with his family at the border every few months.

Equipment: Mako is armed with a pair of throwing glaives, which he combines with a longer than normal mental boost with the Dragon Chi Enhancement that allows him to make throws, time bounces and catch returns, among other feats, that he shouldn't be able to, even with the normal level of mental acuity boost. They also double as melee weapons when he needs one.

Magic Level: Recorded at S, remains known as A

History: The Kurohiko family hails from the land of Isvan, a country to the east of the Kingdom of Fiore. They are well known as wielders of the Dragon Chi Enhancement magic and practitioners of the Dragon Style of martial arts, and are often employed as bodyguards and assassins due to their skill sets. Members of the family are trained from a young age in Dragon Style and a variety of weapons until the age of 8, when they are given an aptitude test for general categories of weapons. A specialty weapon is found later in their training and is mastered by the time they finish anywhere from the age of 16 to 21.

Mako participated in this way of life, grew up fully aware of what was expected of him and excelled in every aspect of his training. He showed unusually high compatibility with the Dragon Chi Enhancement at a young age, a magic aura enveloping him when he was particularly upset about something at the age of one and a half. When he turned five, like all the children in his family, he started training to become a proper member of the clan. Nothing out of the ordinary, aside from having stronger enhancements than his siblings and cousins, happened until he first got his hand on a throwing glaive at the age of 10. As instructed, he activated his Enhancement before throwing it, however, he was already in place to catch it before it began it's return, using his training in Dragon Style martial arts to deal with opponents along the way.

His catch upon its return was flawless and while he was still spinning in the air, he'd already sent it to it's next target, bouncing it off the walls through the dummy's chest, once more catching it perfectly. He was tested on several other weapons but his specialty was found in throwing glaives. He continued his training in glaives and Dragon style until he finished his training at the age of 16. His first mission was to escort a dignitary from Isvan to Crocus City, but he failed, their small caravan falling under attack from a rather organized group of bandits.

The encounter left Mako shamed and unable to return home until he tracked down the man who killed his charge, a rather large bandit with a sword for a hand and an eye patch over his right eye. The trip from Isvan to the point of the ambush had Mako turn 17 and he has been searching for the man for the last four years. His arrival in Crocus had to do with many of the masters of the more well known Light Guilds being in one place, saving him time finding out what they might know about the man.

His search in Crocus was most fruitful, leading from the Phoenix Wing Guild Master to a captain of the Rune Knights and Council Member who had captured the man a couple of years prior and had since made him a Rune Knight for penance. However, Mako’s code of honor required they fight and the man, who’s name was Boris, was more than eager to. While their previous encounter had ended in the scarred man’s victory, Mako had shattered three of his ribs and reduced the cartilage in his nose nearly to dust and he’d taken it personally, so Mako asking for a rematch was exciting for him.

The fight happened quickly and despite the two trading blows, it was clear early on that the Isvanian native was the better fighter. After defeating the man and reclaiming his Honor, Mako set out for home, eager to see his family once more. But at the border, something stopped him, a sense that he still had unfinished business and so, after asking his parents to meet him at the border and discussing a plan for the future, the young man resumed his sojourn across Fiore, now looking to help others and right wrongs committed upon them. After two years of it, upon hearing that Dragon Fang had gained a practitioner of The Path of De Shen as a member and, despite his better judgement saying otherwise, he was curious to test his mettle against this other man’s.

Personality: Mako is calm and collected, and wise beyond his years...until you bring up his height. He is abnormally short for his family and this is a very potent peeve of his. The least dangerous thing he’s ever done when it’s brought up is a tongue lashing and the worst saw a man in the hospital with shattered bones.

Guild and guild mark location: N/A

Team Members: None

Three Strengths: (Not just combat)
1. Wise beyond his years

2. Patience unlimited so long as you don't mention his height

3. Knows at least six ways to make that back pain disappear

Three Weaknesses: (Make them Applicable)
1. Mention his height, he gets angry easily

2. Little world experience just yet

3. Can be a know it all

Greatest Love: Martial Arts and Honor

Motivation: Redeeming himself and eventually becoming the greatest member of his family ever.

Appearance: Stands at 5'4" tall, with teal eyes and a lithe build, with well toned muscles from his martial arts training. His hair is jet black and cut close to his scalp, so incredibly short. He has an almost almond shaped face, but is incredibly handsome all the same, with a few scars across his body from his training.

Additional Details: Will not be joining a guild, but if he finds someone interesting enough, he might just tag along with them for a while.

Phoenix Wing: New Dawn

Damian Gerard|Returning to Magnolia

@MarshiestMallow@hatakekuro@Sho Minazuki@Silver Fox@Landaus Five-One@Sanguine Rose@BlackMaiden@CitrusArms@Dezuel@samreaper

Damian couldn't help but grin at the energy in the room and, as he watched the guild start to talk amongst themselves about the resurrection of the old festival, the ever faint sound of a guitar started to build in the back ground, drawing the attention of several members who knew the song, though it was drawn out for his part. "So while I've been training avidly over the course of the last two years as well as doing jobs, many of you are also familiar with a masked band that's come into heavy popularity over the last year and a half." He chuckled into the mic as the curtains behind him opened up revealing the members of the rising band Wild Ones, except without their masks. On guitar was none other than the guild's Jane Addeson with James Avelane, who'd disappeared form his table earlier, on bass. Guitar was handled by another well-known mage and nearby was a pianist who was simply enjoying the build up. However, their singer was apparently no where to be seen.

Until Damian stepped back and started in on the song lyrics.

