“HAP!” Salem shouted out as he threw the punch. He was trying to integrate his magic and fighting style more seamlessly. He was not the type to punch but it never hurt to test some new things. When his fist reached the end. His magic circle formed on it. Sending out a torrent punch of water from it.

“Hmm… The distance was good but the power was shot.” The Fairygodather mused to himself as he looked at the spell hit a tree. It did not damage it on the surface. Not that he was aiming for that. Salem kept it subtle with his magic. He was training in a clearing that he found. It had various gear brought to it for his magic training.

He took a moment to exit his form. Making a light mist around his body to cool down. His outfit was made to be breezy and easy to move in. Short shirts, some boots, and a breezy shirt that was open in the front. Some stereotypes may claim he looked more flaming than a fire spirit on the sun. Salem thought he was being fashionable and cute. He simply owned up to his potential.

The Fae got back to work. He wanted to get some work in on his movement techniques. He could already use the flight spell with his staff. He has cast magic from his feet and legs, in some kicks and what not. Now he wanted to see if he could try to make things easier from him. Doing battle while staying on the move was already hard. Especially with his already weakened body. That flaw was why he worked so hard even before the sun came out. Working while it was up was just showing off. It just helped that he was a literal mister.

Salem lifted his leg and put it down. His greenish blue water formed underneath his foot. He took a slip and fell flat on his face. Hurting his decently made nose. Salem lifted his face and waved his hand. A splash of water hit him in the face and on the injured nose. The nose straightened up and the blood disappeared. It looked as good as it did before anything happened to it. The fae was the most proficient in healing magic. A simple break was an easy fix. If only he did not feel the pain when it first happened.

Another day in North Fiore, another time spent for the young mage to go out and find the next target of her desires. Morgana had been having trouble with the whole "finding hidden ruins and discovering lost magics" thing of her dream aspirations. For such a sheltered woman, she didn't always seem to think things through all that much. But eventually something was bound to come up here! That's how her afternoon stroll had taken her to the Woodsea, where the canopy of green above her had blocked out most of the sun above, leaving nothing but the shady underbrush to cover her.

Morgana's hand idly traced along the giant trunks of bark that she passed by. It was a strange feeling, of hardened, jagged bark digging into her soft and inexperienced fingers. A forest such as this one was a rarity to see from back home, where they were naught but a few miles long in all directions. This was a verifiable maze of nature's bounty alone. Surely there was something to be found lying forgotten in the Deep Green? Whatever it may be, Morgana was more than determined to find it for herself. Her search brought her closer to something making noise in the clearing around her. Any good explorer had their intuitions to guide them, and for Morgana, it was her dreadful curiosity! She stood near the bank of the forest near a clearing where a man stood in the middle of.

"Oh?" she kept quiet as to not give away her position.

A tanned man stood, practicing magic of some kind? She watched on in confusion as her pale body hid behind one of the larger trees to the side of this strange man. Water or some kind of liquid launched out of his body as he performed precise kicks and punches. Was this some kind of martial arts or something? His attire was baggy and loose fitting, compared to hers which was significantly darker in color with some portions exposed with a translucent fabric.

"What kind of weirdo fights like that? Not even against anybody else."

The goth's blackened nails dug into the wood as she watched his display. Her lavender eyes tracing along his form and water pooling around him. This was a mage who knew his stuff. Somebody who had likely seen far more than she had, coddled in that pathetic village of hers. She couldn't help but stare as that stoic expression into one of admiration. Blackened lips curled into an impressed smirk, even as he fell to the ground.

"He is kind of cool though..." Envy pooled inside of her. A leak of ego that desired his mastery over magic to perform such captivating displays. Morgana caught herself showing any sign of vulnerability and let out a soft groan of annoyance. She turned away from him with a silent fury, stomping her foot down, as if to summon back the eerily dark persona she had.

"What am I thinking? He's just some weird homeless guy using magic. What's impressive about that?"

