Percy awakened in an old, abandoned hut located deep in the Whispering Forest, with a hay ceiling above him as he laid on a wooly-bed. His eyes scanned the entire room, noticing several shiny Armour-sets and various weapons all around the room.
“That was really something, what you did yesterday.”
A familiar voice emerged from in the room, a man seated at a desk.
Percy sat up to look at the man, of course terrified by the sudden deep voice only so close to him, he looked down at his chest and noticed his heavily bandaged torso, the searing pain he felt when he was last conscious had been fully neutralized.
"Stay rested, your body needs a couple of hours more rest, it’s not easy to recover from continuous fire attacks, especially with such a poorly made hero-suit.
The man spoke again, sharpening a bladed weapon in his hands.
“To be fair, it’s not MY hero-suit-”
Percy tried speaking.
“So you stole the suit?”
The man quickly replied.
“No, it was some basic- wait, what am i doing? Where am i- Is Bell Village-”
Percy’s confusion was getting the best of him, unable to properly craft sentences.
“No need to worry about that, the entire Kraken-Nest crew is now severing a hefty prison-sentence thanks to you, speaking of past experience, they’re not going to like it there.”
The man let out a soft snort of laughter.
“Thats great and all, but i really need to get back home, the Alchemist Team and my parents are probably very worried about me-”
Percy tried to stand up but fell down onto floor in doing so.
The shady-man then stood up and placed down the bladed-weapon, they were claws, very similar to the one Percy saw the hero ‘Dark Jaguar’ had.
“D- Dark…Jaguar?”
Percy pieces the puzzles together and concluded it was the hero Dark Jaguar he met two days ago.
“You may have done well during that fight, but an important lesson will be to finish the battle and carry yourself and the wounds back home.”
Dark Jaguar smiled, effortlessly lifting Percy off the floor.
| Three Hours Later | Outside Jaguar’s Hideout |
Percy and Dark Jaguar were outside in the Whispering Forest, about to have his first lesson.
“Your magic is nothing to be scoffed at by an opponent, however when in close combat, you will need to know your fists as well as you know yourself.”
Dark Jaguar spoke, his dark-torn up cape flowing with the wind.
“Now, punch me.”
Dark Jaguar commanded.
Percy, smiling in joy at such a basic request tried hitting him, but Dark Jaguar swiftly parried the fist and punched Percy hard into the nose.
“AUH!”
Percy let out a muffled yelp, covering his bloodied nose.
“What in the hell is wrong with you?”
Percy wiped the blood and leaked from his nose.
“If you are that predictable and slow in an actual battle, you would not stand a chance.”
Dark Jaguar stood tall, towering over him.
“Yeah, but no bandit is as experienced as you.”
Percy stood back up and looked at Jaguar in his dark, sleep-deprived eyes.
“You have no idea just how many powerful tyrants are out there, well above my own power level. Now…HIT ME!”
Jaguar spoke again.
Percy looking into the sky, finding this combat exercise nothing more than pointless, he punched again, but instead of getting hit by the Parry, Percy would also block it and swung his fist at Jaguar again, hitting him in the jaw.
“Uh- Very good.”
Dark Jaguar would be caught off guard but regardless was impressed by his student’s quick learning.
A couple of hours of this repeated process, both of them traded parries, blocks and punches at each other, both of them tanking punches to their faces, torsos, arms, legs and… erm…you get the point.
“Auh, i need a break, do you got some water in that hut?”
Percy sat on the floor, exhausted and sweating profusely.
“Outstanding, and i was the one underestimating you. But now for the next stage, weapons!”
Dark Jaguar smiled as he equipped an old sword, tossing another at Percy, catching it.
“Up you get, you won’t have an opportunity to rest in a fight until won or dead.”
Dark Jaguar taunted Percy.
Both of them went into a dueling stance, both holding their swords out and walking in a circle, Percy going clockwise and Jaguar going Anti-Clockwise.
Percy charged at Jaguar, trying to hit a heavy swing to disarm him, however Jaguar saw this coming and dodged, smacking the handle of the sword down onto Percy’s head, leaving him dazed.
“Ah!”
Percy flailed his sword around, hoping to hit him, but kept missing.
Jaguar observed the movements of the sword finding a blind spot in Percy’s swinging cycle and jabbed his sword forward at Percy’s throat, stopping before piercing skin.
“Good enough…block this!”
Jaguar reeled his sword back and swung at Percy. Percy barely managing to clash his sword against Jaguar’s
The cycle carried on, Jaguar and Percy both swinging their swords and clashing together, blocking and parrying each other, Jaguar mostly winning at the end.
Percy, after losing multiple times to Jaguar’s confusing battle-cycle eventually grew familiar with the pattern and moves he may do, Jaguar was about to win again by thrusting his sword at his throat but this time, he swirled his sword against Jaguar’s and flung it into the air.
“!”
Jaguar began running for the sword, managing to catch it mid-air forever.
“Yield.”
Percy’s sword rested on Jaguar’s neck.
Jaguar then pulled a flintlock out of his pocket and held it against Percy’s stomach.
“The next time you point a weapon at someone, be the last to die.”
Jaguar and Percy smiled, both drawing their weapons away and patting each other on the backs.
| Two Hours Later | Summerhold Market |
Nickolas and Violet were walking down the street to the materials store, both talking about their professions they wanted when they were younger.
“You plan on joining an opera?!”
Nickolas laughed hysterically.
“Hey, it was my dream as a child, give that version of myself some mercy.”
Violet replied while smiling.
