Manus Lex: Dark Guild Hunters
Chapter 1:
It is the year X794. Over the last few years, the great kingdom of Fiore and the larger continent of Ishgar has suffered from numerous conflicts, stemming from the skirmishes of great and powerful wizards. Most notable was the invasion of the Alvarez Empire by the one known to the populace as Emperor Spriggan. Of course, the invasion was halted by the combined efforts of the many wizard guilds dotting Fiore and Ishgar, most notably Fairy Tail whose greatest names went head-to-head with the strongest members of their military. That said, to claim that peace is absolute in this time would be a lie. For so long as there is magic that brings us together, there will exist those in possession of magic that will seek to drive us apart. And no such concept encapsulates this idea quite like the Dark Guilds of Ishgar; those unrecognised by the Magic Council. Such unscrupulous wizards will take any job, no matter how criminal it may be. From simple goons using magic to strong-arm every coin out of every village, to those with unquenchable bloodlust performing assassinations, and even the occasional cult seeking out devastating powers which have been intentionally lost to time. But of course, Ishgar is no land of cowards. And so we begin this tale on the outskirts of a city named Bellow's Port on the island of Enca, a great distance from those that have saved this world time and time again.
"Eugh, I hate the smell of fish," a young man muttered to himself as he juggled several coloured balls in the air. "That might be the case Juggalo," said the older man that stood by his side, "but this is a port city dock, and where there's a dock, ther-"
"There's fish, yeah, I get you old man." The young man gave a huff. "So, how much longer do we have to wait for sissy?" asked the young man while he tapped his foot impatiently. Each tap sent a vibration through himself, resulting in the bells on his jester's cap jingling and jangling while his dark hair shot out from under it. He wore a billowy white cotton button-up undershirt topped with a red vest, and long black trousers, which met his black sneakers. Holding the ensemble together was a black leather belt with a bag on each side. "Ooh, I couldn't tell you for sure Juggalo," replied the old man, "she has always been a slow one, has she not?" To this, the old man gave a small chuckle, his thick salt-and-pepper beard waving gently in the wind as he did. His eyes were not seen under the cloak he wore, though the part along the body laid bare his matching blue tunic and pants. The pair of them were not kept too long, for moments later they would hear a voice calling out to them. Looking over, they laid eyes upon a young woman, taller than either of them at six foot, dressed in denim short-shorts with a simple yellow t-shirt and a baggy red jacket over the top, her ginger hair flowing over the back of it and coming to a rest at the middle of her back. "Hope you didn't miss me big brother!"
"Miss you? Never," he retorted, catching his juggling balls and depositing them in his belt bags.
"Oh you, you're so mean big brother!"
"Kelly I swear you keep up that childishness and-"
"You'll what, Juggalo?" interrupted the old man.
"Uh… um, nothing sir." he replied, not losing the annoyed look in his eye. The old man gave another small chuckle, though more shallow than the last.
"Well, 'tis fine Juggalo," he replied. "Now Kelly, I trust you finished your business?"
"Yes Ham-ham! All sorted!" she said as she beamed a bubbly smile.
"Ham-ham? Still? Pfft, what a child…"
"Oh, I'm a child! You're the one getting grumpy here!"
"Well if you hadn't kept us waiting I wouldn't be so-" it was in this instance that from under the old man's cloak he brought forth a large golden sceptre with a carving of a fist adorning its top. As he lifted it into the air, he decreed, "Under my Law, there shall be no arguments, by punishment of breathlessness!" slamming the tip of it onto the ground hard, a tremendous clang resonating outwards out as it struck the stone beneath their feet. The pair continued to argue, but only for a few seconds, before they found their mouths growing dry and parched as the air that left their lips was little more than vapour and within moments they found themselves gasping. As they each took a moment to calm down, they found their mouths quickly salivating, and their breathing returning to normal. Looking up to the old man, they could each see the frustration in his eyes. "Adults or not, I still see myself as your guardian," the old man began, "and it breaks my heart to see such pitiful arguing. Please, today is an important day. We've better things to do." And with his speech, he tapped his sceptre against the ground again, dispelling his magic.
The pair of siblings looked away from the old man and back at each other briefly. Juggalo spoke first. "I'm… I'm sorry Kelly. I just hate when you dawdle around and take your time."