Her heeled footwear shuffled near the tree as it moved forward to come to a new vantage point. Suddenly, a loud crackling noise broke the silence between the pair, alongside the soft thud of a body hitting the ground. A dry spot of the root had fully given away, sending the goth magic spilling out of her hiding spot and into the clearing.

Salem got off the ground and was feeling better. A crack followed by a large thud got his attention. That was followed by a girl dressed in black rolling into the clearing. Reminding him of a silly cat. The fae would have laughed, if he thought that fact that someone so far out here was funny.

“Hello~ Dark one! Nice of you to drop in. I was not expecting company.”

He spoke to his newfound intruder with a smile on his face. A smile that looked bright and sunny but contained no warmth. Salem waved his hand and a suite made of his greenish water covered his clothes. He covered himself in magic armor that looked inconspicuous. It was in case this was an attack. Easier to be ready than not.

The Fae stopped not too far away. Getting closer to her he did not feel much of a threat. When he checked her out with his eyes. The took on an intense glow as he examined her. The vision shown to him by his eyes was interesting. They did not show a lot. Just a name and some potential. He was not used to using the eyes so it was to be expected that he would miss a lot of information. Salem did not wait between sentences and speaking audibly.

“So your name is Morgana. Interesting name and magic you have. So what are you doing here little witch?”

Salem put his hand on his chin when he said that. As he said the first part more to himself when he spoke, but it was not like he was trying to hide what he did. He did not mind people learning about his ocular abilities. Instead he held more interest in the girl. Not that woman was his type but she had a magic that looked like a pain in the butt. He would have felt so much better if it was some dark haired eye candy to look at.

She looked kinda weak so Salem was not as nervous as when she first appeared. He was not taking off the aqua armor. Looks were often deceiving when it comes to magic and prowess. He’s seen a woman gain a man’s heart through the ribcage, that and the time a lightning fairy razed a place for not being innovative enough. Admittedly his kind can be a bit finicky. What can he say they were all scamps.

Morgana let out a muffled groan at her location being given away by her sudden fall. She wanted to hope that she smashed some nerve in her head hard enough to where she'd die before the embarrassment was registered in full. Her luck wasn't that fortunate for her, so Morgana slowly picked her sullen looking head up to face the man standing before her. "Hi." She huffed as her fingers dug into the ground to push her back onto her two, wobbly feet. Not the best introduction that she could give on a first meeting, but it was better than watching some nude man try and freeze to death in a frozen river. Why did she have such an easy time finding the weird people?

She watched as his eyes burst with color and light as he stared at her. Was this some type of magic that she had never seen before. "H-Hey, wait-" Morgana took a step back preemptively and trying to cover her face in case this was some kind of offensive spell of some kind. She braced for an impact that would never come, only resulting in confusion and maybe feeling like some kind of statue that drew in crowds from near and far. After a few seconds of hunkering down, lavender eyes opened up to glance at the man across from her in confusion. So he wasn't going to hurt her?

"What the hell was that? What did you cast at me?" Morgana asked, casting her RBF laden face at the stranger. But what surprised her more was that he knew her name before they had even spent five minutes together! Shock filled her young body, although it was hidden behind the veil of annoyance the goth paraded around in. "And how'd you know my name and magic? Damn it, what kind of mage are you?" This was all new to her, being far from at the forefront of battle and war in her cozy home in Fiore.

"If it matters to you any, I was just passing through before I heard you stomping about with your...water." Morgana crossed her arms together, her eyes passing over this man in front of her. Maybe if she tried hard enough, she could just replicate that same amount of weird ass eye magic he had showed off. "I'm searching for secrets. Ruins, lost magics, forgotten abominations that have yet to be discovered. The usual." She shrugged to him, then pondered something magic related.

"So, Mr. Know-It-All, you got any idea how my magic works then? I just found an old ass book legally when I was a teenager, but the pages were all fucked up. So I only know half of what it does."

Salem looked at the witch that looked up at him. Her eyes were an interesting shade of purple and held an uncommon amount of intelligence. It was a bit refreshing compared to all the types he has been dealing with recently. Salem was unsure if he heard a bit of venom and fire in her voice. It triggered his interest in the lady in front of him. Not in a romantic sense but at least in a fun way.