Thunder, thunder, thunder, thunder
I was caught
In the middle of a railroad track
I looked round
And I knew there was no turning back
My mind raced
And I thought what could I do
And I knew
There was no help, no help from you
Sound of the drums
Beating in my heart
The thunder of guns
Tore me apart
You've been
Thunderstruck

Rode down the highway
Broke the limit, we hit the town
Went through to Texas, yeah Texas, and we had some fun
We met some girls
Some dancers who gave a good time
Broke all the rules
Played all the fools
Yeah yeah they, they, they blew our minds
And I was shaking at the knees
Could I come again please
Yeah them ladies were too kind
You've been
Thunderstruck

I was shaking at the knees
Could I come again please

Thunderstruck, Thunderstruck, Thunderstruck, Thunderstruck
It's alright, we're doin' fine
It's alright, we're doin' fine, fine, fine
Thunderstruck, yeah, yeah, yeah
Thunderstruck, Thunderstruck
Thunderstruck, baby, baby
Thunderstruck, you've been Thunderstruck
Thunderstruck, Thunderstruck
You've been Thunderstruck

The reveal was clearly unexpected but welcome and the guild only got more energized by the sudden appearance of the well known band. Damian smiled wildly as it came to a close. "We're slotted to do a couple of performances for the festival, but right now, we're taking requests. Felt it only fair to come home and introduce you all to the band proper." His mood almost fell when he spotted a certain Exceed coming into the guild hall during the song, but he managed to avoid it and, when the winged menace came flying his way to try and steal the mic from him and likely praise herself again, he caught her in his free hand and punted her back out the front door over everyone's heads.

Phoenix Wing: New Dawn

Jack Goran|A Meeting of Masters, Old and New

@MarshiestMallow@Cello

Jack had been on the phone with Grane, the Magic Council’s lizardman member, since he’d boarded the train from Shirotsume to Magnolia and as he entered the Phoenix Wing Guild Hall, he was still on the phone with Grane as he headed for the stairs and hallway that would lead to Jamie’s office. ”I’ve already given Ammy the go-ahead to post the job under S-Class with A-Class support Grane, but there’s not anything else we can do until we’ve had a chance to investigate the area, see if it’s even still there.” He stopped speaking as the voice on the other line began and seemed to listen intently as he walked into Jamies office after knocking three times before he sighed.

”You’re telling me that you sent two suits of the new prototype magitech armor and you still have reason to believe they were wiped out? Hmmm….” Jack tapped his chin before sighing. ”I’ll pass that along. We’ll talk when the job has been completed.” Hanging up, Jack sighed and smiled apologetically. ”Sorry for that, ladies. The Council sent us a special request I had to ensure got handled quickly. Good to see you again, Jamie. Priscilla, Guild Master of Wolven Pyre I take it?”

Phoenix Wing: New Dawn

Damian Gerard|Returning to Magnolia

@MarshiestMallow@hatakekuro@Sho Minazuki@Silver Fox@Landaus Five-One@Sanguine Rose@BlackMaiden@CitrusArms@Dezuel@samreaper

The pure mad rush of joy and excitement that coursed through the room at his announcement was enough to bring a smile to the S-Class mage’s face as he watched everyone. From confusion as to what the festival was to his rank as an S-Class mage was all about. However, as Damian looked over the faces, old and new, he found his attention drifting back to the mage who kept trying to downplay his own abilities and frowned slightly. Hmmmm….hiding something for personal reasons or employment reasons…. Deciding to keep an eye on the young person, Damian takes the chance to step away just as Faith comes running up with her mother close behind to get loves from her aunt. The swordsman smiled in spite of himself before moving to the stage at the front of the guild where he could both be seen and heard better.

As he moved through the crowds, Trinity arrived and Damian smiled at her, nodding to the pair as he pauses to properly speak to them. ”Damian Gerard, Neil, a pleasure.” The Blade of Phoenix Wing gives Trinity a quick hug as he is wont to do for an old friend before slowly moving forwards again. ”Always glad to see that the family has grown, even when I’m not around to welcome everyone right away. Now, if you two wouldn’t mind staying right here, I’ve got to remake an announcement and get everyone focused for a minute.” Working his way past the rambunctious group gathered near the stage whispering to each other in excitement, the S-Class mage grabbed the microphone and spoke. ”Phoenix Wing, your attention once more please!” This seemed to have had the desired effect and Damian smiled.

”Alright, now that I have it, let me clarify some things. First, the match is not a fight to the victor, this is an exhibition match. The four of us are to put on a show and show Magnolia and the people visiting from other towns and countries that magic is back and ready to be what it was before. Turns out the good people of Magnolia have been planning this since shortly after the Grand Magic Games were brought back, and the arena they want the match to take place in, the Arena Indominus , is already almost finished. Mayor said they were running the final inspections when Penny and I got off the train. From there, I believe they had said Master Jamie and Jarvis were working on the finer points of the parade. This is monumental for this community, for this town. Fairy Tail was the town’s protectors and valued members of their community and now we get to carry on that legacy. So let’s do this loud and proud!” James and Jane both raised their hands and cheered, as did many other members of the guild and Damian smiled broadly. Gods was it good to be home.

Fenixtear - A Fairy Tail RP

Damian Gerard|Crocus City Proper

@Sanguine Rose

Damian watched as Ria spoke mostly with herself, though he was pretty sure she was trying to talk to him as well. He hadn't actually been sure they had a specific destination in mind, since he'd mostly been following her lead. While he waited for her to remember their direction of travel, he checked his cell for the time and nodded to himself. He should be ready for more training in the next few hours and he never missed a time. When his guildmate asked if they'd been heading back to the guild, Damian shrugged as he stood.

"I mean, probably? I'll admit, I was kinda just followin' you while we talked. Didn't have anywhere specific in mind at the time."

