I'd like to start by thanking everyone who read the intro. Like I said this is my first story but I feel like I'm off to a good start. My first goal is to hit 20k words so rest assured there will be regular updates abiet those updates may come sporadically. My goal is to do Rin's original character justice but develop him in a slightly different direction. Also, this chapter may seem like an off topic aside but I think you will be happy with how it feeds into the next chapter and Rin's backstory ...I hope. So without further adieu here you go guys.

Chapter 2

Gildarts was resting on a large rock at the edge of the Waas Forest with the base of the Hakobe mountain range at his back. A tall, muscular man with slicked back burnt-orange hair and the beginnings of a beard. He was wearing a pair of baggy black pants, dark grey boots, and a white v-neck shirt. 'That ended up being a lot harder than expected' he thought solemnly as he turned his head to look upon his work. To his right were the corpses of nearly fifty blizzardverns and a battered human corpse all partially buried in rubble. He was not pleased with his work. Blizzardverns were typically herbivores and they rarely if ever attacked without cause. Their deaths were senseless. 'Damn her' he thought as he look upon the lone human corpse on the blood soaked battlefield. She was a rouge mage known as the Beast Tamer Bandit who used a lost magic called Beast Subordination Magic to bind dangerous beasts to her will. She, for reasons he would never care to understand, used magically enslaved beasts to kill innocents. She would then loot their corpses and take the valuables of her victims. Averting his eyes from the grizzly spectacle Gildarts leaned back and recalled the events that led up to this scene.

It all began few days ago as Gildarts was approached by Makarov shortly after returning from his last job.

"Hey there my boy. There's something I'd like to discuss with you" called Makarov in a cheerful manner.

Gildarts was reading a few listings on the second floor job board. "What is it?"he said.

"This." Said Makarov while handing him what appeared to be a job.

Taking the paper Gildarts read it aloud. "Locate the king's missing shipment of dinning room chairs. 35,000 jewels upon delivery of furniture." Gildarts sweat dropped. "You're kidding" He deadpanned.

Makarov's demeanor lost all levity and in a serious tone he responded "Afraid not." At this Gildarts raised an eyebrow.

"Care to explain why this job has you too worried to post it on the first floor board?"asked Gildarts. Makarov nodded.

"That missing shipment was coming from Pine village. That's somewhere within the Waas Forest. There have also been several travelers found dead along the routes through that forest. I think the two may be related." replied Makarov.

Gildarts thought for a moment and then responded "I thought the authorities determined those were just animal attacks."

To this Makarov nodded and said "Yes but no valuables were found on any of the travelers. Last I checked most animals don't rob their prey. Listen, It's probably just a coincidence but I'm not comfortable leaving this in the hands of anyone else here. We have a lot of talented youngsters but my gut tells me they're not ready for this one. I'd consider it a personal favor if you took this job."

Gildarts looked over the paper a few moments longer before stuffing it in his coat and heading for the exit. "I'll be back in a about a week" he said as he stepped exited the guild house.

Errands were not typically the kind of job an S-class mage like Gildarts would take but he usually trusted the guild master's instincts. Pine village was a peaceful and isolated community of lumberers who preferred to keep to themselves. The village was so isolated that almost nobody knew exactly where it was. The village's only exports were lumber and some of the most beautiful wood furniture in all of Fiore. Purchases where placed directly with the village's caravans and typically delivered in the next caravan. It had apparently been nearly a month since a Pine village caravan was seen leaving the Waas forest.

His first step was to figure out the fastest way to get to the Waas forest. He decided a to take a train to Clover Town train station and take a magic vehicle from there north towards the eastern edge of the Waas Forest to bypass the mountains. The trip took about two days. Upon reaching the forest he searched another day driving through the many trails that went through the forest when he stumbled upon a wrecked caravan. He found several bodies that where beginning to decompose, 'dead for about a week maybe.' He thought. The sight left him a bit unsettled. He steeled himself and searched the bodies. They appeared to have been mauled to death by beasts judging by the claw and teeth marks as well as the large track marks. He wasn't a tracker by any means but they appeared to have been made by wyverns but wyverns weren't native to the Waas forest as far as he knew. A few blizzardverns sure but they almost never came down from the snowy mountains. If that wasn't strange enough the caravan and everyone in it seemed to have been striped of every last jewel and valuable. Gildarts continued to search the bodies. He managed to find a blood soaked shipping manifest in one man's breast pocket. Most of it was illegible but one item stuck out "22 Sequoia wood chairs." It seemed he had found the fate of the missing shipment.