“Let’s start with your first question. I did not cast anything. Casting would employ the active use of magic. I simply used an innate ability. They can seem the same but it comes down to wording.” Her annoyance for some reason made him smile wider. “For the second question. I learned of it through my ability. Third. I have been called a decent one. In terms of knowledge I know a thing or two. The game is getting me to let you know. Life is not free as you humans say.” The last bit was a guess and a fishing tactic for information. He was only 40% sure she was human. She could be a mixed breed or even another race in disguise.

The fact that she was just a traveler of sorts made sense to him. No one would willingly come this deep into the woods without being strong, if not for a burning passion, or stupidity that reached the sky. Salem chalked this witch up to being naive and going by her questioning her own magic. It was grossly undertrained.

Being the pure kind hearted man that he was. Full of warmth, love, and wisdom. He decided to take this little bird under his wing. He figured he could teach her a thing or two if she was lost. He’d just have her do errands for her, or use her knowledge in exchange in the future. He had a lot to do and only one body.

“Hmm…. From what I can gleam. Your magic is a darkness based one. Exactly how it works and the current capabilities is beyond me. Keep in mind all innate skills and even magic have limitations. Finding them is part of the fun.” Salem took a few steps back to put a bit of space between them. “We can find out what you can do. Can you hit me with a spell?” Salem asked the last part with some condescension in his voice, like if he asked a child their favorite color.

"So abilities and magic, two sides of one coin, hm?" A finger tapped the side of Morgana's cheek, the black painted nail digging at the soft flesh as she listened to the the man before her. So that whole trick with the eyes wasn't a magic spell of some kind? The goth found herself curious about that strange little innate ability and magic, furrowing her brows in in thought. "And that's how you're able to discern my name and magic before I could tell you." Not that she would have without getting to know anybody. Morgana knew her manners but the one sided nature of this conversation was a bit troublesome.

He continued to prattle on about his tricks and knowledge, though that little tidbit near the end was a bit vague. What the hell did he mean by "the game" and all that? Morgana pursed her blacked lips while rolling the stud embedded inside of her tongue around out of habit. "I can't tell if that's supposed to be some kind of threat or a warning. But regardless, I'll find my way around. I just have to get a bit stronger. Sooner rather than later." she said, canting her head. "Know of any ways, Mr. Bright Eyes?"

Of course, it was quickly becoming apparent he was certainly a playful one. Always having some scheme or little jab that was going to poke and prod at her, as if she were some type of toy. Morgana didn't visibly react just yet, that same apathetic expression plastered on her face while she listened to the help that he was willing to give. A part of her couldn't help but imagine herself at such a level of mastery. Would she be some kind of cool mage that dressed in beautiful, flowing robes of black and ebony? Maybe something more practical for an explorer, like a short but illustrious tunic with a combat skirt? Anything would fit, really.

At his request, Morgana arched her eyebrow in confusion. He was...inviting her to cast a spell at his expense? She wasn't averse to the idea, far from it. Her right hand came down, crackling with a darkened purple color as the magic seeped from the limb. The man could probably already tell that her form was lacking. Poor control and pushing far too much magic out to pace herself.

"Want a live test? Here you go!"

Morgana launched a sudden bolt of darkness towards him, a simple, low level attack that crackled with energy.

Darkness. Salem saw the magic circle when she cast her spell, the color of which definitely pointed to dark element magic. It was something most mages learned or tried to hide in time. Nothing that Salem cared about or even tried to hide his magic circle. All fae could see through illusions so trying to hide it was pointless. He assumed most could see it somehow anyway.

The magic was pretty fast. It moved faster than when he did similar at the same output. He was impressed to say the least. She was a complete beginner but she had potential as a caster. Salem dropped his armor and allowed the spell to hit him. He was 88% sure it would not kill him to be hit by it. When it hit Salem was sure the damage was not major. He felt some minor discomfort that he alleviated with his magic out of habit.