Halo: Aegis Team

Spartan Lucas Ryker

"Stay here, I'll punch us an opening." The Spartan braced himself on the corner, mentally preparing himself for the sprint he was about to make. I hope. Loading a fresh magazine into the SMG he'd kept, Lucas used the corner of the ramp to vault around the corner, putting him closer to top speed faster and zig zagged while rushing the gun emplacement. While his shield took hits, the superior ammo capacity of his SMG allowed him to keep firing while they reloaded and that space of time also allowed the SPARTAN-IV to reach the barricade and leap it. He'd saved ten rounds in his gun just for this occasion and while the first two insurrectionists he saw, the lady gunner and one of her helpers, got a bullet to the head each, the last had time to attack in melee as it would seem he'd been in too much of a hurry to reload and fucked up his AR.

"Die you Alien loving piece of filth!" The man's first hit with the knife did disable Lucas's shields, a design flaw he was going to bring up to Spartan Command the next chance he got, the next blow was expertly deflected by Ryker and followed up by activating his energy dagger into the man's face.

"Rest in peace, scum." Leaning out around the corner of the barricade, Lucas beckoned Grikgar over and spoke into the team channel. {Come over here, Grik. We should have a better line of sight on the remaining rebels on the floor below us.}

Phoenix Wing: New Dawn

Damian Gerard|Returning to Magnolia

@MarshiestMallow@hatakekuro@Sho Minazuki@Silver Fox@Landaus Five-One

Damian's instincts kicked in before his brain did as Belius jumped down from above and as a result Andor was already a third of a way out of the sheathe, poisonous magic circling around what blade was exposed before the S-Class mage realized what his arms were doing. "Perhaps later, Captain Rowdy. Looking to get settled in here at home again." He then turned his attention to the young swordswoman with the form changing, and apparently talking, blade at her waist. "Glad to hear it, Brianna and...pleasure to meet you without crossing blades, Tearsy," and along came the ever exuberant Karn, singing and asking questions as always and bringing a genuine smile to Damian's face as he laughed, "and of course its always a pleasure to see you, Karns. Stories can wait a bit, there's still people I've yet to see! As for food, well, I've got new recipes to try another day."

Damian surveyed the crowds as he spoke, once more spotting James as he continued going over his revolver, though he now also had a book in front of him, but no sight of-Ah, there's miss Rose with her lover and child. Glad to see they're doing well, though that still isn't... As if thinking of him was all it took to summon him, the voice of the man Damian had been looking for came from behind the former soldier. "Can't say that I was expecting you two to be here." Damian turned to face the guild's newest S-Class mage as he addressed Belius for good measure. "Hey, settle down. The man just arrived back home and you want to pound down a grog?" And of course, the furry purple cretin couldn't just shut his mouth.

"Kill joy." Damian and Nolan both shot the Exceed a venomous glare that sent would send a more reasonable person or creature scurrying for cover, though rarely did the pompadour touting cat do the reasonable thing where Damian was concerned. "Anyway, finally settling down or do you have anywhere else you plan to be?" Damian put a hand on Nolan's shoulder and grinned wickedly as he beckoned out to the guild.

"Nolan, my friend, Penny and I just spent the last two years travelling. It would be a crime if we didn't come back to stay after so long and I figure what better way to kick things off than a four way exhibition match between Phoenix Wing's S-Class mages? Got a special request from a few of Magnolia's townsfolk that we give them a show." He got louder so that the rest of the guild could hear him. "In fact, Magnolia thinks we should resurrect the Fantasia Festival!"

Phoenix Wing: New Dawn

Terra Infirma Secret Guild Hall, Mountains outside Hargeon Town

Jonathan Grimmeld was a very proud man. He was guild master of the second strongest dark guild in the entirety of Fiore and answered only to the guild master of the powerful Dark Legacy, a man most only knew as the Wielder of the Storm. Thanks to that kind of autonomy, his guild’s wealth and influence had only grown, despite the rooting out of several of the lesser dark guilds by the likes of Phoenix Wing and Dragon Fang and, more recently, Wolven Pyre. The latter of the three, he’d been assured, would soon be dealt with though, so he wasn’t overly concerned with them. In fact, he was in the midst of conducting business as usual, interrogating a shop owner who’d suddenly had the spine to refuse to pay protection, when one of his A-Rank members who’d been on perimeter duty came running in. “Boss, we got a problem.”

Jonathan turned with an annoyed grunt and nodded. “I’ll be right out.” Turning back to the shop owner as the mage left the room, who was barely conscious, he smiled darkly. “I’ll be back in a moment to continue our conversation, Mister Oudon. Stay right there.” Turning with a chuckle, he left the interrogation chamber and closed and locked the door on the off chance the beaten man tried to escape. Heading down the hall to the security room, he stood in the doorway, annoyed. “Alright, Angel, what’s going on? Some Light Guild do-gooders stumble into our territory again? That’s hardly a reason for interrupting my fun.” Angel, the green-haired young woman who’d gone and gotten Jonathan from his interrogation, faced her guild master and pointed to one of the camera feeds, where a single man wearing a duster over dusty leather armor, slightly clawed gauntlets on his hands as he looked dead at the source of the camera feed.

Jonathan laughed and grabbed the intercom. “Boys and girls, we have a guest at senser 4 on the east side of the base. Joey, Hannah and Garrom, go say hello to the poor sap.” Three affirmatives answered the intercom and the dark guild master set down the mic. However, Angel still seemed nervous as the man then began walking towards the camera. Jonathan wasn’t worried about it at first, except the man didn’t stroll past when he reached the hidden observation machine’s position, but stared right into it. “Angel, how long did that man stand there for?” The man’s black hair was stirring something in the guild master’s memory, but he couldn’t quite place it yet.

“About ten minutes, boss. Usually most people will come in and move through. Hell, we don’t really see anyone but hunters and such through this sector. But something abou-” Her answer is cut short as the man finally speaks.