Gildarts began walking back to his magic car when out of the corner of his eye something on the side of the trail caught his attention. It was a map that appeared to have been crumpled up and tossed aside. As he read it he found it gave the location of Pine Village. At that moment a terrible feeling came over him. 'Whoever was behind this attack must have read this map!' With that thought in mind Gildarts jumped into the magic car and after quickly memorizing the route to the village he dove off, pouring as much of his magic into the car as he could without running the risk of overloading the vehicle.

When he finally reached the village he found a scene that could have easily been mistaken for hell. The dead where scattered about the village with a crow pecking at a few of the corpses. Every house seemed to have been trampled.

"Whoever did this didn't want to leave any witnesses." Gildarts thought aloud. He searched for survivors amongst the corpses and trampled houses. He finally found an old woman with a sizable gash in her abdomen. She was the only living villager he could and she was moments from death herself . He ran to her and tried to stem the flow of blood but she stopped him citing a desire to be with her family. She explained that for weeks they had not been hearing back from any of their caravans and by the time they knew why it was too late. The village had been attacked at dawn. Wiped out and everyone in it murdered by a woman known as the Beast Tamer Bandit. A few moments after recounting her village's last moments she trembled violently then became still. Gildarts laid her down and gently and used his hand to close her eyes. In that moment he made a silent vow to come back and give everyone here a proper burial but first he had a bandit to catch. He was fairly certain of two things. First, considering this bandit waited a about a week after learned the village's location, she probably had a base of operations nearby. Second, judging by the fact the attack took place this morning she couldn't be far.

Gildarts hated that there was nothing he could truly do to give this messed up situation a happy ending. He could not restore what was lost so he decided he would have to settle for giving this Beast Tamer Bandit a good beat down in memory of the lives she cut short.

He followed the tracks leading away from the village and just as the sun was beginning to set he found what he was looking for. A small army of blizzardverns where gathered outside a cave. He could hear a maniacal laugh coming from within the cave. He lightly stomped on the ground creating a smal tremor. The Beast Tamer Bandit stepped, or stumbled, out of the cave with a smug look on her face. Normally he lets his opponent monologue and tell their life story but not today because he was in a foul mood. Just as she began to speak Gildarts ran his fist though the nearest blizzardvern sending nearly a dozen miniature blizzardverns flying with such force that they killed the larger beasts they struck though the sheer blunt force trauma. He then sent his other fist directly into the ground in front of him turning the entire area to rubble while simultaneously creating an earthquake while the from there everything became a blur. He finally came to to see that he had only one opponent left.

In a state of absolute frustration she scream out "Do you know who I am? I'm Anna Maul the Beast Tamer Bandit!" She was battered and broken, barely able to move.

Gildarts said to her "Your fun is over. I'm taking you in. The council can decide what to do with you."

She glared at him as her lips formed wicked smile. "You don't get it do you? I use Beast Subordination Magic. My magic functions like a curse. That means that any animal I have made my subordinate is always under my control and the effect persists as long as I'm alive. How many dangerous beasts not present do you think are under my control throughout Fiore since mastering this magic? Hundreds! All of them could be sent on a rampage with a mere thought! So how about you let me go unless you want my pets to go wild" Anna said as she began the laugh.

Gildarts wasn't sure if she was bluffing but if she was telling the truth attempting to capture her could cost the lives of hundreds. Even if he knocked her unconscious she could possibly sent her beasts of a rampage when she awoke. Gildarts was frozen in thought. As Anna began to limp away something she said occurred to Gildarts. 'She said the effect persists as long as she lives.' That meant capturing her was far too dangerous and it also meant if he let her go the people of Fiore would unwittingly remain her hostages. However, that also mean one more thing. The people of Fiore would only be safe if she where dead. With a heavy heart and steel resolve he dashed forward so fast that Anna didn't even realize what was happening until it was all over. Grabbing her by the forehead Gildarts slammed her head into the ground, crushing her skull.

-Present-

"Okay that's enough of that. It's time to get moving" Gildarts said trying to shake the the memories he was sure would haunt him. He stood and began making his way back towards the village to keep his vow.

As he neared his magic car he heared a strange noise coming from the sky. It sound like nothing he had ever heard before. And when he looked up he saw a great ball of blue fire falling from what seemed like a hole in the sky night sky. It didn't take him long to realize that it was getting closer so without a moment to lose he ran as fast as he could towards the base of the mountain using his crush magic to create a tunnel to protect him from the impact.

The earth seemed to shake at the blue fireball crashed near the battlefield. When the ground became calm again Gildarts carefully made his way back out, using his crush to reopen the collapsed exit. As he stepped out he saw a smoking crater where until just a few moments ago his car was parked. At that moment the only thing Gildarts could think to say was, "Shit. That car was a rental" as he sweat dropped.