“That was not bad, it is definitely a darkness elemental type. The spell movement speed was pretty fast, as well.” Salem looked at his hand that took the brunt of the damage. “This is interesting.” His hand and upper forearm had newfound black lines. They were not there before the spell hit so it was obvious where it came from. “Looks like you have a pretty nasty magic. Darkness tends to have various side effects on the unsuspecting victims.”

Salem pointed them out first. Then he used his other hand to point at it. Creating his own magic circle that was mixed in color. A gentle flow of water came out and wrapped around the arm that was hit. This time Salem felt like something was off. He just could not put his finger onto what was wrong. He was even more surprised when he saw the low level healing did nothing to the black lines. It was like they were not even there.

“Now this is interesting. It is like my magic does not even recognize it as a foreign entity to get rid of. Have you used this or similar magic on a person before?”

The Fairy Godfather was starting to get even more curious. It was fun for him to learn about fun things when they managed to stroke his curiosity. He spent decades being hurt by dark magic, it only made sense for him to want to learn some way to combat it better as well.

Her minor spell sailed in the air towards her opponent, darkness magic crackling all about as it clawed its way through the air in his direction. While it wasn't lethal or damaging by any means, Morgana had some amount pride in her ability to hurl a ball of unrefined magic towards somebody. As expected, the man across from her didn't need much of a defense against such a lowly spell as it impacted him effortlessly. His hand took the brunt of the damage, and even then, it wasn't horrible. At worst, maybe she accidentally broke a few fingers or something.

But what caught both of their eyes was the visible black outline surrounded the limb that had taken the brunt of the spell. "Interesting..." Morgana leaned closer as watched the show from afar. No reason to get closer to somebody she had just attacked when she, herself, was outmatched in every regard. He may have wore a peppy face, but who could ever tell? They were pointed out to her, alongside a brief summary about how darkness magic worked. It was fitting for her, with such beautiful shade of black that she enjoyed seeing in full. It was why she had stuck with the badly damaged book through all of these years.

Was this going to end up killing this man? He was powerful, but it seemed some effects of the unknown magic had still lingered. The demonstration continued as her magic appeared to be unrecognizable from his healing spell. The damage was undone but the faint lines remained."If there's such a thing as cleansing magic, surely there must be something that you can use to get rid of it." Morgana offered some advice, even if it was said as if she were answering a question in math class against her will. She really wasn't sure how to get it to not do that, especially from somebody she didn't even know. Her legs began to move beyond her will out of concern, though she didn't show it well.

"You're the first person I've used it on." Morgana said as she wandered closer. "Besides that, just practice dummies, boxes and animals that I needed to hunt for a quest. To be honest, I-"

She paused, lips hovered in the air. Hesitation forced her to put a limit to what she was willing to dispel. Would he care about her worries, her concerns about this magic. It was nasty indeed, but why apologize for something that went right? Even if so, there was a chance he was going to launch something right back at her.

"Nevermind. Are you feeling alright? Not going to die on me now, are you?"

Salem was staring at the black lines hard. He did not even notice the witch getting closer to him, even if it was just by a tiny margin. He made sure to listen to her words carefully. He thought she would have tried it out on organic material before. Salem tried to cycle his mana through his body, it was only after hearing about her practice objects did he figure something out.

“I will not ask you what words you cut off. It’s your choice to speak when you want.”

Listening to the fact that she just started learning magic, Salem was impressed. She had the makings of a decent mage, at least by human standards. He felt that if he taught her she could even grow more powerful. That would be an interesting concept. Last time Salem taught any humans were like ninety years ago anyway. May as well try and pick up some disciples or assistants. If she grew it would be fun to see what kind of havoc she could cause.

“And I should be fine. If I am not mistaken. Your magic doesn’t cause extra harm at the moment. The black lines seem to actually be some type of curse. It makes it harder for me to move the mana in this limb. If this is from one hit. I can only imagine what would happen if it was allowed to spread. You could very easily become a nightmare for other mages.”

The fae said it with a smile on his face. It would take a lot more for something like that to take him down. He straightened his hair and continued speaking.