”Jonathan Grimmeld. By now I would hope that whoever you have watching your perimeter has gone and fetched you. Terra Infirma has been found guilty of the practice of participation and solicitation of illegal jobs and using dark magics. By decree of the Magic Council and the Royal Family of Fiore, you are to be given ten minutes to all come out and surrender.” He grins as he turns around, the mocking words of the three dark mages Jonathan had just sent out coming through, laughing and whooping and telling this man how he’d screwed up real bad by hanging out in Terra Infirma territory. ”But then, I was never really good with time.” The guild master had no chance to either answer the man or warn his guild members as the duster moved back to reveal twin revolvers and suddenly the man’s identity raced to the front of Jonathan’s mind. Dark Legacy had warned about him, an elite Mage Hunter, the last of his Order,but deadly enough to be a one man hit squad who specialized in hunting dark mages. Knowing the danger his guild was in, the dark guild master did the one thing he could and hit the emergency alarm as the entrance to the hidden guild hall sealed itself shut.

One of the three whom the guild master had sent out, Joey, barely managed to catch the sound due to his Wolfman takeover and suddenly he was concerned. The boss sealing the guild hall over one guy? Wait, but we- His thought’s cut short as one of the two revolvers comes free of its holster, the sunlight glinting off the light blue metal and a round exits the barrel of the gun, the enchantment engraved upon it glowing brightly. Garrom, a street fighter who’d mastered brawling, was the first target and took the round to his chest. Fortunately, the enchantment kicked in before the bullet entered the body and chains ensnared the man from ankle to chest. As he tumbled to the side, Hannah moved in with a manic grin, unaware of the danger she was in, swinging her favorite magic hammer with wild abandon. Hannah was one of the guild’s S-Class dark mages, her hammer Tuddles acting as a catalyst for her unique version of Crash Magic. While previous examples of the magic had simply caused difficult to repair damage, Hannah’s could turn everything within fifty feet in front of her into a hot mess and anyone caught in the zone of impact would be reduced to little more than messy puddles of what used to pass as people.

However, as Joey moved to flank the man in the duster, his claws bared and the form’s bloodlust taking over, it was clear Hannah wanted to make a smear of the man personally as she didn’t aim for a more general impact to try and catch him, laughing like a lunatic the whole time. It proved a mistake as the man’s footwork matched his aim and marksmanship. She swung from the left, he spun underneath the blow and danced back even as she swung back to try and catch him. Joey lunged at him from his left and the man’s counter attack, a spinning roundhouse kick, caught him in the side of the head and sent him sprawling away from the pair even as he backflipped away from an uppercut from Tuddles and its wielder. ”Miss, I hope you’ve made your peace.” Joey’s bloodlust and dazed brain barely had time to register what he’d said, but before he could call a warning to Hannah, the man moved in between swings, the barrel of one of his revolvers kissing the bottom of her chin. ”Boom.” Two shots, two down as Joey struggled to his feet and the man turned to face him, one round from each revolver spent.

“What the fuck was that?!” Joey had never heard of Rune Knights taking a dark mage’s life before and so when he captured Garrom, he figured they were dealing with a member of an elite Rune Knight unit. But watching him end Hannah without a second thought…”What the fuck are you even?! Rune Knights don’t kill anyone!” The man snorted at the comment, taking more of a fighting stance as Joey used his takeover magic to move from a Wolfman to a Snakeman, a rarer and harder to find take over that Joey had spent five years hunting in a country across the sea.

”Boy, if I was a Rune Knight, your street fighting friend wrapped up in chains would have been more than enough to handle even the best of what I had to offer.” Striking hard and fast, Joey’s tail moved to knock the man off his feat, but instead, he was hit with intense pain as the end of his Snakeman’s tail flew from the rest of his body, magic energy glowing from the blade mounted under the right hand revolver’s barrel, his body having just finished a cutting motion. Even as the shot forced him back to his human form, he shifted to the Bearman takeover, charging forwards to try and tear his opponent apart with his brute strength and powerful jaws. The duster clad man merely chuckled and dodged around the clumsy charge, two shots resounding from the revolvers as they blew out Joey’s kneecaps. Now the young man was trapped in his human form and couldn’t move anymore. The mage approached slowly as the young man, now panicking as he realized the danger he was in, tried to crawl away. Thoughts flew through his mind unbidden, first of denial, then anger than outrage, and then, as a heavy boot planted itself in his back and stopped his panicked crawling, acceptance. ”Sleep in peace, lad.” A fifth shot rang out, and one more dark mage found their life snuffed out without their permission.

The man in the duster breathed in deep and glanced at the brawler, who’d given up breaking out of the chains. The man had worn himself out trying and now he could do little more than lay there and pant. ”If you don’t stop trying to get loose, I’ll have to put one in your dick for good measure.” The dark mage’s response was to flip off the duster wearing man and resume heavy panting. Garrom knew when he was beaten in strength and skill, an important skill to get out of street fighting alive and this man...Garrom didn’t want to pick anymore of a fight than he already had. The man in the duster turned away from the combat area he’d just turned into a slaughterhouse and approached the location he’d marked the dark guild’s members coming in and out of most frequently. It was all of two minutes of feeling around before he found the barely noticeable crevasse that was in the middle of the front doors in the boulder’s face. He could also feel the magic seal that was supposed to keep the door from being forced and that made him smile again. Holstering one his revolvers, he flicked the breach on the other open and replaced a spent bullet casing with a new one, the enchantment glowing brightly.