“Nah, i can’t talk either, when i was around nine-years old i was obsessed with being King David’s personal assistant”
Nickolas spoke.
“Har Har…”
Violet rolled her eyes.
“It’s true, i was inspired by him, he had magic that could erase all those that stood against him with a single blow, i wanted to be like him so badly.”
Nickolas continued as they both continued walking.
“It was the day i was going to be taken to the Alchemist Headquarters to see why my magic was taking however to manifest but…despite having both magical parents, i did not possess any…”
Nickolas’s voice grew more faded as he talked.
“But i carried on, i did not need magic to make a difference in Magius, so I tried joining a small Magic Council Academy, i was doing so well until they found out I was magicless and they shunned me away and abandoned me for not having magic.”
Nickolas slightly teared up.
"So from that day, i gave up on that dream and became an alchemist and each day, when i mess anything up, I’m scared Derius will throw me away just like they did.
Nickolas concluded.
A while silence followed, their walk steps slowly growing slower and slower until Violet held onto Nickolas’s hand.
“Hey, no one is ever going to abandon you again…i will never, abandon you.”
Violet softly spoke.
Nickolas eventually cleared his mind of sorrow and moved his hand away.
“Oh hey, we’re there!”
Nickolas smiled pointing at the shop.
“Oh…ha…yay.”
Violet replied with a fake smile.
Both of them entered to see Amy being held hostage in the store alongside lots of other people.
“Hey, on the ground, Potion-Freaks!”
The Bandit yelled, forcing both Nickolas and Violet onto the ground.
| Six Hours Later | Dark Jaguar’s Hut |
Dark Jaguar came back to the hut after collecting newspapers to see that Percy had been training on a test dummy, slowly chipping away splitters of wood each punch.
“You may rest if you like now.”
Jaguar spoke to the heavily exhausted, Percy.
Percy stopped punching, bandaging his heavily bruised knuckles and observing the damage he inflicted on the wooden dummy.
“I’m think I’m getting the hang of this.”
Percy smiled, letting out a heavy breathe.
Percy walked over to read the newspaper and saw ‘The Materials Store Had Been Placed Hostage by Dangerous Bandit!’ those words gave a sinking feeling in his stomach, knowing Amy was in danger.
“No… No…”
Percy spoke out loud, dropping the newspaper onto the floor.
“What’s the matter?”
Dark Jaguar spoke, walking towards him.
“It’s Summerhold, the Material Store is being kept as a hostage point, i need to get there right now!”
Percy put on his old suit and began walking towards the door.
“Let the Magic Council handle it, we must continue your training.”
Jaguar replied, stopping him at the door.
“You don’t understand, the people that helped me become the hero i am today, are in danger, i must save them!”
“The Magic Council will have the situation under-control; we must finish your training.”
Jaguar tried stopping him.
“Flare Blast!”
Percy blasted him through the door and onto the dirt path. Dark Jaguar recovered, equipping his claws and performing a battle stance.
“You must think, if you complete your training, you will be able to save a lot more people from far more dangerous people, you will be able to save the ones you love from powerful dark-wizards!”
Dark Jaguar said.
“Why should i believe you? You’re so heartless as to just expect me to sit back and watch my friends get put to death?!”
Percy grew angry.
“I lost the people i cared about because i ignored my fathers’ training, my entire family died because i was arrogant and impatient, i do not want you to end up like me!”
Dark Jaguar replied.
“Flare Blast!”
Percy shot another blast at Dark Jaguar, he managed to dodge the attack and sprinted towards Percy.
Percy quickly equipped a sword and clashed it against his Jaguar’s
“Out of my way!”
Percy growled, his eyes glowing with magic.
Dark Jaguar paused for a moment and stumbled backwards in shock.
“He- he was right about you.”
Dark Jaguar was stunned at the reveal of Percy’s glowing eyes.
“Uaaagh!”
Percy growled with anger, losing his mind as he grabbed onto Jaguar and leaped into a tree, leaving him stuck within the branches as he dropped back down.
“AH!”
Jaguar yelled in pain, having branches stab into his limbs, leaving him stuck within the tree.
Percy then used his flare magic to set the entire tree on fire, Jaguar managing to escape by cutting down the branches that held him stuck before getting burnt.
“Flare Explosion!”
Percy used another spell right where Jaguar landed, just barely managed to dodge the attack.
“Primal Swipe!”
Jaguar slashed forwards and burst of wind with his claws, trying his best not to accidentally kill him, but to get close to him.
Jaguar then charged at Percy with a potion in his hands, however, Percy blasted Jaguar in the face with flare magic, stunning him, he grabbed the sword and stabbed Jaguar in the shoulder.
“Gah!”
Jaguar yelled, managing to pull the sword out and smashing the potion into Percy’s face.
Percy’s eyes stopped glowing and he regained his sanity. Noticing Jaguar on the floor, bleeding from his shoulder.
“Oh my God, i’m so sorry, i am so, so sorry, are you alright Jaguar?”
Percy took Jaguar’s cape off and used it to stop the bleeding from his shoulder.
"Luckily Derius provided me with a potion to cure Magic-Insanity, a long-term side-effect from the Magic-Storm that can occur from 1-15 days.
Jaguar got back up and removed his hood.
"Now, go save your friends, i’ll be waiting here whenever you want to conclude your training and please, call me Marshall, Marshall Banks.
Jaguar smiled, placing his hand on Percy’s shoulder before walking back to his Hut.
Percy paused for a moment before heading off to Summerhold to save his friends who were in a hostage situation.
-To Be Continued-