“In my experience. Things like this were off over time. So no need to panic. However, you are a child dealing with fire. You do need training and someone to train you. You should let me do it. At least I can show you a few things and introduce you to a world unseen.”

He spoke in a tone that seemed as if he was doing her a favor. Salem was in his eyes, mind you. He also needed more people willing to work for him. He was recently starting to make more moves and needed more bodies. He would not pressure or force her to make a choice. If she did not want his illustrious self as a mentor then she could feel free to miss out. Salem did not want to teach someone that missed opportunities.

"I was worried that it would kill people. That's what it did to the animals I tested it on. Wolves, chickens, rabbits. Anything a hunter would want. All it took was one spell, and they died before they touched the ground."

At least he wasn't going to die on her. Heavens above, she would have a hard time explaining that one. Morgana peered at the limb still coated in black lines with a curious eye. The lines surrounding it looked almost entangling in a way. A fly in the spider's web, if she wanted to wax poetically like most of what people assumed somebody like her would do. His information about the effects of it on the body piqued her interest. Lavender eyes narrowed on the limb while she leaned in to observe.

"A cursed magic, hm?" Behind that stoic veil, gears had began to turn inside of her head. Yet her eyes betrayed the emotionless husk that was the girl. She was eager, ecstatic to learn and flex this magic more in some hopes that she could find a use for it. Her hand coated in the magic rose to her face some as she studied it for a moment, then stopped her channeling as the magic subsided. "Cool."

This would no doubt help in ventures both under and upper ground, but something in her felt so gleeful at a chance to feel wanted. Like her pursuits actually meant something to some people. He even offered to help train her.

While mysterious and maybe a tad dangerous to be making pacts with strangers, it didn't push her away immediately. It was enticing, the young mage mulling it over in her mind some. Viewing a world unseen to her was like offering a child a wagon full of candy for a small task. Morgana paced around in front of him, one foot in front of the other as heels buried themselves in the ground.

"Running into some stranger in the woods with an invitation to teach me wasn't exactly on my schedule..." The goth said as she took another moment to come to a decision. Her eyes settled on the fae before smirking to herself "I'm in. Got nothing else better to do."

Morgana stood before him, a capable, if young, mage with an appetite for all the knowledge there was in the world. If what this man said was true, then she could surely learn more than she would have alone with his help.

"What's your name, anyway?" she asked the man. "And what were you doing out here? Just practicing magic?"

Salem raised an eye at her logic. Then again he was not raised with human morales. The thought of killing people raised as much guilt in him as stepping on an ant. A lot of times he did not notice, care, or even consider it when it happened. Some people were just bigger ants than others.

“You do not have to worry about that. Killing someone with magic is an easy feat. The hard part is meaning to do it. A lot of things are about intention. Unless you are really trying to kill them. Chances are they will come out of it alive. Even more if it is another mage.”

The Fairy Godfather gave the advice offhandedly. The true law of the land was strength in his book. Without power it does not matter if one lives or dies. He saw potential in this human that he simply wanted to mold to become powerful enough to change the world. That and the ever present allure of free labor.

“Oh, yeah~ I have not introduced myself. I am Salem. Salem Emir. I am a good hundred and one years young. I may be a bit older but it is hard to remember. You can refer to me as Teach, Salem, or anything that moves your heart. Just make sure it is respectful.”

Salem used a cleanse spell to freshen himself. Giving himself a more prim look even if he was still in the form fitting clothes. He used one hand to form five different tentacles. They stretched toward the field cleaning everything up and getting rid of the evidence of his practice.

“Anyway. I was training out here. A great spot for me. For you we should find a more suitable location. I will also get some quests for you to do. You may not be registered in a guild but you still need practical experience to train.”

He was already making plans and plots. Decent ways to train humans without killing them. Sure it was not a hundred percent chance she would survive the training, but an eighty percent chance of coming out on top was a great chance.