”Knock knock, Terra Infirma.” Firing the round dead center, the doors blasted inwards upon its impact, causing harm to the two dozen dark mages who had expected him to force his way in far more traditionally. Most of them ended up with broken limbs that prevented any further resistance, but the ones who had managed to find their footing by the time the man in the duster passed by found themselves in chains. His method of clearing out the dark guild was fairly standard for the lessons he’d learned growing up, though performing them on his own as he was now made the process take longer than if he’d had a proper squad of three. Ah well, do what you can with what you got, as dad would say… It was after finishing securing the mess hall he found her, a green haired gal who was attempting to use Song Magic to seduce him and lower his guard. There was no hesitation as the bullet fired from his revolver found its way through her forehead. ”Siren Song magic. That’s both rare AND dark. Take that secret to your grave, soulless wench.”

The last room he entered was the Guild Master’s hall. It was standard for guild’s associated with the True Patriots alliance he’d found, as those who worked under a trio of powerful dark guilds often benefited greatly from it. As he pushed open the double doors, the sight of Jonathan Grimmeld greeted him, the man’s unique dark air magic flowing around him. “You took your sweet time getting here, Mage Hunter.” The figure in the duster didn’t reply, instead allowing the doors behind him to close as he reloaded both revolvers. There were no non-lethal rounds in the cylinders this time and wouldn’t be unless the man was sure he could afford to capture the Dark Guild Master. “Not in a talking mood? Good, I prefer getting straight to the fun anyways.” Not granting a reply, the pair lunged at each other, the right revolver taking aim….

---

Back in the clearing where the first two Dark Mages had died, the Rune Knights were still pulling out the members of the now disbanded Terra Infirma, the right hand guild to the head of this crazy alliance that Arthas Drenmur had spent the last year and a half hunting. The captain grimaced as what was left of the guild master was brought up and turned to the Mage Hunter. “You couldn't have at least tried to bring them in alive? These guys knew stuff.” Arthas grunted.

”He wouldn’t have talked and you know it. Besides, the Dark Air magic did more damage to him than I did, seeing as more powerful spells suck the oxygen out of the body to empower them. I just...finished the job.” The captain’s sigh was audible within the town itself almost.

“OK, fine, so maybe he wouldn’t have. Still, your job is to-” The mage hunter stopped the captain mid-sentence.

”My job is to find dark mages and their guilds and deal with them. The methods and techniques used to do so are mine and mine alone to decide, captain. So do not presume that I am unfit to do anything simply because you lack the spine to do so yourself. Dismissed.” While it was clear the Mage Hunter’s words had caused a level of irritation within the Rune Knight Captain, he didn’t argue and left to make sure that removing the captured and wounded was done before nightfall. Arthas himself simply sat and watched, taking note of the dark mages who were being cooperative and those who refused to even act like they would cooperate for future reference in his report back to the Magic Council.

Speaking of, as he took a sip of the coffee one of the Knights had given him, he wondered again if he should still send his reports to them. Phoenix Wing had exposed a deep rooted corruption within the old Council and it raised questions about the integrity of such a body. Ach, too much thinking on it. For now, wrap up this assignment and we’ll worry about the rest later.

Phoenix Wing: New Dawn

Damian Gerard and Penny Hoft|Returning to Magnolia

@MarshiestMallow

As the town of Magnolia came into view as Damian and Penny approached in the revolutionary vehicle, a small smile crept onto the face of the Blade of Phoenix Wing. Over the last two years, Damian had been in the guild hall exactly twice and both times was to both make sure that the more rambunctious members hadn’t burned down the building and to see if anything exciting had happened while he and Penny were away. When he was gone, he trained, working on both his magical power and skill while keeping his martial skill in tip top shape. Penny was with him a lot of the time, and the two only grew closer as time went on, both as friends and lovers. In fact, just a few days before returning to the guild hall, Damian had proposed to Penny, who had accepted amongst tears and screams of joy. As the pair approached the town, Damian absentmindedly petting Jaëger, their home, after two long years, Damian was reflecting on the first few months after he'd first set out, a long time personal grudge on his mind.

---

Damian had caught the last train to Crocus for the last hour just in time, his face grim as he looked out the window towards the ever shrinking town of Magnolia as the train got further away. Penny had wanted to come, to find out why he was so dead set on this, the two had become quite the team and she was concerned for her boyfriend and teammate, but he'd told her that this was something that he had to handle alone and that he didn’t want her getting caught in the crossfire. When she made him promise to come back from whatever it was alive, he couldn't help but smile and kiss her in front of the guild. The whooping that came from the aware guild members had caused the Phoenix Slayer to blush while the looks of surprise from the unaware caused Damian a hearty laugh.

The veteran soldier smiled as he thought back on the memory, but then frowned again as he returned to his thoughts on the matter at hand. He'd promised Penny to contact her through a communication lacrima the moment the issue was handled, and he intended to keep that promise, one way or another. Corporal Jason Landricks, now a Lieutenant in the Royal Family's Special Magic Suppression Unit, code name Cerberus Platoon. Wonder if they even know the kind of lying snake their commanding officer is. Jason Landricks had been a promising corporal who served under Damian's father in the Royal Army's Fifth Infantry Division and then continued his service when it was combined with another unit and renamed the 42nd Border Control Unit, the same Unit that had received heavy casualties in what was now known as the Battle of North Forest. It wasn't until a few weeks prior that Damian had even known of Jason's involvement in the ambush that had killed his parents. The man had fallen ill the day before it had happened, but he wasn’t alone, so no one had thought anything of it.

Then, without warning and about three months before this fateful train ride, he got a letter from one of the men who served under Jason as a books keeper of sorts that had also served under Damian's father. The letter said that the man had found evidence that Jason had helped arrange the ambush in exchange for enough gold that he could bribe the right people to turn a blind eye to the circumstances and still live almost as good as the King of Fiore himself from the Mistrallian military. Damian had been too distraught at the time to really pay attention to the finer details, but after thinking about it, he realized that the whole thing had been off. The Scouts went silent just moments before the ambush, but their bodies had never been recovered because there hadn't been bodies to recover. He'd bribed them to abandon their posts at just the right time. Of course, since none of them had since come forward with any word of this themselves, either they were all now dead or had been paid enough to keep silent as well. Clenching his fists, Damian took a deep breath to calm himself. The bastard sat where he did because he'd kept all the people who might sell him out quiet, whether it was with money or brute force didn't matter. He'd been the reason Damian's parents were dead, and now, he would pay for it.