"That's okay big brother. I guess I can be a bit of a kid at times." Suddenly, a twinkle appeared in her eyes. "Oh, that's right! The reason I was so late! I went ahead and made dinner reservations at a nice looking restaurant I found on the main street! I figured once we were done with the mission we could go there to eat!" The old man looked her in the eye.
"And how do you expect to pay for it, young lady? I hope you're not suggesting we…" the old man trailed off. That look in her eye suggested she had planned exactly what he had assumed.
"Oh, it's not like we're thieves, Ham-ham! We just take a little to cover-"
"No excuses child! We're not here to line our own pockets! Please, I understand, even I grow tired of fish and berries, but we can't just take what we want."
"Well, how about this!?" called Juggalo. The young lady and the old man walked over to where he stood, his finger resting on a wanted poster. Pictured there was a man in his thirties or so, with a grumpy face. Listed below was the name 'Gorilla Jack'. "Seems we're in luck you two; looks like the guards have gotten off their butts and actually decided to put out a bounty on a dark wizard for once, and the guild leader no less. Guess that means we're eating indoors tonight." A smile grew over Kelly's face, while a frown grew over the old man's. "I know I said I too grow tired of fish, but I was actually looked forward to it tonight…" he murmured to himself. "Well old-timer, we can do that tomorrow. But in the meantime, we've a dark guild in need of an ass-whooping! Who's with me!" cried Juggalo.
"Me!" cried Kelly.
"I agree with the sentiment but please keep the profanity down," said the old man. And with this energy, they began to trek to the city's southern road.
South of Bellow's Port, you'll find the Wilderwoods, a region known for its dense forest seemingly trapped in a perpetual night as the treetops grow very close together. If you know where to look, you may find a hidden path off to the side of the trail leading through to the inner island, and following it will eventually see you at the door of Macabre Shuffle, one of Enca's dark guilds. And so it was that our party of adventures were making their way to this very place. "Okay," began Juggalo, "so, I'm just gonna double check I've got this all right-"
"Big brother, you know you know this! Don't need to go double checking everything!"
"She's right my boy. I'm certain we all know what we're to do here. Just remember, these people are thugs. I'm certain we've no reason to worry, but if you feel scared or unsure, that probably means you're on the right track. Just be vigilant, steadfast, and know that your sister and I have your back." The old man gave Juggalo a gentle smile. Juggalo nodded in turn, and began to take a few deep breaths to centre himself. After a while of wandering, they came across the hidden trail, 'hidden' in this case being little more than some fake shrubbery moved into the walkway.
"Wow, this is the work of a wizard's guild? You sure you got your sources right old-timer?"
"Of course. I guess it's equal measures of stupidity and pride; they've been harassing people all over Bellow's Port for years, why would they assume anyone would come here willingly?" Moving the debris, they began the walk down the hidden trail, and after several minutes they reached the front door of an ominous building. A single floor structure, built out of a reliable wood but nothing too ornate to decorate the exterior. As the three of them stood there, they gave each other a look, a nod, the old man muttered to himself and tapped his sceptre upon the earth, and then they entered.
Stepping inside, they were met with the sounds of fist-fights, drinking and much cursing, only to be quickly replaced with silence as hundreds of eyes met their own. Stepping in standing as tall as they could, they came to a stop in the middle of the hall, greeted by one of the guild members. Pushing his face close to the old man's, he said sneering, "Well well well, what's all this? We got ourselves some clients, do we?" he said, a small chuckle escaping his associates' mouths. "Well, sorry to be a downer, but we don't run like that. You see, we come to you, and make the arrangements." The joking tone and sneer fell as he continued, "So what exactly do you think you're doing here?" The old man locked eyes from under his cloak with the man before him, then spoke. "Well, we're here because we wanted to meet Gorilla Jack."
"Oh, that so ya old-geezer!?" the goon retorted. A laugh erupted from the guild members as the sneered returned. "So lemme guess, you wants in on our business? Wanna be a real wizard do you now?"
"Au contraire. No, not at all. Rather, we heard you're a dark guild; one that thinks it's alright to take what you want at the expense of anyone. And I don't take too kindly to that." As his words were heard, the other guild members began rising from their seats, each of them either withdrawing a weapon or seemingly preparing to cast a spell. "Oh, it seems I've upset your compatriots," said the old man.
"Y'think, you moron?" retorted the guild member, his sneer vanishing once more. "Who you think you are, walking in here talkin' all high and mighty like you're a big shot! Well, old man! Who are you!?"