"I would imagine it would be hard for a mage to kill somebody such as yourself." Morgana put simply. He was far above her league in obvious terms. There really wasn't a whole lot that a some minor rank mage could do to a guy like this, beyond making his body more...liney? For somebody who outclassed her in every regard, he was rolling out a fairly warm welcome. Surely somebody as powerful a shim wouldn't hesitate to throw their own weight around? It was only a first meeting, so time would tell if he would continue acting as this charming, handsome young tutor that he was coming off as to her. "I'll keep it in mind." she replied in regards to how killing was to the both of them.

Ironic that somebody like her would be so touchy about death.

The man introduced himself as Salem, and his age was just as surprising as his spell that was used to clean up. In a single flick of the wrist, his hand had become several tentacles that appeared to ebb and flow, similar to the waves of the ocean. Bit by bit, the pieces and remnants of his "practice" were cleaned up effortlessly. Morgana watched in a muted interest., attempting to gauge about what magic that the man actually had in total. It was water-based, that was for certain, but the applications she had witnessed had yet to have a limit.

Her torso dipped forward a slight amount, a habit she had picked up from when she was younger and marveled at the stories and reports of famous mages. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" The goth joked in her usual stoic tone while she glanced at the now cleaned area of Salem's magic practice. "Regardless, it's nice to meet you, Teach. Or...whatever you wanna be called." She wasn't sure on whether to keep calling him by his name or by his new apparent title. Either would work, she supposed, though something about not calling somebody by their title did irk her somewhat.

"Pray tell, what do you have in mind to teach me with, Salem? It's not like I can just storm into a dungeon and single handedly dispose of everything inside." Morgana said with her arms crossed. This whole "adventurer" thing was still pretty new to her. Those stories about the experienced archeologists of the world traveling around for some kind of treasure made this entire thing seem so simple. "I fully trust your methods, if it will grant me any smidgeon of insight that you may have."

Salem chuckled inwardly for a moment. He had killed more people in his lifetime than people in this kingdom. A lot of the deaths were by accident but a few were on purpose. Unlike a human he was not made with the morals they had. If he did not get a human body things would still be a  lot different.He did not understand them till he started being one of them more. Not that he was going to elaborate on that more. Humanity tended to frown upon none humans culling their species.

“A good mage always have a few tricks up their sleeves.” He quipped back.

The Fairy Godfather thought about how best to train his new apprentice. Her magic looked like it had greater offensive capabilities. As long as she honed what it looked like it was best for. She probably could steam roll a dungeon by herself. Salem believed there was no such thing as a weak mage. Only the ones that were not trained.

“Like I said. We can start with some small works. How do you feel about going out and taking down bandits? For the most part they are not considered human I think. Let’s go”

Salem would exit out the forest. Leading his new charger towards greater heights and things to accomplish. Happy to finally have one of those students be so happy to have.

[Exit]

TWC: 2,644

Bandits? At her level? That sounded a little extreme for a first kind of mission. Wouldn't hunting animals or studying at the library be more up her alley? Not that it was beyond her moralities to start picking off the dredge of society, but Morgana would rather keep her money and her life if the consequences of failure was, at best, being robbed of everything she possessed on her. Or worse, considering that she was a young woman in semi revealing attire. Morgana didn't hesitate or ask about a potential reworking of this exercise.

"That's fine by me. I was itching for an excuse to curse something today." Morgana smirked at her mentor, the gothic mage eager to find suitable prey to test her skills on. If what Salem said was true to any regard, she had some capability to make her way through this world. Her heeled feet carried her behind the Fairy Godfather as he led them out of the forest. All in all, it had been a pretty exciting day thus far. A stranger in a forest turned into her mentor, apparently. Not the weirdest thing to find in a place like this, but it was a welcome surprise. "Hopefully they aren't too much of a disappointment. It would be a real shame if I had to waste my time on weak, inexperienced bandits."

The exit of the forest grew larger until both people stepped through, with Morgana internally as eager and excitable as ever. She wanted to jump for joy, screech and praise Salem’s efforts for recognizing her greatness! It had only been a day and a half and already, she was making strides in terms of growth. Maybe one day, she would find a way to become as strong as this man himself! But all this was hidden behind Morgana's stoic, somewhat annoyed expression as she moved behind Salem.

[EXIT]