The rest of the train ride was Damian resting and planning and preparing his reasons for wanting into the Cerberus Platoon headquarters. It was the truth that he'd tell; He was an old friend paying a visit to a brave young man who’d once been an idol of respect for the now older Damian when he was a kid. Of course, he needed to remember that the Cerberus Platoon was armed with real anti-magic weapons, unlike the Magic Management Council, who had merely needed to maintain appearances over the last century or so. Thankfully, due to his father’s and mother’s extensive training and his own training regimen since their passing, Damian was fortunate that he hadn't always relied on his magic, he hadn't even known about it until the day his parents died. There was also the matter of remembering to thank the backstabbing son of a bitch for helping him meet Penny; after all, he didn't want to seem ungrateful or anything.

The last hour Damian slept, even though he'd slept several times before, he knew it was better than building nervous energy, though the rest was a fitful one. When the train stopped, Damian's eyes shot open and, with a small stretch, he stood up and exited the car, heading out of the station and towards the headquarters for the Special Magic Suppression Unit. Admittedly, as he moved through the streets of the city, the prospect of the experimental unit was still somewhat daunting. Armed with weapons forged from Magicite, these soldiers were able to cancel out a mage’s ability to use or cast magic for a short time if they broke skin. However, they could also fight to the death, as some mages were too powerful for a single cut to nullify, so he mulled over what it meant for him as he went. Over all, it was about a fifteen minute walk, one that he used to finalize what he would say as he approached the men guarding the front doors, the poor unaware souls that they were. "Stop," the one on the left says, a hand resting on his magicite sword, "who are you and what business do you have with the Cerberus Platoon?" Damian chuckled and held his hands up, trying to be disarming despite the sword hilt poking over his shoulder.

"Just here to visit an old friend, your Lieutenant Jason Landricks. He served under my father in the 42nd Border Control Unit before he was posted here." The man seemed to hesitate a moment, and Damian's hand subtly drifted closer to Andor's hilt as the look of distrust grew on the face of the guard. If these guys try to stop me, Jason will know what’s going on before I can find him and ghost again. I’ll never find him if that happens though.. In the end though, his fears were unbidden as the man he was looking for came out himself, his magicite halberd stored on his back and a cape flaring underneath it..

"Dammy! It's good to see you again!" Damian faked a smile and took the man's hand shake in good grace, though inside he was infuriated. "Tell me, what brings you all the way to Crocus to see me? The Games won't happen again until next year." Damian gave a genuine smile, indicating the man in front of him.

”Heard you’d been given command of your own unit and had to see for myself. Dad had always hoped you’d eventually reach a commander position.” The honeyed words paid off as a stupid smile crossed his face and he beckoned Damian to follow him on a walk through the barracks.

”Ah well, you caught us at a good time. Between your guild exposing the old Council and the overall activity of the legal guilds across the country, we’re still only called in on the most egregious of Dark Guilds.” The two of them stopped in the doorway to a training hall, showing the members of Cerberus Platoon not on guard duty sparring with and without weapons as well as practicing their spells. ”We’re proud to be the first in what will hopefully be a long line of anti-magic platoons. I don’t know if you’ve heard, Damian, but other kingdoms out there are forming even their regular armies out of almost completely mages and if they aren’t full-fledged mages, they’re trained to funnel magic energy into artillery.” Damian frowned at the mention of this and remembered the feeling he’d gotten at the Games in the previous year, about the sense of War waiting on the horizon.

”Let’s just say I inherited dad’s instincts for conflict. Bloody hell…” Still, as they moved away from the training hall and back towards the entrance, Damian couldn’t shake the feeling that the world was a powderkeg just waiting for a reason to go off. The two made small talk on the way back to the entryway, Jason even walking back out to where Damian had been standing when he’d come out originally.

”Well, it was good to see you again, Damian, but is there anything else you need? I’ve got responsibilities to tend to.” Damian’s face was covered once more in a grin as he rammed his fist into the other man’s gut, doubling him over from the pain.

"To see you get what you deserve for what happened to my parents you lying sack of Vulcan shit." The two door guards stepped forwards but Jason waved them off as he recovered, reaching over his shoulder and drawing the magicite weapon on his back. As he slid into a fighting stance, the weapon held diagonally with the blade aimed at the ground and the shaft held in both hands, his demeanor changed, becoming more psychotic than the mild-mannered man who’d been speaking a moment before.

"So that blasted letter reached you anyways? I should have known none of the boys would hurt that old codger, though I’ll admit it took some courage for him to send it to you at all. Regardless, what hope do you have against me, Dammy? Even a legendary S-Class wizard can't defeat our anti-magic magicite weapons and without your magic, you're just a scared little boy." This caused Damian to first chuckle, then laugh and then simply guffaw uncontrollably for a minute, and leaving Jason and his guards bewildered. "What's so funny to you, you arrogant son of a dead man?"

Damian calmed down enough to reach over his shoulder and draw Andor, the dragon fang blade sinking into the concrete a couple of inches when the edge of the blade hit it. "Are you really, truly so arrogant, or foolish, if not both, as to think that I’d let my martial skills wane simply because I gained the use of magic?" Jason’s face became one of indignance, but he didn’t get a chance to reply as Damian rushed forward, bringing Andor up towards Jason's chest at a speed that the man clearly hadn't expected. The attack forced Jason to leap back with a couple of flips before countering with a quick but powerful thrust for Damian's chest. This was countered by bringing Andor around and into the halberd, knocking it up and away from Damian's body before the two settled into comfortable guard positions. ”Allow me to educate you on how wrong you are.”