"Yes, indeed, who am I?" The old man turned to Kelly now. "My dear, would you be so kind as to teach this ruffian some respect?"
"Oh what's that little girl gon-" and with a single swift blow, the guild member was taken down, Kelly's foot still held where his face had been mere moments ago. At this moment the guild members jumped up and began to charge. "My name is Hammurabi Akkad! These are my dear children! We are Manus Lex, hunters of the dark guilds plaguing Ishgar!"
The goons and thugs scrambled towards the trio, ready to beat them down. Juggalo reached into the bags on his belt and proceed to withdraw three balls; one red, one blue and one yellow. With the waving of his hands, the balls began to spin and fly through the air. "Now, Lacrimanesis! Elemental Barrage!" cried Juggalo. The three balls, or rather Lacrima as it were, began to blast out waves and bolts of fire, ice and lightning, striking all that found themselves in the road. Kelly was on the offensive, striking foes left and right with quick kicks that buried themselves in the guts of these so-called wizards. And Hammurabi simply stood his ground; as the enemy wizards attempted to strike him, each one would be magically repelled, suffering a blow to their own body each time. "Oh god, what are these guys!?" one of the guild members called out as his blow was knocked back. Stepping towards that goon in particular, Hammurabi took a hold of his collar. "Oh, I see you're not familiar with this type of magic. I'm a Law Wizard; my magic has the power to set out laws that must be obeyed, and failure to do so will result in strict punishment. As I stand here before you, the law is this: Those under my Law must not attempt to harm me in any way, the punishment for which is to be harmed in an equal measure instead!" The goon screamed at the realisation; the man before him could not be harmed by anything while such a magic was in effect. As this was happening, Juggalo's flying lacrima continued to whirl around the hall, no-one seemingly safe from all three of his elemental attacks; each bid to shield one simply resulted in another coming in from behind and blasting out an attack that could not be guarded against. And all the while, Kelly laid waste to the rest of the guild with striking blows, seemingly dodging any incoming attacks herself. Within mere moments, the guild hall was a wreck, its inhabitants downed. And it was at this moment that the true challenger would make his appearance.
It started with a small shaking of the floor. All three of them felt it surely, as they glanced at one another trying to understand. Then another shake. And another. And another. And another. Something was lumbering towards them from a back room. Smashing down the door with a massive yell, out came a rather tall and wide man in a purple suit, a staggering seven feet tall, a good head taller than Kelly. As they laid eyes upon this man's face, they knew who stood before them; Gorilla Jack. "Hmm..? What do we have here?" said Gorilla Jack. "A guild full of weak wizards laying around, a girl, a clown and an old man!? What kind of joke is this!?" he let out a roar of laughter. "I thought I had better wizards than that in here!" he said staring around at his minions. "You mean to tell me all of you can't take a girl, a clown AND an old man!? Why good are you all to me!?" Hammurabi began to step towards Gorilla Jack, panting slightly with each step.
"Sir, I do not advise belittling them. They did their best, and of undisciplined whelps that is all we can ask sometimes."
"Big words, little man!" Gorilla Jack retorted. "Now shut it!" With that, Gorilla Jack raised his fist and swung at Hammurabi.
As the fist met Hammurabi's face, the room began to shake as his Law was enacted. However, Gorilla Jack's fist wasn't deflected by the blow; with a single extra thrust, Jack's punch connected. Hammurabi went flying and crashed into the wall by the entrance as Gorilla Jack finally let out a pained roar, grabbing onto his hand. Juggalo and Kelly quickly rushed over to Hammurabi's side.
"Ham-ham! Are you alright!?"
"What on earth happened, old-timer!?" Hammurabi began to let out a pained coughing fit.
"Kids, I'll be right… I think I'm just... running on fumes. I'll take a quick rest, and then jump back in. Can you at least keep him busy until I'm ready to go on?"
Juggalo responded, "Oh we can do more than that, right sissy?"
"Of course big bro!" she responded. A chuckle could be heard behind their backs now.
"Oh, so you two are gonna take me on now? That old geezer of yours could barely handle a single punch, what hope do you two think you have!?" Gorilla Jack began to lumber their way.
"Kelly, you're on distraction duty," Juggalo whispered to his sister. "I'll try and get in behind with my lacrima. You keep him distracted; no fancy moves, only sure hits. Got it?"
"Got it big bro, I won't let you down." And with that, Juggalo retrieved a fourth lacrima, this one purple, from his belt bags.