And then, in the blink of an eye, the real fight began, the two men masters of their chosen weapon and neither giving ground or openings where they didn’t have to. Damian wielded a sword like his father, with speed, power and precision that belied both his age and the size of the weapon, and Jason Landricks the halberd of the Special Magic Suppression Unit, the weapon lancing in and out and making sweeping strikes to try and catch the swordsman off balance with little success. The two men exchanged blows faster than the untrained eye could follow, not because of magical enhancement or outside aid, but because of the increase in speed and strength adrenaline gave naturally, nevermind their existing level of skill normally. Damian struck from the right, Jason blocked with the bottom of the halberd and struck from above, which was deflected to the side as Damian thrust towards his opponent's chest, which Jason dodged by leaping to one side and slicing at Damian's stomach. It went on like this for several minutes, a deadly dance that neither side would lose in, neither side giving nor gaining ground without making their opponent earn it. That is, at least, until Jason made a very nearly fatal mistake. Seeing Damian leave an opening in his guard, he swung too far with the halberd in an effort to disarm the swordsman and Damian took advantage of it, catching the haft with his left hand and bringing Andor’s edge down on it's middle. The dragon fang blade sliced clean through it, more or less destroying the magicite weapon, and he delivered a sidekick to Jason's chest, knocking the man onto his back and knocking the wind out of him. Undeterred, Jason attempted to stand again, but found himself pinned to the ground by Damian’s foot as the city guard regiment with the royal army arrived, the man who'd sent the letter to Damian at their head.

"I hate you for what you did, taking my family from me, taking a future and maybe even knowing my father’s and mother’s families from me.” Damian leaned forwards, his gaze unwavering. ”But I also have to thank you for allowing me to find a new family, and my girlfriend, with Phoenix Wing. Enjoy your cell." Damian stepped aside as a pair of spearmen approached and officially arrested Jason Landricks, taking the former Corporal and Lieutenant into custody on counts of high treason and accepting bribery from the enemies of Fiore. Damian, his parents avenged as he knew they'd wished to be, sheathed Andor and, with a heavy but contented sigh, attempted to leave, but was stopped by a member of the guard garrison and asked to stay in Crocus until the conclusion of the trial, so that he could testify against Jason. Damian, knowing that his word might be the difference between Jason going free or going to prison, agreed eagerly to do his part to see the bastard thrown in jail.

That process took an additional couple of months, but it was a process he would happily endure and he'd already called Penny and talked to her, suggesting to her to come to Crocus. They'd spent the time they weren't attending Jason Landrick's trial wandering around the city and enjoying the sights. This process repeated for two months, until the day they convicted the man who'd been responsible for the death of so many, Damian's parents included, as a murderer, traitor, and conspirator against the crown. Damian stood and watched Jason dragged away, kicking and screaming, never to be a free man again.

---

Slowly, Damian's mind came back to the present and he smiled softly as the car entered Magnolia. Penny had always complained to him after he’d had Andor reforged that he’d spent too much time learning Kenjutsu and Iaijutsu, but would usually let it go after a bit and simply enjoy his company and he did the same with her. As the car came to a stop he looked to Penny as she climbed out and stood outside the doors apprehensively. "Come on now,” he says as he climbs out and joins her at the doors, ”sure it's been two years, but we're still two of the Guild's strongest members and it's strongest team, despite what Lazarus thinks and his numerous losses in our duels. Let's show 'em we're still kickin'."

Penny gave a nod, but she also knew that several things had changed, and that nothing would be the same as it once was. Two years was a long time for something to happen, and Penny wondered if the guild would be like it was.

And there were still things that bothered her.

------

Penny has never mentioned the night that Solias had come, wanting to talk to Damian. She had sensed the phoenix's presence, and had only reluctantly gone to speak with him, so that no one would have to know. Penny would have gladly told Damian, and in fact had wanted to, several times,

But bound by an oath, she couldn't speak of it.

She had approached Solias, her eyes narrowed, suspicious of anything he would say or do. It was safe to say that she no longer trusted the Phoenix.

"Penelope," his voice was relieved, but Penny just stared at him, blinking and not saying anything. Solias gave a sigh, "You're mad at me, you have every right to be."

"Gee, thanks," Penny said bitterly, "I believed in you. I believed you would help. I trusted you for years. And you just threw that all away. I didn't believe you wouldn't help me, wouldn't help your own blood. You probably never expected me to come into your life. Fate sucks, doesn't it? You hurt me, I thought I had a parent that actually cared. I was wrong. I don't want to talk to you."

She didn't give Solias a chance to speak, instead, she turned and headed back. She didn't look back, although she knew that Solais could give her answers, she decided she didn't need them.

______________

Now that they were home, Penny wondered if she had been rash. She looked to the doors, and took a deep breath. She was sure there was a lot to catch up on. She looked back to Damian, nodded and smiled. "Right. Let's do this, with style of course."

And with amusement, Penny slammed the doors open, flames licking up along the doors themselves, but not burning them, a harmless show entirely for effect.

Grinning at his fiance, Damian followed the flames up with a series of spinning blades in the shape of snowflakes, or they roughly were as it was, blowing into the hall and up to the ceiling before bursting into thousands of smaller, harmless ones as the two dire wolves bounded in and howled their arrival. The spectacle brought everyone's attention to the door where the two S-Class wizards stood with smiles on their faces as Jaëger and Carmilla returned to Damian’s sides. "We're back, Phoenix Wing!" With their arms linked and their fingers interlaced with each other, the pair walked into the guild hall, their home, for the first time in two years.

Damian immediately set about hugging and shaking hands with everyone who approached him, having missed his guild mates over the last two years, but knowing that growing stronger for the sake of the guild and for himself wouldn't happen if he only used the guild training grounds. On top of that, Damian had unlocked the inner secrets of his magic and learned that it went by another name; Arsenal Magic. He used the Wolven Blade Master, a type of arsenal magic that allowed him to use any form of sword while summoning a pack of wolves for his command, though currently it was only Jaëger and Carmilla. With that knowledge, he had worked hard to improve his strength, both magically and physically, ensuring that each of his blades managed to achieve it’s true form.

Looking around, he spotted the guild's resident Paladin inspecting a revolver that the swordsman didn’t remember him having and waved at the man, who returned the wave with a smile on his face. Damian was glad that he hadn't left while he and Penny were away, he could recall a few instances where the man's ability to shield, heal and attack had saved his allies during difficult fights in the past. And nothing could change that he was key in winning those fights. Seeing Lazarus and Sasha sitting at a table, Damian nudged Penny. "We’ll need to take some time at some point and see how they and their little girl are doing."

Damian knew many in the guild probably had a hard time recognizing him after his two years away. He was taller and had added a touch more muscle to the visible spectrum, though how strong the man really was was still a mystery. Turning and giving Penny a quick peck on the cheek before looking over the guild members present. He’d heard that there was still some who had joined recently that hadn’t yet met the Blade of Phoenix Wing and he wanted to rectify that quickly.

Being the famous S-Class mage he was, he also gained a reputation for being short and to the point when dealing with mages who thought he was inconveniencing them and...merciless to Dark Mages. Admittedly, Damian no longer tried to deny who he was or what he wielded, but he never took a life that he didn’t have to. Though admittedly, the number of dark mages who would stand down when told to was slim. Shaking his head, he spots a pair of faces he doesn’t recognize. ”Hey there! I hear you’re relatively new to Phoenix Wing. Thought I’d see how you’re settling in.”

Phoenix Wing: New Dawn

Dragon Fang Guild Hall, Shirotsume Town

The sun shone down on the guild hall for Dragon Fang as it always did, brightly and happily. The traffic in and out of the building was high as usual, with clients coming in to drop off job requests and guild members leaving for and coming back from various jobs. Nowadays, most jobs required the guild move in and take care of various monsters that were cropping up more commonly. Vulcans were an especially common, but challenging task, but other monsters were common enough that the newer members and lower powered members could still make a living. This day saw a group of mages returning from yet another strange request for someone to deal with a monster that had never been seen before. This particular monster had been described as a large red skinned canine that had originally been spotted carrying what had appeared to be carrion meat, but when the Rune Knights had moved in to investigate, the monster became incredibly territorial and attacked. No one was seriously injured, but it led to a request being sent directly to Dragon Fang Guild Master Jack. Before he left for the Guild Master’s summit, he dispatched a handpicked team of veterans to investigate the sighting.

Joslyn, sighing heavily as she led the small group back from an unsuccessful search for the beast, had been put in charge of the four man team. It consisted of herself, her longtime partner Zen, and a pair of requip mages who specialized in defensive techniques against larger, more troublesome monsters, which the Rune Knights had recommended having after their own encounter. However, by the time Dragon Fang’s mages had arrived, the monster had either moved on to a new hunting ground after finding out that the other was heavily traveled or was a master at disappearing from sight when it wanted to. Despite the signs that it had been in the area, the team of veterans couldn’t find the beast and so returned to Dragon Fang’s hall in Shirotsume without new information. The Water-Make mage had started somewhat depressed, but after the sight of the guild in all its usual hustle and bustle grandeur, she found her energy again and rushed Zen in after bidding their guildmates thanks and a farewell. Inside, Hunter was, amazingly, having a more controlled boxing match with Jake in the corner of the guild hall that had been reserved for that after the rambunctious Dragon Slayer had started numerous guild encompassing brawls over the years.

Ammy was, as always, manning the bar, handing out orders and servings as they came as their resident cook knocked them out. Most of the orders belonged to clients who were waiting on a chance to submit their request or speak with specific members who had done good work for them before. Usually there’d also be clients and visitors for Guild Master Jack Goran, but he was away on a Guild Master’s Summit, an important event where the guild masters from across the country got together to discuss events and such that had happened. Finishing the match with a draw with his fellow S-Class, Jake left the boxing ring and joined his girlfriend Pyrrha nearby, laughing about one of the trades the two had had while Hunter went to the Bar, where Ammy had a bowl of imported Jade waiting for him to snack on. While the cost of bringing something like that to the guild was normally fairly high, Ammy had personally assisted the trader who supplied it and this was his thank you to the guild. As it was, the Jade Dragon Slayer never complained about it, and had, in fact, expressed his appreciation for it on more than one occasion and, as he did so now as he chowed down. ”Remind me again to meet with this guy personally some day! You’re amazing, Ammy, and I appreciate finally having a reliable source of this rare and amazing delicacy.” Despite being a Dragon Slayer of an Earth based element, only the rare stone could provide him with the power boost and recharge that other Dragon Slayers got from their element. And as mages who specialized specifically in Jade for an earth magic was exceedingly rare, he didn’t have anyone to buy the stone off of personally. Still, Ammy had been happy to oblige with the request, especially since she’d also been able to convince him to supply the kitchen with ingredients she normally had difficulty getting at a lower discount than he was initially going to offer in exchange for the free Jade. His other endeavors were profitable enough he hardly noticed the missing Jewel. Spotting some of the newer members after securing Zen and herself a booth, Joslyn danced over to them, humming happily.

”Hello my fellows! Enjoyin’ life in Dragon Fang?”